Why Savouries???

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A good facebook friend has left me in stitches of laughter after reading his inbox messages. He asked me when am I writing an article titled "From laban and khubz to samoosas and death bringing savories....the transition of fasting from makkah to Jozi" lol....He goes on to say," I miss laban and dates....the steamy combo yields such interesting effects.....have u ever wondered why many Arab women fill the Gynae clinic 9 months post Ramadaan?? Well its all thanks to the Badam (almonds) and dates acting up on Saudi men like a clinical trial of some sort lol".....Whilst chatting to my brother Aadil yesterday, both of us couldn't comprehend the big hype and fuss about savouries that most of the South African Indian women panic to prepare from months ahead. In our house mom makes savouries throughout the year so by the time Ramadhaan approaches the novelty and hype has actually worn out. Savouries in Ramadhaan is actually very unhealthy and fattening. In our house we generally prefer a normal cooked meal. Either a rice dish or a meal that will be accompanied with roti. Shourba addas (Lentil soup) and Tamar Hindi (Tamarind drink) are specially prepared during the month of Ramadhaan in the Middle East. Tamarind acts as a mild laxative and is also used to treat bile disorders in addition to promoting a healthy heart and lowering cholesterol levels. The Arabs in general eat all the right foods that assist their bodies with the detoxification process during the month of Ramadhaan. Laban cools the stomach down and of course dates and zamzam water replenishes the body with all the vital vitamins and minerals that the body requires.It is strange that when you in Makkah and Medina, there is so much of barkat in the food that a little bit of food goes such a long way. Remember that the fasting month is a month where we should be empathizing with those who are less fortunate than we are. Having lavish parties and do's along with fancy foods defeats the purpose and objective of the month. Rather stick to the basic simple foods and eat less. Whilst visiting a Saudi family in Medina last year, I loved the fact that their entire family ate together for the whole month of Ramadhaan and at every fatoor they would prepare one dish that the Prophet Muhammed (saw) loved eating.I wonder who came up with this silly concept that we need to eat savouries during the month of Ramadhaan.....If you do know, please let me know...:))))))...This person needs to be clobbered lololol....

The Magical Month in the Islamic World

Ramadhaan is undoubtedly the magical month in the Islamic world. For Muslims around the globe it is a time of sharing and giving, a time where great efforts are made to be in the rememberance of God Almighty and to thank Him for all that He has given us. It is also said to be the 'spring season' in the Islamic calendar. However, there is no other country in the world except Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam where the Ramadhaan atmosphere is totally electrifying. As I sit here in my  office typing away, my mind wanders to the land of shifting sands, a land of culture and tradition, a land I called home. Whilst my body is here physically in South Africa, my heart will always remain in the magical Kingdom. Ramadhaan in the Middle East is welcomed with great cheer and festivities. I recall my patients coming to the hospital personally or calling me to wish me well over the fasting month. Arabs usually greet each other with the words' Kullu 3am wa antum bekhair" which means,
 " May you be well for the whole year". The streets are decorated with lights and and restaurants and hotels are all decorated with trimmings. Most hotels and restaurants would offer special fatoor (iftaar) buffets. My dear and best friends Abdullah and Faraz along with Brother Hassan and his family would always invite me to one of the hotels to break fast. During the month we would frequent different restaurants and buffets sampling a variety of cuisines from all over the world. In general we would arrive a few minutes earlier at the hotel or restaurant, break our fast, perform our Maghrib prayers and then indulge in a spread of fine cuisine including an assortment of desserts. Thereafter we would head off to the local masjid for the taraweeh prayers. Whilst I enjoyed having my meals in a posh hotel type setting I was also equally disappointed at the amount of wastage that does occur at many of these five star hotels. Most of the left over foods are simply thrown away in a dustbin instead of being distributed to the poor. When I enquired about this at one hotel, I was told that the food needed to be thrown away for health and hygiene purposes. Frankly speaking this did not make any sense to me. During the fasting month in the Kingdom, the night becomes day and the day becomes night. After the night prayers everyone hits down town to the various shopping malls where various activities are arranged especially for the kids.Naturally the traffic is horrendous. Men and women scamper down to the tailoring shops for custom made abayas and thobes to be worn during the fasting month and of course a special one is made for the day of Eid. Restaurants and fast food outlets are busy until the early hours of the morning. After the morning prayers the city becomes dead once again as everyone retires to bed. It is also during the month of Ramadhaan that the famous television program 'Tash Ma Tash' is aired. This program is well received by all Saudi citizens as satire and humour is used to ridicule and mock at some of the happenings within Saudi society. Controversial issues like polygamy is tackled in a fun and humorous manner. Whilst the entire Middle East is in complete celebration due to this magical month, for many of the western expats it is usually the worst month of the year. Many of them would complain about the fact that the shops are closed during the day or many would be livid about the fact that they are unable to eat in public. Well I say when you in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you can't respect and abide to the laws of the country, leave. It's that simple. 

