Parents Deceased, 15-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Hajj Candidate in West Sumatra

The West Sumatra Regional Office of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will send off the youngest Hajj candidate, aged 15, named Latifa Syafvina Putri Zuhrizal, for the 1447 Hijriah/2026 Hajj season. “After checking earlier, the youngest Hajj candidate is 15 years old from Padang City,” said the Head of the West Sumatra Hajj and Umrah Regional Office, M. Rifki, in Padang on Thursday, during the arrival of Hajj candidates from Padang City in Flight Group (Kloter) 1 at the Padang Hajj Embarkation Point. M. Rifki explained that the Hajj candidate named Latifa Syafvina Putri Zuhrizal is replacing her parents who were supposed to depart for the Holy Land in Kloter 1. The substitution occurred because the parents passed away, so it was transferred to their child. Referring to Law Number 14 of 2025 on the Third Amendment to Law Number 8 of 2019 on Hajj and Umrah Worship, substitutions for Hajj candidates are permitted for those at least 13 years old. “So this new 15-year-old Hajj candidate is replacing her deceased parent,” Rifki stated. Meanwhile, the oldest Hajj candidate for the 1447 Hijriah/2026 season is recorded as Ranyam Jamaan Arif, aged 85, from Padang City. Overall, the West Sumatra Hajj and Umrah Ministry records 5,402 Hajj candidates who will depart for Saudi Arabia in 2026. For the first kloter, there are 386 Hajj candidates, plus four PPIH kloter officers, two regional Hajj officers, and one Kelompok Bimbingan Ibadah Haji dan Umrah (KBIHU) officer. Before departing for Saudi Arabia, the Hajj candidates will be farewelled from the Padang Hajj Hostel at 4:00 PM WIB and are scheduled to take off from Minangkabau International Airport on Friday (24/4) at 01:05 AM WIB. The group is expected to arrive in Madinah at 06:00 local time.