In an official statement released on Wednesday, authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that Thursday is the first day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, and thus the first day of Eid al-Adha will be Saturday, July 9th. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the Supreme Court: "Thursday is the first day of Dhu al-Hijjah, and standing at Arafat will be on Friday, July 8th." The court had called on all Muslims in the kingdom to look for the crescent moon of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah on the evening of Wednesday, the 30th of the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah of this year 1443 AH.
Saudi Arabia has recently begun welcoming individuals allowed to perform Hajj this year, with a total of one million people, including about 150,000 from within the kingdom. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and must be performed by every Muslim at least once in their lifetime if they are able to do so. In 2019, the number of pilgrims reached approximately 2.5 million. The coronavirus pandemic caused significant disruptions to Hajj for two consecutive seasons, leading to a loss of a major revenue source for the kingdom, which 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 within the kingdom to perform the pilgrimage, before increasing the number to 60,000 fully vaccinated individuals selected by lottery in the following year. As the Hajj season begins, Saudi Arabia has canceled the requirement to wear masks in indoor spaces, except for holy sites in Mecca and Medina.
