Ramadan 2026 fasting begins at dawn on either February 18 or 19, depending on the moon sighting, with most predictions pointing to February 19 as the first full fasting day.

Ramadan Start Basics

Fasting starts right after the previous month's moon confirmation, typically announced locally or nationally. You eat suhoor (pre-dawn meal) before Fajr prayer time, then abstain from food, drink, and other acts until Maghrib (sunset) for Iftar.

Predicted Dates for 2026

Sources vary slightly due to moon sighting reliance:

  • Evening of Feb 17 → Fast starts Feb 18 (some calculations).
  • Evening of Feb 18 → Fast starts Feb 19 (widely predicted).

Today (Feb 17, 2026), await official announcements from mosques or authorities like moon-sighting committees.

How to Prepare Tonight

  • Check local times : Use apps like Muslim Pro or IslamicFinder for your city's Fajr (dawn) on Feb 18/19—fasting begins precisely then.
  • Suhoor timing : Eat a nutritious meal (dates, oats, hydration) up to 10-15 mins before dawn; set multiple alarms.
  • First fast length : Expect 11-15 hours based on location (shorter near equator, longer in extremes).

Source| Predicted First Fast| Notes
---|---|---
Al Jazeera 1| Feb 18 or 19| Depends on crescent moon.
Human Appeal 5| Feb 19| Evening start Feb 18.
Zakat.org 3| Feb 18 or 19| Begins at Maghrib prior night.
HRF 7| Feb 18 evening| Subject to confirmation.

Multiple Viewpoints

  • Traditionalists : Insist on physical moon sighting, causing 1-day country differences.
  • Calculators : Use astronomy for fixed dates (e.g., Feb 18 globally).
  • Forum wisdom (e.g., Reddit): Newbies advised to follow community/mosque, start suhoor early to avoid mistakes.

Practical Tips

  1. Confirm via local imam or sites like timeanddate.com for your timezone.
  2. Hydrate well at Iftar; break fast with dates/water.
  3. If traveling (your "T1" location), adjust to current city's dawn/sunset.

TL;DR : Likely start fasting at dawn Feb 19 (check local moon news tonight); eat suhoor before Fajr.

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