Mosques are ready for itikaf

July 19, 2014

Riyadh, Jul 19: Two large mosques in the capital have made extensive arrangements for Muslims who would like to perform “itikaf” (meditative seclusion) during the last 10 of the holy month of Ramadan.

The management of the Al-Rajhi Mosque at Exit 17 and the King Khalid Mosque in Ummul Hammam had instructed the mosque authorities to make arrangements for those men and women who want to perform itikaf to provide accommodation and meals during stay in the mosques.

Those who stay in the mosques for the purpose of itikaf will be allowed accommodation and served meals during suhoor and iftar. Religious discourses have been arranged for the worshippers to spend their time usefully inside the mosques.

In an earlier message, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh said the worshipping act of itikaf can be done at any mosque and should not be confined to the Grand Mosque.

Itikaf is a spiritual retreat in Islamic ritual in which believers seclude themselves from others to engage solely in acts of worship and keep away from worldly dealings, especially during Ramadan.

“The entire city of Makkah is holy; believers may go to other mosques in Makkah for seclusion. They should not abandon their duties toward their families, We urge them to take care of their wives and children, while also engaging in nightly prayers and engaging in acts of worship,” the grand mufti said.

The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, has made preparations to accommodate 14,000 worshippers in the mosque for seclusion. The administration has doubled the facilities for worshippers and prospective stayers are registered online.

Those performing the act of seclusion in Makkah , have been advised to take three to four pairs of clothes for the 10 day period. Women should carry an extra abaya and hijab in case the regular one gets dirty.

Though it's hot in Makkah, one might feel a chill if one's clothes are too thin, especially in an air-conditioned hall. Cotton clothes help as they keep you cool during the day and warm at night.

People intending to perform itikaf are also advised to take special personal care and make provision for deodorant, oud, hand wipes, lots of tissue papers, small shopping bags, comb, small mirror, extra pair of glasses, tablets for headache and flu, face masks, tooth brush, tooth paste etc.

People performing itikaf generally remain on the first floor of Masjid Al-Haram (not the ground floor) because it's not as packed as it is downstairs. But it is still very crowded in Ramadan.

If worshippers enter the Haram Mosque through Gate No. 84 (one of the mini gates next to the huge King Fahd Gate) and go straight up using the stairs, they would come right to a female cabin (there are many more to the right and left). Ahead of the female cabin there's the men's area.

The great thing about this area is that there are ablution areas right behind so one does not have to go to bathrooms for wudhu. Also, if one leaves the mosque through Gate No. 84, the female bathrooms are straight ahead. So are the restaurants.

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UN condemns Israeli regime’s ‘organized torture’ against Palestinians

News Network

November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

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