A Yemeni citizen, Ali Al-Alwadee, is the man who performed Tawaf by swimming around the Kaaba 84 years ago. In 1941, during a heavy flood, he swam around the Kaaba.
Ali Al-Alwadee, who was from Yemen, passed away in 2015. In the final days of his life, he used to recall this incident. He used to say that he had reached the Kaaba during his youth and saw the Kaaba submerged due to a flood. The water was so high that walking around the Kaaba was impossible.
Ali said that during that time, he swam around the Kaaba eight times while his friends cheered him on. In the picture, Ali can be seen doing Tawaf by swimming, while his brother and a friend are sitting at the Kaaba’s door.
According to historical records, only two people in history have had the honor of performing Tawaf by swimming around the Kaaba. The first was the companion of the Prophet ﷺ, Abdullah ibn Al-Zubair (رضي الله عنه), and the second was this Yemeni citizen, Ali Al-Alwadee, 84 years ago.
