This refers to the report “The first Saudi Food Bank.” The initiative is really encouraging and inspiring. Al-Fozan’s Itaam program is an excellent step for the prevention of food wastage. It also highlights the youth’s contribution to it. This social foundation, especially in the month of Ramadan, will surely gain lots of rewards and blessings. It is heartbreaking to read about the high poverty rates in the Kingdom. As Allah says in the Qur’an: “Eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance).” (7:31)
Allah also says: “And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes). (25:67)
One should eat a little and healthy food as our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The child of Adam has not filled any receptacle worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the child of Adam to eat small bits of food that keep him healthy. Now if he wants to eat much any way, he should give a third to the food, a third to the drink and a third (of his stomach) to let him breathe comfortably.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also instructed us not to leave anything in the plate as “You do not know in which portion of your food Allah has put the Barakah (blessings).” (Sahih Muslim).
Ramadan is indeed a month of blessings. This month is also a resting stage for our stomachs, preventing us from various stomach diseases as mentioned in various Hadiths. All this has been medically proven as well.
However, the food that is rotten is harmful for health and we can prevent food from rotting by not cooking extra food. Also, eating less and healthy food is better keeping in mind the millions of people who are not able to eat even a single meal every day.
May Allah have mercy upon us and bless us with wisdom to follow the right path chosen by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him).
(Dr. Areej Rana, Jeddah)
Changing medical prescriptions
While living in Jeddah whether you get to see the lovely sunset or the dazzling nights of Ramadan or not, but one thing you are sure to experience, and that is the changing medical prescriptions from doctors.
Doctors in local hospitals have their timings changed during Ramadan like any other professionals. And many patients have to consult doctors other than their personal ones who know about their development and progress in health and other aspects.
It may also be due to the doctor's friendliness or the way he/she deals with the patient that patients prefer a particular doctor. My mother had to visit her personal doctor during Ramadan and as we arrived at the hospital we found that her doctor was on leave. So we took her to another doctor who was in place of her.
On seeing her medicines, the doctor gave a sarcastic laugh, just to show that the medicines prescribed by the other doctor were "useless" and surprisingly the two doctors were of the same caliber and in the same hospital.
By changing medicines and mocking at another doctor, a particular doctor only confuses the patient.
A similar incident happened in another hospital.
A patient got his eye tested and got prescription from a doctor and due to some reason he went to the same hospital the next day and consulted another doctor who gave another prescription. This time surprisingly it was different. How is it possible that a person can get "two different" prescriptions within just one day.
And of course there have been incidents where doctors at dental departments removed the wrong tooth.
To all doctors reading this, my only advice will be please don’t confuse the patient only for the sake of showing your superiority.
A patient comes to a doctor because he/she trusts the doctor and thinks he will be treated properly.
There are many doctors who work religiously and make patients feel very comfortable. Hats off to such doctors. (Khadija Noaman, Jeddah)
Situation in Syria
The raging fighting in Aleppo, Syria, seen as the last stronghold of Bashar Assad's forces, had until recently given the Syrians hope that it will soon rid the country of Assad’s brutal regime. But situation is fluid now.
With even the US unfreezing funds to assist in humanitarian efforts, and Kofi Annan threatening to resign, it seems that this is more than just an uprising!
Should the fighters fail, it will also mark the first failure of a country spurred by events in the Middle East, the recent Arab Spring, that has seen Egypt, Tunisia and Libya usher in new regimes!
Syria, with support from Russia and Iran, is showing no sign of regime change — all talk of Assad being exiled to Russia seems premature.
(A. R. Modak, Johannesburg)
