Head to the Instagram Stories of Aqib Anwar on a Friday, and you’ll see a series of snapshots taken in the few moments after the jummah prayer: a close-up of a traditional red prayer mat held by a man wearing Wrangler jeans and contemporary, colourful crocs, or a father and son walking hand-in-hand from the mosque to their car against a rare, cloud-filled, blue-sky background. You’ll see intimate photos of worshippers with their heads bowed in prayer, enjoying moments of peace in spite of the scorching sun, images of the lucky ones who have found shady spots under the palm trees and those even luckier, who came earlier enough to find space inside.
Anwar, 32, was born and raised in Dubai, studied economics and worked in marketing before taking up photography as a hobby in 2015 and then becoming a full-time freelance photographer and videographer. Since 2018, capturing candid moments after Friday prayers has become a weekly hobby for Anwar.
“This was at a point where I had doubts about religion, I was finding my own way, and it was only Friday prayers that brought me back to my religion,” he tells The National. “I started going every week and was reminded of the beauty, simplicity and peace of Friday prayers that I experienced while growing up here.”
Anwar says that there are also lots of global misconceptions about Muslims and violence, and that he hopes these photos help to show the peaceful reality of the faith.
“There’s such a brotherly community feel to those moments after Friday prayer,” he says. “With the way the world is now, we don’t see that show of compassion towards strangers, and towards family, a lot, but every Friday I see it, whether it’s the dad hugging the son after prayer, or neighbours meeting, or relatives catching up ― there are always hugs, handshakes and smiles.”
Many of Anwar’s Friday prayer photographs are from Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab mosque, located in the heart of Jumeirah. They are captured directly after the prayer, and because of time constraints, Anwar says that he rarely has a chance to ask permission before each photo is taken. But he says he "would never take or post a picture of someone in any position that I wouldn’t want myself to be seen in”.
He compares this method of photography to shooting outside fashion weeks, such as those he travelled to in London and New York in 2017 and 2018.
“I don’t think I would have been able to capture these moments had I not experienced street-style photography,” he says. “It was such a rush, you don’t have time to shoot, you have to position yourself 10 seconds before something happens, and it really made me learn to think on my feet.”
Fashion after all, is Anwar’s forte when it comes to photography, with campaigns for brands such as Nike, Gucci, Adidas and regional perfume brand Ghawali under his belt. He is known in the creative scene for his cinematic aesthetic, and every project Anwar has photographed for the past five years was shot purely on his Canon 5D Mark IV. “One camera one lens,” he says.
He was also the photographer behind the lens of the now-viral photos taken of the recent Adidas x Ravi collaboration for Esquire magazine, where the Ravi founder and family were photographed in their home, along with the exclusive green and white Superstar trainers that sold out hours after launching.
The fashion industry is facing a surge in demand for more authentic representation, and Anwar believes that more brands should hire local photographers for their campaigns in order to do justice to this culture and city.
“There are still other photographers, western white foreigners, being flown out to document or take photographs or do campaigns here despite the fact that we have so much local talent,” Anwar says.
Instagram, as a platform, is invaluable for raising awareness and appreciation for Anwar’s work. “If there was no Instagram, I don’t think I’d be a photographer," he says.
To catch a glimpse of Anwar’s Friday prayer photo series, you’ll need to tune into his Story every Friday. He hasn’t made a highlight for them on his Instagram profile just yet, in the anticipation of using them for a project off-screen, later.
“I don’t know exactly what ― but if the opportunity comes, I might want to exhibit them, in a way that makes sense to all parties involved, or create a coffee-table book,” he says. “I’m documenting and saving them for something bigger.”
Poacher
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
