More than a billion believers will fast during the daylight hours of Ramadan, starting next week.
Muslims around the world will welcome the holy month of Ramadan in less than a week, as the blessed period is likely to begin on Monday (March 12).
More than one billion believers will fast during the daylight hours of Ramadan.
according to The national news, each year the sacred month begins about two weeks earlier. This year, Ramadan will bring shorter, colder days to half the world. However, fasting hours will vary between different countries and regions, ranging from 12 to over 17 hours.
Countries with shorter fasts
Muslims in Chile, located in the southern hemisphere, will fast on average for 12 hours and 44 minutes during this Ramadan, which constitutes the shortest fasting hours, the publication states.
Meanwhile, Muslims in other countries in the region (New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa) will also fast 12 to 13 hours a day during the month.
Countries with longer fasts
Muslims in Finland, Greenland and Iceland, the countries furthest from the equator, are expected to endure an average of 17 hours of fasting each day.
However, one might wonder how people in places where it never gets dark can be so fast. Currently, there is no place in the world where you can expect a midnight sun this Ramadan, but some areas will have an exceptionally long day during the holy month.
Since it is neither possible nor obligatory to endure a fast of an unusually long duration, Muslims in those areas are allowed to follow the schedules of other cities, for example, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Fasting hours in Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East will range between 13.5 and 14 hours daily.
Among Arab countries, Tunisians will experience the longest fast: 14 hours and 29 minutes.
