Isbat Session for Determining Eid al-Adha 2026 to be Held on 17 May 2026

The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will hold the Isbat session to determine the start of Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 Hijriah on 29 Dhu al-Qadah 1447 Hijriah, or Sunday (17/5/2026) upcoming.

Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at Kemenag, Abu Rokhmad, stated that this session will announce the date for Eid al-Adha 1447 Hijriah for Muslims in Indonesia.

“The Isbat session is scheduled to take place at the H.M. Rasjidi Auditorium, Ministry of Religious Affairs office, Jakarta. This session is part of the government’s mechanism in determining the start of the Hijriah month,” said Abu in his statement on Wednesday (6/5/2026).

This coordination meeting will involve various related parties, both from within the Ministry of Religious Affairs and partner institutions.

“The determination of the start of Dhu al-Hijjah is carried out by integrating the hisab method (astronomical calculation) and rukyat (crescent moon observation). These two approaches complement each other in producing a comprehensive decision,” he said.

“This approach ensures that the decision taken is not only based on scientific data but also confirmed through field observations,” he explained.

The series of Isbat sessions will begin with a seminar on the crescent moon’s position, presenting astronomical data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Hisab Rukyat Team.

This seminar will be broadcast openly as a form of transparency in providing information to the public.

After that, the committee will receive reports on the results of crescent moon sightings from various observation locations, from western to eastern regions of Indonesia.

“Subsequently, the Minister of Religious Affairs will lead the session by listening to the considerations of the participants before officially determining the start of Dhu al-Hijjah,” he said.

“Calculations show that the crescent moon’s altitude is above 3 degrees and elongation above 6.4 degrees, thus theoretically meeting the rukyat feasibility criteria,” Abu revealed.

Nevertheless, Abu emphasised that this data is still predictive and not yet the basis for official determination.

“The determination of the start of Dhu al-Hijjah still awaits the rukyat results and the Isbat session decision as the government’s official authority,” he stressed.