The Perak Mufti Department advises Muslims to await official announcements on 1 Syawal, explaining the complexities of moon sighting and annual variations in hilal parameters.
IPOH: The Perak Mufti Department has called on Muslims to refrain from speculating on the date of 1 Syawal and to await the official announcement from authorities.
It urged the public to remain calm and understand that differences in projections are normal within the discipline of Islamic astronomy, or falak.
The department clarified that Hijri calendars distributed to the public are prepared based on astronomical calculations as a guide for annual planning.
However, the official determination of 1 Syawal is subject to the new moon sighting process on the evening of 29 Ramadan and the subsequent declaration by the relevant authority.
“Any discrepancy between calendar projections and the official decision is not unusual in the system of determining the beginning of Islamic months,” the department said in a statement.
It added that Malaysia adopts an integrated approach combining both actual sighting and astronomical calculation.
From a falak perspective, a crescent moon above the horizon at sunset generally has the potential to be sighted.
In Malaysia, however, visibility depends on technical parameters like the moon’s altitude and its angular distance from the sun.
“A hilal that is too low or close to the horizon has a very weak visibility potential even if it theoretically exists,” the statement explained.
Weather conditions such as thick clouds, haze, or atmospheric disturbances also pose major challenges to the observation process.
The department noted that favourable atmospheric conditions, which are rare, can sometimes allow for a successful sighting even when calculations suggest difficulty.
“This shows that the determination does not rely solely on calculation data, but also on actual field observations,” it added.
The statement further explained that hilal parameters differ each year, with this year’s Syawal crescent being lower and more difficult to observe technically compared to 2022.
Nevertheless, the official decision will depend on actual observation findings, the established verification process, and the announcement by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal.
The call comes as speculation has gone viral on social media that 1 Syawal may fall on March 20 instead of the widely expected March 21.
This mirrors the situation in 2022 when Aidilfitri was celebrated a day earlier than many anticipated.
The Perak Mufti Department also encouraged the public to make Aidilfitri preparations in a planned and early manner to avoid last-minute difficulties.
