Govt will hold an Isbat session tomorrow to determine the first day of fasting for Ramadan

Jakarta, Thekabarnews.com—The Religious Affairs Ministry (Kemenag) will hold the official isbat session to set the start of Ramadan 1447 Hijri on Tuesday, February 17. The isbat session is the official way for the government to decide when Muslims in Indonesia will start fasting for Ramadan 2026.

Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at Kemenag Abu Rokhmad said that the government will make the ultimate decision based on two main methods: hisab (astronomical calculations) and rukyat (observations of the crescent moon).

“We shall look over the outcomes of hisab and rukyat together. The final verdict would then be made public as a common reference for Muslims in Indonesia,” Abu Rokhmad added, as published on Kemenag’s official website.

The isbat session will be held in the Religious Affairs Ministry (Kemenag) office in Jakarta, in the H.M. Rasjidi Auditorium. The conference will have people from Kemenag, Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Supreme Court, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), among others.

In addition, the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Bosscha Observatory of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and the Jakarta Planetarium will participate. Islamic organizations, Islamic boarding schools, and the Ministry’s Hisab Rukyat Team are also taking part.

The Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB) Nos. 1497, 2, and 5 of 2025 say that Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri will be on March 21–22, 2026. If Eid falls on March 21, Ramadan would probably start on February 19, 2026. This rule applies if the fasting period lasts 30 days.

The isbat session will confirm Ramadan’s start date. The administration said that the final statement will make things clear and bring Muslims together across the country during the holy month.