WHAT HAPPENS DURING PRAYER TIME

When smaller kiosks close for prayer times or non-business hours, many of them simply cover up and drape their merchandise with large cloths. 

It's common to see workers pray outside shops in malls. Often prayer rugs are available for whoever wants to use them. 

Thievery is rare in Saudi Arabia, where penalties can be very stiff. Most people in this country are honest and respectful of others' property.

Another worker praying in public

 

PUBLIC PRAYER RUGS

What you see in the first photo is actually a housing garage for a large roll-out prayer rug.  When prayer times come around, the unit is opened, and the prayer rug is rolled out.  It can accommodate quite a few worshippers for prayer.  When the prayers are over, the carpet is simply rolled back up into the storage unit.  

The red prayer rugs shown in the second photo are also used for public prayer times.  These are just left on the sidewalk for worshippers. Sometimes they are rolled up or folded so they don't get so dusty.  

PUBLIC PRAYER

Public prayer - at JFK Airport in New York

 

PRACTICING RELIGION

A DRIVER READING THE QURAN IN A MALL PARKING GARAGE

WHILE WAITING FOR HIS EMPLOYER.

MANY MUSLIMS ALWAYS HAVE A PRAYER RUG HANDY.

ANOTHER DRIVER PRAYING IN THE MALL PARKING GARAGE

SOME DRIVERS WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HOURS WHILE THEIR EMPLOYERS SHOP.

ENJOYED THIS POST? 

SIGN UP FOR FUTURE POSTS DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BOX.

LINKING TO - WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

 

FACES OF ARABIA 8

ZEBIBA - THE PRAYER BUMP

MUSLIMS ARE REQUIRED TO PRAY FIVE TIMES A DAY.  DURING THE PRAYER RITUAL, AT VARIOUS TIMES, THE FOREHEAD IS PRESSED  DOWN TO THE PRAYER RUG, CAUSING FRICTION. THIS CONTINUAL CONTACT MAY EVENTUALLY RESULT IN CALLOUSES FORMING ON THE FOREHEAD CALLED ZEBIBA.  IT CAN APPEAR AS ACTUAL BUMPS OR AS DARK SPOTS.  

ZEBIBA IS A SIGN OF DEVOTION, PIETY, AND DEDICATION.  HOWEVER MUSLIMS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO PURPOSELY TRY TO FORM ZEBIBA IN ORDER TO "SHOW OFF" TO APPEAR TO BE MORE DEVOUT THAN OTHERS.  

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, FOR SOME REASON ZEBIBA FORMS MORE FREQUENTLY IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES.  I'VE ONLY SEEN MEN HERE WITH ZEBIBA.  JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I SAW A MAN WITH A HUGE BUMP STICKING OUT ON HIS FOREHEAD.  PREVIOUSLY I HAD JUST SEEN THE DARKENED AREA ON MEN'S FOREHEADS. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ZEBIBA, I PREVIOUSLY WROTE ABOUT IT ON THIS POST.

THE MEN IN THIS POST ARE NOT SAUDI. THEY ARE ALL FOREIGN WORKERS.

NOT ZEBIBA

LINKING TO - ALL SEASONS

MOSQUE ENTRANCE

Scenes like this are commonplace here in Saudi Arabia.  The entrance to a mosque at prayer time always has shoes littering the floor outside mosque doorway. At larger mosques there can be hundreds of pairs of shoes scattered outside like this at prayer time, despite the fact that there are usually plenty of cubbyholes for shoes that are rarely used.  I don't know why.  

No one wears shoes inside a mosque. All mosques are carpeted with a pattern that has markings for individuals to pray in their own space.  The carpet also indicates the direction toward Mecca, as Muslims pray facing Mecca.    

 

Jeddah Variety of Women's Wear

Saudi women generally pray at home. Usually they put on a prayer dress on top of what they are wearing. The prayer dress is a loose long simple dress that extends down to the floor, has long sleeves, a high neckline, and may have a hood attached to cover the hair.  These prayer outfits are usually made of a soft thin cotton fabric in a variety of colors and prints.  

This shop sells women's wear, including prayer dresses, abayas, and scarves.  The last photo of this post was taken in the same shopping plaza as the others.  I can't imagine ever wearing anything like it, even in my younger days, but maybe there are some women who might wear this in the privacy of their own homes.  

 

Prayer in Public in Sauidi Arabia

It's always fascinating to me to see people gathered together for prayer here in Saudi Arabia. While there are mosques every few blocks, many people just pray wherever they happen to be. In business areas, there are designated places where worshippers meet to pray together. 

Both photos in today's post were taken a few years ago before the Coronavirus situation.  Mosques here have been reopened after having been closed for months, but as far as I understand, admission is limited, social distancing measures are in place inside the mosques, and lingering after prayers conclude is not allowed. 

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Public Prayer Rug

If one is observant when walking around the city, it is easy to spot rolled up prayer rugs outside of businesses in public, waiting to be used for the next prayer by whoever wants to use it.  

