10.27.07
Telephone Number of KSA Tahfeeth Headquarters
الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن اهتدى بهديه إلى يوم الدين أما بعد
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Tele: 02 652 3333
How to dial from the US: 011 + 966 + area code + telephone number.
Here’s a helpful site if you need to call from another country:
http://www.countrycodes.com/areacodes/call_saudiarabia.htm
Haneefah
10.26.07
The Ruling on Using Saudi Net Debit Cards
Fatwa Online:
Buying goods using debit cards
Q: I hope your excellencies can advise us about using Saudi Net (debit) cards when buying items from stores in the following manner: When the total sale price is agreed upon, for example SR150 (riyals), the card is presented to the salesman who passes (”swipes”) it through a machine he has in the store. The (total) value of the transaction is then debited instantly by transferring the amount from the buyer’s account to the vendor’s account in the same instant, i.e. before the buyer leaves the store.
A: If the matter is as you describe, then there is no harm in using the mentioned card, so long as the buyer has sufficient funds in his account to cover the required amount (of the sale).
And with Allaah lies all success and may Allaah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his family and his companions.
The Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa, comprising -
Head: Shaykh ‘Abdul ‘Azeez Ibn Abdullaah Ibn Baaz;
Member: Shaykh ‘Abdul-’Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh;
Member: Shaykh Saalih Ibn Fowzaan;
Member: Shaykh Bakar Ibn ‘Abdullaah Abu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa.imah lil-Buhooth al-’Ilmiyyah wal-Iftaa., - Volume 13, Page 527, Fatwa No.18521
As salaamu ‘alaikum,
Haneefah
You Get What You Pay For: My Radio
You Get What You Pay For
As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. My husband and I have decided to never, ever purchase appliances from unknown companies. Why? Take a look at the picture below of my radio. It broke as soon as we bought it home. The power button sunk in when I turned it on.
We took it to the service center for repairs. After several weeks of not hearing anything we called to see if it was ready. Of course it was not ready - come on. After a few more weeks we finally were able to pick it up and bring it home. Guess what? It immediately broke again. The “Stop,” “Pause,” “Play” buttons fell off. The CD door was hanging off (partially Su’aad’s fault). The tape deck was jammed. The antennae broke in half and the power button disappeared. My husband was too upset to take it back and did not care for a refund.
I still wanted to listen to the “Quraan Radio” station, so I made due by making an antennae out of a hanger and used a wooden spoon to reach in and press the power button. {Miskeen, I know….but it worked…at least for a while.}
My radio finally gave up and died a couple weeks ago. We plan to get a “real” stereo system from a company we know and trust. You get what you pay for.
Haneefah
Pre-Exam Breakfast Bites
Pre-Exam Breakfast Bites
Yahoo.com Health
Want to ace your next exam or presentation at work? Ditch the soda, cookies, and candy…. Instead, load up on the following winning foods!
Your pre-test meal should consist of slow-release carbohydrate plus high-quality protein. This winning combination will help stabilize your blood sugar while fueling your brain with continuous glucose. Bottom line — you remain sharp, alert, and ready to conquer.
Pre-Exam Breakfast Ideas
- Oatmeal with Berries: bowl of oatmeal topped with 1-2 teaspoons sugar (honey is better), fresh berries, and a glass of skim milk.
- Egg Sandwich: 1-2 scrambled eggs between 2 slices of whole wheat toast; enjoy with a sliced orange.
- Breakfast Burrito: whole wheat tortilla stuffed with a scrambled egg, shredded low-fat cheese, ½ cup black beans and optional salsa
- Waffles with Peanut Butter and Bananas: whole-grain waffles, toasted and topped with peanut butter and banana slices.
Pre-Exam Lunch Ideas
- Turkey/cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with baby carrots and an apple
- Cold pasta salad tossed with light canned tuna, vegetables and low-cal dressing.
