Yesterday was Friday when Muslims gather in their respective mosques for the congregation prayer. This blog schedules a “Friday Time”, to reflect on current events that are affecting everyone. Inevitably, the war in Lebanon brings to mind. And the Jews are on top of my mind. As blog is also a personal diary, they say, I was reminded to write about my Jewish good friends. One very friendly Jew that I met some twelve years ago was introduced to me by my Australian friend, Kym Arthur Roy. The name of this man is undeniably Jewish. How can I forget Daniel Cohen. I had an emergency way back then. It was a very serious matter because I suffered a heart attack. This led to an open heart surgery, whereby my heart was physically sliced open by my surgeon. It was from a check issued to me by Daniel that partly financed my open heart surgery. With the funds from him, my wife was able to secure a titanium prosthetic mitral valve that I now wear inside my heart. Yes, some of my friends call me a ‘bionic man’. Ah! That’s part of my profile. I can share my layman’s knowledge on heart conditions based on my experience.
By the way, Cohen related to me a story about his sister’s re-engineered heart. That’s why he sympathized with my condition.
Then another American Jew entered into to my circle of friends. His name is also undeniably Jewish. David Satinover joined our Islamic Bank in 1999 as among foreign stockholders. He acquired shares of the bank only to be elected as member of the board of directors in that year. Our acquintance developed when David tried to learn from me about the Qur’an. Although he served the bank only for a year, his contribution is very well acknowledged.
Yet another man, very proud to be a Jew, joined our Islamic Bank last 2002. He is particularly proud to bear his name and place: Daniel Caher O’doherty, Texas, U.S.A. Like David, O’doherty was also a member of our board of directors just for a year.
My good Jewish friends are all part of the history of our Islamic Bank. Aside from this, I know very little about the Jews, about Israel, and about the Lebanese. I am ignorant about the raging war in Lebanon.
In Islam, a person is forbidden to speak about anything of which he or she has little knowledge about. This is the teaching of the Qur’an in the story of “The three men by the cave” (Surah Qahf, Al Qur’an) . They were believed to be Jews who believed in the oneness of God, the Almighty. It is for this reason that they faced persecution. So they sought refuge in God alone. They run from persecution until they reached a cave and slept there until nobody knows how long except God. Perhaps this is the original version of the story about Rip Van Winkle who had fallen asleep for twenty years. But in the case of the story in the Qur’an, some say they slept in the cave for three hundred years. And some say more. Some say they were three young men. Others say, they were five. Yet others say they were seven, including their dog.
The moral of the story, which is the teaching of the Qur’an, is : Never enter into a controversy except on matters of which you have sufficient information. So what can I say about the raging war? May I only say peace to eveyone, peace on earth.
One purpose of a blog is to find old friends. I wish this writing finds its way to the monitors of my Jewish good friends.
By the way, Cohen related to me a story about his sister’s re-engineered heart. That’s why he sympathized with my condition.
Then another American Jew entered into to my circle of friends. His name is also undeniably Jewish. David Satinover joined our Islamic Bank in 1999 as among foreign stockholders. He acquired shares of the bank only to be elected as member of the board of directors in that year. Our acquintance developed when David tried to learn from me about the Qur’an. Although he served the bank only for a year, his contribution is very well acknowledged.
Yet another man, very proud to be a Jew, joined our Islamic Bank last 2002. He is particularly proud to bear his name and place: Daniel Caher O’doherty, Texas, U.S.A. Like David, O’doherty was also a member of our board of directors just for a year.
My good Jewish friends are all part of the history of our Islamic Bank. Aside from this, I know very little about the Jews, about Israel, and about the Lebanese. I am ignorant about the raging war in Lebanon.
In Islam, a person is forbidden to speak about anything of which he or she has little knowledge about. This is the teaching of the Qur’an in the story of “The three men by the cave” (Surah Qahf, Al Qur’an) . They were believed to be Jews who believed in the oneness of God, the Almighty. It is for this reason that they faced persecution. So they sought refuge in God alone. They run from persecution until they reached a cave and slept there until nobody knows how long except God. Perhaps this is the original version of the story about Rip Van Winkle who had fallen asleep for twenty years. But in the case of the story in the Qur’an, some say they slept in the cave for three hundred years. And some say more. Some say they were three young men. Others say, they were five. Yet others say they were seven, including their dog.
The moral of the story, which is the teaching of the Qur’an, is : Never enter into a controversy except on matters of which you have sufficient information. So what can I say about the raging war? May I only say peace to eveyone, peace on earth.
One purpose of a blog is to find old friends. I wish this writing finds its way to the monitors of my Jewish good friends.
Truly yours, Abdel
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