From a Scottish mountain to Hajj

I was visiting Scotland in June 2022. My tour became troublesome due to my chronic back pain. Sometimes I have to rest in bed and take painkillers to get some relief. Scotland is a country of mountains and cold. Though I loved adventurous travel, it became difficult for me to enjoy the trip. Alongside the back pain, the chilling weather made the whole thing quite tough. Nevertheless, I continued my trip along with my family members.

During the trip, one day, I was sitting on a mountainside to take rest as others were moving around. Looking to the mountainous horizon I was thinking how lucky I am that I could enjoy the natural beauty. Suddenly, a bunch of questions flashed inside me. Why am I still ignoring performing Hajj? If I can travel Europe and America overcoming my back pain and other difficulties, why will I not be able to perform Hajj? Why am I carless about my Hajj pilgrimage? If I can visit mountains in Scotland, why I will not be able to perform Hajj?

A sense of deep guilt engulfed me. I felt very disturbed. At the moment, I have decided that I will perform Hajj next year provided that Allah has approved my intention. So, my first task after return to the country will be to get the pre-registration.

Accordingly, I completed the pre-registration along with my wife through a private agency immediately after arriving in Dhaka. When the process of Hajj for 2023 started, the agency informed me that due to a long queue, I wouldn't get the chance and have to wait for the next year or 2024.

Being disappointed and worried, I contacted the director of the Islamic Foundation to check whether I could go to Hajj under government management. He was my former acquaintance. Already I have requested the private agency to cancel my pre-registration. But they didn't respond. I explained the whole thing to the director. He told me that the private agency wouldn't cancel the pre-registration because of business. Then he spoke to them and requested them to cancel over the phone. After a while, I got a mail on cancellation of pre-registration. Alhamdulillah! The director also helped me to do my pre-registration under the government management. He also assured me that soon I would get text message for registration.

And within a couple of days, I got the desired message to complete my registration submitting the full payment. Accordingly, I did complete the required steps like biometric registration, medical test, vaccination and others. Finally, my flight was confirmed for June 2, 2023 by BG3109. That is another long story.

My realisation from Hajj is that Allah never returned His servant empty-handed. Sitting on a Scottish mountainside, I earnestly sought Allah's mercy to perform the most significant journey of my life. As my intention was pure, Allah granted it. I am so lucky and so grateful to my lord.

Transcription by

Md Azam Ali [email protected]