Ramadan

Why Ramadan is different

Ramadan is singled out in the Quran by name — the only month mentioned this way — as the month in which the Quran itself was first revealed: "The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion" (2:185). Fasting the month is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, obligatory on every adult, sane, healthy, non-travelling Muslim.

For the complete guide to fasting itself — who must fast, what breaks the fast, exemptions, qada, kaffarah, and the sunnah fasts around it — see the full fasting guide on the Practice page. This page focuses on what makes Ramadan more than "the fasting month": its specific virtues, the last ten nights, and Laylatul Qadr.

How the month begins and ends

Ramadan begins and ends with the crescent moon, not a printed calendar. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Start fasting on seeing the crescent of Ramadan, and give up fasting on seeing the crescent of Shawwal; and if the sky is overcast, complete thirty days of Sha'ban" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1909). This is why communities sometimes begin a day apart. The majority of scholars require an actual sighting — some schools counting only their own region's, others accepting any credible sighting worldwide — while some contemporary bodies, such as Turkey's Diyanet and the Fiqh Council of North America, rely on astronomical calculation. All agree the month turns on the new moon; they differ on the means of establishing it. Practically: follow your country's official announcement or your local mosque, and never let a one-day difference become a division.

Niyyah — the intention that makes it a fast

What separates a fast from mere hunger is intention (niyyah). For the obligatory Ramadan fast, the intention must be settled during the night, before dawn: "He who does not determine to fast before dawn does not fast" (Sunan Abi Dawud 2454, graded sahih by al-Albani). The intention lives in the heart — no formula needs to be spoken; getting up for suhoor having decided to fast is itself the intention. The schools differ on the details: the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools require a fresh intention each night; the Maliki school holds that one intention at the start of the month covers it all, unless the fast is interrupted; and the Hanafi school allows the intention for a Ramadan day to be formed as late as before midday. Voluntary fasts are more relaxed — the majority allow the intention to be formed during the day itself.

The last ten nights, and Laylatul Qadr

The Prophet ﷺ intensified his worship in the final ten nights of Ramadan beyond the rest of the month — staying up in prayer, and observing i'tikaf (secluded devotion in the mosque). Within these ten nights falls Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Decree, described in its own dedicated surah.

Its exact date isn't fixed or told to us — the Prophet ﷺ instructed that it be sought among the odd-numbered nights of the last ten:

The 27th night is the most commonly observed in many communities, though this is a common practice rather than a certainty from the text — the wisdom in it remaining unspecified is, itself, part of the encouragement to seek it earnestly across all these nights rather than one.

A dua for Laylatul Qadr

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet ﷺ what to say if she came upon the Night of Decree. He taught her this:

Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat al-Fitr is a separate, smaller obligation from the annual Zakat calculated on wealth — a fixed amount of staple food — or its cash equivalent, a Hanafi position adopted by many contemporary authorities, while the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools require food itself — given by or on behalf of every Muslim, before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. Its purpose is stated directly in the hadith: it purifies the fasting person from any idle or indecent talk during the month, and it feeds the poor so that even the most needy can share in the joy of Eid.

It's due before the Eid prayer — giving it after is treated as ordinary charity rather than Zakat al-Fitr itself — so most communities collect and distribute it in the final days of Ramadan.