The Story of a Garbage Collector Going on Hajj, 13 Years of Saving Finally Able to Go to the Holy Land

"Story of a Garbage Collector Going on a Hajj, 13 Years of Saving Finally Able to Go to the Holy Land"

Dream - Performing the hajj is not only for those who can afford it, but also for those who are blessed by the presence of Allah SWT in the Holy Land. The door is open even for a scavenger.

The Story of a Garbage Collector Going on Hajj, 13 Years of Saving Finally Able to Go to the Holy Land

"He is Khumaidi Katijan. At the age of 49, he finally managed to perform the fifth pillar of Islam, along with his wife Siti Fatimah, who is now 45 years old."

Khumaidi did not expect that he could fulfill the pilgrimage. This man from Mojokerto Regency works as a scavenger of used goods at Karangdiyeng Waste Disposal Site, Kutorej Subdistrict, on a daily basis.

"Previously, Khumaidi's hajj pilgrimage had been postponed for three years due to the pandemic. This father of two should have departed for hajj in 2021, but at that time the hajj pilgrimage was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 'Alhamdulillah, I am very grateful to be called to perform hajj to the Kaaba this year,' he said, as quoted from the East Java Ministry of Religious Affairs website on Tuesday, June 4, 2024."

Khumaidi tells the desire to register for hajj for the first time came from his wife. Initially, he was pessimistic because he felt like just a scavenger.

"I am just a scavenger of used goods, the cost of Hajj is already expensive, especially if we go together,""

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Apparently, the desire of the wife was not taken lightly by Khumaidi, even though it was not easy for him. With all his efforts and perseverance, he was able to save Rp10 million in 2011. "In 2011, our savings happened to have accumulated to 10 million. Initially, I wanted to buy a small piece of land, but then I remembered that my wife wanted to go on a pilgrimage. With the help of a loan, I finally managed to register for Hajj," explained Khumaidi.

After registering for hajj, Khumaidi tried to save most of his income from scavenging for the preparation of the settlement fund.

"From scavenging, I could earn a daily income of one hundred thousand or, if it's slow, less than one hundred thousand," he reminisced. Every day, he only used twenty-five thousand rupiahs for daily needs. The rest he set aside as savings for the hajj. To increase their income, Khumaidi and his wife used to have a business making red bricks. Although it helped their economy quite a bit, this business has stopped since four years ago because they ran out of land."

Thirteen years later, now Khumaidi and his wife are part of group 65. They have become pilgrims from Indonesia. They flew to the holy land on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. In the holy land later, he will pray so that his children and siblings can depart to the holy land like him. He also hopes that he and his family are blessed with a prosperous life by Allah SWT.

IKN

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