Hajj tribute: UAE astronaut snaps awestriking pics of Kaaba from space
Al Neyadi is a Muslim who experienced fasting as he lifted off for ISS on March 2 to Earth’s orbit
June 28, 2023
As Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid ul Adha — the tenth day of the last month of the Islamic calendar — when Muslims sacrifice animals in the name of Allah, a photograph of the holy Kaaba, captured by an Emirati astronaut on Monday during Hajj has gone viral on the internet.
The astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi from UAE paid his tribute to the pilgrimage from the International Space Station (ISS) with a tweet showing the Saudi holy city of Mecca.
"Today is Arafat Day, a pivotal day during Hajj, that reminds us that faith is not just about belief, but also action and reflection," Al Neyadi tweeted Tuesday in a post that featured the photo, which was snapped Monday.
"May it inspire us all to strive for compassion, humility and unity."
The Hajj is one of the five basic pillars of Islam requiring every adult Muslim who is able to afford the travelling without putting any hardships to other members of the family to visit the place once in their lifetime.
Al Neyadi is a Muslim who experienced fasting as he lifted off for ISS on March 2 to Earth’s orbit.
The UAE astronaut is not the only one who travelled to space but back in 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia launched a space shuttle mission STS-51G as the holy month was on its end on June 17.
The overview of the UAE astronauts by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre showed that in space, Al Neyadi is set to perform 19 experiments covering radiation, sleep, back pain and material science.
