A Saudi woman and a French-born jewellery designer who converted to Islam are creating one-of-a-kind prayer beads made from rare stones. Customers believe the beautiful handiwork can add a new spirit and dimension to the act of worship.
The beads are black coral and amber and too big for everyday use. But then everything about this handmade misbah is larger than life, including the price - Dh22,000.
Somewhere between a prayer aid and a fashion accessory, the designer misbah - also called a subha - has found a growing market, with collectors prepared to pay tens of thousands of dirhams for the most sought-after examples.
"When I come to chose a misbah, I feel it chooses me as well," explains Saied Layla Azia Al Marzougi, who describes herself as a fashion-conscious wife and mother from Al Ain.
"It's not a typical misbah you can get from anywhere," she says. "It's the start of a relationship."
Mrs Al Marzougi is referring to the strings of prayer beads produced by a unique collaboration between a Saudi woman and a French jewellery designer who has converted to Islam.
The Zahrat Al Madina collection is the work of Mariam Fatima Gouzon, who last month brought her latest designs to Abu Dhabi for her growing client base in the UAE.
Originally from a village in south-east France, Ms Gouzon already had a reputation as a high-end jewellery designer when her architect husband was posted to Jeddah in the late 1980s.
She continued her work, and after two years moved again, this time to Medina, the burial place of the Prophet Mohammed.
By then she had converted to Islam - "by the grace of Allah" - and changed her name from Danielle to Miriam. "Long before I became a Muslim - since childhood - I was interested in antique jewellery and stones," she says.
In Medina she saw a misbah made from beads of kahraman, a rare and precious type of amber. "So I started to make one, putting it together from old necklaces." While at prayers she showed the beads to friends, who "loved it."
After making more sets for her friends, a new business idea began to evolve. Eventually she set up Zahrat Al Madina with a close Saudi friend, Zainab Abdullah.
The success of the venture means she has spent much of the past three and a half years on the road visiting Austria, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Yemen.
Her clients number several members of the Saudi royal family, including Princess Maha Bint Prince Turki Bin Abdul Mohsen and her mother. The most popular sets have 100 beads, although male customers prefer a single string with 33.
What makes the beads unique is the way the stones are chosen. "We buy the stones from very different places around the world," says Zainab Abdullah.
The gemstone known as "Ageeg Al Yemani" is imported from Yemen "and is rare because it is the one element and stone that brings together the traits of all the stones. Even the Prophet Mohammed had a ring made from it."
"There are certain stones that are the creation of God, with certain traits that balance out what your body needs, " she says. "When you use it in prayer, you just make that experience deeper."
Other stones come from Brazil and India, with turquoise imported through Iran. One stone, found in the south-western United States, is so valuable that it is used by on special request.
A set made for a sheikha in the UAE cost Dh45,000. "It was the most expensive we ever sold," says Ms Abdullah.
The most expensive misbah in the current collection is made from black coral inlaid with silver, while at the other end of the scale, a subha made from freshwater pearls sells for a more modest Dh900.
Black coral, Ms Abdullah says,is known in Arabic as "Yusur", meaning ease.
"One subha takes so much time to do," she says."It's like music, a rhythm. If we did two alike, it would be more of a business, but we don't see it like that. To us it is our feeling."
The months Shaban and Ramadan are the business partners' busiest time, along with Haj.
The two women visit customers in their homes, with each misbah marked with a 21-carat gold-plated silver tag bearing the name of the Prophet on one side and the company's initials on the other.
Asked if it is appropriate to spend so much money on a simple tool for praying, Ms Gouzon answers: "We are always buying expensive stuff for everything, whether bags or even shoes. Isn't it more important, if we have the means, to spend on the act of worshipping?"
All her customers so far have been Muslims.
If a non-Muslim asked to buy one of her sets, she says, "I would ask them first; why do you want to buy a Muslim subha? It's precious and it should be in the hands that would treat them well and for what it is valued."
Mrs Al Marzougi says she had worried that spending so much money on a misbah "might seem like showing off."
She recently "fell in love with a pearl misbah" which became her most expensive purchase, but that the designer explained that "pearls are from the strong stones that can bear the heavy meaning of the name of Allah. She told me, 'With time you will understand'."
"I have bought many misbah in my life from many different places. With this collection it's different. You know for a fact that these were made with good intention and purpose.
Mrs Al Marzougi says the French-born designer has added "a new spirit and dimension to the world of misbah. You feel you have a relation with it, as if it is alive and talking to you."
balhashemi@thenational.ae
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Results
Light Flyweight (49kg): Mirzakhmedov Nodirjon (UZB) beat Daniyal Sabit (KAZ) by points 5-0.
Flyweight (52kg): Zoirov Shakhobidin (UZB) beat Amit Panghol (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (56kg): Kharkhuu Enkh-Amar (MGL) beat Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov (UZB) 3-2.
Lightweight (60kg): Erdenebat Tsendbaatar (MGL) beat Daniyal Shahbakhsh (IRI) 5-0.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Baatarsukh Chinzorig (MGL) beat Shiva Thapa (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB) beat Ablaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ) RSC round-1.
Middleweight (75kg): Jafarov Saidjamshid (UZB) beat Abilkhan Amankul (KAZ) 4-1.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Ruzmetov Dilshodbek (UZB) beat Meysam Gheshlaghi (IRI) 3-2.
Heavyweight (91kg): Sanjeet (IND) beat Vassiliy Levit (KAZ) 4-1.
Super Heavyweight ( 91kg): Jalolov Bakhodir (UZB) beat Kamshibek Kunkabayev (KAZ) 5-0.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
RESULTS
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
