IBRAHEEM MOUJOOD AND HIS MANY TRIPS TO PILGRIMAGE

A few my friends had flown to Mecca for pilgrimage in the Haj season this year. As a Muslim, we are required to go for pilgrimage in Mecca for at least once if we can afford it. Upon praying for their safe return, I suddenly remembered an old acquaintance of some 20 years ago. His name is Ibraheem Moujood.

He was working as a chauffer in Baghdad with office where I worked. A pious Sri Lankan Muslim, Ibraheem Moujoud had never missed his 5 times a day prayer. Ha had performed Haj for more than four times in Mecca. His wife and children lived in Colombo and Ibraheem sent them monthly subsistence without fail. A good man he was.

I sometime spent a few hours in his living quarters, especially after finishing my work late in the evening. He made a good curry and I often help myself to the kitchen and ate his curry with whatever available there.

Ibraheem liked to drink. He always had a few type of alcoholic drinks under his bed. He was a habitual drinker. It was good that he didn't drink while working, or otherwise I would be the first person to get him terminated from his job. This was made known to him and he did not dare mix his drinking habit with his work.

During my few visits to his quarters, I repeatedly argued with him that it is useless to pray five times a day without fail and performed haj many times if he is still drinking. Ibraheem just came out with a simple answer. For him, he can do as much sins as he can and all the sins would be washed out when he went to pilgirmage in Mecca.

I do not know exactly how this is correctly interpreted in Islam, but I totally don't agree with Ibraheem. To me getting rid of your sin is not as simple as washing your clothes. For those who went to Mecca for Haj and thought that they can simply wash away whatever sins and misdeeds they may have done, well, they should try to think again.

As for Ibraheem, I have never heard of him again. Probably the number of his trips to Mecca has quardrupled over the years.