UAE cuts Friday sermon to 10 minutes due to sweltering heat

Image credit: Jeremy Horner/ Getty Images

The UAE has directed mosque preachers across the country to limit Friday sermons and prayers to a maximum of 10 minutes, according to Emirates News Agency, as the GCC region continues to be engulfed by high temperatures.

The directive by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Zakat (AWQAF) took effect on Friday, 28 June, and will last until early October.

On Fridays, large crowds of worshippers are commonly seen praying outside mosques in various parts of the UAE. Muslims regard Friday as the holiest day of the week, marked by special congregational prayers known as Jum’uah. Due to the high attendance, mosques often fill up quickly, forcing many worshippers to pray in the courtyards under the scorching sun.

The AWQAF said the move aims to ensure the safety of worshippers while meeting the needs of those who visit the houses of God, especially during the summer months when temperatures are high.

Temperatures in some desert areas in the UAE hit 50 degrees Celsius this week, while in the coastal cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the mercury was in the mid-forties, with high humidity at times.

Meanwhile, 1,301 people died at the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 83 per cent of whom were unregistered pilgrims exposed to direct sunlight “without adequate shelter or comfort,” the kingdom’s health minister was quoted as saying earlier this week.

Read: UAE weather: Temperatures soar to 49.5 degrees C, light rain offers brief respite