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ndonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin has said that starting this year through 2022, there will be no more different starts to Ramadhan and Syawal even though they are calculated using two different methods, namely hisab and rukyat. This is because during the period, the elevation of the moon after a conjunction during sunset will be high, he says.

'€œHisab experts can calculate the start of Ramadhan and Syawal in this period while at the same time it is likely that rukyat experts can also observe the appearance of a new moon on similar dates,'€ Din said as quoted by Antara after he inaugurated MUI Riau officials in Pekanbaru on Monday evening.

Under the hisab method, ulema calculate the start of Ramadhan and Syawal based on astronomical or mathematical calculations.

Meanwhile, according to rukyat, the first day of Ramadhan and Syawal can be determined through a field observation on the appearance of a new moon.

Din said Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin had proposed the unification of the Islamic calendar from Muharram 1 through Dzulhijjah 29.

With such a unified calendar, he said, it would be easier for Muslims to understand when the holy month Ramadhan started.

There would also be no need for the government to hold an isbat meeting, which it routinely holds to decide on the beginning of Ramadhan, said Din, who is also Muhammadiyah chairman.

Muhammadiyah has announced that Ramadhan will start on June 18 while Syawal 1, which marks the first day of Idul Fitri, will fall on July 17.