Short Days, Easy Fasts: Why Winter in Massachusetts Is the Best Time to Make Up Missed Ramadan Fasts

The clocks fall back tonight, and from Sunday the days in Massachusetts get short fast. That is a small gift for anyone who still owes fasts from last Ramadan. In Boston, a fast from dawn to sunset in mid-December lasts about ten and a half hours. Last Ramadan, the final fasts in March ran more than thirteen.

If you missed days because of illness, travel, pregnancy, nursing or your monthly cycle, the next few months are the easiest time of year to make them up. Here is a plain guide to the numbers, the timeline and the basics.

How short do the fasts get?

We pulled times for Boston using the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) calculation method, which many North American timetables use. Your masjid's timetable may differ by a few minutes, and towns in western Massachusetts see sunset a little later than Boston.

Fast length here means the time from Fajr (dawn) to Maghrib (sunset):

• Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 (first day after the time change): Fajr 4:59 a.m., Maghrib 4:37 p.m., about 11 hours 38 minutes
• Sunday, Nov. 15: Fajr 5:14 a.m., Maghrib 4:22 p.m., about 11 hours 8 minutes
• Monday, Nov. 30: Fajr 5:29 a.m., Maghrib 4:13 p.m., about 10 hours 44 minutes
• Mid to late December: Fajr around 5:42 to 5:46 a.m., Maghrib around 4:12 to 4:15 p.m., about 10 hours 30 minutes, the shortest of the year
• Friday, Jan. 15, 2027: Fajr 5:48 a.m., Maghrib 4:37 p.m., about 10 hours 49 minutes

Compare that with the year's other end. Around the summer solstice in June 2026, Fajr in Boston came at 3:22 a.m. and Maghrib at 8:24 p.m., a fast of about 17 hours. And on the last days of Ramadan this past March, Fajr was about 5:35 a.m. and Maghrib about 6:53 p.m., more than 13 hours.

The sunsets are worth noting for work and school. In early December, Maghrib in Boston comes at about 4:11 or 4:12 p.m. Many people will break a make-up fast before they leave the office, so keep a date and a bottle of water in your bag.

The timeline: before Ramadan 1448

The Quran gives the rule in Surah al-Baqarah (2:184): whoever is ill or on a journey should fast "an equal number of days" later. Most scholars teach that these make-up fasts, called qada, should be completed before the next Ramadan arrives.

The Fiqh Council of North America's calculated calendar lists:

• 1 Jumada al-Akhirah 1448: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026
• 1 Rajab 1448: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026
• 1 Sha'ban 1448: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027
• 1 Ramadan 1448: Monday, Feb. 8, 2027

Saudi Arabia's Umm al-Qura calendar has the same Ramadan date. Masjids that wait for a local moon sighting may start a day later, so follow your own masjid's announcement. Either way, that leaves a little over three months, almost all of them in the shortest days of the year.

A model from the Prophet's household

There is a precedent for making up fasts late in the year. In Sahih al-Bukhari (1950), Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said that she sometimes owed fasts from Ramadan and could not make them up until Sha'ban, the month right before the next Ramadan. One of the narrators explained that she was busy serving the Prophet, peace be upon him.

So if you are behind, you are not alone, and you have not run out of time. But Sha'ban 1448 begins in early January, so why wait? December's ten-and-a-half-hour fasts are easier than anything February will offer.

You may also hear the saying, "Fasting in winter is an easy reward," or "the cool spoils." It is recorded in Jami at-Tirmidhi (797). Tirmidhi himself called its chain mursal, meaning it skips a link back to the Prophet, and it is graded weak (da'if). Many people still quote it because its point is plain to anyone who has fasted a Boston December: the day is short and cool, and the reward is the same.

Practical tips for a Massachusetts winter

• Count your days first. Write down how many fasts you owe. If you are not sure, many scholars advise making a careful estimate and erring on the side of more.
• Pick fixed days. Many people make up fasts on Mondays and Thursdays. In Jami at-Tirmidhi (747), graded hasan, the Prophet said deeds are presented on Monday and Thursday and that he loved for his deeds to be presented while he was fasting. Ask your imam how to combine a make-up fast with a voluntary one. Scholars differ on that point.
• Use the long nights. Suhoor can be close to 5:30 a.m. in December. That is late enough that many people can eat, pray Fajr and still sleep a little before work.
• Mind the cold and the heat. Indoor heating dries you out. Drink plenty of water between Maghrib and Fajr, especially if you shovel snow or work outside.
• Make it a family plan. Mothers often owe the most days after pregnancy and nursing. A household that fasts together on the same Mondays, with an early iftar at 4:15, makes it easier for everyone.

If you cannot fast at all

The same verse (2:184) says that those who can only fast with extreme difficulty may give compensation by feeding a needy person for each day. This is called fidya. Who qualifies, and how it differs from making up the days later, depends on your situation: a chronic illness, old age, or a temporary condition like pregnancy are treated differently. Please ask a qualified imam or scholar at your local masjid before choosing fidya instead of fasting.

Before you start

The clocks change at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Every prayer time on your phone will move one hour earlier on the clock. If you plan a make-up fast this week, check your masjid's new timetable first, set your suhoor alarm for the new time, and enjoy one of the easiest stretches of fasting the year has to offer.

Fast lengths in this article are calculated from published ISNA-method times for Boston and rounded to the minute. They are a guide, not a fatwa. Your local masjid's timetable and scholars are the final word.