Naeem's Blog

Let's get some good news for a change, eh? Check out the Top Ten Green Skyscrapers.

Nice to see that three of the top 10 are in the Muslim world.

I just wish the eco-awareness would trickle down to the Muslim street. You listening Cairo ("the average resident of Cairo ingests more than 20 times the acceptable level of air pollution a day, the same as a pack of cigarettes"), Karachi ("the most air polluted city in the world"), and Jakarta (just see the pictures)?!

BTW, I wonder how eco-friendly the new tower currently under construction in Lahore (right across the street from my parent's home) will be?

On second thought, who cares - its doing wonders to the real estate value of the neighborhood!!

And since we're on the subject of skyscrapers, here are the pics of the two towers in Riyadh that I've been promising for quite some time:

I know, I know, after all these years these are some pretty crappy pics. In my defense, its not easy being a bearded brown-skinner walking around with a camera trying to take pictures of famous landmarks! We actually got serious police attention one time when I was simply showing a friend how to use my digital camera while parked in front of the Marriott where he was staying. They basically detained us for over an hour, asking all sorts of questions...

So appreciate these pics and the sacrifices I go through for you, my loyal reader. :-)

A while back Lone Leaf commented:

“If God wills that I have children, I will never ever send them to Islamic school. Ever.”

Pretty strong words.

Although I can’t talk to her motivations, I must admit that I’m not very impressed with the Muslim school alternative that we’ve created in the US over the past two decades or so.

I’ve been thinking for some time about Muslim schools in the West. Are they really worth it?

I mean really, what benefits have we gained from these fulltime schools? Have the communities running these schools done any sort of ROI (Return-on-Investment) analysis to ensure that the graduates of these schools are actually worth the immense effort? I really wish that a proper comparative analysis could be performed between graduates from these schools versus their Muslim peers attending public schools.

I bet that the findings would show that the affect of the school (excluding the affect of the home) is minimal. Too often people look at the few exemplary students attending these schools as proof of the schools success. But those students are more a product of their homes and efforts of their parents than of the full-time Islamic school.

In many communities the schools are sucking up valuable resources to operate them. I spoke to a brother in Baltimore whose Masjid is currently subsidizing the school with almost $200,000 a year, an incredible 20% of the annual budget of the Masjid! Additionally, he mentioned, there are soft costs rarely considered, such as the usage of the Masjid facilities and the lower salaries accepted by the teachers for the sake of helping the community.

And its not only financial. So much time and effort goes into running a fulltime school. What if those resources were redirected towards other more effective ventures, such as community services (such as elderly support or free clinics) or dawah or adult education?

And the target audience for these schools is such a small percentage of the overall community that it hardly seems justified. I would estimate that the 400 or so students attending the Masjid fulltime school in Baltimore are approximately 10% of the full population of Muslim youth in the community. What is being done for the remaining 90%?

I propose that we dedicate more resources to creating stronger after-school programs as well as weekend schools that target a greater percentage of our youth. I don’t think we’ll ever get 100% attendance, but surely we can get more than the measly 10% that the fulltime schools are targeting.

A Big Brother/Sister program established at all the smaller local Masjids would go a long way towards addressing the needs of the neglected majority of Muslim youth. Weekly day trips and monthly weekend camps could target thousands if done properly.

Additionally, we all know that the first and most important school for children is their home. Why not dedicate our scant resources towards helping families create a stronger Islamic environment at home. Communities with full time schools are so preoccupied with the school and all its peripheral issues that the most critical element of the community, the family, is being ignored.

We’re seeing skyrocketing rates of divorce, domestic abuse, neglected children, and poor parental skills resulting in an overall unhealthy home environment. Fulltime Islamic schools are not addressing these issues.

Imagine if hundreds of thousands of dollars were invested into weekly seminars with trained professionals giving sound Islamic counseling. How about a fulltime family counseling service? Social work within our communities is neglected and needs to be given greater import.

Other social needs include the ongoing problems for converts, sisters, and Muslims struggling with their faith. What are we doing to address their pressing needs? Instead we’re so engrossed with these unproven fulltime Islamic schools.

It seems that we’re stuck in the original mindset of the first generation of Muslims who migrated to the West. In addition to being too busy with establishing their careers to properly raise their children, they discovered that the public schools were replete with unIslamic behavior spoiling the minds and actions of their children. So they reflexively sought refuge from this great unknown by creating Muslim schools.

