The showing pen writes showy things. He always makes ostentation gestures to make others admire him.

The hypocritical pen. He might be a brother or a cousin to the showy pen. He shows moral beliefs but behaves dishonestly. His face shows something different from his inner.

The forgetful pen. His main character is forgetfulness. The angry pen. He is always in a bad mood and hates whatever comes across him. The forgiving pen. The kind pen.

The loving pen. This kind of pen is prevalent and admired by many people. He writes about love. Love and what do you know about love? You like someone and are attracted to him or her very much. It is a feeling of deep regard, devotion, and fondness.

The sharing pen. The comforting pen. The friendly pen. He makes friends. He stands beside you whenever you need him, he keeps good relations with you, gives advice to you, and shows you the right track.

The soft pen. The sexy pen. The scandalous pen. The honest pen, the dishonest pen. The true pen, the false pen. The beautiful pen, the ugly pen. It is our choice to use the pen we admire most.

That was a long time ago.
His eyes said yes, it's unbelievable!
Was he lying to me?
All those years, any reason why?
The eyes of the truth do not betray.
But he was a traitor though
He used to make me happy.
He wished me words of love,
The punishment of the Almighty
For his injustice on me.
No doubt, he will suffer,
And drink from the same cup.
The tears of my heart,
Hurt and groan,
His punishment is Inevitable!

Today is the second day of the new Hijira calendar, 1446. It is named Hijra (immigration ) because Prophet Muhammad "peace and blessings of Allah be upon him" immigrated from Mecca to Madinah on the 12^th  of  Rabee Al-awal, corresponding to the twenty-first of September 622.  This was considered as a reference for the beginning of the Islamic year or the lunar year. It depends on the moon cycle to determine the Arabic calendar. It is twelve months and consists of either 354 or 355 days. Each month is 29 or 30 days.

Muslims use it for the different Islamic seasons and holidays like Hajj (pilgrimage), Ramadan, Zakat, and Islamic feasts. Some countries use the Arabic calendar as the official calendar for them. The first month is called Al- Muharam. Before that is the month of (Thul- hijjah) and during this month, and exactly on the eighth of it, people go to Mecca to perform Hajj (pilgrimage).

There are four sacred months in the Arabic calendar, Rajab, Thul- gaaiydah, Thul- hijjah, and Muharam. The Arabs used to stop the fighting and it is forbidden during Muharam. For different reasons, the Arabs stopped the war during these four months. Happy and prosperous New Hijrah year for all.

Who is he? My dear good friends of My English Club. Please, let us welcome Mr. Alaa Daraj, a Saudi Nationality. He is from Hakma in Jazan province, Saudi Arabia. He is a newcomer to the club. The man is good,  He was my manager when I used to work as a Chinese preliminary teacher. My Chinese is not that good. For the students of primary education, it can go. I am still learning and practicing how to speak the language properly.

Under his management, he treated me with great respect, and I will not forget that favor. Please, teachers and learners of My English Club do your best to help him speak English. He knows of course the basics about it but he needs to practice. By the way, he is a holder of an (IT) Information Technology certificate from India.

If we talk about his person, that will take pages and pages, and here is not a suitable place for that. Thank you my friends for helping him in advance.

About five days to go and we are in Hajj. What is Hajj? Hajj (pilgrimage) is the fifth pillar of Islam. People come from all over the world to perform Hajj in Mecca. They start on the eighth day of the month of Zulhijjah which is called Irrigation Day. At dawn they leave Mecca for the mountain of mercy, to stand for the Arafa Day. It is the great day of Hajj. People stand there and ask Allah for forgiveness.

Before sunset, they move to Muzdalifa, another ritual place of Hajj. They collect stones and proceed to Mina on the next day. They stay on Mina for three days throwing the stones at Jamarat, and then they go to make Tawaf Alifada (circling the Kaaba seven times).  

Some of them come back to slaughter their sacrifices for God, others cut or shorten their hair. They stay in Mina for three days. For those on a hurry, they stay for two days. They make Tawaf Alwadaa, (Goodbye Tawaf) and then leave for their countries. Please, for more details visit my page about Hajj.

