First prayer in Makkah's Grand Mosque held without social distancing
March 06, 2022
MAKKAH: Worshippers at Makkah’s Grand Mosque on Sunday performed the Fajr prayer without physical distancing, following a decision by the Ministry of Interior to lift the obligation at this and other mosques, including the Prophet’s Mosque. The use of face masks is still required.
The Grand Mosque offers a safe environment: The air inside is purified several times a day, while the various facilities are sanitized using the latest technology to ensure the health of worshippers during prayer and other rituals.
An official source at the Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that social distancing at the Two Holy Mosques and all other mosques in the Kingdom would end but that worshipers would still have to wear masks.The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that permits, procured through Eatmarna or Tawakkalna, for performing Umrah and praying in the Rawdah at the Prophet’s Mosque are still required in order to lessen crowds and ensure a smooth journey.
The Ministry of Interior stressed the importance of continuing to stick to the guidelines of the national plan for immunization, which include getting a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and following procedures to verify health status on the Tawakkalna app to enter facilities, including public transportation, and participate in events.
The ministry explained that the above measures were subject to continuous evaluation by health authorities in the Kingdom according to developments in the epidemiological situation.
After 2 Years: Lifting Of All Precautionary Measures
MAKKAH: The Ministry of Interior has lifted most Precautionary Measures against spread of COVID-19 ahead of Ramadan 2022.
This includes:
Abolishment of Social Distancing and Physical Distancing in all Mosques in the Kingdom including the Two Holy Mosques
Abolishment of Institutional Quarantine and submission of PCR tests for those coming to the Kingdom from outside.
Removal of 10 Day waiting period between Umrah Permits
Lifting of Flight Suspension from 17 countries including Afghanistan, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana , Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Comoros, Nigeria and Ethiopia
Some Mandatory requirements remain in place such as to appear “Immune” on Tawakalana (Vaccinated against COVID-19) to enter the Two Holy Mosques after obtaining the required permits (Umrah and Prayers in Rawdah only) through Eatmarna or Tawakalana , However children under 5 years of age may be allowed to enter the courtyards of the Two Holy Mosque.
Agency educates female visitors at Grand Mosque in Makkah
MAKKAH: The agency for languages and women’s translation, led by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, offers translations of many educational courses and awareness programs for female visitors of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
It also provides religious education to women who have recently converted to Islam, along with the translation of administrative publications.
The agency is responsible for organizing educational circles in multiple languages for female visitors and pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, along with providing them with religious and spatial guidance.
In 2021, the agency held more than 2,500 educational circles in many international languages, including Uzbek, Persian, English, French, Urdu and Turkish, and offered 3,597 religious and spatial guidance services for female visitors at the Grand Mosque.
It also provides translation of education materials and pamphlets, and distributes barcodes and supporting headphones for people to listen to the live broadcast of sermons on Fridays via radio frequencies within the Grand Mosque, with the assistance of a task force that explains how to use the service.
Over the course of the year, the agency launches several initiatives aimed at improving its output, including initiatives aimed at clarifying the concept of Hajj and Umrah, and some of the women’s provisions regarding Hajj and Umrah in different languages.
The strategy marks the beginning of a new era in the scholarship program that will contribute to enhancing citizens’ competitiveness
The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program Strategy includes three strategic pillars
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the Strategy of the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program on Monday.
The strategy marks the beginning of a new era in the scholarship program that will contribute to enhancing citizens’ competitiveness through upskilling people in new and promising sectors to fulfil the needs of the future labor market, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The launch is also part of the Kingdom’s efforts to develop the capabilities of people and achieve Vision 2030 objectives.
The Human Capability Development Program committee has developed the Strategy of the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program in collaboration with relevant entities, and the strategy is designed to cover different educational paths aligned with Vision 2030 priorities, programs, and the evolving needs of the labor market.
The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program Strategy includes three strategic pillars, according to SPA.
