Count Down to Ramadan
A simple guide to when Ramadan starts, how the Islamic calendar works, and how to use this tool.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, and spend more time in prayer, reciting the Quran and giving charity.
The Islamic calendar follows the moon, so Ramadan moves about ten or eleven days earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year.
The Islamic (Hijri) calendar
The Hijri calendar has twelve lunar months, each lasting 29 or 30 days, so its year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year. Years are counted from the Hijri, the Prophet's migration to Madinah, and written with AH.
This page shows today's Hijri date, and the Hijri date of every key day, so you can follow both calendars together.
When does Ramadan start?
A new month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon, so the start of Ramadan can differ by a day between countries and communities.
This counter uses the Umm al-Qura calendar, which is the calendar used in Saudi Arabia. Use the date adjustment if your country or local mosque starts a day earlier or later.
Features of this tool
- A live countdown to the next Ramadan, then to Eid al-Fitr once Ramadan has begun.
- Today's Gregorian and Hijri date.
- A Ramadan calendar with the Hijri day and Gregorian date of every day, with the last ten days marked.
- A fasting tracker to tick off each day, saved on your device.
- Upcoming Islamic dates, including Eid al-Fitr, Hajj, the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha, each with a countdown.
- A date converter between Gregorian and Hijri dates.
- A one-day adjustment either way to match your local moon sighting.
Eid al-Fitr
Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, which begins on the first day of Shawwal. Like the start of Ramadan, the day of Eid depends on the moon sighting.