“I did not have a moment of worry about myself or my belongings”.
This is how Dude Harlino, a famous Indonesian actor, talked about his Hajj experience, which he just concluded, describing the life time journey as the most beautiful and happiest times of his life, Arab News reported.
Invited to Hajj by Saudi media ministry on the last minutes, he only had an hour to decide and three days to prepare.
“It was not an easy decision, but rejecting it was also hard as Hajj is the dream of every Muslim and a great religious obligation,”
the actor told Saudi Press Agency.
Harlino, who has 4.8 million followers on Instagram, said he would post images he captured during Hajj because he believed it would impact young people.
He is not the only Muslim celebrity to perform Hajj this year.
The Pakistani acclaimed singer Atif Aslam and famed actor Feroze Khan also said they left for Makkah only one day before Hajj climax in Arafat.
French Muslim convert Mélanie Georgiades — better known by her stage name Diam’s – was also among this year’s pilgrims to Makkah.
Fifth Pillar of Islam
Muslims from around the world pour to 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.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform Hajj at least once in a lifetime.