Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Khallee
Assalam u alaikum,
No matter what anyone says about Egypt being a very modern country and not very Islamic, no one can disagree with the fact that Egyptians are among the most generous people in the world. There are so many examples that I've seen myself. Today I bought a big crate of bottled water from the store and was walking home with it. I had reached my apartment when I heard someone yelling, "Ammo!" I turned around to see a little girl running up to me with my wallet. Subhanallah, I said to myself. In any other place it might have been gone in a flash but this girl ran all the way from the store to give it to me, with all the money intact, I might add.
Generosity and politeness is ingrained in the culture. I bought koshari for lunch today (alhamdulillah my digestive system is still in good working order) but I only had a fifty-pound note (for more on the importance of fukka in Egypt, see previous posts). The boy working at the restaurant had no change of course, so I said I would give it to him tomorrow. I managed, through some intelligent purchases (the crate of bottled water was all part of my plan to get more fukka ) to get some change, so I decided to give him the change tonight. When I went to give it to him, he just kept saying, "Khallee," and refused to take the money. I was totally confused. "It's only a guinea and a half anyways, what's he playing at?" He could only speak in ammiya anyways and I couldn't figure it out. When I went to get Mustafa from Al-Diwan, I asked his teacher what khallee means. "Oh," he said, laughing, "Khallee means something like 'don't worry about it' or 'don't give it.' Instead of saying, 'Yes, give me the money,' out of politeness they say the opposite."
I guess that means I still have to give him the money. :D
In other news, Mustafa and I may go to the pyramids tomorrow since it is free day tomorrow and my class is in the morning. It depends how much homework I have. If I have a lot we won't go but otherwise we'll try and go. Just pray we don't get ripped off too badly. We just want to get a feeling for it before we go with anyone else.
I really need to wash my clothes, but I never get any time. I thought I would get more time now that my classes are in the morning, but I never do. I guess that's life, in Cairo or Canada.
Oh by the way, the Egyptian Constitution is being changed! Yaaaaaaaay! Egyptians will now actually have FREE elections! On the news they always feature Hosni Mobarak going on about how the changes to the dustoor will make life more free and democratic for Egyptians. My teacher had a little bit to say about that.
Ma'asalam,
~Ameer
No matter what anyone says about Egypt being a very modern country and not very Islamic, no one can disagree with the fact that Egyptians are among the most generous people in the world. There are so many examples that I've seen myself. Today I bought a big crate of bottled water from the store and was walking home with it. I had reached my apartment when I heard someone yelling, "Ammo!" I turned around to see a little girl running up to me with my wallet. Subhanallah, I said to myself. In any other place it might have been gone in a flash but this girl ran all the way from the store to give it to me, with all the money intact, I might add.
Generosity and politeness is ingrained in the culture. I bought koshari for lunch today (alhamdulillah my digestive system is still in good working order) but I only had a fifty-pound note (for more on the importance of fukka in Egypt, see previous posts). The boy working at the restaurant had no change of course, so I said I would give it to him tomorrow. I managed, through some intelligent purchases (the crate of bottled water was all part of my plan to get more fukka ) to get some change, so I decided to give him the change tonight. When I went to give it to him, he just kept saying, "Khallee," and refused to take the money. I was totally confused. "It's only a guinea and a half anyways, what's he playing at?" He could only speak in ammiya anyways and I couldn't figure it out. When I went to get Mustafa from Al-Diwan, I asked his teacher what khallee means. "Oh," he said, laughing, "Khallee means something like 'don't worry about it' or 'don't give it.' Instead of saying, 'Yes, give me the money,' out of politeness they say the opposite."
I guess that means I still have to give him the money. :D
In other news, Mustafa and I may go to the pyramids tomorrow since it is free day tomorrow and my class is in the morning. It depends how much homework I have. If I have a lot we won't go but otherwise we'll try and go. Just pray we don't get ripped off too badly. We just want to get a feeling for it before we go with anyone else.
I really need to wash my clothes, but I never get any time. I thought I would get more time now that my classes are in the morning, but I never do. I guess that's life, in Cairo or Canada.
Oh by the way, the Egyptian Constitution is being changed! Yaaaaaaaay! Egyptians will now actually have FREE elections! On the news they always feature Hosni Mobarak going on about how the changes to the dustoor will make life more free and democratic for Egyptians. My teacher had a little bit to say about that.
Ma'asalam,
~Ameer
What Interesting Thing Happened?
Everything. More and more I'm begining to realize that every day that we thank Allah for is a special and exciting day.
