“When’s Ramadan this year?”
It is a question that I constantly receive. From non-Muslim friends. From Muslim converts. From my own kids.
And with each year I have something new to say. “March 10th.” “February 28th.” “April 2nd.”
They look confused. “But… why does it keep changing? Christmas never goes past the 25th of December. Why does not Ramadan always come on the same date?
Great question. One that a majority of Muslims are unable to elaborate on in the right way.
My friend Sarah converted three years ago. Last year, she was texting me in a frenzy in February: Wait, is it the beginning of Ramadan tomorrow? I thought it was in March! What am I supposed to do about this?
I laughed. Hello to the Islamic calendar. It keeps you on your toes.”
There is a reason why Ramadan is not fixed in time. Why can you not arrange it years ahead? Why it appear at various times of the year? And why such a system, though it appears to be chaotic, is best?
Why Ramadan Does Not Follow the Gregorian Calendar
Easy explanation: Because the Gregorian calendar is not the one used in Islam.
That calendar on your wall? The one that marks January through December? It is the Gregorian calendar. It is called the Gregory XIII after the one who introduced it in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII. It is a Christian calendar that was used by the world to do business and coordinate around the world.
However, there is the Islamic calendar. Always has. Since the Prophet (peace be upon him). Our worship is not according to the calendar of the Pope. We observe the Hijri calendar -Islamic calendar.
Think about it. Would it be reasonable of Islam to fix the holiest month on a Christian calendar? That would be comparing Christians to celebrate Christmas according to the Chinese calendar. It doesn’t fit.
The Islam religion had its own timekeeping. Based on the moon. According to what you can really see in the sky. Not founded on the calculations of the European clergy of the Renaissance era.
One of my colleagues has once seen me and said to me, Why do not you guys just pick a date and go with it? Like, make Ramadan every June 15th or whatever. Easier for everyone.”
I inquired of him, Why shouldn’t you fix your birthday date each year? Make it always January 1st?”
He laughed. “Since my birthday is pegged on the date of actual birth. The actual day.”
“Exactly,” I said. Ramadan is connected with real lunar phases. The actual moon. Not on a solar calendar, numbers that are not arbitrary.
The Islamic (Hijri) Calendar
The Islamic calendar is referred to as the Hijri calendar. Hijri is a term used to refer to the Hijrah- the emigration of the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. The year turned out to be year 1 under the Islamic calendar.
Currently, when I am writing in 2026 CE, it is 1447-1448 AH (After Hijrah). Two different year counts. There were two calendar systems.
The Hijri calendar also has twelve months similar to Gregorian calendar. But they are beautiful Arabic names:
- Muharram
- Safar
- Rabi’ al-Awwal
- Rabi’ al-Thani
- Jumada al-Awwal
- Jumada al-Thani
- Rajab
- Sha’ban
- Ramadan
- Shawwal
- Dhu al-Qi’dah
- Dhu al-Hijjah
Ramadan is the ninth month. Always has been. Always will be. That doesn’t change.
What changes is when Ramadan falls relative to the Gregorian calendar.
One of my brothers, Ibrahim, an Egyptian-born brother, informed me as follows: “When I was in Cairo, I used to know about the Hijri months. My grand grandfather would know the Hijri date without looking. I must look it up here in America. We no longer have that relation to our calendar”.
It is so with most of the diaspora Muslims. We know January and March. But ask us what Hijri month it is? We pull out our phones.
Lunar vs Solar Calendars
The following is the major difference that gives it all:
Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. According to the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. A single rotation = 365.25 days.
The Hijri calendar is lunar. According to the rotation of the moon around the Earth. A Lunar cycle = 29 or 30 days. 12 lunar months = approximately 354 days.
See the problem? A solar year is 365 days. A lunar year is 354 days. That’s an 11-day difference.
The Gregorian calendar lags behind the Islamic calendar by 11 days each year. Every year Ramadan shifts backwards by 11 days.
Ramadan begins February 19 th this year. Next year? Year after? It continues to retrogress through Gregorian calendar.
Ramadan is a complete cycle in the Gregorian months in a period of 33 years. You will have Ramadan in winter, spring, summer and fall.
