How to calculate when Ramadan finishes?
I'm likely to be in Bahrain close to the the end of Ramadan this year. The problem is people are telling us different dates for when Ramadan finishes. Indeed, the most recent email I've had:
they are calculating Ramadan ending on the 16th 17th very small chance on the 18th.
I know very little about this, but my understanding is that it has something to do with the new moon? And if so, is it the rise of it or the setting that indicates the end?
What we're trying to work out in the end is whether it'll be over by the evening of Saturday the 18th of July, but for the purposes of this question I'll be keen to know how to work out when it ends.
Best Answer
Ramadan Dates
Ramadan occurs in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar. It's start and end thus depend on the moon phases. Moreover the lunar calendar is 10-11 days shorter than the solar calendar, hence Ramadan never falls on the same dates over two consecutive years. Indeed it is anticipated by 10-11 days every year.
This means that the dates can be computed and therefore predicted. The Ramadan Wikipedia page has a table summarising the predicted start and end time coordinates of Ramadan from 2010 to 2020 (image courtesy of Wikipedia):
Having said this, there is an ongoing debate as to how to correctly define the start and end dates of Ramadan. The traditional way is to visually inspect the sky looking for the slight crescent moon marking the start of the month (you have to keep track of the months yourself to know you're in the ninth). The same applies for the end of the month: sighting a new slight crescent marks the beginning of the next month, and thus the end of the current. Current, more "modern" methods, include the definition of a common starting point fixed by the moon-sighting in Saudi-Arabia.
All of this to say that it is not uncommon for Ramadan to occur at different times/dates across the world.
Ramadan in Bahrain
Snooping around on the web I stumbled upon this nifty tool allowing you to compute the dates depending on your location. Keying in Bahrain 2015 yields a period going from the 17th of June to the 16th of July:
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How do you determine end of Ramadan?
The final evening of Ramadan consists of a celebration called Eid al-Fitr, when the traditional month-long fast is ended with a feast. The exact beginning and ending times of Ramadan are based on the sighting of the Moon.How is Eid calculated?
If the moon is not observed immediately after the 29th day of the previous lunar month (either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets), then the holiday is celebrated the following day. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for one to three days, depending on the country.How do you know if Ramadan is 29 or 30 days?
The moon phases of Ramadan Lunar months last between 29 and 30 days, depending on the sighting of the new moon on the 29th night of each month. If the new moon is not visible, the month lasts 30 days.How do you observe the last 10 days of Ramadan?
Performing i'tikaf Many Muslims choose to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in seclusion (i'tikaf), where one solely focuses on worshipping Allah and refrains from involvement in worldly affairs. It is a time to reflect, increase worship and to increase one's religious knowledge, seeking closeness to Allah.How to Determine the Beginning of Ramadan | Mohammad AlNaqwi
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Anna Tarazevich, Anna Tarazevich, Ahmed Aqtai, Haydan As-soendawy