Siblings Offer Arafah Prayers For Parents’ Chance To Perform Haj

MAKKAH, May 25 (Bernama) -- Three siblings were overjoyed and grateful after being selected to perform the Haj this year, believing their long-awaited dream of becoming guests of Allah together with their parents had finally come true.

However, the family’s plans changed after medical examinations found that their mother, Nazifah Abdul Latif, 73, who suffers from asthma, and their father, Mohd Mustafa Yahya, 71, who has a heart condition, were unable to proceed with the pilgrimage.

Of the six family members who had originally planned to travel together, only the three siblings eventually arrived in Makkah for this year’s Haj season.

Siti Munirah Mohd Mustafa, 38, said they had envisioned from the very beginning that they would care for their parents throughout their stay in the Holy Land.

“We had already planned how to look after them here. My younger brother would take care of our father, while my sisters and I would assist our mother.

“But after the medical results came out, we had to accept that Allah had not invited them this year,” she told reporters here recently.

Although grateful for the opportunity to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam, Munirah admitted the journey felt incomplete without their parents beside them.

As millions of pilgrims gather at the Plain of Arafah, the three siblings have agreed to offer the same heartfelt prayer - that their parents will be blessed with good health and granted the opportunity to perform Haj in the future.

For Munirah, the prayer carries deep meaning because their presence in the Holy Land today was made possible through the sacrifices of their parents, who began saving for their children’s Haj journey from an early age.

She said every duit raya, gift and personal saving was carefully deposited into Tabung Haji accounts, while their parents had also registered all their children for Haj as early as 2009.

“We are not from a wealthy family. Our parents raised four children on modest incomes as civil servants.

“Even then, they continued saving little by little to ensure their children would one day have the chance to be here,” she said.

Munirah added that although the family was saddened their dream of performing Haj together had yet to materialise this year, they chose to accept the situation with an open heart and believed there was wisdom behind every test.

Their eldest sister, who had also received an offer to perform Haj, decided to postpone her pilgrimage to care for their parents at home and to accompany them should they be called for Haj in the coming years.

“We believe that if Allah has made our journey here possible, He can also open the way for our parents at the right time.

“That is why, when we are in Arafah later, one of the prayers we hope will be answered most is for our parents to be blessed with good health and given the opportunity to perform Haj in the future,” she said.

-- BERNAMA