JEDDAH: 52-year-old Adam Muhammad, a British pilgrim completed his dream of walking to Mecca to perform the Hajj. He travelled 6,500 kilometres in 11 months and 26 days to reach Saudi Arabia through the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
On June 26 he reached Ayesha Mosque in Makkah. He used to walk an average of 17.8 kilometres per day during his journey.
He was welcomed to the holy city by a large crowd of pilgrims flown in from the UK, locals and his two daughters.
Mohammed said: "I was so happy to finish my journey and I am overwhelmed by the great welcome, generosity, and love of Saudis and other nationalities. I am so eager to perform Hajj because Hajj has been my greatest dream."
He also talked about what he will do when he stands on Mount Arafat.
"I will thank Allah for making this journey possible and for making my all-time goal come true to perform Hajj. This was not an easy journey for me but I had to sacrifice everything for the sake of Allah and humanity.
"I have been preoccupied with reading the Holy Qur'an ever since restrictions were imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, I woke up one day and something inside me told me to go to Makkah all the way by foot from my home. I could not ignore this voice and decided to go for it.
"It took him two months to prepare for the gruelling journey with the help of a British organization and donations from fellow countrymen. Mohammed, who is of Iraqi-Kurdish descent, started his journey on August 1, 2021, from his home in Wolverhampton.
He loaded his belongings onto a cart, that ultimately weighed 250 kilos and used it for the journey. "Actually, I built it myself. It is where I ate, slept, and cooked for the journey."
Taking to the Arab News he said that he did not face any other challenges on his journey to Makkah, apart from the weather and travel.
"There were no big difficulties, except for a few stops by police authorities in several countries to inquire about my presence in their land. But they were surprised when they came to know about my unique journey."
During his journey, several people came forward to assist him. Some helped him by pushing the trolley and others offered him food and a place to rest.
He used his social media platform to spread messages of peace and equality while documenting and live-streaming his experience through his YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Mohammad said that he was on this journey not to get famous but for religion, even with getting 2.8 million likes on Tik Tok.