Residents in the UAE will be able to observe Ramadan twice in the year 2030, a situation that has not occurred since 1997. According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, a member of the Arab Federation of Space and Astronomy Sciences, the Islamic calendar is lunar & continuously falls 11 days short of the solar year. Ramadan is thus pushed back by 10 or 11 days for every year that passes, depending on the moon sighting.

“The year 2030 will witness the blessed month of Ramadan twice. The first one will take place when Ramadan will start on January 5, 2030, for the Hijri year 1451, and then again, the month of Ramadan will start on December 26, 2030, for the Hijri year 1452,” explained Al Jarwan. “And the total days of fasting will be approximately 36 days, inshallah.” “It takes 33 years until the Hijri year has cycled through a full Gregorian year. It was repeated previously in 1997, and after 2030, it will repeat later in 2063,” said Al Jarwan.

The Islamic calendar is difficult to anticipate since the start of each month is determined by an authorised person or committee viewing the crescent moon. Adverse air circumstances can also prevent the observation of the crescent moon, causing the subsequent month to be one day later. The Hijri calendar has 354 days, 11 fewer days than the Gregorian calendar, ultimately, the two calendar systems will come to full circle and replicate themselves.