Jakarta (BERITAPOLITIK.ONLINE) – The Ministry of Religious Affairs’s Hisab Rukyat Team member, Cecep Nurwendaya, has stated that the visibility of the Ramadan crescent moon remains below the new MABIMS (Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore) criteria, thus likely not observable (rukyat).
“Across Indonesia, the position of the crescent moon on the 29th of Syakban 1445 H is already above the horizon. However, it still falls below the MABIMS criteria for possible observation,” Cecep said during a presentation on the early Ramadan crescent in Jakarta on Sunday (10/03/2024).
The new MABIMS criteria stipulate that astronomically, the crescent moon can be observed if it has a minimum altitude of 3 degrees and a minimum elongation of 6.4 degrees.
According to Cecep, at Maghrib time on March 10, 2024, the height of the crescent moon across Indonesia ranges from – 0° 20′ 01″ (-0.33°) to 0° 50′ 01″ (0.83°), with an elongation between 2° 15′ 53″ (2.26°) to 2° 35′ 15″ (2.59°).
“Looking at these figures, theoretically, the crescent moon approaching the beginning of Ramadan 1445 H on this observation day can be predicted not to be observable because its position falls below the criteria for possible observation,” Cecep said.
Therefore, Cecep suggested that if this data is correlated with the potential observation of the hilal, astronomically or via hisab, the beginning of the Ramadan month might fall on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
The results of this calculation will subsequently be confirmed through the observation of the crescent moon (rukyatulhilal).
“Rukyatulhilal serves as a confirmation. If someone is able to observe the crescent moon, then Ramadan begins the following day. But if it cannot be observed, then the month of Syakban will be completed to 30 days, and Ramadan begins on March 12, 2024,” Cecep explained.
Today (10/03/2024), the Ministry of Religious Affairs conducted the monitoring of the early Ramadan crescent moon (rukyatulhilal) at 134 points across Indonesia. The observation of the crescent moon is carried out by the Regional Offices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and religious courts in cooperation with Islamic organizations and other relevant agencies at the local level.
The Isbat session to determine the beginning of Ramadan 1445 H will consider initial information based on astronomical calculations or hisab, as well as confirmation from the field through the mechanism of monitoring the crescent moon.
This process aims to ensure that the start of Ramadan is accurately determined, reflecting the commitment of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to uphold religious observances and traditions in Indonesia. Stay tuned for updates as the confirmation of the Ramadan crescent moon unfolds.