One or two days remain, and we will be expecting a favorite guest. Guess who it is? Ramadan, yes, it is Ramadan. It is one of the five pilars of Islam. We do not eat during the day until sunset. Of course, this is good  for our digestive system, at least during the day. 

For eleven months, day and night, it is just working and digesting our food so as we can feed our bodies. This process continues but in Ramadan, it stops completely during the day which gives it a break. It can be a period for our stomach to relax and maintin itself.

Some doctors advice their patients to fast. We shall talk more about Ramadan later.

to be continued....

Many people left us in 2023. My niece Mariam. She was the mother of Al-Hilal Sudanese team player, the late Walideen. My father-in-law, Ali Farrat. They were not as famous as Hollywood stars, such as Raquel Welch, Tina Turner, Jim Brown, David MacCallum, Lisa Marley, Mathew Perry, and the lovely, Gina Lollobrigida.

Dimitry Utkin the leader of the Wagner group died in a plane crash, and many others that the space is not enough to mention all of them.

We do not mention the earthquake that hit Agadir and Taroudant in Morocco. More than fifty or sixty thousand were killed, I am not exactly sure about the total number of those who passed out during 2023.

It is life. People come and people go out of it. The year twenty-three was very sad. Our country ran into the biggest war of all its previous wars. Many of my people were killed and severely massacred. Some women were raped and tortured.

I do not want the new year to be like 2023. I hope for the best for all of us. In our rush for perfection, we do strange things sometimes. Why don't we do it the right way, or by the right competition?

I am starting my blog with a question, and I shall end it with a question too. Is peace far from our reach? For over fifty years we have just suffered and heard daily news of wars everywhere. Some spots are boiling and others are less severe.

Since the beginning of this world, mankind killed each other. They never stopped doing it. Most of the regions of the so-called third world are killing each other.

look at the middle east, Palestine, and Israel. Open the news and our country, Sudan is always on the headlines of every news: Yemen, Somalia, Syria, the Ukraine. The list of ongoing armed conflicts is long.

Defending ourselves is a legitimate right. On the other hand, overindulgence in things is counterproductive. Extravagance is not good.

Resorting to the voice of reason is a must. Sometimes we do not know what we are fighting for. Could we sit at a table and try to put an end to all our conflicts?

The pilgrims ended their Hajj on the third day at Mina. They would start to perform the goodbye Tawaf (surrounding the Kaaba) and go back home. Some of them go to Madina, others go to the different cities in Saudi Arabia. For more details, please visit my page about Hajj. Happy new year to all. Thank you.

Hajj is next week. People have already gathered from different areas of the world to perform Hajj. It is a difficult journey especially in the past. Nowadays, it is less tiring than before. Of course, the financial and physical abilities are very important for the individual to perform Hajj.

 It starts on the eighth of the month of Thulhijja..  It is called (Tarwiya day) Irrigation day. Pilgrims come to perform (Tawaf Algudum) arrival circumambulation. They  come on this day and get ready for the early morning trip to the mount of Arafat. It is on the ninth of Thulhijja, This is the great day of Hajj.

Many prayers and supplications are said and accepted by Allah, the Almighty. Before sunset, pilgrims move to another ritual which is called Muzdaliffa. Stones are collected from this area and the prayers of Magrib and Isha are prayed combined and shortened.

Then pilgrims stay the night there, and at dawn, they go to Mina to start throwing the stones at (Jamarat). They start with the big Jamarah (jamratul agaba), then the middle Jamarah, and at last, the small one.

Some pilgrims go to Makkah to perform (Tawaf Alifadah) finishing circumambulation,  and get back to the area of Mina to shave or lengthen their hair, others start their sacrifices or Hady. Pilgrims stay two or three days in Mina and then they go to perform (Tawaf Alwadaa) goodbye circumambulation and leave Mecca for their areas or their countries.