However, time has shown the dangers of these public schools to be secondary to the various poisons prevalent in overall society. Parents, especially those who have gone through the public school system, have learned that the minds and actions of their children are not being formed and malformed by the schools but by society at large. And this society is equally accessible in fulltime Islamic schools as it is in the public schools.

So the new paradigm shift must take us from concentrating on building Islamic schools to developing Islamic homes and Muslim families.

Maryam and Humza are in the process of learning to swim. Our compound has a nice sized 8-lane pool which is rarely ever used, so we try to take advantage whenever we have time.

Humza’s gotten the hang of it, while Maryam is slowly progressing. The other day, I was pleasantly surprised when Maryam was able to swim across the width of the pool without any assistance.

So on the car ride home, I asked her what she was thinking as she swam across. She replied, ‘I was thinking to make Abujee (that’s me) proud, to make Mama proud, and I wanted to make Allah proud.’

Very nice, I thought. But something was missing.

If you were raised in the West (which I was) or a regular viewer of Oprah (which I am not), you’ll immediately pick it up.

Figure it out?

She didn’t mention that she wanted to be proud of herself.

The hardcore Pakistani father inside me thought ‘Damn straight’ (with a desi accent, of course) – she’s got her priorities in order. No need to fall for all this Dr. Phil mumbo jumbo, love-yourself-before-you-love-others crap. Please Allah and please the parents and everything else will fall into place.

The liberal American-born Muppie (Muslim Urban Professional) inside me thought I should be concerned about her (potential) lack of self-esteem. Don’t I want to raise her to please her own conscience before trying to please anyone else? Isn’t this the type of personality that is susceptible to spousal abuse?

Ideally, the middle ground is the best, where the individual is pleased with him/herself while also striving to please Allah and the parents. But I’ve seen too many kids raised in the West carrying the ‘What about *me* and what *I* want’ attitude.

That scares me.

I’m hesitantly leaning towards erring on the side of caution and raising my children free from egomaniacal tendencies and unhealthy extremes of self-pride by avoiding all talk of making yourself proud.

Not convinced that's the right decision.

In the end, I chose silence, sending Maryam off with a good ‘Shabaash’ (‘atta boy’ in Urdu).

For now.

Its almost too obvious to state. You can't bomb an ideology. You must challenge it with a greater ideology. Sadly, that simple lesson has been lost on those waging their war on terror.

Almost seems as if they really don't care about defeating the ideas, but simply care to destroy/occupy/control/manipulate those societies that shelter the individuals who espouse those ideas.

The real solution is coming from those with a vested interest in defeating the ideology while preserving the citizens holding those errant ideas.

There's the Dialogue Committee in Yemen, established several years ago, that fights terrorism through constructive engagement.

This article from the Guardian states that "Egypt's counter-radicalisation programmes are the most extensive of any Arab country".

And then there's the Jihad Rehab Camp outside of Riyadh, where they rehabilitate capture jihadis in a most friendly manner. (h/t to Sunni Sister)

This really isn't rocket science.

Oh wait, its international politics at its dirtiest and most conniving. Makes rocket science seem like first grade math.

Note: Of course many Muslim regimes aren't too shy in wielding the dometic stick and claiming their own war on terror to justify their political goals, but that also is too obvious to state.

And one final obvious statement: These countries have taken up these tactics not out of any concern or welfare for the individuals, but more for political expediency and self-preservation, having seen the danger posed by their jihadi mindset. Nonetheless, it beats the other mindless approach of calling for a war on terror.

So I’m sitting down eating my early morning breakfast (I’ve got 3 weeks left to fast my 6 days of Shawwal, get off my back!), secretly enjoying my children’s Reese’s Puffs cereal while they sleep. I turn the box around to check out the back and to my horror, this is what I see:

With the exception of #15, the list stands out for its glaring lack of character-developing activities. Truly reflective of today’s self-gratifying, me-first society.

Feed your nafs. Screw the world.

I say screw the artificial teenage construct.

So as a service to all the young lovers of Reese’s Puffs cereal, here’s my revised list of 18 things to do before turning 18:

1. Memorize the Quran.
2. Go camping and sleep under the stars.
3. Organize a festival at your local masjid.
4. Compete with your friends to recite the entire Quran during the month of Ramadan. First one gets a box of Reese’s Puffs.
5. Do Itikaaf in your local masjid.
6. With a group of your friends, visit a sick person.
7. Spend an extended period of time with your grandparents.
8. Perform Umrah/Hajj and break bread with as many strangers as possible.
9. Massage your mothers feet.
10. Say La-illah-il-Allah 1000 times in one sitting.
11. Pray Salat Tasbih
12. Volunteer as a mentor for a local youth club.
13. Pray Fajr in the desert.
14. Help a total stranger unload their grocery cart into their car.
15. Sacrifice a sheep with your own hands.
16. Plant a tree.
17. Get married.
18. Maintain your Islamic identity – yes!!

