Ramadan is one of the most sacred months of the year for Muslims worldwide. As neighbourhoods and mosques around Delhi NCR gear up for the holy festivities, people only wait for one thing – the silver lining of the crescent moon in the night sky. It was during this month that the first verses of the holy book, the Quran, were revealed to Prophet Muhammad in 610 BCE. According to the Islamic Calendar, the ninth month is revered as the month of Ramadan, or Ramzan. While it began on Wednesday, February 18, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, India is gearing up to begin its first day of Ramadan 2026 on Thursday, February 19.
Crescent Moon Sighting: Timings And The Start of Ramadan 2026
The crescent moon marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan is expected to be sighted on Wednesday, February 18 bewteen 6:15 PM and 6:45 PM. As for Delhi and Gurugram, the expected time to gaze at the lining of the delicate moon is 6:18 PM to 6:42 PM. Additionally, for Gurugram, the expected time for the moon is between 6:19 PM and 6:43. As the sun sets against the dark skies and the moon rises on the western horizon, the Indian Muslim community will celebrate their first day of Roza on Thursday, February 19. However, if the crescent is not visible, the month of Sha’ban will complete 30 days, commencing Ramadan on Friday, February 20.
Unlike the Gregorian Calendar, the Islamic calendar is based on the movement of the moon, which has 12 months with 29 to 30 days each. On the 29th day of Sha’ban, as the full moon appears a month later, Muslims across the country celebrate Eid al-Fitr. In 2026, Eid al-Fitr is expected to take place on March 20 or 21, depending on the sighting of the moon.
Significance of Ramadan – Sheri, Roza, & Iftar
Ramadan begins only after the sighting of the new crescent moon (hilal) following the 29th day of Sha’ban. It is to honour the prophetic traditions and unite Muslim communities with observance of fast, prayer, charity, and reflection. The Islamic community devotes itself to Allah by offering namaz and observing roza or a fast. During the entirety of the month, practising Muslims refrain from eating any food or drinking water from sunrise to sunset. And then, at dusk, friends and families gather to break their fast with prayers and a meal, known as iftar.
Sehri, on the other hand, is the pre-fast meal at dawn before sunrise, when the followers of Islam eat and drink enough to get them through the day of roza. Nevertheless, the sehri and iftar timings change by a few minutes each day in accordance with sunrise and sunset timings. They also vary according to cities. For Delhi, if the first roza falls on Thursday, February 19, the devotees will start their roza at 5:37 AM. Whereas, they may break their fast with iftar at 6:15 PM.
Ramadan 2026 Moon Sightings Around The World And Other Indian Cities
According to The Economic Times, the visibility of the crescent moon is expected as per the following schedule in India.
Mumbai: 6:45 PM to 7:10 PM
New Delhi: 6:18 PM to 6:42 PM
Gurugram: 6:19 PM to 6:43 PM
Bengaluru: 6:35 PM to 7:00 PM
Kolkata: 5:50 PM to 6:15 PM
The dates of Ramadan 2026 also vary across the world, depending on moon sightings.
UAE: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Oman: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Saudi Arabia: Wednesday, February 19, 2026
Asia (eg: Indonesia, Singapore, & Malaysia): February 19, 2026