- Leftover dinner; chicken stir-fry with rice
- Bowl of hearty lentil or black bean soup with whole grain crackers
After-school Homework Helpers
- Low-fat popcorn
- Grapes (chilled or frozen)
- Apple slices with peanut butter
- Soy crisps
- Healthy dry cereal (Puffins, Mighty Bites, Heart to Heart, Multi-Grain Cheerios)
- Baby carrots
- Pepper sticks (red, green, and yellow)
- Cherry and grape tomatoes
- String cheese
- Edamame (in the pod)
- Raw almonds or cashews
Extra Credit for Overall Brain Health
- Hydrate with plenty of water
- Load up on omega 3 fats (fatty fish, omega 3 fortified eggs, ground flaxseeds, and walnuts)
- Eat foods rich in folic acid (spinach, oranges, broccoli, and fortified breakfast cereals)
- Get plenty of exercise
Pre-Exam Breakfast Bites: Joy’s Healthy Bite
Author: Joy Bauer - Yahoo.com Health Expert
Sounds yummy to me! As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
Haneefah
A Lil Saudi Post History
As salaamu ‘alaikum. Here’s a little lesson in Saudi’s “Mail History.”
Saudi Post: The history of the Saudi Post as one of the major saudi companies goes back to before the establishment of Saudi ‘Arabia. Before King ‘Abdul ‘Aziz entered Riyaadh in 1898, some merchants had already provided voluntary postal services. White fabric bags were placed at the Justice Square (As-Safa) labeled with the city or village name. The senders used to put their letters in the bags, which were then taken to the relevant villages on camels or donkeys.
Later on, mailing services was deploying trains on the railways connecting Jeddah, Madinah and Damascus. Mail between Jeddah and Egypt used to be carried weekly by Italian, Egyptian and Indian ferry companies. By that time, the Saudi post services reached as far as Port Sudan and India.
The first Saudi postal stamp was issued in 1913. Then, in 1927, the Saudi post joined the Universal Postal Union; and in 1933, the Postal Works Directorate was established. In 1952, the postal service was transferred from the Post, Telegraph and Telephone Department to the Ministry of Communications. Since 1969, the Saudi Post witnessed vast quantitative and qualitative developments. Notably, the first independent budget for the Saudi post was announced in 1971, after the formation of the General Directorate of Post. Three years later, the Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone was established by the Royal Order No. 236/O. Saudi Post’s Express Mail Service, which is still their most used service today, was launched in 1983.
Since 2005, the Saudi Postal Corporation (SPC) established a number of new departments and launched even more new services, while also announcing their new project of addresses and post delivery to business and residential areas.
“Saudi Arabia has just recently begun to explore the field of direct mail and already we can see the advantages it has over other forms of communication” Yousef Hamidaddin CEO of DM.
Source: Direct Mail KSA Web Site
10.25.07
In Order to be a True Student of Knowledge
المنهجية في طلب العلم
The Methodology of Seeking Knowledge
By The Eminent Sheikh Salih Ibn Abdul Aziz Ali Sheikh
Translated by:
Abu Az Zubayr Shadeed Muhammad
1428/4/23 corresponding to Thursday May 10th 2007
Prepared for the new student of knowledge to preserve him from making the same mistakes as those who came before him. We ask Allah to give him success in his studies. If there was any good in this translation then it was from Allah and if there were any mistakes then it was from myself and the Shaytan.
Indeed the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the finest guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) and the most evil of affairs are newly invented matters in the religion, every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation will lead one astray, and everything that will lead one astray will eventually take him to the hell fire.
Many of the young students of knowledge read a variety of different books, at times relating to Hadeeth and at others relating to Tafseer or Fiqh. They listen to many lectures and attend the circles of Knowledge, but if they would stop for a moment and re-evaluate themselves, as some of them attend these lectures for one year and some for two years, they would realize that they never fully comprehended these lectures which they were attending, or they would realize that the benefit was not all that tremendous.
