Jehadist Musings III: Sainthood Through Driving

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the signs of the saints (Ar. awliya) is that they cause you to remember Allah. When I first learned to drive stick shift, my wife's constant praying while riding next to me was a sure sign of my wilaya (sainthood).

Jehad also couldn't help noticing my wilaya. Once he mentioned how one really can't tell a person's spiritual state from external factors and, agreeing, I said, "Right. Like, you'd never guess that I was a great wali (saint) from my appearances." After concurring, Jehad added, "But there are subtle hints, like being able to drive a car that isn't running." Jehad was referring to yet the latest issue with my car: it simply turns off once in a while. One such time, I was driving from the Abdoun Circle towards the Fourth Circle, about to go up a hill when it stopped running. I quickly slipped it into neutral, started the car, and moved it back into third gear. I personally thought it was pretty cool how you could do that very smoothly with a stick shift. When I asked Jehad if he thought it was cool, he agreed that it was very cool that we weren't killed and didn't get rear-ended. (Did I ever mention the Brits aren't excitable enough?) He also commented that I did everything so well that he wouldn't have even noticed it turned off if I hadn't mentioned it.

Through our two day tour of Amman, Jehad had a gentle exposure to what driving is like in Amman, inasmuch as driving in Amman can be exposed gently. Actually, the Lonely Planet Guide to Jordan mentions that the only real danger in Amman is driving. People would cut right in front of us without signaling, pull out of intersections seconds before we arrived at it while we had the right of way, make headway towards us in a roundabout as if they were going to crash into us, etc. Jehad audibly expressed his shock on a few occasions. I explained to him the excitement I had learning to drive stick shift and drive in Amman at the same time.

Regarding my car turning off, I have since pinpointed the problem: the car often idles at around 400 RPM, which is too low. When it attempts to get above 600 RPM, it cuts out. If I tap the gas instead of applying it linearly, it gets past the 600 mark easily and I can drive normally. All this means is that I have a slightly delayed start when cruising without applying the accelerator to when I start accelerating. It's only ever annoying in heavy traffic. As for why it turned off right before I went up a hill, it's because I was depressing the clutch the whole time I was descending and then suddenly applied the gas at the bottom of the hill. I have two choices: I can continue to drive the car the way it is (since I know how to avoid the problem) or I can fix it. I will probably fix it eventually, insha' Allah.

Strangely enough, I love my car, and consider it fairly reliable. Old cars are kind of like marriage after the honeymoon: you either learn to live with the small problems that crop up more often than you'd like and make the best of the situation or you search for another vehicle. Of course, if the problems are severe, just get another vehicle.