{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1625257,
        "msgid": "understanding-mabims-history-role-and-latest-crescent-criteria-1773924692",
        "date": "2026-03-19 18:39:00",
        "title": "Understanding MABIMS: History, Role, and Latest Crescent Criteria",
        "author": "Irvan Sihombing",
        "source": "MEDIA_INDONESIA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Regulation",
        "summary": "The MABIMS forum, established in 1989 by the religious ministries of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, plays a crucial role in harmonising the Islamic Hijriah calendar across Southeast Asia by bridging astronomical science and Islamic jurisprudence. Since 2022, updated criteria for crescent visibility (Imkanur Rukyat) have replaced outdated standards, requiring a minimum height of 3 degrees and elongation of 6.4 degrees to reduce observation errors and ensure accurate determination of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr timings. This regional cooperation not only standardises religious practices but also extends to halal product certification, economic empowerment, and Islamic education, fostering unity and reliability in worship for Muslim communities.",
        "content": "<p>In the Islamic calendar system in Southeast Asia, the role of MABIMS\n(Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia,\nMalaysia, and Singapore) is highly crucial. This forum serves as a\nbridge between astronomical science and fiqh law to determine the start\nof the Hijriah month uniformly in the region. MABIMS was officially\nestablished in 1989. This forum is a regional cooperation platform aimed\nat aligning matters concerning the Muslim ummah. One of its main focuses\nis unifying the Hijriah calendar so that Muslims in the four member\ncountries can begin and end fasting worship simultaneously or at least\nwithin the same criteria framework. Since 2022, Indonesia and other\nmember countries have updated the crescent visibility criteria (Imkanur\nRukyat). This change is based on in-depth research on the minimum\noptical visibility limits of the crescent. These criteria replace the\nold standard (2 degrees height and 3 degrees elongation), which is\nconsidered no longer relevant to modern astronomical data. With higher\nstandards, the potential for observation errors (human error) can be\nminimised. In 2026, the implementation of these criteria will remain the\nmain reference in the Isbat Session. Nevertheless, differences in the\npotential determination of the start of the month may still occur if the\nmoon\u2019s position is below the 3-degree threshold but already above the\nhorizon (positive). In such cases, MABIMS prioritises the principle of\nIhtiyat (caution) for the validity of worship. To make the criteria more\nrealistic astronomically. Based on global rukyat data, a crescent with a\nheight below 3 degrees is almost impossible to see due to the strong\ntwilight glow (syafaq). MABIMS also collaborates on standardising halal\nproducts, empowering the ummah\u2019s economy, and Islamic education in\nSoutheast Asia. With the MABIMS standards, it is hoped that peace will\nbe created for the ummah in performing worship, as every decision is\nmade through thorough scientific consideration and agreement among\nneighbouring countries. Understand the MABIMS criteria (3 degrees &amp;\n6.4 degrees) used by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the Isbat\nSession to accurately determine the start of Ramadan and Eid\nal-Fitr.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/understanding-mabims-history-role-and-latest-crescent-criteria-1773924692",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}