Wan Amier Ashraf Yamin, 21, and his sister Wan Arina Azrinor Yamin, 29, have expressed their gratitude to their mother who had consistently saved money in Tabung Haji which enabled them to perform the haj pilgrimage at a young age.
Their mother Sharifah Norkaya Shah Latif, 57, a retired teacher, started saving money for them in Tabung Haji when Wan Arina Azrinor was five, while her younger brother who was born in 2001 was a few months old.
“Our mother began saving money for us in Tabung Haji through salary deductions and I’m very thankful to my parents for that,” Wan Arina Azrinor told Bernama at the sending-off ceremony of the first batch of 142 haj pilgrims from Sabah at Raia Hotel, near here last night.
Wan Arina Azrinor, who is pursuing a Master’s degree in aquaculture at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said although she felt quite nervous, she was excited and deeply grateful to be able to realise her dream of performing the fifth pillar of Islam.
“I had previously received an offer to perform the haj pilgrimage but was disallowed to go to the Holy land without mahram. I decided to submit my haj application appeal upon knowing that my brother was selected to perform the pilgrimage this year,” she said.
“I’m also a bit nervous as my brother and I will be performing the pilgrimage without my parents,” Wan Arina Azrinor said while praying that she would always be in good health and able to attain a mabrur haj.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
