Saudi Supreme Court announces Tuesday as beginning of new Islamic year

RIYADH: Tuesday will mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court announced on Monday after the crescent moon of Muharram was sighted. Muharram is the first month of the Hijri calendar and Muslims are encouraged to fast on the day of Ashura which falls on the tenth of the month (Thursday June 25, 2026). Muslims believe that the day of Ashura commemorates various historical events, including the day when Prophet Musa and the Israelites were saved from the tyranny of pharaoh in Egypt.