Mosques following the Saudi calendar have declared the start of Ramadan
A prominent London mosque has announced its Ramadan 2026 starting date. The East London Mosque officially declared today (Wednesday, February 18) as the start date of Ramadan 1447, in line with the Umm-al Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.
Officials in Saudi Arabia accepted evidence that the initial faint crescent of the new moon had been spotted at an observatory in Tumair. Consequently, they determined that Ramadan 2026 would see its first complete day of fasting on Wednesday, February 18.
Since Muslim days operate from sunset to sunset, the holy month of Ramadan has already commenced for those adhering to the Saudi timetable, with the first special Ramadan prayer – called taraweeh – taking place last night (February 17).
The announcement arrived despite astronomical predictions indicating the crescent wouldn’t be observable anywhere globally on Tuesday evening, though it corresponds with projections in Saudi’s advance calendar of significant Islamic dates, reports Birmingham Live.
In their announcement, the East London Mosque said: “The East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre is pleased to announce that 1 Ramadan 1447 is on Wednesday 18 February 2026. The first Tarawih prayers will be on the evening of Tuesday 17 February.”
The mosque states that the prayer times provided on their website apply to anyone who lives within the M25. However in its official guidance, the East London Mosque recommends that worshippers follow the ruling of their local mosque if it differs.
Elsewhere, the London Central Mosque has also declared the start of Ramadan as being today (February 18). In their announcement, the mosque said: “We are pleased to announce to the whole Muslim Community in the U.K that Wednesday 18 February is the 1st of Ramadan 1447 Hijri. We congratulate all Muslims in the world and want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a peaceful and blessed Ramadan. May Allah accept our fasting and good deeds in shaa Allah.”
The East London Mosque has shared a full Ramadan timetable on their website which includes prayer times as well as Suhur/Suhoor and Iftar times. The timetable can also be viewed as an app on mobile, to make it easier for London Muslims to find the correct timings. Today, the timetable declares that Suhoor should have taken place by 5:29am, with Iftar scheduled to begin at 5:24pm.
The mosque also advised worshippers on ways they can give Sadaqh, a charitable donation which is considered to ‘wipe away sins’ during Ramadan. You can find out more about giving Sadaqh on their website here.
Isha typically represents the final of each day’s five compulsory acts of worship, but during Ramadan evenings, a special, voluntary, sixth service occurs. It is believed that whoever performs this prayer will have their past sins forgiven. Taraweeh prayers can continue throughout the night until shortly before dawn and involve reciting lengthy passages from the Quran.
Meanwhile, others across the UK who don’t follow the Saudi declarations will be searching for the crescent moon this evening, when it’s anticipated to be clearly visible, weather permitting. Should a sighting be confirmed, this would indicate the main UK Ramadan would begin on Thursday, February 19.
You can watch tonight’s moonsighting live on the Greenwich Royal Observatory’s website here. From 5:30pm, experts will search for the moon as well as providing expert commentary on the connection between astronomy and Islam.
Today’s Saudi announcement once more suggests a divided start for Ramadan 2026.
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