Often, I worry that writing on the blog is a form of Kibr or showing off. Trying to become an "Egypt-ite" or to dare to assume that hefty title of "Talib-ul-ilm" is something that I didn't come here to do to and hope not to. To quote the words of Dawud Wharnsby:
I wrote a letter to my loved one, just the other day,
It's sad communication has evolved this way,
We read so many words but have so little to relate,
As Angels scribble down every letter that we say,
All the violent things we write,
The passionate insults we vent,
It's easy to be arrogant behind user passwords we invent.
But on the Day the Scrolls are laid,
With every single deed displayed,
That day I'll be so afraid to read...
However, at the same time, it's important to realize the gift that makes us human is the ability to write. According to the Television Serial starring Azhari Sheikh Muhammad Abdo, "The ability to write is what seperates us from animals." With that premise, let us proceed.
Bismillah.
Today Ameer jumped another Level to Level 8. Beats me what he's planning to do. In my classes, we are moving very slowly through Mustawwa 3. According to my teacher though, by the end I'm supposed to be able to read the newspaper. So I'll "put my back to the golden hay" and push on. I guess that's the important thing. To realize that every gift is from Allah, and he's the only one who can give them out. The only thing we can do on Earth is try our best to get them.
With that note in mind,
Wasalam,
Mustafa
Often, I worry that writing on the blog is a form of Kibr or showing off. Trying to become an "Egypt-ite" or to dare to assume that hefty title of "Talib-ul-ilm" is something that I didn't come here to do to and hope not to. To quote the words of Dawud Wharnsby:
I wrote a letter to my loved one, just the other day,
It's sad communication has evolved this way,
We read so many words but have so little to relate,
As Angels scribble down every letter that we say,
All the violent things we write,
The passionate insults we vent,
It's easy to be arrogant behind user passwords we invent.
But on the Day the Scrolls are laid,
With every single deed displayed,
That day I'll be so afraid to read...
However, at the same time, it's important to realize the gift that makes us human is the ability to write. According to the Television Serial starring Azhari Sheikh Muhammad Abdo, "The ability to write is what seperates us from animals." With that premise, let us proceed.
Bismillah.
Today Ameer jumped another Level to Level 8. Beats me what he's planning to do. In my classes, we are moving very slowly through Mustawwa 3. According to my teacher though, by the end I'm supposed to be able to read the newspaper. So I'll "put my back to the golden hay" and push on. I guess that's the important thing. To realize that every gift is from Allah, and he's the only one who can give them out. The only thing we can do on Earth is try our best to get them.
With that note in mind,
Wasalam,
Mustafa
Friday, March 23, 2007
Brothers in Cairo
These are pics of Atiq and Arif Bhai... Mashallah, they helped us so much adjust to something that was initially alien.
Ustadh Ayman- Mustafa's Teacher.
He looks a bit tired in the picture, but I suppose that's reasonable, based on the facts that he has been teaching since 8:00 in the morning.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The Mixer
Assalam u alaikum,
Things can get a little confusing sometimes. You hear different things and then you get a little nervous, a little worried. Sometimes people say, "You can't really learn Arabic in four months. You need more time." It gets worrisome, but you just have to believe in yourself and plug on. Not everyone is the same anyways. And the results are never in our hands. Never.
Some more Arabic sayings:
"No right (truth) is ever lost as long as it is being sought."
"As if the suspect said, 'Take me!'" (the criminal exposes himself by his own actions)
We learned the word for insects "hasharat" in class and the names for different insects in Arabic: bauddah, naml, nahl, and then my teacher sprung this Hadith on me, as close as I remember, that if Allah valued the world more than the wing of a fly, kuffar would not even get a drink of water. I don't really know what to say about that, other than that the world is not how it seems.
Ma'asalam,
~Ameer
Things can get a little confusing sometimes. You hear different things and then you get a little nervous, a little worried. Sometimes people say, "You can't really learn Arabic in four months. You need more time." It gets worrisome, but you just have to believe in yourself and plug on. Not everyone is the same anyways. And the results are never in our hands. Never.
Some more Arabic sayings:
"No right (truth) is ever lost as long as it is being sought."
"As if the suspect said, 'Take me!'" (the criminal exposes himself by his own actions)
We learned the word for insects "hasharat" in class and the names for different insects in Arabic: bauddah, naml, nahl, and then my teacher sprung this Hadith on me, as close as I remember, that if Allah valued the world more than the wing of a fly, kuffar would not even get a drink of water. I don't really know what to say about that, other than that the world is not how it seems.
Ma'asalam,
~Ameer
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