Lyna Mohamad
December is a popular month to perform the umrah pilgrimage in view of the holiday season and pleasant weather conditions.
Pengiran Mohd Azimin bin Pengiran Haji Rohimi from Kampong Bebatik Kilanas praised Allah the Almighty for blessing him with rezeki and making all preparations smooth sailing for his family of four to perform their umrah pilgrimage again.
“Alhamdulillah my family and I have performed umrah several times before,” he said adding he and his family members also heeded the Ministry of Health’s advice to complete their COVID-19 vaccination and brought along medications.
For Mohd Amirulazim bin Abdullah of Kampong Bukit Udal Tutong, this is his first umrah pilgrimage and also his first flight. He said he feels blessed and grateful that his first air travel experience is travelling to the holy city of Makkah.
He shared that he is travelling with his baby and wife as well as an extended family of more than 40 people. The big family group even has their own umrah “uniforms” for easy identification in case they get separated.
“I brought along my baby to perform umrah with us because it’s our first child and we are confident in taking him along. People may see it as troublesome but we believe Allah the Almighty will protect and ease our journey,” said Mohd Amirulazim.
He is grateful of being able to perform umrah and looks forward to pilgrimage rituals and prayed that he will be able to perform the haj.
Aina Rashidah binti Haji Mohamad from Kampong Lumut said, “This is my first umrah and I have mixed feelings. There is a lot of emotion and I am not sure what to feel right now but I am sure I am excited to visit Baitullah.”
Travelling with her parents and two sisters, Aina said that preparations for the trip include minimising going out and taking extra care of themselves by staying healthy for the trip. “We want to make sure we are well protected throughout the journey to reach Baitullah and come back safe,” she said.
Straits Central Agencies (SCA) General Manager Nur Khadijah binti Abdullah said the agency has a special arrangement with Royal Brunei Airlines (RB).
To ensure smooth sailing journey, pre-check-in was conducted a day before departure and preparations were made as early as April. “Alhamdulillah, preparations went well and people are adapting to the new normal of travelling,” said Nur Khadijah.
The pilgrims are being led by SCA’s Haji Suffian, Doa Selamat was read by Haji Tarmiji prior to their departure at the Brunei International Airport. SCA Operations Manager Haji Rafi welcomed the pilgrims upon their arrival in Jeddah.