05/05/2026
The Man Behind the Dream - Shaykh Abdullah AlKadi (God protect him)
Some moments in life are written long before we ever arrive at them. I first met Sheikh Abdullah Al-Kadi in 2007 back in Makkah, not knowing that this encounter would quietly plant a seed that would shape the next 17 years of my life.
Through his vision and his deep connection to the Seerah, he awakened in me a longing - to know the Messenger ﷺ not just through words, but through footsteps, landscapes, and lived experience.
It wasn’t just knowledge he inspired, but a yearning - to connect heart, mind, and body to the blessed journey of the Prophet ﷺ in a way that felt real, present, and transformative.
For years, that seed remained, growing silently through study, reflection, and a deepening love for the Prophetic biography and the sacred sites tied to it.
There was always a sense that something was waiting - a door yet to open, a path yet to be walked. And then, in July 2023, after nearly two decades of longing, that moment finally arrived.
Sitting in Knightsbridge, London, I was given the news I had carried in my heart for so long - the permission, the opening, the calling to embark on the Hijrah Wal journey.
What followed was beyond anything I could have imagined: the first Hijrah walk, completed with 10 brothers from around the world, retracing a path that is etched not just in history, but in the soul of this Ummah.
But it all traces back to this man, this meeting, this moment. Seventeen years of yearning culminated in a single conversation - one that turned a distant dream into a lived reality. And in that, I was reminded: when something is written for you, it will find you, no matter how long it takes.
What began as a dream to retrace the Prophetic footsteps has, by Allah’s grace, unfolded into something far beyond anything I could have imagined. Just two years later, over 165 people have now walked this path, each carrying their own story, their own longing, their own transformation.
And now, as we prepare for a full second season, I can only stand humbled and in awe. dream has become a living journey - and I remain nothing more than grateful to have witnessed it unfold.
