Prayer in Saudi Arabia

The discipline of the faithful, here in Saudi Arabia, is incredible. Every morning they get up at first light and go to a mosque to pray. At this time of the year it happens around 3:15 am. (The earliest morning prayer is actually around June 13 at 3:10am.) Five prayers are required every day and happen at very specific times based on the position of the sun and stars. The first is at first light; the second at shortest shadow; the third when the shortest shadow has doubled in length; the fourth when the sun sets; and the fifth when the first star appears.

Accomplishing the prayer starts with a ritualistic washing of face, neck, feet, hands and arms all the way up to the elbow. Special floor level wash basins are often found in public bathrooms to accommodate this sort of washing but if they can't be found, it isn't uncommon to see men with their feet up in the sink, and water all over the bathroom when done. After the washing the worshiper goes into the mosque barefoot and makes either two or four prostrations (depending on the time of day) in the direction of Mecca usually on a rug. While prostrating in a very specific way, verses of the Qura'an are quoted by the individual or a chosen leader of a group. All this takes about 5 to 10 minutes.



The company I work for provides pocket sized prayer calendars so we can keep track of them. It's good to know when a prayer is imminent because everything shuts down during prayer time. All stores close their doors and if you are in a store you will not be able to purchase anything or conduct business until the prayer is done. You also might not be able to get out of the store. This prayer time can last 30 to 45 minutes, so the prayer schedule is quite handy allowing you to plan your day around them. If you plan it right you can order a meal and have it served just before prayer and then enjoy it during prayer since you won't be able to do much else. All Muslims are expected to participate in these prayers and all Saudis are expected to be Muslims. Special exceptions are granted travelers and the invalid, but even travelers are to make their prayers up later if they skipped some during travel.


Prayer is one of the "five pillars" of Islam and is a fundamental part of a Muslim's daily existence. It provides structure, solidarity, identity and a strong bond between fellow Muslims. No other religious practice that I'm aware of is done so frequently. It's like going to church 35 times a week!

I've Been Interviewed

So, I just got interviewed today by a blogger friend of mine Malaine Wolfe. You can check it out at http://writinginthelandoftornadoes.blogspot.com/2009/05/interview-with-pilot-and-saudi-arabian.html

Shortcomings of Capitalism

Interspersed among highly paid westerners on our compound is an army of South-Asian laborers clad in different colored overalls, each color representing their department. Grounds keepers are in green, street cleaners in yellow, maintenance in brown, waste management in orange, etc. The difference in income between them and those they serve is staggering, as many of them earn just over $100 a month. Since most of them are also supporting families in their native countries they find creative ways to supplement their income.

One way is to jump at every garage sale that comes up on the compound (presumably to resell purchases at higher prices). As my wife will testify, being a savvy bargain shopper herself, each of these garage sales start with a frenzy as workers clamor to take advantage of the best deals. It seems that what we find as a weekend hobby, is to them a struggle for survival.

Another method of survival is "freelance" labor. One of the perks here is quick service when things break down. We've had our washer worked on, lawn installed, roof repaired, front gate replaced, water heater repaired, etc. - all for free, courtesy of the company. Other services, such as gardening, house cleaning, chauffeuring, painting, etc. can be arranged at modest rates by calling the appropriate department who will then send out one of these contract laborers to do the work. This is all very organized and efficient, but the workers themselves do everything they can to circumnavigate the system to get paid directly. This is done in a variety of ways. Most of the time it's just outright solicitation, and a very hurt and dejected look when it is politely refused. Otherwise, if they have been sent out to do some work on the house, they will finish their assigned work and ask if there is anything else they can do. If we say "no" they will insist on giving their own personal contact information, should we change our minds. It seems obvious that they anticipate more generous compensation directly from us than what they normally get from the company they work for. Once we had a guy come to our house with a measuring wheel, insisting that he needed to measure the land around our house in preparation for planting our promised lawn. After I led him and his associate through the house to grant them access to the back yard, I watched them through the kitchen window as I did the dishes, and was perplexed to see them just stand there doing nothing. I came back out to ask if they needed anything or had any questions. The man with the measuring wheel said "no", but then sheepishly suggested that I really needed a gardener as my back patio was covered in leaves and looking rather messy. I thanked him for his offer but said that we prefered our privacy and would like to do it ourselves. After giving me a very disappointed look, he left our house without doing any of the measuring he had originally said he came to do.

Although capitalism inspires initiative, it also inspires greed. It works well for those few people that have received good education, opportunity and a bit of wealth to start off with, but the rest of the world seems to suffer in its wake. The resources of the world are horribly distributed these days as those that have, start to hoard, and those that don't have, hardly stand a fighting chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating government enforced wealth distribution. I'm just suggesting we take a moment to step away from our perceived "problems" and take a look at the world as a whole. Uneven distribution of wealth kills people. Daily.