Haji Akbal.
Port Klang is famous for its seafood and that was the best choice to entertain him. I chose Bagan Seafood Restaurant, one of the two Malay operated Restaurants. We chose the right Restaurant, good food and perfectly private for us to recollect and laughed the good time we had in Mekah. Akbal being cheeky took the photo of the chilly crab dish and multimedia message to Haji Arshad the Hotel Resident Manager in Mekah and Haji Zailan who is currently in Manchester England. Haji Arshad responded by pulling our legs that he now can kiss the “hijrilaswad” at anytime he please and he has now the privilege praying right behind the Masjidilharam Imam. He sent us an instant photo with an empty Masjidilharam background. Haji Zailan however did not respond, perhaps busy watching Manchester United in training at Old Trafford or his usual hobby, ransacking the Shopping Malls.
Haji Arshad.
We stopped at the Warong in front of my house for night cap. I then invited him to my house for kuih raya snack and by then it was close to midnight. I drove him to Crystal Crown Hotel where he left his car and he took the highway back to PJ. The next meeting would be when he is in town and Haji Zailan back from overseas.
Haji Zailan.
It was very nice for a young Engineer to call on the Old Man. Haji Akbal – the only human being out of 3.2 million Pilgrims in Mekah who smoked pipe. Arab children at De Saji Restaurant would look at him twice when he was puffing away the pipe. To them, it was strange. I salute Haji Akbal negotiation skill, from 5,000 Saudi Riyal he could bargain to 750 Saudi Riyal only. Maybe his cheeky “boyish” look melted the Arab. He got along well with the Indonesians at the Dining Hall as he simply blurted with “broken Javanese” lingo. Sometimes he himself did not understand what he was talking.
I laughed when he told me an incident where one fine subuh, he and Haji Zailan was late. They found difficulty even to exit from the Hotel. Pilgrims was already spreading their sejadah on the pavement and on the road right in front of the entrance. They found a space somehow and without sejadah they joined the other Pilgrims. “Sujud atas jalan………Pakmus”. On Aidilfitri day he related he went to Masjidilharam at 0400 hrs in the morning but he was refuse entry into the Mosque. The Mosque was already packed and solat subuh and Aidilfitri was only at the Dataran. Next year Ramadan insyaalah, I told him to tag behind me. The Old Man will teach him the trick and trade to maneuver the Arabs and slip into the Mosque.
Very simple – tell the Arab security that I will tell Allah that you disallow me to enter this Mosque. Sometimes it works and will let you through. The best solution, go early. Due respect, if they allow the 3.2 million jemaah cramped into the Mosque, somebody would get killed by suffocation or trampled to death.
Ustaz Mokhzar and wife dropped by at my house just after zohor. We had simple lunch of “mee goreng” and I related to him the events in Mekah after he left. We exchanged ideas, information, suggestions and plan for the next year Ramadan umrah. We discussed about the last shortcomings and the room for improvements. He had started planning for umrah ziarah after Haj in December 2010. The Ustaz is working meticulously rendering the utmost best to service all Jemaah to fulfill their dreams seeing and visiting Baitullullah. Sometimes at whatever circumstances, the Customer is always right but in Mekah it is not necessarily so because jemaah must be equip with knowledge and nawaitu to say that they are right.
Ustaz Mokhzar.
Firdaus and Azrul with their family expected to drop by this weekend. I am glad I have additional acquaintances arising from the 2010 Ramadan umrah.
Some of the Acquintance (pre Umrah).
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