Makkah: Sheikh Maher Al Muaiqly, the imam and khateeb of Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, got sick while leading Friday prayers in the Grand Mosque, where the temperature hit 44°C. He is now getting better.
A statement from the religious affairs of Masjid Al Haram and Masjid An Nabawi confirmed the event and said that Sheikh Maher in “good health and spirits.”
“The Head for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Sudais, also reassured about the Imam’s health. He prayed for his health and sent him his good wishes,” the Haramain Sharifain website said.
Sheikh Maher’s blood pressure dropped suddenly, and he got sick as he started the prayer, which was being shown live on national television.
When he got sick, Sheikh Sudais, who was standing behind him during the prayers, took his place in the middle of the prayer to keep things going.
During the second part of the Khutbah, the imam of the Kaaba started to slur his words. This caused the sermon to end earlier than normal. Then he told the people to “establish prayer.”
“Behind the cameras, Sheikh Maher sat down on the minbar and immediately helped by imams Sheikh Sudais and Sheikh Humaid, who gave him a cold drink. After two minutes of rest, the imam felt well enough to start prayers,” Haramain Sharifain said.
But as the reading went on, he started to “severely slur” and fell over. Then, Sheikh Maher’s men held him and took him to a medical centre.
The imams and other leaders of the Grand Mosque of Makka went to Sheikh Maher’s home the day before to see how he was doing.