This is because they did not acquire a knowledge based foundation before attending these lectures, which would have allowed them to format and comprehend the information they were absorbing, and would have enabled them to follow the correct path when seeking knowledge. Hence the sole reason for this deficiency in their comprehension and understanding is the lack of an accurate systematic knowledge based methodology when seeking knowledge.
It is imperative for the student to develop and follow a distinctive and systematic method in his search for knowledge, and if he fails to do so, he will eventually fail in his quest for knowledge. It is because of this that we see many students become bored and loose interest for seeking knowledge, and after a few years he abandons the path of seeking knowledge all together. You will find after a few years that this same individual eventually returns to his original state of being just a layman from the Muslims, or from those who suffice themselves with reading from books!!
We want the individual who is embarking upon the path of seeking knowledge to adorn himself with two very important characteristics:
The First: To follow the same systematic path of seeking knowledge as those who came before you from the People of knowledge, those who, after following this path eventually became scholars,
The Second: To condition yourself in exerting every effort possible in seeking knowledge, by giving knowledge all of your time without becoming bored or losing your aspiration for knowledge regardless of the difficulties you may encounter.
Khateeb Al Baghdaadee (Rahimahullah) mentioned in one of his monumental books [Jam’i Akhlaq ar Raawi wa A’dab us Sam’i] that one of the students of knowledge in the science of Hadeeth from the Salaf had a very strong desire for seeking knowledge, but he aspired to gather all of the knowledge at one time by sitting in all the circles of knowledge. Then after some time he began to realize that he was not benefiting from the knowledge which he was trying to acquire, and he said to himself:
إني لا يناسبني هذا العلم
This path of seeking knowledge is really not for me!”
Consequently he abandoned the circles of knowledge all together considering himself to be incompetent and lack understanding of the various intricate matters of knowledge, or he thought that it was not meant for him to be a student of knowledge. So one day he came across a boulder which appeared to be eroding due to the trickles of water which were falling on top of it. So he pondered over this for a moment and said:
هذا الماء على لطافته أثر في هذه الصخرة على قساوتها, فليس عقلي وقلبي بأقسى من الصخرة وليس العلم بألطف منه من الماء
“This water along with its softness is eroding this boulder along with its coarseness!! My heart and intellect are not harder than this boulder, nor is water softer than knowledge!!”
So he decided to return to the path of seeking knowledge and was patient until he eventually became from the most prominent scholars of his time.
This will show you that in order to be a true student of knowledge you have to possess strong determination and ambition which will safeguard you from becoming discouraged. The student should not say “I studied but I really did not benefit much!” As if he is saying that he did not comprehend. The lack of understanding is not the reason why many of the youth who embark upon the path of seeking knowledge fail to grasp the details of the information which they hear. Rather most of them comprehend, but the reason why they don’t benefit as much from their knowledge is because they have not acquired the knowledge by following the correct methodology.
They did not follow the path of the people of knowledge who came before them. This path is very simple and much easier than the path that many of the youth who have embarked upon seeking knowledge today have taken. If this point is understood, then there is a very important question which many of the youth ask which is; “What is the most correct methodology in seeking knowledge?” “How does the student of knowledge follow the path of seeking knowledge in light of the Minhaj of those came before him, and if Allah gives him success on this path, he will eventually become a true student of knowledge?”
This question is extremely important, and there is no doubt that attending the circles of knowledge is very beneficial, and the most tremendous benefit which the student will find in this is when he leaves these circles he understands and comprehends what was mentioned, and he is able to disseminate that information to others in a manner which they can comprehend.
Please see madeenah.com for the rest of the article…it’s very beneficial.
Haneefah
10.23.07
Camel Beauty Pageant
As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. This is too funny for me to comment on. Read for yourself…..
Haneefah
Saudi tribe holds camel beauty pageant
GUWEI’IYYA, Saudi Arabia - The legs are long, the eyes are big, the bodies curvaceous.
Contestants in this Saudi-style beauty pageant have all the features you might expect anywhere else in the world, but with one crucial difference — the competitors are camels.
