Determines Eid Al-Adha 2023, Ministry Of Religion Will Monitor Hilal Awal Zulhijah At 99 Points

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion will hold a hilal monitoring (rukyatul hilal) at the beginning of the month of Zulhijah 1444 H and Eid al-Adha 2023 on Sunday 18 June at 99 points throughout Indonesia.

"We have decided to hold rukyatul hilal in 99 locations throughout Indonesia," said Director of Islamic Religious Affairs and Sharia Development of the Ministry of Religion, Adib, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 13.

Adib said all hisab systems agreed that ijtimak ahead of Zulhijah 1444 H falls on Sunday 18 June, or coincides with the 29th of Zulkaidah 1444 H at around 11.37 WIB.

He explained that on the day of the rukyat, on 29 Zulkaidah 1444 H, the height of the hilal in all parts of Indonesia above the horizon ranged from 0 deg 11.78 to 2 deg 21.57 with an elongation angle between 4.39 deg to 4.93 deg.

However, the results of the session determined the beginning of Zulhijah 1444 H and Eid al-Adha 2023 to wait for the results of rukyatul hilal throughout Indonesia, which will be held by the Regional Office of the Regency/City Ministry of Religion, in collaboration with Religious Justices and Islamic Organizations and other local agencies.

Previously, the General Secretary of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Abdul Mu'ti said the results of calculations from the Tarjih Council and the Muhammadiyah Tajdid PP were potentially different from the Ministry of Religion.

The Ministry of Religion, which uses the MABIMS criteria in determining the hijri month, states that the criteria for the beginning of the hijri month are when the height of the hilal is 3 degrees and the elongation is 6.4 degrees.

This criterion is different from the one guided by Muhammadiyah who used the hisab hakiki formatul hilal. In Muhammadiyah calculations, the height of the hilal on 29 Zulkaidah 1444 H was less than 3 degrees. This means that it does not meet the criteria for MABIMS.

Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah stated that 1 Zulhijah 1444 H fell on Monday 19 June so that Eid al-Adha (10 Zulhijah 1444 H) falls on Wednesday 28 June.

On this basis, it is very likely that the Isbat Session will determine Eid al-Adha to fall on Thursday, June 29, 2023 AD.