09 Jan 2023; MEMO: The mountains in and around the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia have turned green after weeks of heavy rain and last month's flash floods, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. The agency shared a video clip on Twitter last Thursday showing the effect of the excessive rainfall.
Several parts of the kingdom have seen arid landscapes turning green, particularly in western Saudi Arabia. The growth of vegetation, brought on by warm weather as well as the rain, has been caught in satellite images provided by NASA.
Images and videos of the unprecedented phenomenon have circulated on social media taking many users by surprise. Some have linked the sudden greenery in Makkah to a narration by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who is reported to have said: "The Last Hour will not come till the land of Arabia reverts to meadows and rivers."
However, one user has cautioned against reaching premature conclusions, pointing out that the phenomenon is temporary and has happened before.
The torrential downpour in the country followed a call in November by King Salman for people to perform the special prayer for rain known as istisqa.
