The Afghan who hasn’t missed prayer at the Prophet’s Mosque for 37 years

An Afghan national has set an example of piety by never missing one single prayer behind the imam of the Prophet’s Mosque.

Haji Muhammad has become very popular in Saudi Arabia's Madinah because for a quarter of a century he has appeared on Saudi TV wearing the same black turban while standing on the right side of the first line behind the imam.

He told a Makkah-based daily that he arrived in the Kingdom when he was 19.

He has been working as a plumber for 37 years and only traveled once to Afghanistan.

He said: “I’ve always made sure I perform all prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque since I was a young man.

“I love picking up the copies of the Holy Qur’an from visitors and putting them back in their cabinets.”

Haji Muhammad has made friends with visitors from outside the country who have been impressed with how devoted he is in performing all prayers in the mosque and at the same place.

Some of them have seen him wearing the same black turban at the same spot every year they visited Madinah.

“When I worked for my sponsor, I told him from the start that I didn’t want to miss any prayer at the mosque and that in Ramadan I won’t work because I’ll be in the mosque all the time,” he said.

The devoted Afghani national is married to two wives and has 12 children.

Haji Muhammad is currently looking for a third wife.

(This article was first published in Saudi Gazette on Jan. 21, 2014)