Ramadan Start 2026 रमज़ान की शुरुआत

Why Ramadan Start is celebrated

Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic year. Fasting in this month, called sawm or roza, is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity and the Hajj pilgrimage. Every adult Muslim who is healthy and able is expected to fast.

The fast is more than going without food and water. Muslims believe it teaches self-control, patience and gratitude. A person who fasts is also expected to avoid anger, lies, gossip and bad habits, and to spend more time in prayer and reading the Quran. Feeling hunger for a few hours each day is meant to remind people of those who go hungry every day, so giving to the poor becomes a central part of the month.

Muslims also believe the Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad during this month. For that reason many try to read the whole Quran at least once before Ramadan ends. The month ends with Eid ul Fitr, a day of thanks and celebration.

History and story of Ramadan Start

According to Islamic tradition, the first verses of the Quran came to the Prophet in 610 CE, when he was meditating in the cave of Hira near Mecca. That night is remembered as Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, which the Quran describes as better than a thousand months. Muslims look for it in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, most often the 27th night.

Fasting through the whole month was made a duty in the second year after the Prophet moved to Medina, around 624 CE. The Quran itself sets out the main rules: eat and drink before the white thread of dawn can be told from the black thread of night, then complete the fast until nightfall. It also gives relief to the sick and travellers, who may make up the missed days later.

Because the Islamic calendar follows the moon, its year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year. Ramadan therefore moves through all the seasons over a cycle of roughly 33 years. In 2026 it falls in February and March, when days in India are fairly short and mild, which makes the fast easier than in the long summer days of past years.

How Ramadan Start is celebrated

The month begins when the new crescent is seen on the evening of 29 Shaban. Local moon sighting committees and religious bodies announce the start, so the first fast can differ by a day between India and the Gulf, and sometimes between regions.

Each day starts with sehri, a meal eaten before dawn. Families usually take light, filling food such as rotis, parathas, eggs, milk, dates and fruit, and drink plenty of water. After the Fajr prayer the fast begins. From then until sunset there is no eating, drinking or smoking.

At sunset the call of the Maghrib azaan signals iftar. Most people break the fast with a date and water, as the Prophet is said to have done, and then share fruit chaat, pakoras, sherbet and other dishes with family and neighbours. After the night prayer, men and many women attend taraweeh, special long prayers in which the whole Quran is often recited over the month.

Charity is stressed throughout. Many people pay zakat, the annual charity of 2.5 percent on savings, during Ramadan. Before Eid every household gives sadaqat ul fitr, a small fixed charity so that poor families can also celebrate. Some devout Muslims spend the last ten days in itikaf, staying in the mosque for prayer and reflection.

Children, the elderly, the sick, travellers, pregnant and nursing mothers and women during menstruation are excused. Those who cannot fast at all may give fidya, which means feeding a poor person for each missed day.

Ramadan Start across India

India has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, and Ramadan changes the rhythm of many old city quarters. Evening food streets near Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, Zakaria Street in Kolkata and the Charminar area of Hyderabad stay busy late into the night. Hyderabad is known for haleem, a slow-cooked dish of wheat, lentils and meat. In Kerala, mosques serve nombu kanji, a soothing rice porridge, at iftar. Lucknow is famous for its sheermal and kebabs.

In some old neighbourhoods, groups still walk the lanes before dawn calling people to wake for sehri. At Raisen fort in Madhya Pradesh a cannon has long been fired to mark sehri and iftar. In Uttarakhand, mosques in Dehradun and in Haridwar district, including the Piran Kaliyar area near Roorkee, announce sehri and iftar timings, and community iftar gatherings often include neighbours of other faiths.