MAKKAH: Thanks to his habit of saving money since the age of 15, a 90-year-old man has finally set foot on the Holy Land to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam, making him the oldest Haj pilgrim from Malaysia this year.
It may have taken 75 long years but Zakaria Hamat, from Kampung Bilok, Banggu in Kota Baru is grateful to have been invited to be a guest of Allah in his twilight years.
Zakaria, who is accompanied by his eldest grandchild Mohd Syafiq Mohd Sekari, 37, said the hardships of life with a meagre income made him take this long to perform the Haj.
"In the old days, I went everywhere in search of money, even to Kedah, going five or six times to thresh padi but the wages were not much. Sometimes, I would receive zakat rice, up to five or six sacks, and with that, I could save little by little," he told reporters in the Kelantan dialect at a hotel here recently.
Despite his modest savings, the senior citizen, also known as Poksu Ya in his village, plucked up the courage to register for the Haj pilgrimage in 2003.
When asked about his secret to staying healthy without any diseases, the senior citizen, who has a wife, Ramlah Deris, 85, (who did not accompany him for the Haj), two children (who have passed away) and 11 grandchildren, shared his practice of reading surah At-Taubah verses 128-129 and Selawat Tafrijiyah every time after Maghrib and Isyak prayers.
Meanwhile, Syafiq said that his grandfather, more commonly called Chik, registered for the Haj in 2003 using his (Syafiq's) phone number, as he is the closest heir after his father's death.
"Three years ago TH (Tabung Haji) informed me about the offer for Chik to perform the haj, but I had to decline due to financial constraints.
"In 2023, Chik was again offered the opportunity, but I had to decline again due to several issues. Finally, this year, when Allah again invited Chik, I, as the eldest grandchild, made every effort to ensure he could perform the pilgrimage," he said.
With the efforts and help from other family members, they finally managed to save enough for both of them to perform the haj together.