An 82-year-old Pakistani shepherd who became a social media sensation after a video of him went viral has opened a “Dum Durood” business upon his return to Pakistan.
Abdul Qadir Bakhsh had been roaming barefoot and frail in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, with a long muslin cloth draped over his turban, when he caught the attention of Turki Al-Sheikh, adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Al-Sheikh tweeted asking how to contact Bakhsh, who had just returned to his home in the village of Goth Haji Rahim in Hub, Balochistan, after performing Umrah.
Despite not even owning a phone, Bakhsh had managed to save for 15 years to make the pilgrimage. Recently, Pakistani businessman Javed Afridi offered to bear his expenses, and upon his return to Pakistan, social media reports suggest Bakhsh has transformed his appearance.
He now wears clean clothes and a new watch, carries a cane, sits on a sofa with a carpet laid, and runs a “Dum Durood” business.
Social media users have suggested that Bakhsh’s new business will lead him to leave the goat huts and move into land cruisers and houses. When he dies, a shrine will be built to honor him every year, and a chain of Sajjada Nisheen will also continue to generate earnings in his name.
