Ramadan 2026: Wednesday start in 10 Muslim-majority states, others set for Thursday
Ten countries in the Muslim world have announced that Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (ET) will be the first day of Ramadan, following confirmed moon sightings and official rulings. A separate group of countries will observe the start of the fasting month on Thursday, February 19, 2026 (ET), reflecting ongoing differences in sighting practices and the use of astronomical calculations.
Countries declaring Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (ET) as day one
Authorities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Sudan have announced that the crescent was established and that Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (ET) will mark the first day of Ramadan. In Saudi Arabia, the royal court said the Supreme Court's moon-sighting committee confirmed the crescent after testimony from credible witnesses. Several Gulf states and neighboring countries followed that determination with similar rulings.
Some jurisdictions noted variations in local observation practice: Bahrain indicated it had not received local testimony but recognized the sighting established in Saudi Arabia and therefore set Wednesday as the start. The Grand Mufti in the Palestinian territories and the chief religious authority in Lebanon each affirmed that the crescent had been sighted in multiple areas, supporting a Wednesday start. In Iraq and Sudan, religious endowments and juristic bodies likewise declared Wednesday the first day after their own verifications.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 (ET) for others — why views differ
Several countries will observe Ramadan beginning Thursday, February 19, 2026 (ET). The committee responsible for moon sightings in Syria declared that Wednesday will complete the month of Sha'ban there, making Thursday the first day of Ramadan. Jordan's top religious authority said the crescent could not be confirmed after sunset and set Thursday as the start. In North Africa and parts of South and Southeast Asia, other authorities also opted for Thursday, basing decisions on local visibility or on astronomical calculations that suggested the crescent would not be observable at sunset.
Egypt is preparing multiple regional moon-sighting teams to gather observations after sunset and submit findings to the grand mufti for a final ruling. An astronomer engaged with those preparations indicated that astronomical calculations place the moon's birth at 1: 02 PM ET on the day in question; the calculation also suggested the newborn crescent's age after local sunset would likely be insufficient for reliable naked-eye sighting, a factor that helps explain why Egypt and some other countries will observe Thursday.
Timing, tradition and why staggered starts persist
The divergent start dates reflect longstanding differences in how Muslim communities determine the start of Ramadan: some rely on local physical sighting of the new crescent, others accept sightings from neighboring jurisdictions, and some lean on astronomical calculation methods that predict visibility. Time-zone differences also play a role. For example, Morocco and Mauritania will observe their own crescent checks on Wednesday because their civil lunar month began a day later in those countries, making Tuesday their 28th of Sha'ban.
Religious and governmental bodies generally emphasize unity and mutual respect in the face of differing practices, noting that the spirit of the month — fasting, prayer, reflection and community — remains the priority regardless of the exact start date. Worshippers are being advised to follow the official religious authority or government declaration in their own country.
Expect announcements from local religious offices and endowments to continue into the evening as final observations are tallied. Where authorities have already ruled, communities will begin preparatory religious and social observances for the fasting month on the dates stated above.