Ramadhaan is also known as the "month of the Quraan". It is during this month that the divine verses of the holy Quraan was revealed to our beloved Prophet Muhammed (saw). Hence it is for this reason that thousands of Muslims travel far and wide to the Holy cities of Makkah and Medina to perform umra, a mini pilgrimage that is given the same reward as one haj and of course to listen to the beautiful verses of the Quraan rendered by  the highly respected Imaams of the Haram. The first time I performed Umrah during the month of Ramadhaan was a few years ago and I could not comprehend or believe what I seen before me especially in both the cities of Makkah and Medina. Prior to breaking the fast thousands of people would gather in the haram area. Some are praying, some are watching the people go by whilst others are distributing dates, cakes, qahwa, laban, bagels and other goodies to those around them. No one leaves the haram area hungry or without food. Every one eats to their hearts content. It is the most amazing feeling in the whole world. It is interesting to note that in the Prophet's (saw) city, the inhabitants of Medina have taken it upon themselves to feed all the pilgrims at the time of fatoor. Many families have upheld this tradition for generations. Each family would come to the haram area an hour or two prior to the time of breaking the fast. They would lay rows and rows of tables on the floor and serve dates, zam zam water and a variety of other foods to the pilgrims present. Very often they would send their kids to pull the pilgrims passing by asking them to be a guest at their table. I have never seen such hospitality and generosity any where else in the world. There is such a powerful sense of sharing and caring that there are times when your tears would just automatically flow for no real reason. Perhaps it flows out of joy, contentment and happiness.

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A Ramadhaan in the holy city of Makkah would not be complete without hearing the sound of the cannon at the time of breaking fast. According to the Saudi Gazette, during the past 50 years, Makkah residents have been hearing the booming sound of the city’s Ramadan cannon. They have become so accustomed to hearing the sound of the cannon that many residents, young and old, do not break their fast until they hear the boom of the cannon, which was used in the past as a sign to break the fast at dusk or begin the fast at dawn. The cannon also heralds the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. This was before the appearance of loudspeakers during a time when mosques did not have electricity and the call to prayer was difficult to hear for people outside its immediate vicinity. The mountain on which the Ramadan cannon is located has been named by Makkah residents as Cannon Mountain (Jabal Al-Midfa). The cannon’s blank shots are prepared for the entire month beforehand. It fires one shot at the time for breaking the fast at dusk (Iftar time), one shot at the time for the last meal (Suhoor) and two shots when it is time to stop eating and drinking (Imsaak time). That brings the total number of shots fired in Ramadan to about 120. In its 50-year life span, the Ramadan cannon has fired about 6,000 shots.

The best fatoor experience I ever had was breaking fast on the beach in Jeddah last year with my family. Brother Mefarrah who resides in Makkatul Mukarramah drove us to Jeddah after the Asr prayers. He brought qahma, chaai sulaimani and an assortment of dates along with him. There were many Saudi families gathered on the beach front with their picnic baskets. It was such a wonderful sight to see. As we all watched the sun go down it was finally time to break fast. I noticed a few Arab men giving out water and dates to a line of people who had gathered outside the floating masjid. Naturally after breaking our fast we all headed off to the masjid for prayers. It was such a lovely experience. Here in South Africa I find the Ramadhaan to be boring and somber. I'm pretty sure breaking fast on the beach would be considered wrong and immoral in this part of the world and yet in the magical Kingdom I found that along with all the praying and fasting, families still had time to enjoy themselves and have fun. On that note, 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!!!

