The date for this year’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri has been a hot topic among Malaysians online, drawing the attention of the Selangor Ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
In response, His Royal Highness issued a statement addressing the matter and warning against baseless assumptions and predictions that could cause unnecessary confusion among Muslims.
Selangor Sultan urges the public to be patient and warns against speculating on Aidilfitri date
The Sultan has advised the public to stay patient and not to believe unverified speculation, stressing that the official announcement of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri date will only be made on 19 March.
“His Royal Highness urges everyone to read and understand the statements issued by the Selangor State Mufti Department and the Friday sermon on this matter.
“The official Hari Raya Aidilfitri date will only be announced by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal on Thursday (19 March 2026), after receiving the consent of the Malay Rulers, in line with the long-standing practice and procedure in the country,” the statement read.
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The Selangor Ruler also highlighted that Malaysia has its own method for determining the start of Ramadan and Syawal, carried out systematically and accurately under the guidance of the relevant religious authorities.
“This method has long been trusted and approved by the Council of Rulers and does not need to be compared to or influenced by decisions made in other countries.”
“Leave the matter to the relevant authorities”
The Selangor Sultan also urged Muslims not to get too caught up in discussions about the Hari Raya date, to the point of neglecting the last ten nights of Ramadan, which he described as “a precious time for increased worship, prayers, and seeking forgiveness from the Almighty.”
“As explained in the latest statement from the Selangor State Mufti Department on 10 March 2026, the start of each Islamic month depends on the sighting of the hilal (new moon) and the moon’s position on the observation date in each country. Each country has its own matla’ ru’yah (moon sighting reference point).
“The Friday sermon on 13 March 2026 also outlined the methods for determining the start of Syawal and reminded all Muslims to leave the matter to the relevant authorities,” the statement added.
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