TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Religious Affairs will hold an isbat session to determine the start of Ramadan 1446 Hijri or 2025 AD today, February 28, 2025.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at the H.M. Rasjidi Auditorium in the Ministry of Religious Affairs building in Central Jakarta.

"The isbat meeting will be held on February 28, 2025, at the Haji Mohammad Rasjidi Auditorium, Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in Thamrin, Central Jakarta at 4:30 PM WIB," as stated in the official Instagram account post of the Ministry of Religious Affairs @bimasislam on Friday, February 28, 2025.

The preparations made by the Ministry of Religious Affairs include overall hisab calculations and technical aspects of rukyatul hilal. In this Isbat meeting, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has designated 125 locations for rukyatul hilal.

The isbat session will also be broadcast live and can be watched on the Bimas Islam TV YouTube channel.

Citing the official website of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the isbat meeting will be led by Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar.

Arsad Hidayat, Director of Islamic Religious Affairs and Sharia Development (Urais Binsyar) at the Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, stated that based on the initial hisab data of Ramadan 1446 H, conjunction occurred on Friday, February 28, 2025, around 7:44 AM WIB.

On the same day, the crescent moon's altitude in all regions of Indonesia was already above the horizon between 3 5.91' to 4 40.96', with elongation angles between 4 47.03' to 6 24.14'.

"With this criteria, astronomically, there is a strong indication that the crescent moon will be visible. However, we await the final decision based on the results of the isbat meeting that will be announced by the Minister of Religious Affairs," he said.

Previously, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar stated that if there were discrepancies with the observations of Islamic organizations, it could be followed by discussions.

"Everyone can predict, but it is the decision of the meeting tomorrow. If someone has witnessed the moon, why should it be postponed? If not (the same), let's discuss," he said in the Gambir area, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

Some time ago, the Central Board (PP) of Muhammadiyah determined that 1 Ramadan 1446 Hijriah falls on Saturday, March 1, 2025. This decision was made based on the determination of the hisab for Ramadan, Shawwal, and Zulhijah 1446 Hijri adhered to by the tarjih and tajdid assembly of the PP Muhammadiyah.

"In the Indonesian territory, 1 Ramadan 1446 H falls on Saturday, Pahing, March 1, 2025," said the Secretary of the PP Muhammadiyah Muhammad Sayuti in a press conference broadcast live on the official Muhammadiyah PP YouTube channel on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

Meanwhile, similar to the government, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has not yet announced the first date for the Ramadan fasting in 2025.

However, based on previous years, the early determination of Ramadan will be announced by the Falakiyah Institute (LF) of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) based on rukyatul hilal.

Rukyatul hilal will be performed simultaneously by LFNU in several predetermined points, including on coastal areas facing west and in high-rise buildings with unobstructed western horizons. The observation will involve relevant parties such as officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Religious Courts, BMKG, and the public.

M. Rizki Yusrial and Rizki Dewi Ayu contributed to the writing of this article.

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