Nasir Badran, director general of the ministry’s Baha branch, said there was no cause for concern. “These are not major errors. Our department has so far not identified any mosques with serious discrepancies to the point of making prayers invalid,” he said.
Badran told Arab News that the ministry’s branch in his southern city was the first to introduce highly advanced technology in determining the direction of the Qibla, the official alignment with the Holy Kaaba.
“Therefore, there is little chance for errors happening where worshippers are facing the wrong way when praying at mosques. These reported discrepancies might have happened because this technology was not used during the construction of the mosques,” he said.
Badran noted that a fatwa issued by the Senior Scholars’ Council offers much flexibility on this issue, saying slight errors would be forgiven. “If the discrepancies are major, necessary corrections should be made within the errant mosques,” he said.
“This should be resolved by installing a correct indicator of the Qibla inside the mosque or point prayer rugs more precisely in the direction of the Holy Kaaba. And there is no need to demolish such mosques.”
Earlier studies have showed that there are about 200 old mosques in Makkah where worshipers have been praying in the wrong direction for decades because the buildings were not constructed correctly.
The ministry official added that a large number of imams and muezzins (those who call for prayers) at old mosques in the region are elderly people. “In the past, there was an acute shortage of qualified mosque staffers. This resulted in a recruitment of elderly people to plug this gap,” he said.
“But now, the situation has changed drastically. The ministry is keen on appointing only qualified hands, and this will be after they go through strict selection procedures.”
According to Badran, vacancies for imams and muezzins are advertised at mosques as well as through the media.
“Those who fulfill the criteria should appear before the designated recruitment committee, comprised of leading religious figures in the region,” he said.
Badran added that the ministry has launched a pioneering program that aims to facilitate proper care for mosques and their officials.
“There are a number of panels whose members have been entrusted with the task of closely evaluating the merit and performance of imams and muezzins through field visits,” he said.
Badran told Arab News that there are several old mosques made of stone in the region.
“These mosques were built by some benevolent people a few decades ago. Some of these mosques are in a ramshackle state or abandoned. As local worshippers are now using newly built mosques, there is no need to reconstruct old ones,” he said.
Badran added that his department will not hesitate to carry out a renovation of such mosques if they are still being used and that this would be carried out in accordance with the safety standards endorsed by the ministry.
“As far as the ministry is concerned, there is no difference between the old and new mosques. All of them will be under the supervision of the ministry’s branch,” he said.
Badran claimed many people prefer to offer prayers at old mosques rather than new ones for nostalgic reasons.
“Therefore, a large number of local worshippers still frequent these mosques. The ministry’s branch, in coordination with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), is striving to preserve these historical mosques and carry out necessary renovation works, while preserving their heritage and architecture,” he said.
He added that SCTA has completed renovation work for an old mosque in the village of Di Ain and said it would be open for prayers shortly.
