UAE President calls for nation-wide rain prayers this Friday
The prayers, known as Salaat Al Istisqaa, will be carried out on December 18
Dubai: President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has instructed the prayers for rain to be performed this Friday, it was announced.
The prayers for rain, known in Arabic as Salaat Al Istisqaa, will be carried out at mosques, mussalahs and prayer sites across the nation on December 18.
The rain prayers will be held in keeping with the tradition of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to pray for the land to be blessed with rain.
Maintaining precaution
The rain prayers will be held in all mosques and prayer sites 10 minutes prior to the call of Friday prayers.
Since mosques reopened on December 4, they will continue to follow strict guidelines and follow COVID-19 precautionary measures, which include reducing the capacity of worshippers to 30 per cent, allowing prayers in the outer courtyards and broadcasting the prayer over loudspeaker, the safe distance of two meters maintained between worshippers and entry and exit movements regulated.
Ablution must be performed at home and senior citizens, children and those with chronic diseases or respiratory diseases and those suffering from weak immunity should perform prayers at home, according to the Fatwa Council of the UAE.
“Friday’s sermon together with the prayer should not exceed 10 minutes; mosque workers and volunteers will organize the entry and exit of worshipers,” earlier said Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, Spokesperson of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA). He added that all worshipers must wear face masks and bring their own prayer rugs, which must not be left inside the mosques or shared with other.