For the Love of Cairo

I fell in love with Cairo in 2007/2008 when I was here for ten months. Its smells, its sights, its people, its larger than life character swept me off my feet. Well, this time it’s different. The magnificent city hasn’t swept me off my feet, as the sights and sounds are familiar. However, I feel a certain peace, like I’m back home – my second home.

In a previous post I mentioned a reason why I think Cairo is called “Umm ad-Dunya” (Mother of the World). Let me mention another reason. Cairo is like a mother in the sense that its arms are open and welcoming. It is generous and cheerful, always ready to look after a new face. It doesn’t chew you up and spit you out like other cities. Rather, it invites you to join the family. And what a big family it is!

Thus, I’m in love with Cairo all over again. Surprise, surprise, I’ve composed a poem to celebrate this love. 

Ode to Cairo

When I saw your sandy face

From high up above

My heart skipped a beat

Because I was returning to my love

When I ride the micro-bus

On your crazy lane-less streets

I say a little prayer

In case the Angel of Death I meet

When I feel your gentle touch

Among twenty million brethren

Each stranger familiar

Every Egyptian my best friend

When I hear your call to prayer

From a thousand minarets

It is a taste of Heaven

About as good as it gets

When I pass your street kids

Who can always raise a smile

My heart melts

And overflows like the Nile

When I visit a shrine

Of one of your saints

My spirit awakens

A million feelings it paints

And when I pray the morning prayer

And tilt my head low

I raise my hands high

And thank God for Cairo

Theology and Spirituality

One of the benefits of studying aqida (theology), even very basic aqida, is that it increases our certitude in living the good life and being good people. For example, a basic tenet of Islam is the Last Day, otherwise known as “The Day of Judgement” or “Yawm al-Qiyamah.” This is a day where people will be judged for their deeds. It is the day in which we will know whether or not we will enter Paradise or enter the dreaded Hellfire. Hence, merely learning about and revising our belief in this tenet of faith should urge us towards choosing the path of righteousness over the path of egotistical vice.

Another basic tenet of belief in Islam is the life of the grave, which is also known as the “mini Day of Judgement.” Here, everybody will be asked three questions by two angels whose names are Munkar and Nakir:

1) “Who is your Lord?”

2) “What is your religion?”

3) “What say you about this man (i.e. the Prophet Muhammad) who was sent among you?”

If a person answers these questions correctly, then the grave becomes a meadow from the gardens of Paradise. If a person fails to answer these questions correctly, the grave would become a pit from the pits of the Fire. As stated by Ustadh Amjad Tarsin in the course “Being Muslim,” the answers to these questions are not intellectual ones, but based on one’s beliefs and spirituality during one’s life. Obviously we all want our life in the grave to be as comfortable as possible; hence, knowledge of this tenet of belief will drive us to live lives imbued with the following: remembrance of God; living Islam; and, love of the Prophet Muhammad.

It is imperative that we teach our children the basic tenets of belief like the two mentioned above in order that they have in the back of their minds the fact that we are accountable for our actions in this life. Also, they will develop a healthy attitude towards life; one that views it as a means to remember God, do good works, and know and follow the Prophet Muhammad.

If we combine the teaching of aqida with a focus on spirituality, this science will not be a dry set of tenets that children memorise and repeat to the Sunday school teacher, but a living set of beliefs that impact how they conduct themselves in daily life.

May God grant us a faith that becomes a living reality. Aameen.

Tajweed - Part One

Tajweed, or the science of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, is the most difficult thing I’ve attempted to study. I’ve been at it for a few weeks with a teacher here in Cairo. What I’ve learnt from a few lessons is that the practice of tajweed requires deep concentration, a strong working memory, commitment, lots of practice, attention to detail, lots of practice, immense patience, and did I mention lots of practice?

A major part of this science is the “makhaarij al-huroof” (exiting points of letters). There are five areas where all the letters of the Arabic alphabet exit from during Qur’an recitation. These are the mouth, throat, tongue, lips, and nose. Within these five areas there are seventeen points of articulation. No two letters are articulated in the same manner. So you can imagine the preciseness with which one must move one’s mouth, tongue, and lips to achieve proper recitation of the Holy Qur’an. And this is the wisdom of the rules of tajweed – to facilitate proper recitation. As my teacher explained, the purpose of tajweed is “ikhraaj al-huroof bi shaklin sahlin” (the extraction of letters in an easy way). 

The struggle of studying tajweed is worth it. There’s a certain beauty in the words of the Creator being recited properly. The Holy Qur’an sounds especially beautiful when recited by an Egyptian. There is a saying that goes like this: “the Qur’an was revealed in Arabia. It was read in Egypt. It was written in Turkey.” Egyptians have a sweet accent which beautifies the Quranic words. I feel so lucky to be studying with an Egyptian.  

A benefit of studying tajweed is reciting the Holy Qur’an often. Constant recitation should only humble one and cause awe to descend upon one’s tongue, which becomes used to reciting noble words. The practice of saying noble things will eventually extend to one’s daily interactions with people – one’s family, friends, colleagues, and strangers.

May God bless us with love of the Noble Qur’an, and the ability to recite it as it deserves to be recited. Ameen.

Poems and Aphorisms 8

Circle of Life

Pain comes after effort

Effort comes after intention

Intentions come after dreams

Dreams come after hope

Hope comes after pain

Hears to …

Hears to those who struggle

Hears to the oppressed

Hears to the weak

With their cries suppressed

Hears to the scholars

Who strain day and night

To find the correct answer

Whether wrong or right

Hears to the mujahideen

Always up for the fight

Blood, sweat, and tears

Whose feats nobody sees

Hears to the mothers

Whose pain no man could bear

Hears to life

Sometimes tough, always fair

Hope

Misery and madness

Grief and sadness

Try to cope

Never lose hope

Pain and illness

Sober stillness

Gain scope

Never lose hope

Alone and lonely

Wish you were here - if only

No use trying to mope

Never lose hope

The day I stopped being sullen

Saw the light at the end of the tunnel

Never let go the rope

Never lost hope