President Sheikh Mohamed Calls For Istisqa Prayers Throughout The UAE On Friday

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Executive Office of Russia)

JAKARTA - United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called on all mosques in the country to hold the Istisqa Prayer to ask for rain on Friday.

The prayers to ask for rain as the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW are called for to be carried out half an hour before Friday prayers at the country's mosques, quoted from The National 15 October.

This tradition is carried out throughout the Gulf when the rain is delayed, with the call for its implementation carried out by leaders in a country.

President Sheikh Mohamed had previously called for such prayers to be held in December last year.

September and October often present the most humid conditions throughout the year, with several days reaching a peak humidity of 100 percent. This year is relatively dry compared to previous years.

Although heavy rains throughout the UAE are not uncommon, especially in the North Emirates the UAE has a arid desert climate. The UAE usually receives rainfall of around 150 mm per year.

Additional rainfall can be crucial for the agricultural sector, as farmers strive to grow healthy plants in challenging conditions, as well as strengthen groundwater reserves.

The UAE itself has taken significant steps to increase rainfall. For example, the country launched a cloud seeding program in the 1990s.

In the 2000s, the National Meteorological Center collaborated with global institutions such as NASA and the US National Atmospheric Research Center to further develop the seeding strategy.

Separately, the National Meteorological Center last week warned of heavy rains on weekends, but overall the UAE remains dry.