Differently-abled child performs Umrah without wheelchair

15-year-old Ghanim al Muftah is also the Qatar’s youngest entrepreneur


News Desk January 23, 2017
Ghanim is also a swimmer, ice skater, professional scuba diver and mountain climber. PHOTO: GHANIM AL MUFTAH

A differently-abled boy from Qatar has proved nothing is insurmountable in life if we take the right path.

Ghanim al Muftah stunned the world after he refused to perform Umrah rituals on a wheelchair, and instead used his hands to crawl and perform Tawaf of the Kaaba.

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The 15-year-old said it was his dream to perform Tawaf, and prove his ability was way stronger than his disability.

"Allah answered my prayers and I was able to perform Umrah and circumambulate the Kaaba on my hands. The assistance I received was the reason behind this achievement," he told Arab News.

YouTube screen grab

Imam of the Grand mosque Sheikh Maher al Muayqili also met the child while he was performing Tawaf; embracing and felicitating him.

One of a twin, al Muftah suffers from Caudal Regression Syndrome, a rare disorder that impairs development of the lower spine leaving him with a severely under developed lower body.



However, the disability did not deter Ghanim at all. The teenager went on to become Qatar’s youngest entrepreneur establishing an ice cream company that has six branches and employs 60 people.

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Besides, Ghanim is also a swimmer, ice skater, professional scuba diver and mountain climber, and aspires to be a future Paralympian.

The 9th grader who’s a student at the Al Doha Academy, also attended the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit held in Dubai last year and has climbed Oman's 3,000-metre Jebel Akhdar Mountain, and dreams of conquering the world’s highest peak Mount Everest one day.

This article originally appeared on Khaleej Times

COMMENTS (1)

Ahmar Khan | 7 years ago | Reply Differently abled? Really? We are there now?
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