NON-MUSLIMS VISIT MAKKAH

Makkah and Medina located within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are undoubtedly the two holiest cities in the Islamic world. Non-Muslims are not allowed access into these two cities. When traveling towards Makkah from Jeddah, there are clearly demarcated boards along the way indicating separate routes for Non - Muslims. Many Non-Muslims always ask the question as to why they are not allowed access into these two cities. According to http://islam.about.com/ Makka and Madinah are cities of great importance in Islamic tradition -- centers of pilgrimage and prayer, sacred places where Muslims are free from the distractions of daily life. The ban on non-Muslim visitors is mentioned in the Quraan as follows: "Oh you who believe! Truly the idolaters are unclean; so let them not, after this year, approach the Sacred Mosque...." (9:28). Take not that the word "unclean" does not refer to physical cleanliness, but rather in refers to an incorrect belief system. This verse specifically refers to the Grand Mosque in Mecca; later scholars have included Madinah in this ruling as well. There are some Islamic scholars who would permit exceptions to this general rule, for trade purposes or for people who are under treaty permission. There is also some debate about the exact area and borders of the restricted area(s). The government of Saudi Arabia, which controls access to the holy sites, has decided upon a strict ban on both cities in their entirety. Restricting access to Mecca and Madinah is intended to provide a place of peace and refuge for Muslim believers and preserve the sanctity of the holy cities. Millions of Muslims visit the cities each year, and additional tourist traffic would simply add to the congestion and detract from the spirituality of the pilgrimage visit. When I posed the same question to an Islamic scholar some time back he replied that when we visit other countries throughout the world we require a visa, hence when a person wants to visit Makkah and Medina he also requires a visa and this visa is the Shahaada, proclaiming that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that the Prophet Muhammed (saw) is the messenger of Allah.

Having said this I am sure that many of you out there will be shocked to hear that there has been cases where Non-Muslims have entered the holy cities. A few months ago I met a British lady who resides in Dammam with her Saudi husband. I was under the impression that she had reverted to Islam but through our conversation I discovered that she was in fact not even a Christian but rather a Deist. According to the Thesaurus dictionary, a deist is an individual who believes that God Almighty created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation. I was surprised to hear that she travels very often to Makkah to visit her husband's relatives. She did mention though that many of her in laws were not too happy with her presence in Makkah and sometimes she would pretend to be Muslim. A good friend of mine who hails from the USA and no longer resides in the Kingdom mentioned to me that he went on an Umra trip with his Saudi friend. He is of the Catholic faith and he always wished to visit the city of Makkah. He therefore accompanied his close Saudi friend throughout the entire Umra process. On completing all the rituals, they hopped over to his friend's uncles home located a few blocks away from the Grand Mosque. At first the uncle was under the impression that he was a Muslim. However, on discovering that he was not a Muslim, the uncle reprimanded his nephew and asked both gentleman to leave Makkah immediately as they were breaking the law of the country. He did mention to me though that he was dumbstruck at the sight of so many people praying all at the same time. It was totally an overwhelming experience for him. He was of the opinion that if Makkah and Medina were open to Non-Muslims, many would eventually revert to Islam by witnessing the high level of spirituality that exists within both cities.

In 2010, 1600 Chinese workers converted to Islam whilst in the Makkah region having been entrusted with the construction of the train that is now utilized during the Haj period to transport pilgrims to the relevant ritual sites. Naturally, these workers were granted permission by the Saudi government to enter the city of Makkah although many eyebrows have been raised about this as I discovered through numerous internet forums.

Whilst researching this topic it is interesting to note that according to the Hanafi school of Islam, non-Muslims are allowed to enter the city of Makkah and the grand mosque area provided that they do not perform the Hajj and Umra process. Practically this means that they are allowed to visit only. According to the Shafi school of thought, polytheists are not allowed to enter the sacred mosques of Makkah and Medina but they are allowed to enter other mosques and according to the Maliki school of thought, polytheists are not allowed to enter the Sacred mosque nor any other masjid whatsoever.

