ISLAMABAD: For nearly a decade, Safdar Khan held onto a single hope: to perform Hajj, the once-in-a-lifetime Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah that Muslims are required to undertake if physically and financially able.
But for the 66-year-old Pakistani retiree, the journey was repeatedly delayed by failed applications, the coronavirus pandemic, financial hardship and personal tragedy before he was finally selected this year as the last pilgrim under Pakistan’s government Hajj quota.
A resident of the garrison city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad, Khan first applied for Hajj in 2016 and continued trying year after year without success.
When he was finally selected in 2019, Saudi Arabia later imposed sweeping coronavirus restrictions that sharply reduced pilgrimage numbers, forcing Pakistan to return deposits to thousands of intending pilgrims, including Khan.
The years that followed brought even greater hardship.
Khan retired from his job, lost his wife and struggled financially, leaving him unable to afford the pilgrimage he had spent years hoping to undertake.
“Even this year, I could not apply during the stipulated time as I did not manage to gather Rs1.2 million [$4,304.63] by the August 18 deadline,” Khan told Arab News while attending a pre-Hajj training session at Islamabad’s Hajji Camp.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and draws millions of Muslims annually to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan is expected to send 179,210 pilgrims this year, including 119,210 under the government scheme and 60,000 through private tour operators.
Khan said he believed his chance had slipped away once again after missing the application deadline. He later applied under a hardship quota reserved for exceptional cases involving delayed payments or documentation.
“The day I applied [in February], I received a regret message telling me I was late for this year’s Hajj,” he said.
“But the very next day, they sent me a message and letter saying I had been accepted and advised me to quickly make arrangements.”
Even then, the process was not straightforward.
Initially, Khan was told he would have to depart from Karachi, Pakistan’s southern port city more than 1,100 kilometers from his home in Rawalpindi. Prepared to accept the additional journey if it meant finally reaching Saudi Arabia, he later learned a seat had become available in Islamabad.
“I felt very happy,” he said. “This is an obligation, and it’s important that Allah has called me.”
Looking back on the years of uncertainty, Khan said he constantly asked relatives and friends to pray for him and never completely gave up hope.
He recalled unsuccessfully entering Pakistan’s computerized Hajj balloting process in 2016, 2017 and 2018 before finally being selected in 2019, only for the pandemic to halt his plans.
“I retired from my job and had to take care of my home as my wife passed away,” he said. “Then I was in no position to afford the holy journey.”
This year, friends, brothers and other relatives helped him raise the money needed for the pilgrimage.
“I now feel that whatever Allah does is good for you,” he said, expressing gratitude that he would finally be able to undertake the journey he had waited years to make.
