Ramadan part 2 : Quran on Fasting

Ramadan is often referred to as the month of the Quran. God praised this month by choosing it to send down all of his divine books.

The Prophet said: “The pages of Ibrahim were revealed during the first night of Ramadan. The Old Testament was revealed during the sixth night of Ramadan. The New Testament was revealed during the thirteenth night of Ramadan. God Reveled the Quran on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan.

(Ahmed 4:107)

The prophet was accustomed to retreating to Hira cave in the mountain of light seeking solitude in order to come closer to God. During the month of Ramadan of his 40th year the Angle Gabriel came to the prophet and delivered the first verses of the Quran. “Read in the name of your Lord who created man from a clot. Read and your Lord is Most Honorable, He who taught (the use of) the pen and taught man that which he knew not.” (Quran 96: 1-5) These revelations continued for the next 23 years until the Quran was completed.

Another reason the month of Ramadan became known as the month of the Quran was because the prophet used this month to review the Quran with the Angle Gabriel in order to ensure that his memory didn’t fail. The year of his death he reviewed the Quran twice.

“O you who believe, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” (Quran 2: 183)

The order to fast was not given only to the Muslims but to all those believers who came before as well. One must abstain not only from food and drink but sexual relations, evil speech and deeds as well. One must do this for god alone. If fasting in done right it purifies the body and soul from evil and ill behavior.

“Fasting for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey (during these days) then the same number should be made up from other days. And as for those who are able to fast, but with hardship, they have a choice either to fast or to feed a poor person for everyday. But whoever does well of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast are better for you if you only knew.” (Quran 2: 184)

“The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion between right and wrong. So whoever of you sights the crescent moon on the first night of the month of Ramadan, he must observe fasting that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number of days must be made up from other days. God intends for you ease, and he does not want to make things difficult for you and wants for you to complete the period and to glorify God for that to which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Quran 2:185)

“And when My servants ask you concerning me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls upon me. So let then respond to Me that they might be rightly guided.” (Quran 2:186)

Ramadan

I've been busy the last few days preparing myself for Ramadan. There are so many dimensions to Ramadan and really only a few are talked about, When I did a search on it I only found very basic facts. There is also a cultural aspect of Ramadan that is different not only from country to country but from family to family as well. This is talked about even less so I thought I would write about what Ramadan is to me religiously and culturally.


The preparations for this special month start about a month before. It is sunnah to wear your best clothes on Eid, new if you can afford them. This as evolved into a huge exaggeration in some families spending an entire years salary for these things that include pj's, shoes, gold, accessories, purses, abayas and anything else they can think of. Ramadan is when the stores bring the new styles for the season. The price at that time will double and people will pay the prices having no real option. The reason preparations start a month before is because of the huge sales that take place. It is similar to the day after thanksgiving sale only less crowed. The reason it is less crowded is because most women are waiting to pay double the price for the new styles that are brought. This to me is just plain stupid and if someone judges me cause I am wearing something that they consider last season well then so be it cause they really aren't worth knowing or dealing with. Don't get me wrong I like to dress nice and fashionably but my sense of style is classic and I prefer that to always being trendy. I have a sense of style but am also very level headed and love getting quality name brand clothing for 75% off.

For Eid I usually get two new outfits, shoes to match, a purse, and maybe some jewelry but again all at a low price and these things are usually staples that will add to my wardrobe and last me all year. That way my wardrobe only needs updating and adding a few more staple pieces, which I do twice a year once for winter and once for summer. Some times if I am in need of a new abaya I will buy that this time of year as well. I like a certain brand of abayas that are really pretty spendy but it will last me for a min. of three years and 5 at the most. This year everything cost me about 1, 355 SR ($360). The amount I spent was higher than normal as I happened to be in dire need of a new abaya. So I would normally have spent around 850 SR ($220)

