MDA Confirms Night Takbir Allowed in Bali During Nyepi

The chair of the Bali Province Indigenous Village Community Council (Majelis Desa Adat, MDA), Ida Penglingsir Agung Putra Sukahet, has confirmed that takbiran night prayers for Muslims in Bali will continue to be permitted even as Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, is observed. He stressed that takbiran ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri will not dilute Nyepi’s sacred meaning. Sukahet said the Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB) of Bali Province have agreed on several rules for takbiran during Nyepi. One is for participants to walk on foot to the nearest mosque or prayer hall (musala) within a distance of about 500 metres. Additionally, takbiran in Bali during Nyepi should be conducted without loudspeakers and no later than 23:00 WITA. After that, residents taking part in takbiran may return home and should refrain from outdoor activities as Nyepi continues. “Thus, it has truly become a barometer of Bali’s tolerance and harmony for Indonesia,” Sukahet said after attending the Gelar Agung Pecalang Bali at Puputan Margarana Field in Niti Mandala, Renon, Denpasar, on Saturday (7 March 2026). Sukahet noted that there are more than 10,000 pecalang across Bali who will guard the Nyepi observance this year. He hoped the Nyepi celebrations, and the takbiran, would proceed in an orderly manner as a sign of interfaith harmony in Bali. “With this, Rahina Agung Nyepi will run alongside takbiran well and safely,” he said, also the Chairman of FKUB Bali Province. According to Sukahet, FKUB Bali Province has issued a circular letter regarding the takbiran conducted during Nyepi. The letter was issued in collaboration with the Bali Governor, the Military Commander (Pangdam), the Bali Police Chief (Kapolda), and other figures to ensure the celebration runs orderly. Bali residents, he added, have long demonstrated strong tolerance. He noted that Nyepi happening close to major religious holidays has also occurred last year during Idul Fitri. “Nyepi can proceed without being tainted by takbiran, with both celebrations walking together. This is how we live in Indonesia, coexisting, and we must uphold the values of Pancasila, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, and the 1945 Constitution,” he concluded. Pecalang’s synergy with the Police and the Army Bali Police Chief Irjen Daniel Adityajaya revealed that pecalang are the frontline in adat-based security in Bali. This is also regulated through Bali Governor Regulation No. 58 of 2025 on the Integrated Village-Adat Based Security System (Sipandu Beradat). “This is a good concept, how the synergy between the police and the community, especially pecalang, is built. It concerns Bali’s territorial security,” Daniel said at Puputan Margarana Field, Renon, Denpasar, on Saturday. Furthermore, he said pecalang are a crucial element in ensuring that various customary activities in Bali run safely and orderly. Daniel regards this collaboration as essential to maintaining Bali’s security. “This collaboration is vital; pecalang are one of the elements to ensure the activities proceed calmly and safely,” he said. Commander of the 163/Wira Satya Military Commander, Brigadier General Ida I Dewa Agung Hadisaputra, agreed. He said his forces are ready to cooperate with pecalang to safeguard Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr. “We are ready to cooperate with pecalang, the police, and all components of society so that Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr can proceed safely, comfortably, and smoothly,” Hadisaputra said.