Dubai, August 09: Muslims who live high up in the Burj Khalifa will have to wait a little longer than everyone else to break their fast during Ramadan, according to a new religious edict.
In a fatwa released over the weekend, the Grand Mufti of Dubai called upon Muslims living in skyscrapers, particularly those in the world’s tallest tower, to adjust their fasting and prayer times according to what floor they call home.
Dr Ahmed Al Haddad, who is also the head of the Ifta centre at the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, said the Burj Khalifa, at more than 828 metres tall with 160 storeys, must be divided into three different times for iftar, or the breaking of the fast. He said the three segments are based on when the actual sun set is “visible” to a tenant.
“Regardless of where you are, you need to pay attention to the actual sun set,” Dr Al Haddad said. “You are not to break your fast until the sun sets, and you can actually see that sun set.”
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Read articleThose living on the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, 80 and below, are to break their fast at the same time as everyone else — when the call for Maghreb prayers at sunset is broadcast across the Dubai mosques on TV, or can be heard from the nearest mosque in the neighbourhood.
–Agencies