When Is Ramadan 2026? Start, End Dates & Fasting Times

Ramadan falls in February 2026 instead of its usual spring slot because the Islamic lunar calendar creeps roughly 10–11 days earlier through the Gregorian year each cycle. That timing shift means shorter fasting windows, earlier sahur alarms, and a moon-sighting drama that plays out differently across regions. By the end of this piece, you will have the predicted dates, regional variations, and the specific rules that actually govern the holy month.

Expected Start: Evening of February 17, 2026 · Expected End: Evening of March 18, 2026 · Hijri Year: 1447 AH · First Fast: February 18, 2026 · Eid al-Fitr: March 20, 2026

Six data points govern the 2026 Ramadan picture — here is how they map across the calendar.

When is Ramadan 2026?

The Fiqh Council of North America predicts the first day of fasting as Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with the holy month beginning the evening of February 17 (Fiqh Council). However, the Central Hilal Committee reported that the moon was NOT sighted in North America on the evening of February 17, 2026 (Central Hilal Committee). That non-sighting pushes the practical start date for many North American communities to February 19, 2026 — a full day later than the astronomical prediction. The astronomical new moon for Ramadan 1447 AH was born on February 17, 2026 at 7:01 AM EST, according to the Central Hilal Committee.

Start date

Most predictions align on February 18 as the theoretical first day of fasting — that is when the Fiqh Council, Muslim Hands USA, and Islamic Relief all expect Ramadan to begin (Muslim Hands USA). But the actual start depends on whether the hilal (crescent moon) was visibly sighted on February 17 evening in each region.

End date

The new moon of Shawwal 1447 AH is predicted to be born on the evening of March 19, 2026, which places Eid al-Fitr on Friday, March 20, 2026, per both the Fiqh Council and Moonsighting.com (Moonsighting.com).

Fasting times

Sample prayer times for Boston on February 18, 2026: Fajr begins at 05:02 EST and Maghrib (iftar) at 17:20 EST, with Isha at 18:49 EST (Aladhan). For Houston, the Islamic Society Greater Houston lists Imsak at 5:52 AM on the first day (Islamic Society Greater Houston). One wrinkle: daylight saving time kicks in March 1, which compresses morning fasting windows in the final ten days of Ramadan for US observers.

In Pakistan

Pakistan typically follows the ruet-e-hilal sighting method and coordinates with Saudi Arabia. Regional analysts expect Gulf and Saudi communities to potentially sight the moon on February 17 evening, which would put Pakistan’s first fasting day on February 18 alongside Saudi Arabia (Times of India).

In India

India’s sighting tends to align with its own local observation. The Times of India reports that India is likely to sight the moon on February 18, with fasting potentially starting February 19 or even February 20 in some regional calculations (Times of India).

Why is Ramadan so early in 2026?

Ramadan lands in February not because anything changed in Islamic tradition, but because the Hijri calendar runs roughly 10–11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. Each solar year, Ramadan shifts backward through the seasons — next year it will fall about 10 days earlier again, and so on, cycling back around to winter every 33 solar years or so. This means every 33 years or so, a generation of Muslims experiences Ramadan in every season: summer’s long fasts, winter’s short ones, and everything between.

Lunar calendar explanation

The Islamic calendar is lunar-based, consisting of 12 months of either 29 or 30 days. There is no intercalary adjustment — no leap month added periodically — so the calendar year is about 354 days versus the Gregorian 365. That 11-day differential is why Ramadan migrates backward through the seasons annually.

Comparison to previous years

Ramadan 1446 AH fell in early March 2025 (approximately March 1–30). Ramadan 1445 AH occurred in mid-February to mid-March 2024. The pattern of shifting earlier each year holds consistently: Ramadan 1447 AH landing in late February to late March 2026 continues that backward drift.

What this means: Muslims in northern latitudes benefit from fasting windows that rarely exceed 12–14 hours, making physical endurance less of a daily challenge than in summer months when the fast can stretch past 16 hours.

Are there two Ramadans in 2026?

No. There is only one Ramadan per Hijri year — 1447 AH spans roughly February 2026 through March 2026. The confusion sometimes arises because the Hijri year 1447 began around June 2025 (Gregorian), and Ramadan 1447 falls near the end of that Hijri year cycle. Some online sources may have accidentally implied two observances, but the lunar calendar does not duplicate months — each Hijri year has exactly one Ramadan.

