The Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, announced on his Facebook page that the state will revert to a Saturday-Sunday weekend.

In his post, he shared that the decision was made with the royal assent of the state Ruler, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, and in consultation with the Johor Islamic Religious Council (JAINJ) and other key stakeholders.

"I hope companies allow workers enough time to perform Friday prayers," said Tunku Ismail, adding that he has instructed Johor Chief Minister Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the Johor Mufti to review and discuss all aspects of the issue.

He expressed hope that the private sector, government, and other relevant parties will ensure that Muslim employees have ample time and space to fulfill their Friday prayers.

The change will take effect on January 1, 2025, replacing the current Friday-Saturday weekend arrangement, which has been in place since January 1, 2014.

As reported by Berita Harian, Sultan Ibrahim initially shifted Johor's weekend to Friday-Saturday in 2014 out of respect for Friday, considered the holiest day in Islam, and to reflect Islam as the official religion of Johor.

Interestingly, this move reinstated Johor’s original Friday-Saturday weekend, which had been followed during its time as an Unfederated Malay State. The state only adopted the Saturday-Sunday weekend in 1994 during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as Chief Minister.