Ramadan greetings in Arabic and English

What do you say to a Muslim at Ramadan?

You may greet the person in their everyday language or in Arabic, the language of Islam. Most Muslims in the world are not Arabs, but they use the language in their prayers, given Islam’s founding in the Arab world.

A popular greeting is “Ramadan mubarak.” In English, that means “Happy Ramadan.” A good response is “Khair Mubarak” which returns the good wishes or, “And the same  to you.”

Another popular greeting is “Ramadan kareem.” It means “Have a generous Ramadan.” A good response is “Allahu Akram” or, God is much more generous.”

In 2021, Ramadan runs April 12 to May 12.

In 2022, it will be April 2 to May 1.

And in 2023, Ramadan is March 22 to April 20.

Ramadan is the ninth month of Islam’s lunar calendar, and lasts 29-30 days, depending on the local sighting of the moon. Although daytimes are marked by fasting, it is a celebratory time of year with festive meals after sunset.

At other times of the year, a non-holiday greeting in Arabic is “As-salaam-alaikum.” It means “Peace be unto you.” It may be returned with he similar “Wa-alaikum-salaam,” meaning, “and unto you peace.”