A Complete Guide to Ramadan 2025

Ramadan 2025 is on the horizon, and it’s our responsibility to prepare for it. The first of Ramadan 2025 is Saturday, March 1, 2025, or March 2, 2025. Let’s make this Ramadan different. It is essential to enter Ramadan with a clean heart, seeking forgiveness from Allah for all our sins. Fasting a day or two before Ramadan is a good practice. We are the guests at Allah’s banquet. Just as we dress our best, present ourselves with care, and mind our words and actions when invited to a banquet during Ramadan, we must make similar preparations. In Ramadan, the doors of Allah’s mercy are wide open, and a unique feeling of spirituality, a feeling unlike any other, fills the air. Muslims engage in many spiritual activities during Ramadan, elevating and inspiring their spirits.

When we fast, our soul transcends the material world. Just knowing that you are forgoing food, drink, and intercourse for the sake of Allah gives you a distinct feeling. Ramadan 2025 in the northern hemisphere will be in spring. What a coincidence! The spring of the Quran, when the hearts purify, and spirits grow, coincides with springtime when all plants, trees, and flowers regrow. Not everyone is obligated to fast during Ramadan, but there still is the pleasant ambiance of Ramadan when people make dua, recite the Quran, fast, and feast in unison. Let’s make Ramadan 2025 better than ever. Let us all pray to Allah to grant us the ability to fast and be the best version of ourselves. Ramadan 2025 is another golden opportunity to practice taqwa and lead a good Islamic lifestyle, filling us with hope and optimism.

Knowing the Prayer Times in Ramadan 2025

It’s common knowledge that fasting and eating times vary depending on the time zone. Therefore, Muslims must be aware of the prayer times, specifically the times for sunset, the maghrib adhan, and the dawn adhan. The timings of iftar and suhur in Ramadan 2025 are dependent on your time zone. For instance, if you reside in California, your time zone will be Pacific Standard Time (PST) from the first to the tenth of Ramadan 2025 and Pacific Daylight Time from the eleventh of Ramadan 2025 onwards when the clocks are set one hour ahead. The dawn adhan of the first ten days of Ramadan 2025 in California will vary between 5:15 AM and 5:04 AM, and from the eleventh to the end of Ramadan, it will vary between 6:03 AM and 5:36 AM. The iftar times follow a similar pattern. It’s important to note that these times vary from one Ramadan to another. For example, the prayer times for Ramadan 2024 differed from those of Ramadan 2025. Therefore, it’s essential to be well-informed and prepared.

How Can We Increase Our Spirituality in Ramadan 2025?

There is no doubt that Ramadan is THE month of spirituality in the Islamic lunar calendar. As the month of Allah and the revelation of the Quran, we must recite the Quran as much as possible. Reciting one verse of the Quran this month equals reciting the whole Quran in other months. It is the best time to purify ourselves, repent our sins, and reform ourselves. Although we must always practice taqwa, this month, we must try to increase our taqwa to new levels. Ramadan equips us with the necessary tools to be good Muslims in the other months. If we waste time and do not take advantage of this golden opportunity, we will surely regret it.

Ramadan is a moment for reflection. Think about all the good things that happen in this month. Allah revealed the Quran, and people’s destiny is determined this month. Allah is so much closer to us and answers our prayers readily. We receive many rewards, and our sins are forgiven this month.

The Significance of Fasting in Ramadan 2025

Ramadan is the only month that Allah has made fasting obligatory for Muslims. Only those with valid excuses, such as illnesses or weakness due to age or other conditions, can forgo fasting. Fasting is beneficial for both the body and soul. It purifies and detoxifies the body of impurities and wastes. Likewise, it purifies the soul of all evil. Pious people enjoy fasting, and no other act of worship is as pleasurable to them as fasting. Fasting is not what Allah needs from us, but rather something we need to prosper. Even though fasting keeps us away from sins, we must also deliberately distance ourselves from any sinful activity lest Allah does not accept our fasts. The person who fasts has many rewards. Breathing is like saying dhikr, and sleeping is like worshipping Allah.

