07.23.08
Blood Drive in Jeddah, Riyaadh & Dammaam
Blood Drive in Jeddah, Riyaadh & Dammaam
An FYI on making hijrah, living in KSA & some other things in between.
Blood Drive in Jeddah, Riyaadh & Dammaam
Special squads will inspect shopping centers, tourist resorts, chalets and recreation centers. Another committee has been formed to inspect warehouses and supermarkets in order to check storage facilities and expiry dates.
Haneefah
Coral Mall (off Tahlia St., opposite Fuddruckers)
2nd Flr.
Telephone #: 284 7447
Open Saturday to Thursday 10am-1pm and 5-10pm
Fridays 5-10pm.
Haneefah

Muhammad ibn Rasheed Al-Dosary, a living companion of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Saudi Arabia, published his memoirs recently. The book is called “Memoirs of the Youngest Attendant of King Abdul Aziz”. Al-Dosary was in the service of the king over five years.
“I was honored to be with King Abdul Aziz at the age of 12.”
It was at the orders of the king that Al-Dosary was admitted to the school at the Al-Marba Palace run by Sheikh Muhammad Al-Sanari.
“I learned everything the Sheikh Al-Sanari’s school could offer,” he said. “The one year that I spent at the school opened the horizons of knowledge before me and I am hugely indebted to the king who was especially considerate to the likes of us who hardly had any opportunity for continuing education.”
Al-Dosary recollected his time serving the king back in the 1940s. He was with the retinue of the king who had set out from Makkah.
“On our way we camped at a place called Asheeriya,” he said. “Some cars in the royal entourage broke down on the way and could not catch up with the king. The king wanted to send an urgent telegram for the immediate repair of the cars. But none of the court scribes were present as they were in the broken down cars. One of my relatives in the retinue suggested that I could write in a beautiful style though I was a small boy. Then I wrote a strongly worded message for the king ordering then Finance Minister Ibn Sulaiman to immediately arrange the repair of the automobiles. This was my first direct assignment for the king.”
“It is still fresh in my memory how the king spoke to me with tenderness ‘My boy, do you know how to write a message’,” said Al-Dosary. “I replied, ‘Yes I do, Your Majesty.’ Then he asked me in a patronizing manner if I could write well. I replied: ‘Yes, Insha Allah.’ Then I wrote the message and showed it to him. He was impressed by my writing style and congratulated me. His manner made me feel that I was in the company of my father. Then he asked about me and I told him that I was a Dosary from Alyat Al-Meshawaba in Wadi Dawasir. The king ordered Abdullah ibn Mubarak Al-Dosary, the palace supervisor, to take care of me because I was very young. I still remember the advice he gave to me. One was not to smoke. The second was not to keep company with anyone older than me.”
The king also ordered the supervisor to give special care to the young boy and provide him with a good education.
Al-Dosary said he wrote about his life with the king because he valued those years as the best period in his life.
“The king possessed a unique personality with sound judgment and foresight and all his qualities were topped by clemency and gentleness,” said Al-Dosary. “His life was in line with the commands of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). I never found him angry. He was widely respected because he took decision on the basis of Allah’s book. He possessed rare courage. He was the first to take the title of king in the House of Saud.”
Al-Dosary said he didn’t get nervous when he first met the king. “I did not feel any fear as the king was smiling at me and I felt very much at ease in his presence,” he said. “His door was always open to those who had any complaints to make and he never sent them back without redressing their complaint.”
While speaking about the king’s routine, Al-Dosary said: “He used to hold daily meetings to receive complaints even when he was traveling. The time for it was after the Asr prayer. It would begin with the recitation from the Holy Qur’an and discussions of religious matters.”
Al-Dosary describes the king’s eating habits. “His breakfast included Al-Khinain bread made of brown wheat mixed with butter, honey and dates. He would have milk, cream, and coffee, but he ate very little. After breakfast at 8 a.m. he would go to the royal court at Dair Palace where he would receive guests, visitors and attend government matters.”
