JEDDAH – Fulfilling her life dream, 104-year-old Maria Marghani Mohammed has been welcomed at Jeddah airport after traveling from Indonesia for Hajj.
The elderly Muslim, one of the oldest pilgrims performing hajj this year, was welcomed upon arriving at King Abdulaziz International Airport by Abdulkhaliq al-Zahrani, a director at the Ministry of Culture and information, the Indonesian consul in Jeddah and several Saudi media outlets.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and also has the highest contingent of pilgrims every year, estimated at around 221,000 pilgrims.
Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Hajj consists of several rituals, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.
Hajj is officially expected to fall this year between August 30 and September 4, with the climax falling on August 31 when the faithful descend the Mount `Arafat.