UAE cutbacks Friday sermon to 10 minutes due to sweltering heat

UAE authorities have decided to cut the length of a Friday prayer to ten minutes due to the weather conditions of the hot summer in the region. This decision which takes effect from June 28 till October targets all the mosques across the country.

On Thursday, imams were briefed by the Islamic Affairs and Endowments authority to truncate their sermons which usually last for about 20 minutes. Some parts of the desert experienced temperatures of 50ºC during this week, while the coastal cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi had temperatures of mid of the forties rising together with high humidity at times.
Based on the number of people who frequent the mosques for their prayers, particularly on Friday, people offer their prayers outside under the scorching sun on the streets and the pavements.
Yahia Mohammed, the imam of the 200-year-old Alshoyoukh Mosque in Sharjah said that it is crucial that worshippers are safe.
He pointed out that “Many people stand outside the doors of mosques or in their yards performing their prayers in the scorching Sun”.
“Thus, if the Prophet became aware of a child crying, he would make the prayer shorter so that the parents of the crying child would not be bothered by the lengthening of the prayer,” he added.

Rising temperatures worrying worshippers

Yousif Saleem, a 50-year-old Jordanian resident of Ajman, mentioned that owing to the heat, he was considering skipping the Friday prayers and, with his 10-year-old son, at all.
“I like to take my 10-year-old son to the mosque every Friday to make it a routine,” he said.
“But recently, I have been cautious because of the heat and the lengthy Friday sermon.
“This decision makes it comfortable for us to attend and participate in the prayers without being concerned about the intense heat.”
The amalgamation of high humidity and searing heat makes outdoor activities tough and sometimes dangerous.

Last week, Saudi Arabia cut back sermons to 15 minutes due to the heat.