Shops And Restaurants In Medina Closed During Ramadan

Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Asrorun Ni'am/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, who fasts Ramadan 1443 Hijri in the Holy Land, said shops in Medina were closed in the morning until before Dhuhur.

"From one of the clothing vendors in the Taiba Suites area, information was obtained that he only opened three days ago. During the two days of fasting, they closed their wares in the morning until before noon, only after that they sold until two in the morning," Asrorun said via short message received in Jakarta, Monday 4 April.

He further said that currently, shops have not fully recovered because many are still closed. Only a few are open and some have just started displaying their wares.

Every Rawatib Prayer, all shops are closed, to join the congregation. The good news is, for those who like shopping, during Tarawih Prayers, shops are allowed to open.

He said, pilgrims who are willing to take part in the study can join the majelis taklim which is held between Asr and Maghrib in the Prophet's Mosque. There are kyai who deliver religious teaching materials in Arabic.

For those who do not want to take part in the majelis taklim, to wait for Maghrib, pilgrims can recite the Koran, or visit the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, visit Baqi's grave, or just walk around waiting for Maghrib like watching a giant umbrella close after Asr before the sun slips.

The giant umbrella as a protection for the congregation from the hot sun was opened simultaneously in the morning, approximately one hour after, when the sun had emerged from the competition.

For those who will visit Raudhah, it is advisable to go at night, about two hours after tarawih, to avoid long queues. For female worshipers, the time is provided starting from Duha time to before Dhuhur. Meanwhile, ahead of Maghrib until Isha, the time to visit Raudhah and pilgrimage to the Prophet Muhammad was temporarily closed.

For pilgrims who want to travel from Mecca to Medina or vice versa, they can use the train mode with a relatively faster distance.

If you usually drive a car it takes more than five hours. Meanwhile, by train, the time needed to travel from Mecca to Medina is only 2 hours and 25 minutes. Speed ​​300 km/hour. The journey from Mecca to Medina stops at two stations, namely Jeddah (King Abdul Aziz Airport) and Rabigh Central Business Station.

Currently the weather in Medina is normal like in Indonesia, but the air is dry, so the skin can become dry and scaly and the lips can get chapped. It is recommended to bring sunscreen, moisturizer, and lip gloss, as well as enough vitamins.