Ramadan 1448: dates and a giving checklist
A new calendar goes up on the wall. Somewhere in February, one week is circled. Before the first fast, it helps to know three things: the dates, what you owe, and where it goes.
Short answer: Ramadan 1448 is expected to start about Monday 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr about 9 or 10 March 2027. These are forecasts: each country confirms the dates by moon sighting or its own calendar. Before Ramadan, check your zakat date, work out the amount, pick an official body, and plan zakat al-fitr.
Want to know how much zakat is due on your savings first? Use the free zakat calculator. It runs on your device and sends nothing.
Expected dates
| Event | Expected date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First day of Ramadan 1448 | About Monday 8 February 2027 | Some countries may start on 7 or 9 February |
| Eid al-Fitr | About 9 or 10 March 2027 | Depends on the moon at the end of Ramadan |
These dates come from astronomical forecasts reported in October 2026. Your country's official authority announces the real dates. We will update this page when they do.
The giving checklist
- Find your zakat date. Zakat on savings is due when your wealth has stayed above the nisab for one lunar year (the hawl). Many people pay in Ramadan. Paying before your zakat date is allowed once you own the nisab in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools; the Maliki school allows only a short time early.
- Count what you own. Cash, savings, gold, silver and trade goods. Your home, car and furniture are not counted. The zakat calculator shows both nisab views side by side.
- Mind your end-of-service money. Not while you are still working: you do not yet fully own it (International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Res. 143, item 6(a)). Once received, it joins your savings. See the UAE gratuity calculator for the amount.
- Pick where to pay. Choose an official zakat body or an organisation you can check. Our page on where to pay zakat lists official bodies. Mustahaqat does not collect zakat.
- Plan zakat al-fitr. This is a small, separate payment for each person in your household, made before the Eid prayer. See the next section.
- Sadaqa is open all month. Voluntary charity has no minimum and no fixed date, and anyone in need may receive it.
- Keep a short note. Write down what you paid, when, and to whom. Next year's sum starts from it.
- Watch for fake appeals. Ramadan brings messages that copy real charities. Pay only to a body whose own website you have checked.
Zakat al-fitr: the short version
Zakat al-fitr is paid for each person in the household, usually by the head of the household, before the Eid prayer. The traditional measure is one sa' of staple food, about 2.5 to 3 kg of rice, wheat or dates.
| Question | View | Who holds it |
|---|---|---|
| Food or cash? | It is given as food | Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools |
| Its cash value may be given | Hanafi school. The UAE Council for Fatwa also allows cash | |
| How early? | One or two days before Eid | Widely held (Ibn 'Umar's report, Sahih al-Bukhari 1511) |
| From the start of Ramadan | Shafi'i school | |
| Even earlier | Hanafi school |
Ramadan 2026 amounts, for reference: UAE AED 25 per person, or 2.5 kg of rice (UAE Council for Fatwa, which allows cash); Qatar QR 15 per person (Ministry of Awqaf). The 1448 amounts are announced each year by the authorities. Use the figure your own country announces.
For your own zakat, ask a scholar you trust or your country's official zakat body.
Does Mustahaqat collect zakat or charity?
No. Mustahaqat does not collect or pass on zakat or charity. We explain and calculate only.
The circled week is still on the wall. Now the dates, the sum and the place to pay are written next to it, ready before the first fast.
Read next
- Zakat vs sadaqa: the clear difference
- Who can receive zakat? The 8 categories
- Zakat and the economy: what economists say
Work it out
The zakat calculator shows both nisab views side by side and keeps your figures on your device. Then see the official bodies on where to pay zakat.
Please note
This article explains zakat for general learning. It is not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar or your country's zakat authority. Mustahaqat does not collect or pass on zakat or charity.
هذا المقال للتعريف العام بالزكاة وليس فتوى. لحالتك الخاصة راجع عالماً مؤهلاً أو جهة الزكاة الرسمية في بلدك. موقع مستحقات لا يجمع الزكاة ولا الصدقات ولا يوصلها.
Compiled from cited sources; ask a scholar you trust for your own case. This is not a fatwa. Drafted with AI help and checked against the sources listed. Sami Adham is a professional name, not a scholar or mufti.
Sources
- The National: Ramadan 2027 expected dates in the UAE (6 Oct 2026)
- Wego: When is Ramadan 2027
- WAM: UAE Council for Fatwa allows zakat al-fitr to be paid in cash
- Zawya (WAM): UAE Council for Fatwa allows zakat al-fitr in cash, AED 25 per person for 1447 AH (2026)
- The Peninsula: Awqaf ministry sets zakat al-fitr at QR15 per person (4 Mar 2026)
Corrections
- : Source review: early payment of zakat shown by school; end-of-service pay cites IIFA Res. 143 item 6(a); zakat al-fitr timing adds Bukhari 1511 and the Hanafi view; amounts updated to Ramadan 2026 (UAE AED 25, Qatar QR 15).