This week, the Qahtani tribe of western Saudi Arabia has been welcoming entrants to its Mazayen al-Ibl competition, a parade of the “most beautiful camels” in the desolate desert region of Guwei’iyya, 120 km (75 miles) west of Riyadh.
“In Lebanon they have Miss Lebanon,” jokes Walid, moderator of the competition’s Web site. “Here we have Miss Camel.”
While tremendous oil wealth has brought rapid modernisation to the desert state of Saudi Arabia, the camel remains celebrated as a symbol of the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Bedouin Arabs.
Throughout history camels have served multiple purposes as food, friend, transport and war machine. They were key to the Arab conquests of the Middle East and North Africa nearly 1,400 years ago that brought Islam to the world.
Camels are also big business in a country where strict Islamic laws and tribal customs would make it impossible for women to take part in their own beauty contest.
Delicate females or strapping males who attract the right attention during this week’s show could sell for a million or more riyals. Sponsors have provided 10 million riyals ($2.7 million) for the contest, cash that also covers the 72 sports utility vehicles to be will be awarded as prizes.
“Bedouin Arabs are intimately connected to camels and they want to preserve this heritage. The importance of this competition is that it helps preserve the pure-breds,” said Sheikh Omair, one of the tribe’s leaders,
“We have more than 250 owners taking part and more than 1,500 camels,” he said inside a huge tent where the final awards ceremony takes place.
Over at the camel pen, the contestants are getting restless as the desert wind howls and whips up swirls of sand in the hot afternoon sun.
Amid a large crowd of Bedouin who have gathered to watch, the head of the judging committee emerges to venture into an enclosure with some two dozen angry braying camels.
Camel-drivers sing songs of praise to their prized possessions as they try to calm the animals down.
“Beautiful, beautiful!” the judge mutters quietly to himself, inspecting the group. Finalists have been decorated with silver bands and body covers.
“The nose should be long and droop down, that’s more beautiful,” explains Sultan al-Qahtani, one of the organisers. “The ears should stand back, and the neck should be long. The hump should be high, but slightly to the back.”
The camels are divided into four categories according to breed — the black majaheem, white maghateer, dark brown shi’l and the sufur, which are beige with black shoulders. Arabic famously has over 40 terms for different types of camel.
Some females have harnesses strapped around their genitalia to thwart any efforts by the males to mount them. One repeat offender called Marjaa has been moved away.
“This one would fetch a million!” says Hamad al-Sudani, a camel-driver, admiring the heavy stud, or fahl.
Old Jeddah’s Cultural Village
As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I’m sharing these articles for informational purposes only. I don’t agree with all of the activities mentioned.
Haneefah
Old Jeddah’s Cultural Village
16/10/2007 Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat - The celebrations held in Jeddah last 13 October evening marked the advent of Eid ul-Fitr and brought the people together in a festive spirit. The village lies along the coast and has over 60 handicraft shops that sell old traditional wares and approximately 50 other modern shops, in addition to a number of historic buildings and a variety of cultural events. Hassan Mihwil Eissa, who is over 80 years old is a man who has witnessed Jeddah’s transformation, “This is the Old Jeddah in all its beauty and simplicity that you are seeing now,” he said in reference to the heritage village. He recounted stories of skills and crafts from days gone by in the Old City, including how they used to build their own houses. One of the pioneering builders in Old Jeddah, Eissa used to teach construction and building skills and was the head of ‘al Majmoua’ group that was responsible for building Beit Jeddah, a cultural center, in the village. He added that the project took five days and revealed that they used approximately 15,000 stones to complete it. There was a large family presence at the village as many flocked in to shop and celebrate on the day of Eid. “It was very well organized,” said Umm Khaled who was there with her children and added, “but the best thing is that it is open to all.”
Umm Khaled said that what impressed her most was that all the ancient handicrafts and skills were readily available, in addition to various antiques; however, she noted that most of these shops did not have names.
