Horror on the Desert Road

It was the night of September 19, 2023. He had just gotten married and had gone to his home country after the wedding. When he was returning from his country, he acquired a new 2023 model Toyota Raize from the showroom on a five-year installment plan. His work was going well, by the grace of Allah, Alhamdulillah. Then, what happened was his in-laws came to Mecca with their whole family to perform Umrah. It was, of course, prearranged that he would come. He lives in Dammam, which is quite far. But those who are in Saudi Arabia know how far the cities of Dammam and Riyadh are from Mecca. From Al-Ahsa, Mecca is about 1300 km away. No matter how good the roads are there, it's not easy to just drive over such a long distance. It takes a long time to drive. And Ataur Rahman's father-in-law had been in Saudi Arabia for 25 years. He was a driver for a company, so he knew all about the roads in Saudi Arabia and the techniques of driving there. So, his father-in-law said, "Son, when you come, come by bus. There's no need to come in a private car." He must have thought it through, considering he was coming from Dammam, and he had a lot of experience with the roads there. Ataur Rahman was new; he had no experience. The person who drove in Saudi Arabia for 25 years and gained experience driving to various remote cities of Saudi Arabia, he would naturally understand better than him what kind of problems there are on which roads. Based on that experience, he said, "Son, you should come to Mecca by bus."

So anyway, what happens in the meantime is that Ataur Rahman's friend contacts him and asks him to go to Riyadh. So he drove from Dammam to Riyadh, and from Riyadh, he'll be going to Mecca. This is a long distance. Anyway, he went to his friend's place because he had some urgent work. He went there, and then he's about to leave Riyadh. The distance between Riyadh and the city of Mecca is quite significant. Anyway, he set off around 8:00 PM, heading towards Mecca from Riyadh. After leaving the city of Riyadh, the road is winding, and on both sides, there are "jabal," meaning stone mountains, which look very beautiful at night, especially when there are many stars in the sky. When the presence of stars in the sky is abundant, and there's a moon, the mountains look extraordinary in the moonlight, a captivating scene. So, enjoying the dim moonlight, he's driving along. And to avoid falling asleep while driving, because the roads there, you see, just keep going straight. You might encounter 100 kilometers of straight road. It exists. There's a straight road in Saudi Arabia that's almost 250 kilometers long, the longest in the world. So there's no shortage of roads where you can drive for almost 50, 60, or 100 kilometers without a single turn. That can make you sleepy. That's why drivers sometimes chew on some nuts. At that time, Ataur Rahman was chewing on sunflower seeds to stay awake. After driving for two hours, he notices that the number of cars on the road has decreased significantly, which is normal since it's night. The speed limit on that road at that time was 140 kilometers per hour.

So, he was driving between 130 and 135 km/h when suddenly he noticed a dazzling white camel crossing his car's path. He thought it was a trick of the eye and didn't pay much attention to it. But he wondered, "How did a camel get on the road?" Because both sides of the road had strong barbed wire fences. He then thought, "Maybe a lone camel jumped over a fence, or maybe it came through a broken section." This thought didn't linger in his mind for long. Suddenly, he saw the same white camel running behind his car and then pulling up alongside it, keeping pace. He immediately checked the speedometer and saw his car was going 140 km/h. How was that possible? Could a camel really run that fast? Surely not.

The camel ran for about three minutes and then, it seemed to him, stopped. It seemed like it was exhausted. Then he thought, "Thank goodness, that nuisance is gone." He had an energy drink in his car, which he drank, while wondering what was happening to him. Meanwhile, he had a headache and was experiencing shivers from time to time, and he felt restless. There was a stifling atmosphere inside the car, a sense of unease working within him. He didn't feel comfortable sitting in one place, because sitting in the driver's seat, he felt like he wasn't really at ease in this spot. So, he drove a bit further down the road to a safe place and pulled the car over to the side. He turned on the rear indicator lights so that any approaching vehicles could see from a distance that there was a car parked on the side of the road. It's a standard procedure, you see.

Anyway, he stood there for a bit. There was a deafening silence, broken only by the occasional car speeding past. He figured, since he was going to be getting in the car soon anyway, he might as well relieve himself. He felt the urge to urinate, so he walked a little ways from the car to where there was a barbed wire fence. He squatted near the fence to freshen up when suddenly, he felt a chilling touch. It felt like a very cold hand was placed on his shoulder. He was too scared to turn his head. He then wondered if the police were coming, if a patrol car was doing their duty and heading this way. As soon as he looked back, he saw nothing. So who put their hand on his shoulder? Was it just his imagination? No, it wasn't his imagination. When he looked back towards the car, he saw a terrifying sight. He saw a dark, pitch-black, tall figure, probably seven or eight feet tall. It was standing right next to his car, staring at him with large eyes, as if it was about to tear him apart and devour him. Its claws were clearly visible, like the claws of a ferocious beast, and its eyes were burning like fire. He passed out right there. He regained consciousness when the first light of dawn appeared. In that time, no car stopped to help him, and no patrol police must have come that way, which is probably why nobody noticed him. Or maybe cars passed by, but they didn't stop. So he, alone, with Allah's grace, managed to get up and drive back to Mecca. That night's event remains a nightmare for him, one that still haunts him to this day.

So, that's basically why his father-in-law told him to come by bus. It's because driving alone on such a long journey, with many desolate places along the way...those who are in Saudi Arabia or various parts of the Middle East know that there are such long stretches where there's nothing around – no houses, no shops, absolutely nothing. The road cuts through the desert, leading to distant places. You can see large mountains in the distance, and there are wild dogs in those mountains. Besides that, you don't see anything else. And in some places, even those dogs are absent. I mean, it's completely silent. If someone has a car accident there, there's no way to know. And if someone falls ill, there's no way to know either. It's such a silent place.

Listeners, that was the story. I hope our expat brothers, especially those in Saudi Arabia who drive at night, or those in Bangladesh who are driving or will be driving at night, when you hear this story while driving, this is for you. If you face this kind of problem while driving, you must recite Ayatul Kursi and blow on all four sides, sorry, blow on all sides. At the same time, while driving, we might see multiple roads. At that time, don't go anywhere to the right or left of the road. Pull the car over to the side and give the adhan (call to prayer). As soon as you give the adhan, your problem will be solved. Basically, a jinn called "Goylar" creates illusions for people, especially on the road. And why did it happen in that place? Ataur Rahman Bhai probably can't say because that place was unfamiliar to him. That's why it wasn't possible to uncover the mysteries of that place. He was just passing through. And there aren't people there either, so he couldn't get any information from anyone. Anyway, that was it.