The Magical Month in the Kingdom

The month of Ramadhaan is said to be the "spring season" of the Islamic calendar for over one billion Muslims across the globe. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. It is a month marked by blessings, fasting and charity.

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. The others are: belief & testimony in The One God and that the Prophet Muhammed (SAW) is the servant and final messenger of God (Shahaadah); prayer (Salah) - five times a day at its appointed times; alms -giving (Zakaat) – approx. 2.5% of fixed assets annually; and pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah tul mukarrama at least once in a lifetime if you can afford it.

Ramadhaan has many benefits. Among  these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Ramadhaan is also a time for giving charity, purifying one's behavior,doing good deeds, reciting excessive quraan and being engrossed in the worship of God Almighty.

Fasting is also a way of sympathizing with the poor and those who are less fortunate than we are. It conditions us to be thankful and to appreciate all the numerous bounties and blessings that God Almighty has bestowed upon us.Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.

When the fast ends (the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic calendar –Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called 'Eid-ul-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking). Gifts are exchanged. Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and also to partake in a variety of meals.

Whilst voluntary fasting is recommended for Muslims throughout the year, during Ramadhaan fasting becomes obligatory. Sick people, travelers, pregnant and menstruating women are exempted from fasting but are required to fast at a later stage when they are able to do so, health permitting of course.

The start of the month is based on a combination of physical sightings of the moon and astronomical calculations. The practice varies from place to place, some places relying heavily on sighting reports and others totally on calculations. In Saudi Arabia and South Africa, all muslim  communities follow the decision of the local Islamic organizations, which accepts bonafide sightings of the new moon anywhere within the country as the start of the new month. The end of the month, marked by the celebration of 'Eid-ul-Fitr  is similarly determined.

Fasting commences at the break of dawn and ceases at sun set. During the day, Muslims totally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations. The usual practice is to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before dawn and a post/break-fast meal (fatoor) after sunset. 
Islam follows a lunar calendar which means that the months of the year are measured according to the revolutions of the moon around the earth (each month begins with the sighting of the new moon).

Because the Islamic lunar calendar (hijri) is approximately 11 days shorter than the solar or Gregorian calendar, Islamic holidays "move" each year.
This lunar calendar gives every month an opportunity of rotating through every season completing a cycle in which every month does not exceed 29 or 30 days.

Thus, since Ramadhaan begins on August 1st or 2nd this  year, the next year it will begin around July 20th and so forth. The entire cycle takes around 35 years. In this way, the length of the day, and thus the fasting period, varies in length from place to place over the years. Every Muslim, no matter where he or she lives, will see an average Ramadhan day of approximately 13.5 hours.

One may eat and drink at any time during the night "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night." [2:187]

The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed by five things –the telling of a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind their back, a false oath, greed or covetousness.

These are considered offensive at all times, but are most offensive during the Fast of Ramadhan.

All Muslims try getting closer to God Almighty during the last ten days of Ramadhaan by engaging in good deeds as these ten days are considered to be a period and a time of tremendous spiritual power.The night on which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (saw), known as the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), is generally taken to be the 27th night of the month. The Qur'an states that this night is better than a thousand months. Therefore many Muslims spend the entire night in prayer or engaging in the recitation of the holy Quraan.

Ramadhaan is also known as the 'month of the Quraan', as it is during this month that the Holy Quraan was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (saw).During this month Huffath (Muslims who have memorized the entire Holy Quraan) recite chapters of the Quraan, on a daily basis during the taraweeh prayers which usually occurs after the compulsory Esha prayers, which is approximately an hour and a half after sunset, for the duration of the month (approx. 30 consecutive days), until they have completed the Quraan in its entirety.Muslims believe this is one of the ways in which the Quraan has remained intact since revelation more than 1400 years ago.

It is a common practice for Muslims to break their fast at sunset with dates and water, following the custom of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). This is followed by the sunset prayer, which is followed by fatoor. Since Ramadhaan emphasizes community aspects and since everyone eats iftar at the same time, Muslims often invite one another to partake in the Ramadhaan evening meal. Some Muslims find that they eat less when breaking their fast during Ramadhaan than at other times due to stomach contraction. Since Ramadhaan is considered to be an auspicious month in the Islamic  calendar, special meals and savouries are also prepared during this month like Samboosas coupled with an assortment of home made beverages and desserts.

