DUBAI // The Grand Mufti of Dubai has said it is a sin to violate traffic rules and that failure to wear a seat belt reflects ignorance of Islamic teachings.
"Islam impels every road user to comply with traffic rules … it is a sin not to," said Dr Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Haddad, Grand Mufti and head of the fatwa department at the Dubai Fatwa Centre.
"There are quite a few fatwas clearly stating that it is obligatory to observe traffic laws and haram [forbidden] to violate them," he said.
He rebuked reckless drivers who argue that safety precautions demonstrate a lack of faith in God or those who claim that their strong faith means they are exempt from traffic safety rules.
He said the idea that a seat belt is makrooh, or discouraged by Islam, because safety is in God's hand is "completely wrong".
"Drivers and passengers must always wear seat belts. The seat belt is a means of protection not the protector - the real protector is Allah indeed, but He never advised people against taking safety precautions."
The mufti recited the story of a man who asked the Prophet Mohammed if he should tie up his camel and trust in Allah, or keep it loose and trust in Allah.
The Prophet replied, "You tie it up and put your trust in Allah."
"Wearing a seat belt is definitely a means of protection that can minimise the outcome of an accident," Dr Al Haddad said. "Whoever holds something contrary to this must be ignorant of what Islam is and what its prudent teachings are."
Nonetheless, such beliefs are widespread and often used as justification for reckless habits.
A 2008 survey of 260 traffic police at eight of nine stations in Al Ain found that "92 per cent believed that the most likely causal factor for motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths was destiny". Seventeen per cent attributed crashes to the evil eye and 15 per cent to djinn, or supernatural creatures.
"This is superstitious, groundless talk," said Dr Al Haddad. "Accidents have known causes. They are caused by drivers themselves when they are reckless, when they are undisciplined, when they don't have their vehicles regularly maintained and when they fail to comply with traffic laws."
Road safety experts said such beliefs were common but that their extent was difficult to quantify.
"I have discussed this many times with different people because, the belief here is that destiny or inshallah is to blame," said Dr Abdulilah Zineddin, a road safety specialist in Abu Dhabi.
Dr Zineddin said the belief that Islam deems safer road practices unnecessary could be addressed by discussing safe driving from a religious perspective.
"I don't think it's difficult at all. I think you just have to make the argument and explain it from a religious point of view, which they do here. I've heard it at the mosque," he said. "What's really, really important is they need to do it from an early age ... and they are raised with it, just as they are raised with a love of the Prophet."
Dr Zineddin stressed that it is important for people to understand the basis for road safety rules and regulations so that they can make informed decisions.
"People say I don't wear the seat belt because if I crash and I'm going to die, that's what God has written, but at that same time does that person really know how much safer it is to wear the seat belt?" he asked.
Dr Al Haddad issued a well-known fatwa in 2008 on the obligation to follow road regulations.
"Contemporary scholars unanimously agree that traffic laws must be observed," Dr Al Haddad said.
Police said uninformed beliefs are on the decline because of road safety campaigns.
"Our religion asks people not to throw themselves in danger," said Brig Gen Ghaith Al Zaabi, director general of traffic coordination at the Ministry of Interior. "Some people say 'inshallah, they will not wear the seat belt because of God' but the majority of people are following the law."
Religious leaders have also discussed the importance of good driving habits at mosques and with communities.
"Imams, preachers and scholars do their best to instruct motorists and passengers on how to carry themselves on the road. But, while they can provide them with religious instruction on the subject, they can't really control people. All they can do is spread the word," Dr Al Haddad said.
azacharias@thenational.ae
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
How Sputnik V works
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
more from Janine di Giovanni
How Beautiful this world is!
Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar
5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)
Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.
Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.
Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.
Get your priorities right.
And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm
