In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that tomorrow, Thursday, is the first day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, and therefore the first day of Eid al-Adha will be Saturday, the ninth of July.
And the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the Supreme Court: “Tomorrow, Thursday, is the first day of Dhul-Hijjah, and standing in Arafat is Friday, the eighth of July.”
The Supreme Court: Tomorrow, Thursday, June 30, 2022 AD, is the first of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, and standing in Arafat will be on Friday, 7/8 2022 AD.#was_am
– SPAregions (@SPAregions) June 29, 2022
On Tuesday, the court called on all Muslims in all parts of the Kingdom to investigate the sighting of the crescent of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah on the evening of Wednesday, the thirtieth of the month of Dhu al-Qa’dah for this year, 1443 AH.
A few weeks ago, Saudi Arabia began receiving those who were allowed to perform Hajj this year, and their total number is one million people, including about 150,000 from inside the Kingdom.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and every Muslim must perform it once in his life if he is able to do so. The number of pilgrims in 2019 reached about 2.5 million.
The Corona epidemic caused a major disruption to the pilgrimage for two consecutive seasons, and the Kingdom lost a major source of revenue, as Saudi Arabia earns about $12 billion annually from Umrah and Hajj.
After the outbreak of the virus in 2020, Saudi Arabia allowed only 1,000 people from inside the kingdom to perform the ritual, before the number was raised the following year to 60,000 fully vaccinated, who were chosen by lottery.
With the beginning of the Hajj season, Saudi Arabia abolished the obligation to wear the muzzle in closed places, except for the holy places in Mecca and Medina.