Rawdah Permit Booking Guide
The Rawdah, also written Riyad ul-Jannah, is the small area inside the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah between his blessed tomb and his pulpit, described in hadith as one of the gardens of Paradise. Because it is small and demand is enormous, entry now requires a timed permit booked through the Nusuk app, and getting that permit is one of the most common frustrations pilgrims report online.
This guide explains how the booking system works in 2026, what pilgrims say actually happens when they try to book, and how to give yourself the best chance of a slot. It is independent and not affiliated with Nusuk or the Saudi government; always confirm current steps in the app itself, since screens and timing can change.
What the Rawdah Is
The Rawdah sits between the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ tomb and his minbar (pulpit) inside Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah. It is carpeted in a distinct green pattern so pilgrims can recognise the boundary, and it is a place where many pilgrims pray two rak'ahs and make du'a, believing supplications there carry special virtue. Because the physical space is only a few dozen metres across and the number of visitors to Madinah each year is in the millions, the Saudi authorities manage entry through timed digital permits rather than open access.
For most of the day, the Rawdah is separated from the rest of the mosque by barriers and stewards, and you can usually still see and pray toward it from outside those barriers even without a permit. The permit is specifically for physically entering the carpeted area itself.
Do You Need a Permit
Yes. As of 2026, entering the Rawdah requires a booked time-slot permit through the Nusuk app or nusuk.sa, tied to your verified Nusuk account. This applies to both men and women, though the two are managed through separate entry routes and separate time blocks. You do not need a permit to pray in the wider mosque, visit the Prophet's tomb area from a distance, or perform your daily prayers at Masjid an-Nabawi, the permit is only for stepping inside the Rawdah's marked boundary.
Our guide to the Umrah visa and Nusuk platform covers how to set up and verify your account before you try to book any permit, including the Rawdah slot.
When Slots Release
Rawdah booking windows are not open continuously. Pilgrims describe a pattern of slots being released in short batches at set intervals rather than being available at any time you open the app. One pilgrim summarised what they had observed: "These bookings come out every twenty minutes at every..." as reported on reddit.com, describing a release cadence rather than a single daily window. In practice this means refreshing constantly is less effective than checking in shortly before and around the times new batches tend to appear, then being ready to complete the booking quickly once slots show.
Because Nusuk does not publish an official, fixed release schedule that is guaranteed not to change, treat any specific minute-by-minute pattern you read online, including in this guide, as a rough starting point rather than a guarantee. The safest approach is to open the app repeatedly across the day in the days after your Nusuk account and itinerary are fully set up, rather than assuming one attempt will work.
Men's and Women's Times
Entry to the Rawdah is scheduled separately for men and for women, with different time blocks across the day and separate physical queuing and entry points at the mosque. When you open the booking screen in Nusuk, you should see availability filtered to the gender on your account. If you are travelling as a family, this means an adult man and an adult woman in the same group will usually need to book and attend separate slots, not one shared booking, so plan your day around two visit windows rather than one.
Slots can also vary by day of the week and by how close you are to Ramadan or another peak season, when demand rises sharply and the same booking process can feel more competitive. If your dates fall in a high season, read our Ramadan Umrah guide for how crowding changes more broadly during that period.
Why "No Slots" Appears
A blank or greyed-out booking screen is one of the most reported problems with Rawdah permits, and it has more than one cause:
- The batch has genuinely sold out. Slots for a given day and time block can be claimed within minutes of release during busy periods.
- The app itself is malfunctioning. Pilgrims report this happening specifically around Rawdah bookings: "Anyone else trying to book for Rawdah but app is not working? Looks like a web server error," one pilgrim wrote, describing a server-side fault rather than a full sell-out.
- A platform-specific bug. Some pilgrims report the booking screen behaving differently depending on their phone: "the nusuk app for rawdah booking doesnt show for iphone but shows dates and slots in android," as one pilgrim described it, suggesting the fault sat with the app build on a particular operating system rather than with true availability.
- Your account or itinerary is incomplete. If your Nusuk profile, current Umrah booking, or verification is not fully set up, the Rawdah booking option may not appear at all rather than showing an error.
Because these causes look identical from the pilgrim's side, an empty screen, it is worth working through them in order: confirm your account and itinerary are complete, close and reopen the app, then try again at a different time before concluding the day is genuinely sold out.
Tactics Pilgrims Report
None of the following are official Nusuk guidance; they are patterns pilgrims describe having used, offered here for information rather than as a guarantee:
- Try around the release windows rather than only once a day, since slots are reported to appear in short batches.
- If the app fails, try the Nusuk website (nusuk.sa) on a browser instead, since some pilgrims have found one channel working when the other was not.
- If the app is unresponsive on one phone, try again from a different device or operating system, since behaviour has been reported to differ between iPhone and Android.
- Book as early in your trip as you reasonably can rather than waiting for your last days in Madinah, so a bad booking day does not become a missed visit entirely.
- Keep your Nusuk app updated to the latest version, since bugs reported in older builds are sometimes fixed in later updates.
- If the app genuinely will not cooperate after repeated tries, ask at a Nusuk service desk near the mosque or call the official Saudi contact centre for help, since staff can sometimes assist directly.
Screenshot your confirmation the moment a booking succeeds. Pilgrims are advised to "screenshot every Nusuk/Rawdah booking confirmation immediately after payment," since a saved screenshot is a faster proof of your slot than reopening the app in a queue with patchy signal.
What to Do at the Gate
Arrive at the designated Rawdah entrance in good time before your slot, since the queuing process itself can take a while even with a confirmed booking. Bring your passport or Nusuk ID and have your booking confirmation, ideally the screenshot, ready to show a steward. Follow the staff directions on where to queue; the entry route for the Rawdah is a controlled corridor rather than open access from anywhere in the mosque, and stewards will guide the flow.
Be ready for your allotted time inside to be brief given the volume of pilgrims cycling through, and know that stewards do actively move people along. Some pilgrims describe stewards being firm, even abrupt, about pace: one review described volunteers "yelling at the muslin and not allowing them to make duaa or pray with kushu," as reported in an Apple App Store review of the Nusuk app. This does not reflect every visit or every steward, but it is a realistic account of what a very busy Rawdah slot can feel like, and knowing it in advance can help you plan your prayers and du'a to fit a short, calm window rather than expecting an unhurried visit.
Etiquette Inside the Rawdah
Because time and space are limited, a little preparation goes a long way:
- Decide what you want to pray and recite before you enter, so you are not deciding in the moment while stewards are moving the queue.
- Keep movements calm and be mindful of others praying close beside you; the area is crowded even with timed slots.
- Follow steward instructions immediately, even if the pace feels rushed, this keeps the flow moving safely for everyone waiting behind you.
- Photography and video are generally discouraged or restricted in this area out of respect; check current signage and steward guidance on arrival.
- If you are unable to secure a permit on this trip, you can still stand near the barrier outside the Rawdah and direct your prayer and du'a toward it, many pilgrims do this and it is a valid, meaningful part of a Madinah visit.
For a broader look at what else to plan for in Madinah, see our guide to what to do in Madinah and our Madinah hotels and ziyarat guide.
Honest Limits of This Guide
Nusuk does not publish a fixed, guaranteed release schedule, and the exact timing, gender allocation, and technical behaviour of the app can change without notice. The patterns described here reflect what pilgrims have reported experiencing in 2025 and 2026, not an official timetable. If you are struggling to book, the most reliable step is to check the Nusuk app and nusuk.sa directly for the current process, and to ask your operator or a Nusuk help desk if you remain stuck. A missed Rawdah slot is disappointing, but it does not diminish the validity or reward of the rest of your worship in Madinah.