Background: The determination of Islamic lunar months through rukyatul hilal constitutes a critical intersection between Islamic jurisprudence and astronomy because it establishes the legal timing of marriage, divorce, iddah, inheritance, and other matters of Islamic family law. Despite extensive studies on rukyat and hisab, limited empirical socio-legal research has examined their implications for legal certainty at the local level.
Methods: This study employed a qualitative socio-legal case study integrating normative analysis of Islamic legal sources with empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews involving Religious Court judges, Ministry of Religious Affairs officials, religious leaders, and community representatives in Banjar City, West Java, Indonesia. Documentary analysis, triangulation, and thematic analysis were applied within the framework of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah.
Results: The findings reveal that legal certainty is strengthened through the integration of rukyat, hisab, MABIMS Neo-Visibility criteria, and the national Sidang Isbat. Although Religious Courts consistently implement the official Hijri calendar, some communities continue following organizational determinations, creating limited differences in the timing of family law practices without substantially disrupting legal administration.
Discussion: The implementation of Islamic family law depends on institutional coordination among religious authorities, state institutions, astronomers, and local communities rather than on a single method of lunar month determination.
Conclusion: Integrating religious, scientific, and institutional approaches enhances legal certainty while accommodating legitimate jurisprudential diversity in implementing Islamic family law.
Novelty: This study proposes the Integrated Rukyatul Hilal Governance Framework (IRHGF), an empirical socio-legal model explaining how astronomical observation, religious authority, institutional coordination, and public administration collectively strengthen legal certainty in Islamic family law.
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