It is a well documented fact in Sikhism that Guru Nanak visited Makkah with one of his disciples. From Makkah he proceeded to Medina and then to Baghdad.Click on this link to read more about his epic journey http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Journey_to_mecca

Another famous non-Muslim personality to have made his way to the cities of Makkah and Medina was Sir Richard Francis Burton in the year 1853. Burton disguised himself as a Muslim pilgrim and joined the Hajj rituals. Click on this link to read more about his illustrious journey. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/mecca.htm
In the year 1979, Makkah was under siege by Juhayman al Otaibi who was a former member of the Saudi National Guard. He and his organization were revolting against the Saudi monarchy accusing the Saudi government of selling the country out to Western forces and also betraying the principles of Islam.The siege lasted for two weeks and caused the death of many hostages. During this period of turmoil, Prince Turki, the youngest son of King Faisal called in French commandos from the Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) to assess the situation. As Non-Muslims are not allowed entry into Makkah, these commandos converted to Islam in a brief formal ceremony. They then made their may to the city of Makkah. To read the full story about the Makkah siege click on this link. http://middleeast.about.com/od/terrorism/a/me081120b.htm
In my brief composition, I have cited five examples of Non-Muslims entering the holy city of Makkah. I am pretty sure that there must be many more examples out there. I guess many individuals across the globe view the cities of Makkah and Medina on television and once that high level of curiosity sets in, they become determined to fulfill their desire of actually being there in reality. After all it is human nature to acquire the forbidden fruit.

Makkah Museum (Mat7af al Haramain) - Part 2

Replica of the hajr aswad (Black stone)

The way the cloth of the Ka3ba use to be woven in the past

One of the pillars of the Holy ka3ba with its wooden base and crown dating back to the construction of Abdullah ibn az Zubair in 65 H. A rocky base was holding the pillar in the holy Ka3ba dating back to the construction of Abdullah ibn Az Zubair in 65 H

A copy of the original othmani musshaf which was written in the era of othman bin affan

Door in Medina- Prophets Mosque

A mouth piece of the well of zamzam with its ring and lid.

A pulley for lifting zam zam water dating back to the end of the 14th century of Hijrah.

A brass bucket which use to be in the well of zam zam dating back to 1299 H 

A diagram explaining how zamzam water flows. The water flows from below hajre aswad on one side and two sides from safa. If any one of the openings is closed, the water will not flow. It pumps water at exactly the same level and depth over and over....

A marble midday timer used to determine prayer times before the printing of the Hijri Calendar.

Brother Abdulla with my family......

Excessive heat + fasting = Frustration

'Patience is no small, feel-good personal quality. It is at the heart of diplomacy and civility, lawfulness and civil order. Without it, people can't work together and society can't function at all. With it, we create the possibility of peace between people and between nations.' This is something I realized during my quick four day trip to the city of Makka tul Mukarrama. I completed my shift around seven in the morning. Scampered off home to prepare meals for my family and then rushed off  to the airport. A big thumbs up to Saudi airlines for their quick and efficient service despite the airport being full and chaotic. Arriving in Jeddah, I received my luggage quite speedily and then made my way to Makka tul Mukarrama. I had to bargain with the taxi drivers as most of them were charging ridiculous fares from Jeddah to Makka. The usual price is around SR150, but during Ramadhaan they can charge from anything between SR250 and SR 350. Usually friends of mine in Jeddah would pick me up from the airport. However, they are spending half of their Ramadhaan in Cape Town, South Africa. Eventually. a young Saudi man came to me and insisted that he would take me to Makkah for around SR160. I agreed and jumped into his taxi. He was a pleasant young man. He repeatedly asked if I was comfortable and if I  required the air conditioner to be turned up higher.It took us one hour to get to Makkah and another one hour from the entrance of Makkah city to the hotel. There was a small fire in the one end of the city near Bibi Ayesha Masjid and that caused the one side of the underground tunnel road to be closed to traffic and that led to a pile up of cars stretching kilometers down the road.

