Makkah, (IINA) – Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call, and Guidance Sheikh Saleh Al-Asheikh approved a plan to ensure that mosques in Makkah stay open all day during Ramadan, Arab News reported Tuesday.

Ali Al-Abdali, general manager of the ministry’s branch in Makkah, said the plan also includes ensuring that all mosques at the miqaats (the places where pilgrims put on the ihram clothes before entering Makkah to perform Umrah) are prepared to cope with the huge influx of pilgrims.

Al-Abdali said that the preparations include cleaning carpets, providing copies of the Holy Qur’an, and the maintenance of sound, light, ablution and air conditioning systems. The aim is to ensure pilgrims can carry out their rituals peacefully while fasting.

He pointed out that Makkah mosques would remain open all day long to allow the worshipers to stay and perform worship and prayer until the end of the optional night prayers. He urged cleaners to redouble their efforts and the muezzins to call people to prayer at the correct times.

Al-Abdali said the plan included an order for the imams of mosques to hold lessons for the people after Asr prayers. In addition, they should not raise the sound levels of their amplifiers beyond level four, to avoid disturbing prayers at other mosques.

He said that the imams of mosques must ensure that worshipers do not sleep inside mosques, and that everyone is on alert for any suspicious activities. In addition, those wishing to make donations must do so through approved charitable associations.