What are the fasting hours in Ramadan?

Detailed answer

The daily fast in Ramadan runs from true dawn (the beginning of Fajr prayer time) until sunset (the beginning of Maghrib prayer time). During these hours you do not eat, drink or have intimate relations. From sunset until dawn, all of these are allowed again.

What the Quran says

Allah describes the timing precisely: "Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread, then complete the fast until night" (Al-Baqarah 2:187). The "white thread" is the first light spreading along the horizon before sunrise, and "night" begins when the sun has fully set.

Important points

• Dawn, not sunrise: the fast starts well before sunrise, usually more than an hour earlier, depending on location and season.
• Imsak: many timetables show an "imsak" time about 10 minutes before Fajr as a safety margin. The fast itself begins at Fajr.
• Sunset: you break the fast as soon as the sun has set, at the start of Maghrib time. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that people will remain in goodness as long as they hurry to break the fast (Bukhari and Muslim).

How many hours?

The length of the fast depends on where you live and the time of year. Because Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, it moves through the seasons. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027, so it falls in late winter in the northern hemisphere, with relatively short fasting days there, and in late summer in the southern hemisphere, where the days are longer.

In practice

• Use a reliable local timetable, as times change by a minute or two each day.
• If you travel, follow the dawn and sunset times of the place where you are.
• Plan suhoor so you finish a few minutes before Fajr, and have dates and water ready for sunset.

You can find the daily times for your city on our prayer times page and the full Ramadan timetable for your country. See also when exactly to stop eating at suhoor and when iftar time is.