A study is being conducted on the expansion of the circumambulation – Tawaf - area of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, according to Dr. Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council. Bin Humaid mentioned the study on Thursday during the Al-Jasser weekly Diwaniya in Riyadh, where Saudi intellectuals had gathered to discuss various local and regional issues. Although Bin Humaid did not provide any further details, it is expected that the expansion of the Tawaf area is aimed at reducing the massive overcrowding around the Holy Ka'bah during the Haj and Umrah seasons. It would also help to provide further safety for pilgrims. According to statistics issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Institute for Haj Research, during peak periods, there are 40,000 people per hour, at the rate of six people per square meter, performing the Tawaf. Many of those concerned with crowd management at the Grand Mosque said that solutions need to be sought for overcrowding from the Shariah and Islamic jurisprudence. Experts in crowd management said that engineers could be brought in to help with providing solutions to the problem. The Tawaf area has a diameter of 64.8 meters with the center being the Holy Ka'bah. The total area for the Tawaf - the Mataaf - is 4,100 square meters. Meanwhile, Bin Humaid said he has completed a 5-volume study on the biographies of the Imams of the Two Holy Mosques entitled “The history of the Ummah through the biographies of the Imams”. The volumes, which Bin Humaid completed in three years, documents the biographies of all the Imams and Khutaba of the Grand Mosque, and those who led the Taraweeh prayers, in the years following the rightly-guided Caliphs. He said his service at the Grand Mosque in Makkah started 50 years ago when he was a student and memorized the Holy Qur'an. He spoke about his love for Makkah and said that it was closer to his heart than Riyadh. He said the major hurdle in producing his work was the lack of references, especially books on the Imams of the Two Holy Mosques. He urged intellectuals to hold seminars and to conduct studies on the Imams. He said he was determined to complete another work on the services provided at the Two Holy Mosques, including the provision of drinking water and meals, in what is known as Al-Siqaya and Al
