After having experienced life in Morocco for 6 days now, I'm taking the time to write an update. My first meeting with Moroccan people took place 15 miles before the port of my entry into Morocco. A fisherman made signs to invite me over so I approached. The ocean was very calm so I did a little chat with the crew and captain. After they heard my greetings in Arabic language, they doubled the quantity of sardines and shrimps they were planning to offer me. I made a picture of this awesome meeting.

The same kind of generosity is part of the lifestyle here. A few days ago, I went for a seat in a tea house, I had not started to drink my tea yet and the lady of the house offered me two of her own made cookies. She commented I was very welcome in 'al maghreb' (Morocco). In order to understand this behaviour of politeness and generosity, it is important to know about hasanaat.

Hasanaat (plural) is a unit of measure received by a muslim when doing a good deed. Muslims work to a higher goal in this life, they strive for the reward of the afterlife. They work every day of their life to secure this reward by earning/saving hasanaat. On the Day of Reckoning, each muslim will witness the weighing of his own deeds. His earned hasanaat will be balanced against the total of his committed sins. The result of this weighing will determine if the muslim will or wil not enter paradise.

Each human being has its own 'record' where all good deeds and all bad deeds are recorded. The Quran describes this 'record' as two books with an appointed administrator (angel) for each of both.

Hasanaat can be earned very easily, e.g. with the tongue by speaking good words or e.g. with the hands by doing a good deed (an action according to the will of God) like feeding another human being. Even the feeding of an animal makes a muslim earn hasanaat.

Because human beings tend to forget very easily all the good that has been done to them (by their Creator), He, the One that created us, made a law stipulating that we should stand in prayer 5 times a day so we do not forget why we are here.

With all this in mind, you are now able to understand life in Morocco, it's a beautiful way of life.