‘There was a time, when I blamed my companion if his religion did not resemble mine. Now, however, my heart accepts every form ... Love alone is my religion.”
In an era of hate, fear and extremism, remembering these words of wisdom by Ibn Arabi (1165–1240 AD, 560–638 AH), also known as Al Shaikh Al Akbar (the Great Shaikh), is more important than ever.
He is not as well known to the wider world as Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, the popular 13th-century poet and scholar, but his work is just as important.
This famous Muslim scholar, mystic, poet and philosopher of Andalusian origin will now be reintroduced to a whole new generation, as Ibn Arabi is being honoured as the “Personality of the Year” at the 2017 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
He was born in Murcia and although his family later moved to Seville, there is a claim by his father's family of being descended from the legendary Arabian poet Hatim Al Tai, who was known for his extreme generosity and whose own story should also serve as an important role model. It is his legend that is behind the Arabic saying: “more generous than Hatim.”
Why is the revival of this region’s own characters important? Because regularly we hear parents complain that there are no role models for their children, and young people grumbling that here are no interesting heroes for them to discover. Yet there are hundreds of figures and stories, but they haven’t been taught properly in schools and they are not often mentioned at home.
There are some wicked and evil famous characters as well – and from them we can also learn a lot and even have fun with them.
I witnessed some poignant scenes while on a trip this month to Al Sayaheed, a desert village in Rumah, one of the governorates of Riyadh Province, where the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival was being held. Many young Saudi visitors were in awe of some of the things they learnt about camels, about the history of Arabs and even about how traditional homes once looked. Several times I heard someone tell the guide inside the village’s planetarium dome: “Really? There are stars with Arab names?”
One of the guides, a Saudi student studying engineering, fell in love with his country’s heritage while working at the festival and is now thinking of studying for a master’s in Arab history.
“I took my own country’s legacy and this region’s amazing history for granted,” he said.
Interestingly enough, another twist is that for the longest time, for something Arabian to be considered worthy, it had to be “validated” by the West.
And that sentiment still exists. At the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, the local TV station chased after one of the British journalists who’d come to report on the festival and asked him to say something in English about what he saw.
Then they turned to me and when I replied in Arabic, they said: “No, no. Say it in English please.”
This is a trivial example, but it happens a lot, and it is not that difficult to understand that when someone holds an event celebrating their own’s culture, they want a guest from outside to be impressed and to talk about it in extraordinary terms.
This push to preserve heritage in the Gulf countries, may have been partly driven by the destruction of older Arabian civilisations in neighbouring countries, such as Iraq and Syria.
We all know who is to blame for this carnage: cancerous extremist groups and militias who loot and bomb and bulldoze everything in their path as they seek to impose terror and discord.
Ibn Arabi’s tomb in Damascus is at risk of being destroyed by the extremists, who have already destroyed the tombs of prophets, philosophers and famous figures out of sheer spite and contempt.
So a religion of love, peace and forgiveness is what is really needed today to replace all this hate.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter:@arabianmau
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
How Sputnik V works
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Ramez Gab Min El Akher
Creator: Ramez Galal
Starring: Ramez Galal
Streaming on: MBC Shahid
Rating: 2.5/5
ABU DHABI'S KEY TOURISM GOALS: BY THE NUMBERS
By 2030, Abu Dhabi aims to achieve:
• 39.3 million visitors, nearly 64% up from 2023
• Dh90 billion contribution to GDP, about 84% more than Dh49 billion in 2023
• 178,000 new jobs, bringing the total to about 366,000
• 52,000 hotel rooms, up 53% from 34,000 in 2023
• 7.2 million international visitors, almost 90% higher compared to 2023's 3.8 million
• 3.9 international overnight hotel stays, 22% more from 3.2 nights in 2023
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube