Ramadan 2026 fasting hours in UAE: A week-by-week guide
Fasting times during this year’s Ramadan (2026) will be significantly shorter than they were last year, providing a welcome respite to worshippers who fast from dawn until dusk.
The start of Ramadan advances by 10 to 12 days every year because the Islamic Hijri calendar is based on lunar cycles, with months consisting of 29 or 30 days, depending on when the crescent moon is sighted. This yearly change actually has a bearing on the length of fasting and the way in which it progresses throughout Ramadan.
This year, according to astronomical charts, Ramadan starts February 19 but may also be observed a day earlier on February 18 if the crescent moon is spotted. The official starting date would be announced by the UAE’s own Moon Sighting Committee.
In the Islamic calendar, when do you fast and what is fasting in Islam? Fasting in Islam is from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib). The Fajr as call to prayer is the beginning of fasting and the Maghrib is the time for breaking the fast. Muslims gather to break their fast with a meal called iftar, starting traditionally with dates and water before snacking or embarking on a meal.
Some Muslims also abstain from eating and drinking around 10 minutes before Fajr, a measure of caution that is called imsak, although fasting actually commences at Fajr.
Fasting hours mapped
Instead of jumping from day to night, fasting hours increase gradually throughout the week as sunrise gets earlier and sunset moves later.
The first fast of Ramadan will have a duration of about 12 hours, 46 minutes, roughly 30-minutes shorter than the fasting day on the same day last year; which spanned over 13-hours and over 16-minutes.
Week 1: Fasting lengths clock in at just below 13 hours, putting the earlier days of Ramadan on the shorter side. Ramadan 1: Fajr is at 5.33am and Maghrib is at 6. 19pm.
Week 2 Fasting hours pass the 13-hour mark, as sunset gets later. Fajr is at 5.24am and Maghrib at 6.25pm on Ramadan 12.
Week 3: On Ramadan 15, halfway into the month, fasting is for 13 hours and five minutes; Fajr begins at 5. 21am and Maghrib at 6.26pm.
Last week: The longest fasts occur in the final week of Ramadan, when — at 13 hours and 27 minutes — they are still shorter than the roughly 14-hour fasting days that will be observed by 2025. The final fast of the month starts at 5. 06am and ends at 6.33pm.
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