MADINAH — More than 15,000 worshippers turned out to perform “itikaf” (meditative seclusion) at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah on Wednesday, the second day in the last and the holiest third of Ramadan. The number of people who started itikaf on Tuesday was 12,500, according to sources in the Agency for Itikaf under the Presidency for Prophet's Mosque Affairs. The agency has made elaborate arrangements for those who stay in the mosque for prayer and meditation. It also outlined a comprehensive plan containing the terms and conditions for people who wish to perform itikaf. According to the plan, prospective individuals intending to perform itikaf must ensure that the mosque is kept clean, other worshippers are not disturbed and they leave the mosque after the Isha prayer on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr. They have also been advised to only bring in a cover and a cushion, and not to place their personal belongings on windows, in shoe racks and shelves for keeping the copies of the Qur'an.
