I had an amazing moment the other night with The National readers and staff. When I told the group that my team and I were heading over to the mosque, a reader approached me.
"Ali, I am not a Muslim," he said. "But I find your passion for Islam fascinating. I would like to thank Allah, and, out of curiosity, see what goes on in a mosque."
This is the most beautiful thing a Muslim can hear, but it is also the most difficult. Most expats know non-believers are not allowed in a mosque, but we can offend people if we don't do a good job of explaining why. It is not because we want to exclude people: the more potential Muslims the merrier.
I have seen Christians praying. The simplicity - kneel, hands together, close your eyes - is beautiful. Islamic praying is more ritualistic. We must do a certain form of ablutions, then there are certain Quranic verses we must recite and certain actions we must do. To teach a non-Muslim these things would be like showing a layperson how to do surgery; it distracts from the task at hand.
This is why I had to tell this dear man that he couldn't accompany us. If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure most non-Muslims would find the experience a lot less precious than they think.
In America, spelling bees are a big thing. There was even a movie, Spellbound, made about these brilliant kids.
Well, here in the UAE, we have our own version of the spelling bee competition, but with an Islamic twist.
For the past 12 years, Dubai has held the International Holy Quran Award, in which participants recite the holy book.
The great thing about this competition is that anyone can participate, even non-Muslims from places such as Switzerland.
Of course, being Muslim helps: you've been reading and reciting the Quran since you were old enough to speak.
One competitor from Saudi Arabia said he had studied five parts of the holy book every day since he was 10. His goal is to become a PhD in Sharia, and something tells me he will make it.
The importance of recitation in Islam harks back to the very first word in the Quran, which was revealed during Ramadan. The angel Jibrael (Gabriel) came down to the Prophet Mohammed and revealed the Quran to him, commanding him: "Iqra!"
The word "iqra" is a command. It means "Read!" or "Recite!"
Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Jawan
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The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Schedule
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
UAE%20Warriors%20fight%20card
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Company%20Profile
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
SPECS
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Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Inside%20Out%202
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