Over 13,000 spend last 10 days of Ramadan at Prophet’s Mosque

Arab News
June 18, 2017

Madinah, Jun 18: The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques announced the number of mutakifeen — those who seclude themselves in the Prophet’s Mosque for the last 10 days of Ramadan — numbered 13,575.

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Of this number, 11,432 are men and 2,143 are women, according to an undersecretariat official, Saud Al-Saedi, who was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Three areas have been designated for men and one for women. Both areas are provided with trained employees and technical equipment, he said, adding that all stayers are registered within an electronic system. There are rules that must be followed, such as keeping the area clean, not disturbing other worshipers, not damaging the mosque walls and furniture, and ending their stay by the end of Isha prayer, the night of Eid Al-Fitr.

Al-Saedi said that next year, those who plan itikaf at the Prophet’s Mosque — from within and outside the country — can register online and receive cards before they arrive at the mosque.

SR250,000 for a suite in Makkah

In Makkah, the price for a 10-day stay in a five-star, Haram-overlooking suite is SR250,000 ($66,664), while prices start from SR40,000 in hotels around the Grand Mosque but not overlooking it, according to an Al-Eqtisadiah report. Lower hotel prices are found in more distant areas.

The Emergency Forces Department in Madinah is operating under directions from the king, crown prince and deputy crown prince regarding visitors to the Two Holy Mosques. During the last 10 days of Ramadan, the department’s Prophet’s Mosque Force continues to organize and handle the masses, grouping them on the basis of capacity, from Al-Salam Gate to the Holy Rawdha, and then to the Baqeea Graveyard Gate, said Commander Col. B’jad bin Majed Al-Harbi.

He said the number of worshipers will significantly increase in the last two days of Ramadan and more staff will be deployed to prevent people from blocking walkways.

Comments

shamon
 - 
Monday, 19 Jun 2017

It is illogic for the Hotels in Makkah and Madinah for charging too high. Saudi Govt should take note of this. Hoteliers swhould not misuse the opportunity. This is illegal and illogic. what will be their answer ont he day of judgement?

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Makkah, Jul 31: Organising this year's scaled-down hajj required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, King Salman said Friday after being discharged from hospital following gall bladder surgery.

Only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom are participating in this year's pilgrimage, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"Holding the ritual in the shadow of this pandemic... required reducing the numbers of pilgrims, but it obliged various official agencies to put in double efforts," 84-year-old King Salman said in a speech read out on state television by acting media minister Majid Al-Qasabi.

"The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," he said.

The speech came on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, a day after the king left hospital following a 10-day stay for surgery to remove his gall bladder.

The hajj, which began on Wednesday, is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

Authorities implemented the "highest health precautions" during the rituals, the king said.

Pilgrims, who were all tested for the virus, are required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

For Friday's "stoning of the devil", the last major ritual of the hajj, Saudi authorities offered the pilgrims pebbles that were sanitised to protect against the pandemic.

In a sign that its strict measures were working, the health ministry reported no coronavirus cases in the holy sites on Wednesday or Thursday.

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Agencies
July 22,2020

Riyadh, Jul 22: Saudi King Salman held a cabinet meeting via video call from hospital in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday, a day after the 84-year-old monarch was admitted with inflammation of the gall bladder.

Three Saudi sources said the king was in stable condition.

A video of the king chairing the meeting was broadcast on Saudi state TV on Tuesday evening. In the video, which has no sound, King Salman can be seen behind a desk, wordlessly reading and leafing through documents.

The king, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter and close US ally since 2015, was undergoing medical checks, state media on Monday cited a Royal Court statement as saying.

Three well-connnected Saudi sources who declined to be identified, two of whom were speaking late on Monday and one on Tuesday, said the king was “fine”.

An official in the region, who requested anonymity, said he spoke to one of King Salman’s sons on Monday who seemed “calm” and that there was no sense of panic about the monarch’s health.

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News Network
June 17,2020

Abu Dhabi, Jun 17: The Ministry of Education (MoE) has allowed students still enrolled in universities overseas to obtain exceptions to attendance policies at their respective academic institutions in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the ministry said that the move stems from its keenness to ensure the continuity of education for those students and to maintain effective channels of communication with them.

Students' applications for exceptions to academic attendance in universities due to Covid-19 should be submitted following the end of the academic year, and not after the academic semester, via the following email: [email protected].

In their email, students have to explain the reasons for the required exceptions and should include an official message from the university concerned.

Scholarship approval issued by the Ministry of Education for studying abroad should also be attached.

The student's score reports for the academic years spent in the host countries and the duration of each academic year should also be attached, in addition to an entry and exit report of the student from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship.

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