1st of Syawal 1429 H to be determined Wednesday

Jakarta, NU Online
The mechanism of determining the 1st of Syawal 1429 (Islamic calendar) by the Nahdlatul Ulama will reportedly be broadcast online through a teleconference at [email protected] on Wednesday from 4.00-5.30 pm at the headquarters of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama in Jakarta.

Chairman of the Nahadlatul Ulama Committee of Astronomy (Lajnah Falakiyah) KH Ghazalie Masroeri will give an update to NU board members within and outside the country. Through the teleconference there will also be added time for questions and answers from the interactive teleconference especially in dealing with Islamic calendar within NU.<>

Director of NU Online news portal, Abdul Mun'im DZ said that many dissenting public opinions whould be openly discussed by the Lajnah Falakiyah. Mun'im said there had still been some suggesting that in determining the first day of Islamic months NU has based its views mainly on rukyatul hilal (moon sighting).

"Whereas NU has also used astronomical calculation (hisab). We have many books on hisab written by NU senior figures and have still been used by cross-organization astronomers. While within NU, the hisab is only functioned as such guide, the final determining is on rukyatul hilal," he said.

In the upcoming teleconference, Mun'im said, KH Ghazalie will elaborate the religious justifications (dalil) of the importance of sighting crescent (rukyatul hilal) in determining the beginning of Islamic calendar with all its aspects including the relationship between rukyat and hisab system.

"The Lajnah Falakiyah will also socialize the method of Hisab in Appropriation having ever been published by the PBNU that was considered by the Nahdliyin (NU followers) in achieving the most accurate results of hisab to do rukyatul hilal along with its technically report," Mun'im said.

Concerning the determining of the beginning of Syawal, NU will not "tackle" the itsbat meeting at the Religious Affairs Department (Depag). NU will immediately report the determining of the first day of Syawal following the Depag's meeting.

"The NU founding fathers had formerly agreed the concept of waliyyul amri dloruriyyun bis syaukah or the government whose absolute authority is not only related to government or religious judicial matters, but it also related to the ones of determining the beginning of Ramadhan and Syawal. In this case the Depag has authority," Mun'im said. (nam)