After much preparation and months of anticipation, on 15 October 2018, we had reached the day of departure for beloved Huzoor’s visit to the United States and Guatemala.
It was an evening flight and so I dropped my son Mahid at school as normal in the morning. I came home, finalised my packing and ran a few errands before heading to the Fazl Mosque at midday.
Most of the Qafila members, including me, left the Fazl Mosque after a silent prayer at 1.20pm, whilst Huzoor and Khala Saboohi (Huzoor’s respected wife) departed at 2.55pm.
The queue at Heathrow airport was extremely long and it took us over 90 minutes to check in our luggage and pass through security. By the time we were clear from security it was time to proceed to the airport gate for boarding.
As I walked on the plane, I wondered if Huzoor had arrived, as I had not seen Huzoor at all since leaving the Fazl Mosque. Just as I was wondering this, I received a message from Huzoor asking if we were safely on board.
I replied that we were and upon this, Huzoor responded:
“We are too, Alhamdolillah.”
I felt relieved to know that Huzoor was safely on board. Huzoor’s tour had finally begun. Alhamdolillah.
Huzoor travelled on a British Airways Flight 293 from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles airport. The flight was scheduled to leave at 5.15pm but was delayed and so by the time it took off it was 6.15pm.