Why Are The Beginnings Of Ramadan And Eid Al-Fitr Different? This Is Explanation Of BRIN Version

Illustration - Head of office of the Ministry of Religion of Sorong City, Rofiul Amri, observed Hilal in Sorong City, West Papua, Sunday (1/5/2022). (ANTARA PHOTO/OLHA MULALINDA)

JAKARTA - Astronomy and Astrophysics Researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Thomas Djamaluddin said the difference in determining the start of Ramadan and Eid occurred not because of the hijab and rukyat methods but differences in criteria.

The criterion for wujudul hilal is used by Muhammadiyah, while the criterion for imkan rukyat (the visibility of the new moon) is used by Nahdlatul Ulama and several other religious organizations in Indonesia.

"Determination of the beginning of the month requires criteria so that they can be mutually agreed upon. Rukyat requires verification of the criteria to avoid the possibility of the wrong rukyat," said Thomas as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, March 8.

"Hisab can't determine the start of the month without criteria, so the criteria form the basis for making a hisab-based calendar that can be used in rukyat forecasts," he said.

Thomas explained that the criteria for the new moon that were adopted were criteria based on the argumentation of religious law regarding the beginning of the month and the results of valid astronomical studies.

The criteria must also seek a meeting point for ritual practitioners and hisab practitioners to become a joint agreement, including the Ministers of Religion of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS).

According to him, there is potential for the similarity of the beginning of Ramadan this year, namely March 23, 2023.

In Indonesia, at Maghrib, on March 22, 2023, the position of the moon meets the new MABIMS criteria with a minimum height of 3 degrees and an elongation of 6.4 degrees.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, there is a potential difference for this year's Eid Al-Fitr because, at Maghrib, April 20, 2023, there is a potential in Indonesia that the position of the moon does not meet the new MABIMS criteria, namely a minimum height of 3 degrees and an elongation of 6.4 degrees.

However, the position of the moon already meets the criteria for the hilal shape. When referring to the new MABIMS criteria, Eid falls on April 22, 2023, whereas when referring to the hilal 1 Shawwal 1444 Hijri falls on April 21, 2023.

Thomas revealed that the main reason for the difference in determining the start of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha is that there is no agreement regarding the criteria for the start of the Hijriyah month.

He explained that the main prerequisite for realizing the unification of the Hijriyah Calendar is that there must be a single authority. A single authority will determine the criteria and cut-off dates that can be followed together.

Meanwhile, the current condition of a single authority may be realized first at the national or regional level.

"This determination refers to territorial boundaries as a legal territory in accordance with the limits of state sovereignty. The criteria are sought to be mutually agreed upon," concluded Thomas.