The poet and journalist Abdullah Al-Zaid is a living example of the original intellectual who belongs to his project without paying attention to the free stations. His approach, calmness and sobriety remind us of the saying of Rasul Hamzatov (empty vehicles are the ones that make noise). He was exposed to a health ailment, and the Minister of Culture directed Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud to treat him. Here is the text of a Ramadan conversation with Al-Zaid:
• How is your health today?
• • Praise be to God.. I am fine. I only suffer from a slipped disc in the lower back and friction between the vertebrae in the neck, which greatly restricted my movement. I extend my sincere thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to the Minister of Culture, who issued an order to treat me outside the Kingdom, and I am also indebted to all friends and acquaintances in and outside the cultural community who showered me with their love.
• Did you asceticize in the light? Or did the community forget the burial?
• • Neither this nor that.. I believe in one thing, which is that there is a power of transformations and variables, and that every time has its concerns and issues. Likewise, we will not take our time and the time of others, noting that I enjoy a certain presence and do not complain about the power of absence.
• What did poetry give you and what did it take from you?
•• Poetry This beautiful destiny He gave me without limits and did not take from me.. Evidence that He did not abandon me and I became more radiant and present in His kingdom.
• How do you read the cultural landscape?
• • The cultural scene is fine.. but it was not left in its condition and context.. in the sense that a large area of interest of the cultural community and the public was preoccupied with what appears to be a slow flattening of major cultural concepts and experiences.
• What do you miss in the current Ramadan?
•• Ramadan is an essential part of life that has been touched by a lot of change that has lost features, characteristics and flavors that we do not dream of returning. As for me, I miss the flavor of time, place and intimacy that embraced our joys.
• Which Ramadan stuck in your mind?
•• You may not believe it if I tell you: Ramadan, in all the past years, is stuck in my mind; For two great reasons, the first: that every year Ramadan evokes in my moments a number of events that have passed in our history, and the second: that every Ramadan I mourn what I missed in the past.
• What do you prefer on the table other than food?
•• Of course, food and drink are the master of moments.
• Do you prefer the day or evening of Ramadan?
A: It is not like this. During the day, I am filled with the spirit of compliance and gratitude, which is great emotional nourishment that I do not want to discuss. On the night of Ramadan, I make sure to enjoy what is required by the joy of knowledge and the temptation of life. I have no choice between night and day.
• A character you would like to share your breakfast with?
•• In my current stage.. The most beautiful thing I wish and strive for is to share the breakfast table with my wife in my home.
• What is the dish that does not miss your table?
•• With all honesty and realism, I do not deal with the Ramadan table with the logic of dishes and recipes. The most important thing is that I eat what makes me happy and does not affect my health, regardless of its type.
• Do you fast from communication sites?
•• Buddy.. However, I do not have it. It is inevitable and inevitable, because it is the only evidence that you exist.
• What is the eternal Ramadan musical intro in your memory?
•• There are many pieces that accompany us in Ramadan that may be known to everyone, but I do not forget the introduction, the interludes, and the lyrical works in the program (Arabic atmosphere), which I exclude that any of the readers now knows. It was broadcast on several Arab radio stations, foremost of which was Radio Riyadh.
• How much is the total amount of the Ramadan bill?
•• Since I do not deal with Ramadan with the logic of dishes and bills, there is no special budget for Ramadan. And I tell you truthfully: Ramadan is approaching us, and I have not seen the market face. We eat what we have at home.
• Where is the breakfast compass heading?
•• Between you and me there is no compass for this matter we have. My family and I are keen to eat breakfast at home, and I do not respond to invitations like this.
• What do you see from the screen programs?
•• Honestly and frankly: I can't stand watching TV except for the news. Then don't you know that the mobile phone has become an intimate alternative to the defunct traditional follow-up method.
• Which battles do you wish would end?
•• I hope, hope, and hope that security and peace will prevail in all parts of the earth and parts of the world in order for it to be amenable to human existence.
• What city do you wish to spend the month of Ramadan in?
•• It is my hometown (Al-Dahna) in the Al-Washm area, where my biography is summarized from the first day I knew life to these moments with you.
• Does our religiosity increase in Ramadan?
•• Religion is religion in Ramadan and at other times, but we give this holy month what seems to be an exceptional interest, which is – that is, attention – a kind of celebration that has turned into customs and traditions over the years, as evidenced by the fact that Tarawih prayer, for example, is not much different from any prayer other than Ramadan.
• How much do you believe in the blessing of death in the last ten days of Ramadan?
•• No.. I believe in the blessing of man in himself and his devotion to his Lord.
• a door still stuck in memory since you got out of it?
•• There are two doors: the first: the portal of the College of Arabic Language at Imam Muhammad bin Saud University in the year of my graduation in 1394 AH. The other: The Radio and Television Gate, the year of my retirement from work in 1432 AH.
• How do you see the world today?
•• In short: I feel that we are on the verge of the Day of Resurrection, and I ask God for protection and safety.
• What is your position on global warming?
A: We were and still are facing many crises in human existence, but I fully believe that everything that happens in this universe is by the power of the One and Only.
• If you had to choose between living in an isolated hut, a deserted island, or a bustling city, what would you prefer?
•• I tend to live in the bustling city, full of lights, crowded with movement, and I know where to find calm in the middle of this city.
• What book do you regret reading?
•• I have never regretted any book I read in my life.
• Which icon is your finger constantly hitting?
•• Icons are arranged in front of my choice, foremost of which is WhatsApp.
• Did your sail go beyond what your wind desires?
•• It is difficult in any work and at any stage for the sail to go according to the desires of the wind of desire and hope, but I was peaceful between deviating from the context at times and reconciling and converging at other times.
• When did you feel let down?
•• Not long ago, the betrayal turned into a tragic series, the latest of which was the global stance against my country.
• If you were allowed to sit with the sheikh of the terrorists, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, for five minutes, what would you say to him?
•• I will not be able to say anything because the situation at that time will be like this: (There is something in my mouth that is beyond comprehension).
• Anything that opens the windows of nostalgia inside you?
•• It is the memory of the university years, crowned with youth, crowned with wellness, summed up with (Fayeq Yahwa) complemented by psychological peace.
• What did your team give you other than pressure and tension?
•• I don't remember my team causing me any kind of stress because I put all possibilities before my experiences and missions.
• Are you afraid of robots?
A: No.. because there is nothing superior to divine creativity.
Does the paper smell?
•• Yes, paper has a scent that permeates the springs of creativity..and I read the book in its papers and through the tablets. The smell of the book draws me to it, and the tablets put me in the eye of the era..and the sound of turning pages matches the (reproach) of lovers.
• When do you stop writing?
•• Since writing is the writer's destiny, it is the one that cheats him or leaves him, so he has nothing to do with it.
Ali Al-Rubai (Riyadh)
