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Ludhiana: Mixing faith and passion, Malaysian engineer pedals to Mecca
Afdul Din was in Ludhiana on Thursday and chose to offer the customary Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid here before continuing pedalling his way to Mecca
: A 24-year-old Malaysian engineer has joined his passion for travelling with faith as he travels to the holy city of Mecca, covering five countries on his way.
Afdul Din was in Hyderabad on February 3 on a holiday when he decided to start the journey to Mecca.
He was in Ludhiana on Thursday and chose to offer the customary Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid here before continuing pedalling his way to Mecca.
“My company went into restructuring and I had six months to spare on my hands and wanted to travel to Mecca,” Afdul said.
Explaining his choice of cycle to undertake his pilgrimage, he said, “It was a very practical choice. I can take this anywhere, on a bus, train, or plane, and then I want to explore the countries that fall in the way. While I ride through five countries- India, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, and Saudi Arabia- I will meet common people and get ample time to observe their lives.”
Moving through these five countries, he expects to make it to the holy city in around three months.
“I hope to be in Mecca by May,” he said.
Afdul said that while many of his friends were unhappy with his decision, he said, “I only see this as their way of looking at things. That doesn’t change anything for me.”
“I wanted to do this, and here I am already hundreds of miles into the journey,” he said.
Afdul used to play rugby for his university team and feels that he has the endurance required to complete his long “ride of faith.”
