Eid Mubarak!!!

Eid Mubarak to all of you and may Allaah accept from us and you all of our deeds….Ameen!

After a very long hiatus, I’m back bi’ithnillaah. It’s Eid time here in Kuwait and the streets are full of people going to and fro, visiting friends, relatives, shopping; they have Eid sales just like they have “Thanks Giving Day” sales. People are smiling wishing everyone Happy Eid. The out break of swine flu doesn’t prevent everyone from hugging or kissing his or her friends and loved ones.

Normally, all of the shops are closed, esp. on the 1st day which is called Yawmul Nahr The Day of Sacrifice. The next day after that usually starts the Eid holiday which runs for 3 days after Yawmul Nahr. Almost everything is closed on that day. On the 1st day, “some” shops are open, mostly your convenience stores or the name they call it here is the Baqalah or Cold Store. Shops that open during this time will usually open late and close early. It’s really a great time of the year.

Particularly interesting is watching the TV and seeing all of the Hujaj (the pilgrims on Hajj) Mashaa Allaah!!! It’s a wonderful thing. You see the Ka’aba and the Ramy where they stone the Jamrah, and you see shots of Mina, the tent city. You also get to see some very good shots of the area where they make Sa’ie, that is, the path between the two mountains of Safa and Marwa and the lanes they have made as paths for those in wheelchairs. Mashaa Allaah, the gov. of Saudia Arabia has really done alot of work to make the Hujaj’s comfort and safety a major priority.

There is alot of construction going on and as one person put it from the Hajj Ministry, “We’re always preparing for hajj.” Sometimes it does get a little inconvenient, but the benefits are always seen later on, Mashaa Allaah. All of the shots are live and they really motivate you to want to make Hajj the following year.

They bring some people in for interviews in their TV studio in Minah. This year, they had an interview with a brother who works, I believe,  as a station manager or something like that for a TV station in Bangladesh. He was talking about how much easier things have been for the hujaj and compared it to the previous time he was on hajj.

Another interview was made with one of our Caucasian brothers from Canada who also has been there before and he similarly talked about the improvements made, particularly the area of the Ramy where the people stone the Jamrah. This is an area where there are always a lot of cases of injuries, either from the crowds or from the stones …or other things– being thrown instead of the “pebbles” ; like shoes…yes shoes, I’ve been told by one brother who made hajj. People really get carried away.

The area to the Sa’ie has been made wider and looks as if it was shifted to the left as you come in. When I made umrah this summer, I noticed this. They also made what could be called a flyover I believe in the area of the jamrah so that the congestion could be eased from so many people trying to walk in a tight space. I believe its like 4 levels now Mashaa Allaah. And of course let’s not forget the live broadcasts of the Salah, truly an amazing sight.

Well that’s all for now.

Salaamu Alaykum

Back in School…

Well, we’re back in school now. Feels good to see all of the brothers. Lots of smiles, hand shakes, hugs, and catching up.

So far they havent said anything to us about work yet. I’m not complaining.

I suspect that we’ll cruise through this week, then we’ll get on the grind.

But for now……just enjoying the atmosphere.

Our work ours are soo cool 9am-1pm. Better enjoy it while it lasts.