After 1000 Die Of Heat Stroke Saudi Arabia Shortens Friday Prayer To 15 Minutes

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 I received the following from my brother Mohamed Kassim Azhar in Penang (thank you) who sends me snippets like this most regularly:
 

 
Here is the news from Saudi Arabia:

https://www.saudigazette.com.sa/article/643759/SAUDI-ARABIA/Duration-of-Friday-sermon-and-prayer-at-Two-Holy-Mosques-shortened-to-15-minutes-until-end-of-summer

Friday prayer at Two Holy Mosques shortened to 15 minutes -  June 21, 2024 instead of the current 30 to 45 minutesJEDDAH — shorten Friday prayer to 15 minutes until end of summerroyal directive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ensuring safety of guestsOSTB : This is being done after more than 1000 people died of heat stroke in Saudi Arabia over the recent pilgrimage season. 
Then I also found this notice from the Jabatan Agama Islam Sabah dated 5 January 2023. Sabah has also given instructions that the Friday prayer should not be more than 15 minutes long.



The relevant part says "khutbah hendaklah disampaikan dalam tempoh 10 - 15 minit sahaja'.

We all know that in Malaysia the Friday prayer is a two hour affair for those who are working. Unless there is a masjid within walking distance, driving to the masjid, finding a parking spot, attending the prayers, having your lunch, driving back etc does take about two hours.  That is also lost productivity at the workplace.

Sabah has made a wise move by shortening the sermon time to 10 - 15 minutes. 
In Masjid India because of insufficient space people would pray outside on the street and all along the Masjid India sidewalk. All the businesses would have to close during this time because the sidewalks became extensions of the masjid. One of our neighbours took this a step further and made their male staff pray inside their shop, without having to leave the premises. This way the clever boss made sure the staff got to work asap after the prayers.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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