Meet UAE delivery rider who went viral for Quran reading session between orders

A delivery rider from Uganda has gone viral in the UAE after he was filmed reading the Quran beside his motorcycle during a break between orders, a routine he says helps him stay connected to his faith while working away from his family.

Mansur Katabalwa has been living and working in the UAE for two years and has spent the past five months delivering orders through Talabat. He came to the country with one goal in mind: to support his wife and two children back home. “I came to the UAE for my family. I wanted to give my wife and two children back home a better life and a brighter future,” Katabalwa said.

His quiet routine between deliveries recently caught attention after he was filmed with a physical copy of the Quran beside his motorcycle. For Katabalwa, however, reading during his breaks is not something he began because of the attention online. It is part of a deeply personal journey that began after losing three members of his family.

Katabalwa said he memorised the Quran three years ago, following the deaths of his parents and brother, a period of loss that brought him closer to his faith.

His job means much of his day is spent on the road, but he has found ways to continue revising what he has memorised. While riding, Katabalwa said he listens to Quran recitations on his phone. When he has time between orders, he turns to the physical copy he carries with him.

“During breaks between deliveries, I hold a physical copy, which helps me focus and feel more connected,” he said. The time is also dedicated to remembering his parents. “I read and revise it to pray for my late mother and father, asking Allah for their forgiveness and a high place in Jannah,” he said.

What appeared online as a brief moment between deliveries is therefore part of a routine Katabalwa has maintained while balancing long hours on the road, supporting his family abroad and keeping up with the Quran he memorised years earlier.

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