Ramadan 2025 starts on Saturday

Nearly two billion Muslims will begin fasting as they mark Islam's holy month

Isha prayers held at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Ramadan will begin in the UAE on Saturday, authorities have announced.

The Moon-sighting committee met in Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi, after maghrib (sunset) prayers on Friday and announced that they had sighted the new crescent moon. It follows a decision from Saudi Arabia that Ramadan would commence on Saturday after its committee sighted the crescent moon there.

Also read: UAE public holidays 2025

"As the holy month of Ramadan begins, I wish all those observing in the UAE and around the world a blessed month," President Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X. "Together, we pray for God to bestow His mercy on us and grant peace, harmony, and unity to all."

"I extend my warmest greetings to the people of the UAE, and Arab and Islamic Nations, as we welcome the blessed month of Ramadan," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, added. "May it bring peace, unity, and strength to us all."

President Sheikh Mohamed, Sheikh Mohammed, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed received congratulatory messages from leaders of Arab and Islamic nations on advent of Ramadan.

During the month, which lasts either 29 or 30 days, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is mandatory for all Muslims in good health. The start of the holy month is determined by each country's Moon-sighting committee. In the UAE, Moon-sighting attempts are held nationwide but not all manage to see the crescent.

The committee makes the final decision at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department after collecting all the reports from across the country. This year, for the first time, drones and artificial intelligence were used to monitor the crescent.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic – or Hijri – lunar calendar, because it is believed to be the month in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day of the holy month.

As well as abstaining from food and drink, Ramadan is a time when Muslims strengthen their faith through prayer and increased recitation of the Quran. Piety increases further during the final 10 days when Laylat Al Qadr is thought to fall. That night is believed to be when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed.

It is traditionally celebrated on the 27th night of Ramadan but its exact date is unknown. The rewards for acts of faith carried out on this night are said to be more than those for 1,000 months of worship.

The best of Ramadan in 2024 – in pictures

Worshippers gather for Laylat Al Qadr prayers at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Victor Besa / The National

An Ethiopian man prays on the banks of Lake Karum, a salt lake in Afar Region, amid above-50° temperatures. AFP

Palestinians break their fasts amid the rubble of their destroyed homes in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

The faithful offer the final Friday prayers of Ramadan at Delhi's Jama Masjid. Reuters

A Palestinian worshipper at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

A Pakistani worshipper rests at a mosque in Karachi. EPA

An imam prays before iftar at Bronx's Masjid Ansarudeen in New York. AP

A Palestinian worshipper at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. AFP

Children pray outside the Hazratbal shrine in Indian Srinagar. AP

Indonesian children welcome Laylat Al Qadr in Ternate, North Maluku. AFP

V&A Dundee design museum in Scotland hosts iftar. Getty Images

A worshipper reads the Quran at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. AFP

Members of a motorcycle club distribute iftar in Damascus. AFP

Palestinians being checked by Israeli soldiers as they head to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. AFP

A worshipper reads the Quran at Sanaa's Grand Mosque. Reuters

A Shiite cleric at the shrine of Imam Ali in the city of Najaf, Iraq. Reuters

Displaced Palestinians gather for iftar in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

People sit for iftar in Cape Town, South Africa. Reuters

Students of an Islamic boarding school recite Quran in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Reuters

A charity-sponsored iftar gathering in Manama. Reuters

A young worshipper gets ready for iftar in Fass Boye, Senegal. Reuters

Fruits and snacks on sale in Dubai's Gold Souq area on a Ramadan evening Antonie Robertson / The National

A worshipper reads the Quran while waiting for iftar at Grand Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. Reuters

A young worshipper covers her ears as the cannon goes off marking the end of the day's fast at Duba's Expo City. Chris Whiteoak / The National

People gather in streets for iftar in Ezbet Hamada in Cairo's Matariya suburb. AFP

A man dries vermicelli, a popular ingredient used to make traditional Ramadan delicacies, in Hyderabad, Pakistan. AFP

A displaced Palestinian boy waits for food in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Worshippers gather for iftar at Imam Hussein Mosque in Satwa, Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National

Worshippers offer Friday prayers at Jaamia Masjid in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. AP

Artists perform Sufi dance in Baghdad. AP

The faithful gather for prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP

Staff at Asateer tent of Atlantis The Palm in Dubai get ready to serve iftar. Pawan Singh / The National

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque during the first evening of Ramadan 2024. Victor Besa / The National

Ramadan's inaugural Friday prayers at Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

An Egyptian traditional Ramadan drummer in the city of Dikernis, about 150km north of Cairo. AP

Taraweeh prayers at Al Noor Mosque in Sharjah. Ahmed Ramzan for The National

Saudis look for the Ramadan crescent moon in the southern Saudi city of Hautat Sudair. AFP