Longest and shortest fasts in world this year

LAHORE: While the residents of the Russian city of Murmansk will be fasting for almost 18 hours from 2.43 am (sunrise) to 8.38 pm (sunset) this year, observing the longest fast in the world, the Argentinean town of Ushuaia will be having the shortest in the world, at 12 hours and 23 minutes exactly (from 6.23 am to 6.46 pm), states a report appearing in the “Gulf News.” Murmansk city has just over six hours of darkness.

Here follow a few selected cities that have the longest and shortest intervals from Fajr to Maghreb prayers, or from dawn to dusk:

Rio de Janeiro (12.51 hours), Manila (13.39 hours), Miami (13.49 hours), Riyadh (14.02 hours), Muscat (14.02 hours), Dubai (14.05 hours),Cairo (14.22 hours), Jerusalem (14.23 hours), Islamabad (14.29 hours), New Delhi (14.33 hours), New York (14.34 hours), Los Angeles (14.36 hours), Baghdad (14.36 hours), Tehran (14.38 hours), Toronto (14.47 hours), Rome (14.58 hours), Paris (15.18 hours), London (15.21 hours) and Copenhagen (16.02 hours).

The “Gulf News” adds: “In countries where sunset and sunrise are too close (less than 3 hours apart) or are indistinguishable, fatwas have been issued to allow Muslims to follow the timings of the closest city that has distinguishable day and night timings. So, if Ramadan were taking place in June, people in Sweden for example would be observing a midnight sun phenomenon, which would make it nearly impossible for Muslims to fast there. So, they would look to a neighbouring country to follow their fasting times.”

The prestigious Dubai-based newspaper maintains: “If you live in a country that is close to the Equator, like most of the Middle East, it is pretty much the same amount of fasting no matter the season. At the Equator, the time between dawn and dusk usually always lasts about 14 hours regardless of whether it is summer, winter, fall or spring. However, those in the southern and northern hemispheres will experience the most amount of change, as Ramadan moves by ten days each coming year. At the moment, cities in the southern hemisphere experience shorter fasting time, when Ramadan falls during spring and summer. While those living in the northern hemisphere will typically experience much longer days. For example, in Glasgow, Scotland, the fast is 17 hours a day during summer and only nine hours a day in winter.”