Following the suddenness in the announcement of Hari Raya last year, it appears that some mosques are trying to get ahead of themselves by speculating on when the exact date would be.
However, it appears that such speculations have been quickly shut down by the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim) who recently released a statement telling Malaysians not to simply speculate on the exact date of Aidilfitri.
In their statement, they urged all parties including the management of mosques and surau to check that the Islamic Hijri calendar date on digital azan clocks is in line with the calendar issued by JAKIM or state religious authorities and confirmed by a panel of falak experts.
This was in response to a viral screenshot of a notice board in a mosque which indicated that the last day of Ramadan would fall on April 20, 2023.
They said the screenshot had raised questions among netizens about the date of Aidilfitri this year.
“JAKIM would like to inform that the declaration of the first day of Syawal each year is made by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, which will be announced through the media after receiving the report on the observations of the moon at 29 official locations.”
“The Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal obtains the mandate of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who represents the Rulers, before making the announcement,” they explained.
The sighting of the new Syawal moon for this year will be on Thursday evening, the 29th of Ramadan or April 20.
JAKIM also urged all to respect the decision made by the Conference of Rulers on the matter and not to make any assumptions about the date of Aidilfitri this year.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Also read: Here’s A List Of Bazaar Ramadan You Can Reach Directly Via The LRT & MRT!
