Stranger's kindness funds pilgrim's dream

Society Religion & Philosophy
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A positive story to share, in what feels like a time where there is so little of this kind of generosity and happiness.

Stranger’s kindness funds pilgrim’s dream, Narayan Bareth, BBC, 17 June 2003

An Indian man who says he is 132-years-old can now afford to complete his only unfulfilled dream - to visit the Muslim holy place of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Habib Miyan should now be able to make his once-in-a-lifetime Haj pilgrimage after a UK-based businessman instructed a transfer of 270,000 rupees ($5,700) be made to his bank account in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The sum covers the cost of Mr Miyan’s two grandsons travelling with him as he is blind.

Mr Miyan, who lives in the Muslim neighbourhood of Jaipur with 32 relatives, said words could not express his happiness at the news and that he would thank God in his prayers.

A number of people were keen to help fulfil the old man’s wish after reading his story on BBC News Online. Khan, the 30-year-old company chairman from London who sent the money, said: “Helping Habib would be a great honour for me, I wish his dream to make a pilgrimage to Mecca would be fulfilled soon.”

Akbar Murtaza, an investment banker from New York, was also deeply touched by Mr Miyan’s story. Mr Akbar said he wanted to see Mr Miyan’s ambition to go to Mecca realised. “I know two British gentlemen came forward to finance his trip, but it would make the world of difference in my life if I could be part of financing Mr Habib’s trip.”

Sayeed Qureshi, a member of the Haj pilgrimage committee which worked out the cost of the trip, told the BBC he would work on making all necessary arrangements, including sending off Mr Miyan’s application for the pilgrimage.

"Habib does not know the people living in countries like the UK who have pledged to fulfil his dream, but said he was so grateful to them.

“There is no dearth of nice people in this world,” he said.

Mr Miyan, who claims to be 132 (his pension book says 125), has limited mobility and lost his vision 50 years ago. He has been drawing a pension since 1938, but relatives say he could not afford to pay for the trip.

[Khan is an assumed name for the purpose of this article only.]

Another link accessible here: Ancient man’s prayers answered

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SubhanAllah…He went on Hajj through a waseela of Allah :swt:…May Allah :swt: bless everyone involved in this and give us the means to perform it ourselves and help others perform it too…Ameen…:k::slight_smile:

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Well-stated indeed.

Ameen.

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What impresses me is that they have given an assumed name to the person Khan. I think giving away money for Allah’s cause can so often be done for the praise it accompanies. But if someone can do it in such a way which does not incite that pride, then its better since the sole purpose is the pleasure of Allah :k:

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don’t know why …but it brought tears to my eyes …
thanx a lot for sharing…Nadia :flower1:

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:flower1: It probably brought tears to your eyes because of a stranger’s generosity and compassion that, at least in these times, seems so rare these days. Kitna sawaab ka kaam kia hai iss banday nai.

:flower1: Thank you so much for reading it.

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What's even better is that this businessman doesn't want to be identified. Waqai aisay logon ko Musulman kehtay hain.

[quote]
*"You have allowed me to meet Allah and I pray that He looks over you. May He grant you a life longer than mine." *
[/quote]

**[Khan is an assumed name for the businessman for the purpose of this article only.]

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subhanallah

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The man is probably finishing his Hajj Masha’Allah, as we speak.

Among the many miracles in this story, a few that stand out: that of the generosity of a taxi driver who gave money from his own savings he was planning to use for his own Hajj one day, and the words of a businessman who gave $5700 and wishes to remain anonymous:

Mecca dream for aged pilgrim, Bernard Gabony, BBC, 3 February 2004

The man who is probably the world’s oldest pilgrim has just been fulfilling a dream made possible by the generosity of readers of BBC News Online.

Habib Miyan’s precise age is not clear. His pension papers establish it at 125, although he says he is 132. When News Online first wrote about him, from his home city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan, last June, we reported how his relatives said he could not afford to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

That triggered several e-mails from readers wanting to help Habib, now blind and frail, make the trip this year. Among the anonymous donors was a taxi-driver from Rotherham in northern England who put up money he was saving for his own Hajj pilgrimage.

The main donation came from a businessman in London who forwarded 270,000 rupees ($5,700) to Habib’s bank account.

Habib set off to Mecca last month, accompanied by two grandsons, Mehmood and Chuttan Khan. Shortly before the Hajj started, BBC cameraman Faruk Aksoy managed to locate Habib among the millions of gathered pilgrims.

He was resting in a hotel near the Grand Mosque which houses the Kaaba, the stone that the Muslim pilgrim must walk round seven times.

Our cameraman said it was a meeting he would never forget.

“To me it was like seeing a living miracle. When I looked at Habib carefully, I went through his eyes and mind back into history, to the days of the British empire in India.”

Habib himself remembers living through the reigns of four kings of the Jaipur royal family, as well as witnessing the departure of the British and the independence of India. He said he was very happy to be at Mecca, and would pray for those who had paid for him to perform the Hajj.

Habib’s joy is matched by that of his donors.

“That’s fantastic,” the Rotherham donor told BBC News Online on hearing about Habib’s dream come true.

The London businessman said it was an honour to have been able to help him. “The real gift is that Habib’s story has bought joy and inspiration to his community and the rest of the world,” he says.

“I hope that in these difficult and testing times that there will be more situations where communities and families are bought closer together with simple and true gestures of goodwill for its fellow man, whatever race or religion.”