Fajr is the daily prayer that occurs just before the Ramadan fast begins. It is performed at dawn, when the first light of day appears, and marks the start of the daily fasting period.
Muslims generally eat suhur, the pre-dawn meal, before Fajr. Once Fajr time begins, the Ramadan fast starts: no food or drink is consumed until sunset, when Maghrib prayer and iftar follow. The exact Fajr time changes daily with location and season because it is tied to the position of the sun rather than a fixed clock time.
Fajr is the first of Islam’s five obligatory daily prayers. It should not be confused with imsak, a precautionary timetable marker used in some communities a little before dawn, or with sunrise, which ends the Fajr prayer window. The other options are also prayer names: Isha is the night prayer, Asr is the afternoon prayer, and Dhuhr is the midday prayer. Fajr’s connection to dawn explains why Ramadan schedules often publish a separate “fast begins” time alongside the suhur cutoff.