Kenyan cyclists embark on 45-day pedal Hajj to Mecca – VIDEO
A group of four Kenyan cyclists and two support members on Sunday at dawn set off for a 45-days journey from Nairobi to Mecca to perform Hajj and raise funds to educate needy school children in Kenya.
Led by Mohammed Zahir, their team captain, cyclists expect to raise Sh 5 million from their journey for the construction of Al Furqan Towers.
Other team members include Anwar Mansoor Abdalla, Solomon Okoth (Osman) and Mohamed Salim Mohamed. Zaher Taj Yakub and Zakir Piyush Budhdeo are part of the support team.
All revenue from the 14-storey Al Furqan Towers will go towards educating needy children at Al Furqan Institute (ATI) in Namanga, Kajiado County.
The Al Furqan Institute, which was started in 1996, has so far given full scholarship to 150 students from needy families across the country for both secular education and deen.
JOURNEY ROUTE
Speaking during the flagging off of the cyclists, Former Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow asked Kenyans to support the initiative
“I have no doubt that any project started for the sake of Allah, Allah will make it possible and He will ensure that it’s completed. Let us stand with our brothers in this project,” said Kerrow.
The team has been training for the past nine months for the 4,500km journey which will require them to cycle approximately 100km everyday for the next 45 days across four countries
The journey will take them from Kenya through Ethiopia to Sudan at Port Sudan – where they will cross the Red Sea by ferry to Jeddah – and continue cycling to Mecca.
PILLARS OF ISLAM
In Mecca the team will join Muslims across the world to perform the Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.
All Muslims of good health are required to perform it once in their lifetime. The Hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and start fresh. Many seek to deepen their faith during the Hajj,
They will circle Islam’s most sacred site, the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, and take part in a series of other rituals intended to bring about humility and unity among Muslims.
The cyclists have two land cruisers as support vehicle through their journey, a medic and a mechanic on board. The team will then use a flight back home.