The days leading up to Eid Al Adha were always electric in our home when I was growing up. The anticipation of the Eidiya, the money gifted to us by parents and relatives, the new Eid clothes, the ma’amoul and kaak pastries stuffed with dates and pistachios and dusted with sugar, the hum of a home that embraced so many loved ones, friends and families, who came over to share in the joy.
But there were also bittersweet moments. The day before Eid was the day of Arafah, where the millions of pilgrims who travelled from every corner of the world to perform the Hajj congregated on Mount Arafat near Makkah to pray for God's forgiveness. They would emerge cleansed of their sins, as though they were newborns. My mother would watch the scene on television, tears streaming down her cheeks, wishing she were there.
The emotional resonance of the Hajj, which every able-bodied Muslim must perform once in a lifetime, is unlike any other. In Egypt, where I come from, an annual lottery that determines the select few thousand pilgrims who will be sent to Saudi Arabia to perform the rites is a major event. When my uncle was selected 17 years ago, his joy could not be contained. People save for years for the opportunity to visit Makkah and Madinah.
Read More from Kareem Shaheen
They tell you that the first prayer you make when you see the Kaaba will be answered. The electricity of that moment, though, is consuming, such that all earthly matters fade away for a moment, replaced by a sense of tranquility set against the cadence of the chant: “We answer your call, O God.”
This year, that sea of humanity has been replaced by images of a deserted Grand Mosque, the white marble of the Mataf, where Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba, shimmering in the sunlight. The Hajj has been drastically cut back this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only 1,000 people already living in Saudi Arabia will be able to perform the rites. It is absolutely the right thing to do, with humanity facing a plague that has yet to be brought under control. Still, the images fill me with a profound sadness.
I was fortunate enough to perform the Hajj when I was 17, a little more than a month before the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 began. I went with my father on the journey, part of a tour group travelling overland through the UAE and the Kingdom’s rugged desert landscapes to Madinah, then on to Makkah. It was an opportunity to bond with him after I had finished high school, in an environment infused with spirituality and easy smiles – even when I fell asleep in the Grand Mosque’s courtyard and got lost on my way back to the communal house we were staying at.
The rigours and sameness of daily life under the pandemic, and the fog of war enveloping the next few months, or year, of existence can make it hard to feel grateful or optimistic, weighed as we are by anxiety and worry, without much power at the individual level to influence the course of events.
But what I remember from my time at the Hajj is primarily a feeling of peaceful, weightless austerity. I am not a religious person, but I have yet to experience a serenity matching that which I felt in the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah – praying in the green-carpeted Al Rawdah Al Sharifah, which marked the path the Prophet walked from his home to the mosque for prayers, or strolling in the courtyard outside in the late evening breeze, chewing on sweet dates.
I remember the camps we stayed in at Mina, and climbing with my father along the slopes of Arafat as the sun set, and sleeping soundly on the pebbles of the plain of Muzdalifah, before hitching a ride the next morning atop a minivan to Makkah. And I remember the march around the Kaaba again as one, a diverse sea of humanity, black, white, and brown, man and woman, the cadence softening with the fading light.
There are many paths to transcendence in daily life. That feeling of communion with a higher power can find and overwhelm you in many different ways – during prayers at a temple, church, synagogue or mosque, the first cry of your newborn, when you catch the scent of jasmine in the breeze, or that moment the sunlight breaks through and tickles your skin, or that feeling of contentment at the end of a day well lived.
I had one of those moments as I stared down at the Kaaba that first day we arrived in Makkah. The images of the empty Grand Mosque remind me that so many will be robbed of a moment they longed for. I hope they find peace and solace elsewhere this time, within themselves and their loved ones, as we labour through this pandemic summer.
Kareem Shaheen is a former Middle East correspondent based in Canada
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
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Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
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Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
