A history-making journey of faith, brotherhood and compassion was celebrated at Bankstown on Sunday 9 August, with the premiere of a documentary highlighting the 2025 Hijrah Umrah Makkah to Madinah Cycling Challenge.

Hosted by Islamic Relief Australia and Sydney Muslim Cyclists, the premiere brought together participants in the ride, family, friends and other members of the Sydney Muslim community to relive a remarkable 503 kilometre ride between Islam's two holiest cities.

The challenge was an initiative of Islamic Relief Australia, delivered in partnership with Sydney Muslim Cyclists.

The ride, undertaken in late 2025, was the first time an Australian group had completed the historic Makkah to Madinah route by bicycle.

The 12-man Australian contingent were joined in Makkah by cyclists from Great Britain and South Africa, creating an international group united by faith and a shared cause.

In all, the Australians rode alongside a global cohort of 34 riders drawn from the wider Islamic Relief family.

Over four demanding days, the riders covered approximately 503 kilometres, including stages of around 100 kilometres, 150 kilometres, 100 kilometres and a gruelling 160 kilometres on the final day.

The journey took them through Badr, site of the historic battle, before concluding at Masjid Quba in Madinah, the first mosque built in Islam.

Reflecting on the experience after returning to Australia, Sydney Muslim Cyclists founder Dr Tarek Sari (a major driving force in this initiative) told AMUST back in January that the international group quickly developed a strong bond.

"In Makkah, we met cyclists from Scotland, South Africa and the UK, and instantly we formed a bond – a connection – and more importantly, a brotherhood."

That brotherhood was tested by long days 'in the saddle', desert winds and temperatures exceeding 35 degrees.

But the cyclists constantly shrugged off these physical challenges, rating their own trials and tribulations as almost trivial in comparison to the far greater suffering being experienced by Palestinians.

The humanitarian purpose of the journey was to raise funds to support pregnant women and children in Gaza, helping provide safe pregnancies, supported births and maternal healthcare – building on Islamic Relief's presence in Palestine and Gaza since 1997, through which its maternity project has already supported more than 500 safe newborn deliveries.

The Australian campaign alone had raised $84,961 and those funds will assist 74 birthing mothers in Gaza, providing desperately needed support for some of those facing pregnancy and childbirth amid the devastating humanitarian conditions there.

The figure represents a significant increase from the campaign's original $50,000 target and demonstrates the response of the Australian Muslim community to the riders' appeal.

For the cyclists, Gaza remained at the heart of the journey throughout.

"We knew our struggles were minimal," Dr Sari said at the premiere. "We took inspiration from our brothers and sisters in Gaza, who often travel many kilometres on foot carrying everything they own…. that kept us resilient."

The premiere saw Hajj Mark Scorzelli and Hajj Yusuf Islam Schellen join Dr Sari on stage, providing them the opportunity to revisit the physical and spiritual dimensions of the historic ride.

The event was expertly compered by Brother Hamzah Adam (Islamic Relief's Queensland Fundraising Manager).

The full Australian contingent comprised 11 members of the Sydney Muslim Cyclists: Hajj Mark Scorzelli, Dr Tarek Sari, Hajj Ahmad Ageez, Hajj Harunur Rashid, Hajj Yusuf Islam Schellen, Professor Sam Adie, Dr Fathalla Ali, Hajj Firaz Osman, Hajj Hussein Ghamraoui and Dr Osman Darwiche, together with Hajj Imran Bhagoo of Brisbane.

Earlier in the programme, guests heard a Qur'an recitation by Hajj Yusef's son, Ustadh Ahmad Schellen, a teacher at Daar Ibn Abbas.

While the Sydney premiere celebrated the achievements of the 2025 ride, it also announced the next chapter of the challenge.

Makkah to Madinah 2026 will return in December, with 35 'challengers' – nearly triple the size of the original group – taking on the same sacred route, and a fundraising target of $100,000 dedicated to the Gaza maternity project.

The 2026 challenge will build on a first ride that combined physical endurance with worship, historical reflection, international brotherhood and a tangible humanitarian outcome.

For the Australian riders, the achievement was never simply about completing the gruelling ride between two sacred cities.

It was about using a journey of faith to draw attention to people facing unimaginable hardship – and turning that journey into practical assistance for mothers and their children in Gaza.

The premiere also provided a fitting reminder that the road from Makkah to Madinah did not end when the cyclists reached Masjid Quba.

Through the funds raised and the lives they are helping to support, its humanitarian journey continues.

Those wishing to support the 2026 Makkah to Madinah challengers can donate via https://www.launchgood.com/v4/campaign/cycle_for_gaza_maternal_health_with_sydney_muslim_cyclists_2026

Islamic Relief Australia CEO Samir Bennegadi and Dr Tarek Sari were full of praise for the initiative's amazing sponsors: Shore Projects, Ozbrick Masonry, Future Form, LWC Lift Worx Cranes, The Back Specialist Health Clinic, The Last Slice and Prime Cranes.