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May God forgive me and guide me regarding anything that would have been misinterpreted in this study and elsewhere. May He always guide us to a better understanding of His profound scripture so we can purify ourselves and increase our knowledge.

You will find in this article the dates of Ramadan 2023. Section 2 will explain in detail how to calculate the beginning of the new lunar month from a Quranic point of view, as well as a few additional important precisions.

Table of contents:

1. Ramadan 2023 in the USA

2. What is the Quranic criteria regarding selecting the first new day of the lunar month?

2.1 Key concept nº 1: Definition of the word “ahillat”

2.2 Key concept nº 2: The new day in Islam starts at sunset

2.3 Key concept nº 3: Definition of the time of the new moon, and precisions regarding the time of the first moonrise or moonset of the new lunar month following the new moon

3. What time do we have to stop eating and drinking during Ramadan?

Conclusion: How to calculate the first and last day of Ramadan wherever you are in the world 

1. Ramadan  2023 in the USA

The dates for Ramadan 2023 in the USA are as follows:

The new month of Ramadan 2023 will start at sunset on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, for the entire continental USA. The last day of fasting in the continental USA will be on Thursday, April 20, 2023, except Alaska, where the last day of fasting will be Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Data for New York City: The time of the new moon, as calculated by astronomers (definition provided later in the article), will occur at 13:23 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in New York City, USA. The moon will rise on Tuesday at 7:10 a.m. and will therefore be present in the sky before sunset after the time of the new moon, which is key to determine the start of the new month from a Quranic point of view (see section 2).

In other words, since the new day starts at sunset in Islam, the first day of Ramadan will start on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at sunset at 07:08 p.m. in New York City. The first day of fasting will therefore be the next day on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 (the next period of daylight) starting fasting no later than about 30 minutes (nautical dawn) after the crack of dawn, also known as the astronomical dawn (2:187, see explanation provided later in the article). The last day of fasting in New York will be on Thursday, April 20, 2023, as the time of the new moon will occur on April 20 at exactly 12:12 a.m., the moon having risen at 06:24 a.m. on the same day and setting at 08:31 p.m. The moon will therefore be present in the sky at and after the precise time of the new moon and therefore before sunset (07:40 p.m.). The first day of the next lunar month (Shawwal) will therefore start at sunset on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 07:40 p.m.

Again, the above dates for New York City are valid for the entire continental USA, except Alaska where the last day of fasting is Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Regarding the West Coast of the United States, we can for instance take the example of Los Angeles, where the time of new moon will occur on March 21, 2023, at 10:23 a.m., while sunset will occur at 7:05 p.m. on the same day. The moon will rise on the April 21 in Los Angeles at 7:07 a.m. and set at 7:22 p.m. and will therefore be present in the sky at the time of the new moon and before sunset. Therefore, the first day of Ramadan in Los Angeles starts on March 21, 2023 at sunset. The next new moon occurs on April 19, 2023, at 9:12 p.m., the sunset being at 07:27 p.m.; people on the East Coast will therefore also have to fast on April 20, 2023, because the new moon will have occurred a little less than two hours after sunset on the 19^th.  

If you have any doubt regarding a particular location in the USA, you can apply the same calculation system in your specific location.

The night of Decree, Laylatul Qadr, the 27^th night of Ramadan according to the Quran (please read the article “miracle of laylatul Qadr” on this website for Quranic proofs) will start at sunset on Sunday, April 16, 2023, in entire the entire continental USA (it is the 27^th night from March 21, the first night of Ramadan). 97:3 states that the night of decree is “better than a thousand months”; it is definitely the best night of the year for special prayers, meditation and reading the Quran.

Again, the last day of fasting will be on Thursday, April 20, 2023, for the entire east and west coast of the USA, except Alaska, where the last day of fasting is Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

2. What is the Quranic criteria regarding selecting the first new day of the lunar month?

Every year during the month of Ramadan, we see some Muslims around the world disagreeing on the first day of Ramadan in a particular location or country and as a result for the date of Laylatul Qadr, as well as for the last day of fasting. So, what does the Quran exactly say about selecting the first day of the lunar month and how can we avoid dissensions in the Muslim community?

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَن

تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَىٰ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ

مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

(2:189) They ask you about the appearances (al ahillat) [of new moons]: Say: “They are precise markers [to determine time] for mankind, and the pilgrimage (Hajj). It is not righteousness for you to enter homes from their rear; on the contrary, righteous is the one who fears God and enters homes from their [front] door. Fear God, that you may succeed.

Above: Example of the observable difference from the earth (with the naked eye) between the last lunar phase and the first crescent of the new lunar month.

Nighttime, sunrise or sunset a few hours after the exact time of the new moon (as calculated by astronomers) is the ideal time to actually see the first sliver of light of the new crescent moon, as the brightness of the day otherwise prevents the first sliver of light from being visible. Sometimes the earth-shine factor can make the entire moon circle slightly visible even on the day of the new moon.