Why Muslims in UAE will have Ramadan twice in 2030

Dubai: In 2030, a rare celestial alignment will cause Ramadan to fall twice within the same Gregorian calendar year.

Astronomers and Islamic scholars attribute this to the differences between the Islamic lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar. As a result, Muslims worldwide will experience two periods of fasting, prayer, and reflection.

Since the Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the start of Ramadan shifts earlier each year.

In 2030, that shift will bring Ramadan’s first occurrence on January 5 (corresponding to the year 1451 AH in the Islamic calendar), while the second Ramadan will begin on December 26 (marking the start of 1452 AH). 

This means that Muslims will fast twice in one year, for a total of 36 days—30 days in January and 6 more at the end of December.

Unlike the widely used Gregorian calendar, which follows Earth’s revolution around the sun, the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles. 

A lunar year consists of 354 days, making it about 11 days shorter than a solar year. Over time, this difference causes Islamic months to move through all four seasons in a cycle that repeats roughly every 33 years.

The last time this occurred was in 1997, and after 2030, it will happen again in 2063.

For Muslims, fasting from dawn until sunset is both a religious obligation and an act of spiritual purification. 

But the experience varies greatly depending on when Ramadan falls. When it occurs in winter, fasting hours are relatively short; in summer, they can stretch for more than 17 hours in some regions.

While astronomical calculations can predict when Ramadan is expected to begin, the official start date is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon. 

Many Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, rely on human observation, while others use scientific methods to set the date.