Any further suggestions?

Yeah, I know, its only been a few days since Ramadan ended. But I tell you, spiritually it feels like months have passed. I'm really looking forward to fasting the 6 days of Shawwal, if only to give me a good kick in the butt and get myself back into the Ramadan frame of mind.

I’ve been thinking about my asteroid-like downwards spiral in these immediate post-Ramadan days (lemme just say that I'm back to struggling to wake up for Fajr - but wait, does having a newborn infant count as an excuse? Oh yeah, I forgot, I'm doing squat with regards to the baby).

I guess now the REAL challenge has begun.

Without the added incentives of Ramadan to entice us into extra acts of worship, with the devils unleashed to prey upon our feeble souls, and with our bellies stuffed with food beyond our needs, waking up for tahajjud, fasting the optional fasts, and reading the Quran on a consistent basis has become so much more challenging, and dare I say, so much more rewarding.

And in search of ways to keep the Ramadan spirit alive, I found this post by Sr. Amal to be very practical.

For those looking for a more preachy post, here’s a good article on Saving the Changes from Ramadan.

I know, I know, Ramadan is over. But my RinR series lives on! Woohoo!

So far I've written on the buildup to Ramadan, the Saudi Shift in the schedule, and the activities during Iftar time.

This last post will be about the Tarawih prayers.

I’m not sure if I’ve said this before or not, but one of the best things about Riyadh is the easy accessibility to Masjids. They’re everywhere.

If the time for prayer has arrived and you don’t see a masjid off the main road, a simple turn into a side street is sure to find you a smaller local masjid.

Guaranteed.

And during Ramadan, almost every single one of these masjids is offering Tarawih prayers. This plethora of praying places provides you with a vast array of styles and settings.

Some recite quickly while others are slower.
Some pray longer while others are shorter.
Some masjids are overflowing while others barely complete the first row.
Some offer water and tea while others have only tissues.
One popular masjid even has space setup on the open rooftop with overhanging pipes spraying cool mist onto the congregation!

But the true highlight of the Tarawih prayers is the abundance of beautiful reciters of the Quran. Riyadh definitely is not lacking in that department. There are the big name Imams, such as Adil Kalbani, Yasir Dossari, and Nasir Qitami. Thousands flock to their massive masjids creating a special aura that only Ramadan can provide.

And then there are the gems found in the smaller community masjids. Many a time I’ve found myself driving around the side streets with my windows rolled down, listening for a recitation that catches my heart.

But I have one true love when it comes to Tarawih prayers. His name is Muhammad Al-Heedan and his recitation goes straight to my core. Here’s his amazing recitation of Sura Muhammad (wait for him to 'hit his note' around a minute into the recitation).

Another nice treat is the Qiyam-ul-Layl (Standing of the night), referring to the prayers made late into the night, an hour or so before Suhoor. In the last ten nights, almost all the masjids offer this special night prayer.

It’s a nice boost, a nice change of pace from the first twenty nights, a nice chance to get extra acts of worship before Ramadan finally leaves us.

And then there is the Witr prayer at the end of the Tarawih, punctuated with its beautiful dua’a. Every night ends with a beautiful supplication. Some Imams get very emotional, squeezing out tears from even the hardest of hearts, giving one a sense of spiritual refreshness and a lighter heart.

I really love the Tarawih prayers in Riyadh.

PS. Unique Muslimah has also a very nice post on Tarawih prayers in Cairo. A nice read.

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Ramadan in Riyadh (RinR) - The Arrival
RinR - The Saudi Schedule Shift
RinR - Iftar Time
RinR - Tarawih prayers

I pray that everyone was able to take advantage of the blessings of Ramadan.

I pray that we all exited the month having attained the forgiveness of our Lord.

I pray that everyone has an enjoyable and safe Eid with their family and friends.

Oh and I found this tidbit of news pretty interesting: NYC is planning on lighting up the Empire States Building green in celebration of Eid (h/t to Sister Tradicionalista).

