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An Nadzir followers celebrate Idul Fitri on Tuesday
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An Nadzir followers pray at the beginning of Idul Fitri in a field in Gowa, South Sulawesi. (Tempo) (Tempo/-)
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n Nadzir followers in Mawang, Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, began Idul Fitri prayers on Tuesday as they calculated that the start of Syawal 1, which marks the first day of Idul Fitri, fell on Monday afternoon.
An Nadzir leader Ustadz Lukman A. Bakti said that based on calculations conducted from the change of Sya’ban to Ramadhan, the community found various data to determine the end of Ramadhan and the start of Syawal 1.
“Since last Friday or the 26th day of Ramadhan, we found data on the arrival of a new moon. From the data, we concluded that Ramadhan would end on Monday because on that day, the new moon would rise at 5:36 a.m., or before true dawn, while on Tuesday, the moon would rise after the true dawn. Thus, we concluded the change of Ramadhan to Syawal would occur on Monday afternoon so Idul Fitri prayers must be conducted on Tuesday morning,” said Lukman.
An Nadzir followers began their fast on June 6. The government and Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second biggest Islamic organization, also announced June 6 as the start of the holy fasting month. However, An Nadzir concluded that this year’s Ramadhan had only 29 days and Idul Fitri should be celebrated on Tuesday.
Lukman said he was certain that the calculations were accurate because An Nadzir followers had carried out hisab (lunar sightings) and rukyat (astronomical calculations) to determine the start of Syawal 1 for 18 years, since 1999. They also observed ocean tides, which peak at the changing of the month. (ebf)
