Isbat Session Held on 19 March to Determine Eid al-Fitr Following Hilal Sighting Results at 117 Locations
The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will convene an isbat session to determine the start of Shawwal 1447 Hijriah on Thursday 19 March 2026, coinciding with 29 Ramadan 1447 H. The session will take place at the H.M. Rasjidi Auditorium at the Ministry of Religious Affairs headquarters on Jalan MH Thamrin, Jakarta.
The isbat session will involve various stakeholders, including representatives of friendly nations’ diplomatic missions, leaders of Commission VIII of the Indonesian Parliament, representatives of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia, the Indonesian Ulama Council, and related agencies such as the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the Geospatial Information Agency, the National Research and Innovation Agency, and academic falak experts, including those from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).
Abu Rokhmad, Director General of Guidance for Islamic Communities, explained that the isbat session is the government’s official mechanism for determining the start of Hijriah months, particularly Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhul-Hijjah.
“As usual, the isbat session begins with a seminar presenting the hilal position by the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Calculation and Sighting Team. This is followed by a closed session to discuss hilal sighting results from various regions, before finally being announced to the public,” Abu Rokhmad said in his statement on Tuesday 17 March 2026.
He explained that based on astronomical calculations (hisab), at the time of observation on 29 Ramadan 1447 H, which corresponds to 19 March 2026, the hilal’s position across all Indonesian territories would already be above the horizon with a height ranging from 0 degrees 54 minutes 27 seconds to 3 degrees 7 minutes 52 seconds. Meanwhile, the hilal’s elongation angle is estimated to range between 4 degrees 32 minutes 40 seconds to 6 degrees 6 minutes 11 seconds.
According to Abu Rokhmad, all calculation systems also indicate that the ijtimak (conjunction) preceding Shawwal 1447 H would occur on 19 March 2026 at approximately 08.23 Western Indonesia Time. Nevertheless, the government will still await hilal sighting results before determining the start of Shawwal. “The determination of the start of Shawwal 1447 H will await reports of hilal sighting results from all regions, which will then be discussed in the isbat session,” he explained.
To support this process, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will monitor the hilal at 117 location points spread across various Indonesian regions. This observation involves regional offices of Kemenag, district and city Kemenag offices, religious courts, Islamic civic organisations, and related agencies at the local level.