RAMADAN 2023. We already know the astronomical start and end dates of Ramadan 2023. Here is the key information for the month of fasting to come.
[Mis à jour le 25 janvier 2023 à 16h01] When will the fasting month of Ramadan take place in France this year? If this pillar of Islam applied in the middle of summer a few editions ago, its date advances by ten days each year… because of the Muslim calendar governing the major events linked to Islam. In 2023 strictly speaking, astronomical calculations already designate the following date range: Thursday March 23 for the start date of Ramadan and Thursday April 20 for the end date.
However, these dates must be formalized and refined in two key stages. First of all, several weeks or even months before the start date of Ramadan, the CFCM (French Council of the Muslim Worship), the main representative body of Islam in France, has the habit of publishing a national press release displaying the dates of Ramadan of the current year according to astronomical calculations.
Then, a “night of doubt” / “night of announcement” of lunar observation is scheduled for the 29th day of the month of Chaabane, the month of islamic calendar preceding the month of Ramadan. This will be Wednesday, March 22 in 2023. The Coordination of National Muslim Federations then meets in the Theological Commission. Based in a complementary way on the observation with the eye of the lunar crescent and on astronomical calculations, it formalizes at the beginning of the evening the date of the beginning of Ramadan, which is fixed for the next day or the day after (More explanation here). The same steps take place for the establishment of the date of the end of the month of Ramadan, and therefore for the date of Eid el-Fitr, the feast of breaking the fast taking place on the first day of the month of the Hijri calendar following that of Ramadan.
The fourth pillar of Islam is respected by many practicing Muslims in France: according to INSEE, 5 million believers practice Ramadan each year in France. Worldwide, more than 1.5 billion people are affected. During the month of Ramadan, devout Muslims observe fasting between dawn and sunset. And as the year continues to move forwardsummerthe days get longer and longer, making the deprivation of food and drink more and more trying.
In France, as in several other countries, the start date of Ramadan is announced by the French Council for Muslim Worship (CFCM) several months in advance based on astronomical calculations, then confirmed by a theological commission at the end of the lunar observation of the “night of doubt“, at the end of the day, a few days before the start of Ramadan. If a crescent is visible during this evening, also called “Night of the announcement”, then Ramadan begins the next day, otherwise it begins the following day.
From Thursday March 23 for the start dateto Thursday April 20, 2023 for the end date. This is the period already indicated by the astronomical calculations for the dates of Ramadan 2023. Associated with the Coordination made up of the four Muslim Federations (FFAIACA, GMP, MF and RMF), the Grand Mosque of Paris will raise doubt on this point during the “night of doubt” of lunar observation, organized on the 29th day of the month preceding the month of Ramadan.
Two methods coexist in France to determine the beginning of the month of Ramadan: traditional lunar observation and astronomical calculations. In a press release dated March 15, 2022, 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”.
The CFCM (French Council for Muslim Worship, the main representative body of Islam in France), relies exclusively on astronomical calculations for determining the dates of Ramadan, and generally indicates the date of the beginning of the month of fasting and the date of the Eid-el Fitr festivities several weeks or even months in advance.
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 this thunderclap in the sky of Islam in France, the CFCM has once again relied 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).
The traditional “Night of Doubt” method, based on lunar observation, takes place at the Grande paris mosque. The decision taken at its outcome depends not only on the observation of the sky, but also on the decisions taken by other Muslim countries which are based on this same lunar observation. The mosque of Paris recalls on its site “that a shift of one day is possible. This shift day is due to the observation or not of the crescent of moon which marks the beginning of each of the twelve months which make up the lunar calendar on which Islam is based”.
We thus only know the date of the beginning of the month of Ramadan on the 29th day of the month preceding the month of Ramadan, in this case on the 29th day of the month of Chaabane (eighth month of the Muslim religious calendar). If the crescent moon (hilal) is seen by Muslims in the sky, the month of Ramadan begins the next day, otherwise it begins the day after tomorrow.
The determination of the exact dates of Ramadan is still the subject of debates relating in reality to the adoption or not of the fixed lunar calendar, based on scientific calculation. There is indeed a conflict of opinion between those who consider that it is absolutely necessary to see the star in the sky and those who trust astronomical science. Proponents of the scientific method believe that setting the start and end dates of Ramadan in advance allows believers to organize their abstinence, but also the festivities of Ramadan, in advance. This would also unify the dates of Ramadan around the world.
Eid al-Fitr is one of the most important holidays for observant Muslims. The month of Shawwal (tenth month of the Muslim calendar) begins precisely with the feast of the end of the fast of Eid El Fitr. Every year, the breaking of the fast is celebrated on this occasion by Muslims, among friends, families and relatives and marked by an important prayer in the morning. During Eid in recent years, it has been recommended by the Paris Mosque that the Zakat, ie alms for breaking the fast, be 7 euros.
The umrah constitutes a form of pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca (Saudi Arabia). In contrast to hajj, the great pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, the umrah is not obligatory. It should also be noted that if the hajj can only be done during the last month of the Muslim year, the umrah is achievable throughout the year. However, it is recommended to practice it during the month of Ramadan.