MAKKAH, The first time Khairunnisa Abdullah, 47, set foot in Masjidil Haram and laid eyes on the Kaabah, she became speechless and overwhelmed with feelings.

The pilgrim from Miri, Sarawak, who embraced Islam 24 years ago, said she had never imagined that one day she would set foot in the Holy Land.

‘When I first laid eyes on the Kaabah, I couldn’t speak. I could only express gratitude in my heart to Allah for inviting me and my husband as His guests even though I have sinned so much,’ she told reporters at a hotel here yesterday.

Khairunnisa said she reverted in 2000 when she met a Muslim man that she later married despite objections from her pastor father, who also threatened to cut her off from the family.

However, she said throughout their 17 years of marriage, she was never correctly guided about the proper Islamic way of life until she decided to part ways with the father of her four children.

‘I only knew what Islam is after getting to know my new husband in 2018. Before that, I led a somewhat re
ckless life, but after learning about the religion, I feel a significant difference…I even feel more at peace,’ she said.

She said her estranged parents also had a change of heart, and their relationship became closer than ever.

On her preparations for the pilgrimage, she admitted as a new sister in Islam, there were many things that she could not understand, but with her husband’s guidance and through her reading and information gained from social media, she is confident that she can perform the pilgrimage properly.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency