Ramadan 2027 calendar: expected dates, timings and planning

Why the dates move every year

The Islamic calendar is lunar, and a lunar year is roughly eleven days shorter than the solar year used for civil dates. Ramadan therefore drifts backwards through the seasons, arriving about eleven days earlier each Gregorian year.

A 2027 Ramadan falling in February means short winter fasting days in the northern hemisphere and long ones in the southern. For most of the UK the fast will run somewhere near eleven to twelve hours, one of the more manageable years of the cycle.

Every date here is an expectation based on astronomical calculation. The month begins when the new crescent is sighted locally, so the actual start can fall a day either side, and different countries can differ from each other.

The month at a glance

Working from an expected start of 9 February, the month breaks into three parts of ten days each, a structure many people use to pace their worship.

• First ten days, around 9 to 18 February: build the habit, fix your suhoor routine
• Middle ten days, around 19 to 28 February: steady Quran progress and consistent charity
• Last ten nights, around 28 February to 9 March: seek Laylatul Qadr with nightly worship and giving
• Zakat al-Fitr due before the Eid prayer, around 11 March

The last ten nights in 2027

The final ten nights begin on the night of the 20th day of Ramadan, which in 2027 is expected to fall around 28 February. An Islamic night begins at sunset, so the night of the 21st actually starts on the evening of the 20th day. That single point causes more confusion than anything else in the Ramadan calendar.

Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, is hidden within these ten nights and is most likely to fall on an odd one. The 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th nights are the ones most widely observed, with the 27th singled out by many communities.

Because the exact night is unknown, the safest plan is to treat all ten as if each could be the one. Charity is the easiest act of worship to schedule in advance, which is why splitting your giving across the ten nights is so popular.

Setting your zakat date in Ramadan

Zakat is due once every lunar year on the anniversary of the day your wealth first reached nisab. Many people move that anniversary into Ramadan, partly because charity in Ramadan carries multiplied reward and partly because a fixed annual date is simply easier to remember.

If you want to switch to a Ramadan date, calculate what you owe on your current date, pay it, then pay again in Ramadan for the shortened period. From that point Ramadan becomes your annual anniversary.

Work out the figure with our zakat calculator before the month begins, so you are not doing arithmetic during the last ten nights.

A week by week plan

Week one is about logistics. Sort out suhoor, sleep and work patterns before you try to add extra worship. Most people who burn out in Ramadan do so because they front loaded ambition and ignored rest.

Week two is where consistency pays. A fixed daily portion of Quran, a fixed daily amount of charity and a fixed bedtime carry more weight than an occasional heroic night.

Week three is when the last ten nights begin. Front load your Zakat al-Fitr and any remaining zakat here so the final nights are free for worship rather than admin.

Week four is Eid. Zakat al-Fitr must reach recipients before the Eid prayer, so give it several days early to allow time for distribution.

Fidya, kaffarah and missed fasts

If illness or age means you cannot fast and cannot make the days up later, fidya is due at 7 pounds per missed day with UNH, which covers meals for one person in need.

If a fast is broken deliberately without a valid reason, kaffarah applies. The default expiation is sixty consecutive days of fasting, and where that is genuinely impossible, feeding sixty people, which comes to 420 pounds per fast.

Days missed through temporary illness, travel or menstruation are made up later rather than paid for.

Giving across the month

Ramadan is when most Muslims give the bulk of their annual charity, and charities plan their entire year around it. Spreading your giving across the month rather than concentrating it on the last night helps enormously with delivery, because food and supplies can be bought and moved in time.

With My Ten Nights you can pay once in advance and have your gift released night by night across the final ten, with extra weighting on the odd nights or the 27th if you choose.

Whatever you give, keep zakat and Sadaqah clearly separated so each is spent correctly.

Confirming the dates locally

Follow your local mosque or national sighting body for the confirmed start and end of the month. Astronomical calculation tells you when a sighting becomes possible, not when it has happened, and communities differ in which criteria they accept.

Plan around the expected dates, then adjust by a day if the announcement differs. Nothing in this calendar changes by more than twenty four hours either way.

Health, work and travel during the month

February fasts in the UK are short, but the month still asks a lot of a normal working routine. Suhoor lands in the small hours and iftar arrives in the early evening, which squeezes sleep from both ends. Most people cope best by shifting bedtime earlier rather than trying to survive on caffeine.

Anyone with diabetes, kidney conditions, pregnancy complications or a medication schedule tied to meals should speak to a doctor before the month begins, not during it. Islam does not require anyone to harm themselves, and exemptions exist for good reason.

Travellers may break the fast and make the days up later. If travel is short and the fast is easy, most people simply keep it, but the concession is there when needed.

A simple daily rhythm

Pick a fixed portion of Quran, a fixed charity amount and a fixed sleep window, then protect all three. One page a day finishes a substantial portion across the month, and a small daily gift builds a habit that survives past Eid.

Set your giving up before the month starts so you are not making decisions while tired. A monthly Sadaqah commitment or a scheduled My Ten Nights plan handles that automatically.

Finally, plan Eid before the last week. Booking time off, buying gifts and paying fitrana early all free up the final nights for worship.

When does Ramadan 2027 start?

It is expected to begin on or around 9 February 2027, subject to local moon sighting. The first fast would then be on 9 or 10 February.

When does Ramadan 2027 end?

The final fast is expected around 10 March 2027, with Eid al-Fitr on or around 11 March, again subject to sighting.

When do the last ten nights begin in 2027?

Around the evening of 28 February 2027. Remember that the Islamic night begins at sunset, so the night of the 21st starts on the evening of the 20th day.

How long are the fasts in 2027?

In February and early March in the UK, roughly eleven to twelve hours, making it one of the shorter fasting years in the cycle.

Should I pay my zakat in Ramadan?

You can. Many people align their annual zakat date with Ramadan for the multiplied reward and because a fixed date is easier to remember.

When is Zakat al-Fitr due?

Before the Eid al-Fitr prayer, expected on or around 11 March 2027. Give it a few days early so it can be distributed in time.