MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA—Muhammadiyah announced the beginning of Shawwal which would make Friday, April 21, the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
The Chairman of Muhammadiyah for Tarjih and Tajdid Syamsul Anwar highlighted that the determination is not based on the height of the new moon, but the geometric position of the sun, earth, and moon (a reckoning method/hisab hakiki wujudul hilal).
The method sees the new month begins when on the 29th day the sunset meets three criteria cumulatively that: 1) ijtima (conjunction) occurs; 2) conjunction occurs before sunset; and 3) the moon (its upper disk) is still above the horizon when the sun sets. The method shows certainty instead of a traditional mean, rukyatul hilal.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia applies the criteria of the Ministers of Religion of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS), which are the height of the new moon of 3 degrees and elongation of 6.4 degrees in determining the beginning of the Hijri month.
Thus, the government of Indonesia will likely announce the first Shawwal on the next day, Saturday, April 22.
The Muhammadiyah Decree Number 1/M/MLM/I.0/2023 on the Result of Reckoning of Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhul-Hijjah 1444 H (written in Indonesian) is accessible here.
