The Story of Tabri, Disabled Hajj Pilgrim Who Realizes His Dream of Going to the Holy Land through Midnight Coffee Sales

Dream - Being able to set foot in the Holy Land is the dream of Muslims. However, it requires effort and patience to make it come true.

This is also felt by Muhammad Tabri Sulaiman, who received Allah's call. This year, he was able to fly to the Holy Land with pilgrims from group 68 from Jember, East Java.

Despite having physical and economic limitations, Tabri's spirit to realize his dream of performing the fifth pillar of Islam remains unwavering.

The 50-year-old man is known to have had physical limitations since birth, namely small legs and hands, so he cannot walk like a normal person.

These limitations did not hinder him from working to earn a living as the head of the family and to realize his dream of going to Mecca.

Every day, Tabri sells coffee in the Kalisat market, which is not far from his home, about 500 meters away. He claimed to have been selling coffee for 20 years, and previously he had also sold vegetables in the market.

Tabri is grateful that he now has a stall to sell his coffee. He starts opening his coffee stall from 1:30 AM until 7:30 AM.

"Alhamdulillah, now I have a small stall for selling in the market. At the beginning, I didn't have a stall, so I had to compete with other traders who didn't have a stall in the market," he explained.

He revealed that his stall was a contribution from an official at the time. Until now, the stall can still be used to earn a living every day.

From selling coffee, Tabri can earn a profit of around IDR 100,000 to IDR 150,000 per day. From selling coffee, Tabri started to make efforts to fulfill his long-awaited hopes.

"It's called selling, when it's crowded, I can earn IDR 200,000, when it's quiet, I can earn IDR 50,000. Alhamdulillah, I am still given sustenance for my family," he said.

"Yes, I collected the proceeds from selling coffee. In addition, I also took out a loan from the bank to buy cattle for farming. Alhamdulillah, I sold each of the large cattle I bought three times," he explained, recalling his efforts to go on Hajj.

In November 2011, he decided to register for Hajj and was scheduled to depart in 2022. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sabri's departure was actually postponed until 2024. But unexpectedly, he was called earlier to go on Hajj this year.

"From selling coffee, along with the proceeds from selling livestock and taking out a loan from the bank, I intended to register and pay for Hajj," he said.

With tears streaming down his face, he feels grateful because he was called earlier to go to the Holy Land.

Although not accompanied by his wife, Tabri remains optimistic that he can perform all the rituals of Hajj.

"My wife only registered in 2017 because that was when her fortune came," he explained.

In the holy land, he will pray for his health because Tabri also has a congenital heart defect. He also hopes to be able to educate his two children who are currently still in high school and elementary school until they reach higher levels of education.

"Prayer alone can also provide education for my children to pursue their dreams," he concluded.

Source: East Java Ministry of Religious Affairs.