Al-Dosary said the king liked meat of bustard, gazelle and rabbit; and fruits such as grapes, pomegranate, orange and watermelon. He used to brush frequently with miswak, saying that the tooth was the source of all diseases. He also liked to wear sunglasses. “The king used to say ‘I set out virtually possessing nothing. The enemies were all around. But with the grace of God I defeated all my enemies and achieved a unified Kingdom,’” said Al-Dosary.
As salaamu ‘alaikum. It’s not a “please touch” museum, so keep an eye on your children In Shaa Allaah….
Abdur Ra’oof Khaleel Museum
Tele#: 58 487 5677
Al Mathaf St. - Hayy Al Andalus
Four homes with more than 10,000 artifacts.
Features:
Entrance fee: 20 SAR
Saturday to Thursday
Day Hours: 9AM - 12 Noon
Night Hours: 5PM - 9PM
Jeddah, Asharq Al Awsat - Recently discovered archaeological remains are indicating that Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is home to an undiscovered and historical city buried under modern-day Jeddah.
Researchers, who argue this point, have drawn evidence from discoveries that were made when some inhabitants and architects found old ruins and tools whilst digging in certain areas. Sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that talks are being held with a number of house owners in the Ain Faraj vicinity in an attempt to gain permission to excavate beneath their houses, since it is clear that the spring of Ain Faraj extends below in an area that has previously gone undiscovered.
One source said: “It is apparent that a deeper history lies beneath this historical city in which we live,” and confirmed that “there is definitely another history to the city.”
Sami Nawar, who heads Jeddah’s Tourism and Culture Department, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Many discoveries have been made to support this claim. For example, a resident of Al Mazloom Quarter was digging for a water reservoir at six meters deep when he found three hand mills, amongst other items.” Numerous other discoveries have been made in this region since.
For his part, writer and expert in the affairs of Jeddah’s old city, Abdul Wahab Abu Zanada, related a similar story stating that when he was excavating the Malika building, located in Al Balad region, he found a number of rusty canons and undetonated bombs, as well some other archaeological remains.
Abu Zanada cited many historical facts that support the claim that there is a buried city underneath modern-day Jeddah: “What is noticeable is that when you pass by Al Meamar Mosque, you would see that the southern side of the mosque is four meters high. But coming from the northern entrance of the mosque, one would find that it is at a higher level indicating that it was built on a hill, that is, the northern Jeddah plateau that extends to Al Atiq Mosque.”
Abu Zanada stated that there are indications that this hill, the area of which covers approximately two kilometres, is the location of the original city upon which the present city was built. It is the area that is bordered by Al Mazloom quarter and the north-eastern part of Al Sham quarter.
If we add to that the fact that the Qudaa’ah tribe once inhabited Jeddah, it confirms that Jeddah was known of in the second century.”
Abu Zanada continued, “When the Persian city of Siraf was attacked, some of its residents moved to Jeddah where they settled and built two fortresses around the city, one made of stone and the other of water (water canals that enclosed the city). In 568, they built a four-meter deep water tank.” He added, “I do not think that anything remains of it.”
| Jeddah preps for summer action Arab News |
| JEDDAH: City authorities in Jeddah have approved an action plan for the summer holiday season, which includes maintenance, hygiene control and preparation of new public facilities to meet the requirements of massive crowds that are flowing to the city for vacationing, according to a municipal official.
