As Muslims across the region and the world prepare to celebrate the Eid Al Adha holiday in mosques and homes, it is a good time to refresh our minds on greetings.
When it comes to holiday salutations, there are more possibilities than the frequently used and perfectly serviceable Eid Mubarak, which translates to “blessed Eid”. In addition to sharing good energy for the future, these Eid greetings include references to health, family and spirituality.
Here are 12 Arabic greetings to add to yourroster, separate from Eid Mubarak.
1. Kullu aa’min wa antum bikhair
Translated to: “Wishing you blessings throughout the year,” this is another popular, meaningful greeting. Kullu aa’min wa antum bikhair is often used when popping over to the family home for that big Eid breakfast. The reply here is wa antum bikhair, which means “may you also be blessed".
2. Asakum min uwadah
This is as much a heartfelt greeting as a prayer for your well-being. Translated to mean: “May you successfully go on to witness many more Eids," this is a common refrain shared across the UAE and the wider GCC. Simply repeat the greeting back in reply.
3. Snin Deyma
The greeting is commonly used in North African Arabic-speaking communities, such as those in Tunisia and Algeria. Meaning “lasting years”, it carries a sentiment similar to the English phrase “many happy returns” and is often used during Eid or other communal celebrations.
4. Ayyamukum sa'eeda
Short and sweet, this is a warm greeting meaning: “May your days be happy." While often heard during Eid, it is versatile enough to be used in other festive social gatherings, such as birthdays and weddings.
5. Taqabal Allah minna wa minkum
This salutation encapsulates translates to: “May Allah accept from you and us." It's a phrase that can be used as an Eid greeting on its own, a neat accompaniment to Eid Mubarak or in reply to any Eid greeting.
6. Bil Afrah Daimeen
Another Gulf favourite, this warm and poetic saying, meaning: "May you always be in joyful occasions", is a timeless expression suitable for family celebrations.
7. Kol sana wa anta tayeb
You don’t get a more Egyptian salutation than this.
Essentially meaning: “Happy birthday to you,” the term is wonderfully malleable and can be used in most instances when you want to congratulate or wish someone all the best. Like many Arabic greetings, the reply is often repeating the last two words of the saying. In this case, it's “wa enta tayeb”, which basically means “and to you as well".
8. Salmeen ghanmeen
Want to deliver an elegant and seldom-used Eid tribute? Try this for size.
This is a well-known, yet sparsely used, GCC greeting, wishing someone both a content and insightful Eid. The response, “fayzeen”, is similarly poetic, meaning “may you have more and prosper".
9. Eid saeed
Sometimes, after a full day of well-wishes and congratulations, finding a zippy Eid greeting is handy.
On that score, you won’t find a phrase more streamlined and casual than Eid saeed, which simply means “happy Eid". That said, it would best to reserve it for the youth and use the other standards for the elderly as a sign of respect.
10. Barakallahu lakum fil Eid
Meaning: "May Allah bless you during Eid," this is a heartfelt tailor-made for the festive season and often exchanged during family gatherings.
11. A'adahu Allah laina wa wlaikum bil khair wa al barakat
This is an Eid greeting full of gratitude for experiencing the blessed holidays. Heard in the Gulf, it means: "May Allah return it to us and to you with goodness and blessings."
12. Atamanna lakum Eidan mali’an bil farah wa al surur
Translated to: "I wish you an Eid full of joy and happiness," this all-encompassing greeting is mostly heard in Syria and Jordan.
A version of this story was first published in April 2024
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New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions