Prayer Time

I know that today is Sunday, so in the states many of you are worshiping. I found this only fitting to elaborate a little more about prayer time here in Saudi Arabia. It's the essence of what Saudi Arabia's culture is made up of and it intrigues me.  I don't think that I can adequately give a realistic view of how significant prayer is here. Imagine you are shopping at Wal-Mart, your favorite mall and you suddenly here voices and chant like singing coming over the intercom and you are ask to leave the store. You wait outside for some time before your shopping can continue, that is Saudi Arabia. The whole economy shuts down and lights go dim. I have seen some kiosk workers of other nationalities try to hold out to get that last purchase, but the guard will walk up and make them shut down. Islamic law dictates prayer five times a day. I carry a prayer schedule with me, so that I have some time to get to the register before the call is made. It has become a difficult concept for me to grasp. All over the city you hear the call for prayer over the loud speakers, it's nothing that you can simply ignore, and I have begun to tune it out some. There are a few men that I actually enjoy hearing them issue the call, it's somewhat relaxing and soothing to me. People state that when you first arrive here that it will take some adjustment to not wake up when the call is given. I must be one heck of a sleeper, because I haven't heard the call once while sleeping.


Mosques are everywhere in the city. There isn't anywhere that you may be, that a mosque isn't within walking distance. I got out the map of the compound and counted six. I am always amazed by the amount of shoes outside the mosque in the mall. Shoes are not permitted in the mosques, and women and men pray separately. Hundreds of shoes! When I was in the clinic this week, the waiting room had a prayer rug. The rugs are used to make for sure that the area is clean. The rug has an arch on top so that you point the arch toward Mecca. I saw one young lady turn the arch the wrong way, and someone quickly got up to help her aim correctly. Each lady went one by one, publicly in the middle of the waiting room, down on their knees. How many of us in the states would do this? There is a sense of faithfulness here that causes you to examine the role of religion in your own life and question if you are giving hundred percent.