By Neelam Rahim

With the Hajj season underway, Radio Islam speaks to Ameen Laher from Johannesburg. Having performed Hajj five times, his most memorable one being with his mother.

Brother Ameen shares his experiences with Radio Islam. He advises younger generations to “try and take their parents – especially their mother – for hajj.

A promise was fulfilled as brother Ameen journeyed to the Holy Land with his mother to perform hajj. 

“been very depressed upon my father’s passing, I promised my mother that I would take her for hajj. In 1974 my mother, niece and I undertook our journey where I spent hajj with mother my making it a memorable one,” says brother Ameen.

Brother Ameen says that seeing Makkah in 1960, 1971 and again in 1974 displayed a lot of difference, indicating how Makkah changes yearly.

Taken back in memory by his six-week hajj trip with his mother, “hose six weeks were wonderful for me as my mother, and I spent time in Makkah and Madinah. I would take her for walks, and we would sit together in the Haram admiring how beautiful the Kabah is,” says brother Ameen.

Brother Ameen also shares with Radio Islam how fond his mother was of reading the Holy Quran.

“Quran was her love as I often walked into her room and found her reading the Quran. My mother’s dua for me was that my family and I never go hungry, and Alhamdulillah, the power of my mother’s dua seeing me perform umrah through a very tough time. During our spend together, my mother made dua with a lot of emotion that showed from her heart when she spoke to and asked Allah [SWT] for everything. Witnessing this has become a beautiful memory from Makkah, which I saw in my mother, says,” brother Ameen.