23 March 2023 , 12:10
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Ramadan has begun and Muslims across the UK and around the world are taking taking part in a month of daily fasting.
Lasting 29 to 30 days, Ramadan is the time of year when Muslims worldwide focus on spiritual reflection, self-improvement, heightened devotion and worship, and is regarded to be one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The 'start date' changes each year as the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles, not the Gregorian calendar.
Ramadan 2023 UK iftar and prayer times (aladhan.com)Five daily prayers take place on each of the month of Ramadan and there are also two meals at either end of the fasting.
These are known as suhur or sehri for the pre-dawn meal, and iftar for the night-time meal after fasting has finished.
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Men take part in morning prayers during Eid Al-Fitr celebrations at East London Mosque (Getty Images)Ramadan ends either after sighting the new crescent moon that indicates the arrival of the 10th month or after Ramadan’s 30th day - in the Islamic calendar, each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon and lasts either 29 or 30 days.
In the past, this was done by the naked eye, but in recent years, telescopes and technology have been used - and people eagerly await finding out when Eid (one of the biggest celebrations in the Muslim calendar) will take place.
A statement from the Muslim Council of Britain's Guide to Ramadan reads: "The month of Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic year as it is when the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)".
So when are prayers and meals likely to be for Ramadan 2023?
Pakistani Muslims perform an evening prayer called 'tarawih' during the fasting month of Ramadan (Muhammad Sajjad/AP/REX/Shutterstock)For an idea of the meal-times for sehri and ifar, Hamariweb has a guide to expected times between the forecast dates of Ramadan.
You can find further information and timings for other cities on this Pakistan-based Islamic site. It advises people to double-check with their local mosque nearer the time of Ramadan.
The difference between the sehri and iftar times is the length of fasting for each day.
For example, on the predicted first day of Ramadan, the fasting time is 14 hours and six minutes.
Over the month it ranges from 14 hours to 16 and a half hours a day of going without food and drink, as well as smoking and sexual activity.
We've shown the prayer times for the first 10 days of Ramadan 2023. For the other days, see aladhan.com
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