{Kabsa}

{Samboosa}

{Dates and Arabic Coffee}

After the shopping is taken care of there is usually some mini spring cleaning that goes on in the kitchen and my closet. I go through my close and donate the things I've never worn, only wore a few times or those things that don't fit me any more. Then I clean out the fridge and re-organize the kitchen cupboards. Now we are ready to do the grocery shopping to stock up on the special foods we like to eat during Ramadan. I don't make many of the traditional Saudi favorites for Ramadan as I like a simpler meal but for those who are curious I will least some of the most famous. First and for most are the samboosas that are a must (even in my house I must admit...I love em!) as well as Al-Gamat(kind of sweet breaded fryed and dipped in date syrup or hiney), Vimto which I detest is much like cool-aid, soup or stew of some kind, Rice and an insane amount of sweets be they puddings, cakes or Jello. You should she some of them shopping with not one but two overflowing carts full of groceries. This saddens me as Ramadan is not about food but rather the opposite. Most Saudi families consume more food during this month then any other. This month is a time to consume less and sustain ourselves on simpler meals. This is one of the many blessing of this month an opportunity to detoxify our bodies and give them a chance to heal themselves. God in his infinite wisdom who created our bodies knows that digestion of food take the most energy of any process our bodies perform. So if we are constantly stuffing our faces and filling our stomach the body spends all of it energy to digest rather then to heal and repair so Ramadan is a time to rest and refresh ourselves.

{A typial try with dates & coffee}

As for my family, we break our fast with dates and water as this was the sunnah of the prophet. I like to add Arabic coffee with the dates. Then we pray the evening prayer and when finished we dine on soup and salad and sometimes samboosa either with chicken or cheese. Then between that and the morning prayer when we may have dates with milk we will eat some kind of fruit or drink fresh juice. I would say that for the entire month I will maybe cook a real main meal 2 or 3 times.

{Where we break our fast}

Lastly I prepare some religious books to read and download lectures that I want to listen to while in the kitchen cooking. Plus I do try to read the entire quran as Ramadan is the month of the quran but never seem to get to it all but hopefully I will this year, Inshallah

Ramadan truly is a blessing that gives an opportunity to change bad habits, repent from past sins and refresh our bodies, minds and soul. It is also a time to renew ones faith in and relationship with God. All Muslims all over the world rejoice at its coming and weep at its closing all the while wishing it never had to end, I know some of you must be asking yourselves why would someone rejoice in abstaining and sacrificing one's own comfort but fasting gives you a reality check and puts you in touch with what is really important in life.

Post to come...

Acts of worship in Ramadan

Quran on Fasting

Hadith on Fasting

Night of Decree

Brief History of Quran

Driving Rampage

I was watching a show on Saudi Channel 2 called, "Mishmash" which is a show that has discussions on reliant topics to the society. The topic yesterday was: "Are boy and girls raised the same and are they punished the same when they get into trouble". Of course during the discussion the issue of brothers having to drive their sisters around came up. The boys were of the opinion that girls were treated like little princesses that have way too much freedom. The girls thought that the boys had more freedom. The boy's main reason as to why they thought girls had more freedom was because they had to rearrange their schedule's and live their lives around their sisters wants in order to drive them here or there. But the thing that was never mentioned was that it is not women's faults that we can’t drive ourselves around many women given the opportunity would like to drive themselves around. So what do the men expect us to do if we are not allowed ? Should we then sit at home and not go out ever or only when it is convenient for them. If men don’t like being the chauffeur for the women in their lives then why is it that most men disagree with women driving in Saudi Arabia? So that leaves us in a pickle and the result is that most women struggle to get things done and to get where they need to go.