The first pillar raises awareness among students on the importance of early planning for their educational and practical journey at global institutions and universities in different fields.
The aim of the second pillar is to create scholarship paths and programs in order to elevate the Kingdom’s competitiveness both locally and globally by focusing on future disciplines and fulfilling the needs of local and global labor markets in collaboration with top educational institutions.
The third pillar ensures proper post-graduation follow-ups and guidance for scholarship beneficiaries, providing them with services to improve their readiness to join the labor market locally and globally.
The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program Strategy consists of four paths with specific objectives.
The “Al-Rowad” (pioneers) path aims to have students enrolled in the top 30 educational institutions around the world, in various disciplines, which will enable citizens to excel and compete in all fields.
The “Al-Bahth wa Al-Tatweer” (research and development) focuses on sending post-graduate students to the best institutes and universities around the world to produce the scientists of the future.
The “Emdad” (supply) path aims to meet the needs of the labor market in specific disciplines that are periodically updated through scholarships to the best 200 universities to ensure that the labor market is equipped with the required competencies.
The “Wa’ed” (promising) path aims to train scholarship recipients in promising sectors and fields based on national demands from giga projects and priority sectors, such as manufacturing and tourism.
The launch of the strategy is a continuation of the Kingdom’s efforts to increase citizens' readiness for the future and to improve their global competitiveness.
Students can apply for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program through the Ministry of Education's “Safeer” platform.
MAKKAH: Traffic congestion and delays in Makkah may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a major public transport initiative and the use of innovative smart solutions.
Residents in Makkah have long relied on cars for transportation, causing traffic jams in the main streets and annoying delays.
However, an expanding network of public buses is changing the face of travel, as well as improving traffic flow, in the holy city.
The system, still in its trial phase, operates on fixed routes according to prearranged timetable monitored by the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites.
Meanwhile, the Makkah public transportation project aims to introduce smart solutions to address the traffic problem as it works with authorities to improve service quality.
The project is part of the Doyof Al-Rahman Program, a pilgrims’ service initiative launched under the umbrella of Saudi Vision 2030.
Rayan Al-Hazmi, the RCMC representative for the Makkah bus project, said that the scheme will play a key role in improving traffic flow in Makkah by reducing the use of private cars by residents and visitors in the city.
He added that the best international practices have been followed in the planning and introduction of the project.
“Makkah faces special challenges when introducing high-quality public transport,” Al-Hazmi told Arab News.
“To ensure that we have an improved level of service, we have given special consideration to the density of network (how many lines or corridors), type of service (service line, full-stop local bus or express routes, skip-stop service), prices and fare structure,” he said.
Service schedule and frequency, line speed, bus type, and comfort and convenience on board the vehicles are also major considerations, he said.
Al-Hazmi said that different stopping patterns will be provided for the express services in order to reduce travel times for long journeys.
These services can be integrated with local services through carefully planned locations of interchanges, such as the integration of Line 7A from Al-Haramain High-Speed Station and the Makkah central area, where passengers can use the four main stations in the city to navigate between various lines.
“As part of the project, further improvement will be provided for some traffic signals in Makkah to ensure public buses have priority. Also, we will have real-time passenger information at bus stops and allow any operator to meet specified quality standards for the service,” Al-Hazmi said.
Drivers and other personnel have completed comprehensive training programs to ensure they are aware of the operational requirements and special characteristics in Makkah.
Simulators have been used to provide practical training to drivers seeking to meet the high driving standards. These study the driver’s behavior, interaction with the simulated vehicle (steering, braking, for example), interaction with an in-vehicle system, and the interaction of the vehicle system with the roadway and traffic environment.
A safe and secure public transport system is one of the key aims of project, Al-Hazmi said.
All bus stops, stations and buses are equipped with CCTV cameras linked to the main operation control center. Partnerships with the various security authorities have been established to ensure responses can be coordinated, he added.
Network planning and design can be decisive factors in the success of a public transport system.
