The Initial Ramadan Isbat Session was Held on February 17

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion will hold the Isbat Session of the beginning of Ramadan 1447 Hijriah/2026 Masehi on February 17, 2026 which will be held at the H.M. Rasjidi Auditorium and led by Minister of Religion Nasaruddin Umar.

"The Isbat trial will be attended by a number of parties, representatives of Islamic mass organizations, representatives of embassies of Islamic countries, MUI, BMKG, astrologers, DPR, and representatives of the Supreme Court," said Director General of Islamic Bimas Abu Rokhmad as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, January 29.

He said there were three series of Isbat trial implementation, namely the presentation of data on the position of the crescent moon based on astronomical calculations, and the verification of the results of the rukyatul hilal from 37 monitoring points in Indonesia.

"Furthermore, the deliberation and decision-making are announced to the public," said Abu Rokhmad.

The Director General added that in determining the beginning of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr 1 Syawal, and Eid al-Adha, the Ministry of Religion integrated the Hisab and Rukyah methods.

Abu Rokhmad invited the public to wait for the results of the isbat trial and the government's announcement regarding the beginning of Ramadan 1447 H. According to him, this is in line with the fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) No. 2 in 2004 regarding the Determination of the Beginning of Ramadan, Syawal, and Zulhijah.

Director of Islamic Religious Affairs Arsad Hidayat added that the Ministry of Religion would send a number of experts to potential rukyah locations or points where the crescent moon is clearly visible, including in the location or place of moon observation.

"If possible, this year we will make the IKN mosque which has been inaugurated some time ago as a place to carry out rukyatul hilal," said Arsyad.

In addition, said Arsad, this year the Ministry of Religion will issue a Regulation of the Minister of Religion (PMA) as the legal basis for the implementation of the Isbat trial. This PMA will be a foothold and answer public questions about the basis for implementing the Isbat trial.

Meanwhile, the Central Leadership of Muhammadiyah has officially determined that 1 Ramadan 1447 Hijriah falls on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

This decision is the result of the essence of the Tarjih and Tajdid Council, which is guided by the principles, conditions, and parameters of the Single Global Hijri Calendar (KHGT), as stated in Information Number 2/MLM/I.0/E/2025.

Based on astronomical calculations, the ijtimak leading up to Ramadan will occur on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 12:01:09 UTC.

At the time of sunset on the day of the ijtimak, the analysis showed that the visibility criterion of the hilal Parameter of the Global Calendar (PKG) 1, which requires a minimum Moon height of 5 degrees and a minimum elongation of 8 degrees before midnight UTC, has not been met in any hemisphere.