For his part Engineer Sami Nawar, the director of the Historic Area Preservation Department and the head of Jeddah’s Tourism and Culture Department said that the village was the new face of tourism in Jeddah, in addition to being a cultural and recreational center.
Approximately 45,000 square meters, the village has a showroom for historical cars and a huge square for children’s games and competitions, as well as traditional Hijazi food stalls, a poetry hall, art exhibitions displaying paintings of heritage sites and buildings, in addition to traditional Hijazi clothing and accessories for women.
However, it is not simply shopping that the village offers, there are folkloric troupe performances, in addition to other cultural events and performances that take place in the newly built Beit Jeddah al Turathi, as well as in the open theatre, which is located in an 80 meter area.
In terms of the anticipated number of visitors, Nawar said that the village is expected to attract over 100,000 over Eid. He added that the Jeddah municipality has divided the village into three sections; the fist one is dedicated to ancient Hejazi heritage; the second to the cultural of heritage of other regions in the Kingdom; and the third is devoted to international world heritage so that it may attract all the different communities living in the city.
From the Khaleej Times……
Old Jeddah to bid for heritage honour
By Habib Shaikh
11 August 2007 JEDDAH — The historic old Jeddah area is being prepared to be registered as an international heritage site.
Prince Sultan bin Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), who met the holy city of Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal, said that Prince Khaled had agreed to develop Old Jeddah for the purpose.
Prince Sultan said that plans have been approved to establish a mega tourism project in Jeddah and hold Abhur Festival and Okaz Souk Festival to attract a large number of tourists to the region.
“It has been agreed to set up a tourism development council for the Makkah region under the chairmanship of the governor,” he told reporters. “The Makkah governor reviewed some projects in Jeddah and Taif and gave instructions to establish a comprehensive tourism project like Al Oqair project in the Eastern Province. It will become a major tourist attraction in Jeddah,” Prince Sultan said.
He did not say how much the project would cost. According to press reports, Prince Sultan had previously signed a SR2.08 million contract with an international consultancy company to prepare a plan for Red Sea projects, which would include hotels and recreation centres.
“A five-year plan for basic tourism projects in Jeddah and Taif will be presented within the next few weeks,” he said. Speaking about the Abhur Festival, Sultan said it would be organised as a large-scale national annual festival beginning from Ramadan, the fasting month that is scheduled to start on September 13. “In the coming phase, the focus will be on Taif, which will be developed to become a major tourist attraction. We will also organise agricultural and rose festivals in the city,” he said, and added that the Okaz Souk festival would be launched this year,” he said.
10.22.07
Hair Care Products?
As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Hair care products are a major concern for a lot of sisters. Na’am akhawaat, these products are readily available here in Saudi.
You can purchase a “Soft N Beautiful” no lye cream relaxer at any grocery store. All the supermarkets and pharmacies carry just about every name brand relaxer you’re used to. No, I did not see “Hawaiian Silky,” but I think I saw “Motions” and a straightening comb in Sooq al Yemen. The women here are no different than the women in the West when it comes to girly things. They have perms, little pink sponge and plastic rollers, gel, hair spray, pink hair lotion, hair grease, hair dyes, kits for highlights, shower and silk caps, flat irons, blow dryers and beeswax for my sisters who love to keep it natural.
There are bows, headbands, ribbons, barrettes, “ballies” sparkly bobby pins, clips and “Just for Me” for your girls too.
If you bring your plug in curlers (or anything with a cord attached) be prepared to purchase many outlet adapters. The sockets here are not like the sockets in the West. We have 2 or 3 prong sockets that can stand only 220 volts. They tend to temporarily blow out some of the appliances, or catch a spark and melt the adapters. Be careful and try not to leave appliances plugged in after you’re done using them (something I often forget).
Haneefah
Fun with Spoken ‘Arabic - “What Do You Want?”
