People are taking advantage of the holy season of Ramadan to reserve places in the prayer rows, later giving them up for cash. Prices vary, depending on the proximity to the Ka'aba. Several worshippers expressed concern over this behavior and called for the setting up of a committee to stop people from reserving areas for people not present when prayer is called. Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti and Head of the Senior Ulema Authority has issued an edict banning the reservation of places in the front rows for those who arrive late to prayer at the Holy Mosques in Makkah or Madina. Al-Sheikh said paying money for reserving a place during prayer is a sin and that places should be given on a first come first serve basis. “The reward for prayer is not earned by praying in the front rows but by arriving early,” he said. One worshipper, Tawfiq Al-Mukhtar said that the fights and discussions distract others from doing what they came to do – worship. “A friend of mine and I went to pray at the Holy Mosque and we found a prayer rug spread out, with no one using it for prayer. Therefore, my friend decided to use it to pray but an expatriate came over and said that the rug belongs to him, eventually asking my friend to leave the place. My friend refused and gave the expatriate his rug back. He took it and left,” he said. Ahmad Gharmallah Al-Zahrani said that a number of worshippers ask expatriate workers to reserve places for them: “This is a problem for worshippers and people must consult with scholars for opinion on these practices in order for Muslims' prayers and hard work during Ramadan to not to go to waste, particularly because some people come from far away to pray at the Mosque,” he said. Rabeh Al-Qurashi said anyone reserving places should be placed under surveillance and their rugs should be confiscated. Mohammad Ali Al-Rashidi said that the practice has extended to the Holy Mosque in Madina. “Upon entering the Rawda, I was surprised at the number of rugs and later discovered that they are used to reserve places. These people must be stopped because they act as if they own the Mosque,” he said. The General Presidency of the Holy Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque has set up a committee mandated to educate and advise people reserving places to abandon the practice. The committee will place workers disguised as Saudis to observe any one reserving areas for prayer. Committee members will patrol all floors and courtyards of the mosque to monitor and prevent this practice from occurring.
