Meeting Zahia - the protectrice of the Mosque
26 Dhu al-Hijjah 1439 Hijri
6 September 2018
Paris,
Sorry for not visiting my blog for a while. I had so many adventures that I couldn't find the time to visit an internet cafe !
It all started with my Friday visit to the Grand Mosquée de Paris. After prayers I started talking to this very special lady who sat under a pillar with a large silk golden shawl over her legs. The shawl had musk perfume on it, probably from Mecca.
The lady looked aristocratic, but had a kind, loving demeanor about her. In our conversation she mentioned that the Moroccan branch of her family where shorafa, which meant they were descendants of the prophet. Only later did I find out that she is one of the spiritual guardians of the Grand Mosquée! She gave tours around the mosque and had a deep knowledge of its history. I had met Zahia. Little did I know that this lady would become the peaceful center of the whirlwind of my Paris visit. She gave me a tour around the mosque. We visited the garden and inspected the tiles that were around a hundred years old and in a process of restauration. But the new tiles didn't have the quality of the old ones. They looked factory made and lacked the artisan quality of the old ones.
6 September 2018
Paris,
Sorry for not visiting my blog for a while. I had so many adventures that I couldn't find the time to visit an internet cafe !
It all started with my Friday visit to the Grand Mosquée de Paris. After prayers I started talking to this very special lady who sat under a pillar with a large silk golden shawl over her legs. The shawl had musk perfume on it, probably from Mecca.
The lady looked aristocratic, but had a kind, loving demeanor about her. In our conversation she mentioned that the Moroccan branch of her family where shorafa, which meant they were descendants of the prophet. Only later did I find out that she is one of the spiritual guardians of the Grand Mosquée! She gave tours around the mosque and had a deep knowledge of its history. I had met Zahia. Little did I know that this lady would become the peaceful center of the whirlwind of my Paris visit. She gave me a tour around the mosque. We visited the garden and inspected the tiles that were around a hundred years old and in a process of restauration. But the new tiles didn't have the quality of the old ones. They looked factory made and lacked the artisan quality of the old ones.
Deep into the garden we saw a plaque with all the Muslim countries that had fought for France during WWI. It was to them that this mosque was commemorated.
Next to the plaque was the tomb of the man who founded the mosque. Around his tomb were tiles with a green fig motive. After the tour in the Mosque Zahia wanted to show me a gallery of a friend of hers, but as we headed to the gallery she stopped and turned into another street: I had to see one of her best friends: Mahbouba, who happened to be an artist from Enschede, my home town!
Mahbouba was the Arabic nom de plume of Annemarie who has made her life the ultimate expression of a Renaissance woman!
She was a professional cook, who had a past of paving roads, a job that is usually reserved for men. She was Punk. She was a professional bike repairs woman, she teaches bike mechanics and is a professional painter and gallerist. Her bike shop is also a dance hall /music venue /gallery /lecture room. About her I will write more in my next blogpost tomorrow. For now I need to hurry for a meeting. Up until now I have raised 296 Euro for the Girls Orphanage in Sierra Leone. All thanks to the generosity and open hearts of the loving people of Paris!
Comments
Post a Comment