PENANG – A family of five Indonesian Muslims has embarked on a lengthy cycling journey of 13,000 km to Makkah to perform hajj.

“They will take a flight if the need arises,” Mohd Damahuri Mutalib, 65, a friend of the family was quoted by The Sun Daily.

Muchlis Abdullah, 47, took his wife, Julianti Husin, 47, and their children, Mirza Hakim Muchlis, 15, Ahmad Zaki Hafiz, 11, and Olivia Yumna, six, for a cycling journey to Makkah.

The family kicked off their journey a month and a half ago from central Java city of Yogyakarta.

Yesterday, they reached Penang, Malaysia, after cycling 3,000 km. the family still has 10,000 km to go before they reach their destination.

The long trip will take them through 12 countries.

According to the husband, the idea of performing umrah and hajj on bicycles came to him after having a dream.

Mutalib, the father’s friend, guided them in Penang through the northern region.

After reaching Thailand, the family will probably enter Burma before proceeding to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Iran, Damahuri said.

In 2017, another Indonesia Muslim walked more than 9,000 kilometers to perform hajj.

In 2012, 47-year-old Bosnian Muslim, Senad Hadzic, reached the holy city of Makkah on foot to perform hajj.

During his journey, the Muslim man walked for nearly 3,600 miles (5,900 km) from his Bosnian village to the holy city of Makkah.

Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Hajj consists of several rituals, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.