'Today's Haj pilgrims different from the past'

The 64-year-old former muassasah assistant, who moved here with his parents in 1959, said Haj pilgrims in the past were more focused and disciplined when performing the pilgrimage because they faced more challenges then.

"People spent a lot of time praying at Masjidilharam (Grand Mosque), but now the pilgrims are easily distracted by their surroundings. Even in this Holy Land they will make sure they are kept abreast with the election results in Malaysia."

He told this to the Malaysian media at his home in Al-Rusaifah, about two kilometres from the Masjidilharam.

The father-of-two used to live near Masjidilharam but he had to move due to the mosque expansion project carried out by the Saudi Arabian government.

Ahmad Kamil, who hails from Bukit Mertajam, has been working with an Arab Sheikh since he was 16-years-old, handling Haj pilgrims, particularly those from Malaysia.

He said pilgrims in the past would join in climbing the 640m-high Jabal Nur or 1,405m-high Jamal Thur, even if they were senior citizens.

Today, many Malaysian pilgrims would only watch from the foot of the hills as they have been advised not to climb due to safety factor.

Ahmad Kamil, who is the grandnephew of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said besides acting as a mutawif (guide), he also drove pilgrims to Arafah and Mina.

He said back then, pilgrims used to hold on to their promises, saying if 30 people promised to perform their umrah, all of them would be waiting for him the next day to ride the bus he rented for the purpose.

"It's different now. Tonight, 30 people may promise but tomorrow only 10 people will show up," he said, adding that he would have to incur the bus rental fee for the 20 pilgrims who did not turn up.

He said when Tabung Haji was set up in the 1970s, the role of the private muassasah started to decline as Haj pilgrims from Southeast Asia in Makkah were handled by the Southeast Asia Muassasah body.

However, he said one of the priceless advantages of his job, having been in the field for so long, was the forging of countless friendships with people he met on the job.