Pakistani at the age of 65 Mohammad Dawood, a resident of Sharjah, has one goal: he wants to ride his motorcycle to every mosque in the United Arab Emirates to do the fajr prayer.
On his YouTube vlogging channel, In Love with Masajids, he has already driven to approximately 100 mosques in the Northern Emirates and recounted some of his experiences.
Dawood formerly had five motorcycles. He now only has two. It’s a Kawasaki Ninja ZX14, his other motorcycle.
The bike enthusiast, who moved to the UAE from Saudi Arabia around 20 years ago, expressed his desire to do the required early morning prayers at all 4,000 or so mosques in the nation before his death.
Dawood, a sales manager for an American business, started his journey around three years ago.
“What began as a whim has now turned into a daily ritual,” he said.
“Long before the crack of dawn, I get into my biking gear and drive down to far-flung mosques, often braving heavy fog and chilly winds. Every day it’s a new mosque and a new experience.”
His passion recently took him to a modest mosque in a distant area of Ras Al Khaimah.
“It was about 100 kilometers from my place in Al Heera. I left my house at 3.30am. The driving conditions were treacherous because of the dense fog, with visibility down to just a few meters on some stretches but I managed to reach the mosque well before fajr and get back home safely.”
Dawood said he routinely gets curious and admiring glances from fellow worshippers.
“An elderly man riding a cool sports bike to a mosque under night skies, miles away from his house, you don’t see that often, do you?” he chuckles.
“They are even more amazed and intrigued when they learn my story. Many of them have since become good friends.”
