The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is the month of Ramadan, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, community, prayer, and reflection. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar instead of solar, the former's years being several days shorter than the latter's, the Gregorian dates the month falls upon tend to wander backwards over the years. The month begins upon the first sighting of the crescent Moon after the New Moon and continues until the next crescent Moon. Because observers use local time instead of a universal standard, dates can vary by a day. Special circumstances apply to those who live above/below the Arctic/Antarctic Circle and in Earth orbit. There's a breaking of fast celebration on the first three days of the following month, Shawwal.

The month is the commemoration of the prophet Muhammad's first revelation (the event in AD 610 when the prophet was alleged to have been visited by the angel Jibril AKA Gabriel who revealed to the prophet the beginnings of what would later become the Qu'ran) and the observance of which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam required of all Muslims. Fasting from dawn to sundown is required of all Muslim adults (barring those acutely or chronically ill, elderly, menstruating, traveling, breastfeeding, or diabetic), and frequently tobacco products, sinful behavior, and sexual relations are avoided alongside food and drink.

For some Muslims, Ramadan (Arabic for "scorching heat") is one of the names of God and many hadiths prohibit saying "Ramadan" by itself in relation to the month, rather using "the month of Ramadan". "Ramadan mubarak" is used to tell someone to have a happy time during the month.

In 2024, the month of Ramadan, in the year 1445 of the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, falls between March 11 and April 9 of the Gregorian calendar.

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Ramadan (religious observance) (Wikipedia)