According to reports from Tempo and Antara News, Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced that the first day of Shawwal 1445 Hijri or Eid al-Fitr will fall on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, a date determined through an isbat (confirmation) meeting held at the ministry’s office in Jakarta on Tuesday (9/4/24) evening.
“Based on the calculation of hilal position in Indonesian territory, which met the MABIMS criteria, and reports on the sighting of hilal, it is agreed that 1st Shawwal 1445 Hijri falls on Wednesday, April 10, 2024,” Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas announced.
He made the statement at a press conference on the determination of the first day of Shawwal 1445 Hijri.
Hilal is the new crescent moon that marks the start of the month in the Islamic calendar. The requirements for determining the beginning of the month have been set by the religious ministers of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS), says Antara News.
The isbat meeting started at 5:00 p.m. and ended at 7:00 p.m. with the announcement of the first day of Shawwal or Eid al-Fitr day.
The meeting began with a presentation on the position of the new crescent moon based on astronomical data.
Antara News says that the Ministry of Religious Affairs carried out observations or rukyatul hilal at 127 points in Indonesia. The ministry also received reports from a number of hilal observers working under oath, who were spread from the provinces of Aceh to Papua.
The government’s determination of the first day of Shawwal aligns with the decision of the major Muslim organization in Indonesia, Muhammadiyah, though Muhammadiyah earlier declared that the month of Ramadan would start on March 11 this year.
Meanwhile, the government determined the start of 2024 Ramadan in Indonesia to be March 12 through an isbat meeting held in Jakarta on March 10, according to Antara News.
Source: Antara News, Tempo
Stock photo by Masjid Pogung Dalangan on Unsplash
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