Ramadan 2026 to Begin on February 19th, Indonesian Government Confirms

Jakarta, Indonesia – February 18, 2026 – The Indonesian government has officially announced that Ramadan 1447 Hijriah will commence on Thursday, February 19, 2026. The decision was made following a Sidang Isbat (determination meeting) led by Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at the Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta.

Determination Based on Astronomical Calculations and Rukyat Reports

The determination is based on a combination of hisab (astronomical calculations) and rukyat (visual confirmation of the novel moon). According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the height of the new moon (hilal) across the Indonesian archipelago remained below the horizon, ranging from -2° 24’ 43” to -0° 55’ 41”. The elongation angle was between 0° 56’ 23” and 1° 53’ 36”.

These figures fall short of the MABIMS (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore) criteria for hilal visibility, which requires a minimum hilal height of 3° and an elongation angle of at least 6.4°. Source

reports from 96 rukyat observation points throughout Indonesia confirmed that the new moon was not visible. No reports of the new moon being sighted were received from any observation points across the country. Source

Call for Unity and Respect

Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar urged all Muslims in Indonesia to begin fasting together and emphasized the importance of unity. He also acknowledged that differing opinions regarding the start of Ramadan may exist and encouraged mutual respect. Source

“We urge all Muslims to enter this holy month with a clean heart. Let us respect each other, and if there are brothers and sisters who may start fasting earlier, that is a wealth of ijtihad that we must appreciate within the framework of Islamic brotherhood,” stated Minister Umar. Source

The Sidang Isbat was attended by representatives from Islamic organizations, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Commission VIII of the DPR RI, as well as experts in astronomy and representatives from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Source