Muslims use many phrases in various languages to congratulate one another for the completion of the obligation of fasting and the 'Eid-ul-Fitr festival. Here is a sampling of them:
"Kullu aam wa antum bi-khair insha Allah" (May you be well throughout the year God willing) - Arabic
"Elveda, ey Ramazan" (Farewell, O Ramadhan) - Turkish
"'Eid mubarak (A Blessed 'Eid)" - universal

On a more personal note, the best Ramadhaan that I have ever experienced was certainly here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Two years ago my family and I spent a total of five weeks between the cities of Makkah and Medina during the holy month of Ramadhaan. It was definitely a dream come true.

Thousands of Muslims breaking their fast together, little children pulling you by the hand to join their families in breaking the fast and partaking in their meals and almost more than a million people praying together in unison submitting to One Divine God was simply a moment that I will never forget. The atmosphere here in the Kingdom during the month of Ramadhaan is electrifying.Usually all Muslim staff only work for 6 hours each day. During the day you wouldn't really find people outside. Most people are indoors sleeping and just simply staying out of the scorching heat. Temperatures here can soar as high as 50 degrees during peak summer.As the sun sets and its time to break the fast the city comes alive again. Many Arab families would prefer breaking their fast in a restaurant or hotel that offers a special Ramadhaan buffet menu. I must say its quite fun sampling different cuisines especially when you in the company of really good friends and family.

I would now like to take this opportunity in wishing all my friends and family across the globe a wonderful Ramadhaan Kareem!!!May the Almighty accept your fast and prayers during this blessed month and may it also be a time for reflecting on our inner selves.Let this month be a month where we can all achieve and attain high levels of spirituality. Let this be a month of sharing, giving and a start towards bettering ourselves in every way. Let us all try making a concerted effort towards doing good, helping others and staying away from all activities that goes against Gods will.!!!

 

 

Source:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/97460400/Rama-Dhan

A Match Truly Made in Heaven

(http://www.zawaj.com/misyar-marriages/saudi-arabian-couple/ - picture)

So last night was my first encounter with a Saudi couple that is HIV positive.Now you may be asking yourself so what's the big deal. Well in this part of the world it is a big deal simply because many of the HIV positive people living here are what I term as "faceless". They usually prefer being treated at home through a home health care based facility and usually all their medications are sent directly to their homes through the hospital DHL delivery system.
In South Africa I have dealt with hundreds of HIV positive patients throughout my career. I was one of the pharmacists who initiated the HIV clinic at Leratong hospital. But somehow meeting a Saudi couple that were both HIV positive was quite different.And the reason it felt so different was because they were open and honest about their medical condition.They spoke about HIV as though they had the common  cold or a flu.The man contracted HIV through a blood transfusion during his childhood after being involved in a motor vehicle accident and the young woman contracted HIV at birth after both her parents were infected with the virus.She said that she had never anticipated getting married and leading a normal married life with the exception that they both have unanimously agreed not to bring a child into this world. They both oozed with so much of positive energy, laughing, joking and just being themselves.They apparently met at an HIV workshop that both their families attended."It was love at first sight",  he said after seeing her beautiful emerald green eyes."That was all he could see of course", she interrupted whilst laughing.
 The mind definitely has the power to conquer any disease.What usually seems to happen though when a patient is told that they have cancer or HIV, they immediately go into a phase of denial and with denial comes depression and anxiety that by the time the patient has in fact made peace with themselves and accepted their medical condition much time has already elapsed and the patient is far too weak physically to combat the disease.Negative thinking has the power to eat your body away.If the patient is positive from the beginning, going through life's daily activities in a somewhat normal manner miracles do happen. I certainly seen that last night. As the saying goes, "the mind is its own place, and in itself  can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven".The couple I met last night certainly made me realize that has a society we are quick to judge people,create stigmas and may be even look down at people with HIV. It is about time that society embraces people that are HIV positive.We need to change peoples mindsets.Some people believe that if a patient is HIV positive it is due to their own risky promiscuous sexual life and so this is a punishment from God. Whilst that is true, the mistake is done. We can not turn back the clock and change whats already done and over with. Instead of letting these patients waste away through regret and depression, through feeling sad and useless, we need to accept these individuals and start treating them as normal human beings. We need to fill their lives with happiness so that they can adopt a positive outlook to life and sometimes just changing a persons attitude is enough to pave their way to better health and full cure in some cases.

As I walked home last night, making my way down the long deserted corridor, stopping halfway to have a cup of Arabic coffee (Qahwa) with my friend Sultan, I couldn't help but think about the happy couple I had encountered earlier.They were an inspiration to me. Images of their bright beaming faces just kept on appearing in front of me and so there was only one thought that came to mind and that was, they are truly a match made in heaven!!!! May the Almighty always keep them happy and shower His choicest blessings upon them wherever they are.........

