Nahdlatul Ulama (Nu) reaffirms its commitment to the rukyatul hilal method for determining the start of Ramadhan 1447 Hijriah in 2026, without referring to the Kalender Hijriah Global Tunggal (Khgt). The decision considers differences in space, time, and hilal visibility. The statement was made by Ahmad Izzuddin from PbNu's Lembaga Falakiyah.
Debates over determining the start of the Hijriah month have resurfaced ahead of Ramadhan 2026, particularly regarding the use of the Kalender Hijriah Global Tunggal (Khgt) as a reference. Nu opts to stick with rukyatul hilal, direct observation of the hilal in Indonesian territories, to ensure caution in syariat-based worship.
Ahmad Izzuddin, from PbNu's Lembaga Falakiyah, shared this view in a video on Nu Online channel on February 17, 2026. He stressed that global approaches should not disrupt the core of Muslim worship. "Don't let it become too liberal and thus disturb the substance of our worship," he said.
Izzuddin critiqued the Khgt-based determination of Ramadhan's start, which relies on hilal data from Alaska, United States, at 5 degrees height and 8 hours elongation, setting the date as February 18, 2026. He argued this reference is hard to accept for worship in Indonesia, as religious obligations depend on local space and time. "That means, if in our space and time the hilal sign hasn't appeared, we actually aren't obligated to perform the worship," he asserted.
Beyond visibility, time differences play a key role. When Maghrib is at 19:12 in Alaska, it is already 11:12 AM on February 18, 2026, in Indonesia. "This shows it's highly unlikely to accept Ramadhan fasting on that day," Izzuddin stated. Thus, Nu upholds the local method to align with Indonesia's geographic conditions.
