Friday sermons at Singapore mosques temporarily shortened because of hot weather, haze
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Instead of the usual six to seven pages for the first sermon, it will be under four pages for now, said MUIS in a social media post.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE – Friday prayer sermons at mosques in Singapore have been temporarily shortened from Aug 21 on account of hot weather and the haze.
Instead of the usual six to seven pages for the first sermon, it will be under four pages for now, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) in a social media post that day.
“May this help make it a little easier for everyone to gather, worship and remain comfortable during these challenging weather conditions,” said MUIS.
The change will be in effect until further notice, it added.
Friday prayer sermons are written by the Office of the Mufti in MUIS, under the guidance of the mufti. The mufti is Singapore’s highest Islamic authority, overseeing key religious rulings for Muslims here.
The first Friday prayer sermon is given during Zohor, which for August takes place slightly after 1pm.
The daily maximum temperatures in the second fortnight of August are likely to range between 33 deg C and 34 deg C on most days, said the weatherman in its fortnightly forecast on Aug 17.
On a few days, the daily maximum temperature may reach a high of 35 deg C.
Most nights are expected to be warm and humid, with temperatures staying above 27 deg C.
Dry conditions are expected to persist in the coming days, with hot spots and smoke plumes observed in the surrounding region, the Meteorological Service Singapore had said.
These have been seen mostly in the southern and central parts of Sumatra and various parts of Kalimantan.
With the prevailing south-easterly or south-westerly winds, Singapore may experience hazy conditions should the fires intensify, the Met Service added.
As at 2pm on Aug 21, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) across Singapore ranged between 60 and 74, which is in the moderate range, according to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) website.
Air quality enters the unhealthy range when the 24-hour PSI, derived from the 24-hour average concentration levels of six pollutants, exceeds 100.
The one-hour PM2.5 readings ranged between 23 and 42 – within the normal band – as at 2pm on Aug 21, according to NEA’s website.
The one-hour readings are a key indicator of current air quality during transboundary haze periods.
They reflect the average concentration of fine particulate matter over the past hour and can fluctuate throughout the day based on weather conditions.