The expression "behind every dark cloud is a silver lining" is known to many, but for some it holds a meaning borne from a life-changing experience.
Such was the journey for Aryaf Taibah co-owner Don Hezry Tamyas, 43, and his wife Liana Muriati Mohammad Ghazali, 41, in the first quarter of last year during their trip to Mecca to perform the umrah.
What was supposed to be a two-week pilgrimage became a four-month stay.
"My wife was about six-and-a-half months pregnant with our fifth child at the time. A day before we were supposed to return to Malaysia, my wife's water broke during a visit to Prophet Muhammad's resting place.
"Our baby boy, Muhammad Ilham Madani, had to be delivered there. Because his birth was premature, he ended up being incubated for two months. Then about a month later, the Covid-19 pandemic broke," Hezry said.
He said hotels were shuttering one after another. While his wife and son were at the hospital, he had to move between hotels while looking for an opportunity to return home with his family.
"I did not have much to do, so I took up an offer from the travel agency representative we hired for the umrah trip to explore Medina. This is when I met the producers of Sajdah Madani prayer mats and Aryaf Taibah dates.
"Mada is the name of the company that produces prayer mats and rugs that are used in the two holiest mosques in Islam, the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
"Meanwhile, the Aryaf Taibah dates are grown on a sprawling farm located just 5km from the Prophet's Mosque, for close to 1,000 years by generations of the same family.
"I became friends with the proprietors of both businesses and this is when the light- bulb moment took place about bringing these prayer mats and high-quality dates back to Malaysia."
The first shipment of the goods arrived here in January and he has already set up Facebook and Instagram pages for it to be marketed online.
He also hired Malaysian Muslim pilgrim guides as staff members and retail agents to manage the packaging, distribution and delivery, following their loss of income due to the pandemic.
"We bring in about 31 designs of the Sajdah Madani prayer mats and rugs, which retails for RM159 to RM299 and it comes with 100g of Aryaf Taibah dates and Aura Madani fragrance.
"There are four types of Aryaf Taibah. They are Ajwa (the highest range), Anbar, Safawi and Suga'ie, which is sold for between RM45 and RM80 per kg."
Throughout the month of Ramadan, Hezry has a stall at the Halaman Batik Raya Ramadan Bazaar at the Square in Publika, which is open from 10am to 10.30pm daily.