Muslims around the world are observing their first week of fasting for Ramadan, but prayer times and fasting hours can vary significantly depending on location. Observers must abstain from food, drink and other physical needs from dawn (fajr) until sunset (maghrib). Daylight hours, therefore, influence the fasting duration for Muslims across the globe.
Daily prayer times for the UAE are revealed by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments. Below are the prayer times for the month of March, which this year coincide with Ramadan's dates.
Prayer times in the UAE for March 2025
What is Ramadan?
The month of Ramadan is when able Muslims fast from food, drink and oral medicine from sunrise (fajr) to sunset (maghrib). Once the Sun sets, Muslims break their fast with a meal called iftar.
Considered the holiest month in the Islamic – or Hijri – calendar, Ramadan is believed to be when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. It is a time when Muslims strengthen their faith through prayer, recitation of the holy book and charitable acts.
How long does fasting last each day?
With the holy month falling earlier this year, Muslims can expect to fast for a slightly shorter time period than they did last year but the duration lengthens towards the end of the month.
This year, Muslims in the UAE will begin the month by fasting for about 14 hours and 13 minutes. The fasting time will steadily increase as the holy month progresses. By the end of Ramadan, the fast will last for 14 hours and 55 minutes.
In contrast, in northern cities such as Reykjavik and Tromso, fasting hours can extend well beyond 18 or even 20 hours in winter. In some extreme cases, where the Sun does not set or rise fully (such as in parts of northern Finland and Sweden during summer and winter months), scholars recommend following the fasting hours of Makkah or a nearby moderate location.
What time do Muslims pray during Ramadan?
Prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam and Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day: fajr, dhuhr, asr, maghrib and isha. Throughout the holy month, an additional extended evening prayer called taraweeh is performed after isha.
During the last 10 nights of Ramadan, when Muslims increase their piety, some may choose to perform tahajjud prayers – also known as qiyam al layl – which are carried out after taraweeh throughout the night.
Muslims typically try to pray at mosques as it is thought there is greater reward in communal prayer.
First day of Ramadan around the world - in pictures
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Men gather for iftar in Sudan's eastern city of Kassala on the first day of Ramadan. AFP -
Muslims pray amid the rubble and ruins in a destroyed part of Gaza city's historic Omari Mosque on the first day of Ramadan. AFP -
Cars drive past a giant lantern in the main square of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on the first day of Ramadan. AFP -
Palestinians break their fast near the rubble of buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Indonesian Muslims during taraweeh prayer at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP -
The first iftar cannon of Ramadan 2025 fired by Dubai Police at Expo City. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A woman recites the Quran at the Grand Mosque of Istiqlal in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reuters -
Worshippers attend Friday prayers ahead of the beginning of Ramadan at London Islamic Cultural Society mosque in London. Reuters -
People take part in a Ramadan parade on Fifth Avenue in the Brooklyn borough in New York City. AFP -
Muslims offer prayers to mark the start of Ramadan at Fayuan mosque in Beijing. AFP -
Malaysia's Islamic Authority's officers stand in silhouettes as they perform 'rukyah', the sighting of the new moon, which signals the start of Ramadan, in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Reuters -
Kyrgyz Muslim worshippers pray inside the Abdulkarim Satuq Bughra Khan Mosque in Bishkek. AFP -
Palestinians hold a collective suhoor meal in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. AP -
People gather along the decorated seaside corniche in Libya's second-largest city of Benghazi. AFP -
Worshippers perform a night prayer called 'Tarawih' at the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. AP -
The Mevlana mosque in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. EPA