Misconception clarification

The claim that “Ramadan comes twice in 2026” appears to be a misinterpretation of the Hijri calendar’s shift patterns or possibly an error from automated content. The Fiqh Council, Central Hilal Committee, Moonsighting.com, and Shia Muslim Scholars Council all confirm a single Ramadan 1447 AH starting in late February 2026.

What this means: Any calendar or app showing two Ramadan periods in 2026 contains a data error that needs flagging to the developer or publisher.

What is sahur?

Sahur is the pre-dawn meal that Muslims eat before beginning the daily fast during Ramadan. It is consumed before the Fajr prayer call, and the fast officially begins at Fajr — meaning once dawn breaks, no food or drink (including water) is permitted until Maghrib. The word comes from Arabic and means “time of eating before dawn.”

Timing and importance

Sunnah (prophetic tradition) emphasizes the blessings of sahur and encourages eating close to the pre-dawn time. Islamic scholars note that the sahur meal should include wholesome foods — slow-digesting complex carbohydrates, protein, and fluids — to sustain energy through the fasting hours. In practice, many Muslims set alarms for 3:00–4:30 AM depending on their location and Fajr time during Ramadan.

For Boston on February 18, 2026, the approximate sahur window runs from roughly 3:30–5:00 AM EST, with Fajr at 05:02 EST. Houston sahur times start around 4:30–5:30 AM CST based on Imsak times. DST changes on March 1 will shift these windows forward by an hour for US observers in the final stretch of Ramadan.

Can I kiss my wife during Ramadan fasting?

Yes, kissing between spouses is generally permissible during Ramadan fasting, provided it does not lead to arousal or invalidation of the fast through more extreme actions. Islamic scholars distinguish between a peck of affection — which does not break the fast — and sexual activity that does. The Fiqh Council and Islamic Relief guidance both affirm that affectionate physical contact between spouses is allowed while fasting, as long as it remains within bounds of propriety.

Intimacy rules

Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) holds that the fast is invalidated only by intentional intake of food, drink, or sexual intercourse. A kiss between spouses, a hug, or a tender touch does not constitute intake and does not invalidate the fast. However, scholars caution that if the physical contact leads to arousal and subsequent intercourse, the fast is broken and requires qada (compensatory fasting) along with potential kaffarah (expiation) depending on the ruling school.

Touching private parts

Direct sexual stimulation without intercourse is considered disliked (makruh) during fasting by most schools but does not technically invalidate the fast. The key principle is intentionality: if the act is done with the desire to achieve sexual satisfaction that requires ghusl (ritual bath), scholars differ on whether the fast breaks. For clarity on specific scenarios, consulting a trusted local scholar is recommended.

Kissing girlfriend

The ruling on kissing non-marital partners is stricter. Unmarried couples engaging in physical intimacy face greater risk of invalidating the fast because the arousal-to-intercourse pathway is more likely. Additionally, non-marital intimacy carries a separate religious prohibition regardless of Ramadan. Scholars advise avoiding such contact during Ramadan to preserve the fast’s spiritual integrity.

Timeline signal

Four anchor points define the 2026 Ramadan arc: one for the astronomical new moon, two for the lunar sighting events, and one for Eid.

The implication: Regional sighting outcomes create a window of a day or two where Muslim communities worldwide may begin or end Ramadan on different dates, making local verification essential.

What experts say

“The first day of Ramadan is Wednesday, February 18, 2026, inshā’Allāh.”

— Fiqh Council of North America (Islamic scholars providing astronomical predictions)

“Reports from all sub Committees of CHC unanimously confirmed that the moon was NOT SIGHTED on February 17, 2026.”

— Central Hilal Committee (North America moon sighting body)

“Thursday, February 19th, 2026, will be the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan, 1447 A.H., for the entire region of North America.”

— Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America

“On February 17, the moon cannot be seen anywhere in the world.”

— Moonsighting.com (Global astronomical visibility analyst)

For Muslims across the globe, the practical stakes of these competing dates are real: a community observing February 18 while its neighbor observes February 19 means families break fast on different evenings and sahur alarms ring at different hours. The lunar calendar’s precision is both its beauty and its complexity — the same crescent that signals Ramadan in Saudi Arabia may not yet be visible in Boston, creating genuine regional divergence in observances.