Please, for more details, see my previous blog about Hajj.

https://www.myenglishclub.com/blogs/hajj-1438-2017-part-one

Sara and Dina are sisters. Sara is two years older than Dina. Their parents died when they were very young. They left a big house, an elegant car, and a huge amount of money in the bank for them.  They were wise at the beginning and they agreed to live in the house and sell that car and buy two for them. Sara thought that the car was part of their parents hereditary. They were supposed to keep it but later on she changed her mind for both of them to have a car for each of them.

Dina's boyfriend came to the scene and the problems began. Adam was a greedy fellow. He wanted to have the house and everything the two sisters had. He started by harassing Dina to sell the house and divide the money. As the matter of fact, he wanted to have the money for himself.

He began the aggressive pressure on Dina. Sara told her sister that Adam was not true in his love with her, and that he was not loyal to her at all. She told her that many times he tried to approach her but she refused.

 At first, Dina did not pay any attention to her sister's warnings but she noticed some changes on her boyfriend's behavior. Coming late at night, ill tempered, and the smell of wine was all over him.

Ramadan flight announces the departure of its flight number 1443H. to Rayan door. Passengers on this flight are kindly requested to fasten their piety belts and refrain from anything that is illegal.

The duration of this flight is approximately twenty nine to thirty days. Eating and drinking are forbidden during the day time from sunrise until sunset. At sunset, you can eat and drink.

Praying or any other deed will be rewarded twice and every work for the sake of Allah will be rewarded in great quantities.  We wish you a pleasant journey.

I was in love with someone. I went away for a while, when I came back she had been engaged to another man. I went through deep sorrow. Of course, the wheel of life must go and you must get used to that. I do not know how to express myself properly but those lines might reflect something of it. Thanks in advance for your point of view:

Someone help me!

Life is hard,

Your words are harder.

I pretend not to feel,

Under the daily tears,

The anguish is clear.

After you,

I remain in grief.

You are the oppressor,

The grief's getting deeper

The echoes, the squeak

they are against my will.

My heart is silent

who is the healer?

Someone help me.

What are we going to do?  Sometimes it seems to me that the amount of food and water is not enough for us. When a group of people has absolute power without effective constitutional limitations. Wars are everywhere. Conflicts are all over the world. take a look at the map of the world, you will find many hot or red spots.

The princes of war are giving us no chance at all. They do not want to step down and give us a break as if they breathe the smoke that is coming from the barrels of their guns. The problem of the Nahda dam between our country, Egypt, and Ethiopia. The water of the river Nile is enough for the three countries and maybe more than a hundred.  Countries are crippled by the destabilization of the economy and politics.

Sadness is seen on the faces of our sons and daughters.  I could not imagine how are we going to raise our families and bring them to the beaches of safety! The year twenty-twenty one is about to say goodbye, and a new year is coming after a few weeks' time.

Every year we hope and expect the better to come. Would the new year, twenty-twenty-two be different?  I am not pessimistic, but at the end of each tunnel, we could not see any thread of light. 

What is democracy? It is a control of an organization or a group by the majority of its members. Indeed it is a system of government by the whole people or the eligible ones of the country. It usually happens in elections. Typically, through elected representatives.

Our people are out in the streets for more than four weeks in a peaceful demonstration demanding democracy.  They did not want military rule. They wanted a civilian one. Our people ousted the previous dictator from power and a transitional government was born so that after two years, elections would be held and a civilian government would be elected by the people and see the light.

Two weeks ago, a coup was made and the army wanted the power for itself. Our generals in Sudan want authority for themselves. Many people died and others were wounded. They were wounded in their bodies and in their feelings too. Their mistake was that they wanted to live in a democratic society. 

 Many voices from the world were heard. The African Union, European Union, America, and some other countries called on both military and civilian people to negotiate and reach some sort of a general agreement or consensus.

Prime ministers of both New Zealand and England commented on our peaceful demonstration, even queen Elizabeth admired that performance of the people. Our people are calling for a civilian democratic system, I wonder if they are asking too much.

