Makkah News and Updates

Go for Ramadan Umrah once
‘to make it easy for others’


BE CONSIDERATE: Haj Ministry and Civil Defense officials are asking Saudis and expatriates in the Kingdom to perform Umrah
only once during Ramadan to give others, especially the elderly and physically weak, a chance to do their pilgrimage with ease.

Sunday 13 July 2014

A high-ranking official at the Haj Ministry has advised Saudis and expats to perform Umrah only once during Ramadan to give others a chance to do it with ease. Civil Defense has sent text messages to Saudis and expats urging them not to perform Umrah more than once.

Hussein Al-Sharif, undersecretary at the Haj Ministry, said efforts to reduce the number of pilgrims are only temporary until Grand Mosque expansion projects are complete.

“We are trying to put a cap on the number of pilgrims in their own interest and safety pending construction efforts, especially since there are many elderly pilgrims and children.”

Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, head of the grand scholars committee, had openly supported the decision to reduce the number of Umrah visitors and pilgrims during the peak Ramadan and Haj seasons.

A number of Shariah specialists have also supported the decision, saying it would benefit Grand Mosque and Prophet Mosque visitors.

Makkah has become a large workshop, with cranes dotting the landscape as expansion efforts go ahead.

Once complete, the area for circumambulation will accommodate 130,000 worshippers as opposed to the previous 30,000 limit.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/601136

7 July 2014

Makkawis work hard to feed fasters

Sunday, 13 July 2014 - 15 Ramadan 1435 H

MAKKAH — A beautiful habit that the residents of Makkah have inherited from their ancestors is to show hospitality toward the guests of the holy city.

Makkawis are competing among themselves to take good care of their guests, especially during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Sometimes the Makkawis would go as far as pleading with the guests to accept what they offer them. They are doing this to be rewarded by Allah.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said whoever provides a faster with a meal to break their fast will receive the same reward from Allah as the person fasting.

To gain the reward from Allah and preserve the good habit that has existed for many centuries, the Makkawis are determined to provide fasters with special meals for iftar (the meal taken to break the fast).

The Makkawis may take their ready-made meals to the mosques, the plazas of the Grand Mosque, the central area around it, squares and main streets in various parts of Makkah, the traffic lights and other places where pilgrims gather.

At a mosque in the Al-Shuqiyyah residential area local Saudi resident Khaled Bashaddadh said people in the neighborhood would bring iftar meals to the mosque every day before sunset.

He said it is a common tradition in Makkah that a group of young male volunteers will receive the donations of the residents in cash or kind to prepare iftar meals for fasting worshipers in mosques all over the holy city.

Bashaddadh said he made it clear to his neighbors that he would not accept cash donations but only food to prepare the iftar meals in the mosque near his home.

He said philanthropists provide him with cartons of water, fruits, dates and yogurt that he will use to prepare meal packages.

"The residents also supply me with meals that are cooked in restaurants to add to the package," he said.

Bashaddadh said he and a group of young men have dedicated themselves to preparing the iftar meals every day at their mosque.

He said: “We begin our work at 6 p.m., an hour 10 minutes before iftar time. We lay down the sufras (plastic spreads on which food is laid) and start placing the meals.”

He said every day he distributes 10 cartons of water, eight cartons of dates as well as the same number of cartons filled with fruit and 250 small bottles of yoghurt.

Bashaddadh said every day he and his group of friends to provide 250 fasters with iftar meals at their mosque.

Ali Qudus said he and his sons cool down bottles of natural water and yoghurt to serve to the fasting pilgrims or visitors.

"We add dates too and put them all in plastic bags to serve to the fasters," he said.

Qudus said he and his sons would every day distribute more than 1,000 iftar meals about 20 minutes before it is time to break the fast.

“I inherited this custom from my father who died about nine years ago. I hope my sons will also inherit it from me.”

Abdullah Barakah, an old Saudi, said with the advent of Ramadan every year he would gather his sons and grandsons at the family home to help him prepare meals for fasters.

He said his meal consists of an apple, banana, tea biscuits, a small bottle of natural water and a number of dates.

"When we finish putting all these ingredients in plastic bags we go to the undeveloped areas where we will distribute half of the quantity and take the other half to the main streets and squares," he said.

Khaled Banamah said he inherited the custom of providing iftar meals from his father and grandfather.

He said: “Fifteen minutes before iftar, I prepare a large quantity of plastic cups, small tins of dates and handkerchiefs.

“When the Maghreb adhan is called, I start filling the cups with cool Zamzam water while my son distributes the dates tins.”

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140713211383

Quba Mosque
_______________________

Quba — the first mosque in the history of Islam


FASCINATING: An enchanting view of the Quba Mosque in Madinah.

Sunday 13 July 2014

Quba Mosque to the south of Madinah is the second largest and prestigious mosque in the city after the Prophet’s Mosque, but claims the first place owing to its importance in Islamic history having been built in the first year of the Islamic calendar.

Quba Mosque witnesses an influx of worshippers and visitors throughout the year, but the numbers have increased these days owing to the holy month of Ramadan. Large gatherings can be observed in the mosque’s precincts especially in the early hours of the morning.

Author Sapphire Hamwi said in his book (Lexicon countries) that Quba Mosque was originally a well surrounded by a village named after it. It was inhabited by the tribe of Bani Amr bin Auf. On his way to Madinah, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) visited the home of Bani Amr Bin Auf and built a mosque in the area which he named Quba.

Historical references indicate that the Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) built the mosque to the Southwest of Madinah, three km away from the Prophet’s Mosque in the first year of the Hijri or Islamic calendar.

The mosque contained a well which belonged to Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him). It became a blessed place as the Prophet’s she-camel first knelt down there to take a long draught of water after the Prophet’s journey.

The prestigious and unique characteristics of Quba Mosque compared to other mosques are cited in this Hadith narrated by the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Whoever makes ablutions in this house and offers one prayer therein, will be rewarded the equivalent of one Umrah.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) made it a habit to come to Quba Mosque every Saturday, either riding his camel or on foot and offer two rak’at prayers.
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to go to Quba Mosque sometimes walking, sometimes riding,” narrated by Ibn Umar, and in another narration: “He would then offer two Rak’at”. ‘Abdullah (Ibn ‘Umar) used to do the same.

In the past centuries, Muslims have accorded Quba Mosque much attention. It was renovated by a number of caliphs of the period. The third Caliph Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) made the first renovations. Caliph Omar bin Abdul Aziz built the mosque’s first minaret. It was renovated again in 435 AH by Abu Yali Al-Husaini who constructed a prayer niche known as the “Mihrab.”

In the year 555 AH, several additions were made to the mosque by Kamal Al-Din Al-Isfahani. Successive renovations of the mosque took place in the years 671, 733, 840, 881 AH, and the latest changes were made in the era of Sultan Abdul Majid in the year 1245 AH during the time of the Ottoman Empire.

In modern times, the Saudi regime has taken charge of the mosque by endowing the responsibility to the Ministry of Haj Affairs which made further renovations and added structures to the original design.

The modern day Quba Mosque is an architectural feat equipped with the latest facilities while maintaining its Islamic identity. The mosque has been expanded to accommodate more than 20 thousand worshipers.

In 1984, the late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz laid the foundation stone for the historic expansion of the Quba Mosque. Two years later, he inaugurated the opening of the mosque after its expansion.

The Mosque was designed with an inner courtyard with several entrances. The northern section was reserved for women worshippers.

The mosque now has four minarets and 56 domes and adjoined to it is the residence of Imams and muezzins, a library, lodging for the guards in an area of 112 sq. meters, and a commercial center with 12 shops covering an area of 450 sq. meters. The mosque has 7 main entrances and 12 subsidiary ones.
The mosque has 64 toilets for men and 32 toilets for women, and 42 units for ablution.

The mosque is cooled by three central units each with a capacity of one million and eighty thousand thermal units. Quba Mosque is a unique landmark and its white building can be clearly seen from a distance.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/600996

 

Quba Mosque in the past
with one minaret






Quba Mosque 2014

General statistics

of the Umrah season 1435/2014



Until 16 Ramadan 1435 - 14 July 2014

Total Number of the Mutamirs:

5,888,322
______________________________________
Number expected for the whole Umrah season
6,000,000

* Mutamir/s: is/are the one who come into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to perform Umrah rituals and visit the Prophet's Holy Mosque.



11 July 2014

Food banned inside the Grand Mosque

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Cleaners at the Grand Mosque in Makkah are facing tough time cleaning the mosque’s courtyard because of the large amount of food brought in by visitors to break their fast.

Speaking on the issue, an official at the mosque, said: “Pilgrims and visitors at the Grand Mosque don’t need to bring in their own food as authorities are supplying over a million iftar packs to them daily,” adding that large quantities of food and beverages into the Grand Mosque hamper cleaners from doing their job.

Abdullah Al-Tamih said: “Leftovers and plastic disposables were also posing a difficulty to other worshippers and pilgrims.”

The official advised visitors to deposit their belongings in safe lockers located outside the Grand Mosque, “which are secured with electronic locks and available in different sizes according to the needs of visitors.”

Pilgrims sitting idly in the courtyards of the Grand Mosque hamper the movement of those coming and going to the toilets, he said. He highlighted a number of other issues related to the maintenance of the mosque, including the wastage of zam zam water by pilgrims and the empty cups lying all over the courtyards when there are several bins available for the purpose.

“Owing to the huge crowds present at the Grand Mosque in the evenings, 500 professional employees have been assigned to supervise the cleaning operation immediately after the iftar is over,” he added.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/602591

Software application on a mobile phone under the title (errant)
to guide visitors to the Grand Mosque

برنامج تطبيقي على الهاتف الجوال تحت عنوان ( المطوف)
لتوجيه وإرشاد زوار المسجد الحرام

13 July 2014

انطلاقا من توجيهات خادم الحرمين الشريفين- حفظه الله- لتسخير كُل الإمكانات لخدمة الحجاج والمعتمرين والزوار, ولأهمية العناية بالجانب التوجيهي والإرشادي والعمل على تطوير الوسائل المعينة في هذا الجانب بعد عون الله وتوفيقه , فقد أعدت إدارة التوجيه والإرشاد بالمسجد الحرام برنامجاً تطبيقياً على الهاتف الجوال تحت عنوان ( المطوف) أوضح ذلك مديرعام التوجيه والإرشاد بالمسجد الحرام فضيلة الدكتور / عبدالعزيز بن عبدا لله البخيّت وأضاف فضيلته إن تطبيق هذا البرنامج بتوجيه وإشراف من معالي الرئيس العام لشؤون المسجد الحرام والمسجد النبوي الشيخ الدكتور عبدالرحمن بن عبدالعزيز السديس ولأهمية الإستفادة من التقنية الحديثة في الوصول لأكبر شريحة مستهدفه من رواد الحرمين الشريفين وبين فضيلته أن برنامج (المطوف) برنامج تعليمي تثقيفي توعوي يمكن تحميله مجاناً ويقوم بتعليم المسلم مناسك الحج والعمرة وشرحها شرحاً مبسطاً مستعيناً بالوسائل المتنوعة من رسومات وخرائط توضيحية ,وبين فضيلته أن هذا البرنامج التطبيقي على الجوال هو ثمرة تعاون مشترك بين الرئاسة العامة لشؤون المسجد الحرام والمسجد النبوي بإعتبارها جهة مالكه ومشرفة وبين بعض الجهات المتعاونة باعتبارها جهة مشاركة.

http://www.gph.gov.sa/index.cfm?do=c...3&categoryid=2

Google translation: Based on the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - may God protect him - to harness all the potential to serve the pilgrims and visitors, and the importance of care side of the steering and guiding and working on the development of aids in this aspect after the help of Allah Almighty, has prepared a management direction and guidance in the Holy Mosque program an applied on a mobile phone under the title (errant) explained that General Manager guidance Holy Mosque virtue Dr / Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Bakhit added eminence the application of this program under the guidance and supervision of His Excellency President General for the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Sudais and the importance of making use of modern technology in the access to the largest segment targeted by the pioneers of the Two Holy Mosques and the eminence that program (errant) educational program educational Awareness can be downloaded for free and teach the Muslim Hajj and Umrah explained simplified explanation assisted by means of the variety of graphics and illustrative maps, and the eminence that this software application on the mobile phone is the result of a joint cooperation between the presidency public Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque as a point of its owner and honorable and some collaborators as hand post.