Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs
Page 24
dalla: A small, pyramid-shaped pot with a long, curved spout and a long handle used for serving Arabic coffee.
dhikr: Literally, ‘mentioning’ or ‘remembering,’ the term dhikr refers to the utterance of words and phrases that are repeated as a means of praising God and holding Him in remembrance. It is considered desirable to repeat certain phrases after each of the five daily ritual prayers. These include, for example, “Glory be to God!” (subhan Allah) (thirty-three times), “Praise be to God!” (al-hamdu li-llah) (thirty-three times), and “God is greater!” (Allahu akbar) (thirty-three times).
dishdasha: A long, flowing, sleeved robe.
Fatiha: The first chapter of the Qur’an, with which every ritual prayer in Islam commences: In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; Most Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee do we worship, and thine aid do we seek. Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy grace, those whose portion is not wrath, and who go not astray. The term Fatiha can also refer to a gathering in which those who have come together recite the Fatiha on behalf of a deceased person and pray for blessings on the person’s spirit.
“. . . full moon in my spirit . . .”: A reference to his son Badr, whose name means “full moon.”
Hayta lak: Translated variously as “Come now, dear one” (Yusuf Ali) and “Come thou unto me” (Muhammad Asad), the Qur’anic phrase hayta lak is well known in Arab culture and lore for its role in the story of the Prophet Joseph who, after being sold as a slave in Egypt to a high official in Pharaoh’s court, was then made head of his master’s household. (The official is referred to in Genesis 37:36 as Potiphar, but is unnamed in the Qur’anic account.) In the Qur’anic account, it was with the words hayta lak that the court official’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph in her husband’s absence. See Qur’an 12:21–29, and Genesis 37:36 and 39:1–18.
al-Jamra al-Khabitha: Anthrax (literally, ‘noxious firebrand’). The English word ‘anthrax’ is derived from the Greek άνθραξ, meaning ‘coal,’ because of the black lesions developed by victims with a cutaneous anthrax infection.
Munkar and Nakir: The names of the angels who, according to Islamic tradition, interrogate the dead in their graves in order to test their faith.
Non-Collapsing Movement: A play on ‘Non-Aligned Movement,’ the organization of nations founded in Belgrade in 1961 by Gamal ‘Abd al-Nasser and Jawaharlal Nehru among others as a counter to the Cold War. Instead of saying ‘non-aligned’ (‘adam al-inhiyaz) Sa‘id says ‘non-collapsing’ (‘adam al-inhiyar).
“On our shoulders we carried our fates, the fates no forehead could bear”: According to a certain colloquial Arabic saying, “Whatever is written on the forehead, the eye must see” (illi inkatab ‘ala-l-jabin, lazim tshufu al-‘ayn). What is “written on the forehead” refers to someone’s fate. Being on the forehead, of course, one can’t possibly see it with one’s eyes, just as fate, being in the realm of the future, can’t be known ahead of time. Ultimately, however, one’s fate, being fate, has to become reality, and then the eye can ‘see’ it: it becomes known.
Prayer of obedience (du‘a’ al-qunut): “O God, guide me with those Thou hast guided, grant me wholeness with those to whom Thou hast granted wholeness, watch over me with those Thou hast watched over, bless me in that which Thou hast given, and protect me from the evil of what Thou hast decreed, for Thou alone art the One who doth decree and dispose. No one to whom Thou grantest Thy succor will be disgraced, nor will anyone whom Thou dost oppose enjoy honor and glory. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, and exalted!”
Qur’anic References: Translations of Qur’anic verses are taken from The Koran Interpreted: A Translation by A.J. Arberry, The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, or The Message of the Qur’an by Muhammad Asad. The verses appear in italics on the following pages: 51 (37:180; Ali); 148–49 (50:8; Arberry); 149 (50:18; Ali); 195 (28:88 and 3:185; Ali); 196 (20:55; Ali); 197 (9:129; Ali); 198 (37:180); 226 (1:1–7; Ali); 229 (2:255; Asad).
rak‘a: A bending of the torso from an upright position, followed by two prostrations. These movements, accompanied by the recitation of certain formulaic expressions, are repeated specified numbers of times in the course of each Islamic ritual prayer.
Sami‘a Allahu li man Hamidah (with a guttural constriction in sami‘a and a fricative ‘h’ sound in hamidah) means ‘God hears those who give Him praise,’ whereas, when pronounced with Alam al-Din’s accent—with a glottal stop in sami’a and a regular ‘h’ sound in hamidah—it means ‘God grows weary of those who . . . ,’ with the word hamidah becoming nonsensical.
sirat: According to Muslim belief, the Sirat is the razor-thin bridge over which every person must pass on the Day of Judgment. It is said that it is surrounded on either side by the fires of Hell, but that those who have committed righteous deeds on earth will be transported to safety in Paradise. The term sirat occurs in the Fatiha, or first chapter of the Qur’an, with the meaning of ‘path.’
sura: A chapter of the Qur’an.
Surat Qaf: The fiftieth sura, or chapter, in the Qur’an.
Throne verse: Qur’an 2:255, which reads God—there is no deity save Him: the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in on earth. Who is it that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave? He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to aught of His knowledge save that which He wills. His eternal power overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. He alone is truly exalted, tremendous.
“Where passion leads, let your heart roam . . .”: Taken from a poem by Abbasid poet Abu Tammam (d. 845). The line continues, “. . . but with your true love alone will it find its home.”