Honest Hajj pilgrim returns bag with cash and jewelry

Egyptian pilgrim Lutfi Mohammed Abdulkarim. (AN photo)

JEDDAH: A pilgrim who found a bag containing cash and jewelry has been praised for his honesty after he handed it over to authorities.
Lutfi Mohammed Abdulkarim, from Egypt, was looking for pebbles to perform the rami Al-Jamrat ritual in Mina when he found the unattended bag. He asked around, but could not find the owner.
Inside the bag, as well as the valuables, Abdulkarim found an ID card suggesting it belonged to a Nigerian woman. He handed the bag over to officials from King Salman’s Hajj and Umrah Program, of which he is a guest.
Ahmed Jailan, a member of the program’s Sharia committee, said: “The pilgrim is with us in the program after one of his sons, a police officer, was killed in his country. He is of high moral standards and a good example of the guests of the program.”
The bag and its contents will be returned to their owner, Jailan said. “This emphasizes the meaning of solidarity and cooperation.”
He said he hoped all pilgrims would follow such a good example.
Meanwhile, Palestinian pilgrim Abdullah Mohammed Sharaka’s grief at losing his 14-year-old son was replaced by pleasure and joy when he and his wife arrived in Makkah as guests of King Salman’s Hajj and Umrah Program.
Sharaka said King Salman’s generosity had healed the wounds of many Palestinians who had been living in bitterness after losing children, brothers, fathers or mothers. His son, Ahmed, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers for throwing stones.
Sharaka said he could not express his pleasure when he was selected for the Hajj and Umrah Program. He found it hard to believe as he was walking in the districts of Makkah and the holy sites.
He said he would pray for King Salman, asking Allah to keep him and bestow security on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.