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Why do Indonesian Muslims start fasting on different dates sometimes?
Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin has explained that varying interpretations of hadits (Prophetic words and deeds) are behind the frequent differences in determining the first day of the Ramadhan fasting month
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ndonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin has explained that varying interpretations of hadits (Prophetic words and deeds) are behind the frequent differences in determining the first day of the Ramadhan fasting month.
Certain hadits, he said, stated that Muslims should start fasting after observing the new moon ' the rukyat method-, but if it could not be seen, they should use a mathematical calculation - the hisab method - to round out the Sya'ban month to 30 days.
'Muslims have different takes on the hadits, and each bases his or her beliefs on different hadits. Even if two parties both use the rukyat method, one might interpret it as seeing it with the biological eye, and another might interpret it as seeing with the mind's eye, i.e. through logic. No agreement has been reached,' he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Wednesday.
The difference in the understanding of the hadits leads to the different methods to determine it, and sometimes yields different results.
Din, who is also Muhammadiyah chairman, said that the country's second-largest Islamic organization used the hisab method while Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization, and the government determined the start through a field observation of the appearance of a new moon.
However, this year, both sides have agreed on the same date, June 18, as the beginning of the fasting month.
'This is because the conjunction between the sun, the moon and the earth, which marks a new month, occurred on Tuesday night, so the fasting month did not start on Wednesday and the Sya'ban month was rounded to 30 days. Meanwhile, those using the rukyat method have also not seen the moon,' he said.
He added that this natural phenomenon would probably continue until 2023, which meant that all parties were likely to continue to agree on the start date of Ramadhan for the next few years.
In the phenomenon, the elevation of the moon after a conjunction during the sunset is high, so rukyat experts can also observe the moon.
Din also urged Muslims not to dwell on the difference, but to accept it peacefully. (fsu/dmr)(++++)
