Ramzan, the holy month of Muslims which is observed by fasting and prayers has begun. Followers of Islam fast from dawn to dusk during this period of time. They follow a strict time schedule for the meals taken before dawn known as Sehri and post-sunset called Iftar as it is considered auspicious. This year, Ramzan began on May 17 and continues for the next 30 days.

During this period people refrain from drinking alcohol, sexual activities and immoral speech. Pregnant women, children, elderly, those travelling or ill do not fast. As the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles, Ramzan and Id fall on different dates every year. This year the fasting hours are the longest in the past three decades.

Know the updated Sehri & Iftar schedule for May 26 below:

In Mumbai, Sehri ends at 4:40 am and Iftar starts at 7:10 pm. In Delhi, those fasting have to observe that Sehri ends at 3:54 am and Iftar starts at 7: 11 pm. In Bhopal and Kanpur, Sehri ends at 3:45 am, 3:49 am and Iftar begins at 6:53 pm and 6:54 pm respectively. Sehri ends at 3:42 am and Iftar starts at 7:33 pm in Srinagar. Sehri and Iftar timings for cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, can be checked here.

According to Islam, fasting is one of its five pillars, the others being faith, prayer, charity and making the pilgrimage to Makkah – the Holy City. Muslims fast during Ramzan as it is believed that it is when Allah revealed the first verses of Quran, the holy book to Islam to Prophet Muhammad.  This year, Eid-ul Fitr is likely to be observed on June 15 or June 16.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 25, 2018 10:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).