I will now speak from personal experience as I have the most trouble getting around compared to most of my friends. My bathroom light burnt out about a week or so ago and I have been using a candle to do my business at night for all that time. I have of course in that time reminder hubby to go to the store and by light bulbs to fix the lights in the bathroom. He forgets or becomes too busy or is distracted by something else. So I will hound and hound until it gets done but why should I have to do that when I am able to go out and do it myself and can take the burden off of his shoulders and I would not be pissing by candle light. Don’t let me get started on the door handle to the bathroom that has been broken even longer and he tells me all the time to be careful because he is afraid I will get locked in. I tell him why don’t you go buy a new handle and fix it. I guess he must not be too worried…lol I mean it gets down right stupid when you have to schedule an appointment to go grocery shopping or to get to the pharmacy or the doctor for that matter. It gets even worse when you want to get together with friends because trying to get a time when all the different husbands are free to drop us is a headache and a half.

And this is what I usually look like after dealing with the dilema of getting where I need to do...

Henna

So, just recently I went to a local salon to get henna done for the heck of it as I have only had it done twice before and I think that it is a fun thing to do. Even before I went to the saloon I started looking up pictures on the Internet to help me choose a design. My friend and I went to the saloon and communication was kinda hard as my Arabic is limited but we managed. I showed the hennaist (is that a word) the design I wanted and we are off and away. She is about half way through my first hand when my friend asked her if there is gas in the henna...and picture me sitting there mouth hanging open and eyes wide going what?? The lady says yes of course there is gas in the henna. Why, I ask her. She says it is cheap and makes the henna develop faster. I couldn't believe it. Then as she was finishing up my second hand my computer dies and I don't have my charger. Now she was able to finish my hand but she didn't get a good look at the design I wanted for my feet so I told her to do her thing but I'll be honest I didn't like it as much as the one I wanted it was the coolest design and I liked it even more then I did the one I chose for my hands.After we are finished my friend pulls down my face veil and helps me put my glasses back on as I try to slip on my shoes as gingerly as possible. My veil is crooked and my white henna clad hands and feet bring a lot of stares as I manage to get down the stairs and on the street which happens to be in the middle of a busy market. I stand on the street corner waiting for my hubby feeling really funny as there are two men near by who are so rudely staring at me. Then my phone rings I can tell by the ring tone that it is my hubby and I think to myself how am I going to unzip my purse and dig out my phone with out mucking up my henna. I manage and husband says he is on the street but traffic is moving slowly, I tell him to hurry as I'm creating a scene. At last I get in the car at which point I notice all the henna had rubbed off of my feet. Then we get home and removing my veil was a sight to see and then the urge hits me...I gotta pee but how will I mange that as I am not suppose to get my hands wet for at least 12 hours if I want my henna to change from an horrible orange color to a deeper darker redish brownish color. In the end I decided that it would be so much easier to learn how to do henna myself and do it in the comfort of my own home and hey if I get good enough maybe my friend can benefit from my new hobby. Any one with some henna do it yourself advice would be welcomed!

Beware! Only at your own risk…

Should you ride with a nearly 18 year old boy (emphasis on boy).

Because women can't drive in this country we are left to the mercy of male drivers and most of the men here drive like they are king of the road. The saying, last time I checked goes king of the castle not road.

Now that I'm working I ride with my step-son as we car pool to 4 different places. I thought that my step-son being legally able to drive would be a good thing that would enrich my life but all that it has done is make me a nervous wreck in the mornings and late afternoons.

I tried, at first to play it cool and not to say anything, but he is not just a bad driver, that I could handle but he is careless, reckless, fast and just plain dangerous to himself, me and any one else not so lucky to be on the road with him. And on top of it all he has no driving manners and drives very offensively and it embarrasses me to be in the car with him at times.

Now, his sisters and I have complained to his father countless times, so much in fact that hubby doesn't want to hear it any more because he has punished him, taken the car away from him and tried countless other techniques to change his driving habits but he doesn't seem to learn. I hate to say it but I think he will only learn the hard way and maybe then the lesson will sink in. I just hope I'm not in the car when it happens.

