In Tareem, the night before Eid it rained. And the night before Ramadhan too. Just a week prior to that, right after…

In Tareem, the night before Eid it rained.

And the night before Ramadhan too.

Just a week prior to that, right after dawn before morning nap time, breakfast or working hours, there was a massive prayer for rain conducted for the people of Tareem, right next to Zanbal on the main road.

Here’s a photo taken on the night before Eid. A small girl, and an aged shopkeeper who was seated prior till he saw drops and immediately got up to the door. Repeating a prayer over and over again for a few minutes.

I’ve observed, this is how people here welcome rain. Standing with their hands out, grateful in prayer.

An expression that may capture this sort of occasion here, reminds me of the story of the grand meeting between the deceased Shaykh Ali Ba-Marwan and his then living student, Muhammad bin Ali Ba-Alawi (1178-1255). The latter is also known as al-Faqih al-Muqaddam, the largest figure of the Ba-Alawi tradition.

This story is also mentioned in the book A Blessed Valley – Wadi Hadhramawt & the Alawi Tradition by Mostafa al-Badawi. It is in my opinion the best most recent book in English written about Tareem and the Ba’Alawi tradition, specifically how it gives the lay reader a broad impression and understanding of things.

A student told me he had tears like rain when he got to the end of the story. When Shaykh Ba-Marwan told his renowned student..

‘..the righteous people of Barzakh harbour expectations of you as the people of Hadhramout harbour expectations of the rainy season.’

*Barzakh – the phase of life we go through between death and Judgment Day.

This is perhaps one of many meanings of what one of the great gnostics here said, for some people Ramadhan is their lifetime here, and what comes next s their Eid.

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