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You may think it's just a matter of looking up the date in the calendar, but fixing the date for the beginning of the Islamic month of fasting is much more complicated than that.

The exact date cannot be determined in advance, due to the nature of the Islamic lunar calendar. Instead, estimates are based on the expected visibility of the waxing crescent moon (Hil膩l, Arabic) following a new moon and may vary according to location. The need to precisely predict the appearance of the waxing crescent moon is said to have prompted and, on the way, to make some very .

So it is appropriate that the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich have published . They've also linked to some interesting sites about the history of Islamic astronomy. And it all adds up to this: Ramadan 2010 begins next Wednesday, 11 August. That's if you are in the UK and if you trust the astronomical dating of Ramadan, which permits sightings of the moon using binoculars and telesopes; older religious traditions require sightings by the naked eye ( of information on the theology of moonsightings).

Why is the date important for Muslims? Because the first verses of the Qur'an are believed to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the ninth month, the month of Ramadan. According to the Qur'an, "The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion. So whoever of you is present in the month, he shall fast therein, and whoever is sick or on a journey, (he shall fast) a (like) number of other days. Allah desires ease for you, and He desires not hardship for you, and (He desires) that you should complete the number and that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for having guided you and that you may give thanks." (Qur'an 2:185)

Here's an Idiot's Guide to Ramadan.