If you live in Riyadh, the sight of a thick layer of sand covering the city’s skyline is common for you.
While the sand and the dust cause great annoying problems, there are good facts about it too. As the joke goes, do you want the good or the bad first? Let’s try being positive and start with the good 🙂
THE GOOD:
It’s hard to believe but this is true. Sandstorms are also a blessing from Allah and there’s divine wisdom behind it.
Ibn Khaldun mentioned in his book on the “benefits of dust”: “The Earth in its transition from winter to summer produces diseases and insects (bugs/creatures) that if left to their devices would destroy the world, so Allah sends the dust to destroy them.” So let’s ask ourselves, Every time it disturbs us to breathe in the dust during a sandstorm, we realize the blessing of free fresh air that Allah granted us. It reminds us that like the sandstorms, the tough times too shall pass. When your heart begins to waver during the harshest storms of life, let it find peace in the fact that no storm can last forever. Happier days are right around the corner. Plus, you can always find happy times even in the midst of challenging days. For those who have the guts to go out in this weather and take the best photo, your attempts to capture the perfect photo are commendable. (Let the media handle this. It’s better to stay safe inside dude!) The nose blocks, sneezing, itching, burning eyes, breathlessness… Welcome to the allergy season. Tip: Stay indoors and cover you faces while outdoors. While the dust storm is most likely to affect those with existing respiratory conditions, other people are also at risk. The dense dust blanket brought on by the weather is most likely to cause a day’s long hard work to clean the mess. But it’ll be gone soon, right? RIGHT? All your plans for the day are postponed and the schools are closed (Hmm..Not sure if this is supposed to be something bad though) Sandstorms can cause chaos on the city’s streets and can trigger accidents due to poor visibility on busy motorways. May Allah protect us all.
“Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?”
THE BAD AND THE UGLY:
