Ali Bin Gharsan Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – General President for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais has called on his fellow Muslims – especially citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom – to take the temporarily-reduced capacity of the Grand Mosque into consideration and avoid performing Umrah multiple times during the holy month of Ramadan. With the project for increasing the capacity of the Mataf (Tawaf area) still underway limiting the space at the mosque, Al-Sudais urged people to give pilgrims who haven't performed Umrah a chance to do so. He said the move to temporarily reduce the number of pilgrims was made in accordance with Shariah and added that the Mataf will accommodate 105,000 pilgrims after its completion. Previously, the Mataf had a capacity of 48,000 pilgrims an hour and the current capacity has dropped to 22,000 people an hour as the project is underway. “We appreciate the keen interest of all to win Allah's reward but increasing the capacity of the mosque and reducing crowding for Muslim brethren is an important need. We hope all will abide by this decision and give others a chance,” said Al-Sudais.
