Tag Archives: Culture
The Day of Ashura Posted by aziza on Dec 18, 2010
The Day of Ashura (عاشوراء) is on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. It marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram. The day of Ashura is special to all Muslims, especially the Shiites. Sunni Muslims celebrate the day by fasting it and by preparing a special treat that…
The New Hijri Year Posted by aziza on Dec 15, 2010
The new Hijri year (1432) started on the 7th of December 2010. The word Hijri is derived from the word Hijra (emigration of Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina.) This is considered the beginning of the establishment of the Islamic state. The beginning of the Hijri year is often celebrated in many ways. Sufi traditions…
Nizar Qabbani’s Poem “Words” Posted by aziza on Jul 13, 2010
In this post, I present one of the most beautiful poems of Nizar Qabbani that became a song by Majda Al-Roumy. It is called (كـــلمات) ‘words’. The poem, its translation and the video are given below. Enjoy! He tells me, when he dances with me,Words are not like other words He takes me, from under…
Easter in the Middle East Posted by aziza on Apr 3, 2010
Easter is celebrated by Christians in the Middle East to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it is called (عيد القيامة) or (عيد الفصح). It is usually preceded by a week of praying and special ceremonies, e.g. Palm Sunday (أحد الزعف), Good Friday (الجمعة الحزينة), Ash Wednesday (أربعاء الرماد), Thursday (خميس العهد), Easter Saturday…
Arabic Cultural Expressions: From Assalamu ‘alaykum to Bismillah Posted by aziza on Feb 27, 2010
I am writing this post in response to a kind suggestion of Juan who asked me to write a post about cultural expressions and their replies. Thank you very much Juan for the suggestion! I think that this is a very important topic. Please find a list below. بسم الله “Bismillah” literally means (in the…
Avicenna Posted by aziza on Feb 12, 2010
Avicenna (ابن سینا) is a famous Muslim physician and philosopher. His full name is (أبو علي الحسين بن عبد الله بن الحسن بن علي بن سينا). He was born around 980 in Afghanistan and started to learn medicine, logic, philosophy and literature at a very early age.He completed learning the Qur’an before the age of…
Fayrouz Posted by aziza on Jan 18, 2010
Fayrouz (فيروز) is one of the most famous Arab singers. She was born on 21st November 1935 in Lebanon. In her childhood, she used to sing at school concerts and to neighbors and friends in her family’s simple house in Beirut. At one of the school concerts, Mohammed Fleyfel became impressed by her voice and…