Day 17: During Ramadan in Tarim, the biggest night of the month is not Laylat-al-Qadr, as I expected it to be -- because lets face it, the extra ibadah we do on Laylat-al-Qadr in our masjids is what they do every night in Tarim during Ramadan, plus they dont acknowledge it to be on one night in particular so its Laylat-al-Qadr for the last ten nights straight over there. The biggest night of the year turned out to be the 17th night of Ramadan. This is the night they honour those who fell during the Battle of Badr. During the day, the men of Daar al Mustafa come out with flags, drums and a procession for a quick march, my friends and I sat precariously on a roof top of a house watching it all unfold. We then all had iftar together at both Daar al Mustafa and Daar al Zahra where they cooked rice and meat dishes for everyone (not just the students but the many visitors who had come as well). You would be hard pressed to find anywhere to sit or stand, and the women of Daar al Zahra were greeting the visitors who came in, esp the hubbabas who traveled from near and far. Their presence was truly felt. Everyone ate together and then a march began from Daar al Mustafa with Habib Umar at the helm. They were beating the drums, carrying multiple flags and the men were singing a song in unison -- in typical Melodic Hadramawti style -- which sounded quite powerful in such a massive group. Some of the words as far as I remember were Allahu Allahu Yallah Lana bil Qabul (Oh God please grant us acceptance). As they marched past Daar al Zahra (which doesnt happen often), the women were on the roof tops and every which way doing the Zarghrouta. It was amazing. I remember my friends and I were running through the streets, going through back alley ways and short cuts to follow the procession, it was very exciting as the whole city lit up and came to life (even more so than usual). The Habaib then read out the names, poems and biographies of those who had fallen in the battle while every stayed up till morning. This night made me realise that its possible to have a Culture of Islam -- if that makes sense -- and the importance of honouring people so that their legacies will never be forgotten. #Ramadan #Ramadan2014
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 05:38:24 +0000
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