RAMADAN. Astronomical calculations have already estimated it, but the end date of Ramadan 2022 must be confirmed on Saturday evening, following the lunar observation of the “night of doubt” at the great mosque of Paris. Questions / Answers about the month of fasting.
The essential
- The end date of Ramadan is Sunday? That’s what the CFCM has already said, but the Grande Paris Mosque organizes a night of doubt to confirm it, this Saturday.
- The lunar observation of the “night of doubt” at the end of Ramadan is organized on Saturday April 30 at 6:30 p.m. by the Great Mosque of Paris, associated with the Coordination composed of the four Muslim Federations (FFAIACA, GMP, MF and RMF) dissidents from the CFCM (French Council for Muslim Worship, main representative body of Islam in France).
- On the occasion of the night of doubt, a theological commission meets to confirm (or not) the end date of Ramadan indicated by astronomical calculations, and therefore the date of Eid el-Fitr, the feast of the rupture of young.
- The main representative body of Muslims in France, the CFCM, has already spoken out, based on the famous astronomical calculations: according to scientific data, the month of ramadan 2022 / 1443 (current year in the Hijri calendar) is expected to last 30 days this year, ending Sunday May 1 with the feast of Eid el-Fitr (breaking the fast) set for Monday, May 2, for 4 to 5 million Muslims in France.
- The Grand Mosque of Paris had also declared in March based on astronomical calculations that the date of Eid al-Fitr was set for May 2. It is likely that the end date of Ramadan (May 1) will be confirmed during the night of doubt on Saturday.
- Here are the answers to some key questions about Ramadan.
Questions answers
When is Eid al-Fitr 2022? (date to be confirmed)
Eid al-Fitr 2022 takes place on Monday, May 2, according to scientific data. Information that remains to be confirmed via the traditional lunar observation of the “night of doubt”, Saturday evening April 30 at the Grand Mosque of Paris.
Does Ramadan theoretically end on May 1 or May 2?
Precise astronomical calculations on the phases of the lunar cycle confirm that the conjunction will take place on April 29, 2022 at 23:28 GMT. This means that the month of Ramadan is spread over thirty days this year. According to estimates, the fasting month of Ramadan therefore ends on Sunday, May 1.
Does Ramadan always take place at the same time each year?
Ramadan 2022 takes place in spring this year. The period forming part of the five pillars of Islam takes place a little earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar (the one used today administratively in France). the moon calendar Hijri calendar on which believers base themselves differs from the Gregorian calendar used administratively in France.
What is zakat al fitr?
As the CFCM (French Council of Muslim Worship) recalled in mid-March, zakat al-fitr, “religiously payable by any Muslim family”, is “intended for the poor regardless of their religious affiliation”. Third pillar of Islam, it went from 5 to 7 euros per person in 2018 (an increase mainly due to inflation).
What questions and reflections should be avoided with someone who is doing Ramadan?
Recently, La Voix du Nord took an interest in the questions and reflections “that Muslims are tired of hearing” during Ramadan. Here are a few examples: “You still have the right to drink, I hope?”, “Do you eat in secret?”, “I couldn’t…”, or even “You really unwell…”.
How many days does the Hijri lunar calendar, on which Ramadan is based, have?
Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the one used administratively in France, which has 365 days, the Hijri lunar calendar has 354 or 355 days. This is the reason why the start date of Ramadan “moves back” by 10 to 12 days each year.
Why is the lunar calendar on which Ramadan is based called the “Hijri calendar”?
The Muslim calendar, based on the lunar cycle, is called the “Hijri calendar”. Ramadan is its ninth month. The term “Hijri refers to the Hijri of the Prophet of the Muslims, Muhammad, from Mecca to Medina.
What is the significance of Ramadan fasting?
Fasting (saum) is precisely described in the Quran. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are advised not to eat, drink, smoke, or have sex between dawn and sunset. More generally, asceticism concerns all behavior considered contrary to Islam. This restriction is to celebrate the month when the holy book was revealed to Mohammed. At night, celebrations (including meals) are permitted, if not encouraged. The evening meal, iftar, is a key moment: many Muslims gather at home, in cultural centers or mosques to share food.
Why do fasting start and end times change during Ramadan?
Once the month of Ramadan is officially launched, observant Muslims carefully scrutinize the times of sunrise and sunset. Because these evolve throughout the holy month. How is it possible ? As everyone knows, the days grow between the winter solstice and the summer solstice, roughly located around December 21 and June 21. From this second date, the phenomenon is reversed. The beginning and the end of the daily fast, but also the times of prayers, are directly affected by this phenomenon.
Learn more
The end of Ramadan 2022 (1443) is estimated at Monday, May 2, 2022 in France. The Great Mosque of Paris even wrote black on white, in a press release published in March, that Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, took place on this date of May 2. The lunar month can last 29 or 30 days. Still according to the Great Mosque of Paris, which is associated with the Coordination composed of the four Muslim Federations (FFAIACA, GMP, MF and RMF) in its press release, “precise astronomical calculations confirm that the conjunction will take place on Saturday April 29, 2022 at 23:28 GMT. The month of Ramadan will therefore last for thirty days”. These calculations refer to the crescent of Shawwal for the year 1443 AH. The CFCM, the representative body of Islam in France, of which four Muslim federations split in 2021, confirmed this same date.
The Mosque of Paris generally approves the astronomical dates of Ramadan 2022 (1443) in France following the lunar observation during the Night of Doubt. You should know that two methods coexist in France to determine the start of the month of Ramadan: traditional lunar observation and astronomical calculations. In its press release of March 15 entitled “Announcement of the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan”, the Coordination of National Muslim Federations (FFAICA, GMP, MF and RMF) meeting at the Great Mosque of Paris, specifies that these two methods are “complementary”. . She adds on this point that during the “Night of Doubt”, the “Theological Commission of the Coordination (…) takes into consideration the results of the work on the adoption of scientific calculation and universal astronomical data for the determination of the beginning and end of the blessed month of Ramadan”.
During the month of fasting, Muslims honor five prayers a day: Fejr, Dhuhr, Asser, Maghreb and Icha. The Ramadan calendar allows you to know the times of the prayers in question.
Regarding the representation of Muslims in France, an important change took place in March 2021, with the split between the French Council for Muslim Worship, the institution representing the Muslim faith in France and four of its former Muslim federations (the famous FFAIACA, GMP, MF and RMF). Since that thunderclap in the sky of Islam in France, the CFCM is once again relying on scientific data to formalize the dates of Ramadan, several weeks in advance. It is also the modus operandi followed by the Muslim Theological Council of France (CTMF, a body of imams particularly close to the Muslim Brotherhood, but who do not replace the representative bodies).
Another recent twist, the four dissident federations of the CFCM established their “National Council of Imams” at the end of November 2021. The Elysée had made this request to the CFCM in the fall of 2020, as part of the fight against Islam radical and “separatism”. The four federations which have taken their independence therefore wish to “label” the imams practicing in France by themselves, a role which the CFCM is already contesting as related 20 minutes.