A pre-departure briefing for 123 intending haj pilgrims travelling through packages from the Straits Central Agencies (B) Sdn Bhd was held at J Hotel yesterday.
The briefing covered do’s and don’ts during the pilgrimage, with religious officers from the Islamic Da’wah Centre sharing their experiences as well as tips on gaining a mabrur haj.
Intending pilgrim Hajah Pengiran Masnah binti Pengiran Haji Damit was among the participants at yesterday’s event.
She shared that this will be her second time performing the pilgrimage, with her first taking place in 1983.
She will be going with her husband, who is going on his third pilgrimage after his last in 1989.
“Back then it was hard, with one room shared by many families and we slept on ‘flying mattresses’ surrounded by all our luggage,” she said, adding that while in Arafah and Mina, “we just slept on carpets on the soil under a zinc roof”.
She also remembered an incident that caused a rampage resulting in a fatality among Bruneian pilgrims. “It was a sad memory,” she said.
Hajah Pengiran Masnah said she and her husband will focus on obtaining a mabrur haj.
“I was a teenager (for my first haj) and it was my first time travelling and staying far abroad. I was pretty excited and did not really appreciate the pilgrimage back then,” she said. “This time around I am focused on gaining a mabrur haj with my husband.”
Meanwhile, intending haj pilgrim Haji Ismail bin Haji Zainal will perform his third pilgrimage along with his wife, who is performing her second haj.
They expressed hope for more Bruneians to be able to perform the haj in the future, as there are still a lot on the waiting list and a majority are the elderly.
The intending haj pilgrims in this group will be on the first haj flight this season on May 23. – Lyna Mohamad