In life, we find strange things. Along the way, we meet people. Good ones and bad ones, too. Our thoughts and beliefs are made about them. Our judgment is formed about them, and it is not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Anger and hostility may arise later. The most important thing is, we meet those people face to face and we know them personally.  This is natural.  

The most difficult thing to understand or rather the most confusing thing is the people you know by the pen. That writing instrument which is consisted of a metal nib or ball fitted into a metal or plastic holder. They are called pen friends or pen pals.

Most of My EC friends are known to me by their pens. I have never seen or met anyone of them except my students who joined this marvelous website a few years ago. What I am trying to get at is that most of the people and the majority of them are very friendly and they treat you well. A few of them are a bit hostile.  

I find that my ideas and my suggestions are given a hostile reply.  Some of these people do not like to reply or even mention anything concerning me. Of course, the issue is subject to several factors. Personality, age, nationality, and so on.

In real life, it is ok, because you see that person and you know him or her, but for those who are in foreign countries, they are far away from you. The only means of connection is the pen. So, I find it strange to have such a hostile attitude.

Hackers steal your personal information. Hackers embedded security database server. Hackers may try to steal your data and many other messages like that. We find these things on the internet. The people who do that are programmers or genius people. They might be even philosophers of their time.  They do technical things that hinder us from accessing our accounts. they get illegal access to our computers. It becomes complicated, or even difficult to access our accounts.  

 Of course, we heard the story about the hackers who invaded the global system, about two or three years ago. Governments complained about this. The hackers wanted a ransom. I am not sure how the matter ended. The good people repaired the illegal access to their computers. Then, it was over at that time. On the news,  the story of Russia and the United States' computers invasion is not far. The controversy is still going on. The diplomats between the two countries are still working on it to settle the matter.

Hackers can do good things. They can even help to create things for our future generations, but deep down, I guess it is only to show us that the world is full of good and bad. Why do they use illegal ways,  instead of legal ones? What is the benefit they gain from that? Is it money? They can do it the other way. They can earn it, and we will be grateful for them. Some people question the appropriateness of this practice. Nevertheless, It is life and its paradoxes. 

Tomorrow is the tenth of Almuharram, the month of the first Islamic calendar. This date marks the day that Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) was chased by Pharaoh. When they reached the sea, the followers of Prophet Musa were desperate and they told him that Pharaoh would eliminate them. God told Musa to hit the sea with his stick and it was divided into two divisions. They were like two great hills. A path was made between them, and the followers of Prophet Musa passed.

When Pharaoh came in trying to reach them the two hills were back and he was drowned with his army. Prophet Musa and his followers were saved. On the same day, there was the battle of Karbalaa. Alhussein Ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was martyred along with his supporters. We fast tomorrow. It is not obligatory. For more information on Ashura, please, look at my previous blog on the topic.

  https://www.myenglishclub.com/blogs/ashuraa

The train is moving fast.

The heat of love increases.

Try to be happy in your love.

If that love is too much for you, do not surrender

your heart to the days' behaviors.

Because the train is moving fast.

Love exists in the world, from eons past.

Stars twinkle at night, and darkness likes light.  

birds love each other,   

There is a beautiful song in the garden,

 Our nightly encounters were nice.

gentle and peaceful whispers.

That train is still moving fast.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Arabian calendar. It is the month of great blessings, and during it, The Holy Quran was revealed to the world through Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). God's mercy and blessings fill the world. Worshipers focus their thoughts and physical energy towards spirituality rather than materialism.

Muslim people wait eleven months for it to come. Some of them are here and others left this world before it comes. Most of them hope to reach Ramadan before they go to the other world.

People start fasting from dawn until sunset every day. Ramadan reminds them of the difficulties of millions of people living in poverty experience on a daily basis. Fasting during the month of Ramadan brings a level of social belonging to the community. Opportunities are grabbed in this month and many hope to collect more from Allah, The Almighty.

If you give iftar to a fasting person, The Almighty will give you the same reward that is given to him without detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest. I hope with the coming of Ramadan all the conflicts of the world are over.