Worshipers will henceforth be allowed to spend only 10 minutes inside Al-Rawdah Al-Sharif at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, the Saudi Arabian government has said.
Permit to visit Al-Rawdah Al-Sharif for a visitor will be issued only once in a year. These are among the instructions and guidelines issued by the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
The authority stated that if any permit holder is not in a position to take advantage of the permit for a visit to Al-Rawdah Sharif on the specified appointment time, he must cancel the permit well in advance so as to give others a chance. In the event of not cancelling the permit, he will get another appointment only after elapsing a full year.
The authority added that it is required for the worshiper to agree with the instructions for getting entry to pray inside Al-Rawdah Al-Sharif, before issuing the permit through the Nusuk application. The instructions stipulate that the prayer time inside Al-Rawdah Al-Sharif is only 10 minutes in order to facilitate the opportunity for others. It is necessary to confirm the appointment time when booking the permit, and to come 15 minutes before the allotted time, in addition to confirm the permit holder’s presence within the Haram premises half an hour before the time of appointment.
The instructions pointed out that the barcode is to be used for the appointment only once, and one must adhere to reporting at the specified time, as well as ensure showing the barcode when entering the gate, as entry will not be possible without showing it, the authority clarified.