how long is the fast for ramadan
The daily fast in Ramadan lasts each day from true dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib) , so in practice it’s usually about 11–16 hours depending on where you live and the time of year.
Quick Scoop
- Muslims fast every day for the whole month of Ramadan , which is 29 or 30 days long depending on the moon.
- Each day’s fast is from dawn to sunset , not a fixed clock time like “8 am to 8 pm”.
- In many parts of the world, that works out to roughly 12–15 hours a day, but it can be a bit shorter or longer.
- Near the poles, daylight can be very long, so some Muslims follow the timetable of Mecca or the nearest normal city instead.
Example (recent years)
- Some cities in the Northern Hemisphere have had fasts around 12–13 hours on the shorter days and up to about 15–16 hours on the longer days.
- In extreme northern cities like Reykjavík, Muslims have experienced days close to 16+ hours between dawn and sunset in recent Ramadans.
What “how long is the fast for Ramadan” can mean
You might be asking about:
- Daily length :
- Answer: from dawn to sunset each day , around 11–16 hours for most people , sometimes more in extreme locations.
- Whole month :
- Answer: Ramadan itself is 29–30 days , and fasting is done every one of those days (for those who are obligated and able).
Bottom line: The fast is not a fixed number of hours for everyone; it always tracks your local dawn and sunset , which is why people in different countries fast for different lengths of time.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.