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Rabat – Ramadan 2026 is just around the corner, and Muslim communities in the United States are quickly preparing to welcome the holiest month in Islam.
Mosques around the country, including in Chicago, have officially announced that the first day of Ramadan will fall tomorrow, February 18 in America, according to astronomical calculations.
The Fiqh Council of North America had also previously declared that the first day of Ramadan will fall on February 18, which means that tonight is the first official night leading into the holy month.
The US traditionally follows the same Ramadan schedule every year as Saudi Arabia, and therefore will match the same for this year as well, ringing in the beginning of the holy month alongside Muslim countries that also sighted the crescent Tuesday night.
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is a special time in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, abstaining from vices.
Muslims make up the most diverse religious minority in the US, comprising of Palestinians, Lebanese, Moroccan and other members of diasporas nationwide.
Iftar tables show this diversity in the large array of food on tables.
In the US, Ramadan does not look the same as in Muslim-majority countries, as life does not stop according to fasting hours. Muslims face the reality in workplaces of being surrounded by coworkers who are not fasting, and it takes an increased level of discipline. Work hours often do not take into account this change in lifestyle as well, making it increasingly more challenging for those observing the holy month.
Despite this, however, back at home families bring similar Ramadan energy as the rest of the Muslim world. Families gather in anticipation of Maghreb waiting to break their fast with their loved ones.
Ramadan Kareem!
