N.O.R.F Posted May 12, 2008 Expansion of Haram in Makkah largest in history By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent Published: May 11, 2008, 23:53 Makkah: Islam's holiest shrine, the Haram Mosque in Makkah, is currently witnessing the largest ever expansion in its history. About 1,000 buildings and properties in the north and northwestern parts of the mosque are being demolished as part of the expansion. The second phase of the expansion of Masa'a, the area for the ritual of Sa'i between Safa and Marwa hills, is progressing well amid a hot debate raging across the Islamic world whether expansion of Masa'a is permissible. The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques is supervising the expansion project, which is being implemented by Saudi Binladin Group. The first phase of the Masa'a project was completed before the last Haj. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Work on concrete linking between the old Masa'a and the new one started yesterday after completion of the foundation and basement work, said Engineer Abdul Mohsen Bin Humaid, Director General of Projects and Studies at the Presidency. "This would facilitate linking of the first floor of the old Masa'a with the newly constructed one. "Once completed, two tracks of the old Masa'a will be merged into one and will be used for the passage of pilgrims from Safa hill to Marwa hill and the new Masa'a will be used for return passage from Marwa to Safa," he told reporters. There will be a special area in the middle of each passage for wheelchairs meant for the aged and sick. There will be two upper floors for Masa'a in addition to the ground floor and these will facilitate large numbers of Umrah pilgrims to perform their ritual in ease and comfort especially at the peak time during Haj and Ramadan. Abdul Mohsen said the infrastructure work will be completed before the next Haj season and the whole project will be completed before the end of next Hijri year of 1430. "The expansion works are restricted to the [sa'i] area with an addition of 20 metres from the eastern side and the total length is about 390 metres," he said. Expansion of Masa'a sparked a hot debate among Islamic scholars inside the kingdom and abroad. Most of the scholars, including Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Alu Al Shaikh, Shaikh Yousuf Al Qaradawi, Saudi Shura Council Chairman and Imam of the Haram Mosque, Shaikh Saleh Bin Humaid, and Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, Imam and Khateeb of the Haram Mosque, are in favour of the expansion to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. Controversy In his Friday sermon last week, Shaikh Al Sudais expressed unhappiness over the controversy regarding the expansion. Describing it as a blessed expansion, he lauded the efforts of Saudi rulers who aim to facilitate the pilgrims. "Prior to commencing the expansion, the rulers took the opinion of the eminent Ulema from across the world and they all supported this meritorious endeavour," he said. At the same time, some scholars voiced their criticism over the expansion of Masa'a. They included Shaikh Saleh Al Fouzan, Saudi scholar and member of the Senior Scholars' Commission. According to him, the religious ritual of Sa'i shall be strictly restricted to the area between Safa and Marwa hills. The Haram Mosque, after expansion, will accommodate an additional 500,000 worshippers. http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi_arabia/10212544.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