10.21.07
Interesting Q/A with Shaykh Muhammad al Malikee
As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Interesting Q/A with Shaykh Muhammad al Malikee regarding issues such as the evil eye, placing your children under Allaah’s protection, the merits of Zam Zam water, etc.
q-and-a-with-m-maliki-aug-24th.pdf
Haneefah
Names of Herbs, Spices & Everything Nice in ‘Arabic
بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن اهتدى بهديه إلى يوم الدين أما بعد
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Herbs, Spices & Everything Nice…..
شِبِتّ - Dill: A garden plant used to give a special taste to food. Easy to grow with beautiful ferny growth, dill is a commonly grown herb.
Add to sauces, cheese, egg & fish dishes. Seeds make pickles. Mince leaves w/scissors, not knife to preserve flavor. Dill is grown for both its leaves and seeds. If you want the leaves, snip off the developing flower stalks to keep the plant from setting.
أُكالِبْتوس - Eucalyptus: Ornamental fragrance, medicine.
شَمَار - Fennel: A yellow-flowered umbelliferous plant, with fragrant feathery leaves used in sauce, salad.
· Bronze Fennel: Ornamental, medicinal. This herb looks like Dill but has a great anise flavor. Distinctive bronze foliage makes this one decorative. It’s a fast grower so give it plenty of fertilizer. Use it as a cooked vegetable. Also with seafood. Seeds are used in hot breads, spiced beets and kraut.
· Florence Fennel: Culinary and ornamental. Grown for its edible “bulb”. The bulb is formed from the swollen leaf bases. This bulb, which has an anise flavor and fleshy consistency, is sliced into salads or cooked as a vegetable.
· Sweet Fennel: Culinary. This herb looks like Dill. Anise scented foliage. Blooms yellow clusters of flowers in second season. Prune plants to keep them dense and manageable. Fresh leaves can be gathered and used the first summer in salads or to garnish fish entrees.
إِبْرَةُ الرَّاعِي Geranium: Garden plant with red, pink or white flowers.
· Lemon Bitter Angel Geranium: Culinary, fragrant, and used for teas.
· Rose Scented Geranium: Use the leaves in herbal teas, jellies, sorbets, herbal butters, cake, or relax in a Rose milk scented bath.
There are many different types of Geranium which can be used in fruit cups, potpourri, herbal arrangements, crafts, and baking.
زَنْجَبِيل - Ginger: Medicinal, hot, spicy root used in cooking or preserved in syrup, or candied. It is also used to reduce the toxicity of some herbs. Allaah said,
وَيُسْقَوْنَ فِيهَا كَأْسًا كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا زَنجَبِيلًا
And they will be given to drink there a cup (of wine) mixed with Zanjabeel (ginger, etc.).
Al-Insaan 76:17
Tip: Label your herbs and spices in ‘Arabic. Read and pronounce its name every time you use it until you’ve memorized it. In Shaa Allaah this will help increase your ‘Arabic vocabulary for general conversation like cooking and eating well.
Haneefah
The Maxi Pad Myth
As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I’ve been asked if maxi pads are available here. LOL…Yes. You can get brand names like “Always” and “Stay Free.” They don’t come individually wrapped like the ones in the West, however you do have a nice selection to choose from. Longs, overnighties, heavy-flowies, liners, and wingies…lol…whatever you want In Shaa Allaah. “Faam” is a good Saudi brand if you can’t find the ones you prefer. They are available in every corner store, pharmacy and supermarket.
A friend a mine was told that maxi pads were not available in KSA, so she packed a suitcase full of pads before making hijrah only to find out that they are here…lol.
Haneefah
10.20.07
The ‘Arabic Reading Tree
Arabic Reading Tree (ART) - (Arabic/English)
1. Arabic Reading Tree: The Cake
http://www.arabicfirst.co.uk/readingtree/art01.pdf 2. Arabic Reading Tree: The Cake (Resource for Teachers and Parents)
http://www.arabicfirst.co.uk/readingtree/art02.pdf
Check out all the latest Arabic Books for children: www.arabicfirst.co.uk
