World's Oldest Women Will Perform The Holy Hajj

Born in 1890, Going for Haj in 2010: India's Munni Begum ready for pilgrimage.


Munni Begum is 120 year old and is all set to go for Haj, after special
permission as her name didn't figure in the draw of lots.

The old woman who gave birth to eight sons and daughters, heads a huge
family that lives in Kho Nagorian locality of Jaipur.
Family members say that Munni Begum was born in August 1890. She has 52
grandsons and granddaughters apart from 96-odd great grandsons and great
granddaughters other than two dozen great-great-grandchildren [and even
their kids.


The elderly woman has seen three centuries. And now she is all set for
the pilgrimage she has waited for all her life. On Saturday she reached
the office of Haj Committee to fill the form. The Central Haj Committee
officials from Delhi gave her special permission.
The Rajasthan Haj Welfare Society has requested the Saudia Arabia
government that special attention should be paid to her because of
Munni's age.

Munni Begum is perhaps the oldest woman on record to embark for the holy
journey. She says that she had the wish to go for Haj ever since she was
married in her teenage, and thus her wish is going to be fulfilled after
over a century.
One wonders if there is a tendency among the Rajasthanis, particularly,
the Jaipur residents to live longer.

Earlier, Habib Miyan had gone for Haj at the age of 134. He had suddenly
drawn international attention after it was found that he had been
drawing pension for over 65 years.

Habib Miyan had retired in 1938. He went for Haj in 2004 when he was
134. Though birth certificates were unknown in the olden days, the bank
records proved his age.

As per the pension papers, Habib Miyan was drawing pension since 1938.
The documents clearly showed him as born in 1878 and this made him the
world's oldest man alive until his death at the age of 138 in 2008. The
bank officers delivered his pension at his home.


Now it's Munni Begum's turn though she is not a 'Munni' in the literary
sense. [Munni means little in Urdu] In India, it was the tradition that
mostly older persons went for Haj, after they had fulfilled their
worldly responsibilities.

In recent years the pilgrims have begun going at a comparatively younger
age, still a large number of Indians who go to Hejaz [Arabia] are over
sixty. And Munni Begum clearly beats them as well. One hopes that along
with other Hajis, she also manages to perform the Haj and returns
safely. Ameen.


Munni Begum to visit Haj at 120

120 year-old Munni Begum is all set to fulfill her life-long wish, a
trip to the Haj.