Pakistani student Usman Arshad finally finished the “dream journey” he began in October last year by entering Saudi Arabia this week after trekking more than 4,000 kilometres to Makkah in time for this year’s Hajj.
Starting his six-month journey from his hometown of Okara in October 2022, Usman Arshad walked through Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to finally reach the holy city of Makkah.
The idea to travel to Makkah by foot came to him in 2021, when he covered 1,270 km during a 34-day-long walk from Okara to the Khunjerab Pass on the border with China to promote a soft image of Pakistan.
After finalizing his plans for the Saudi pilgrimage, he spent another nine months in preparation and saved approximately $6,800 with his family’s help to cover his expenses.
“Every (Muslim) man wishes to come to Makkah, to God’s home and visit Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) mosque, once in their lifetime,” Arshad was quoted as saying in Reuters report.
“And I had the same wish, but mine was to go to these two places on foot.”
Although his original plan was to walk from Pakistan to Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and then to Saudi Arabia, the pilgrim had to alter his journey due to difficulties in obtaining visas. His on-foot journey was interrupted by a boat trip from Iran to the UAE.
During his journey, Arshad faced many challenges, including his Iraqi visa being rejected, bad weather, and difficult sleeping arrangements, but he credits his positive outlook for getting him to his destination.
With a banner on his back reading “Okara to Makkah for haj on foot,” the 25-year-old student met with many people who he said encouraged him to carry on.
The sacred pilgrimage of Hajj, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is attended annually by millions of Muslims.