I have mixed feelings about the gesture, but since we're in the festive season of Eid, I won't be a sourpuss.

Organic Muslimah has a very simple, yet very powerful post on the sins we commit and the Love displayed by Allah (swt) in concealing those sins. I highly recommend you all to give it a quick read and then turn to Allah (swt) and thank Him for His Mercy in concealing our misdeeds, shortcomings, sins, and errors.

Her post reminded me of a powerful dua'a made by Sh. Zulfiqar Ahmed, the spirit of which I have incorporated into this dua:

"Ya Allah, on that Day when I will be standing before You with nothing but my deeds, I beg of You to show Mercy on my pitiful soul. I beg of You to forgive me for all my shortcomings and please Ya Allah, please do not take me to account for all that I have done.

I am truly embarrassed and ashamed.

But if You must take account of all my sins,
if You must expose me for the charlatan that I have been,
if You must reveal the despicable demons thriving in the depths of my soul,
if You must divulge the details of my horrid past in front of all mankind,

Then please Ya Allah, I beg of You not to do so in front of my beloved Muhammad (saw). Please conceal my hisaab (accounting of deeds) from him (saw).

Ya Allah, it would kill me to see the look of disappointment on his face,
to see how I've let him down,
to see him shaking his head in disbelief at the monstrosity of my mistakes,
to see him saddened by my heedlessness,
to see him embarrassed to have me counted as one of his Ummah.

Please do not let him be witness to the sins I have committed, the haram I have seen, the horrible words I have uttered, the deplorable places I have visited.

So when my hand and feet are made to testify against me and my heart is exposed for the blackened coal that it is and my nafs releases its stench for all to smell, I implore You please turn my Habib (saw) away so he is not witness to my ignominy.

And if through Your infinite Justice, You determine my fate to be in the Hellfire, please do not allow him to see me being dragged by my forelock, crying and screaming, and flung into the dark abyss.

For truly the look of disappointment in his eyes would burn me greater than any flame in the Hellfire.

While I realize that I cannot conceal my sins from You, I implore You, on that grave Day when Your beloved and mine is standing before us, please do not bare my disgraceful soul in the company of my dear Prophet Muhammad."

Just got back from a quick 24-hour jaunt to Mecca and Madina. Amazing and spiritually rejuvenating as always. It’s an inexplicable blessing how every time I go I unfailingly feel a sense of spiritual awakening. I fear for the day when I go to the House of Allah (swt) and come back in the same state.

The one thing that really stood out for me was the timing of our trip. Looking back, it seems as if Allah (swt) Himself wrote out our itinerary.

Our original plan to go was to leave Sunday, but one of the brothers couldn’t make it, so we postponed it a day. That enabled us, through no conscious planning on our behalf, to be in Mecca on the night of the 27th.

Secondly, we just happened to arrive there at 1am, which enabled us to perform our Umrah in sync with the Tahajjud prayers (which last from 1-3am). Thus, when we finished our Umrah, it was at the exact moment of the Witr dua’a.

So there I was standing on the mount of Marwa (where the Umrah rites are completed), joining the millions of supplicants in making dua’a to Allah.

Could we have planned it any better?

On a more logistical note, the crowds were unbelievably congested. Every year the Saudi authorities allow more and more, which really bothers me as it seems the objective is purely economical.

It's very troublesome, especially when one considers that the Saudi government could very easily provide better welfare for the locals (they have oil, if you haven’t heard), but instead choose to loosen the quotas and allow millions more than what the local infrastructure can support.

It truly puts a damper on what ought to be a super-spiritual experience.

Anyways, my exposure to the overcrowding was very limited. We were there for only a few hours. We did our Umrah, ate Suhoor, prayed Fajr, and moved on to Madina.

Madina, as always, was much more serene. We gave our salutations to our beloved Prophet (saw) and returned back home.

But before we left, I was blessed to meet up with the great MrEspy, who is doing some sort of pseudo-‘Itikaaf, which enables him to leave the Haram as he pleases.

I have only one thing to say about my encounter with the good brother. I’ve been to Madina more than 10 times in the past 4 years and never has my car been towed. Never. That is until now.

Good thing Muslims don’t believe in bad omens.

Oh and he never kept his promise about sharing his wife’s samosas when we would meet in Madina.

What a fraud.

Have you ever heard of Dua'a al-Kumayl?

If not, now is the time to read (and listen) to it.

Better yet, save it for the last third of the night as everyone else lays asleep and you find yourself alone with your Creator.

