Indonesia to Observe New Moon for Ramadan on Tuesday

February 16, 2026 | 07:37 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs will conduct a crescent moon sighting (rukyatul hilal) for the start of Ramadan 1447 AH on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The observation will be conducted at 96 locations across Indonesia.

The results of the crescent moon sighting will be discussed at the isbat (new moon sighting) meeting for the start of Ramadan 1447 AH, to be held at the Ministry of Religious Affairs office in Jakarta tomorrow. The Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Abu Rokhmad, stated that the isbat meeting will reconcile the calculation (hisab) data with the rukyatul hilal results.

"The government is striving to ensure that the determination of the start of Ramadan is carried out scientifically, transparently, and involves all relevant elements," said Abu Rokhmad in a statement quoted from the official MUI website on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

Based on the hisab calculations, the ijtimak (conjunction) for Ramadan 1447 AH will occur on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 7:01 PM WIB. The position of the crescent moon at sunset throughout Indonesia is below the horizon, with an altitude ranging from -2° 24 minutes 42 seconds to -0° 58 minutes 47 seconds, and an elongation angle of 0° 56 minutes 23 seconds to 1° 53 minutes 36 seconds.

This data is in accordance with the visibility criteria used (such as MABIMS), so the crescent moon does not yet meet the theoretical requirements for visibility.

To complete the hisab data, the Ministry of Religious Affairs conducted rukyatul hilal (crescent sighting) at 96 locations across Indonesia.

These observations were conducted by the provincial and district/city Ministry of Religious Affairs Regional Offices, in collaboration with Religious Courts, Islamic organizations, and other relevant agencies. The results of the rukyat from all these locations served as the main discussion material in the isbat (confirmation) session.

Abu Rokhmad added that the final decision on the date of Ramadan 1, 1447 AH, would be officially announced after the session concluded through a press conference.

"We will discuss the results of the hisab and rukyat (the astronomical observations) together. The final decision will be conveyed to the public as a shared guide for Muslims in Indonesia," he said.

The isbat session will be attended by various parties, including ambassadors from friendly countries, the Chair of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), representatives from the Supreme Court, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Bosscha ITB, the Jakarta Planetarium, astronomy experts from various Islamic organizations, leaders of Islamic community organizations, Islamic boarding schools, and the Hisab Rukyat Team from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Read: Ultra-Processed Food Barred from Free Nutritious Meals Ramadan Distribution

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