Writer and historian Hammad Al-Salmi, one of the most prominent intellectuals concerned with man, and his conscious activity; contributed to enlightenment; Adhering to social constants, open to knowledge, taking care of the terrain despite its difficulty, reconciling with climates, even if its moods fluctuate, and revealing in our conversation with him the tasks that were entrusted to him in his childhood in the month of Ramadan despite their hardship, but he is proud of them and they were accomplished at that time as they climbed to the top One of the mountains of their village to hear the breakfast cannon in Taif, and inform his family to eat their breakfast.
• What does Ramadan mean to you?
•• means the best of months; The most distinguished month for its fasting, worship and spirituality. Every Ramadan, memories of childhood and youth are renewed, with society celebrating the holy month in its customs of standing, fasting, clothing, eating, visiting and more closeness.
• What's in memory about him?
•• What is most stuck in my memory is our life when we were young boys in the village during the old Ramadans; The family used to gather in their prayer rooms before sunset, waiting for breakfast, and assigning us a daily job before sunset. We, the children, would climb to the highest peak in the village, waiting to hear the breakfast cannon, and if we heard it; We ran in their direction, shouting: Hit the cannon… Hit the cannon! We don't reach them unless a lot of dates have been eaten.. And from its aesthetics; Families' visits to Samar after sunset, and we whitewash the walls of the house inside and out in preparation for the feast, and they bring us clothes for the feast, as well as tarta'i. Joy after joy.
Umm Hadijan
• What is left of the memories of the first Ramadan, his silence?
•• I do not remember exactly; However, the family used to hide everything that could be eaten from us, and even water, warning us not to approach it, and I loved to be like my father – may God have mercy on him – in his adherence to his fasting and prayers until the time of breaking the fast.
• How did you fast, break your fast, and eat Suhoor in Makkah?
A: I spent three consecutive years in Makkah during my study days, but Ramadan was on vacation, so we used to fast in Taif, so I did not experience fasting in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, may God protect her.
• What is your favorite character in Ramadan?
•• There is no specific figure in every Ramadan. When I was young, I was attached to my father – may God have mercy on him – then when the radio appeared between us, I loved very much the character (Umm Hudaijan), and after that the television appeared; Every night we had a personality we admired and talked about in our evenings, and one of the most famous things we were keen to follow was Sheikh Ali al-Tantawi – may God have mercy on him – at his table at breakfast.
lady of the table
• What do you read during the month of Ramadan?
•• Since I learned to read at a young age, I have been keen to read the Qur’an in the month of Ramadan every night a part of it until I complete it at the dawn of Eid. And I have preserved this, praise be to God, until today, as I read every day a part of the Holy Qur’an before or after the Fajr prayer. For the rest of the day, I read old historical books, books of literature and poetry. and more recently; I kept going back to books in my library that I read several years ago, and reading them again. I find pleasure in heritage books and writers' jokes and debates.
What is the favorite dish on the table?
•• As for breakfast, samosas are the lady of the table. and in Suhoor; I make sure to eat (scabby camels). It consists of rice, flour and municipal ghee. And my father – may God have mercy on him – called it the mangy camel, because of the way it appears on the plate.
Time changed
• What TV program are you keen to follow?
•• There is no specific program, but the favorite is a humorous program after breakfast and before the dinner call to prayer. Tash Ma Tash was our favorite guest over the past years, and he is back on TV this year, a comedy series of the utmost beauty.
• Who do you invite to breakfast with you?
•• The closest ones are usually the first to receive such invitations. Family, relatives and friends are also in the midst of the nights of Ramadan. Meeting in Ramadan has a special feature.
• What do you miss in Ramadan?
•• Every Ramadan; We miss those who left us to the gardens of eternity, God willing; We lose our father and mother and some of our brothers and loyal friends, may God have mercy on them all. We also lose the spirit of Ramadan, which was many years ago. Ramadan is a different time, and its people are certainly different.
Our poem is in the foreground
• What would you like if all people adhere to it?
•• Celebrating the month of fasting as we were before, as well as rapprochement and meeting whenever the opportunity arises, and checking on those in need and benevolent to them.
• Which television work is hard to forget?
•• Of course, the series Tash Ma Tash, and on the iftar table by Sheikh Ali Al-Tantawi – may God have mercy on him – and on radio, Umm Hadijan.
• Will the intellectual retire, and when?
•• Whoever masters the craft of culture does not retire.. There is no party that prevents him from creativity and giving until death, but an incurable disease that accompanies him to death, which is poverty, except from the mercy of my Lord.
• Where do you place the Saudi poem among the Arabic poems?
A: I find that the Saudi poem is at the forefront in the Arab world. Is it not the one that stems from an authentic Arab land, where every stone and tree speaks Arabic?
Compliments and paralysis
• Why are the lyrics of songs and soap operas often repetitive?
•• Simply; Because the missing thing does not give it.
• What do you think of the historical works in Ramadan?
•• The historical works in Ramadan were so obvious, there is no longer – from my point of view – what tempts to follow up.
• How does the poet transcend himself?
•• When he feels that he is part of a whole, and believes that he bears the responsibility of a society and a nation, and not one person himself, and that he is concerned with the issues of his nation like other members of society.
• Does courtesy control the involvement of non-talented people in the arts?
•• Certainly.. Courtesy and paralysis often impose themselves. But the permanence of the situation is impossible, as it is said.
Al-Manous Taif
• Places still in the memory of Al-Salmi in the city of Taif?
•• My memory is distributed between the village and the city; It carries the most beautiful memories of life from childhood until today, a village that is vibrant with life away from the hustle and bustle, and a city where I knew my middle school in Bab Al-Raia, then the secondary institute in the highest values, then primary, middle and secondary schools I worked in inside Taif, but the most beautiful and comprehensive; It is the villages, valleys, mountains, castles, and regions that I used to travel to with my papers and my camera as an explorer, photographer, writer, and publisher in Al-Nadwa newspaper from 1388 AH until 1400 AH, then in Al-Jazeera newspaper from 1400 AH until 1442 AH. And what is the most beautiful and kept in memory.
• City of Kings; Is she still with her former hustle and bustle?
•• The city of kings.. the kingdom's first summer resort.. the lover of the clouds.. the trustworthy and safe Taif, was created beautiful for the same beauty, and it will remain a symbol of the beauty that beauty lovers seek in it, no matter how long it takes.
Abdulaziz Al-Rubaie (Taif) @arabiue