Saudi Arabia: How religious online services make visits to Umrah, Al Rawda Al Sharifa easy
Cairo: Saudi authorities have urged Muslims wishing to visit Islam’s two holiest sites to use its Nusuk app to swiftly access services and enrich their journeys.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj said Nusuk features a set of advantages that facilitate the worshippers’ trips.
They include obtaining official permits for performing Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest place in Mecca, visiting Al Rawda Al Sharifa housed in the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest in Medina, and learning about the occupancy status at prayer areas.
The app also keeps users updated about the prayer timings, finds the Qibla or direction of the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque for perming the Islamic prayers, and accesses live transmission of the sermon that precedes the Islamic noon Friday prayers.
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“Nusuk app enables you to issue the permit to visit and pray at Al Rawda Al Sharifa in a few minutes,” the ministry said, addressing worshippers. The app can be uploaded via: haj.gov.sa/MobileApp
Al Rawda Al Sharifa is where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) is located.
The new season of Umrah started in Saudi Arabia last month after the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage that around 1.8 million Muslims attended.
Saudi Arabia has recently unveiled a host of facilities for Muslims wishing to come to the country to perform the Umrah.
After undertaking Umrah rites in the Grand Mosque, many pilgrims would flock to the Prophet’s Mosque to pray and visit Al Rawda Al Sharifa.
The Prophet’s Mosque received 74.5 million worshippers in the first quarter of this year, according to Saudi figures.
The cited period covered the holy Islamic month of Ramadan when Umrah usually peaks in Saudi Arabia.
More than 280 million Muslims prayed in the Prophet’s Mosque in 2023, according to official figures.