Head of National Nutrition Agency Completes Hajj After 12-Year Wait, Describes Spiritual Experience

Jeddah, KOMPAS.com — Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana recounted his first Hajj pilgrimage to the Holy Land via the regular queue. Dadan admitted waiting 12 years with his wife before receiving the call to perform Hajj. They departed on 20 May 2026. ‘We registered on 5 May 2014, so after 12 years of waiting, we were finally called this year,’ Dadan said during an interview at King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday (31 May 2026) evening. ‘We departed from Indonesia using the regular Hajj quota, hence the wristband. We left from Bekasi,’ he added. During the performance of the fifth pillar of Islam, Dadan felt eased in his worship by Allah. He carried out the Hajj rituals smoothly. ‘Spiritually, everything flowed smoothly from the start, including the departure,’ he said. Dadan and his wife departed on 20 May 2026 and immediately performed the obligatory Umrah in Mecca upon arrival. On 9 Dzulhijjah, the standing at Arafah proceeded smoothly. He experienced ease during the stoning of the Jamarat al-Aqabah on 10 Dzulhijjah. Dadan felt as if Allah had cleared a path for him to the jamarat site. ‘When stoning the Jamarat al-Aqabah on 10 Dzulhijjah, there was a large crowd initially, but as we arrived, it seemed everyone made way for us,’ he recalled. During his time in Medina, he added, Dadan felt aided. ‘We were able to enter the Raudhah, pray there, before proceeding to Jeddah,’ he said. Dadan and his wife were originally scheduled to return on 4 June 2026, but due to an urgent matter with President Prabowo Subianto, he had to cut his trip short. ‘There was a significant event with the president on 2 and 3 June 2026, so I was asked to return earlier and had to secure commercial flights to catch up,’ he said. The head of BGN praised the 2026 Hajj operations under Indonesia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. As a pilgrim, Dadan said he experienced exemplary and responsive service.