My father does not prefer to buy readymade trousers. He used to get them custom made by his tailor, Muhammad Rasheed, who officially has the oldest surviving tailoring shop in Abu Dhabi. It is a small shop in downtown Abu Dhabi which is a two man enterprise - the tailor and him.
I have known him since childhood so I decided to stop by when I returned to Abu Dhabi last year. We exchanged news about our respective families, especially about my father. He described how his 3 daughters constantly WhatsApp him and explained how daughters always love their dads. He also talked about how the old Pakistani families in Abu Dhabi who use his services are doing as well as the development in Abu Dhabi. I ended up getting two trousers tailored by his shop. He remembered that in 2002 I had some clothes tailored from him!!!
Abu Dhabi Mall was the first mall in Abu Dhabi which opened around 2000. Before that, except for a couple of shopping centers like Hamdan Center and Hamad Center, generally shops used to be like Muhammad Rasheed’s. Today, mall culture is fully thriving in UAE. When people need something they do not think twice about going to the mall where the service is impersonal and “artificial”.
Small shops in a Muslim’s neighborhood not only provide them essential goods and services they need, they also provide a sense of community, so we get to see the grocery store owner, the barber shop owner, the sweet shop owner, the clothes shop owner, the bakery workers, the Quran teacher, the watchmen as well as many professionals, potentially five times a day, every day. We have known some of these people since 1987! Thus we get to be socially and spiritually connected with fellow practicing Muslims in an age of individuality and isolation.
With mall culture and now online shopping, this social connection with people we do transactions with is increasingly becoming elusive. It is a blessing that even in the COVID-19 pandemic the masajid are open with safe distancing precautions, so that we fulfill our need to spiritually recharge with our connection with our Creator as well as socially connect with His creation.