My driver mentioned to me that he is originally from Medina tul Munawwara but lived most of his life in the city of  Makkatul Mukarrama. He was quite familiar with the place and so he chopped and changed lanes and took short cuts through the city's back roads and alleyways. Eventually we came to the entrance of the tunnel road. The main road that leads to the Clock tower building. Whilst cutting through all the traffic, my driver did not see a policeman standing in between the cars and so our car touched him slightly by his leg. The policeman went into a frenzy. He came to the front of the car, hit the bonnet of the car with his hands and then made his way to the drivers side of the car. He opened the door and pulled the driver out of the car. He then proceeded to search the man. Both men were screaming at each other. Quite an unnecessary situation in my opinion. The policeman hit the driver on his shoulder and the driver hit the policeman in retaliation.The driver was then threatened to be arrested and thrown into jail for six months and the driver retaliated by saying that if the policeman was not dressed in uniform he would have given him a few more shots for being disrespectful.I then opened the window and called a senior military officer who was sitting in his official vehicle. I then explained to him the situation and we then drove off. I was quite shocked at the behaviour of the junior policeman. He could have sorted out the situation in an amicable manner with courtesy and patience but instead he chose to create a scene and allow traffic to build up behind us...Having finally arrived at Movenpick  hotel, Makkah, I had to undergo a full security check. All my bags and belongings was thoroughly checked through a scanning machine before I was allowed into the hotel. It  was an awesome feeling to be eventually welcomed and embraced by family and friends who were eagerly awaiting my arrival. After meeting, greeting and exchanging gifts, dad and I made our way to the restaurant to collect our food. Whilst waiting for our order, we suddenly noticed  one teenager running past us and a group of other boys running after him. They had a small argument and hence they also landed up hitting each other. My dad decided to diffuse the fight along with other men who were waiting for their orders. The irony here, is that there was a group of policemen who were also waiting for their food order and they chose to observe the fight rather than diffuse it. They simply watched and stared at the situation without taking any action.Eventually, they stopped fighting and the crowd dispersed...Whilst returning to the hotel, I noticed a group of policemen who stood up from their chairs and handed it over to a group of old women who just could not walk any further due to the heat. That was a really kind and pleasant gesture I thought to myself, quite the opposite from the other two situations I had experienced earlier. Umra was quite a long, tedious and difficult task with thousands of people trying to fulfill their religious obligations. Now I know why the reward for an umra in ramadhaan is equivalent to one Hajj. The entire process took us almost three hours to complete.Walking between safa and Marwa was not as tiring as making tawaaf. It was crowded with thousands of people young and old pushing their way through the crowd. We witnessed a few people collapsing due to the heat. Sweat dripping down the foreheads of children who were quite visibly exhausted and dehydrated.We noticed an old man pushing his elderly wife on a wheelchair through tawaaf. It was just an overwhelming experience in totality.During my short four day stay I also accompanied my family on a tour to all the historical sites in Makka tul Mukarrama, including the Makkah Museum...I will give you full details regarding the tour in another post. I will do that soon Insha allah. Brother Abdulla (who resides in Makkah) and his cousin arranged our city tour and also drove me back to Jeddah airport from Makkah. As we made our way to the airport, once again we witnessed a small accident with both drivers hitting each other on the street. I guess with millions of people fasting under scorching hot weather conditions, trying to eat, sleep and  pray all at the same time, frustration is bound to set in.However, as the Prophet Muhammed (saw) stated,"Wisdom and power follows endurance and patience."

MAKKATUL MUKARRAMAH - - - THE CITY OF LIGHT

Those of you who read my blog often may have noticed that I have not posted any articles in quite a while now. I was away for a few days to the most amazing city in the whole world in my opinion and that city is none other than Makkatul Mukarrama.It is the only place in the world where I feel complete inner peace and contentment. A place where I feel so close to God Almighty. The first time I visited the city was almost ten years ago and ever since then each time I visited the city I have always had a different experience and the city itself has kept on changing with the continued expansion and development of the haram area to accommodate the millions of pilgrims who visit  the city each year.

