Hajj is a religious ritual in Islam, which is performed in congregation. It is one of the five basic elements of Islam, often referred to as the “five pillars of Islam”. While most of the other worship can be performed anytime, anywhere in the world, Hajj can only be performed once in an Islamic year, on specific dates, and that too, only in Mecca, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Hajj starts on the 8th of Dhul Hajj (last month of the Islamic Calendar) and ends on the 12th/13th day of Dhul Hajj. On average, more than two million Muslims, from all over the world, gather at Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform Hajj. More importantly, Hajj is an obligatory worship only for those adult men and women who are physically and financially capable of traveling to Mecca and also perform the entire rituals, which involve a lot of physical effort. Above that, it is required only once in a lifetime, unlike other worships, which one has to perform repeatedly.
Given its importance, everyone who intends to travel to Mecca for Hajj is keen to know when Hajj 2026 will be. One has to make extensive preparations for this sacred journey; hence, it is highly important for them to obtain authentic information about the expected Hajj dates for the upcoming year. While the exact date of the upcoming Hajj cannot be ascertained, the possible dates can be predicted, as Islamic dates depend on the appearance and physical sighting of the moon.
Understanding the Islamic Date System
The Islamic Calendar, or the Islamic Date System, more commonly known as the Hijri Calendar, is based on the movement and appearance of the moon. This has a direct impact on the Islamic dates in three ways:
- The start and end of an Islamic month are entirely dependent on the appearance of the new moon. Hence, the dates cannot be pre-determined and keep rotating every year. For example, the new Islamic year in 2025 commenced on 26th May 2025, but it is most likely to fall on 16th of June in the year 2026.
- The length of an Islamic Calendar may not necessarily be the same each year. It would either have 29 days or a maximum of 30 days. Unlike the Gregorian Calendar, there is no Islamic month that has 31 days.
- Since the birth of the new moon differs in various regions, the Islamic dates would not necessarily be the same across the world. Every country or region may have a different Islamic date on a particular day. For example, if the 1st of Dhul Hajj in Saudi Arabia is expected to fall on the 18th of May 2026, in other parts of the world, it may fall a day or two earlier or later.
In general, the Islamic Calendar, also referred to as the Lunar Calendar, is often 9 or 10 days shorter than the Gregorian Calendar.
How are the Islamic Dates Ascertained?
Since the Islamic Calendar is based on the birth and appearance of the new moon, every Islamic Country has its own system of deciding on the start of a new Islamic month. The Muslim communities of the countries where Islam is a minority religion often follow the Islamic dates of their nearest major Islamic Country, whereas some of them follow the same Islamic Calendar, as practiced in Saudi Arabia.
Most Islamic Countries have developed a systematic process of sighting the new moon in the form of an official body, often referred to as “Moon Sighting Committee”. This official body is entrusted with the task of deciding on the important matter of the appearance of a new moon or otherwise. As per the Islamic teachings, Muslims are required to try to sight the new moon on the evening of the 29th day of an Islamic month. If the moon is sighted, the next day is declared as the 1st of the next month. However, if the moon could not be sighted on the evening of the 29th day of a month, the next day would be considered as the 30th day of the current Islamic month. In this scenario, there is no need to physically sight the moon on the evening of the 30th day of the month; next month would automatically start the next day.
All the Moon Sighting Committees of different Countries strictly follow this procedure. For confirmation of whether the new moon has been sighted or not, the general public is also encouraged to report to the Committee if anyone has successfully sighted the moon. However, the committee has to ascertain the authenticity of the report, evaluating it on religious standards.
In addition to that, help and assistance of the weather experts and astronomers is also sought to get a scientific input on the birth of a new moon. However, the final decision still remains in the discretion of the moon sighting committee.
The Process of Sighting the Moon in Saudi Arabia
The moon sighting process in Saudi Arabia typically follows a set procedure, as follows:
Formation of Moon Sighting Committee
- The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia appoints a special “Moon Sighting Committee” consisting of scholars, scientists, astronomers, and Government officials.
- The committee seeks information from both physical evidence of sighting of the moon, as well as from the general public.
- The information is then analyzed on the basis of scientific and astronomical calculations to confirm and authenticate the birth of the new moon.
Role of Umm al-Qura Calendar
In line with the modernization of the process of deciding the Islamic dates, the Saudi Government has also developed an Islamic Calendar, based on the astronomical evidence and scientific calculations. This Calendar is known as the “Umm al-Qura Calendar and is officially practiced in Saudi Arabia. While mostly, the calculated dates often prove to be precise, the final decision is announced by the Moon Sighting Committee, after careful evaluation of the physical sighting and scientific calculation, on the basis of Islamic teachings.
Official Announcement
The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia is the final authority for declaring the onset of a new Islamic month. It is responsible for making an official announcement after the Maghrib prayer (sunset) on the 29th day of the current month, confirming the sighting of the moon or otherwise.
When is Hajj in 2026?
Generally, the end and start of an Islamic month are practiced by different countries, under their own arrangements, including most of the religious events, such as Ramadan and Eids. However, Hajj is a unique Islamic Religious Event that is specifically performed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Hence, the start of the month of Dhul Hajj and the Hajj Days are necessarily followed by the entire Muslim World, as announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Since the Islamic calendar is based on the birth and appearance of the new moon, the start of Dhul Hijjah in Saudi Arabia is very important. The rituals of Hajj start on the 8th day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah. The Government of Saudi Arabia makes an official announcement about the start of the month of Dhul Hijjah, as explained above. Accordingly, they also announce the days of Hajj. Although the precise date cannot be predicted at this time, the Hajj date can be determined using the Umm al-Qura Calendar, which is officially used in Saudi Arabia.
Expected Dates of Hajj 2026
The exact dates of Hajj would depend on the sighting of the moon of Dhul Hajj in Saudi Arabia, which will be officially announced by the Saudi Government, as per the process mentioned above.
The expected date of the start of the month of Duhl Hajj and Hajj days can be predicted as follows:
- The 29th day of the month of Dhul-Qa’dah is expected to fall on May 16, 2026, whereas according to the Umm Al-Qura Calendar, the month of Dhul-Qa’dah is expected to be of 30 days and would end on May 17, 2026
- Accordingly, the month of Dhul-Hajj would start on May 18, 2026.
- In that scenario, the Hajj days are most likely to start on May 25, 2026, and end on May 29, 2026.
- The day of Arafat (the 9th day of Dhul-Hajj) would fall on May 26, 2026.
Important
- All these are carefully calculated dates according to the Umm al-Qura Calendar, officially practiced in Saudi Arabia, and the Government of Saudi Arabia will officially announce the exact Hajj dates on the evening of the 29th day of Dhul-Qa’dah. Hence, we should wait for the Saudi Government’s announcement.
- Most Countries follow their own Hijri Calendar for the purpose of important Islamic events, such as Ramadan and the two Eids. However, Hajj is performed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, so everyone must follow the Hajj date announced by the Saudi Government.
The above-mentioned dates are indicative and can be used for planning Hajj Travel.
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