Mosques hold first Friday prayers since Umrah ban
Muslims performed Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah for the first time since restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus were announced by Saudi Arabia.
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‘Temporary suspension of Umrah compliant with Shariah’
Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended Umrah and Ziyarah as a precautionary measure to stem the spread of this deadly epidemic [coronavirus (COVID-19).
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Grand Mosque air conditioning being purified nine times a day
The Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques is carrying out cleaning of the air conditioning inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah nine times a day, and sterilizes it with ultraviolet radiation before it is sent to the relevant areas of the holy mosque through special air conditioning equipment.
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Saudi Arabia closes Grand Mosque, Prophet’s Mosque between night and morning prayers
Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah will close an hour after the Isha prayer and will open an hour before the Fajr prayer.
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Area around Kaaba briefly emptied for sterilization
The immediate area surrounding Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, was emptied out earlier on Thursday as health authorities sanitized the area amid coronavirus concerns, videos and photos posted on social media showed.
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Grand Hyatt-branded hotel to open in Makkah
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Umm Alqura for development and construction of a Grand Hyatt branded hotel in the Holy City of Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi interior ministry imposes temporary ban on Umrah pilgrims from Kingdom
Saudi Arabia has placed a temporary ban on its citizens and residents from performing the Muslim pilgrimage Umrah in Makkah to prevent the spread of coronavirus according to state news agency SPA.
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Saudi hajj ministry gets more than 3,000 phone calls since announcing umrah halt
Most of the telephone calls, 2,750, were in Arabic and 359 were in English.
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Umrah pilgrims can reschedule at no extra costs, government promises
The government has promised thousands of Indonesian Muslims, whose planned pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia have been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak, to reschedule their trips at no extra costs.
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WFMS Fatwa Allows Cancelling Hajj, Umrah
Secretary-General of World Federation of Muslim Scholars (WFMS) Ali Qaradaghi issued a Fatwa (religious edict) that allows cancelling of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage.
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Settlers Storm Aqsa Mosque...Clashes, Arrests in West Bank
Settlers have again stormed al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals in its courtyards, escalating tension in the city.
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Religious Ministry to constitute Rapid Response Committee for resolving hujjaj's issues at Mashair
Ministry for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony would constitute Rapid Response Committee (RRC) for resolving the issues of Hujjaj at Mashair during hajj days, said ministry official.
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