Happy [Eid] El-Adha to all Muslims, and my best wishes to those who went to Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, this year and hope that their endeavour will be accepted. A congregation of around three millions, you can only imagine what a spritual experience this must feel like.
Al-Adha means 'the sacrifice'. This is performed on the first of the four day Eid following standing on mount Arafat. Whether you were a Haj yourself standing on Arafat yesterday or not, Muslims are required today, each to their own ability and if they can at all, to be charitable and giving as well as make a sacrifice, or to order and share a sheep or more with family and the poor. Personally, I don't order, I buy a ready for sale equivalent, although some say this is not allowed since it is a sacrifice but that's what I do anyway - and usually, you keep a quarter for your own use, gift a quarter to extended family and the rest goes to the poor. And so, like all Muslim Eids, this is predominantly a day to remember the poor and a day where families gather, eat and celebrate together. Islam is therefore always seeking this togetherness and standing by the poor as well as family.
To be a Muslim, one is required to 1- Attest that there is only one God and that Mohamed is his messenger 2- Pray five times a day 3- Give Zakah, or two and a half percent of all savings or value of unused assets to the poor every year 4- Fast the month of Ramadan unless unable to due to sickness, long travel, etc 5- Go to Hajj at least once in a life time.
The first four are a must, although not everybody abides fully. The fifth, or Hajj, is for 'those who have a way to it', hence Hajj is not obligatory if doing so causes financial or health hardship. Some scholars interpret that to mean emotional and family constraints too and, of course, those can vary widely. For example, a nursing mother is not supposed to leave her young children with others to go to Hajj unless trusted provision can be arranged, like leaving the children with grandparents for example or else do it when the children are all grown up, if feasible and able ... and so on ...
For modesty, men are not allowed any stitched garments but can only wrap sheets of white cloth around their bodies, while women are allowed a simple white gown and head cover. For Hajj, women are not allowed to cover their faces or hands but must leave them bare as a requirement to Hajj. It is also always expected that those intending to go to Hajj spend time reflecting, be extra charitable and to try and resolve any disputes, pay outstanding debt and apologise for past wrong doing before embarking on the endeavour. If they then perform the rituals and keep the good intentions afterwards, they are promised that all sins will be forgiven. Hence, Hajj is a spiritually purifying experience and why it is always sought despite the hard regime.
This is the route which has to be followed by every Haj. To give you a little perspective, it's roughly about 14 miles between Mecca and the Arafat mountain where everybody stood to answer the call of God to Hajj yesterday, and that's a must do ritual like all the others covering this route. In the old days, before the advancement of transport, those performing this pilgrimage used to either walk or travel in caravans pulled by camels. Nowadays, there is of course air and sea as well as road travel, then coaches for internal use between the different points. So the endeavour, though still is very demanding, it is not as hard as once was nor do those performing Hajj need to sleep in the open or in caravans anymore, apart from when on the Arafat mountain and a few other parts on the route where tents of all standards are now the norm.
As you can see from this picture, Mecca is now a modern city that caters for all, with all standards and classes of hotels, serviced accommodation ... etc, so no tents there. Instead, comfort from share a room standard to proper luxury and upwards for those who can afford it.
Early this year when I was in Egypt during Hajj time, I heard that some people now put themselves into financial difficulty to go to Hajj. I then met a couple in their thirties who had to sell the only car they had to pay the huge cost to them for the journey including the modest-ish accommodation. This car, like here, they use to do the school run, their shopping, take the kids for an outing, etc, but that's now gone. I asked what they were going to do without it, well, from what they said, it seems they will put themselves into hardship, precisely what Islam says you must not do! It made me wonder why don't the Egyptian scholars advise people like them that they don't have or need to do that?! Mind you, Will they listen? ... for part of the reason for taking such drastic step was, as they said, because Hajj prices were getting bigger and bigger year on year so they felt that since they were able to win their two places in a low cost government organised scheme, that it was best not to waste it in case they don't get another opportunity since getting selected for Hajj has somehow become a race unless you can pay 'Big'!