My last trip to the Makkatul Mukarrama was rather a unique one. A friend of mine residing in Jeddah agreed to send a cab to the airport to pick me up and drive me to Makkah at a cost of SR150. The distance between Jeddah and Makkah is approximately an hour and fifteen minutes drive depending on the traffic which can be quite horrendous at times. On arriving at the hotel, Burj Al Zam Zam,the driver who had all the characteristics of a typical bedouin man decided to only take SR50 from me. Burj Al Zam Zam or Zam Zam towers is  a five star hotel situated in the newly built Abraj al Bait centre quite ideally located just opposite the haram. The hotel offers spectacular views of the Kaaba from your room window and occupants are given the advantage of listening to the azaan(call for prayer) as well as the actual prayer in the room itself.

I booked a standard deluxe room as I was alone but since I frequent the hotel very often I was instantly given a junior suite without even asking.After settling into my room and freshening up I made my way to the haram to perform my Umra. I will discuss the whole umra ritual in another article. I love performing Umra at this time of the year as the haram is closed to outside visitors with the exception of the locals and people from the other GCC countries, mainly Bahrainis and Emiratis. My friends, the Mutawwa were out in full force in the haram delivering religious sermons and advising the public. Actually they were not that bad. There were a few friendly ones and some of them even played and chatted with the many young children and kids who accompanied their parents for umra. However, the behaviour of the female security and religious police  within the female section of the haram was quite revolting as always. They have absolutely no manners or etiquette when dealing with people. 

I noticed a few funny incidents during my short trip that I'd like to share with all of you. Whilst making tawaaf or circumambulating around the kaaba, there were a group of women whose faces were not covered. As they past a member of the religious police, he dug deep into his pocket and handed them one face veil each. They took the face veil and then simply continued with their prayers.

Whilst awaiting the evening prayers I encountered quite a friendly Saudi woman from Jeddah who was sitting next to me. She had on an abaya and a scarf without a full face veil. She studied abroad and hence had a more open and liberal way of thinking. Next to her was a woman from Qassim. She was the complete opposite to the woman from Jeddah in terms of demeanour and personality. She was carrying a trendy Harrods bag and a baby bag that had the inscription 'I LOVE PARIS' written on it. Now most of the religious police come from the Qassim region. I was told that in Qassim a taxi will not stop for a woman if she is alone. She has to be in a group with a few women or male members of the family should accompany her.

So the lady from Qassim starts chatting to the young lady from Jeddah. Somewhere along the line the conversation becomes heated and almost turns into an argument. The lady from Qassim apparently questioned the young lady as to why she did not adorn the full face veil and socks.She branded the woman a hypocrite for failing to cover her body adequately. The lady from Jeddah retaliated by asking her opponent when she traveled to Britain and Paris was she adorned with a full face veil, socks, gloves and an abaya. She continued by saying that the Saudi women who are fully veiled in the Kingdom are the biggest hypocrites because when they leave the country then everything disappears to the point that many of them feel no level of discomfort adorning a bikini on the beach. It is as though God only exists in Saudi and not outside.At this point the lady from Qassim picked up her belongings and left.Whilst I agree one hundred percent with the lady from Jeddah, I think silly arguments like these should not be occurring at a place of worship. Why should anyone be worried about the attire of the next person? People have come from far and wide to attain a peace of mind, to attain spiritual enlightenment and simply ask God Almighty to fulfill their dreams, wishes and desires. Then there was this hilarious scene where I noticed a group of young Emirati men who were cornered by two mutawwa. They were told not to frequent the shopping mall and attract the young females in the mall but rather they should spend the entire day within the haram enclosure. 

After a few days I returned home and I guess somewhere along the way, God Almighty had been with me all the way as I had booked an ordinary car from the hotel to take me to the airport but landed up being chauffeur driven in a brand new GMC. On arriving at the airport my economy class ticket was upgraded to a business class ticket without even asking.I guess sometimes miracles do happen. I just wish that they always  happen to me as often as possible!!!!