Many of us are confused following the announcement of the date for Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year, which supposedly falls on Friday, April 21, a day earlier than what is stated in the calendar.
Independent preacher, Datuk Mohd Kazim Elias, said he was surprised that this year’s Syawal date has become the hottest topic of discussion among Malaysians.
He also has urged the public to leave the matter of determining the date of Hari Raya Aidilfitri to the religious authorities.
Meanwhile, the Timbalan Dekan (Jaringan) Fakulti Pengajian Islam, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Prof Madya Datuk Dr Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim said that the determination of 1 Syawal is not arbitrary, but rather comes with procedures and criteria that need to be taken into account.
“Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) only assists in coordination, we cannot randomly set the date of 1 Syawal.
“The date put in the calendar is only an estimate, and the final decision rests with the Pemegang Mohor Besar Raja-Raja,” he added.
The process of determining Aidilfitri depends on the sighting of the “anak bulan” at Maghrib, 29 Ramadan, according to the criteria set through Imkanur-Rukyah.
As many as 29 locations throughout the country will be observing the sighting of the “anak bulan” to determine the date of 1 Syawal on April 20.
Source: Malaysia Dateline
