Political and Legal Policies in Determining Hijri Calendar among MABIMS Member Countries

Ahmad Wahidi, Mochammad Agus Rachmatulloh, Muhammad Syazwan Faid, Musataklima Musataklima

Abstract


The determination of the beginning of Islamic months constitutes a crucial intersection between religious law, astronomical science, and state authority. In MABIMS Member Countries, variations in political configurations and state-religion relations have produced distinct legal policies governing the Islamic calendar, particularly regarding Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhu al-Hijjah. This study aims to examine how legal politics shape state authority in determining the beginning of Islamic months and to analyse the legal consequences of these policies for legal certainty and public compliance among Muslim communities. This research employs a normative juridical method with conceptual and comparative approaches. Data were derived from an analysis of statutory regulations, official fatwas, state religious authority decisions, and regional coordination documents within the MABIMS framework, supported by scholarly perspectives in Islamic law, astronomy (ʿilm al-falak), and legal politics. The findings demonstrate that the determination of Islamic months is not primarily driven by the methodological choice between hisab (astronomical calculation) and rukyah (hilal observation), but rather by the political configuration and the degree of centralisation of state religious authority. Indonesia and Singapore, characterised by more pluralistic and participatory political systems, position the state as a coordinator and final legitimising authority while allowing limited pluralism in societal practice. In contrast, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam adopt a highly centralised model of state religious authority, where the determination of Islamic months is a binding legal decision enforced through statutory sanctions. This study concludes that stronger state authority in religious governance correlates with higher levels of legal unification and compliance in the Islamic calendrical system. Accordingly, legal politics plays a decisive role in shaping the legal outcomes of determining the Islamic month in Southeast Asia, extending beyond doctrinal or jurisprudential debates alone.

Keywords: beginning of the month; hisab rukyah; legal politics; MABIMS.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alwi, Bashori. ‘Menuju Penyatuan Kalender Hijriyah’. MAQASHID 3, no. 1 (2020): 115–34. https://doi.org/10.35897/maqashid.v3i1.410.

Andriana, Fika. ‘Otoritas Negara Dalam Mereformulasi Metode Penentuan Awal Bulan Qamariyah’. Politica: Jurnal Hukum Tata Negara Dan Politik Islam 6, no. 1 (2019): 112–43. https://doi.org/10.32505/politica.v6i1.2730.

Anonimous. ‘Penentuan Awal Bulan Kamariah Di Brunei Darussalam (DOA Ke-35)’. Berita. OIF UMSU, 28 September 2024. https://oif.umsu.ac.id/penentuan-awal-bulan-kamariah-di-brunei-darussalam-doa-ke-35/.

Asni, Muhammad Fathullah Al Haq Muhamad, and Jasni Sulong. ‘Penyelarasan Fatwa Antara Negeri-Negeri: Analisis Amalan Dan Kaedah Penyeragamannya Di Malaysia: Fatwa Coordination Between States: Analysis of The Practices of Standardization and Its Method in Malaysia’. Journal of Fatwa Management and Research 9, no. 1 (2017): 86–109. https://doi.org/10.33102/jfatwa.vol9no1.41.

Black, Ann. ‘Ideology and Law: The Impact of the MIB Ideology on Law and Dispute Resolution in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam.’ SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 2611431. Social Science Research Network, 2008. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2611431.

C.F.G. Sunaryati Hartono. Politik Hukum Menuju Satu Sistem Hukum Nasional. Alumni, 1991.

Fauzi, Ahmad. ‘Negotiating the New Moon: Social Media and the Dynamics of Hijri Calendar Determination among Muslims’. Al-Hilal: Journal of Islamic Astronomy 7, no. 2 (2025): 167–90. https://doi.org/10.21580/al-hilal.2025.7.2.28554.

Haqqi, Abdurrahman Raden Aji. ‘Islamic Law in State Life of Brunei Darussalam’. Journal of Malay Islamic Studies 1, no. 2 (2017): 81–92. https://doi.org/10.19109/jmis.v1i2.2540.

Hartono, Rudi, and Muhammad Yunus. ‘Analisis Penentuan Awal Bulan Hijriyah Dengan Metode Pendekatan Hisab Dan Rukyat’. Jurnal Al-Mizan 12, no. 1 (2025): 17–32. https://doi.org/10.54621/jiam.v12i1.997.