Khalid Aqeel, deputy mayor for services, said the plan aims at intensifying cleaning work around the city and assigning more teams to monitor restaurants and food outlets. “This year we have introduced new high technology equipment that could measure the hygiene level not only of food but of workers as well,” Aqeel said. He said each monitoring official would carry three different devices that could instantly measure hygiene levels of food and workers, quality of cooking oil and the right temperature of refrigerators. “With these new devices we will have instant and accurate readings that ensure the safety of food outlets,” he said. Aqeel said the municipality would also launch an awareness campaign against the negativities of horse and motorbike rentals that have been taking place along the Corniche. The campaign is aimed at educating the visitors to refrain from dealing with illegal horse and motorbike owners, who sometimes manage to slip their way into the Corniche area. According to Bahjat Hamouh, head of the garden and parks department, the municipality is currently working on rehabilitating more than 125 public parks around the city. “The municipality has also identified 50 open yards around the city which would become public facilities and play grounds in the near future,” he said. The open yards were designed to cater to all both men and women of all age groups. They will have playgrounds, green areas, public seats and toilets, he said. |
As salaamu ‘alaikum …just sharing some info posted in the Muhaajir E-Group:
As the language in which the sacred Quran was revealed, and in which the majority of Islamic scholarship is conducted, Arabic occupies a very special and beloved position in the very soul of the Ummah. It is both the language in which we pray to our Creator and the gateway to the knowledge that enables us to properly fulfill our duties as Muslims.
Allah says: “Verily, We have sent it down as an arabic Quran in order that you may understand.” (Yusuf 12:2)
Sheikh Muhammed bin Saleh Al Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) said:
From the benefits of learning the Arabic language is correction of the tongue with the Arabic tongue which the speech of Allah was revealed in. Because of this, understanding the Arabic language is extremely important. But the sciences of the Arabic language are difficult in the beginning and become easy thereafter. It is the example of a house made of cane (the likes of sugar cane),but its door is made of steel. Meaning, it is difficult for one to enter, but once one does, is then made easy. Due to this, I encourage the student to learn the foundations of the language in order to make the rest easy for him/her.
(source: Sharh Al Ajromiyah pg.9)
Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) mentioned a statement of Imam Ash Shafi’ee (rahimahullah), he said:
…this is because the (language) that Allah choose is Arabic. He revealed His glorious book (The Quran) in this language and He made it the tongue of His final and last prophet, Muhammed -sallahu alahi wa salem. Therefore, we say: it is befitting for everyone that has the ability to learn this language to do so, this is because it should be the most desired language to learn. (source: Iktidah As Siralt Al Mustaqeem 1/521)
Thus it is a great honor that The ZamZam Institute is blessed to offer one month “Arabic Intensive Program” for everybody who is coming for Umrah and would like to benefit during her/his stay in Makkah. The Arabic classes commence with an introduction to classical Arabic with a view towards further study using source materials in their original arabic.
See Services for more information.
| Scholars want action against extremists Arab News |
| JEDDAH: Reacting to the recent disclosure by the Interior Ministry that terrorist organizations were exploiting Haj and Umrah facilities to bring in foreign Al-Qaeda cadres into the Kingdom, several religious scholars have stressed the need to deal firmly with extremists.
“The Saudi government tries its best to ensure excellent facilities to Haj and Umrah pilgrims and so it is the duty of all pilgrims not to violate the sanctity of the holy cities and not to create law and order problem. Any act or ideology that aims to disrupt law and order in the Kingdom, which is the home to Makkah and Madinah, is an unpardonable crime,” said Ibrahim Al-Khodairy, member of the Cassation Court in Riyadh. The imam and khatib at the Grand Mosque, Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, said that some youths were attracted to the extremist ideologies because of weak family control or the failure of schools and mosques to pass the right message to them. “Terror is the bane of the modern age, a cancerous growth that should be removed,” Al-Sudais said. Ahmad Al-Muwarrae, imam and khatib of a Makkah mosque, said that the extremists send messages to the young people with the aim of recruiting them to perform criminal acts. “Their aim is to destroy the peaceful life enjoyed by the people in the country,” Al-Muwarrae said. A lecturer at the Prophet’s Mosque and former professor at the Islamic University in Madinah, Saleh Al-Sehaimi, said that it’s wrong to blame unemployment for these activities, as some scholars think. “There are certain issue that many of our scholars admit do exist in the society but they could be resolved without resorting to destructive activities,” Al-Sehaimi said. |