Malaysian Government Announces Start of Ramadan Fasting on 19 February 2026

The Malaysian government has announced that Muslims across the country will begin observing the Ramadan fast for 1447 Hijriah on Thursday, 19 February 2026.

The announcement was delivered by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, in a live broadcast from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening (17 February).

“I hereby announce that the date for the commencement of fasting for all states throughout Malaysia is Thursday, 19 February 2026,” said Syed Danial.

He stated that the determination of the start of Ramadan was made on the directive of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, after receiving the consent of Malaysia’s rulers.

According to him, observation of the new crescent moon (hilal) to determine the start of Ramadan was conducted on Tuesday afternoon at 29 locations across Malaysia, including the Kuala Lumpur Tower, the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, and Langkawi Island.

Malaysia determines the start of Ramadan based on the rukyat (physical sighting) and hisab (astronomical calculation) methods, with reference to the imkanur rukyah criteria, or the physical visibility of the crescent moon.