Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.
Yesterday, Thursday morning, I went to the Rowdah Shareefah with my daughters. It is the first time I've been there since I arrived in Madinah, Qadr Allah. It was also one of my last chances to get there before the Umrah crowds return. Subhaan Allah, it was so easy. The light green section of the carpet is the area of the Rowdah to pray on....and we prayed easily, mashaa'Allah. I remembered every one of you in my dua', al hamdul'Illah.
The graves were sectioned off so we couldn't go over to give salaams directly in front of them, but I gave salaams for all of you - my followers. I also gave salaams by name for certain of you who asked, and certain of you who I knew would want me to. If you are wondering why the graves are sometimes open for ziyaarah and other times not, I believe it has to do with which Umrah groups are visiting, the volume of people. You see, some people don't understand that we do not worship the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, or pray facing the graves, etc. Many things are done here to protect the Muslims from themselves, their misunderstandings, and innovation. When the Umrah groups are not here, apparently both sides are often open, and Allah Knows best.
Friday, February 4, 2011
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Assalamu Aleykum dear sister,
ReplyDeleteMASHALLAH what a beautiful experience.
May ALLAH SWT reward you for giving Salaams for the sisters who couldn't be there.Ameen.
for me praying on the green carpet has always been a crazy experience, i dont know what women think to achieve by screaming and running. it is shameful subhanAllah!
ReplyDeleteMashaAllah. JazakAllah Khaira for your dua'a. I pray that Allah(SWT) accept your dua'a. Ameen
ReplyDeleteWa iyaaki Umm Khadiijah Binta and Um Zararya.
ReplyDeleteSweetlikechocolate, that is why I never go while the umrah and hajj groups are here! It is absolutely shameful and no matter what the female attendants do, there are always many who ignore them.
I take it as a special gift from Allah that I finally made it, just hours before the umrah groups arrived and turned it into a fiasco.
May Allah guide us all - ameen!
salam-
ReplyDeleteMay Allah bless your family and your time in Madina Munawarra.
1. If someone is a medical doctor, do you know is it easy to get jobs or visa in madina? How long will it last? Also, are there part-time jobs for doctors? Will they hire older doctors (for example, above 60?)
jazakallah
Wa alaykum as salaam wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh Anonymous and wa iyaak.
ReplyDeleteI think that the higher the qualifications, the easier it is to get jobs here. I'm not sure at all about the situation regarding jobs for doctors. My husband works at Taibah University, and they have a big list of teaching positions - several in medicine. That might be an option. However I suggest you look at the online websites for jobs here. That will probably give a better idea of what is available and what the requirements are. I don't think it is easy in general to get here, but if Allah writes it, then everything opens up.
Here are three websites that list jobs available in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps they will give you a better idea of what might be possible.
http://www.allsaudiarabiajobs.com/job-64609.html
http://www.gulftalent.com/
http://www.bayt.com/
Barak Allahu feek and ameen to your dua'.
jazakallah khairun for the information.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how much do you think in US dollars you would need to live in the kingdom in 20 years from now inshAllah, would $30,000 yearly be enough to live on?
And, do you think in the future the visa requirements will ease up so Western passport holders will be able to stay indefinitely?
Wa iyaak, Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. 20 years is a long time ahead to forecast! At present, one could comfortably live on $30,000 a year. If one just wanted a nice apartment, simple car, and to eat healthily, it wouldn't cost that much. It is only around SAR 25,000 for a brand new apartment for a year - with nothing more that $10-$20 for electric per month.
As for visas, it does seem like things will ease. There is a housing development here, just outside of the Haram area, which is open to foreigners for investment. I believe the villas cost in the vicinity of SAR 300,000 ($130,000, I think). It doesn't include a visa, but owning the property would, I imagine, have some bearing on being able to get a visa to stay here.
There are so many things changing and opening up here. It is a slow and gradual process, but it is happening, bi ithn Illah.
Keep an eye on the Saudi Gazette and Arab News. It is a good way to hear of changes and future plans, inshaa'Allah.
do you know the name of that development by any chance?
ReplyDeletejazakallah for the info!
Here is the website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alpha1estates.com/madinah.htm
thanks, I checked it out, seems it would be more expensive than what I can afford anyway.
ReplyDeletedo you know if you buy property in ksa do they give you year-round visa, or do they promise that and then people still have problems and have to go on umrah visa (that is what I heard).
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYes, it is expensive! I honestly don't know whether there is any way to get a year round visa just from owning the property. As far as I know, people still have to get visit visas if they aren't under someone's iqama. Unless you are opening a business here, which facilitates staying here through the business visa, then it seems to me that it is very hard to have any kind of permanence here. May Allah open these doors to His blessed cities for His faithful servants, ameen.