Hashim, Muhammad Ridzuan, Raihana Abdul Wahab, Mohd Saiful Anwar Mohd Nawawi, Nazhatulshima Ahmad, and Muhamad Syazwan Faid. ‘Unification of Hijri Calendar Under One Maṭla’ : A Case Study of MABIMS Through the Lens of Islamic Jurisprudence and Astronomy’. Jurnal Fiqh 22, no. 2 (2025): 389–433. https://doi.org/10.22452/fiqh.vol22no2.7.

Hassan, Shahir Akram, and Mohd Shukri Hanapi. PROSEDUR OPERASI PIAWAI (SOP) DALAM PENENTUAN AWAL SYAWAL DI NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM. n.d.

Herman, Muhammad Akbar, Qadir Gassing, and Muhammad Shuhufi. ‘Kontroversi Hisab Dan Rukyat Dalam Penentuan Kalender Islam Di Era Modern Pendekatan Fikih Kontemporer’. Media Hukum Indonesia (MHI) 2, no. 4 (2024): 4. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14253182.

Hidayat, M. Nur. ‘Otoritas Pemerintah Dalam Penetapan Awal Bulan Qamariyah Perspektif Fiqh Siyâsah Yusuf Qardhawi.’ Jurisdictie: Jurnal Hukum Dan Syariah 3, no. 1 (2012). https://doi.org/10.18860/j.v0i0.2177.

Holis, Ahmad Musadad, and Tri Pujiati. ‘The Role of Public Law in Determining the Islamic Calendar in Indonesia’. Al-Hilal: Journal of Islamic Astronomy 7, no. 1 (2025): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.21580/al-hilal.2025.7.1.25485.

Husna, Amirah Himayah, Shirly Ardini, and Siti Tatmainul Qulub. ‘Penyatuan Kalender Hijriah Nasional Dalam Perspektif Ormas Muhammadiyah Dan Nahdatul Ulama (NU)’. AL - AFAQ : Jurnal Ilmu Falak Dan Astronomi 3, no. 2 (2021): 2. https://doi.org/10.20414/afaq.v3i2.4772.

Ismail, Mohamad Afandi, Muhamad Hasif Yahaya, Muhammad Najib Abd Wakil, Rafeah Rapengah Saidon, Ikmal Hafiz Jamal, and Mariam Abdul Rahman. ‘The Role of the Sultan/Ruler in Islamic Religious Affairs Under Malaysian Law: Peranan Sultan/Raja Terhadap Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Menurut Perundangan Di Malaysia’. Al-Qanatir: International Journal of Islamic Studies 35, no. 01 (2026): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.64757/alqanatir.2026.3501/1292.

Jayusman, Jayusman. ‘Kebijakan Pemerintah Dalam Penetapan Awal Bulan Kamariah Di Indonesia’. Madania: Jurnal Kajian Keislaman 18, no. 2 (2014): 185–200. https://doi.org/10.29300/madania.v18i2.18.

Kalyla, Ezra, Nathania Aulia Damayanti, and Elly Nurlia. ‘The Concept of Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) as a Political Ideology and System of Governance in Brunei Darussalam’. Socius: Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial 3, no. 4 (2025): 124–30. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17545469.

Kasim, A. Jusran, Ahmad Abbas, Nurul Adhha, and Iin Mutmainnah. ‘Determination of Hijri Calendar in Islamic History and Its Criteria in Southeast Asia’. Journal of Al-Tamaddun 19, no. 1 (2024): 247–59. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol19no1.18.

Luthfi, Fuad, A. Fauzi Aseri, Masyithah Umar, and Nuril Khasyi’in. ‘Pendekatan Sosio-Legal Terhadap Fatwa: Analisis Kedudukan Dan Peran Fatwa MUI Di Indonesia’. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Jurisprudence, Economic and Legal Theory 2, no. 4 (2024): 2226–45. https://doi.org/10.62976/ijijel.v2i4.824.

Majelis Ugama Islam Singapura. ‘Statement in Response to Queries on Determining of Syawal 2023/1444H’. Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, 4 September 2023. https://www.muis.gov.sg/resources/media-releases/9-apr-23-statement-in-response-to-queries-on-determining-of-syawal-2023-1444h/.

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura. ‘Clarification Regarding the Announcement of Syawal 2022 for Singapore’. Accessed 9 December 2025. https://www.muis.gov.sg/resources/media-releases/2-may-22-syawal-clarification-by-the-office-of-the-mufti_eng/.