Communication With Allah in Ramadan 2025

Communication with Allah is always possible. However, Ramadan is the best time to do so, as Allah is closer to us in this month than other months. Allah has said in the Quran:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ‎﴿١٨٦﴾

When My servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeed nearmost. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly. (186) [Quran 2:186]

Repentance and Tawbah is Readily Accepted in Ramadan 2025

Allah is the most merciful of all others. He forgives the sins of those who repent to Him. In Ramadan, the repentance of believers is more likely to be accepted than in other months because, as we said, Allah is very close to us this month. Muslims must take advantage of this opportunity and repent to Allah so that all their sins will be forgiven. Even those who think they have not sinned must repent to Allah to show their humility. Besides, many people, even good people, commit sins without knowing. Therefore, everyone must repent to Allah whether or not they think they have sinned.

The Importance of Prayer in Ramadan 2025

Prayer or salat is an obligatory act that we must always perform. Prayer in the month of Ramadan has special significance. If a person wants their fasts to be accepted, they must perform their prayers. If they fail to do so, then what good is their fasts for? Likewise, if a person wishes their prayers to be accepted, they must observe their fasts. There is a reciprocal relationship between fasting and prayer; one cannot be without the other. Besides the obligatory prayers, the night prayer and supplications before the dawn prayer have been especially recommended during Ramadan.

The Concept of Servitude and Ramadan 2025

We are all the servants of Allah. That is, we must serve Him in the best way possible. A servant listens to whatever His Lord says. They obey His commands. Those who do not observe what Allah has made obligatory and forbidden are not His faithful servants. The month of Ramadan is the perfect month to practice servitude to Allah. Fasting means not only avoiding food, drink, and intercourse during the day but also avoiding sins and things Allah has made forbidden. However, it should not be the case that we are only good servants in Ramadan and not other months. Ramadan is like a crash course for us to practice what we have learned this month in the other months.

The Events of Ramadan

Many events have occurred in the month of Ramadan, including Laylatul Qadr (also spelled Laylat al-Qadr), meaning the Night of Ordainment on which the Quran was revealed, the birth anniversary of Hassan ibn Ali al-Mujtaba (the second Shiite Imam), the martyrdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib the Commander of the Faithful (the first Shiite Imam), and the Battle of Badr. Ramadan is a month of feasting, celebration, and mourning (the martyrdom of Imam Ali). Let us go through the events of Ramadan in order of their dates.

The Birth Anniversary of Imam Hassan ibn Ali

Ramadan is mostly a happy month in which Muslims celebrate and are filled with joy. Ramadan 15^th, which coincides with March 15 or 16, 2025, marks the birth anniversary of Imam Hassan, the son of Imam Ali and Lady Fatima and the Noble Prophet’s elder grandson. He was a very honorable personality. His generosity was exemplary. Muslims commemorate this occasion by holding joyous gatherings and giving sweets and gifts. Muslims of all ethnicities make all kinds of sweets and delicacies during Ramadan to celebrate this blessed month.   

Laylatul Qadr and the Revelation of the Quran

Laylatul Qadr is a significant occasion for all Muslims worldwide. It is the night the entire Quran was revealed to the Noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. In Ramadan 2025, the nights of Qadr are on the 19^th, 21^st, and 23^rd of March. Surah Qadr, verse one reads:

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ‎﴿١﴾

Indeed We sent it down on the Night of Ordainment. (1)

Laylatul Qadr is a blessed night because the Quran was revealed on it:

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَٰرَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ ‎﴿٣﴾

We sent it down on a blessed night, and We have been warning [mankind]. (3)

In addition, Laylatul Qadr is a night on which people’s destinies are determined, and every matter is resolved for the coming year. This has been explicitly stated in both the Quran and hadith.

فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ ‎﴿٤﴾‏ أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَآ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ ‎﴿٥﴾‏ رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ‎﴿٦﴾

Every definitive matter is resolved on it, (4) as an ordinance from Us. We have been sending [apostles] (5) as a mercy from your Lord—indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing. (6)

The Quran says that it is a night better than a thousand months:

لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ‎﴿٣﴾

The Night of Ordainment is better than a thousand months. (3)

The Martyrdom of Imam Ali

March 22, 2025, Ramadan 21^st, the second night of Qadr, marks the martyrdom of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib’s martyrdom, the Prophet’s successor and the first Shiite Imam. After suffering a wound caused by the strike of a poisonous sword on the 19^th of Ramadan, Imam Ali was martyred two days later. Shia Muslims worldwide mourn the martyrdom of this holy personality every year by wearing black and performing mourning rituals.

