For the past 17 years, a Sri Lankan couple has had the unique privilege to assist Hajj and Umrah pilgrims as well as visitors to Makkah’s Grand Mosque.
Fatima started working at the Grand Mosque 17 years ago, and the story began there. She was in charge of the women’s prayer rooms, as well as the prayer rugs that were set out there. She hoped to bring her spouse Ashraf into the Haram Presidency’s workforce after a few years.
“After four years of working alone at the Haram, I asked the Haram Presidency to allow me to bring my husband from Sri Lanka to work along with me. The presidency accorded approval for my request, and eventually, Ashraf was hired as a worker at the Grand Mosque,” she told Saudi Gazette.
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Ashraf and Fatima are among the 12,000 employees working in the Grand Mosque under the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. The pair expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to serve Islam’s holiest shrine for such a long time. They thanked the Almighty for conferring upon them His inexhaustible bounty of being able to work in a career that allows them to earn a living while also pleasing God.
It is a matter of immense pride and happiness for me to work at the Grand Mosque. Fatima and I work in the same shift and assist each other, and we perform Umrah on a weekly basis,” he said while noting that the job in Makkah made their life totally changed and they feel blessed in serving the pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque.
