Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the most powerful teams in the world. They had the right to win that tournament. No one was nominated for the championship

Slowly, they crawled. Lamine Yamal, the nineteen-year-old striker, did his best to lead his team to that victory. Other players were depending on their previous achievements

They beat France, 2/0. Austria 3/0. Their neighboring country, Portugal, 1/0. The Belgian team managed to score a goal in their net

In the quarter-final, Yamal's colleagues had a different opinion. They beat them 2/1. In the semifinal, they beat Kylian and his team, France 2/0. Then they met the Argentinian team in the final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After extra time, Ferran Torres scored the winning goal. They beat Argentina 1/0. No one expected that. All the predictions pointed to Argentina, France, Brazil, or Germany, who were eliminated early

A bright future is ahead for the Spanish national team and the colleagues of Lamine Yamal.

Dear friends, let's give a great deal of applause to the hero,  Mr. Josef Essberger. This man has fought and is still fighting to keep this site going. For more than twenty years, Mr. Essberger has done his best to give us an educational, creative, and enjoyable website.  

He really deserves more than one clap. We really respect your high spirit and the way you handled this website. Millions of people learned how to speak English, and many of them made friends with one another. Even some of them got married and made families.

All the appreciation and thanks to you, my dearest friend, Mr. Josef. Whatever we write and whatever we say, we won't give this man his full rights. Go forward, my friend.

Your sons and daughters and your grandchildren are proud to hold the flag of this website. Special thanks to Mrs. Essberger and the rest of his family.  

Nabi Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, " He who fasts in Ramadan and follows that by six days of Shawal, he is as if fasts the whole year". In Islam, if you do one good thing, you will be rewarded tenfold. Therefore, Ramadan is thirty days multiplied by ten, which makes three hundred days.

So, if you add the six days (of course, multiplied by ten), they make sixty days added to three hundred days. The total is 360 days. It is exactly one year. For more information about Ramadan and the six days of Shawal, please see my previous blogs. 

There was a baker who used to sell bread. A basket was full of hot bread for the poor. The poor used to stand in line and take their share from the baker. Another baker was very angry about this and made a big fuss, going so far as to sue his neighbor in court, claiming that the neighbor's action had caused most of his customers to switch to him.
The judge told him that he is free to do with his bread. Sell them or give them for free. His complaint was dismissed, and he thought of a plan to set fire to his neighbor's bakery. Then he retreated from this idea. He thought of making a hole in the roof, thinking that when the rain came, it would go down into the flour bags. Eventually, his neighbor would be unable to make even one loaf of bread. He took his digging tools to carry out the job.
To his bad luck, a guard saw him, and he took his mobile phone and pictured everything.
The next day, there was heavy rain, and the water melted the whole flour, and the baker was very sad, and he could not work on that day. His neighbor grabbed the opportunity and baked more than five thousand pieces of bread and gained a lot of money.
The next day, he was called by the court. The judge was smiling. He said to him, "How much money did you gain yesterday?"
"More than seven thousand dollars." The evil baker replied.
The judge said, "Give it to your neighbor and repair the hole you made in his roof." He whispered to his assistants, and they agreed. He continued, "You are sentenced to two years in jail.
His neighbor said, "Your honor, I don't want anything from him. I forgive him."
The judge interupted, "Even then, he must go to jail. Public rights must be respected.
The baker doubled the production of bread and became very rich and happy. 

Today is the first day of Zulhijjah 1446H, corresponding to 28 May 2025. A week from now, then the beginning of the pilgrimage (Hajj) 

 It is recommended to fast on these days of the month until the ninth, which is the day of Arafa, and then Eid would come on the tenth day.

Any work on these days is better than any other day of the year. Pilgrimage (Hajj) is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is an Islamic gathering of Muslims from all over the world.

They come to Mecca on those specific days to perform this ritual and to witness the benefits for themselves and worship Allah.

Ramadan is the month of forgiveness. Before six months, people used to wish to be present in the coming Ramadan. They knew the benefit and gain from the master of the Arabic months. Many good things come on their way.

They tried to behave and be honest to God, doing the previous worship to their God, from fasting, praying, and concentrating on how to fast and paying zakat to other poor Muslims.

 In the past, there were no air conditions like today, so when the month comes in Summer, people used to suffer a lot. According to Hadith,

the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, "Fasting Ramadan in faith and counting on Allah, his sins of the previous year and the coming one would be forgiven." (for more information, please check my previous blog about Ramadan)

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.