Can you tell us about the TESOL certificate? Are there different kinds of teaching ESL certificates you can get in the USA? What is the best way to get one? Is it a good certificate to get? How long does it last? Is it easy to get job in and around Madinah doing ESL teaching? How much does it pay roughly? And if you lose your job, would it be easy to get another job so you don't get kicked out of the country? Also, what if expats get really medically sick in KSA, do they get health care there, or do they get kicked out of the country?
ReplyDeletejazakallah!
@Anonymous, as salaamu alaykum.
ReplyDeleteHere is my husband's response to your queries.
Here are two links to schools that I recommend.
The first is the one that I attended. They accept students without college degrees. The second is the school I wanted to attend, however I didn't have a college degree at the time so they wouldn't accept me.
http://www.teflcertificate.com/choose.html
http://www.lado.edu/dnn/TEFLCertificate.aspx
Between the two of those there should be enough information to get you on your way.
There is also the CELTA, which is a standardized British curriculum for teaching English. The CELTA is available in the USA.
Whatever type of certificate you get, the program needs to consist of 120 hours, student teaching, and multi-level instruction. It is a good certificate to have and the schools and programs I have mentioned are recognized all around the world. The certification is indefinite, i.e., it doesn't expire.
DO NOT get an online certificate. There is a chance you will get a job with an online certificate, but it is highly doubtful.
It is not easy to get a job in Madinah, as everyone wants to work in Madinah. An easy way to get to Madinah is to take a job anywhere in the Kingdom and transfer if an opening in Madinah appears. If you come to Madinah on visit or Umrah visa, you may be able to get a job teaching ESL privately or for one of the institutes. Once in Madinah, there is a high demand for teaching privately. Roughly you shouldn't take a job for less than SAR 8,000 per month. Standardly, housing, medical, and transportation should be provided by your employer in addition to the salary mentioned. At the minimum you should get one ticket for you to travel from your home country and return once a year during the break. Please note these are the minimums that I am giving. Government Universities provide more.
If you lose your job, you can get another job as long as your employer gives you a letter of no objection. Without this letter, you will not be able to work in the Kingdom for at least 2 years (I think).
There are government hospitals and private hospitals. All hospitals have doctors that have studied in Western countries (USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, and Australia). However, for some conditions it's better to be treated outside of the Kingdom.
wa 'alaikum assalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu -
ReplyDeletesubhanallah, this is amazing information you have given here, jazakallah for the help of you and your husband.
I was hoping you could ask him a few more questions inshaAllah -
1. I live in New York area, what do you think of this program - http://www.teachinghouse.com/center/celta-new-york.html
2. also, taibah university website says that teachers need MA in Teosol, is this really necessary for job there? or would CELTA or Tefl certificate be enough?
3. Lastly, is teaching english something you can do in semi-retirement, like age 60 years and over, or only younger people do this?
jazakallah, may Allah bless you and your family.
@ Anonymous: Here are the answers to your newest questions.
ReplyDelete1. I have reviewed the link about the CELTA program in NY. I find it to be a strong program, and would recommend it.
2. I'm a site coordinator for Taibah University (Abyar Ali campus). The info about having a MA in TESOL is not 100% true, as I have a M.Ed. I have many teachers under me who don't have a MA, MS, or M.Ed. You can get a position with a BA or BS plus a TEFL or CELTA.
3. There is a government rule about the age of expats working in Saudi. I think the maximum age is 65 for government employees. Private teaching or teaching at a language center may be easier for those over the age of 65.
Barak Allahu feekum.
jazakallah for the information. May Allah bless your whole family. Looking forward to more blog posts!
ReplyDeleteMai- I read from your other Blog that you will be returning to the states in the future. Why do you plan on returning? What do you think of the future of other muhaajirs if they are on a work visa in the Kingdom? Which can be canceled anytime. Maybe you can make a post about this subject.
ReplyDeleteUmm Salwaa...your wish is my command, LOL!
ReplyDelete"Is Hijrah Forever?" has now been posted!
Assalamu alaikum, I am working in the United States but would like to move to either Makkah or Medinna. could anyone help me on where to start. thanks
ReplyDeleteWa alaykum as salaam wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteTo start, read this post:
http://livinginmadina.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-you-need-to-get-to-saudi.html
If you want to come here, you need at least a BA, but if you want to teach at Taibah University, then you need a Master's Degree. You will find that we have answered most questions on how one can come here throughout the blog posts and in the comments, responding to others who have asked the same thing.
Barak Allahu feek.
Assalamu Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteDuring which months is Masjid an-nabwi most crowded? It seems to be pretty crowded at the moment, it wasn't like this back in January!
JAK.
Wa alaykum us salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
ReplyDeleteRamadhaan is very crowded, then it dies down for a month or so until Dhul Qi'dah when the Hajj groups start coming. Then a week's haitus during the Hajj/Eid period and the crowds are back for another 3 weeks to a month. After that, there is around 6 weeks of quiet when Umrah visas aren't issued and after that it is busy again right up to Ramadhaan, Qadr Allah.
Wa iyaak.
Salam, can you explain what is special about praying in the Rowdah?
ReplyDelete