Duas in the Month of Ramadan 2025

Allah has said in the Quran that He is closer to us in Ramadan than any other month. Therefore, we must seize this opportunity to make dua and ask Him for the best things. Specific duas are unique to this month. In this month, we pray to Allah to forgive our sins, help us pay our debts, provide for the needy, make us rich, grant us paradise, and save us from hellfire.

The Value of Ethical Behavior in Ramadan 2025

Good ethics have always been praised in Islam. It is so crucial that the Noble Prophet declared perfecting ethics to be the goal of his prophetic mission. Bad moral behavior is usually not considered sinful, even though it is most of the time. A person who gets angry with others at whim is not maintaining the ethical standards prescribed by Islam. In Ramadan, Muslims must treat each other well and avoid undesirable ethical behavior. Bad ethical behavior, if not sinful per se, will eventually lead to sins.

Money Management and Halal Earning During Ramadan 2025

During Ramadan, Allah showers His servants with all kinds of good things, money, clothes, or children depending on how their destiny is shaped during Laylatul Qadr. Regarding money management, the most essential consideration is earning a halal income. This is the month when Allah expects more from us than other months. We must do our best to avoid unlawful earnings and help needy people. Allah has repeatedly emphasized the importance of charity and almsgiving in the Quran. We should also manage our money wisely. Binge shopping and money wasting are something we must try to avoid.    

Avoiding Time Wasting At All Costs

Time wasting is a serious problem nowadays. Instead of doing productive activities, people of all ages engage in activities that serve no purpose other than wasting time. During Ramadan, abundant productive activities can be done, such as reciting the Quran, making dua, saying dhikr, visiting friends and family, attending religious gatherings, listening to scholars’ speeches, and holding useful discussions with others.

The Significance of Learning Tafsir of the Quran During Ramadan 2025

Reciting the Quran is praiseworthy, particularly during Ramadan. What is more important is understanding the Quran and its message. In other words, knowing the tafsir or commentary of the Quran is vitally important. If you know the Quran by heart and recite it entirely many times, yet you do not know the meaning of its verses, its tafsir, and its message, your efforts are in vain. Muslims should understand what Allah is saying and what He instructs them to do or avoid. Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to learn the tafsir of the Quran and familiarize ourselves with the book of Allah as we recite its verses. Do not content yourselves with the recitation of the Quran. You should also read the translation and tafsir of the Quran if you want to benefit the most from it. 

Etiquette of Ramadan

Ramadan has its own etiquette that must not be breached. Ramadan is a month when Muslims keep fast. Those who do not fast are sinning unless they have a valid excuse. Generally, those who do not fast with or without valid excuses should not eat or drink in front of those who are fasting, especially if they are living in a Muslim country. This is quite disrespectful. There are other etiquette, such as breaking the fast together and making dua before doing so. Another etiquette is inviting others to one’s home to feast when it is time to break the fast.

Eid al-Fitr and the Eid Prayer

After Ramadan comes the month of Shawwal 1446, the first day of which is Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr is either on March 30 or 31, 2025, depending on when the moon is sighted. Fasting on Eid day is forbidden. Moreover, it is recommended that you offer the Eid prayer in congregation before the noon adhan. Eid al-Fitr is a thanksgiving day to Allah for making us capable of fasting for a month. Muslims celebrate this day by visiting and giving gifts to each other. Another religious obligation is paying a specific form of zakat to those in need, known as Zakat al-Fitrah, which can be paid from the eve of Eid al-Fitr (the last night of Ramadan) until the noon adhan of the first of Shawwal. Those who are the descendants of the Prophet (s) and the Ahlul Bait (a) can only pay the zakat to other descendants of the Prophet (s) and the Ahlul Bait (a).