Imran Akbar (L) and Fatima Abdul Rahman
Several Haj pilgrims who have just concluded their lifetime spiritual experience appeared sad while leaving the holy land and many of them being quite old as also financially crunched lament the fact they won’t be able to make it again.
Imran Akbar for instance is returning to Pakistan and is very sad that his time in Makkah had passed so quickly.
“It was my dream to perform Haj and come to the house of God,” he said.
Akbar, who had saved money since young age to come to the House of God, wished to stay a bit longer. Not knowing if he will ever be able to visit again, he prepares to leave with a heavy heart: “Now that I am old, it is not easy for me to save money to come again. The people living in this holy land are indeed very lucky. I wish I could stay long enough to be buried here,” he said with tears in his eyes.
He felt happy to say that he visited Makkah, the Prophet’s mosque and other holy sites. “I am so glad that God made it possible for me to fulfill my dream.” Others too who are now leaving the Kingdom thought the same.
Fatima Abdul Rahman too wished she spent some more time in Makkah.
“I wish time stopped. I will never forget the moments I spent in the Haram. All my life, I wanted to visit and see the house of God and the Prophet’s mosque. It was my son who made my dream come true and sent me money to perform Haj,” she said.
“I can’t hold back my tears. These moments will live in my memories as I know I won’t be able to come back in the future to visit the holy city of Makkah,” she said.
The holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and the holy sites hold a special place in the hearts of Muslims. As the Haj this year has come to an end the Kingdom is likely to be emptied of all the pilgrims by the end of the holy month. One prays that their Haj will be accepted and they will reap the rewards of their efforts.
Source: ArabNews
