Day 37 in Abu Dhabi
Its Ramadan, may all your sins be washed away and all your good deed doubly rewarded. There is much spiritual catching uo to do. I have never been one to sleep Ramadan off and always got annoyed in the past with people who claim to fast by sleeping all day and waking up just before Maghreb to do all their prayers before spending the rest of the day eating like pigs. But then, I have not spent Ramadan at home for many years and was not for a long time touched by the cruel effect of the desert sun while fasting.
Now that I have been here for more than a month more things are becoming apparent. Social commitments are one of the biggest wastes of time and I can see why it is difficult to be dedicated to your work or be creative as there is always some social thing to interrupt you: a death to be mourned, a birth to be celebrated, an illness to be nursed, wedding parties, a formal majles gathering, etc. Getting the balance between personal/professional priorities and and these social things is tricky. That’s not to say that its easy to do without them though because that’s where a great deal of networking happens. I suppose they are like cocktail parties, except there is no cocktail and not much of a business cads exchange.
I did not start working yet. I was kind of hoping to go to Omra with some friends but all weekend flights seem to be full and having driven once to Mekka, I am not keen on doing the same road trip again.
At the moment, there are just too many variables in my life.
September 15th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
kel 3am o enta b5er.. 3asa allah y3oodeh 3aleena o 3aleek bel 9e7ah o salamah^_^
September 17th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
so that explains why..some once-prominent members of society become recluses..and the only way to catch them is in their own house/majlis..sometimes by appointment..i hope we don’t end up like this..some how the ‘net has taken a little load off the networking, but not enough i guess
September 17th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
social gatherings are not at all that bad ! I think you are just used to your british lifestyle that you now see our social gatherings as a burden and a waste of time!
It is these gatherings Doctor that make up the society, bringing people closer, more attached and don’t forget ??? ????? is somthing that Allah with reward you greatly for. These time consuming gatherings are what make our society different than others. I hope that we don’t lose these traditional things with time in this complicated life…
Good Luck
September 18th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
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September 18th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
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September 20th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Droubi, thanks,, and to you too. taqabbal allah mench 9ale7 el a3mal
nadd, i am not a big fan of internet/electronic/sms networking. It sort of removed the personal factor from human relations. At the same time, I still feel that half of the social committments we impose on ourselves in this society are a waste of time that could be used far more productively.
passerby.. i also think its these gatherings that prevent people from innovating or gaining in depth knowledge about their field. Researchers/doctors/engineers/etc can not spend hours and hours after work walking the extra mile to their great discovery because it would be rude for people to walk into their majles at home and not find someone there, or because there is a wedding in the neighboarhood and it would be a blatent insult not to go, etc.
I am not saying they should be banned all together, but i find it difficult to know where to draw the line between professional priorities and social commitments.
September 28th, 2007 at 3:54 am
I happen to stumble upon your blog as i was surfing through …well lets just say A LOT of blogs
its really depressing when u hear people around u waste the month of ramadan sleeping through the day and staying up late eating as much as they can until its sleeping time again…9edag ily gal e’6lmook yarme’6an youm namo il naas 9baa7ak wes.hero layaleek 3ala akil wil jalsat :( i keep wondering if il rasool 3alaih il 9alat wil salam was here what would he say? and what is more depressing is no one would accept il ne9aye7 5a9aah when it comes from the heart…allaah kareem
as for the family and social obligation, just keep in mind ina ur doing it not as a social obligation but as 7aq il muslim lil muslim which is visiting families, sickness, deaths, weddings, what ever…at least this way u get ajer in doing something u cant get out of :P lol
emwafag bro fe il denya wil a5rah inshalla
September 29th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Desert Bloom > welcome to my little corner of the web. I agree that you get ajer when u r doing this, but at the same time u just cant focus on what u r doing.