Muslims in the UK face the lengthy stretch of 19 hour fasts this Ramadan which is likely to commence on Thursday 18 June. However, the debate regarding the starting times and duration of these fasts rears its head again as Muslims prepare for these four weeks.

The starting time itself, known to some as Sehri or Suhoor is known to differ between the mosques of Britain. Although most scholars agree with the idea of the sun signifying the start of the fast, many disagree with the exact position the sun is needed to be in.

Many renowned organisations have addressed this such as “Umm al-Qurrah” (Makah) who states the fasting time should be 19 hours.

The start time of such a fast would be when the sun’s angle would be 18 degrees, at 4 am.

However, Sheikh Abdul Basit Dirawi, an Abu Dhabi-based preacher disagrees stating, “There are exceptions as our religion has always been flexible” His general view is that if fasts are longer than 12 hours then a separate time table should be put in place.

He suggests, along with Al- Azhar University based in Egypt, that Muslims “should seriously consider adopting a 12 hour fast”.

They state, “Common sense which Islam promotes, dictates the following”.

On the contrary, within the UK, the opinion remains mixed with some Muslims waking up as early as 2am to start their fast.

This is resulting in many Muslims such as Remona Aly stating the system is “confusing” and that every year “there’s always a bit of chaos”.

Despite the impending long hours, the vast majority of British Muslims are adamant that they will observe it, no matter how difficult it is.