The crescent moon marking the start of Dhul Hijjah was sighted across the Gulf and much of Southeast Asia on the evening of May 17, setting the sequence for this year's Eid al-Adha observances. Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court, the UAE's Council for Fatwa, and religious authorities in Indonesia and Malaysia all confirmed the sighting, establishing Monday, May 18, as the first day of the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. This consensus placed the Day of Arafah — the spiritual peak of the Hajj pilgrimage — on Tuesday, May 26, and the first day of Eid al-Adha on Wednesday, May 27. The uniformity across the Arabian Peninsula and the archipelago nations reflects a rare alignment of moon-sighting methodologies, though the use of astronomical calculations in official determinations varies by country.

For India, the picture diverged. The Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid announced that the crescent had not been sighted on the evening of May 17, delaying the start of Dhul Hijjah by a day. Consequently, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated across most of India on Thursday, May 28, a day later than in the Gulf states. This annual discrepancy, rooted in the traditional reliance on local naked-eye sighting rather than a single global lunar calendar, underscores the transnational choreography of Islam's second holiest festival. Viewed from the subcontinent, the decision carries particular weight because the month of Dhul Hijjah also governs the timing of the Hajj pilgrimage, in which several hundred thousand Indian Muslims participate each year.

The confirmation of dates triggered a cascade of holiday declarations across the Gulf. In the UAE, private sector employees will receive a four-day paid break from Tuesday, May 26, through Friday, May 29, with normal work resuming on Monday, June 1. Federal government employees, however, will enjoy a five-day holiday starting Monday, May 25, which, when bracketed by the weekend, creates a potential nine-day break for some public sector workers and schoolchildren. Oman announced a five-day holiday for both public and private sectors from May 26 to May 30, with offices reopening on Sunday, May 31. The generosity of these breaks — among the most liberal in the region — reflects the enduring social and cultural primacy of the Feast of Sacrifice, a time for prayer, family reunions, and the distribution of meat to the needy.

Beyond the calendar and holiday logistics, the onset of Dhul Hijjah signals the final preparations for the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Saudi authorities are already coordinating with international delegations to manage the influx of millions of pilgrims to the holy sites. The convergence of Hajj with Eid al-Adha this year means that the ritual of animal sacrifice — Qurbani — will be performed both by pilgrims in Mina and by Muslims at home around the world. For observers in Riyadh, the successful implementation of this dual logistical challenge is a matter of prestige and security, while for Muslims in Southeast Asia and the subcontinent, the festival remains primarily a domestic religious and communal affair. The 2026 cycle thus illustrates both the unity of the global Muslim community in its foundational rites and the practical divergences that geography and tradition impose.