2023-06-29 02:14:22
Every year, millions of Muslim pilgrims come to Mecca for the Hajj, the great pilgrimage and fifth pillar of Islam. While most travel by plane, Nabil Ennasri realized the crazy challenge of reaching the holy land of Islam by bike from Paris.
On April 22, this 41-year-old resident of Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis) rode his bike on the forecourt of Montparnasse station, encouraged by a hundred relatives. Two months later, Sunday June 25, 2023, he announced to his hundreds of followers gleaned over the course of his adventure that he had finally arrived in Mecca. “Right for the start of the ceremonies,” he says.
“From the Great Mosque of Mecca, I wish you a very beautiful Eid Al Adha celebration”, tweeted this Wednesday the one who now has 26 followers on Twitter, 35,000 on Instagram and 90,000 on TikTok.
From the Great Mosque of Mecca, I wish you a very beautiful Eid Al Adha celebration ????????????.
Happy Eid Mubarak and every year and you are good pic.twitter.com/pzhN1Ly9iy
— Nabil Ennasri (@NabilEnnasri) June 28, 2023
A long journey of more than 5,000 km motivated by the desire to rediscover the essence of pilgrimage. “I wanted to reconnect with a tradition of pilgrimage which is a long and self-sacrificing journey,” he says.
But the purpose of his trip is above all to make the Muslim community aware of climate issues. “The issue of global warming has been bothering me for a long time,” says the geopolitical researcher and specialist in Qatar. “I have seen the global Muslim community relegating this essential concern to the background,” he adds.
And the challenge is daunting because during the Hajj, nearly two million Muslims travel from their country of origin to Saudi Arabia, most often by plane.
In video my arrival in Jeddah in a very emotional moment.
My heart was tight, sad but also happy because I had just covered 5,000 km in 60 days.
There will be no more cycling clothes now… Place at Ihram at ???? ♂️ in 2 days ????.#HadjByCycle ????#Labayk ???? pic.twitter.com/qsJbcfVQe4
— Nabil Ennasri (@NabilEnnasri) June 21, 2023
The 40-year-old is a fervent defender of the environment. As early as 2011, he had published a column on the site of Reporterre, entitled “Muslims put to the test of global warming” in which he called on the faithful to respect nature. “Creation is indeed, for the Muslim, a divine gift. Respecting it is a requirement and allows the believer to reconnect with the prophetic tradition of an ecologically healthy and responsible way of life,” he wrote in particular.
“This trip changed me”
“Personally, this journey has transcended and transformed me. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment,” he explains. “The flavor of a prayer after two months of cycling has absolutely nothing to do with what one experiences after seven hours on the plane. »
If it is too early to see the impact of his adventure on the Muslim community, Nabil Ennasri can already boast of having succeeded in uniting hundreds of “fans” who followed his journey via the hashtag #HadjByCycle.
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