LISTEN: Naledi Pandor’s son talks about his first Hajj

Foreign Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor’s son says he is blessed to be among the those who will be performing Hajj this year in Saudi Arabia.

Haroon Pandor and his wife Fathima are embarking on their first Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and compulsory upon every Muslim who can afford the journey.

The couple who hail from Cape Town and have a four-month-old son named Uthman, are humble and benevolent individuals who go out of their way to assist those in need, serving them for the sole pleasure of Allah.

Haroon who is a Hafidh of the holy Qur’an (one who memorised the entire Qur’an) always has a smile on his face and a kind word to share. Despite having a mother who is a renowned minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet, he is a reserved individual.

Speaking to The Citizen in a voice that closely resembles Minister Naledi Pandor, Haroon says he and his wife Fathima are very fortunate to be in the holy lands of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.

Listen to Haroon Pandor here:

Haroon says his experience has been phenomenal so far and he and Fathima want to reap all the benefits and rewards of Hajj.

“The words actually can’t describe the feeling, that’s how incredible and amazing it is.”

Haroon says he and Fathima were speechless when they gazed upon the holy Ka’ba in the Haram in Makkah for the first time.

“I don’t know what to call it, you can say a wave of energy sort of overtook us and obviously you burst into various emotions ranging from a sort of fear of being in such a place and just joy and happiness and really a whole array of feelings and of course crying is definitely one of them.”

Haroon says his family, including his mom Naledi and father Sharif, wished him an accepted Hajj.

“My father, he was concerned about my health. He said ‘wear a mask wherever you go.’ That was my fathers stance, he’s very conscious of health.”

“My mother also had a similar point of view but also saying ‘stay safe, take care of your wife, remember you are not alone… Hajj is there and Allah accept, don’t forget about your health and also you family,” Haroon said.

Haroon said whoever comes to Makkah, Medina and other areas of Hajj in Saudi Arabia should have a high level of regard, importance and respect for these places, adding that these are lands the Prophet Muhammad had lived and walked on spread the beautiful religion of Islam.

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