ESL Blogs

It is 'just a minute', don't you ever forget this word whenever you intend to make a decision. When you think of anything in life, and when you reach the stage of taking a decision, give yourself just a minute' an extra minute, sixty seconds and nothing more.

Do you know how much information your brain can process during sixty seconds? During this minute which you give to yourself before taking your decision may change many things, but on one condition!"

I said, "what is that condition?"

She said,

I took one dollar from my pocket and put it on her hand looking at the topography of her face. Her eyes still sparkled like those of a young woman. Her delicate nose with her eyes is telling the intelligence of a fox. Her appearance indicates that she is an educated woman, but I will not ask her. I am sure, she would tell me about herself. Our journey is still at the beginning.

She closed her fingers over that coin. She was very happy with it as a child when he is given some money. She said, " I

Without thinking, I carried her bag and we went together toward the direction of the bus. Inside the bus, her seat was beside mine. Naturally, I was behind her at the line of the box office. I tried to sit near the window to enjoy the scenes, but the lady forbid me and she went and sat near the window herself. I did not say anything.

I started to look in front of me and did not pay attention to her. Then, she started to stare at me for a long time. I did not look at her but I was annoyed and coul

During my stay in Europe in 2003,  I used to travel a lot between cities. Once, I was standing in front of a ticket window waiting for my turn to get a ticket to travel by bus to another city which was about two hundred kilometers. Between me and the window, a lady in her sixties was arguing for a long time with the employee. At last, the woman behind the window raised her voice, "Please, people are waiting, would you step aside?"

The lady moved one step away to make a room for me.  I asked the

Today is the tenth of Thulhijjah, the first day of Eiduladha. Pilgrims after completing their stand at Arafa mountain, they go to Muzdaliffah where they spend the night of the ninth of Thulhijjah and collect (jamarat) stones from there. This time, the authorities has prepared stones for the pilgrims fearing the infection of coronavirus. On the following day, they move to Mina. As we mentioned before, those places, Arafat, Muzdaliffah, and Mina are the rites of Hajj. On this day, they arrive in

We are on the ninth of Thulhijjah. This is called Arafa Day. It is the great day of Hajj. According to Hadeeth by Prophet Muhammad, "peace and blessings of Allah be upon him" (Hajj is Arafa). Early in the morning of this day, crowds of pilgrims move to the mount of mercy. They gather there to make their ritual supplication. This year, Arafa day is different. The Saudi authorities have enforced strict social distancing rules and employed contact tracing technology.

 It is including all the travel

Today, the eighth of the month of Thulhijjah is the first day of Hajj. Our house is not far from Mecca. We have to have Hajj permit to perform Hajj. Some of the pilgrims came here a week ago. Some of them arrived yesterday. All and all, most of them are here today to perform (tawaf algudoom) arrival circumambulation.

After finishing tawaf and Saee, they move to Mina. Since their (ihram) from various places, they say (talbiyah) which means they intend to perform Hajj only for the glory of Allah.

Hajj will start tomorrow, 29^th of July 2020 which corresponds to the 8^th of Thulhijah 1441 Hijrah. On this day, pilgrims arrive in Mecca to perform (tawaf algudoom) or arrival circumambulation. It is also called irrigation or perfusion day. In the past, pilgrims used to give water to their animals and take some with them for the journey of Hajj. Now, no need for that. Big tanks, faucets, and water supplies are available everywhere.   

Hajj literally or linguistically means intention. Religiously,

A week ahead and we will start Hajj for this year twenty-twenty which is correspondent to fourteen hundred forty-one, of Alhijrah. Alhijrah means emigration. It is an important historic event for Muslims. Prophet Muhammad emigrated from Mekkah to Madinah. This event was taken as the start of the Hijri calendar or the Arabic calendar.