Even a hardened, darkened, rusted heart as mine was able to scrounge enough fear of its Lord to shed a tear when pondering over this most amazing of dua'as.

Here are but a few gems from this prayer:

"Therefore, my Lord! I implore Thee by Thy greatness not to let my sins and my misdeeds shut out access to my prayers from reaching Thy realm and not to disgrace me by exposing those (hidden ones) of which Thou hast knowledge nor to hasten my retribution for those vices and misdeeds committed by me in secret which were due to evil mindedness, ignorance, excessive lustfulness and my negligence"

"O' my God! My master! My Lord! And my Nourisher! What! Wilt Thou see me punished with the fire kindled by Thee despite my belief in Thy unity?

And despite the fact that my heart has been filled with (pure) knowledge of Thee and when my tongue has repeatedly praised Thee and my conscience has acknowledged Thy love and despite my sincere confessions (of my sins) and my humble entreaties submissively made to Thy divinity?

Nay, Thou art far too kind and generous to destroy one whom thyself nourished and supported, or to drive away from Thyself one whom Thou has kept under Thy protection, or to scare away one whom Thy self hast given shelter, or to abandon in affliction one Thou hast maintained and to whom Thou hast been merciful"

"O' my Lord! By Thy honour truly do I swear that, if Thou wilt allow my power of speech to be retained by me in the hell, I shall amongst its inmates cry out bewailingly unto Thee like the cry of those who have faith in Thy kindness and compassion And I shall bemoan for Thee (for being deprived of nearness to Thee) the lamentation of those who are bereaved, and I shall keep on calling unto Thee: 'Where art Thou o' Friend of the believers! O' (Thou who art) the last hope and resort of those who acknowledge Thee and have faith in Thy clemency and kindness; o' Thou who art the helper of those seeking help! O' Thou who art dear to the hearts of those who truly believe in Thee! And o' Thou who art the Lord of the universe.'"

How can you not but weep at these most beautiful of words?!

O' wretched one!

Lift the veils from your heart!

Remove the rust engulfing it!

Soften the hardness encrusting it!

Open the floodgates of tears and make peace with your Lord!

Verily these are the days of Divine Forgiveness.

With everyone making calls for Islamic Reform, I thought I would get my two cents in as well.

Although my last attempt at Islamic Reform failed miserably, I'm gonna give it another try. This time, I'm suggesting that we all boycott Iftar invitations.

I seriously believe that Iftar dinners have gotten totally out of hand.

All too often, the Iftar dinners get carried away with buffets rivaling the fanciest of restaurants. Most Muslim cultures require the host to amicably force (not the Egyptians...they just force :->) the guests to eat as much as possible. As sincere as the intentions may be, this puts the guests in an awkward position for the remainder of the night and early-morning - waking up for Tahajjud with a full stomach is no easy feat.

I came to realize the problem plaguing the institution of the Iftar party when a dear brother politely declined my invitation. When I inquired, he explained that he has a set Ramadan schedule that he religiously sticks to every night and doesn't wish to upset the balance.

He explained that his schedule consists of limited food and extra worship, both of which become unfeasible when he accepts Iftar invitations.

I totally agree with his approach. While I acknowledge that Ramadan has a strong element of celebration and socialization, they mustn't take place at the expense of the greater spirit of taqwa (God-consciousness).

And let's not even begin with the inordinate amount of hours spent by the women slaving over these dishes, wasting valuable time better used for Dua'a, Dhikr, and Salah.

But these women are under an enormous amount of social pressure. What would people say if they only offered dates, soup, and rice?

Several years ago on the day before an Iftar dinner we were hosting, I remember suggesting to my wife, 'Let's go simple this year. How about daal (lentils) and chaval (rice)?' I'm quite sure the words she muttered under her breath invalidated her fast.

But isn't that the Prophetic spirit of Ramadan? (I mean the simplicity of the iftar, not the words of my wife) Surely the blessings of feeding a fasting person will be the same whether you offer a variety of two dishes or twelve dishes. I would even venture that the blessings would be greater with the two dishes when done with the simple spirit of the Sunnah.

The spiraling-out-of-control nature of Iftar parties reminds me of the dilemma of Pakistani wedding feasts back in the 90's. Weddings in Pakistan had gotten so ridiculous with everyone trying to outdo the other (financial requirements of these super-weddings required middle class folks to take imprudent loans or even delay weddings) that the government had to intervene.

