With the arrival of Ramadan: Why are fasting hours longer in northern countries?

With the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world experience a unique spiritual atmosphere, but the fasting experience varies significantly from one country to another, especially in areas located at higher latitudes in the northern hemisphere, where daylight hours extend to long periods that pose an additional challenge for those fasting.

Why are fasting hours longer in the north?

The length of fasting hours is linked to an astronomical phenomenon known as the midnight sun, which is clearly visible in countries close to the Arctic Circle such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland, in addition to the northern parts of Canada.
This phenomenon occurs due to the tilt of the Earth's axis as it rotates around the sun, which during spring and early summer leads to the sun remaining above the horizon for very long periods in northern regions. The closer we get to the North Pole, the fewer the hours of darkness gradually, and the length of the day may exceed 20 hours daily, with a very short night.
Since fasting extends from dawn to sunset, the long day practically means an increase in the number of hours of abstaining from food and drink, which may pose greater physical hardship compared to countries with moderate daylight hours.

Cities recording the longest fasting hours

Some northern cities in Canada top the list of longest fasting hours during this time of the year, with daylight approaching 21 hours on some days. Cities in northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland also record long fasting durations exceeding 16 hours, and these may increase as we move further north.

How do Muslims deal with the long day?

In cases where the fasting duration becomes exceptionally or unusually long, contemporary jurists have explored mechanisms for facilitation, based on the objectives of Sharia that consider alleviating hardship and difficulty.
Among the most prominent proposed solutions:
Adopting the fasting time in Mecca as it is a country with relatively moderate day length.
Or following the time of the nearest city that has a more balanced day and night cycle.
Or adhering to the local time as long as there is a clear sunrise and sunset, benefiting from legal dispensations in case of real hardship.
Sharia scholars emphasize that the default is fasting according to local time, but facilitation is permissible under exceptional circumstances, in harmony with the jurisprudential principle: “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.”
As the days of Ramadan continue, the fasters in these regions remain a model of patience and endurance, combining the uniqueness of geography and the spirituality of the holy month in a faith experience different from the rest of the world.