Marni, Marni, and Fatmawati Hilal. ‘ANALISIS OTORITAS PEMERINTAH DALAM PENETAPAN AWAL BULAN QOMARIAH’. HISABUNA: Jurnal Ilmu Falak 2, no. 3 (2021): 3. https://doi.org/10.24252/hisabuna.v2i3.22189.

Marni, Marni, and Fatmawati Hilal. ‘Analisis Otoritas Pemerintah Dalam Penetapan Awal Bulan Qomariah’. HISABUNA: Jurnal Ilmu Falak 2, no. 3 (2021): 16–32. https://doi.org/10.24252/hisabuna.v2i3.22189.

Maskufa, Maskufa, Sopa Sopa, Sri Hidayati, and Adi Damanhuri. ‘Implementation of the New MABIMS Crescent Visibility Criteria: Efforts to Unite the Hijriyah Calendar in the Southeast Asian Region’. AHKAM : Jurnal Ilmu Syariah 22, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v22i1.22275.

Maskufa, Maskufa, Sopa Sopa, Sri Hidayati, and Adi Damanhuri. ‘Implementation of the New MABIMS Crescent Visibility Criteria: Efforts to Unite the Hijriyah Calendar in the Southeast Asian Region’. AHKAM : Jurnal Ilmu Syariah 22, no. 1 (2022). https://journal2.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ahkam/article/view/22275.

Moh. Mahfud M. D. Politik Hukum di Indonesia. Rajawali Pers, 2011.

Mohamed, Sharifah Shazwani Syed, and Ibnor Azli Ibrahim. ‘Prosedur Penetapan Hilal Dan Pengurusan Takwim Hijri Dalam Kalangan Negara Anggota MABIMS’. Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development 10, no. 74 (2025): 372–89. https://academicinspired.com/jised/article/view/3258.

Mohd Nawawi, Mohd Saiful Anwar, Muhamad Syazwan Faid, Mohd Hafiz Mohd Saadon, Raihana Abdul Wahab, and Nazhatulshima Ahmad. ‘Hijri Month Determination in Southeast Asia: An Illustration Between Religion, Science, and Cultural Background’. Heliyon 10, no. 20 (2024): e38668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38668.

Mohd Nawawi, Mohd Saiful Anwar, Muhamad Syazwan Faid, Mohd Hafiz Mohd Saadon, Raihana Abdul Wahab, and Nazhatulshima Ahmad. ‘Hijri Month Determination in Southeast Asia: An Illustration Between Religion, Science, and Cultural Background’. Heliyon 10, no. 20 (2024): e38668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38668.

Mohd Nawawi, Mohd Saiful Anwar, Muhamad Syazwan Faid, Mohd Hafiz Mohd Saadon, Raihana Abdul Wahab, and Nazhatulshima Ahmad. ‘Hijri Month Determination in Southeast Asia: An Illustration Between Religion, Science, and Cultural Background’. Heliyon 10, no. 20 (2024): e38668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38668.

Mufid, Abdul, and Thomas Djamaluddin. ‘The Implementation of New Minister of Religion of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore Criteria towards the Hijri Calendar Unification’. HTS Theological Studies 79, no. 1 (2023): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8774.

Mulyadi, Achmad, Siti Musawwamah Mamah, Hosen Hosen, and Mohd Saiful Anwar Saiful. ‘Dynamics of Implementing the New MABIMS Criteria on the Hijri Calendar (Takwīm Hijri) By the Indonesian and Malaysian Governments’. Al-’Adalah 22, no. 2 (2025): 381–408. https://doi.org/10.24042/adalah.v222.28543.

Muslifah, Siti. ‘Upaya Menyikapi Perbedaan Penentuan Awal Bulan Qamariyah Di Indonesia’. Azimuth: Journal of Islamic Astronomy 1, no. 1 (2025): 74–100. https://doi.org/10.15642/azimuth.v1i1.788.

Musonnif, Ahmad, Ahmad Gelora Mahardika, Nuril Farida Maratus, and Muhammad Ngizzul Muttaqin. ‘Government Position in Religious Authority Contestation in Indonesia: Reviewing the Government Authority in Determining the Beginning of Islamic Months’. De Jure: Jurnal Hukum Dan Syar’iah 16, no. 2 (2024): 336–62. https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v16i2.27517.

