The main street to Masjid An-Nabawi in Madinah was crowded as people tried to secure places for Jummah prayer. Even arriving early did not guarantee entry into the mosque grounds, and many worshippers ended up beyond the gates in limited shade. Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees, and Ramadan fasting added strain, while some people were forced to sit in direct sun for the khutbah and salah. The account notes that Saudi summers can reach 50°C and expresses concern about returning for Hajj. A warning states that long-term heat trends may become unsustainable within two generations, potentially requiring careful consideration of who can attend. Studies project Mecca heat stress surpassing safe endurance thresholds by 2050 and a large increase in heat-stroke risk in a 2°C warmer world.
"Try to get there three hours earlier," a fellow worshipper had advised. They weren't kidding. Though my husband, Christian and I had left the hotel earlier than my parents and sister, we still didn't make it into the mosque's grounds. We each managed to claim a space in the vicinity beyond the masjid's gates - in the shade, mercifully. It was almost midday, and the temperature was exceeding 30 degrees, though this is mild compared to the raging heat of a Saudi summer."
"I laid out my prayer mat and placed my bag next to me, to reserve space for my mum and sister. They joined soon after, but I found out later that my dad had been forced to sit in the sun, exposed for the duration of the khutbah (sermon) and salah (prayer). It was also Ramadan, so we were all fasting. In general, the heat alongside the lack of water was testing."
""The long-term outlook is becoming more severe," says Islamic Relief Worldwide's head of global advocacy Shahin Ashraf MBE. "We're probably going to see it start to become unsustainable in about two generations' time, which means that for the first time in the history of our faith, we will have to carefully consider who goes to Hajj.""
"A recent study has warned that by 2050, the heat stress levels in Mecca will surpass the threshold considered safe for human endurance. Previous studies have also suggested that in a 2℃ warmer world, the risk of heat stroke could increase by up to 10 times. However, we're already starting to see the unprecedented effects of this, with Hajj 2024 recording over 1,"
Read at CN Traveller
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