Septuagenarian the oldest of 50 haj pilgrims from Bintulu
BINTULU: Jainap Dollah, a resident of Kampung Jepak, is the oldest among the 50 Muslims from this town who will perform their haj pilgrimage this year.
The 78-year- old and her fellow pilgrims boarded flight MH3383 bound for Kuching International Airport on Monday evening, before taking the connecting flight MH8167 to Kuala Lumpur International Airport ( KLIA) later.
They are among 30,200 Malaysians slated for the fourday pilgrimage in Mecca this year, beginning 10 Zulhijjah on the Muslim calendar – expected to be on Sept 1.
A total of 112 flights have been reserved to fly the pilgrims to Medina in stages beginning late last month, with the last flight set to depart from KLIA this Aug 26.
The Bintulu group is expected to return home on Sept 22.
A simple send- off ceremony took place at Bintulu Airport late Monday, where Deputy Bintulu Resident Hamdiah Bakir, Bintulu District Officer Mataip Sayu, local community leaders Temenggung Abang Suhaili Abang Mohamad and Pemanca Rosli Kamarudin, as well as Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) Bintulu manager Abdul Aziz Obeng and officers from Bintulu Islamic Affairs Department were present.
In her brief remarks, Hamdiah reminded the pilgrims to take care of their health and also their safety throughout the haj.
“You will be facing various tests and challenges during your journey in the Holy Land, but I pray that all of you would be patient. I also would like to remind you to work together, motivate and support one another, and always pray to Allah for strength and blessings,” she said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz said as far as safety is concerned, the pilgrims should be fine as long as they abide by the instructions and guidelines from the TH officers of Mecca.
According to him, this year Bintulu Division is sending a total of 71 pilgrims for haj – one of five pillars of Islam.