gt8145a@prism.gatech.edu (FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM) (11/12/90)
salam, I had promised not to post any more about kuwait, but my brother recently mentioned some verses in the Quran and some verses of poetry that i thought might provoke some thought. I earlier had suggested that Kuwaitis (and the foreign workers in kuwait) should thank god that He had given them this oppor- tunity to reflect upon the way they were living. God says in the Quran: wa lanudhiiqannahum min al-'adhab al-'adnaa duun al-'adhab al-akbar la'allahum yarji'uun And We let them taste a bit of the closer punishment instead of the greater punishment so that they may reflect (and repent.) Several people have taken great care to mention whatever financial aid kuwaitis had given to others. God said: wa laa tubtiluu sadaqaatikum bi al-manni wal-adhaa And don't negate your charities by constantly reminding [people] of them and expecting things in return and by hurting and insulting [them]. Think of king Fahd as you ponder these lines of al-mutanabbi: wa dahrun naasuhu naasun sighaarun wa in kaanat lahum jithathun dikhaamu araanibu ghairu annahum muluukun mufattahatun 'uyuunuhm niyaamu bi ajsaamin yajurru l-qatlu fiihaa wa maa aqraanuhaa illa tta'aamu My loose translation: [This] is an age whose people are small people, even though they have have enormous corpses. They are rabbits even though they are kings, their eyes are open even in sleep. They have bodies often attacked by death Although the only knights they face in duels are food. Or think over what Ahmad Shawqi said about those in Syria who were revolting against the Ottomans: banii suuriyata ttarih ul-amaaniyyaa wa alquu 'ankum al-ahlaami alquu min khida'i ssiyaasati an tugharruu bi alqaab il-imaarati wahya riqquu O children of syria, reject these aspirations and throw from you these dreams, throw them It is one of the deceptions of politics that you become enamoured with titles of kingship when indeed they are slavery. Wassalam, ayman