Loading ...United Kingdom to Mecca: Everywhere is Within Walking Distance
By: Antonia Wagura / Arab America Contributing Writer
Steven Wright says: “everywhere is within walking distance if you have time”; however, I believe every place is within walking distance if you have a goal.
According to the report from Aljazeera, Adam Mohammed walked 6500km, from the United Kingdom to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. He crossed 11 countries in 11 months and made it in time for the Hajj pilgrimage.
What is Hajj?
Hajj is an annual Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a holy city for Muslims. It is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that should happen at least once in their lifetime.
During Hajj, pilgrims join the procession of thousands of Muslims, who assemble in Mecca for the week of Hajj and perform a series of rituals. Hajj follows the actions of Prophet Muhammad approximately 1,377 years ago.
The procedure of Hajj
A number of you are asking yourselves, why would someone walk 6500km for Hajj?
Let me break down the beautiful and inspiring procedure for you.
There are three forms of Hajj: Tamattu, Ifraad, and Qiran.
For this guide, we will use Tamattu, which is what Prophet Muhammad encouraged his followers to perform.
Intention
Firstly, before you get to Makkah, it is significant to state or have an intention.
The intention must be to perform the Hajj for the sake of Allah alone. It should not be to please or be seen by others.
Ihram
Men wear a designated white cloth with one piece wrapped around their shoulder and one around their waist.
Ladies wear any clothing as long as they observe the hijab rules.
However, face coverings and fully covered shoes are not permitted.
Umrah
Once you get to Makkah, you will perform Umrah. It means you will do tawaf and Sa’i.
Tawaf
Tawaf is one of the principal rites of the pilgrimage. Tawaf refers to walking in circles around the Ka’bah in an anti-clockwise manner.
One tawaf is seven complete circuits, with one starting and ending at the black stone.
Safa and Marwa
After tawaf, you will perform Sa’i -walking and running between the two hills of Safa and Marwa.
Sa’i begins on Safa and walks towards Marwa until you see a green marker and continue walking till you reach Marwa.
It is a significant ritual in memory of Prophet Ibrahim’s wife Hajar (AS) and her struggle in the desert in search of water for her son Prophet Ismail.
Sa’i exemplifies the ongoing struggle that humans encounter throughout life.
Adam Mohammed’s Journey to Mecca
Adam Mohammed started his journey on August 1, 2021. He walked through Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan to reach his destination.
He covered 17.8km a day, according to a report by Aljazeera. Adam pushed along a homemade cart weighing 30kgs fitted with speakers that played Islamic recitations and had his personal belongings.
As quoted, Mohammed told Arab news that one day he woke up and decided to walk towards Hajj. On the way to Mecca, he prayed and begged Allah to show us mercy and forgive us. Not as one race, one identity, or one faith, but everyone.
Furthermore, Mohammed set up a GoFundMe page that received a lot of donations. The money was for his Peace journey from the United Kingdom to Mecca. He wrote, “I am not doing all this for merely fame or money, but purely to highlight to the world we human beings are all equal regardless of our race, color, religion and to spread the message of peace and unity that our religion Islam teaches.”
He was hoping to get 1000pounds worth of donations but got over 26,000pounds.
Adam’s reason for the journey
According to Arab News, Muhammad started the journey because he started questioning many things in life after the pandemic. Therefore, he sought answers and dived deep into the Quran. He wanted to do some Soul Searching.
Adam documented his journey on TikTok and gained half a million followers. In addition, he was overwhelmed with all the love shown on the way.
Upon reaching Mecca, he was received by the acting Minister of Media, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi. He hosted him and helped him finalize his Hajj pilgrimage procedures.
Adam had a goal: he was determined to get to Mecca in time for Hajj. Did he get there? Yes! not only did he get there, but he got there on time.
Check out Arab America’s blog here!
