Um Kurbah Wa Lifa

Yearly, and as the time of the holy month of Ramadan approaches, every child in the United Arab Emirates impatiently waits for Hag Al-Laila. Rashid, a seven-year-old boy, remains to be the only exception. What keeps Rashid’s mind occupied and worried? Who is Um Kurbah Wa Lifa? And what is the secret about the palm tree? What happens to Rashid on that particular night? Um Kurbah Wa Lifa is a folk tale which has been rewritten to show the djinn character Um Kurbah Wa Lifa as a moral creature who rejects injustice and oppression of the weak. This folk tale from the Emirates usually illustrates djinn under a scary light and is customarily narrated to frighten the listeners who were mainly youngsters. Its purpose was for children not to leave their homes at late hours and ward them off breaking any rules that could violate traditional and religious values.