What started as a routine journey to Mecca turned into a remarkable story of faith, determination, and destiny for a Libyan pilgrim who refused to give up on his dream of performing Hajj.
Amer Al Mahdi Mansour Al Gaddafi, a young man from Libya, was all set to fulfill his lifelong spiritual goal of performing Hajj this year. However, his journey faced an unexpected obstacle at the airport when he was held back at immigration due to security concerns linked to his surname — Al Gaddafi — still flagged in some systems more than a decade after Libya’s civil conflict.
While his group boarded the flight, Amer remained detained at the counter. Despite his appeals, the captain reportedly decided to depart without him, citing security uncertainties and schedule constraints.
But fate had other plans.
Shortly after takeoff, the flight experienced a technical malfunction and was forced to return. After a brief repair, it attempted to take off again — only to face another issue, resulting in a second emergency return.
According to passengers and crew, it was after the second landing that the captain declared: “I swear I won’t fly again unless Amer is with us on this plane.”
Following this, authorities swiftly cleared Amer for travel. On the third attempt, with Amer finally on board, the flight took off and reached its destination without incident.
The story quickly went viral on social media, with many calling it a sign of divine intervention and the power of prayer. “I only wanted to go to Hajj,” Amer told local media. “And I believed that if it was written for me, no force could stop it.”
