Saudi Arabia is voting today on a decision allowing shops to open during prayer time

The Saudi newspaper, "Okaz", reported that the Shura Council will vote today, Monday, on a recommendation not to compel commercial establishments to close during daily prayer times, except for Friday.

The newspaper’s sources said that “the Shura Council will vote on an additional recommendation on the report of the Islamic and Judicial Affairs Committee regarding the report of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, asking the ministry to coordinate with the relevant authorities to work on not obligating commercial establishments to close during daily prayer times except Friday, and this includes gas stations and pharmacies.” ".

She added, "The recommendation was based on a number of justifications, including that closing shops during prayer times is a new procedure that has been unique to the Kingdom among all the countries of the Arab and Islamic world for a few decades, based on the diligence of one of the government agencies, and there is no legal text in that. Business is based on serving people and earning a living, just like other sectors of work in government and private agencies, so do these agencies stop working at the time of prayer?”

And she continued: "The recommenders believe that closing shops to perform prayers was not mentioned in the Holy Qur'an or the Sunnah of the Prophet. The verses of the Holy Qur'an are devoid of any text ordering the closure of shops before and during prayer times, except for Friday prayers."

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