Muslims start fasting each day in Ramadan at true dawn (called Fajr) and stop at sunset (called Maghrib). Outside Ramadan, there are also optional fasts on other days, but the daily start time is always at dawn.

Quick Scoop: Core Idea

  • The Islamic fast runs from dawn until sunset , not from midnight.
  • “Dawn” means when the first light appears horizontally on the horizon (true dawn), not just when the sky looks a bit lighter.
  • The exact clock time changes by location and by date , so Muslims use local prayer timetables or apps to know the precise Fajr and Maghrib times.

When does fasting begin in the year?

If you’re asking about Ramadan 2026 specifically :

  • Ramadan 2026 is expected to begin around the evening of Tuesday 17 or Wednesday 18 February 2026 , depending on local moon sighting.
  • That means the first day of fasting will be around Wednesday 18 February 2026 in many places (again, some countries may start a day earlier or later).
  • Muslims will then fast every day from dawn to sunset until around 19 March 2026 , when Ramadan is expected to end, followed by Eid al‑Fitr.

Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan shifts about 11 days earlier each solar year , which is why its dates change every year.

Daily start: how Muslims know the time

In practice, people check:

  • A local mosque’s timetable or website, which lists Fajr and Maghrib. Many mosques publish special Ramadan schedules.
  • Prayer/Islamic apps that use your GPS to calculate dawn and sunset precisely for your city.

The fast begins a few minutes before Fajr time on the timetable (to be safe) and ends exactly at Maghrib, when the call to prayer is given.

Who does not have to start fasting

Not every Muslim is required to fast every Ramadan day:

  • People who are ill, travelling, very elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding, or on certain medications can be exempt or can make up the fasts later.
  • Children are usually encouraged to try short “practice” fasts as they get older, but the obligation begins at religious adulthood (puberty).

A quick example

Imagine you live in London on a Ramadan day:

  • Your timetable might say Fajr: 5:10 am and Maghrib: 5:40 pm (example only; real times change day to day).
  • You’d stop eating a few minutes before 5:10 am, fast through the day, then break the fast (iftar) at 5:40 pm when the Maghrib prayer enters.

TL;DR: Muslims start fasting each day at dawn (Fajr) and stop at sunset (Maghrib). For 2026, Ramadan fasting is expected to start around 18 February 2026 , but you should always confirm the exact start with your local mosque or a reliable Islamic calendar app because moon‑sighting can shift the date by a day.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.