“There. Look in the mirror!” Zarinah said after tying an Emirati style headdress on a little boy. Laughing to herself she thought, “How am I, a black girl from Detroit, in the Emirates, teaching Emirati boys how to tie a scarf THEIR way?!?” Again, she realized the divine design of it all. You are placed places you are supposed to be. Even if you don’t understand the wisdom, and yes even if you doubt your skills. Suffering from jet lag, the night before had been a long one. Zarinah had been unable to sleep and passed the time designing headwraps, praying, listening to music, chatting on Facebook and finally at a friend’s suggestion, Googling a “restless sleepers” dua. The prayer said to ask God, who needs no sleep, nor slumber, for rest because HE created us in the mold of those who needs rest. Just as she laid back down to close her eyes, she heard a loud speaker crack and a man’s deep baritone voice call out to everyone, “Allah u Akbar. Allah u Akbar” “God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest” It was the call to fajr, the early morning prayer. A lover of natural air, Zarinah had slept with the window open and as a result, could hear the adhan (call) as clear as day. Several years had passed since Zarinah El-Amin Naeem had heard that sound and though not the first time for her ears, strangely it felt like the first time for her heart. The voice - the call to remember God - made her weep. How beautiful to be in the company of those who call on the Lord morning, day, and night! 13 years ago she’d taken it for granted in Egypt. Sure, it was appreciated, but after a month or so the novelty wore off and it just became a part of the landscape. Just like discovering a new curvy road. At first it’s exciting, but later as you learn the road, it just becomes the way you get to work. Now, having been starved from a public reminder that God is Greater than everything else, she remembered how sweet the adhan is. They say some have to live in darkness in order to recognize the light. Zarinah was thankful that at 35, she felt her heart finally opening to the light. After fajr, a strange dua kept popping in Zarinah’s head, “Oh God, save me from myself.” “Oh God, save me from myself.” For some reason, a theme of death and forgivess had descended upon the trip from the beginning. First through the story of Prophet Moses, and lately through this strange prayer. “Oh God, save me from myself.” In essence, the prayer reflected on a philosophical question Zarinah had pondered for several years. One that had almost caused her to leave religion totally and simply become a “spiritual” person: How could God, who is all knowing, all seeing, whom without HIM none can be guided, who blesses whom He wills… how could this God also be such a strict punisher? Why would someone go to Hell just because God didn’t bless their heart to be opened? Is it their fault their heart wasn’t opened? Though simple to some, this question haunted Zarinah for years and she didn’t understand how God was Most Merciful, but how that mercy didn’t seem to reach to everyone. And now finally, finally Zarinah began to realize that it is not God who leaves our hearts closed. IT is us, who reject and wrong our OWNSELVES with the choices we make. We decide our fate. Gods mercy is that we are judged by our OWN intentions and our own actions. No one elses. What was her fate? What choices was she making? She prayed they were the right ones. But even between all of this spiritual talk going on in her head, she knew she was here for a reason and would do her job to get the most out of the fair. In between her scheduled workshops, Zarinah decided to check out the floor. She looked for people and companies to connect with on publishing, and perhaps some international distributors to carry her book client’s books. The Sharjah International Book Fair is one of the largest book fairs in the world. Now in its 33rd year, it receives over a million visitors a year. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of booths and thousands upon thousands of books and reading materials. Some of the booths look like mini stores, complete with walls, even stairs. Imagine going to a play and seeing the set built to look like a living room. Many of the booths at the fair have that same affect. They are breath taking. While traversing a few times, Zarinah got a bit turned around. The floor was over 200000 sq ft and it was difficult to remember which aisle you were in. One booth stood out, the Ministry of Oman. Zarinah had been infatuated with Oman every since jumping on stage with the Omani Dancers at the New Mexico International Folk Art Festival. Ahh, the good times. Plus, Omani brothers often look just like “Tyrone” down the street, a sentiment she discovered was felt by a lot of the African American sisters here in the Gulf. The brothers have a sense of familiarity about them. “Salaamualaykum, Tatakallum Ingleezi?, Zarinah asked the brother laughing into his phone at the Omani booth . “Yes, I speak English,” the brother replied. “Tayyib. If I want to go to Oman for a day, what would you suggest I do?” It took a few minutes, but the brother finally understood what she meant. And while he didn’t have any real suggestions of things to do, he and Zarinah ended up having a 20 min conversation about Islam, men’s clothing, family, the Sultan… and Zarinah’s work. At one point Zarinah asked, “So you’re telling me that no one can wear this particular style of wrap other than the Omani Sultan and his family?” “Yes, that is correct.” It was funny, Zarinah pondered, I have been looking at men’s thobes, the long white “shirt” worn by men in Arab countries for over 30 years, but have never noticed the subtle differences. Omani thobes had a tassle in the front, but unlike the long and in the middle Emirati tassles, theirs were short and on the side. And the scarves; Omani men wore headdresses of various colors, kinda like woven pashminas, while the Emiratis primarily wore white, or red and white. Armed with this new knowledge, Zarinah now observed the men of the fair with a new light and quietly tried to match the country to the man based on clothing. Sudani, Omani and Emirati…. The other gulf countries were still a bit unfamiliar to her. There can be truths living right under your nose,but it’s not till you have a little bit of knowledge that they have meaning. What other meanings had Zarinah been missing? So while jam packed with three workshops and impromptu lessons of the men’s dress of the Gulf, the day had revealed more of the hidden. Zarinah went to sleep with a new question on her mind, What else will come to light? Shout out to Sr. Bayyinah Khadijah Muhammad for coming and being my Beautifully Wrapped Sister Wrapper!
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 21:04:32 +0000
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