SHARJAH // Hundreds of mourners filed into King Faisal Mosque in Sharjah on Monday to pay their last respects to Sheikha Alia bint Mohammed Al Qasimi.
Sheikha Alia, sister of the Ruler of Sharjah, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, and mother of the Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Abdullah bin Salim Al Qasimi, was laid to rest in the Royal Family’s plot at Al Jubail cemetery.
The funeral ceremony was held after the call to asr prayers. The mosque’s imam described to mourners how funeral prayers should be performed in accordance with Islam.
“A funeral prayer is a four takbira salute prayer,” he said. “After the first salute read Sulat al Fatiha, in the next salute pray for the beloved prophet, in the third salute pray for our mother the deceased and in the fourth salute pray for yourself and end the prayer.”
Members of the Qasimi family carried Sheikha Alia’s body in a jannazat coffin on their shoulders out of the mosque to a waiting ambulance for the journey to Al Jubail cemetery for burial.
Sheikh Abdullah and some of his brothers stayed in the mosque for a few minutes to receive mourners. One by one people filed past Sheikh Abdullah to shake his hand and kiss his forehead.
“We all share the pain of our beloved Ruler and the Deputy Ruler for losing his mother,” said Ahmed Al Jassim, an Emirati who came to King Faisal Mosque to offer prayers and mourn Sheikha Alia.
“As in our culture we don’t often know the mothers and sisters of other people, but we come to know them from their good sons.”
Mr Al Jassim said it was evident that Sheikha Alia had left to the world a very good son who would continue her memory with his good deeds.
Sheikh Abdullah will receive condolences in Al Badea palace for three days. Women are able to offer condolences at the majlis of Sheikh Faisal bin Khalid Al Qasimi in Al Ramla.
The official mourning period will last for one week, during which flags will be at half mast across the emirate.
The President, Sheikh Khalifa, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, sent messages of condolence to the Ruler of Sharjah and the Al Qasimi family.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, also sent his condolences to Sheikh Sultan and Sheikh Abdullah.
Messages were also sent by the rulers of the emirates and their families, and by leaders from across the GCC.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
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Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
