Zil Hajj moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia, Eidul Azha on July 31
Saudi Arabia�s Supreme Court said on Monday the Day of Arafat will be on July 30 (Thursday).
RIYADH (Agencies) - Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court said on Monday the Day of Arafat will be on July 30 (Thursday) and July 31 (Friday) will be the first day of Eidul Azha.
The court said that July 21 (Tuesday) is the 30th of Dhul Qadah, and July 22 (Wednesday) will mark the first day of Dhul Hijjah. Accordingly, Eidul Azha will be on July 31 (Friday), Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
The announcement follows confirmation by a moon-sighting committee formed to determine the beginning of the last month of the Islamic calendar.
The decision was made after the committee received reports from regional courts and moon-sighting committees.
This year s hajj, which has been scaled back dramatically to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims due to the coronavirus pandemic, will begin on July 29, Saudi authorities said Monday.
Some 2.5 million people from all over the world usually participate in the ritual that takes place over several days, centred on the holy city of Mecca.
This year s hajj will be held under strict hygiene protocols, with access limited to pilgrims under 65 years old and without any chronic illnesses.
"The stand of pilgrims on Mount Arafat, the peak of the hajj ritual, falls on Thursday," the official Saudi Press Agency cited the Supreme Court as saying, indicating that Wednesday would be the first day of the annual event.
The timing of the hajj is determined by the position of the moon, in accordance with the Islamic lunar calendar.
Last month, Saudi Arabia announced it would hold a "very limited" hajj, a decision fraught with political and economic peril as it battles a surge in coronavirus infections.
It has seen some 253,349 cases so far including 2,523 deaths -- the highest toll among the Arab Gulf states.
Although hajj officials said the pilgrimage would be restricted to 1,000 people already present in the kingdom, 70 percent of them foreigners and the rest Saudis, some press reports have said that 10,000 people may take part.
The ritual will be restricted to medical professionals and security personnel who have recovered from the virus, the hajj ministry said.
