MAKKAH - The initiative taken by some parents to register their children for the haj pilgrimage when they were small gives them an advantage to perform the fifth pillar of Islam at a young age.
A Bernama check found that there were quite a number of Malaysian youths who were given the chance to set foot in the Holy land with some of them travelling alone or being accompanied by their siblings or parents.
Hajullah Putra Md Taib, 24, said he actually received an offer to peform the haj in 2019, but had to postpone it due to the spread of Covid-19.
The Information Technology student at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said he was offered again this year and felt grateful when he was listed in the first batch of Malaysian pilgrims to depart for the Holy land on June 4 via flight KT01.
Hajullah Putra said he was thankful to his mother Aeshah A. Hamid for registering him for the pilgrimage when he was just six-month-old.
"I had the opportunity to perform the umrah (minor haj) in 2006 and 2014, but I was still young then.
"As I grew older, I get this strong desire to perform the haj...the longing to return to the Holy land,” he said when met at Abraj Al Janadriyah, the building that houses the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) headquarters and the accommodation for Malaysian pilgrims, here.
Hajullah Putra also lauded TH for the smooth management of Malaysian haj pilgrims not only when they were in Kuala Lumpur but also in Madinah and Makkah.
"I’m grateful beyond words for not only being able to perform the pilgrimage at a young age but also the special treatment given by the Saudi Arabian government and TH,” he said.
Another young pilgrim Ahmad Ainullutfi Azzman, 29, attributed his haj journey at a young age to his mother’s efforts in registering him early for the pilgrimage.
"Not just me, my mother, Norhaliza Hanifah also registered all my siblings for the haj pilgrimage when we were small,” he said.
The graphics artist said he received offers to perform the haj in 2008, 2012, 2015, 2019 but had to turn them down due to several reasons including financial constraints and other commitments.
"I was supposed to come here with my sister and two brothers but they could not make it due to several reasons,” said Ahmad Ainullutfi who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in family counseling at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. - BERNAMA