“I Couldn’t Believe I Was Seeing the Holy Kaaba,” Says Bangladeshi Pilgrim

Makkah: Pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia for Hajj are sharing emotional experiences as they visit the holy sites for the first time, expressing gratitude and spiritual joy.

Speaking to Urdu News in Makkah, a Bangladeshi pilgrim said he had served in the security forces before retirement and was blessed with the opportunity to perform Hajj this year by the grace of اللہ Almighty.

He said that seeing the Holy Kaaba for the first time was an unforgettable moment. “I could not believe that I was standing at the holiest place on earth,” he said emotionally.

The pilgrim added that before arriving, he had planned many prayers to make upon seeing the Kaaba, but when the moment finally came, he could only pray: “May Allah fulfill all our rightful wishes and protect and support the Muslim Ummah.”

Another Bangladeshi pilgrim, Mufti Abdul Mannan, shared that he first performed Hajj in 2004 and has since been blessed to undertake the pilgrimage several times.

Praising the Saudi government’s arrangements for Hajj, he said the facilities and organization improve every year. He also appreciated the “No Hajj Without Permit” policy, saying it helps control overcrowding and makes it easier for international pilgrims to perform rituals smoothly.

Meanwhile, Pakistani pilgrim Ghufran Zaheer Khan from Islamabad praised the “Makkah Route Initiative,” describing it as an excellent program.

He said that although he had heard about the initiative before, he fully understood its benefits after personally experiencing it. According to him, pilgrims arriving at Jeddah Airport were instructed to board buses directly while their luggage was transported separately to their hotel in Makkah.

“At first it felt unusual, but when we reached the hotel, our luggage had already arrived before us,” he said, calling the system highly efficient and convenient for pilgrims.