Due to this experience I have asked myself if I was that bad of a driver when I first started driving. I know that I made my mom nervous but I keep asking myself was I that dangerous. I mean I did manage to hit a parked car, hospital, drive up window sign all while learning to drive and after obtaining my license rear ended a guy. However, was I truly dangerous?

Vacation

I was so looking forward to the next two weeks off for Eid vacation. I have been so over worked that for the first few days of vacation I just vegged out and did nothing.

I finally broke down and bought the 7th Harry Potter book and read it. I must say I am glad to have an ending because it was the not knowing have no finality that was killing me but i must admit that the book wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be and the series kinda ended with out a bang. Don't get me wrong it was good and I am sure I will read it again down the road but I was expecting more of a pop I guess. I also came across the 5th harry potter movie and I bought it but was greatly disappointed with it. Now to me the book is always better but i just hate it when they don't stick to the facts of the book. I know they cant include every thing but at least don't go changing things around and adding things that aren't' even in the book.



Other then that I've been planning a dinner .party It is going to be Italian night because another friend had been talking about doing a dinner part with an Italian theme but hasn't gotten around to it so i was telling her that i have a great recipe for Alfredo sauce and if she wanted i would give it too her and then she says well why don't you just host the Italian night so that was how i got suckered in to hosting the dame thing. It should be nice thought to have a good cooked meal for a change.


I have been wanting to post about these Fair an lovely commercials that they advertise so that is the next post you Ala can look forward to.

Game of tag anyone?

It took more thinking and effort then one would like but saudi stepford wife tagged me so here it goes.
Here's the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. My obsession with anything and everything sunflowers. If it has sunflowers on it then I have to buy it even if I have one already or don't need it as soon as sunflowers get involved you better believe I will buy it.

2. I hate talking on the phone and will only talk with certain people if you are not one of those certain few chances are I will do what ever it takes to get off the phone with you. I am also bad at calling other people just don't like so just won’t do it.

3. I'm constantly picking at my finger nail and cuticles it is very much an unconscious habit most of the time it must be hereditary as my mom does the same thing.

4. I like to twist the corner of my pillow between my thumb and index finger and have done so since I was a little girl. At first it was just my pillow but now I will twist just about anything. Last night in the car while discussing my 7 facts with my hubby I found myself twisting Kleenex. Again it is some times an unconscious habit. I would love to find out what these unconscious habits say about my mental health.

5. I am a sucker for and will often cry at a good love story.

6. I can't stand fake people and could never ever be fake and pride myself on my ability to keep it real.

7. Don't like to go any where with out my face on, as my mother always said. I at least have to have foundation and lipstick on before I will go any where.

I tag:
Safa Naeem Hayati Unique Jacque Amy CariMuslima

Working

My desire to blog and even to come up with interesting topics to blog about has gone way done and it is due to the fact that I have been eating, sleeping and breathing everything to do with lesson plans, teaching aids and did I make the photo copies of the homework worksheets. Am I prepared for tomorrows lessons, did I print the flashcards and remember to send notes home to all their parents about the spelling bee. If that is not enough I am consumed about how to fix the seating arrangement to better suit my students or trying to think of ways to handle some of the students behavioral problems. I don't even have time for my own husband and often go to bed before he gets home at night and forget getting any real house work or cooking of any kind (not that I cooked a whole lot before this job...lol) done during the week. My weekends are spend relaxing from constantly being on the move the rest of the week of getting any shopping or errands ran that didn't get done during the week.

Even though I enjoy teaching and like my new job it is so much more demanding than I thought it would be so please keep watching out for my posts as I get settled in the new job and I get a routine down and hopefully have more time to do things besides work.

Back to Work

It seems like only yesterday I was telling my husband that I would never work at another private school again for all the money in the world. However due to a lack of opportunities and me not wanting to stay at home and go crazy...I have reentered the work force so to speak and today is my first day...so please wish me luck and pray for me!

Brain Gender

Your Brain is 73% Female, 27% Male

Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you!

What Gender Is Your Brain?