Professional heavyweight boxer and former Rugby player from New Zealand, Sonny Bill Williams is the second famous Muslim convert to mark the religious trip to Makkah and Madinah this year after South Korean pop singer, YouTuber, Daud Kim.
Sonny performed his first Umrah of 2023 and shared several glimpses of pilgrimage on his Instagram handle.
Sharing several photos of himself in an ihram, the garments worn to perform Umrah by men from Makkah Sonny Bill Williams wrote, “Umrah 2023 ✅ To anyone that myself or my family have upset or may have wronged please forgive us 🤲🏽 love and blessings my friends ❤️🕋.”
In another post, Sonny also shared photos from Madinah and wrote, “A surreal feeling being at a Janazah in Madinah. Always puts this life into perspective. Forever grateful for each day. 🤲🏽❤️ Alhamdullilah.”
Umrah is a pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia. It can be undertaken at any time of the year, while Haj is an annual pilgrimage performed around Eid-Al-Adha.
More about Sonny Bill Williams
37-year-old Sonny Bill Williams, who is of Samoan and European descent, converted to Islam in 2009 after meeting a Tunisian Muslim family who lives with their five children in a small apartment in Toulon (southern France).
According to him, he was the guy who used to chase girls, drink wine, and indulge in luxury, which made him feel empty and empty in his heart. He said my message is about unity, love and peace – that’s what Islam is. His life conversion greatly affected many other people but mainly his mother and his teammate, leading them to convert to Islam.
He was a Christian before converting to Islam.
Sonny, who has now turned his attention to boxing, is never shy about his faith — his social media is full of Islamic threads and topics.
Sonny met his wife Alana for the first timd at a shop where she worked at in 2013. After a few chaperoned meetings, they had their nikah (wedding).
In August 2022, Sonny shared his delight with fans about his wife Alana’s decision to wear the headscarf.
“My wife’s a hijabi! Alhamdullilah my wife decided to put the head scarf on. One of the proudest moments of my life,” he wrote on Twitter.
“What makes it so special is knowing she has done it for Allah SWT and no one else. May the most high always bless you with good health, contentment & happiness,” he added.
