RIYADH – Authorities in Saudi Arabia have stared registration for those pilgrims who intend to perform Itikaf at the Prophet’s mosque (PBUH) in Medinah.
The number of pilgrims who landed in the holy land during the holy month of Ramazan has exceeded 10 million. The pilgrims also intend to stay in a mosque during the last ten days of Ramzan for worship, a practice called Itikaf in Islam.
The Agency of the Affairs for the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah has now announced that registration for Itikaf can be done through the “Zaeron – Visitors” app.
It has also been revealed that issuing the Itikaf permits will be according to the absorptive capacity of the mosque to facilitate the worshippers.
The authorities had earlier clarified that pilgrims would be allowed to perform Umrah only once during the holy month of Ramazan so that all the pilgrims could perform their religious rituals with ease and comfort.
The government of Saudi Arabia is going all in to finalize the arrangements for the Umrah season and Itikaf and has also reserved special spots for all those intending to perform the ritual.
After the Umrah season is over, the authorities would start preparation for the biggest annual event of Hajj wherein the kingdom would welcome over 2.3 million pilgrims and would utilize the Apps like Nusuk and other digital portals to facilitate the pilgrims during their month long stay in the kingdom.
Pakistan’s quota for Hajj 2023 is 179,210 pilgrims. This is the first time that the government of Saudi Arabia has restored the number of pilgrims to pre-Covid levels.
It is to be highlighted that for Pakistan 50 percent quota has been reserved for Sponsorship scheme which is a special facility given to Hajj pilgrims seeking foreign exchange from abroad in the specific dollar account of the religious affairs ministry.
