When is Hajj 2017? – Dates for Hajj 2017

The dates of Hajj for 2017 (1438) are as follows,

Note: The dates above have been not yet been confirmed by the authorities in Saudi Arabia. These dates are based on calculations – please check closer to time for confirmed dates.

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So you may be wondering how the dates above were arrived at. Good question. First we can calculate the moon phases in August, which is when the month of Dhul Hijjah will start this year inshAllah,As we can see the new moon is expected on the Monday, 21-Aug-2017 at 21:30 (in Makkah). But will it be visible on this day? This is where we have to calculate the moon crescent visibility curves to verify. Moon crescent visibility curves for three days are as follows,

As can be seen from these curves,

• The moon will not be visible on Mon, 21-Aug-2017
• The moon will be visible by the naked eye on Tue, 22-Aug-2017. This means that the first day of Dhul Hijjah will be Wednesday, 23-Aug-2017
• So the first day of Hajj (the 8th of Dhul Hijjah) will be on Wednesday, 30-Aug-2017 inshAllah

Ref

1. “Moonsighting.com”, http://www.moonsighting.com/
2. “Accurate Times”, International Astronomical Center (IAC)