Visiting the Holy City of Makkah to perform Hajj and Umrah is the dream of Muslims all over the world. However, undergoing the holy pilgrimage surely requires a lot of preparation. Not only a strong intention, worshipping in the Holy City must also be physically and mentally, timely, and financially prepared.
The cost required to perform this worship is arguably not cheap. Because of this, many Muslims are unable to perform Hajj or lesser pilgrimage in Makkah due to costs issues. Many have worked hard and saved for years to save the costs of making this glorious journey.
However, an unexpected and inspiring story about a Muslim’s struggle to leave for the Holy City comes from an elderly man who came from Africa. Despite living a mediocre life, the old man was finally able to go to the Holy City of Makkah to perform Umrah this Ramadan after he made a huge sacrifice.
The inspirational story was first shared through a video which later went viral on social media by a Kuwaiti journalist Nayef Al Rashidi. In the video he uploaded, Rashidi is seen chatting with an old man sitting beside him while they are inside the Grand Mosque. The man is an African old man who had sold the only house he own in order to be able to go for Umrah Ramadan this year.
In his Twitter post, Al Rashidi completes the video with Arabic captions which means: “He sold his house to go for Umrah in Makkah. God bless him in this world and replace him with a home in heaven.
Many people on social media agreed with the caption written by Al Rashidi. They were touched by this noble act and blessed the old man for his huge sacrifice. He has indeed set an example of being careless of the world for the hereafter.
He might not have had a shelter for himself when he returned to his country, but surely he had created a great hereafter for himself. Al Rashidi asked people to be generous to the man and help him in any way they could.
Many think that going to the Holy City is only intended for those who are materially capable. Whereas going to the holy land both to perform Umrah and Hajj is a call from Allah Swt. And to be able to get a call, it is our duty to try to prepare ourselves as well as possible. The inspiring story of this African old man, who has made a big sacrifice for the sake of the Almighty and thereby people shall respect his generosity and help him.
