It has been an year and a half since we shifted, rather I shifted to Saudi Arabia. The story goes back to 2003 when I first came to Makkah to perform Umrah. The sight of the Masjid-e-Haraam and the Kaaba mesmerized me. I remember the first time I looked at Kaaba, I was unable to take my sights away. After that since we stayed there, I used to sit by a pillar in the Haram and pray. I fell in love with that pillar, and when it was time to leave, i hugged the pillar cried and asked it to pray for me so that I could come and live in Saudi Arabia. For the next 10 years that passed, I got opportunities to go to many countries but I just waited and waited until the time came and I got an opportunity to shift to Saudi Arabia. The place where I live is about 400km from Makkah, it is a drive of about 3 and a half hour from my home to the Haram. People ask me all the time what it feels like to live here. So I decided to write this blog.
Life in Saudi Arabia, especially in a suburban area is very different from the hustle and bustle of big cities like Karachi or Lahore. It is very peaceful, quiet, and serene. The place where I live is a hill station, there is lots of rain, even snow here and the weather is so pleasant that I so many times forget that I am living in a desert. Once it starts raining, it normally goes on for a week, sometimes even more. The air is so fresh that every breath I take reminds me of heaven. The sky is always filled with stars as there is nearly no pollution here. In a nut shell, it is like another life.
The people here are simple, not much educated, majority is not well versed or even familiar with English. Communication is possible as there are a large number of Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis who can understand and communicate with anyone speaking Urdu. They are conservative about their values and may seem arrogant, however after you get in acquaintance with them and are honest and truthful, a mutual sense of respect starts developing between you and them.
Our Landlord, Mr. Ali Al Garni is a thorough gentleman. Though more than 90 years of age, He is Masha Allah a very active person. He has made farms on the back side of his house where there are trees of Pomengranate, Guave, Dates, vines of grapes and shrubs of lemon. He plants melons, onions, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, corriander, mint, green chillies in the farm. He gave us permission to take whatever we wish from his farms. May Allah bless him and his family with health and happiness. One of his sons Majid is a young man studying Computer Science from the local university. He is well versed in English and is Masha Allah a very helpful person.
Whenever we feel like, we set out for Makkah, perform Umrah and the come back spiritually cleansed. This truly is another perspective of life that I am living now, and I am very satisfied with it. May Allah bless us all and keep us all in His Eternal Protection, Ameen.
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Life in Saudi Arabia, especially in a suburban area is very different from the hustle and bustle of big cities like Karachi or Lahore. It is very peaceful, quiet, and serene. The place where I live is a hill station, there is lots of rain, even snow here and the weather is so pleasant that I so many times forget that I am living in a desert. Once it starts raining, it normally goes on for a week, sometimes even more. The air is so fresh that every breath I take reminds me of heaven. The sky is always filled with stars as there is nearly no pollution here. In a nut shell, it is like another life.
The people here are simple, not much educated, majority is not well versed or even familiar with English. Communication is possible as there are a large number of Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis who can understand and communicate with anyone speaking Urdu. They are conservative about their values and may seem arrogant, however after you get in acquaintance with them and are honest and truthful, a mutual sense of respect starts developing between you and them.
Our Landlord, Mr. Ali Al Garni is a thorough gentleman. Though more than 90 years of age, He is Masha Allah a very active person. He has made farms on the back side of his house where there are trees of Pomengranate, Guave, Dates, vines of grapes and shrubs of lemon. He plants melons, onions, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, corriander, mint, green chillies in the farm. He gave us permission to take whatever we wish from his farms. May Allah bless him and his family with health and happiness. One of his sons Majid is a young man studying Computer Science from the local university. He is well versed in English and is Masha Allah a very helpful person.
Whenever we feel like, we set out for Makkah, perform Umrah and the come back spiritually cleansed. This truly is another perspective of life that I am living now, and I am very satisfied with it. May Allah bless us all and keep us all in His Eternal Protection, Ameen.
