Rabat – The holy month of Ramadan will occur twice in the year 2030, once in January and then again in December, Saudi doctor and astronomer Khaled Al-Zaaq has announced in a video clip on his Twitter account.
Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar, which is 354 days long, shorter than the 365 days of the Gregorian calendar. For this reason, the holy month moves back about 10 or 11 days every year, explained Al-Zaaq on Monday.
The two Ramadans will still be 11 months apart, as they are every year. Ramadan of the year 1451 AH is expected to begin on January 6th, 2030, while Ramadan of 1452 AH is predicted to begin at the end of the same year – December 26th, 2030.
This means that Muslims will fast for 36 days in 2030, 30 days for the year 1451 AH, and 6 days for the year 1452 AH, added Al-Zaaq.
This phenomenon occurs every 32 or 33 years, which is the number of years it takes for the holy month of Ramadan to circle the four seasons.
“This year (1443) we are fasting during winter, in the year 1449 AH we will fast during winter, in 1457 we will fast during fall, and in the year 1466 AH we will fast during summer,” Al-Zaaq explained.
The phenomenon last took place in the year 1997, and before that in 1965.
The Islamic Hijri calendar is based on lunar cycles. It uses astronomical observations to determine the order of the months. Only after a crescent moon is observed can a new month begin.
Muslims all over the world use the lunar calendar to determine when important religious events like Ramadan and Hajj take place.
The Gregorian calendar, however, is a solar calendar that is typically based on a 365-day year with 12 months. These months are of varying durations. The Gregorian calendar is used by most of the world.
