Ramadan Kareem! The spiritual month of Ramadan has commenced on March 1, 2025 as per the UAE’s Moon-Sighting committee. One of the holiest periods of the Hjri calendar (Islamic calendar), Ramadan is the month when Muslims around the world fast from dawn to dusk for 29-30 days.
The committee announced on the evening of February 28 that they had sighted the crescent moon. The Moon-Sigthting committee’s decision followed Saudi Arabia’s declaration of Saturday, March 1 as the start date for Ramadan 2025.
Ramadan 2025 dates for Arab & South Asian countries
As the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan dates are never fixed. They move ahead each year, based on the crescent moon’s sighting. This is the second time in 24 years that the UAE is observing Ramadan in winter!
The UAE’s International Astronomy Center shared via a statement on X the first pictures take of the crescent moon sighting of Ramadan.
Other GCC nations have also announced their individual start dates for Ramadan. Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia too will begin to observe Ramadan on March 1 like the UAE.
Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Jordan and Yemen similarly will begin observing Ramadan on March 1.
For South Asian countries of India and Pakistan the Ramadan crescent moon will only be visible on March 1, which means fasting will begin on March 2. Ramadan begins in The Philippines too on March 2.
How does the UAE declare the start of Ramadan?
The UAE’s government portal explains the processes followed to declare the official start of Ramadan in the country. The UAE takes its cue from an announcement by the moon-sighting committee in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Makkah is considered the Islamic world’s holiest city.
However, the UAE also has its own moon-sighting committee which meets at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to make a final decision after multiple moon-sighting attempts are conducted nationwide, explains The National. The committees confirmed the final dates of Ramadan 2025’s commencement around 6pm on February 28, 2025 after after maghrib (sunset) prayers in Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi.