Indonesian government declares Feb 19 as start of Ramadan

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs has declared February 19, 2026, as the first day of Ramadan 1447 Hijri, following an Isbat (confirmation) meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday."The results of the Isbat meeting have determined that the 1st of Ramadan 1447 Hijri falls on Thursday," Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar announced during a press conference on Tuesday.

This decision differs from that of the leadership of Muhammadiyah—one of Indonesia's largest Islamic organizations—which set the start of Ramadan for Wednesday, February 18, one day earlier.

The difference stems from the different methods used to calculate the start of the month.

A member of the ministry’s moon-sighting team, Cecep Nurwendaya, explained that during the observation, the position of the hilal (crescent moon) in Indonesia was between minus 2 degrees 24 minutes 43 seconds and minus 0 degrees 55 minutes 41 seconds.

Meanwhile, the elongation ranged from 0 degrees 56 minutes 23 seconds to 1 degree 53 minutes 36 seconds.

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Under the MABIMS criteria—followed by the Religious Affairs Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore—the hilal must be at a minimum height of 3 degrees with an elongation of 6.4 degrees to be officially recognized.

Since these requirements were not met, the start of Ramadan was set for Thursday.

Tuesday's Isbat meeting, which began at 4:30 p.m., considered both astronomical calculations (hisab) and on-the-ground observations to physically sight the hilal (rukyat).

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The Indonesian government convenes Isbat meetings to determine the start of Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhu al-Hijjah months. These meetings rely on hisab and rukyat reports gathered from observation points across the country.

According to the ministry's Director of Islamic Affairs and Sharia Development, Arsad Hidayat, the meeting reflects synergy between the government, Muslim scholars, and scientists in ensuring that the start of Ramadan is determined accurately and remains accountable both scientifically and according to Islamic law.