I went to the breakfast buffet one morning finding it almost empty of everyone except for the captive staff. Looked out the window, found something unusual out there. This after all, a foreign country so at times everything can seem unfamiliar. At that moment in time a saying suddenly came to mind:: “I see said the blind man.” Did some Internet research to find that it does describe the situation in which I find myself perfectly. “I see” can refer to both sight and understanding, so a blind man saying he cannot see (visually) implies that the speaker does not understand. A list of quotes accompanied the saying. I found a particular one found most inspiring, it is so uplifting and encouraging. ‘Will power is to the mind like a strong blind man who carries on his shoulders a lame man who can see. .. That is so powerfully true of the power of will power which is the the ability to control your own thoughts and the way in which you behave. It also can be strong determination that allows one to do something difficult.
Will power is so important, it was interesting to learn that free will exists in the Islamic faith. For although: “Allah knows everything and has already decided everything that will happen.”: the belief in free will is essential in Islam. This is because, for Muslims, life is a test from Allah. Therefore, all human beings must make their own decisions, and they will be judged on those decisions by Allah.
Prepare yourself for a slight digression. I became drawn to further quotations, finding one that is guaranteed to make you laugh. “II had plenty of pimples as a kid. One day I fell asleep in the library. When I woke up, a blind man was reading my face. – Rodney Dangerfield”
Now more digressions. The few fellow breakfasters found me laughing, addicted to Rodney Dangerfield, who is/was and always will be one of my favorite comedians.
This particularly applicable to my Canadian readers. “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.”
Having a sense of humor is a gift. One can take a misery and turn it into a joke. I will now provide an example. My parents did not exactly shower me with love and affection. Two Rodney Dangerfield jokes make me laugh, then my memories bearable. “When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.” Also this one: “I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio.”
When researching the background for the biography of my uncle Dave Dryburgh I spent much time and energy on genealogy. Therefore found two jokes about family trees were particularly amusing. “I looked up my family tree and found three dogs using it.” This most amusing as well: “I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap.”
In the midst of writing the biography I became obsessed with winning Uncle Dave’s love – which was a bit difficult because he died in 1948. This can be a fate of biography authors, found I was not alone in this way of thinking. Therefore, I found this particularly funny. “My uncle’s dying wish – he wanted me on his lap. He was in the electric chair.”
I was not that heavy a drinker during my before Muslim days, but nonetheless found this reassuring. “I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it.”
Enlarging this search for humour to the world, this should speak to President Biden: “The way my luck is running, if I was a politician I would be honest.”
Now a change of pace; a new activity or situation that comes after another activity which has lasted for a long time. Vacation came be another word for it. We will shift deviate and have a vacation from Rodney Dangerfield.
A Saudi man and myself became involved in an ongoing conversation, about envy. It began in this way. I had sent him an email, the subject line: I have hit upon an idea for my next blog, The email outlined a plan that would compare Khobar to Edmonton, calling it a Tale of Two Cities. He was most responsive to this plan, he practically a native of Khobar..
He: I envy you.Beautifully written. God bless you
Me: Such a lovely message. Well except for the envy. Remember the Quran says that one should seek refuge from the evil from enviers when they envy. And I need your wisdom to help me on this pleaseeeee
He: One thing you do not have is envy.You are a giver. You are a generous soul. I will send you some clarifications on two words on What’s App. One is envy the other one is it’s opposite. The two words were envy and ecstasy.
Me: Oh I see why the two!!! You are a genius. The other is ecstasy. Now I am even more ecstatic. Hahaha 🤣 Alaa
In the meantime, I had done some research on my own, turning to Wikipedia. “Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another’s quality, skill, achievement, or possession and wishes that the other lacked it.[1] Aristotle defined envy as pain at the sight of another’s good fortune, stirred by “those who have what we ought to have”.[2] Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness.[3] Recent research considered the conditions under which it occurs, how people deal with it, and whether it can inspire people to emulate those those that they envy.”
Wikipedia explores the role envy has played in all ages and in all spheres. It also exams it from a religious perspective, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. This from Islam:
“According to a Da’if narration in Hadith, Muhammad said: “Envy consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood, and charity extinguishes bad deeds just as water extinguishes fire. Prayer is the light of the believer and fasting is a shield against the fire” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4210).Muhammad said, “Do not envy each other, do not hate each other, do not oppose each other, and do not cut relations, rather be servants of Allah as brothers. It is not permissible for a Muslim to disassociate from his brother for more than three days such that they meet and one ignores the other, and the best of them is the one who initiates the salaam.” Sahih al-Bukhari”.
The conversation between the two of us continued.
He. Enviers are never happy for you. They either want you to lose what you have or want it for themselves.
Me:Well I do not seem to be losing what I have, so envious woman must not be happy with me. It is keeping my poor wali very busy. Once very recently, in frustration my overworked wali said: “You are grounded!” I just laughed and laughed and laughed.
He: Envy is never constructive.
Me: You are entirely right. The faith says that people are envious because they are not grateful for what they have been given, they want more or something different. It is disrespectful toward the Creator. It can never be constructive.
He: Read this. Quran 113. Daybreak “Say I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak from the evil of the what He has created, from the evil of darkness as it descends, from the evil of those who blow on knots and from the evil of the envier when he envies.”
Quran 113 begins: In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Graciousness and Mercy is shown by another verse from the Quran which the Saudi man sent; one of the ‘photographs’ at this blog’s conclusion. The verse also appears in the series of photographs posted to Instagram with the following caption. “Breakfast of champions here in Khobar, sweet potatoes and French fries. Swipe to see more pictures of the covered me and Khobar.” The music that is being played in the background? Unstoppable, of course. Here is the link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ep9PNo-Ow/?igsh=MWY1dW94M3QydXR6Zw==
This post has reached 154 accounts, receiving 21 Likes. Whereas, the comment made about the Saudi University women’s program: “Makes me want to go back to school! But I am 80 and already have four university degrees. Alhamdullah! I now live in Saudi Arabia. A recent rêvert” has now received 697 Likes. Why this discrepancy in numbers? No idea what to make of that. The solution? Be grateful for the 698 AND the 21.
