Citizens Of Wakal Country In Central Maluku Already Praying Tarawih, Tomorrow Fasting

Masjid Raya Nurul Awal Wakal (ANTARA/Winda Herman)

AMBON - Residents of Wakal Country, Leihitu Peninsula, Central Maluku, have performed the tarawih prayer as a sign that tomorrow will start the first fast in 1443 Hijri, 2022.

"Yes, that's right, the mosque administrator has announced to residents after Friday prayers last week that we start the first tarawih on Wednesday night Thursday," said Imam of the Great Mosque of Nurul Awal Wakal, Kasim Stageary, in Ambon quoted by Antara, Wednesday, March 30.

This has become the custom of some countries in Maluku which have a hereditary tradition of fasting the holy month of Ramadan early.

According to him, the determination of 1 Ramadan in Wakal Country is not just the origin. However, religious leaders have calculated long ago.

"As far as I know, this country has a calendar for calculating Hijaiyah letters that has existed for a long time. Religious leaders refer to this calendar in determining 1 Ramadan," he explained.

Meanwhile, one of the leaders of the country's youth movement, Ilsal Nakul said, the determination of 1 Ramadan in Wakal Country is calculated based on the Arabic alphabetical calendar.

The calculation begins at the beginning of the Islamic new year or 1 Muharram 1443 Hijri. From this calculation, religious leaders can determine when 1 Ramadan will be carried out.

"In a little while, the Wakal residents have performed the tarawih and sahur prayers. And tomorrow Thursday we will be fasting," said Ilsal

He admitted that fasting earlier than other citizens/villages in Maluku is nothing new for the people of the Wakal country. This has been a hereditary tradition since ancient times.

Meanwhile, until now the Government through the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) has not determined when the start of fasting or 1 Ramadan 1443 Hijriah falls in the Christian calendar.

To note, Muslims generally use the Hijri calendar, with the circulation of the moon as a reference, in the Islamic calendar it is calculated based on the movement with the position of the moon's revolution around the earth related to the position of the sun or generally known as the synodic movement of the moon with the limit of the initial sighting of the new moon as the beginning. days in months.