Mahfilud Duror Islamic Boarding School Congregation in Bondowoso Begins Fasting Today

Some residents of Bondowoso, particularly in the Maesan area, began observing Ramadan fasting today. They are members and alumni of the Mahfilud Duror Islamic Boarding School (Pondok Pesantren).

The boarding school, located in Suger Kidul Village, annually determines the start of Ramadan fasting earlier than the government’s official decision.

One of the Mahfilud Duror students, Ustaz Hilmi, said that he and his family had performed Tarawih prayers on Monday evening (16 February 2026).

“Our entire family has already begun fasting today. In the southern part of Maesan District, there are also many Mahfilud Duror alumni,” he said, as reported by detikJatim on Tuesday (17 February 2026).

“The determination of 1 Ramadan within the Mahfilud Duror community does not use the rukyatulhilal (moon sighting) or hisab (astronomical calculation) methods commonly used by the government,” he explained.

According to Hilmi, the determination of the start of Ramadan is made using the khumasi system — meaning “five” — which calculates based on a five-day difference from the start of Ramadan in the previous year.