Things that worked, and things that didn't, for me

This is going to be a candid post, so guys, if you are expecting that four years in Saudi Arabia made me a true blue Muslim, or changed me into a deeply religious person, you have another think coming. Sure, I set out to become a better Muslim, and to a large extent, I am. I lose my temper less often; I am more kind and forgiving than I was before; I have become a lot more caring, and I share my good fortune with many others, and these, in a way, are changing me into a good human being/good Muslim. 

OTOH, I am still not deeply religious by the standards of Islam. I did the Hajj pilgrimage; I recite or read the Qur^an whenever I can; I pray the Namaaz, but I am definitely not doing it as often as prescribed; Diabetes prevents me from performing the fasts; and finally, I give an arbitrary zakaat from whatever I save. So, there it is, in a nutshell. 

At the same time, I think I am a good Muslim, because I do not indulge in anti-Islamic acts; I do not cheat, rob, steal, covet, gloat, envy, boast or act in a manner not in accordance with my principles, my health, my character or my habits. 

I am a better Muslim than many bearded, self-confessed religionists we see everywhere around us. They are subservient to their own agendas of greed for fame, for money, for respect, for influence, for recognition, for promotion, for sponsorship of hatred and dislike for certain specific communities or specific groups of people.

So, while I do not practice the kind of rituals and protocols of Islam, many of which are specifically COMPULSORY, I do all the things mankind sees as being in line with being a good human/Muslim.

Need your non-judgmental comments, friends, elders, juniors, cousins, brothers and sisters.

Taher

Over half of Ramadan over

Yes, more than half of the holy month of Ramadan is over. Not much has been happening in Al Muwayh. Roads are nearly empty through the day. Activity picks up only after the evening prayers. A couple of small eateries bring out pakodas, chana chaat and samosas to sell to fasting devotees; department stores of all shapes and sizes open for brisk pre-iftaar business; cars appear on the wide promenade and roads; women appear in their ubiquitous abayas, walking to eateries and "bakalas"; young men and boys are seen ambling down the road. By half past six o'clock, cars begin to collect outside mosques, the roads again start emptying themselves. Fasting men and boys start collecting in groups with fruit and other stuff piled on a plastic sheet in front of them as they wait for the sound of the Maghrib azaan.

As the sun goes down, a hush falls on the town. Women who have made their purchases run home to cook hot meals for their men-folk; cars dwindle, children go back home, and expats, too. Non-Muslim people have to go back to their homes as well. Bakalas and shops start closing, with their managers urging shoppers to leave soon as the prayer time draws near. Through all the stillness, the sounds of azaans break out all over the town, tens of mosques blaring out the pious prayer over the megaphones. Devotees break the fast, their eyes on the clock, as they must complete the food piled up in front of them before rushing to the mosque to join the rows of devotees who are awaiting the call of the muezzin to begin the Maghrib prayer. 

Once the maghrib salat is over, people spill out again into the streets. Activity picks up from where it died down before the prayers, More people emerge out of their homes to take advantage of the fading daylight to purchase food and other necessities. Business is brisk in the next one and a half hours before it will be time for the next prayers - the Isha prayer and the Taraawi. 

My duties in the hospital during the working week are in two shifts. The first shift is from ten a,m, to 1 p.m. During the morning shift, there is no work at all, as fasting people do not venture out for routine OPD visits. Only road accident victims and emergency patients continue to come - mostly in the ER. The medical OPD does see some patients, as do the others. My own OPD (Pediatric) hardly sees one or two routine cases in the morning shift. Our second shift begins at 10 p.m. and continues until 1 a.m. During this shift, it is work as usual. The out-patients are full of patients and care-takers. Doctors and nurses are busy inside their cubicles. There are a limited number of patients in the ER as all routine cases are diverted to the OPD. By half past twelve, most of the work is done, and we slow down, awaiting the end of duty. The work day is then over.

I reach home within five minutes. Usually, I have slept most afternoons, so sleep does not come easily. I sit on my laptop, updating my games and checking my email. I usually watch an episode of two of the LOST series (currently I am on season 2) before retiring for the night at half past two or so. I take my suhur before sleeping, but I do not observe all my fasts owing to my diabetes. 

And Ramadan goes on. 

Modern Saudi Arabia and the challenges it faces.

It's been over two and a half months since I returned from India after a relatively relaxed holiday in March/April. This time around, although I did not go on any long vacation on account of my younger daughter's final exams for the second semester, I did manage to take my family out to Matheran, a lovely hill station near Mumbai. My regular readers might have already seen the post relating to this that I posted in April.

In the last two months, what has changed is my appreciation of this country that I am working in. There are problems, of course, but which nation does not have problems? Look at India ... our problems seem insurmountable, and yet, we find that despite the poverty, the corruption, the misrule of all the incumbent governments in the states and at the Center, and so on, we all seem to be progressing on the financial front. Our GDP this year is at a low of about 5 % (projected), but even this is better than more than 4/5ths of the world's countries!

Saudi Arabia is blessed with Islam, but what is its blessing could also be seen as its bane. As Islam is founded on the principles of the inviolate nature of the Holy Qur'an, the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the guidance of the scholars, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is obliged to follow the Islamic way of life, and also the principles of justice as guided by the Holy book and the precepts of the prophet. This has led to an altered perception in the Western nations' collective thought. Even those who live in India perceive the Kingdom as a rigid nation that is unwilling to advance with the times. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. True, oil has brought tremendous wealth to the Kingdom. True, too, that the twin pilgrimages of Makkah and Madinah bring a lot of prestige and money to the rulers of this nation. However, had the nation persisted totally with a blinkered-eye view of a punishing, unforgiving Islam, it would have remained backward with respect to economic and social development. The truth is that Saudi Arabia has prospered and developed in all dimensions. 

