Ramadan Mubarak 1447AH
and
Ramadan Greetings
2026
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Ramadan Mubarak and
Ramadan Greetings to all of you, especially to all the readers of this website:
May this holy month bring barakah, and Allah's boundless mercy upon
the believers and harmony and tolerance for the world.
The
determination of the starting date relies on both lunar calculations and
physical sightings of the new moon, a practice steeped in Islamic tradition. After looking into the testimonies it received, the
Supreme Court confirmed that the moon was sighted in several governorates and
rural centres of the Kingdom. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that we
should start and complete our fasting on sighting the moon, the Supreme Court
decided that Wednesday is the 1st of Ramadan 1447H corresponding to 18 February
2026.
Joining Saudi
Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have also confirmed that Ramadan will begin on Wednesday,
with Oman, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Brunei and Iran to follow
a day later.
British Muslims
welcome Ramadan: the month of discipline, compassion and solidarity
on Wednesday, 18th of February 2026. British Muslims join over
a billion Muslims all over the world in a month of fasting, charity and
solidarity.
Ramadan Mubarak to
you All
I welcome Ramadan,
the month of Mercy and Repentance, the month of the Qur’an, of Laylatul Qadr
(the Night of Power) and of repentance and forgiveness. Fasting in the month of
Ramadan is one of the Pillars of the Islamic faith. It was declared an
obligatory duty (Fard) in the second year of the Hijrah upon each and
every mukallaf (one capable of carrying out religious duties,
i.e. a sane adult).
Allah the Almighty
made Ramadan fasting compulsory for Muslims. Allah said, “O those who believe,
the fasts have been enjoined upon you as were enjoined upon those before so
that you be God-fearing.’ [Surah Baqarah, 183]. Literally, Sawm means
‘to abstain’. In the terminology of Islamic law, Sawm means ‘to abstain from
eating, drinking and sexual intercourse: with the conditions that one abstains
continuously from dawn to sunset, and that there is an intention to fast.’
Therefore, should one eat or drink anything even a minute before sunset, the
fast will not be valid. Similarly, if one abstained from all these things
throughout the day but made no intention to fast, there will be no fast here
too.
Allah the Almighty
said in the Qur’an “…And eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appears
to you distinct from its black thread…” (Al-Qur’an, 2:187) Literally
defined, fasting means to abstain “completely” from foods, drinks, intimate
intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the
entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year.
Fasting in Islam is
based on the lunar calendar and is tied to the sightings of hilal,
the crescent, or new moon. Allah the Almighty stated: “They ask you concerning
the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time… (Al-Qur’an,
2:189). And the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Eat until
you see the crescent and break not until you see the crescent. If it is cloudy
calculate the period of the month.” (Muslim and others).
Fasting in Ramadan
is compulsory upon every Muslim, male or female, who has these qualifications,
e.g. mentally and physically fit, adult full of age which is normally fourteen
and fairly certain that fasting is unlikely to cause any harm, physical or
mental, other than the normal reactions to hunger, thirst etc.
The said
qualifications exclude the following categories: children under the age of
puberty and discretion; men and women who are too old and feeble to undertake
the obligation of fast and bear its hardships; sick people whose health is
likely to be severely affected by the observance of fast; travellers may break
the fast temporarily during their travel; pregnant women and women
breast-feeding their children may also break their fast and women in the period
of menstruation (of a maximum of ten days or of confinement (of a maximum of
forty days. They must postpone the fast till recovery and then make up for it.
The holy month of
Ramadan is the month of mercy, forgiveness, and seeking release from the
Hell-fire. It is the month of repentance and acceptance of prayers. It is the
month when the devils are chained, the gates of Hell are looked and the gates
of Paradise are opened. That’s why; Muslims welcome Ramadan
each year with energy and happiness, and are saddened only when the month
departs. Fasting is for the living, not for mourning.
Ramadan is a month
of worship. Muslims should welcome the month with repentance and seeking
Allah’s pardon. We should keep away from committing sins; worship Allah
sincerely and spending the night and day in prayer, supplication and recitation
of the Holy Qur’an.
Fasting is a
shield which helps prevent many sins and with which Muslim protects himself
from Hell-fire. Fasting is more than abstaining from food and drink. It also
means to abstain from any falsehood in speech and action, from any ignorant and
indecent speech, and from arguing and quarrelling. Therefore, fasting helps to
develop good behaviour.
Fasting inculcates
a sense of brotherhood and solidarity, as a Muslim feels and experiences what
his needy and hungry brothers feel. This gives Muslim a new sense of
togetherness and association.
Allah the
Almighty said in the Qur’an: The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the
Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the
criterion (between right and wrong). (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 185) As
Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an, every Muslim should prepare himself to
welcome the blessed month of Ramadan by strengthening his relationship with the
Qur’an. A Muslim is encouraged to complete one recitation of the Holy Qur’an
during Ramadan.
We should engage
more and more in the recitation of the Qur’an, in dhikr (remembrance
of Allah), perform extra Salah (ritual prayers) at night and renew identity
with one another in our obedience to Allah.
Thus Ramadan becomes a blessed month of physical,
moral and spiritual renewal through fasting, charity and worship. This is the
moral and spiritual gifts of Ramadan. “We can say that Ramadan gives us the
great gift of Taqwa (Piety). Taqwa is the sum total of Islamic life. It is the
highest of all virtues in the Islamic scheme of things. It means
God-consciousness, piety, fear and awe of Allah and it signifies submission to
Allah and total commitment to all that is good and rejection of all that is
evil and bad,” said Dr. Muzzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of Islamic
Society of North America (ISNA).
