130-year old Indonesian man to perform Haj

Ohi Aidros Samri arrives to a special welcome in Jeddah – SPA

Jeddah: An Indonesian man claiming to be 130 years old has arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday to perform the annual pilgrimage (Haj).

Ohi Aidros Samri arrived at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Red Sea city of Jeddah with six members of his family. He is being hosted by the King Salman’s Hajj and Umrah Guests Program to perform Hajj rituals, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Samri, believed to be the oldest person to ever perform Haj, was given a special welcome at the Jeddah airport.

Upon Samri’s departure from Sokarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Issam bin Abid Al Thaqafi made sure the Indonesian would-be pilgrim and his companions were given proper care and special attention.

According to records, the oldest person to have previously performed Haj was 104-year-old Ibu Mariah Marghani Muhammad from Indonesia. She made her pilgrimage in 2017 after she had to wait for seven years following her registration.

With a high number of people signing up to go on Haj in Indonesia, securing a spot is very difficult. Around 221,000 Indonesians will be performing Haj this year.

The performance of Haj, the fifth and last pillar of Islam, is required at least once from physically fit adult Muslims with the necessary financial means.

More than 2.5 million people from more than 80 countries gather annually in Makkah and its suburbs for six days to perform Haj, the culmination of a spiritual journey.