JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced the procedures for pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom to follow to perform the rituals.
Pilgrims need to go to a care center in Makkah six hours before performing Umrah to check the inoculation status according to the type of approved vaccines.
They will be handed their bracelet, which they must put on at the center. They will then be directed to the Al-Shubaikha gathering center. There, the pilgrims must present their bracelet to verify their data and their permit.
The ministry noted the need for the pilgrims to abide by the Umrah date and time period allocated to them.
The Kingdom began receiving pilgrims from abroad in mid-March, in accordance with requirements and controls set by the Ministry of Health as part of the precautionary measures set to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had previously confirmed the launch of the two updated versions of the apps “Eatmarna” and “Tawakkalna,” in cooperation with the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence.
Through these apps, Saudis and expats can reserve Umrah and visit and prayer permits inside the Grand Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, with permits being displayed only on the Tawakkalna app.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah emphasized the need to adhere to the precautionary and preventive measures, and to reserve permits through the approved official platforms.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported 10 more COVID-19-related deaths on Thursday. The death toll now stands at 6,791.
The Ministry of Health reported 985 new cases, meaning that 402,142 people have now contracted the disease, of which 9,249 remain active.
It said 463 of the new cases were in Riyadh, 164 in Makkah, 140 in the Eastern Province and 30 in Madinah. In addition, 661 patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total to 386,102 recoveries.
Saudi Arabia has so far conducted more than 16 million PCR tests, with 45,843 carried out in the past 24 hours.
Saudi health clinics set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the Kingdom since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Among those testing hubs are Taakad (make sure) centers and Tetamman (rest assured) clinics.
Taakad centers provide COVID-19 testing for those who show no or mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual, while the Tetamman clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell and breathing difficulties.
Appointments to either services can also be made through the ministry’s Sehhaty app.
Saudis and expats in the Kingdom continue to receive their jabs of the coronavirus vaccine, with 6,607,384 people having been inoculated so far.
Want to visit Saudi Arabia for Umrah? Here are the procedures you need to know about
https://arab.news/5qr5e
Want to visit Saudi Arabia for Umrah? Here are the procedures you need to know about
- Saudi Arabia reported 10 more COVID-19-related deaths on Thursday
Saudi leaders congratulate Russian president on re-election
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent on Monday a cable of congratulations to Vladimir Putin on being re-elected as president of Russia, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The King commended distinguished bilateral relations in all fields.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a similar cable to the Russian president.
The King and Crown Prince wished the Russian people further progress and prosperity.
Saudi foreign, culture ministers sign memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation
- MoU set to foster closer cooperation in advancing international cultural exchanges
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to help boost collaboration between their ministries within the cultural sector and aid coordination across various fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The agreement, which was signed in Riyadh, is set to foster closer cooperation in advancing international cultural exchanges.
It is in line with the Kingdom’s National Strategy for Culture under Vision 2030.
Jordan’s crown prince performs Umrah
- He was joined by a diverse group of the Jordanian Armed Forces, young entrepreneurs, activists, athletes
RIYADH: Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah on Monday performed Umrah, the minor pilgrimage to Makkah.
He also performed prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Accompanying him were notable figures including Prince Omar bin Faisal, Prince Nayef bin Asem, and Prince Rakan bin Mired.
He was also joined by a diverse group comprising members of the Jordanian Armed Forces, young entrepreneurs, activists, athletes, and media professionals. They shared in the spiritual journey and also gathered for iftar, the meal to break the fast during Ramadan.
Saudi Red Crescent Authority responds to over 3,700 emergency calls in Madinah following start of Umrah season
- Some 1,746 individuals required emergency medical attention from SRCA’s ambulance teams
RIYADH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Madinah has responded to a total of 3,762 emergency calls since the start of the Umrah season on March 6, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Some 1,746 individuals required emergency medical attention from SRCA’s ambulance teams and were subsequently transported to various healthcare facilities for further treatment.
SRCA’s Madinah Branch Director General Dr. Ahmed Al-Zahrani said that the majority of calls were related to health concerns, while a significant number also pertained to traffic incidents.
Some 1,807 volunteers had worked 10,638 hours at the Prophet’s Mosque and Quba Mosque during this period, he added.
Individuals in Madinah can request ambulance services by calling 997 or by using the Asefni app, which allows users to communicate to an emergency team via a phone call or text message.
Soothing and soulful voices of the Grand Mosque in Makkah
- A brief look at Almukbariya, the place from which the muezzin makes the call to prayer
MAKKAH: They have reverberated through the Grand Mosque in Makkah for centuries — the soulful and soothing voices of muezzins calling the believers, and imams leading prayers five times a day.
Almukbariya in the Grand Mosque of Makkah is the place from which the muezzin, in his soulful voice, chants the adhan (the call to prayer). It is the place from which he repeats the Takbir al-Ihram (opening takbir), ruku (bowing), sujud (prostration) and the concluding prayers, in response to the imam’s prayers.
Almukbariya is distinguished by modern technologies, enabling the muezzin’s voice to be heard throughout the mosque and outside.
The Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques told Arab News that Almukbariya’s importance lies in summoning hundreds of thousands of believers inside and around the Grand Mosque to prayer.
The muezzin arrives inside Almukbariya an hour before the call to prayer. For each prayer, there is a muezzin, a funeral prayer caller and a substitute muezzin.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The first call to prayer, at noon in the Grand Mosque, was delivered from the roof of the Kaaba by the Prophet Muhammad’s companion Bilal bin Rabah.
• Loudspeakers in the Grand Mosque were introduced for the first time in 1947 during the reign of King Abdulaziz.
The melodious and soulful sounds of the muezzins, young and experienced, reverberate through Almukbariya. The general presidency, represented by the Imams and Muezzins Affairs Agency, sets special schedules in which these muezzins alternate between the adhan and the iqamah.
Almukbariya cabin, which overlooks the mataf, has gone through several stages. It was demolished in 1337 AH (1958) due to the first Saudi expansion, moved to the “maqam Shafi’i” above the Zamzam Well until 1383 AH, and then to the southern mataf of the Kaaba until its construction was completed in 1397 AH.
Saad Al-Joudi, a researcher specializing in the history of Makkah, said that the first call to prayer, at noon in the Grand Mosque, was delivered from the roof of the Kaaba by the Prophet Muhammad’s companion Bilal bin Rabah. This was on the order of the prophet on the day of the conquest of Makkah in the year 630 (8 AH).
Al-Joudi added that Almukbariya is considered the “magnifying glass” of the Grand Mosque and that its many modern technologies allow the transmission of the muezzin’s voice across the mosque and beyond.
Loudspeakers in the Grand Mosque were introduced for the first time in 1947 during the reign of King Abdulaziz.
The late Makkan historian and writer Prof. Ahmed Ali Asad Allah Al-Kazemi said in his memoirs “The Daily Events in Makkah” that in 1947, Sheikh Abd Al-Zahir Abu Al-Samh, the imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, asked Minister of Finance Abdullah bin Suleiman Al-Hamdan to provide loudspeakers and a microphone.
He wrote that in that year the speakers in the Grand Mosque were used for the Friday and Eid sermons, which fell on the same day. The sermon was usually delivered by Sheikh Abu Al-Samh’s son, Abdul Rahman, with only a few worshipers in the mosque able to hear. However, on Oct. 31, 1947, Sheikh Abu Al-Samh delivered the Friday sermon with a microphone heard by thousands of worshipers in the Grand Mosque.
In 1957, the speaker’s location was changed when the first expansion of the Mataf in the Grand Mosque took place. In 1963, the speakers were placed in a separate private building — the Almukbariya.
The building was designed for greater sound clarity to amplify the voices of the muezzins. There are also sound and television control rooms and studios, special waiting offices for muezzins and alternates, and rooms for public services. The Mataf and Kaaba can be seen from the southern part of the Almukbariya.