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Kenyan cyclists back in the country from pedal Hajj to Mecca

By Amina Wako September 2nd, 2019 1 min read

A group of four Kenyan cyclists and two support members who peddled from Nairobi to Mecca to perform Hajj and raise funds to educate needy school children in Kenya are back in the Country.

The six friends Mohammed Zahir, Anwar Mansoor Abdalla, Solomon Okoth (Osman), Mohamed Salim Mohamed, Zaher Taj Yakub and Zakir Piyush Budhdeo cycled 3,500km (2,100 miles) from Kenya to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Led by Zahir, their team captain, the cyclists were expected to raise Sh 5 million from their journey for the construction of Al Furqan Towers whose revenue will be donated to needy child at Al Furqan Institute.

However, they fell short of that target.

“We have collected about Sh3.9 million, short fall for about Sh1.1 million. Insha Allah, hopefully we are still thinking of another project for us to complete that Sh5 million target that we had taken upon ourselves,” said Zahir.

The cyclists left the country on their 45-day journey on June 9, 2019, through Ethiopia to Sudan – where they crossed the Red Sea by ferry to Jeddah.

They then continued cycling to Mecca where they arrived on August 28, 2019.

TOUGH PILGRIMAGE

The cyclists have fondly recounted their journey, which they said was a very pilgrimage.

“The cycling experience was a unique experience, we met different people, different cultures, and different climates. It was not easy yet it was an experience an unforgettable one,” Zahir added.

This was the first ever group of Muslims from African to try to undertake the road trip to the holy city of Mecca.

Hajj is one among the five pillars of Islam and Muslims all across the world expected to undertake the journey to the holy land of Makkah.

Hajj is a mandatory religious duty on every physically and financially capable Muslim.