The Saudi Supreme Court announced this evening, Sunday, that the standing in Arafat will be on Tuesday, June 27, and that Wednesday is the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The court confirmed - in a statement - the sighting of the crescent of Dhul-Hijjah, and that tomorrow, Monday, is the first of its days, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
Meanwhile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore announced that Thursday, June 29, is the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The eyes of the Islamic world will turn to Mecca in the coming days, where the rituals of Hajj for the season (1444 / 2023 ) begin, and standing in Arafat is its largest pillar, amid unprecedented preparations from Saudi Arabia, and official estimates of an “exceptional, distinguished and safe” Hajj season.
In February, Saudi Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah announced that his country expects to host more than two million pilgrims during the 2023 Hajj season, a month after the kingdom announced the return of the numbers and ages of pilgrims to what they were before the Corona pandemic.
According to official data, the number of pilgrims during the 2022 season reached about 900 thousand, including 779 thousand and 919 from outside the Kingdom, while the 2021 Hajj season was limited to the participation of only 60 thousand from inside the Kingdom, under strict health controls at that time due to the spread of Corona.
The year 2020 witnessed an exceptional Hajj season, as the number of pilgrims was then limited to about 10 thousand from inside Saudi Arabia only, compared to about 2.5 million in 2019 from all over the world.