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Every year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims travel to Makkah seeking spiritual purification.
And every year, a small but determined group apparently decides their true mission is to become international water smugglers.
This week, Tabung Haji once again reminded pilgrims not to hide extra Zamzam water in their luggage because Saudi authorities can detect it during screening and may open the bags for inspection.
Apparently, this reminder is necessary because there are still people who genuinely believe they can outsmart airport scanners.
Airport scanners today can detect explosives, weapons, electronics and suspicious liquids. Yet somewhere out there is Pakcik Bahar from Sungai Petani, staring at five bottles of Zamzam and thinking, "Not if I wrap it in blankets and enough buble wrap."
The funny thing is that this happens every year. Every year authorities issue the same reminder. Every year somebody ignores it. And every year luggage gets opened.
There is something beautifully Malaysian about this.
Tell us something we should not do and suddenly we behave as though our basic freedoms are under attack.
No outside food in the cinema? Quick. Hide that nasi goreng, keropok lekor and two packets of Ribena in a handbag!
Maximum speed limit is 110 km/h? Turn on Waze and get alerts on the whereabouts of speed detecting cameras. Clearly the government is trying to suppress our God-given right to arrive at our destination three minutes earlier.
Only two packs of cooking oil per person at the supermarket? Time to call the cousin, the auntie, the husband and two children to join the queue.
We are the same people who see a sign saying "Do Not Touch" and immediately wonder what happens if we touch it.
I imagine some pilgrims gathering in hotel rooms late at night like Ocean's Eleven.
"Brother, where shall we hide the extra bottle?"
"In the luggage."
"They'll find it."
"Not if we put it inside another bag."
"They'll still find it."
"Then we put that bag inside another bag."
"Brilliant."
The result is exactly what Tabung Haji warned about. Bags get opened. Items get unpacked. Belongings get misplaced. Souvenirs end up looking like they survived a natural disaster.
All because somebody wanted enough Zamzam water to supply an entire housing estate.
What makes this ridiculous, is that Saudi Arabia already has an official system for pilgrims to bring Zamzam home. Airports have designated procedures and officially packed bottles specifically for this purpose. The rules are not exactly hidden.
But rules have never been a match for Malaysian optimism.
Seek forgiveness, then seek ways to cheat
Perhaps the funniest part of this story is not that some pilgrims are trying to sneak extra Zamzam water home. It's that they are trying to do it immediately after completing Hajj.
Hajj is supposed to be a journey of spiritual purification. A time to reflect on one's relationship with God, one's conduct, one's character, and one's responsibilities towards others.
Yet somewhere between Makkah and the airport, a few people apparently look at the rules and think, "Technically, I know I'm not supposed to do this. But maybe if I wrap it in enough clothing..."
There is something deeply human about that. We spend weeks seeking forgiveness, only to immediately start searching for loopholes to cheat the system.
We ask God to make us better people. Then we try to outsmart airport scanners.
The irony is almost poetic.
Of course, this is not unique to Hajj pilgrims. In many ways, it reflects a larger Malaysian habit.
We love rules. We love talking about rules. We love giving speeches about rules. We love putting rules on banners, billboards, school walls, office walls, and government campaigns.
But the moment a rule inconveniences us personally, our national creativity suddenly awakens.
The question changes from "Should I follow this rule?" to "How much can I get away with before someone catches me?"
Maybe that is why this Zamzam story feels so familiar. It is the same contradiction we see everywhere.
We sing patriotic songs about unity, harmony, and fairness. Then immediately support special treatment when it benefits us.
We speak passionately about integrity. Then we become the people who manage to jump queues, bend regulations, or exploit loopholes.
We praise honesty as a national value. Then we take pride on being clever enough to beat the system.
The problem is not that Malaysians do not know what is right. We are constantly talking about what is right. The problem is that many of us believe principles are wonderful things to have until they become personally inconvenient.
That is why the image of someone hiding Zamzam water in their luggage feels strangely symbolic.
It is not really about the water. It is about the belief that rules are important for everyone else. Just not for us.
And perhaps that is the most Malaysian thing of all.
A nation of people who can spend weeks purifying the soul, stand before God in humility, and then spend the flight home feeling proud that nobody discovered their three bottles of undeclared Zamzam water hidden inside fourteen layers of baju Melayu, two towels, five kain pelikat, a blanket, and, for reasons known only to them, a pair of used underwear.
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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