Days Until Ramadan 2027

In 2026, an imam at Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina coordinating Taraweeh prayer logistics for 1.2 million daily worshippers, a London-based Muslim mother planning the family iftar calendar across 30 nights, and a Dubai HR manager scheduling shorter Ramadan work-hours for 4,000 staff per UAE Labour Law all need the same answer live in one tab: how many days until 1 Ramadan 1448 AH — expected Wednesday 17 February 2027. This tool runs a crescent-moon and lantern (fanous) SVG against a deep indigo night sky, a three-ashra breakdown (Mercy, Forgiveness, Refuge), and Hijri-to-Gregorian timing tables for Mecca, Medina, Cairo, London, and New York.

Ramadan (Arabic: رَمَضَان) is the 9th month of the Hijri lunar calendar — the most sacred period in Islam. It commemorates the first revelation of the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the year 610 CE on Mount Hira near Mecca via the angel Jibreel (Gabriel). The Qur'an itself (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185) decrees the obligation of fasting during this month for all healthy adult Muslims. The Hijri calendar begins from the Hijrah — Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, which was institutionalised as Year 1 AH by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638 CE.

The Hijri lunar year is approximately 11 days shorter than the Gregorian solar year (354 vs 365 days). This means Ramadan rotates through the seasons over a 33-year cycle — sometimes occurring in the long-day Northern Hemisphere summer (when fasts can exceed 18 hours in London or 22 hours in Reykjavik), sometimes in the short-day winter (where Karachi sees 12-hour fasts). The 2026 Ramadan began around 27 February (winter-spring transition); 2027 begins around 17 February (deeper winter, shorter fasts); 2028 will start ~6 February.

Moon-sighting (rukyat) is the traditional method to determine the start of Ramadan. The crescent (hilal) must be physically sighted by reliable witnesses on the 29th of Sha'ban (the preceding month). If visible, Ramadan begins; if not, Sha'ban completes 30 days. Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court announces sightings nationally; many Muslim countries follow Saudi declarations. The Fiqh Council of North America (since 2007) and the European Council for Fatwa and Research (since 2017) accept astronomical calculation in addition to physical sighting, which is why Ramadan dates can differ by ±1 day between regions.

Fasting during Ramadan (sawm) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. From Fajr (pre-dawn) to Maghrib (sunset), observers abstain from food, drink (including water), smoking, sexual activity, and impure thoughts/speech. The fast is broken at Maghrib with dates and water (the Prophet's sunnah), followed by iftar dinner. The pre-dawn meal (suhoor) is encouraged 10-30 minutes before Fajr. Exempt categories include children before puberty, the sick, travellers, menstruating/postpartum women (who make up days later), and the elderly (who feed a needy person per missed day — fidya).

The last 10 nights of Ramadan are the most sacred, containing Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power/Decree) — the night the Qur'an was first revealed. Surah Al-Qadr (97:3) states this single night is ‘better than a thousand months’ (~83 years) of worship. Sunni tradition places it on one of the odd-numbered nights (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th of Ramadan), with the 27th most strongly associated. Devotees observe i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) in mosques during these 10 days. The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina see peak occupancy of 4 million worshippers across the last 10 days.

Modern Ramadan in numbers: 1.9 billion Muslims globally observe (per Pew Research 2023). Saudi Arabia's Two Holy Mosques host approximately 30 million pilgrim-visits across Ramadan annually (umrah peaks). The UAE Labour Law mandates a 2-hour reduction in work hours for fasting employees. Indonesia (largest Muslim-majority population at 270M) sees 7.5 million domestic-flight passengers in the week before Eid (mudik tradition). The global halal-food market reached USD 2.5 trillion in 2024 per DinarStandard, with Ramadan driving 35-40% of annual revenue. Iftar dates harvest in Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahsa oasis exceeded 1.3 million tonnes in 2024.