Over 90,000 Saudi mosques reopened at weekend, except in Makkah

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – More than 90,000 mosques in Saudi Arabia will reopen on Sunday (May 31) after the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance conducts maintenance, cleaning and sterilization, Saudi Gazette reported.

Nevertheless, the opening of mosques throughout the kingdom excludes those in Makkah which has been closed for more than two months.

Th mosques will be opened in accordance with the instructions of Minister of Islamic Affairs Abdullatif Al-Asheikh and in line with an advisory issued by the Senior Council of Ulemas.

The ministry is carrying out on a wide range of campaigns on all media outlets, TV channels, radio stations, newspapers and online news platforms, in addition to its portal and other digitally-administered websites, in order to disseminate precautionary medical instructions and procedures in a number of internationally-recognized languages, urging all worshipers to abide by them for their own safety.

Among the instructions are doing ablution at home, proper hand washing and using sanitizers before going out to the mosque and after coming back home.

Elders and those with chronic diseases are advised to perform their prayers at home.

Reading and reciting the Holy Qur’an online is advised, too, from one’s own mobile phone or at least reading from a privately owned copy of Quran.

Bringing one’s prayer mat to perform prayers in mosques is highly recommended as well as keeping a two-meter distance between one another prayer.

Accompanying under 15-year old children to the mosques is prohibited.

Putting on a face mask and avoidance of handshaking and scrambling, at mosques gates, are also recommendable.

During the shutdown, the ministry is carrying out a massive cleaning, sanitizing and maintaining with world-class quality and best known practices over 10 million mosques, 43 million copies of several sizes and volumes of the Quran, more than 600,000 the Quran cupboards, as well as repairing and maintaining about 176,000 water closets.

Reporting by Indonesia Window