Then I have a friend who, seeing the rising poverty due to the stark inequalities in Egypt, she decided, even from before the revolution, to adopt a poor young family of a couple with two small children instead of going to Hajj. So, she deposited the cost of her middle of the prices Hajj money into a bank and allowed the interest to be drown by the couple each month until such time when the children are bigger and need more spending on education, getting married and the like. In which case the bank will approve payment from the original capital and not just the interest against proof or invoices presented. So, it is like a trust. Her reasoning for this action was that so long that there are such inequalities and the resulting poverty in her own country, she felt that God, the most merciful who wants us to support the poor, perhaps did not make Hajj an obligatory must do as the other four pillars of Islam, not only to excuse the sick and the needy, but to also give those able enough room to think and do what their heart tells them is right. She didn't think that getting money out of her country, and one can only imagine the total sum leaving when the country is now in need, to go and hand it over to those who are not by any means needy but quite the opposite, was a sound idea so she took in the young family to her heart instead ... she no longer will be able to go to Hajj herself, but she told me she felt good about what she did.
I wonder what the scholars think about that scenario here? My friend's logic was based on the Islamic principle that 'What one's home need, is 'haram' or forbidden to take [even] to the mosque'. So, can and does this principle apply to this example here? Able, healthy but won't go because she'd rather help the poor?
Is being responsible for and feeding a poor family, or similar, in your own needy homeland be a substitute equal to Hajj?
I do not know what the scholars think, and it would be good to know. So there, if any 'knowledgeable' scholar, hopefully Egyptian or Saudi, is reading this please give an opinion. I just hope this scholar will not just simply say this is one thing and that's another, since my friend could not do both and why she made her choice. I also hope the endeavour of that young couple who put themselves into difficulty to go to Hajj will be accepted but, how about others like them too? - I know God is most merciful, most forgiving either to those like my friend who 'decided' to channel her money where she believes it is most needed instead, or to those now priced out because of the forever rising numbers and therefore spiraling cost involved [Now around three million people go to Hajj every year and this is predicted to rise to 20 million by 2030]. In both cases Hajj has now become out of reach Money wise for many who could afford it before as everybody involved now try to get the most out of a Haj rather than helping them perform their call to God at a reasonable cost. The reason why now some choose, as my friend has shown, that heart wise, it is doing better good to stay at home and spend the money on the poor. This is now a choice that is beginning a new trend for some Muslims, albeit the numbers are small at the moment. For those, and since God is everywhere, good intentions and deeds, like spending at least the same money it costs to go to Hajj on good causes, then striving to be close to the Lord in one's own home and a sincere calling as in this song - will suffice? Will the Al-Azhar scholars issue guidance to allow this particular form of charity to equal Hajj for those who want it? I don't know but ... I hope so ....
Happy Eid :-)
Say: I call God [Allah means God in Arabic]
قـل ادع الله إن يـــــــــــــــمسَسْك ضرٌّ
Qol ed'o Alah en yamssassaka doron Call God if harm touches you
ووجِّهْ نـاظريك إلى السَّمــــــــــــــــاءِ
Wawageh nazeryaka ela assama'ay And direct your eyes to the sky
فعـند الله إنْ تسألْه أجـــــــــــــــرًا
Fa end Alahi an tass'alaho agran For the Lord has reward when you ask him
وعـند الله مـوفـورُ الرَّجــــــــــــــاء
wa end Alahi mawfouro elraga'ay And with God, plentiful hope
وقـل يـا رب لا تسأل ســـــــــــــــواه
Wa qol ya rabi la tass'al sewaho Say, O Lord, and call no other
يبـدِّل بعـد عسـر الـيــــــــــــوم يُسْرا
Yobadelo ba'd ossr el yaouma yossra And he will replace all hardships with ease Wa en add el ada And if difficulty returns fadfa' assaho Push it's harm far Bezekr Ellah By remembering The Lord Talqa elda'af nassra
Weakness will turn to victory
قـل ادعُ اللهَ لا تــــــــــــــيأس لخطب
Qol ed'o Allah la tay'as lekhatben Call God and don't despair
ولا تحـزن عـلى آلٍ ومـــــــــــــــــال
Wala tahzan ala alen w malen Do not grieve over family and material hardship
وثِقْ فـي كل نـــــــــــــــــــازلةٍ بربٍّ
Wa theq fi kol nazelaten beraben Trust in the Lord when faced with misfortunes
يبـدّل إن يرد حـالاً بحــــــــــــــــال
Yobadelo an yored halan behalen With his will, he will change one present with another [better]
قـل ادع الله سـرًا أو جهـــــــــــــارًا
Qol edo Elah seran aw gaharan Call the Lord in secret or in public
وقـل يـا رب لا تسأل ســـــــــــــــواه
Wa qol ya rabi la tas'al sewaho And say, O Lord, do not ask others
فعـيـنُ الله لـيلاً أو نهـــــــــــــارًا
Fa ayno Elah laylan aw naharon For God's eye is awake day or night
تـراك وإنَّ عـيـنك لا تـــــــــــــــراه
Tarak w en aynaka la taraho Sees you despite your eyes not seeing him
Qol ed'o Alah Say: I call God
Thank you Prime Minister and best wishes to you too [No 10 :] British PM co-chairs high level panel on International [Development]
“True prosperity is the result of well-placed confidence in ourselves and our fellow man.”
Tough on crime!
Tough on stagnation!
Tough on the deficit!
Team Now Delivering!
UK economy returns to [Growth]
Prosperity is on the [horizon]
Good news!
Brilliant!
... and so, no, I am not cautious, I am optimistic, ... and with optimism comes hope, and with hope comes prosperity ....
Well done UK ... keep it up
:-) Give us [hope] Forget doom and gloom, it's time for optimism on the [economy] A moment in the sun will last if you [help] it to [last] UK economy is best in [Europe] Good news for GDP, bad news for [Labour] *Yes, look for and operate in new markets, but though we shouldn't concentrate on the EU as was, we don't leave what we have, not at a time when we don't know what will become of them, too [Great article] and No to [leaving] Britain shouldn't jump the gun on leaving the EU [click] And keep watching that economy Big Boss ... and Team DC!
I am not a doctor nor a scientist of any sort. Although I wanted to be one but never made it. I still find science and medicine fascinating to this day and so I have great interest in anything medical and the sciences in general .. and I still wish I was a doctor. But I am now the very proud mother of three junior doctors and a Podiatry graduate ... and they are all gooorgeous too! :-)
Here is the reason why I am here:
In 2007, a year when UK junior doctor recruitment to specility training went berzerk and was grossly unfair because the selection was "lottery" style. The online system did not allow CVs , prizes, other qualifications, etc. The system awarded 1 point for an additional BSc, either 1st or 3rd class, same award! 2 points for a Phd, while if you can formulate a hypothetical story in 150 words on, say, an example of when you worked under pressure, you were awarded 4 points! There were roughly 10 questions worth 4 points each. Doctors were not formally prepared for this type of application and most good candidates were too busy attending to their patients, they just answered as best as they could .. and lost out, not one single interview for a third of all applicants. Of those who got in, some went to private companies @£400-£500 each and had them formulate the proper answers for them and got in, regardless of ability! There were 23,000 posts and 34,000 applicants, nearly one third of all posts were dead end one year posts. Add to this the fact that more than half of all applicants were from overseas in direct competition with British graduates. I never heard of this happening anywhere else in the world, where overseas work force takes over not just fill gaps. We now understand that the Dept of Health was on red alert but could not stop overseas applications because of a pending court appeal case with one of their organisations.
One of my children was a victim of all this and what many families have endured from January to August of that year was unprecedented agony! Our brightest sons and daughters' careers as junior doctors could have been facing total ruin after a life long commitment to the study of the profession they love and of "aspiring to excellence" as is fashionable to say nowadays. For some families, the ordeal continues. I started this blog to try and help remove this injustice because many excellent young doctors out there have lost out and I personally know some of them. We now know there are many British graduates without posts as a result of the 2007 fiasco. Our young doctors are the creme de la creme of their generation. They should be rewarded for their dedication, hard work and commitment, encouragement and not the humiliation and contempt they were treated with and the great injustice they suffered because of this debacle.
Since then, The Darzi Review, came out 30 June 2008 is now healing and fixing, thus providing hope for the future of Medical Training in Britain ...
Hope seems to be on the horizon at last and all our young doctors are finally in very safe hands :-)
I am a junior doctor's advocate
I also support the current NHS reform calling for quality, safety and the right of every patient to same as well as dignity and an enhanced patient experience.
With the launch of the NHS constitution, I feel a new dawn of fairness, transparency and accountability for patients as well as staff .. is just on the horizon ...
Let's hope ... :-)
*November 2009*
Now that Professor Lord Darzi resigned his ministerial post back in July .. and with the projected financial trouble ahead for the NHS due to the current recession .. I am not sure Lord Darzi's vision will be fully implemented as he saw it .. and the future? I am not sure anymore ...
9 May 2010
General Elections - I was so confused with who to vote for, so I didn't. It turned out to be a good decision at the end, because it seems that those who did were confused too, they just ticked any box! We now have 2 big 'united' bosses, Dave and Nick. And there is Andrew, who has now taken over from Andy @ the Doh.
Will they reform the reform? Let's watch, wait ... and see ....
.png "English"){kind=small}
