Saudi Arabia has adjusted the Friday prayer schedule at Makkah’s Grand Mosque and Madina’s Masjid-e-Nabwi to ensure worshippers’ safety during hot weather.
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, has directed these changes.
The sermon, prayer, and supplication will now last for 15 minutes, down from the usual duration. The time between the two azans has also been reduced to 10 minutes.
These adjustments took effect last Friday and will continue until the end of summer. They aim to ease the challenges faced by worshippers attending Friday prayers in extreme heat.
This decision follows a period of exceptionally high temperatures, including a heatwave during Hajj where Makkah recorded temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius. Tragically, over a thousand pilgrims, many of whom were unregistered, lost their lives due to these extreme conditions.
