Worshippers gathered in mosques across the UAE on Thursday, to welcome the first Ramadan after all Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
The Moon-sighting committee declared Thursday the first day of the holy month.
Fathers and grandfathers came in with little children at dawn, offering the first of the five daily prayers.
Many recalled the days of social distancing and were relieved the rules introduced during the coronavirus pandemic were relegated to the past.
Mohamad Mahroof, a Dubai-based financial controller and partner of a restaurant group, said it was "so good to gather together with family and friends and pray".
“The mosque was crowded but there was still enough space for everyone," he said.
“The first day of Ramadan is always special.”
The 60-year-old returned home and recited the Quran, taking a short nap before heading to work.
“Young people find the first day of Ramadan difficult but at 60, I’m used to it,” he said.
For Fazeela Nizamudeen, the first day of the holy month was the start of a conversation with her children about spirituality.
The family woke up before 4am, prayed and shared a pre-dawn suhoor meal of rice, lentils, meat and fruit.
The older boys went to the mosque with their father, while Ms Nizamudeen stayed home to pray with her youngest son.
“They said the mosque was packed today. Even though they went 10 minutes early they prayed outside because there were so many people,” she said.
Ms Nizamudeen said she also explained to the children how special it was to observe Ramadan in the UAE.
“In Dubai and the UAE, we are lucky because so many people are fasting together during Ramadan. There is so much that supports the Islamic way of life,” she said.
Mohammed Shareef, a 36-year-old Egyptian man, told The National, that he usually performs morning prayers at home, but decided to go to the mosque to soak up the spirituality of the holy month.
“I felt more peaceful when I stepped inside the mosque in the morning with other worshippers. There were dozens of people with me and I felt it is great to pray with other Muslims,” said Mr Shareef.
He took his sleepy eight-year-old son with him to the mosque.
“I wanted him to experience the spiritual atmosphere just like when my father took me to the mosque at the same age. Ramadan is a special month for us and we want to pray in mosques rather than homes as it is more rewarding.”
They had their last meal at about 4.50am before walking to the nearby mosque in Sharjah’s Al Khan area.
“We had our Fajr prayer after 5am. The mosque was almost full and people were smiling and exchanging gestures for the beginning of Ramadan,” said Mr Shareef.
“It is a unique month for all Muslims as more people go to pray at mosques and read the Quran. The first day is hard with fasting but for me, it's the feeling of thirst.”
A time for loved ones
The holiest month on the Islamic calendar in Islam, Ramadan is observed by more than 1.9 billion Muslims around the world. It is said to be the month the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed.
It is typically a time for reflection and spending time with loved ones.
Fasting during the holy month is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is mandatory for all Muslims who are in good health.
Ramadan is also considered a nocturnal month for Muslims who end their daily fast at sunset, then begin longer-form taraweeh prayers, an additional extended evening prayer performed after isha.
Taraweeh prayers are then traditionally followed by social gatherings that last into the night.
This year, Muslims in the UAE will begin the month by fasting for about 14 hours and 45 minutes.
As the days lengthen, the fasting time increases. By the last day of the holy month the fast will be about 46 minutes longer than on the first.
On Wednesday, President Sheikh Mohamed called for “peace and harmony” for people in the UAE and around the globe, in an uplifting Ramadan message.
He wished for a “blessed month of reflection” on the eve of Ramadan.
“As the holy month of Ramadan begins, I wish you all a blessed month of reflection and pray that God continues to grant peace and harmony to the people of the UAE and the world,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on Twitter.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also shared a Ramadan message on social media.
“All congratulations to the people of the Emirates and to all the Arab and Islamic peoples on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan,” he wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, the President had sent out Ramadan greetings to leaders across the Arab world.
Sheikh Mohamed offered congratulatory messages to the rulers and other leaders of Islamic nations, state news agency Wam reported.
He called for the continued good health and well-being of the leaders and their people and expressed his desire for further progress and prosperity for Arab and Islamic countries.
The President's sentiments were echoed by the Ruler of Dubai.
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
MATCH INFO
Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)
Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no
Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)
Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22
Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets