By Our Correspondent
Fasting was made obligatory in Islam in the year 2 AH (i.e. the second year of the Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina), after which Muslims all over the world have been observing fasts. The date of the beginning of Ramadan is related to the lunar calendar, and these dates change every year on our common calendar. Usually, Ramadan moves back about 11 days each year compared to the previous year in the common calendar. The length of daylight hours varies from place to place in the world, depending on the distance from the equator. It is currently summer in the southern hemisphere, so the days are longer and the nights are shorter. This means that the fasting period will be longer in countries located in this hemisphere. In contrast, it is winter in the northern hemisphere, so the fasting period during Ramadan will be shorter than in warmer regions.
For example, in the Chilean city of Puerto Williams, often considered the southernmost city in the world, the fasting period will be approximately 14 and a half hours at the start of Ramadan this year. In contrast, in the Norwegian region of Longyearbyen, which is generally considered the world’s northernmost city, the fasting period at the beginning of Ramadan will be just over two and a half hours, but as the days progress, this period can increase to 12 and a half hours. In such remote areas, Muslims often adopt the fasting times practiced in Mecca. In the northern parts of the world, the longest fasts occur around June 21st and the shortest when Ramadan falls in December.
In the south it is the opposite, with fasts getting longer as Ramadan gradually progresses towards December and shorter towards June. In most parts of the Arab world, fasting hours will be between 12 and 13 hours, making Ramadan in 2026 the month with the most moderate fasting hours in recent years. In Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, fasting will begin at approximately 06:50 local time at the start of Ramadan and end at 18:20 (11.5 hours), with this period increasing by half an hour as the holy month draws to a close. In Pakistan, the fasting period will initially be a little over 12 hours but will increase by about 40 minutes by the end of the month. In contrast, for Muslims living in the Southern Hemisphere, the period will be much longer.
For example, in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, the period will be 13 hours and 15 minutes at the beginning of Ramadan. The same will be true in Auckland, New Zealand. In both cities, however, fasting hours will be shortened by about an hour by the end of the holy month. This is because the Southern Hemisphere will now be moving towards winter, meaning the length of daylight will be shorter.
However, fasting hours in the Northern Hemisphere will continue to change rapidly throughout the month. For example, in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, Ramadan will start with about nine hours of fasting, and by the end of the month, this period will increase to more than 12 hours. This year’s fasting hours are much better than Ramadan in June or July, as the daylight hours are much longer in high latitudes during these months. In parts of Norway, Russia and Greenland, Muslims face fasting for up to 20 hours as Ramadan falls during the long summer days. In the Northern Hemisphere, fasting hours will be slightly shorter than last year and will continue to decrease overall each year until 2031. This is when the shortest day of the year, December 21, falls during Ramadan, and of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, fasting hours will increase each year until 2031.