Even the perception that there is no social development is incorrect. If one sees the country in the last years of the twentieth century and what has happened in the last twelve or thirteen years of the present century, there has been all-round change. Educational levels are rising, women are now attending university, there is increasing licence for women to join jobs in more and more professions, children are sent abroad for Western education, and so on. These are monumental changes. Recently, the government has taken cognisance of the fact that over 200000 Saudis are without a job, and over a million expatriates are working without a legal permit in their kingdom. They have thus initiated the "Nitaqat" movement which will enable unemployed Saudi men and women to seek guaranteed employment in various occupations. At the same time, the illegal expatriates will either be asked to return to their native countries or be legalised by paying some money to the Ministry of Labour.

If you go through "Arab News", an English daily that is brought out in the Kingdom, you can read progressive opinions from educated Saudi men and women who are advocating social transformation while remaining within the broad framework of Islam. 

What was built in 1400 years of Islam cannot be undone in a decade or two, But things are evolving fast. The present monarch is a benevolent person who the average Saudis are fond of. The future heirs of the throne are Western-educated, more forward thinking and are awaiting the role they are likely to play when they ascend the throne. The religious police is, for the time being, very potent, but I predict that over the next 10-15 years, their hold over the people and the rulers is likely to slip. They will have to see the writing on the wall and accommodate modern thought as long as this does not violate Islam.

Hannah's misaaq

To all those readers who are not able to understand that word in the title, a misaaq is an initiation of a person into the fold of adulthood; it is similar to the "janoi"or the thread ceremony of Brahmins; something similar to this exists in some form or the other in almost all faiths. I am reminded of my own misaaq which was performed when I was but 15 years old. A misaaq is performed by a priest upon a teenager who is ready to take on his/her own responsibilities and duties as a Muslim. Before the misaaq, the person is a child, and his/her caretakers are responsible for him/her and his/her deed (s). Once the person has been misaaq-i-fied,the responsibilities are his/her alone. He/she pays for his/her own sins and earns grace for his/her kind acts before the Almighty.

During the ceremony, which takes about 45-60 minutes, the priest goes over the history of Islam, explaining to the candidate the various events that shaped the religion and the various dates that defined it. He talks about the pillars of Islam, explains the meaning of the "kaleima" (There is but One God and His name is Allah and Mohammed is His Prophet). He goes on to tell about how our own sect of the Shias separated from the Sunnis, how Bohraism came to be, and finally informs the candidate about the Syedna - our Head of Religion. He asks the candidate to swear allegiance upon Islam and its rites and responsibilities, upon the Syedna and asks him/her to perform all the religious duties regularly.In a way, this ceremony is quite rigid, because no one who has undergone the misaaq can remain completely pure and only religious. The World has its own way of intruding into the privacy and purity of one's religious obligations and of twisting morals of an individual completely.

This, in fact, is something that the priest himself must surely be aware of, since they charge a not-so-insignificant sum of almost 4000 INR to do the job.

After the misaaq, my daughter Hannah (now renamed Habibah) went to school and attended it for the half day that remained to be completed. I plan to attach some pictures of the event later.

Twenty rozas over today

In about one and a half hours from now, two-thirds of Ramadan will have got over, barring the shouting. I have, with the blessings of Allah, completed all the twenty fasts (rozas) so far, and plan on doing all. I admit that so far, I have NEVER done all the 30 fasts in any year, so I will definitely congratulate myself if I manage to do all of them.

The rains have almost receded, and with that, the temperatures have begun to rise. The feeling of thirst and hunger are contradictory to each other. During the colder days, hunger pains are more while one does not feel so thirsty; in summer, or when the climate is hot, thirst calls for quick resolution, while hunger takes a back-seat! This divine balancing enables the devout Muslim to complete his fasts without much hassle.

I have found to my pleasant surprise that it is not altogether that difficult to fast if one puts one's mind to it. My daughter fasted with me for the first eighteen days, but from the nineteenth day, I prevailed over her and banned her from fasting as her studies and sleep patterns were getting disturbed. This is not a very Islamic thing to do, but, as a parent, I had to take this difficult decision as she is in her pre-degree (XIIth) year, and the examinations that she will face in February and June will either make her career or break it. Thankfully, she agreed to see my side of the whole thing and has now stopped requesting me to lift the restriction of not fasting. In a matter of just days, she has reverted to her old self and eats very well indeed. I fear she may again put on the pounds that she lost during the first eighteen days.

In contrast, Hannah, the younger one, has so far completed just five rozas; she plans to do the fasts on Saturdays and Sundays only, and that too only if she is free from other tensions and responsibilities.

My wife's paternal aunt and her husband arrived at our house yesterday. Being Punjabis, their lifestyle has zest and enthusiasm that is unparalleled in India. Their first day's stay in our house was full of our hosting their comfort, food, and so on. They are staying here today as well. I shall try and post their photograph soon in this post.

That's all for today.

Ramadan has started

... And so has my fasting. Every year, I turn over the proverbial "new leaf" in Ramadan. All through the year, I am a non-conformist, who, despite abiding belief in Allah and Islam, hardly ever pray the Namaaz or read the Qur'an. Come the holy month of Ramadan, and I get transformed from being an irreligious person into an Allah-fearing, Namaaz-praying, Qur'an reading individual. I fast too. In short, I change into a new person!

So far, there have been six fasts, and I have done them all. I have no doubt that if my resolve does not waver, I should be able to finish all fasts.My elder daughter Inas is also doing all the fasts.