Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, with a small Muslim minority, concentrated primarily in its' southern region, near the Malaysian border. Both countries are said to use the same “Rukyah and Hisab” method to determine the starting dates of Ramadhan and Syawal. Therefore, the months of Ramadhan and Syawal should start on the same days in both countries, which both are used the same method and same time zone. In recent years, however, differences in the starting dates of Ramadhan and Syawal have been observed between the two countries. The following questions arise as the result of this discrepancy: 1) What are the methods currently used by Thailand? and 2) What is the application of rukyah and hisab in determining the starting dates of the months of Ramadhan and syawal in Thailand? The objective of this research is to answer these questions, by identifying and analyzing the method currently being used in Thailand to determine the start of Ramadhan and Syawal. Documented research, semi-structured interviews, and non-participatory observation are used to collect the data, which then undergo qualitative content analysis. The method used to determine the start of Ramadhan and Syawal in Thailand is based on the “rukyah hakiki” method.
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In-Text Citation: (Sulaiman & Hassan, 2018)
To Cite this Article: Sulaiman, N. A. A., & Hassan, S. A. (2018). The Application of Rukyah and Hisab in Determining the Starting Dates of the Months of Ramadhan and Syawal in Thailand. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(4), 770–783.
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