SMART PHONES FOR KA’ABA

For millions of pilgrims who visit the holy sites in Saudi Arabia, the ultimate prize of the day is to get the closest to the Ka’aba and be able to hear the heavenly recitation of the Qur’ān by the imam of Al Masjid al-Haram. But thanks to modern technology, every pilgrim, even those praying hundreds of metres away from the mosque itself, are enjoying the same through new start-of-the-art sound phones. More than 50 high-quality phones, provided by the Hajj and ‘Umrah Gifts Foundation, have been installed within five metres of each other to transmit sound to the hundreds of thousands of worshippers praying in and near Al Masjid al-Haram. Pilgrims praised the idea as helpful and creative. The new phones were put to the test during the 27th night of Ramadhan as millions prayed and supplicated heartily on the night, which is one of the nights called Laylat Al-Qadr.