The term (Alhijrah) has many meanings. Here, space is not enough for it now. During the past seasons, the number of pilgrims exceeded two million Hjjis. Pilgrims (h

You are a nature valley
Night's breeze crossed your face
flowers slept on your cheeks
the bird chirped on your hand
people did not cross your border
your enemy was not known
your repulsion was written for me
Oh, you are my hope and my life,
that had been gone
I am running after a mirage
Look at the valley morning beauty
Look at its greenness and its sands
Look at the night's breeze,
why was it awake?
It was a warning of nothingness
From deep inside, I reckoned,
you were not destined for me

He went to say that there were complicated things in life that need wisdom and common sense to be understood. Then the professor narrated a story for them saying, "a child got sick and when her father took her to the hospital the doctor prescribed medicine which he could not afford to buy.

He phoned his brother to help him to buy the medicine. His brother told him to wait one hour to bring him the money. The man waited anxiously and tried to call his brother but his brother's cell phone was close

A man married a woman after a long burning love story. One year later, she gave birth to a beautiful child. When he was five years old, the father decided to take his wife on a sea trip to forget the problems of life. They left their son with their grandmother.

The ship sailed and there was no one except the two of them. Unfortunately, the ship had an accident. It sank in the sea, and there had been only one lifeboat which was for one person. The husband left his wife and quickly took the lifebo

After Ramadan, comes the month of Shawal. We fast six days during this month. It is Sunnah and not obligatory. According to Hadeeth, (who he fasts Ramadan and follows that with six days in Shawal, it is as if he fasts forever.)

This is built on one good deed equals that ten times the same. so the idea is like this. Ramadan is thirty days. if you multiply all that by ten, it equals three hundred days. the six days of Shawal are consequently sixty days. That makes a total of three hundred and sixt

People who come from abroad or are suspected of carrying the coronavirus are locked in buildings or hotels.  In some countries, they are put in high luxurious hotels and given the life that each one of us is dreaming of. Their meals are presented precisely according to the time. Juice and other beverages are served round the clock. The internet is free. After two weeks, the health authorities would know whether they are well or not.       

I heard pope Francis saying that the lord would not leav

Two-thirds of Ramadan has gone. The first third is called  Rahmah (mercy). The second third is called magfirah (forgiveness). tomorrow, Wednesday is the last third of Ramadan.The last ten days of Ramadan. They are called Itgun min annar (free from fire). Of course, the last third of Ramadan is the best of all. In Islam, the last third is always the best part. For instance, the best part of the day is its last third. 

Allah, The Almighty descends on the last third of the day and says, (Is there a

Each day, we sit listening to the daily conference on Covit 19.  We hear the live statistics and Coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the deadly virus. We know the time of briefing from the ministry of health in our country. Up to now, more than three and a half million confirmed cases of the new Coronavirus round the globe.   

 I and my family got used to this kind of lockdown and this routine. People tried to cope with the si

Tomorrow, Friday 24 of April is the first day of Ramadan. Ramadan means stop eating and drinking and the sexual desire from dawn until sunset then we breakfast. Ramadan is the month of mercy and forgiveness and freeing from hell. I congratulate you on the beginning of the month and I take this opportunity to ask God to move that deadly virus from the world. I shall continue to talk later about the holy month.

Tiny spots fly high. 

Suddenly, they are airborne  

The distance is far away, so far away.         

Seasons pass by and leave.           

That lockdown is everlasting,

but for each night, dawn breathes.      

The journey is long, but it must be done.  

The distance is far, its footsteps are counted,

I shall walk it.

On the balconies, the song is sad, full of nostalgia,

and I shall sing it. 

The deadly swarm is up there.

but for each night,

Inevitable dawn is coming. 

What is going on? Is it the end of the world or the end of humanity? Would it be a conspiracy of some sort? On the other hand, it might be a pure act of gaining money. More than a quarter of a million people went to the other world. Here, the equation is not balanced.

Shall we go back to ourselves and our consciences? Corona is the cause. Yes, it could be the reason, why not? It could be a matter of paying attention to our deeds. At least, we have done something bad, real bad!

We cheat, Corona do

Once upon a time, there was a father who had four daughters. Four men came to ask their hands for marriage. The father decided that the elder one to get married first, but she refused to do so in order to take care of her father. The other three sisters got married. The elder one started to take care of her old man until he died. In his will, he said that no money was to be divided until the elder sister was married.

The three married sisters did not agree to that and they decided to sell the ho