Attitude leads to Altitude

A close friend of mine sent me this article through email. I thought it was quite an inspirational piece of writing and hence I decided to share it with all of you.I do not know who wrote this article and I certainly do not take credit for it.

Ayoob was the kind of person who would always amaze you. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Ayoob was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day Ayoob was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Ayoob and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Ayoob replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ' Ayoob, Allah has given you two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Ayoob said. "Life is all about choices Allah has given us. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: Allah has given you an option how you live your life!"

I reflected on what Ayoob said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life before reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Ayoob did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Alhamdulillah , Ayoob was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital’s trauma centre.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Ayoob was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Ayoob about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "Alhamdulillah , Allah is so Great and so Merciful” and then he added “If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Ayoob replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that Allah had given me two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live. By the Will and Acceptence of Allah I choose to live and Allah accepted my dua"

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Ayoob continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.'

"I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Ayoob. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them. 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Ayoob lived thanks to Allah who made available skilled doctors at this critical moment and also because of his amazing attitude that Allah had given him. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is so important! We may not be feeling happy or at ease at the moment, however we can still show a smile on our face or share a few friendly words and kind gestures. Often times, it is simply our attitudes that can influence someone or inspire someone to seek Islam. It is so paramount to live in obedience to Allah, but it is not just the service to others and the code we follow that we must keep in check, it is also the attitude we carry along with all of our actions. It only takes a second to affect a person in a bad or good way, and this may very well depend not on your actions or deeds, but simply upon the attitude you have at that second. If you carry a frown walking into a house where there are guests, they may feel un-welcomed. The frown may only last a few moments, but that will be long enough to leave a bad impression on some hearts.

*

The Messenger of Allah Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said: "Almighty Allah says, 'I treat my slave (man) according to his expectations from Me, and I am with him when he remembers me" [Hadith-qudsi]  

A good positive Attitude in this world will raise you to a high Altitude in Paradise

A Strange Encounter

Ever heard the phrase, "No party is a party without the booze, women and music"...After thirty years of existence in this big wide world I still fail to see the logic behind this recipe of doom and disaster. So whilst taking a jog with a colleague of mine during the early parts of the morning around the compound, just before the morning prayers(Fajr salaah), we meet up with our friend from the security department who was having an altercation with three blonde American women(blond bimbos in my opinion). It was pretty obvious that they were stone drunk and hence they were making a complete fool of themselves. The guard offered to assist them back to their apartments.Whilst walking to the apartment the one woman decides to open up her a'baya and naturally there was absolutely no clothes underneath with the exception of unmentionables. The second woman(giggling away like a school girl) opened up her handbag and started waving a sex toy in a provocative manner to the security guard and the third woman blatantly asked the guard to engage in sexual intercourse with her.So once the guard drops them off at their respective rooms he runs back with three cups of coffee. He tells us how can these "loose" women be treating our patients. Do they not have a sense of shame and decency or self respect. How can the world respect women like these when they have no respect for themselves. Is n't it shocking for professional women to behave in this lewd, cheap manner?

I then started thinking about what he said. These are the same type of  women that the western world deems as liberated and free.Naturally a woman that is adorned in Hijaab (a scarf) or a veil is viewed by western standards as backward, stupid and uneducated.A woman in the west is judged based on outer adornment and so as proven by statistics the sluttier she dresses the more successful she will be within the corporate environment irrespective of how knowledgeable she really is.I thank God, that I am a Muslim woman. I will not trade my hijaab, my Islamic culture and lifestyle for anyone.I am proud to cover myself and give myself the respect a woman deserves.What is sad though is that this whole female revolution that rocked the west is trying to make its way here in the Middle East as well. With America being Saudi Arabia's closest ally, it doesn't surprise me that there is a strong push towards promoting a culture whereby Saudi women fit in with the western ideal of how a woman should be.What goes on within the compounds is shocking. Drug and alcohol fueled raucous parties are nothing new to compound life.Sexual promiscuity is rife and many a time women fall pregnant and then resort to backstreet abortions or simply leave the country.Yes folks, this is the reality of many expat women living here.Would I trade my lifestyle to fit in with the western concept of how a woman should be.. The answer is..HELL NO.. I rather be portrayed as backward and uneducated rather than making a complete ass of myself in public..So much for western ideals.