My daughter came and told me, Why can we not simply add days to the lunar months, and have them equal to the year of the sun?
I said, “That way they would not be lunar anymore. The moon does not give the calendar of the sun. It does its own thing.”
She thought about it. So we are tracing the real moon rather than artificial figures?
“Exactly.”
“That’s actually kind of cool.”
Yeah. It really is.
Moon Sighting (Ru’yat al-Hilāl)
Here’s where it gets beautiful and complicated.
In Islam, a new month begins when you can see the new moon with your naked eye. Not when a computer says the new moon exists. When you can actually see it.
This is called ru’yat al-hilal—moon sighting.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Fast when you see it [the crescent moon] and break fast when you see it.”
Simple, right? Look at the sky. See the crescent? New month started. Don’t see it? Previous month continues for another day.
This makes the Islamic calendar unpredictable in a beautiful way. You can’t know for certain when Ramadan starts until the night before. You have to look at the actual sky.
Some people find this frustrating. “Why can’t we just calculate it? We have computers! We can predict moon phases years in advance!”
True. But calculations and actual visibility aren’t always the same. Atmospheric conditions matter. Cloud cover matters. The position of the observer matters.
And more importantly—Allah commanded moon sighting. Not moon calculation.
Yusuf, who works in tech, struggled with this: “I’m a software engineer. I trust data. The idea that we can’t know the start date for sure drives me crazy. Can’t we just… calculate it?”
But over time, he came to appreciate it. “There’s something humbling about it. We think we control everything with technology. But Ramadan reminds us we don’t. We have to wait. Look at the sky. Depend on Allah’s creation to tell us when to start.”
That humility? That’s part of the point.
Difference Between Lunar and Solar Years
Let’s do the math clearly:
- Gregorian (solar) year: 365 days
- Hijri (lunar) year: 354 days
- Difference: 11 days
What does this mean practically?
You age faster in Hijri years. If you’re 30 years old in Gregorian years, you’re about 31 in Hijri years. The Hijri calendar cycles faster.
Ramadan moves backward through Gregorian calendar. 11 days earlier each year. This year, February, next year January, year after that December, then November…
In 33 Gregorian years, you experience 34 Ramadans. You get an extra Ramadan because the lunar calendar cycles faster.
My father is 60 years old (Gregorian). He’s experienced 62 Ramadans. Think about that. Two extra blessed months because of the calendar system.
Islamic holidays move through all seasons. Ramadan isn’t always in summer or always in winter. It cycles through everything.
This is actually genius. Because…
How Ramadan Moves Through the Seasons
Ramadan doesn’t stay put. It moves. And that’s by design.
When Ramadan falls in summer, days are long. Fasting is hard. 15-16 hour fasts in many places. You learn endurance. You learn sacrifice.
When Ramadan falls in winter, days are short. Fasting is easier. 10-11 hour fasts. More time to focus on spiritual aspects rather than just surviving the physical challenge.
When Ramadan falls in spring or fall, it’s moderate. Balanced. Neither extremely easy nor extremely hard.
Every Muslim experiences all these versions of Ramadan in their lifetime. You don’t get to cherry-pick easy Ramadans. You get them all.
Aisha, who’s 68, shared this with me: “I’ve fasted in June when days were endless. I’ve fasted in December when days were short. I’ve seen Ramadan in every season. Each one taught me something different. Summer Ramadans taught me patience. Winter Ramadans taught me to go deeper spiritually. Spring Ramadans were the perfect balance.”
That diversity of experience? That’s the blessing of a moving Ramadan.
It also means fairness. Muslims in northern countries don’t always get stuck with 18-hour fasts. Muslims in southern hemisphere aren’t always fasting in their summer. The cycle balances everything over time.
Why Ramadan Dates Differ by Country
This confuses everyone. “Ramadan started yesterday in Saudi Arabia but starts today here? How does that work?”
Two reasons:
1. Physical Geography
The crescent moon becomes visible at different times in different places. When the sun sets in Morocco, it’s earlier than sunset in Indonesia. The moon might be visible in one place but not another.
This is natural. The moon sighting is local.
2. Different Methodologies
- Some countries follow local moon sighting—we only start Ramadan if our country sees the moon.
