Rokiah Mahmud
Some 1,035 intending pilgrims from Brunei Darussalam will leave the Sultanate for the haj beginning June 4. They attended a junjung ziarah at Istana Nurul Iman yesterday.
Azman bin Abdul Talib told the Bulletin that he and four family members will leave for the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah on June 5, the second of four flights from June 4 to 7. He said this will be his first haj and expressed hope the pilgrimage will go smoothly and safely. He is also grateful that he was shortlisted for the haj after the pilgrimage was postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mohd Azurin bin Haji Othman said he and his family had been applying for the haj since 2018 and is grateful they were selected for this year’s pilgrimage. He said they attended haj courses to learn about rituals and precautions to follow such as looking after their health, bringing medications and improving their stamina for the pilgrimage that will see millions gathered for the event.
Jorrani binti Haji Zainal, who will be performing the haj with her father Haji Zainal bin Taha, said they were selected in 2020 but the pilgrimage was postponed due to COVID-19. They were to join the pilgrimage last year but her father could not join due to age restrictions. With the lifting of restrictions this year, they can finally make the pilgrimage, she said.
Asmayatim binti Haji Metusin and spouse Ibrahim bin Haji Mohammad will leave the Sultanate on June 5. Asmayatim said apart from the usual preparations, they also read books on performing the haj to further their knowledge for the pilgrimage.
Mohammad bin Ali told the Bulletin that he hopes their journey will be smooth and the pilgrims are physically and mentally healthy for the pilgrimage.
