Wakal Village Muslims in Maluku Determine 1 Ramadan Falls on February 17

Maluku, CNN Indonesia – Muslims in Wakal Village, Leihitu Subdistrict, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku, have decided that 1 Ramadan 1447 Hijri falls on Tuesday (2/17). Wakal Village Muslims, including traditional elders, customary officials, and mosque leaders, held a deliberation to determine 1 Ramadan after Friday prayers at Nurul Awal Mosque. They exchanged ideas and shared views on the hisab (astronomical calculation) and rukyat (moon sighting) methods for determining 1 Ramadan 1447 H.

The relatively brief meeting ultimately resulted in a joint decision that 1 Ramadan 1447 Hijri falls on Tuesday (2/17), coinciding with 29 Sha’ban 1447 H.

Wakal Village traditional elder Kasim Nakul said that tonight, the mosque caretaker will announce the meeting’s results to the community through loudspeakers. “Tonight we will also announce to the community that based on our meeting, fasting begins on Tuesday,” he said on Friday (2/13).

Muslims in Wakal Village will perform the first Tarawih prayer on Monday (2/16) evening. He said the decision to begin fasting earlier than the government’s determination is based on hisab or observing the moon in the sky, which is conducted every month of Dhul Hijjah. He claimed their system of observing the moon in the sky has met the requirements for the appearance of the hilal (new crescent moon).

This system has also been a tradition since their ancestors’ time and continues to be preserved to this day. Despite using calculation methods with traditional instruments, their system is claimed to have proven highly accurate in determining important dates in the Hijri calendar. Moreover, the number of fasting days has never been off — always 30 days of fasting.

“We never miss when it comes to fasting. We have always fasted for 30 days. If the government says 29 days, we fast for 30 days,” he said.

According to information from the official account of the Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance (Bimas Islam) at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Isbat session to determine 1 Ramadan 1447 Hijri is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2026, coinciding with 29 Sha’ban 1447 H. The session will be chaired by Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar and held at the HM Rasjidi Auditorium, Ministry of Religious Affairs Office, Jakarta, starting at 4:00 p.m. local time.