Eid Al-Fitr Might Be Observed on Same Day Across Indonesia This Year

JAKARTADAILY.ID - The Central Executive Board of Muhammadiyah has determined that Eid al-Fitr 1 Shawwal 1443 AH will fall on Monday, May 2, 2022, based on the assessment results conducted by its Tarjih and Tajdid Council.

The decision was delivered by the Secretary-General of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board, Agung Danarto, on Monday, April 25, 2022.

Agung Danarto suggested that the Eid al-Fitr 1443 AH celebrations should be carried out while maintaining the COVID-19 health protocols.

"The Central Executive Board of Muhammadiyah urges that the Eid al-Fitr prayer and all its accompanying events, such as takbiran (mass recitation of takbir), the distribution of zakat fitrah (obligatory alms), and other activities, should be held solemnly and carefully," he said.

Additionally, the Ministry of Religion will determine the exact date of Shawwal 1, 1443 AH only through the isbat session, which is planned to be held on Sunday, May 1, 2022.

However, the Ministry of Religion has conducted hilal (new moon) observations in 99 locations across Indonesia.

The Director-General of Islamic Guidance, Kamaruddin Amin, said that, based on hisab (astronomical calculations), by the time the Isbat Session was held, the hilal position in Indonesia had met the new criteria set by the Association of the Ministries of the Religious Affairs from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS).

According to the MABIMS' new criteria, imkanur rukyat (consideration of the possibility of seeing the new moon), the new month officially starts if the hilal position reaches a height of 3 degrees with an elongation angle of 6.4 degrees.

This criterion is an update from the previous one. The prior criterion, which received widespread criticism, stipulated only a minimum height of two degrees with an elongation angle of three degrees.

"On Ramadan 29, 1443 AH, which is May 1, 2022, the height of the new moon in Indonesia is between 4 degrees 0.59 minutes to 5 degrees 33.57 minutes with an elongation angle between 4.89 degrees to 6.4 degrees," said Kamaruddin as quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Religion, Tuesday, April 16, 2022.

"This means, based on hisab, the position of the early hilal of Shawwal in Indonesia on that day has already satisfied the MABIMS new criterion," he added.

Kamaruddin said rukyat was carried out to validate the height of the hilal based on predetermined criteria.

The other two, namely hisab and confirmation of the rukyatul hilal, will be discussed on the isbat session, which will then decide the beginning of Shawwal 1443 AH," he said.

The article was translated from Pikiran-Rakyat.com's article titled "Lebaran 2022 Versi Pemerintah dan Muhammadiyah Kemungkinan Sama".
Follow us on Google News.