For many Muslims, Ramadan 2026 began Tuesday night. But not for all. In recent decades, which day the sacred month commences can pit tradition against science.
If the first day of Ramadan begins with the new moon, it's largely invisible from earth. In pre-modern times, said Suleiman Mourad, a professor of religion and Middle East studies at Smith College, people would wait until the end of the month before Ramadan, in order to know when to start.
Now, there are largely two opinions in the Islamic world.
"One to follow science and another one to follow tradition. Science usually is very exact, but tradition is subject to human physical capacities," Mourad said.
That capacity is — one's eyes.
Sunni Muslims living in different countries around the world, and in western Mass., might begin Ramadan, following the lead of Saudi Arabia or Egypt. Some might follow Pakistan Mourad said.
This sacred time for Muslims worldwide, and those living in western Massachusetts, is marked with a strict fast from dawn until sunset.
"Muslims are starting to establish what you call their own traditions, [for those] who live outside their traditional countries," Mourad said. "They follow [the calendar of] their countries. That became more apparent as Muslims started to emigrate in larger numbers to Europe, Western Europe, North America or even South America."
There are lots of practices, Mourad added.
This Ramadan, Turkey used the astronomical calculation of the new moon (science, not tradition), said Hampshire College astronomer Salman Hameed.
"The same is done by some of the groups in the US," Hameed said. "So the Islamic Society of North America, one of the largest Muslim groups, they actually use the [astronomical] calculation."
But, when astronomers refer to the "new moon," it's a time when you cannot see the moon at all Hameed said. It's very close to the sun and the far side of the moon is lit up by the near side.
"None of the light is being reflected towards us. So that is the definition of astronomical new moon. However, in the Islamic culture or Muslim culture, the new month starts with the sighting of the first crescent."
As a Muslim, and an astronomer, Hameed said he grapples with Saudi Arabia announcing the new moon was seen Tuesday night. There is no scientific way that happened he said.
(In this particular year, the astronomical new moon was at local western Mass. time around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Hameed said. )
"So, people may imagine a little bit of the existence of the moon where there isn't," Hammed said, adding that it is a blessing to see the new moon.
Whether you emphasize calculation or whether you emphasize tradition Hameed said there's not a a clear cut case of one over the other, because it depends upon how you want to celebrate things.
"Ultimately I would say there are a lot of things in the past including, for example, how do you find the direction to Mecca, to which all Muslims pray to," Hameed said.
While even a thousand years ago, he said, there was a debate, now there is none. People have compasses that determine the direction which to pray in the same way.
"I think we are living at a time where this debate is alive, but I think in a maybe in a few decades, especially as humans start to go to the moon itself, then probably this debate is going to die out and people will realize actually, calculations make a lot more sense," he said.
It used to upset him, Hameed said, when people didn't follow the science.
But Ramadan, like Lent, which also began this week, is about empathy. Hameed said, we could just focus on that.
Smith College's Mourad said the calendar is an enigma, and these are moments to reflect on the commonality of the Abrahamic or monotheistic religions.
"Especially given how much rivalry and animosity there [is].
So it's good to have these moments to think of what we share, that essentially, you find it in Judaism, Christianity and Islam," he said.
The mandate of fasting is done in relation to what you owe God, Mourad said, "and you do [it] in a way, in observance with that kind of bond," he said, adding that he comes from a very observant family in Lebanon where we reached him.
"To give you an anecdote," Mourad said, "back when I was a student here at the university, during Ramadan, my mom would remind me that, if you don't want to fast, that's a problem between you and God. But if you don't come to the meal when we break the fast, that's a problem between you and me."
