Saudi Arabia: Preachers urged to shorten Friday prayers, sermons during Hajj

Cairo: A prominent Saudi religious official has urged preachers and imams leading group prayers at Islam’s two holiest mosques to cut down the duration of their sermons and the Friday noon prayers due to extreme heat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The exhortation was made by Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Sudais, the chief of the Religious Affairs Presidency for the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, as increasing numbers of Muslims are arriving in Saudi Arabia to attend this month’s Hajj.

The directive comes in view of the influx of worshippers into the Grand Mosque, Islam’s most sacred place in Mecca, and to protect their safety amid high temperatures.

Hot to extremely hot weather is expected during the Hajj season with temperatures forecast at noon to range from 45 to 48 degrees Celsius in Mecca and Medina.

Saudi authorities have sought to reduce the impact of scorching heat by cooling roads, pedestrians’ routes, and installing misting fans and umbrellas in the holy places. The Hajj rites in and around Mecca this year are due to begin on June 14. The next year’s Hajj season will be the last to take place in summer for several years.

Saudi competent agencies anticipate record numbers of pilgrims this year after around 30 million Muslims from inside and outside the kingdom undertook Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque during the past Islamic sacred month of Ramadan.

More than 2 million Muslims from across the globe are anticipated to attend the upcoming Hajj.

Around 1 .2 million overseas Muslims have already arrived in the kingdom for Hajj, according to official Saudi figures.

Hajj is one of Islam’s five obligatory duties. Muslims, who can physically and financially afford Hajj, have to perform it at least once in a lifetime.