A series of dreams led a former priest from South Africa to convert and led thousands of his followers to Islam. His name is changed from Richmond to Ibrahim.

“I will follow the footsteps [of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him] and I believe by following these footsteps millions of my people in South Africa will follow these footsteps to see the light,” he said in a video uploaded on Twitter by Saudi Arabia’s Government Communication Center on Sunday.

“This is the mountain of light. I am the first one in my family to touch here, this soil, this blessed soil.”

He arrived in Saudi Arabia for Hajj as a guest of the King Salman Ḥajj Programme.

He was a priest for 15 years and a leader of the congregation of a church in South Africa where he had around 100,000 followers.

Ibrahim said that his life changed after having a similar dream multiple times where a voice told him: “Tell your men to wear white coats.” He tried to describe Taqiya, a white cap worn by many Muslims for prayers.

At first, he did not pay much attention to it and termed it “just a dream” as the order was related to Muslims. “It came again and again and the last time this voice became aggressive. ‘Now tell your men’.”

He then conveyed this message to a congregation, where according to him all of the people just accepted it. Then when the next meeting came on the next congregation, he added that everyone was wearing white kurtas.

Three months ago, Ibrahim said that the people were supportive when he shared his message with them in a church. “What I was saying, they were also saying it. Those thousand voices saying one… what shaada would mean. We were happy, then I saw Muslim brothers coming. I said I have been waiting for you, I have been waiting for you, I had a dream, that you will come here,” Ibrahim said as he sobbed.

He added that Allah made it easy for him in the holy journey of Hajj. “I am so happy and lucky to be given that chance.”

Another video, shared by Haramain’s Twitter account, showed him arriving in Makkah and performing the first rituals of Hajj.

More than 1.8 million pilgrims – including 1,660,915 foreigners and 184,130 domestic – ascended Mount Arafat on Tuesday in the climax of Hajj, according to the National Statistics Authority

Pilgrims then would descend by train back to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they will take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamrat Al-Aqaba and spend the night.

All pilgrims would head back to Mina, where they would sacrifice animals to mark the beginning of the four-day Eidul Azha on Wednesday.