Saudi Arabia Corona Virus Measures

Since the Corona virus scare, the Saudi government has taken swift measures to ensure the safety of the citizens. There is a huge difference in the way Saudi Arabia has handled this crisis compared to America.
These are some of the measures taken by the Saudi government -
Before the end of February, religious pilgrims were prohibited until further notice from coming into the country, before any cases of the virus were confirmed within the country.
All international flights were ceased , followed by domestic flights and other forms of domestic travel shortly thereafter.
Schools have been closed until next fall, with virtual instruction being implemented at the moment.
The only businesses allowed open are pharmacies, groceries, and gas stations.
Restaurants are available for take out or delivery only.
A curfew has taken effect, with no one allowed out from 7pm to 6am and violators will be charged a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals. 
Mosques are closed, with the Calls to Prayer telling people instead to pray at home!  (This is unprecedented, as far as I have been told.) 

These boxes on the Red Sea house prayer rugs

As of March 24th, the total number of cases in Saudi Arabia was under 800, with one death.
Kudos to Saudi Arabia for putting the health of its citizens first, ahead of the economy.

Sharshaf Salah - Women's Prayer Dress

Muslim women usually pray at home, and when they do, they usually throw on a special dress for prayer over the normal clothing they are wearing. In Saudi Arabia, this prayer dress is called "Sharshaf Salah."   For prayer, Islam requires that women cover every part of their bodies except the face and the hands.

The sharshaf comes in many different styles and fabrics, and is most often a one piece loose flowing garment, including an attached scarf or hood to cover the hair.  They can be found in most souks and are reasonably priced.

Our World: Jeddah Wudu for Prayer

"Wudu" is the term for the purification ritual that is required of Muslims before each prayer.  It is also called ablution.  Wudu is also performed before one handles and reads the Quran.   There is a certain procedure and order that one must follow in washing the hands, mouth, nostrils, head, feet and other body parts prior to praying.  From one prayer to the next, it is possible to maintain Wudu as long as one doesn't invalidate it by farting, peeing, pooping, having sex, or sleeping.

Most mosques have facitilites outside, consisting of a place to sit and water, where Wudu can be done before entering the mosque for prayer.  For more information and details about Wudu, CLICK HERE.

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Jeddah - Lulu Department Store

I love this pic of a couple of smiling Lulu's employees standing in front of the "Customer Happiness Center."  Below are some photos of just some of the items available at the department store.  

These are prayer rugs with built in compasses so the user can figure out which direction to face for prayer, toward Mecca. 

Lulu's has a huge toy department with great selections for both boys and girls.  I even found some Fulla dolls wearing abaya and hijab!  Lulu also offers their own reusable shopping bags for purchase - plastic bags are a huge problem here in Saudi Arabia...

Jeddah Public Prayer

Muslims are required to pray five times a day at designated times.  So wherever one happens to be when a prayer time comes along, that's where you pray - on the street, at work, on the beach, or in a mall.  I've seen large groups of men gathered together for prayer all over Jeddah.  Many places provide public prayer rugs for them to use.  This large group of men probably consists of mall workers and shoppers.

Below is an example of prayer rugs provided in the middle of a grassy park in Jeddah.

Our World - Saudi Arabia Prayer Time

One of the things I am fascinated by the most here in Saudi Arabia is seeing large groups of men praying together in formation at the various prayer times of the day.  Every area of cities and smaller towns have designated public areas where anyone can join in when it is prayer time.

We walked by this group of men and further back and a little distance from the men were women also praying.   Many places have carpets for anyone to use to pray on. Shoes are always taken off and placed to the side.




Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Saudi Arabia Mall Scenes

During the daytime on weekdays, the malls here in Jeddah usually aren't too crowded.  But in the evenings and on the weekends, they are crazy busy. 

What makes it even crazier is the closing of all stores for prayer times.  During those times, the halls of the malls are jammed with people, many sitting on the floors because there isn't enough seating to accommodate them.  Many people can be seen praying out in the halls of the malls as well.

Trust During Prayer Times

One phenomenon that continues to amaze me in Saudi Arabia is featured in this post.  The five daily prayer times require that businesses close for a half hour to an hour for each prayer.  This make no economic sense whatsoever, and I'm not aware of any other country in the world that closes for prayers.  

Shopkeepers will commonly leave merchandise out in the open, close up shop and go to pray.  No one steals or messes with stuff that is left out like this.  I cannot imagine this happening in the US.

Our World: Friday Prayers

The Friday congregational prayer is called Jumah, similiar to Sunday services for Christians.  Muslims are required to pray five times each day, which they can perform at home, the mosque, at work, or wherever they happen to be actually. But the Jumah prayer is the one prayer of the week when Muslim men are required to make an effort to pray together at the mosque. 

Here in Saudi Arabia, I am usually always at home during Friday prayers because my husband leaves for the mosque and pretty much all other businesses are closed until after the Jumah prayers.  So when we were in Yanbu a while back looking for a mosque for my husband to go to for Jumah, I was fascinated to see literally hundreds of men praying in public in the streets, likely because the small nearby mosques were all full to capacity.

Most of the men I saw brought prayer rugs to pray on.  Many were foreign workers, but I did see some Saudi men in the crowd as well - all praying together on the sidewalks, in the streets, amidst the parked cars and closed businesses.  It was, for me, an impressive and moving sight to behold.



Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.