What am I doing here, travel diary, day 12: I pray for you

The days are long in Doha. But at the same time they are too short. They were? They too are frantic. It’s that after long lulls and silences, the songs explode and you have to run outside to put out the fires. This is how the World Cup is and even more after the first one with the slide of the Argentine national team. To this we must add the four daily games that will take place until the end of the group stage. The schedule is hectic and miles are added to the walk.

We’ve already been going for two weeks here in the Middle East and the heat, fortunately, is no longer so cruel. Only a few moments, around noon, in which he limits himself to punishing without a filter. After You can live without sweating which was impossible in the early days.

What are still cruel are the treacherous highways. But even more insidious are the entrances to stadiums. They are impossible. It took us two hours to get to the Lusail stadium car park when the GPS indicated, at most, 25 minutes. All that remains is to get used to it. The dress makes the monk. However, There are issues that are difficult to assimilate.

It affects the short length of the day. The sun rises – which is no small thing, of course – very early because until now the sun has always risen before six in the morning. The problem is that it gets dark in the mid-afternoon. Clarity lasts until four o’clock. Then the sky begins to gradually fade until at five o’clock there is no trace of natural light.

It’s a little disorienting that it gets dark so early. Especially since we didn’t have it in mind before leaving. The curious thing, despite the eternal nights, is that Businesses are generally open until three in the morning. Therefore, they spend almost more time open to artificial light than to natural light. Energy problems, in the country of oil, do not have it. This is more than obvious.

The cycle of the day also marks the times of prayers. For this reason the great objective of this group of special envoys, linked to the routine of Argentina, with six hours less on the clocks, passes through sleep before it is time to answer the first of the five prayers of the daywhich are one of the five pillars of Islam.

How do we know when the time has come? First of all because the timetables, which vary according to the date of the year, are posted in the nearest mosque. And second, because it can also be consulted online. Likewise, if you haven’t gone through the temple or if you’re weak on WiFi, that’s no problem. Calls are heard from loudspeakers throughout the city.

All Muslims make their supplications and give thanks to Allah, the Almighty. “Surely, I am Allah, and there is no deity but me. Worship me, then, and pray keep me in your heart”, the Koran proclaims between its lines. And the faithful respect the mandate which is one of the five pillars of Islam.

The first prayer, this Thursday, sounded at 4:35, before dawn, just before sunrise. It is the Fajr prayer. Then comes the Dhuhr prayer, at noon, once the Sun reaches its highest point. Friday is replaced by the Jumuah prayer, which is obligatory for all Muslims.

Asser’s prayer continues, which takes place in the mid-afternoon – this Thursday it was 2.23 pm -. The rite continues with the Maghreb prayer, which begins at dusk, immediately after sunset. And it closes with the Icha, which is done at night, once the red twilight disappears until midnight.

The first and last prayers are usually made at home. The case of midday and mid-afternoon prayers is different. However, that’s not a problem. All public spaces in and around Doha have prayer rooms set up. They are separated by gender. There are for men and women. There you can perform the ritual in private and without anyone interfering, always indicating Mecca, the sacred city.

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery.