The Islamic World is Diverse in Celebrating Eid al-Fitr 1446/2025

After a month of observing the Ramadan fast, the Eid al-Fitr celebration marking 1 Shawwal 1446 Hijri/2025 has finally arrived. However, this moment of triumph is celebrated differently by Muslims around the world. Some countries observed Eid on Sunday (30/3/2025), while the majority will celebrate it on Monday (31/3/2025).

Based on data from the Global Crescent Observation Project (ICOP) headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and several reports, at least 15 countries comprising 330 million people are celebrating Eid al-Fitr today, Sunday (30/3/2025). Meanwhile, those celebrating Eid tomorrow, Monday (31/3/2025), include 21 countries with a Muslim population reaching 1.22 billion.

The number of countries determining Eid al-Fitr to fall on Sunday or Monday still has the potential to increase, considering data from African countries as well as Western countries where Muslims are a minority has not yet been collected.

The Indonesian government, in the isbat session held at the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Saturday (29/3/2025), determined that Eid al-Fitr 1 Shawwal 1446 falls on Monday (31/3/2025). This decision was made after the crescent moon observation on Saturday evening failed to sight the Moon, considering its position was still below the horizon.

Indonesia's determination regarding Eid al-Fitr is also in line with that of several neighboring ASEAN countries, other members of MABIMS (Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore). However, only Indonesia observed Ramadan 1446 for a full 30 days.

If Indonesia begins Ramadan on March 1, 2025, then the three MABIMS countries and other ASEAN members will only start fasting on March 2, 2025. Therefore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Thailand will observe the crescent moon on the evening of Sunday, March 30, 2025, as Saturday, March 29, 2025, was still the 28th day of Ramadan for those countries.

Although the observation of the crescent moon will only take place on Sunday evening (30/3/2025), the authorities of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Singapore have designated March 31, 2025, as a public holiday for Eid al-Fitr based on mathematical calculations or hisab.

However, the observation of the crescent moon on Sunday evening (30/3/2025) in the country had a high success rate. The significant likelihood of sighting the crescent moon occurred because its age had reached nearly 24 hours since conjunction, with an elongation of approximately 14 degrees, and the crescent moon's altitude ranging between 10.5-11.5 degrees.

Crescent observation on Sunday (30/3/2025) evening will also be carried out again by rukyat practitioners and hilal researchers from Indonesia after failing to see the hilal on Saturday (29/3/2025). Although it does not affect the decision on when Eid al-Fitr arrives, this observation is usually carried out to update hilal data and improve the ability to observe the hilal.

In South Asia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are united in starting Syawal on Monday (31/3/2025). However, just like Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, countries in the Asian subcontinent also only started Ramadan 1446 on March 2 2025. However, according to ICOP data, South Asian countries have officially declared 1 Shawwal 1446 H on March 31 2025.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which is the center of Islamic development and home to the two holy mosques, the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, has set 1 Shawwal 1446 to fall on Sunday (30/3/2025). Quoted from Al Arabiya, the decision was made by the Saudi Royal Court after receiving a report that astronomers at the Tamir Observatory and Sudair Observatory, two observatories owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh Province, had successfully seen the crescent moon.

Chief astronomer at the Sudair Observatory Abdullah al Khudairi said on Saturday (3/29/2025) evening, the sun set at 18:12 Saudi Arabian time and the moon set 8 minutes later. Thus, the crescent moon is already on the horizon and the crescent moon has been formed.

However, the testimony of seeing the crescent moon in Saudi Arabia is doubted by other Arab astronomers. For a long time, the testimony of seeing the crescent moon in the country, which is also a reference in a number of other countries, has sparked controversy and rejection from astronomers.

According to critics, as quoted from the Middle East Eye, March 26, 2025, some of the crescent sighting testimonies were fake because according to modern astronomy, it is impossible to observe the crescent under the conditions when the reports of seeing the crescent were made. This condition also occurred during the crescent observation on Saturday (3/29/2025).

