Crescent Moon Elongation Across Indonesia Does Not Yet Meet MABIMS Criteria

A member of the Hilal Sighting Committee of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), Cecep Nurwendaya, explained that most regions in Indonesia do not yet meet the criteria set by the Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS). Referring to the MABIMS criteria, the crescent moon’s altitude must be at least 3 degrees and the geocentric elongation a minimum of 6.4 degrees, with both conditions needing to be fulfilled. “Meanwhile, the elongation in Indonesia, if calculated, is only 6.1 degrees, which does not meet the minimum elongation parameter of 6.4 degrees under the MABIMS criteria,” Cecep said during a seminar on the crescent moon’s position in Jakarta on Thursday (19/3). Furthermore, based on the illustration of the crescent moon’s position on the western horizon, all provincial capitals in Indonesia fall below the MABIMS criteria. “In conclusion, the capitals in Indonesia do not meet the MABIMS criteria for 1447 Hijriah,” Cecep stated. Therefore, following the MABIMS criteria, regions that already meet the standards include India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, parts of Europe, most of Africa, and parts of America. However, the MABIMS criteria are only used in the regions of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The Makassar Region IV Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), together with the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and several related agencies, conducted monitoring of the crescent moon for 1 Syawal 1447 H. The Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), KH Abdullah Jaidi, hopes that Kemenag will refer to the final rukyat results so that they can be matched with hisab. The Sidoarjo Police Resort prohibits takbir keliling activities, the use of sound horeg, and the lighting of firecrackers on the night of Eid al-Fitr 1447 H. The Maluku Kemenag reported that the crescent moon for 1 Syawal 1447 H failed to be sighted in Negeri Wakasihu because the moon’s position was still below 2 degrees.