The Islamic holy month of Ramzan is expected to start in the evening on Friday, February 28, and will end in the evening of Sunday, March 30, with the exact dates dependent on the sighting of the moon.
Traditionally, the crescent moon marking the start of Ramzan also spelled as Ramadan, is expected to be sighted on the 29th of the eighth month of Shaban, which falls on Friday, February 28. If the moon is visible this evening, the month of Ramzan will begin on March 1.
Maulana Shahbuddin Razvi Barelvi, a religious scholar, said that roza, or the fast between sunrise to sunset during the month, is one of the pillars of Islam.
“It is believed that Allah created eleven months for the body and one month for the soul. Prophet Muhammad instructed his followers to start the fast after sighting the moon and end it after the appearance of the moon,’ said Barelvi.
Zeenat Shaukat Ali, former head of Islamic studies at Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College, said that the tradition of roza dates back to the time of Prophet Abraham.
“In pre-Islamic Arabia, this was the month when warring tribes laid down arms. It was a month of peace. This Abrahamic tradition continued. It is the month of ‘saum’ which means abstinence in Arabic. It is not just the abstinence of the palate, but also of the other senses,” said Ali.
Ramzan is also a month of charity or zakat, the third pillar of Islam. Ali Akbar Shroff President, Khoja Shia Ishna Asheri Jamat, Mumbai, said that the community’s centres, including their main mosque at Dongri, and their cemeteries, will distribute iftar – the evening meal that breaks the day’s fast – to every visitor. “We do a lot of charity this month. We make sure that every vulnerable family is cared for with necessities like food,” said Shroff.
Barelvi said that rich Muslims are directed to give 2.5% of their wealth as charity. “Poor people are not obligated to give zakat,” he added.
The month is a time for spiritual activities. Khoja mosques will hold community recitation of the Koran every evening during the month after iftar. “Some nights during the month are especially holy, like the 19th and 21st day which is marked as the martyrdom of Imam Hazrat Ali. The night of the 23rd is when the Koran was revealed to the prophet by Allah,” said Shroff.
The Dawoodi Bohras, a Shia denomination, will start on the evening of February 28. For Khoja Shias, the month will start in the evening on March 1 and the first Roza or fast will be held on March 1 or 2. The uncertainty of the dates exists because religious scholars predict different days across regions. The new or crescent moon influences the date of each month of the lunar-based calendar.
The eighth Islamic month, Shaban, was marked on Friday, January 31, 2025, in many Islamic countries. This means, Ramzan, the ninth month, should start on March 1. However, some scholars and officials argue that the moon may not be visible in many locations, requiring Shaban to be extended by one more day and pushing the start of Ramzan to March 2. The month will end with the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr or Ramzan Eid. This day could be March 30 or 31.