Referring to the criteria for the possibility of seeing the crescent moon from astronomer Mohammad Odeh, on Saturday (29/3/2025) evening, the crescent moon in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries is impossible to observe, even with the aid of a telescope.

Even though in that region the conjunction occurs before sunset and the Moon sets after the Sun, the Moon is not bright enough to be observed by humans, either with the naked eye or with the aid of any instrument.

Referring to data from the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), on Saturday (3/29/2025) when the sun set in Saudi Arabia, the height of the crescent moon in the country ranged from 1 degree to 1.5 degrees and its elongation between 2.5 degrees to 3 degrees. This is still far below the new MABIMS criteria standard which requires the crescent moon to be observed if its height is at least 3 degrees and its elongation is 6.4 degrees.

What is happening in Saudi Arabia today is actually similar to what Indonesia experienced before implementing the new MABIMS criteria in 2022 or still using the old MABIMS criteria. The old MABIMS criteria required the crescent moon to be observed if it had a height of 2 degrees, an elongation of 3 degrees and an age of the Moon of 8 hours, which was considered not based on correct and complete empirical data.

Meanwhile, the records of observations of the young Moon conducted by Western astronomers have never found a crescent moon in conditions such as the old MABIMS criteria. However, the crescent moon that was witnessed is considered valid according to religion even though in modern astronomical science it has received much opposition and is called a sharia crescent moon.

However, the Saudi Arabian government has never responded to the issue. They continue to observe the crescent moon in their own way and ignore the criticism of scientists that has long existed.

For this problem, the development of unifying various Hijri calendar systems in Indonesia is much more advanced. The new MABIMS criteria used now can combine the aspirations of practitioners of rukyat, reckoning, and modern science in the criteria for the beginning of the Hijriah month.

Meanwhile, Turkey has also long ago determined that Eid al-Fitr will fall on Sunday (30/3/2025). Before Arab countries announced the results of their crescent observations, Turkey had already determined when Eid al-Fitr would occur. Turkey was able to announce Eid al-Fitr earlier because it uses hisab in their calendar system which is known as the Turkish Global Islamic Calendar (KIG) 2016.

KIG uses the principle of imkan rukyat or the possibility of seeing the crescent moon as used in the new MABIMS criteria. The difference is, KIG is global with the principle of one day one date throughout the world.

The initial conditions for the Hijri month in KIG are that the conjunction occurs before 00.00 universal time (UT) or Greenwich Mean Time, England (GMT) and the position of the crescent moon anywhere in the world has reached a minimum height of 5 degrees and a minimum elongation of 8 degrees.

With these conditions and referring to BMKG data, the initial conjunction of Syawal 1446 occurred on Saturday (3/29/2025) at 10.57 UT and the crescent moon in the North American region on the same day had a height of more than 5 degrees and an elongation of more than 8 degrees. Thus, 1 Syawal 1446 H will fall on Sunday (3/30/2025).

Despite the global name, KIG has only been used by Turkey at least. This KIG will be the basis for the Single Global Hijri Calendar (KHGT) which Muhammadiyah plans to use starting in the new year 1447/2026. On the other hand, corrections and objections to this calendar are also quite large considering the view that determining the beginning of the Hijri month must be based on local conditions is still very strong.

The strong view on locality in determining the beginning of the Hijri month has made a number of countries that have so far relied on Saudi Arabia in determining the beginning of the Hijri month, begin to be aware of having their own crescent observers. The issue of a single authority as the party that regulates the KIG is also unclear so that this calendar will be more difficult to practice.

The dream of realizing a global Islamic calendar that can be used by all Muslims around the world seems to still be a big homework. Let alone unifying the Hijri calendar across countries, unifying the different criteria for the beginning of the Hijri month in one country has not been completed even though it has been running for decades.

Happy Eid al-Fitr 1 Shawwal 1446. Please accept our apologies. Whenever you choose to celebrate Eid, may happiness, peace of mind, and blessings of life always accompany you.