Following are the updated rules and guidelines for visiting mosques during the holy month of Ramadan (year 1443 of the Hijri calendar corresponding to April 2022 of the Gregorian calendar).

Mosque protocols

This Ramadan, several procedures that were stopped in mosques due to COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted. The latest rules include:

• expanding the capacity of the mosques to hold more worshippers
• opening women's prayer halls
• resuming daily lessons and religious lectures held by the President’s Guest Scholars in mosques
• allowing the distribution of bottled or canned drinking water
• restoring timings of all prayers and the interval between Adhan (a call to prayer) and prayers to pre-pandemic levels
• changing the alignment of worshippers to be in a straight, vertical shape instead of zigzag shape to facilitate easy entry and exit of worshippers
• facilitating the distribution of the copies of the Holy Book of Quran in mosques, and sterilising them after use.

Meanwhile, the following precautionary measures must be continued to be followed:

• wearing masks
• keeping a distance of one metre between worshippers
• using personal or single-use prayer mats.

Volunteers will be present in prayer halls to monitor the implementation of all precautionary measures.

#NCEMA: We announce the recent updates on mosques protocol for the Holy Month of Ramadan, as we expanded the scope of receiving worshipers and resumed many of the procedures that were halted due to the circumstances of the #COVID19 pandemic.
#TogetherWeRecover pic.twitter.com/FUH7sbLCCK

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) March 30, 2022

Rules regarding offering Isha, Taraweeh and ‘Qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers

The following rules apply to offering Isha, Taraweeh and ‘Qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers:

• the time of Adhan to Isha prayers will be 20 minutes
• the maximum duration of both Isha, and Taraweeh and Witr prayers will be limited to 45 minutes
• the maximum duration of ‘Qiyam-ul-layl’/Tahajjud, (the night prayers during the last ten days of Ramadan) will be limited to 45 minutes.

#NCEMA: The protocol states that the distance of one meter between worshipers will remain in effect, while allowing Tarawih prayers to be held throughout the entirety of the Holy Month, and Tahajjud prayers in the last ten days of Ramadan while following certain regulations. pic.twitter.com/PNeeLf7jfa

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) March 30, 2022

Note: All above procedures will be monitored during the first week of Ramadan and would be modified, if necessary, based on the data relating to COVID-19.

Tips for donations and charity

• Coordinate with official charitable organisations for donations for Iftar
• Use electronic means for donations and for Zakat payment.

Read also:

• UAE sets value of Zakat Al Fitr at AED25 - WAM
• Guidelines for setting up Iftar tents in Ramadan 1443 H - this portal
• Guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at mosques and places of worship (PDF, 1.1 MB). 

For more information, contact General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments (GAIAE).