Bus stops within easy walking distance will ensure maximum coverage of the urban area.
“We believe the economic impact of such bus stops along the various routes will be recognized by homeowners, retailers and residents once the network is fully operational,” he said.
The Makkah bus transportation project will provide more than 400 high-quality bus stops to improve the comfort for passengers onboard and at the stop stations.
More than 30 scholars are available around the clock at the Grand Mosque to answer worshippers’ questions on Umrah rituals and give fatwas.
JEDDAH: More than 30 Muslim scholars are available around the clock at the Grand Mosque in Makkah to answer worshippers’ questions on the correct performance of Umrah rituals and give fatwas.
The move to ensure Shariah-compliant Umrah performance comes as the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques steps up preparations for the holy month of Ramadan.
After the presidency resumed plans for full-capacity worship, its guidance affairs administration intensified efforts to assist worshippers from a range of nationalities.
“These scholars are working inside the Grand Mosque around the clock. They can easily be reached as they are available at seven spots inside the mosque,” Sheikh Badr bin Abdullah Al-Furaih, deputy president for guidance affairs, told Arab News.
The presidency is also expected to increase the number of these scholars during Ramadan. These scholars work in four shifts, with four working hours for each scholar.
Four offices have also been allocated to allow visitors to seek advice through the toll-free numbers 800 1222 400, and 800 1222 100, he added.
Worshippers can also have their questions answered by guidance robots available at the Grand Mosque.
In the first quarter of 2021, more than 23,000 visitors benefited from the service, which was provided through the “We Guide You in Your Language” program and set up at seven locations inside the mosque.
The presidency has also recruited interpreters to help handle worshippers’ inquiries.
Al-Furaih said that 12 interpreters are on hand to guide Umrah performers and visitors to the Grand Mosque, and instruct them during their rituals.
Advice is available in seven languages: English, Urdu, Persian, French, Turkish, Hausa and Bengali.
Non-Arabic speaking visitors can also choose between these languages when using robots and toll-free numbers to seek a fatwa or guidance, he added.
Commenting on which of the four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence these scholars follow in their fatwas and instructions, Al-Furaih said that the scholars give answers based on the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna, as well as the viewpoints of eminent Muslim scholars (Ulama).
“In their fatwas and instructions, these scholars count on the fatwas issued by the Permanent Committee for Ifta,” he said.
MAKKAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has scrapped the requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to obtain Umrah Permits for local pilgrims aged 5 and above, OKAZ reported on Thursday.
The only requirement would be not to be infected with COVID-19 or a suspected close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
This comes after the Hajj Ministry lifted most Precautionary measures to ease access for the Guests of Rahman including:
Removing the Requirement to show proof of Immunization before entering the Two Holy Mosques for all pilgrims
Removing the Requirement to register Immunization data in order to obtain Umrah Permits for Pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom.
Removing the requirement to Quarantine or provide PCR tests for Pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom
Pilgrims from outside the Kingdom can obtain Umrah permits without Proof of Vaccination but Please this applies to Umrah Visa Holders under the domain of Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
Delete above message, dont know if its for children or adults aswell.
Awaiting further updates. Although that is correct, the entry into Saudi Arabia still requires proof of vaccination for entry into the country first. This might be changed very soon (unless already changed).
The situation is a little confusing and I would recommend pilgrims speak to their agents first.
If it also gets scrapped for umrah and hajj visa then man lot of sincere muslims got duped into getting vaccinated. I know many muslims who don't even travel anywhere apart from the haramains and only got vaccinated for the umrah visa requirement in future.
Don't worry about them. They got vaccinated so they could go in the path of Allah, their protection is in His Hands. The vaccine has only as much effect on a human, as Allah allows.
I'm now assuming that visa for Umrah will have an exception whereas visa to travel around other Saudi locations may require certificates before entry into the country.
The visa itself will overwrite the need for a vaccine certificate.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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