Then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif imposed a ban on lavish dinners being served in wedding celebrations, allowing only finger foods. The ban was implemented via the wedding halls who would be fined if found to be in violation.

This somewhat leveled the playing field (we Pakistanis have ways around every law) and allowed those who couldn't afford the gaudy weddings to save face and hold a more simpler celebration.

Where O' where is Nawaz Sharif when we really need him?!

Oh yeah, he's exiled in Jeddah.

My point is that we need to simplify the Iftar dinners, not due to any financial difficulties placed on the hosts, but due to spiritual difficulties placed on the guests and physical difficulties placed on the cooking wives.

And until that happens, I'm formally proposing that everyone politely decline any future Iftar invitations.

Who's with me?

Forgetting it.

I was thinking about how many transgressions against Allah (swt) I have committed and it dawned on me that there are SO many more that I have totally forgotten.

And isn't that even worse?

Its bad enough when you hurt someone (especially someone you love), but the crime is compounded when you've totally forgotten about it,

AND you've never asked for forgiveness,

AND you remain persistent in repeating it!

So I remind you as I remind myself, to ask Allah for forgiveness for all the wrongs committed, remembered as well as forgotten.

We are in the midst of the season of Divine Forgiveness. Let us all confess our sins to our most Merciful Lord with the absolute certain knowledge that He *will* forgive us.

The most intriguing time of the Ramadan day is around Iftar time. I'm always fascinated by the buzz generated by the oncoming sunset.

The streets are busy with men running pre-iftar errands for the household. Grocery stores are crowded with shoppers. Take-out restaurants are overflowing with last minute orders. The streetside vegetable markets are packed to the extent of causing serious traffic jams.

Traffic

It never ceases to amaze me how Muslims (even the non-practicing ones) will patiently persevere all day long, not eating, drinking, or smoking, and then in the last hour before Maghrib, their patience runs out.

Cars are racing recklessly to reach their destination, without a care for others on the road.

It's been reported in several newspapers that car accidents are at the highest right before Iftar. I've been witness to so many red-lights being run that when I'm ever crossing an intersection (with my light being green), I proceed extremely cautiously, weary of a salivating young Saudi dreaming of fried sambosas and sweet juicy dates instead of yielding to the traffic signals.

Take a look at these two interesting articles highlighting the pre-Iftar problem:

"The doctor said that fights, too, seem to bring bleeding patients to the ER, especially before the iftar when there’s a mad rush to pick up traditional fast-breaking items, like sambousas and ful, and to get home before sunset."
[Article Link]

"road accidents were up 20 percent during Ramadan in 2004. Brig. Saad Al-Ghamdi of the Jeddah Traffic Department told the Arab News last year that accidents peak just before iftar." [Article Link]

Ghost Town

Several times, my family and I have gotten caught in the middle of the city at sunset and it’s the spookiest of sights. Downtown Riyadh is a very busy city with no public transportation, so the streets are almost always packed. But come Iftar time, I'm reminded of scenes from the movie 28 Days – the streets are totally empty.

I'll admit that this is not a Riyadh-specific phenomenon, as Unique Muslimah has cited how Cairo is the same. Nonetheless, having grown up in the US all my life, its such a neat spectacle to witness all the streets emptied with everyone huddled around dinner tables waiting for the call of the Maghrib adhan.

Another interesting scene occurs at the major traffic intersections. Young men are giving out small Iftar boxes consisting of dates, sandwiches, and juice for those who are still on the road at Maghrib time. My kids love it for the mystery of what's in each box while I find it to be very special as people are looking for every possible way to gain the blessings of feeding the fasting person.

Restaurants

Over the years, we've had the opportunity of visiting several restaurants for Iftar. I have very mixed feelings about going out to break our fast in Ramadan.

The positive is that the food is simply amazing. Most restaurants have buffets set up with the most sumptuous of dishes. We went to this one Lebanese place two weeks ago that had an unbelievable variety of food and every single dish was simply mouthwatering.

The negative is that the food is simply amazing. I'm totally crashed after eating at these places. I can barely get out of the restaurant, much less make it for Isha and Tarawih prayers. So in general we try to avoid going out as we end up either losing money (paying for the buffet and eating less than a full plate) or losing our prayers.

Insha'Allah, I'll wrap up this RinR series with one more post focusing on Tarawih prayers in Riyadh.

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Ramadan in Riyadh (RinR) - The Arrival
RinR - The Saudi Schedule Shift
RinR - Iftar Time
RinR - Tarawih prayers