- Some countries follow Saudi Arabia—when Saudi sees the moon, everyone starts.
- Some countries use astronomical calculations—we start when calculations say the moon exists, even if no one sees it.
All three methods have scholarly support. All three are valid. This creates differences.
Turkey might start Ramadan on Feb 18th. Morocco on Feb19th. Indonesia on Feb 20th. All legitimate. All following valid Islamic methodologies.
This drives some people crazy. “Why can’t we all just start together?”
Because we’re following a system based on actual observation, not arbitrary coordination.
Ahmed lives in California. His parents live in Egypt. “Every year, there’s confusion. Did Ramadan start? My mom calls saying they started. But California hasn’t seen the moon yet. So do I start with her or with my local community?”
The scholars say: follow your local community. Where you are. That’s your moon sighting zone.
But the emotional pull to fast with family? I get it. Many people navigate this tension every year.
Importance of Understanding the Islamic Calendar
Why does any of this matter? Why not just look up Ramadan dates on Google and call it a day?
Because the Islamic calendar is part of your identity as a Muslim.
Allah mentions the twelve months in the Qur’an. He calls them sacred. He structures Islamic worship around them.
- The 9th month is Ramadan (the fasting month).
- Hajj takes place in Dhu al-Hijjah (12 th month).
- Arafah falls on the 9 th of Dhu al-Hijjah.
- Ashura will be the 10 th of Muharram (1 st month).
- The holy months are Dhu al-Qi’dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab.
None of this makes any sense when you are aware of Gregorian dates.
Ramadan is March 10 th tells you nothing Islamic. “Ramadan is the 1st of Ramadan 1447” connects you to 1400 years of Islamic history.
Once you learn about the Islamic calendar, you know why things happen the way they do. The reason as to why Hajj will always be the same Hijri dates yet different Gregorian dates. Why does the birthday of the Prophet moves? Why Laylat al-Qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan?
It connects you to the moon. To the sky. To natural cycles. To a chronology that exists before the establishment of modern nation-states and business calendars.
In my interview with Omar, a convert who had converted ten years ago, he said: “Learning the Islamic calendar was among the most important things I did. It appeared to be redundant information at the beginning. At this point; I understand that it is foundational. It is the way Muslims have been keeping time over the centuries. It is a component of the Islamic language. When someone says ‘first of Muharram,’ I should know what that means without Googling it.”
Conclusion: Embrace the Movement
Ramadan is changing annually, yes. No, you can not make plans years before. Yes, it is bewildering when you are accustomed to regular holidays.
But that’s the beauty of it.
Ramadan is not meant to be convenient. It should be ground-breaking. It is something that is moving and this keeps you involved. Keeps you watching the sky. Makes you in touch with natural cycles rather than artificial calendar systems.
It is always Christmas on the 25 th of December. Christmas decorations are sold in October. You are able to organize Christmas parties one year in advance. It’s predictable. Safe. Commercialized.
Ramadan? You do not know not until the night before. It can not be over-commercialized. You can not make it a certain day on a company calendar. It retains its spiritual nature since it does not want to be fixed.
That indecision, that reliance on moon watch, it is an annual rejoinder to the fact that we are not in charge. Allah is.
So yes, Ramadan dates change. They’ll keep changing. Next year it’ll be earlier. Earlier still, the following year. It will come at length to the repercussion point.
And in all these cycles, in all these seasons, in summer fasts and winter fasts, in long days and short days, Muslims are fasting. Connect with Allah. Purify themselves.
The calendar moves. But the worship remains.
Your non-Muslim friends will continue asking, perhaps, when Ramadan is this year. And you will continue to provide varying responses.
But now you know why. Now you can explain.
And perhaps, perhaps, you will make them understand that the moving Ramadan is not a bug but rather a feature.
May Allah bless you at every Ramadan whether it is a Gregorian or not. May you enjoy Ramadan in all seasons. And shall you never be thankful to the genius of a calendar system which keeps the Muslims in touch with the moon 1400 years.
Now go and see when the next Ramadan is. You are going to have to begin preparing. Although you are not so sure of the date as yet.
That’s just how we do it. And honestly? I would not have it in any other way.