Navigating Tradition and Science: Singapore’s Approach in Determining the Hijri Calendar. First edition. With Muhammad Haziq Zainal, Hayyan Muhyiddin Kamaruzaman, Amirah Aisyah Ya’acob, Izal Mustafa Kamar, Abdul Hafiz Latiff, and Anisah Salwana Abd Samad. Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), 2023.

Ningsi, Siska Wati. ‘Penentuan Hari Raya Islam Dan Implikasinya Terhadap Persatuan Umat’. HISABUNA: Jurnal Ilmu Falak 2, no. 2 (2021): 33–47. https://doi.org/10.24252/hisabuna.v2i2.15974.

Nufus, Khaerun. ‘Sidang Isbat Penentuan Awal Bulan Kamariah Prespektif Hukum Islam (Kajian Terhadap Penetapan Kementerian Agama RI Selaku Ulil Amri)’. INKLUSIF (JURNAL PENGKAJIAN PENELITIAN EKONOMI DAN HUKUM ISLAM) 3, no. 1 (2018): 1–21. https://doi.org/10.24235/inklusif.v3i1.2476.

Nurfadilah, Annisa, Ahmad Adib Rofiuddin, and Muh Rasywan Syarif. ‘Fiqh Principles and the Legitimacy of Indonesia’s Isbat Session System’. Astroislamica: Journal of Islamic Astronomy 4, no. 2 (2025): 341–70. https://doi.org/10.47766/astroislamica.v4i2.6890.

Qulub, Siti Tatmainul. ‘Pendekatan Politik Sebagai Strategi Unifikasi Kalender Hijriyah Sejajar Dengan Kalender Masehi’. Jurnal Bimas Islam 10, no. 3 (2017): 3. https://doi.org/10.37302/jbi.v10i3.31.

Sahid, Mualimin Mochammad, Habibullah Habibullah, Abdul Rahman Cemda, and Mario Kasduri. ‘Lunar Crescent Visibility Criteria in Determining the New Islamic Month in Malaysia’. Al-Hisab: Journal of Islamic Astronomy 1, no. 4 (2024): 197–209. https://doi.org/10.33096/jah.v1i4.21764.

Sayehu, Usman, Ahmad Hidayat, and Agung Heru Setiadi. ‘Artificial Intelligence and Legal Certainty in Determining Ramadan and Syawal for Muslim Religious Observance’. Hikmatuna : Journal for Integrative Islamic Studies 11, no. 1 (2025): 17–30. https://doi.org/10.28918/hikmatuna.v11i1.10428.

Tarigan, Rudi Salam, Ismaidar Ismaidar, and Tamaulina Br Sembiring. ‘Influence Political Law in Formation and Enforcement Law in Indonesia’. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice 1, no. 4 (2024): 198–205. https://doi.org/10.62951/ijlcj.v1i4.293.

Taufiqurachman, Taufiqurachman, Wilda Nurmadhan, Bilat Nur Islami, Ath Thaariq Nurul Fatah, and Annisa Azzahra. Analisis Perbandingan Antara Metode Hisab Dan Rukyat Dalam Menentukan Awal Bulan Ramadhan Di Indonesia | JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan. n.d. Accessed 8 December 2025. http://jiip.stkipyapisdompu.ac.id/jiip/index.php/JIIP/article/view/6203.

‘The New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness’. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600377.

Ulya, Fika Nurul, and Bagus Santosa. ‘Kemenag Sebut Ada Potensi Perbedaan Hari Raya Idul Fitri 2023’. KOMPAS.com, 11 April 2023. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/04/11/18154221/kemenag-sebut-ada-potensi-perbedaan-hari-raya-idul-fitri-2023.

Wahidi, Ahmad, Noer Yasin, and Ali Kadarisman. ‘The Beginning of Islamic Months Determination in Indonesia and Malaysia: Procedure and Social Condition’. Ulul Albab: Jurnal Studi Islam 20, no. 2 (2019): 322–45. https://doi.org/10.18860/ua.v20i2.5913.

Zulkeflee, A. N., W. N. J. H. W. Yussof, R. Umar, et al. ‘Detection of a New Crescent Moon Using the Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER) Technique’. Astronomy and Computing 41 (October 2022): 100651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ascom.2022.100651.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v18i1.39636

Copyright (c) 2026 Wahidi et al

Published By:

Shariah Faculty Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang

Gajayana Street 50 Malang, East Java, Indonesia 

 


De Jure: Jurnal Hukum dan Syar'iah is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International