The NFL Player Who Paused His Career for Hajj

Undrafted, Undeterred

No team called Husain Abdullah's name in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Washington State safety signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent — the longest of long shots — and made the roster on grit and preparation. Over four seasons in Minnesota (2008–2011) he climbed from special teams to a starting role, fasting through Ramadan even when it overlapped with training camp two-a-days.

Choosing Hajj Over Football

In 2012, Husain and his older brother Hamza — also an NFL safety — announced they would sit out the entire season to perform Hajj, the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca required of every able Muslim. Before traveling, the brothers drove some 13,000 miles across America, visiting mosques and communities in a month-long road trip during Ramadan.

The football world called it career suicide. There was no guarantee any team would sign a 27-year-old safety after a year away. The brothers went anyway — a modern echo of the very lesson at the heart of the Hijrah: sometimes faith asks you to leave the familiar with no promise of return.

The Comeback — and the Moment

Husain's bet on faith did not end his career. The Kansas City Chiefs signed him in 2013, and he played three more seasons. Then came September 29, 2014: Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots. In the fourth quarter of a 41–14 rout, Abdullah stepped in front of a Tom Brady pass and returned the interception 39 yards for a touchdown.

In the end zone, he slid to his knees and prostrated in sajdah — the Muslim posture of thanking God. Officials threw a flag: 15 yards, unsportsmanlike conduct. The reaction was immediate and national. By the next morning, the NFL publicly stated the penalty should not have been called — players, the league affirmed, should not be flagged for religious expression.

A touchdown, a prostration, a flag, and an apology — in one play, millions of viewers saw what gratitude looks like when it costs something.

Walking Away Healthy

On March 28, 2016, after five documented concussions across seven seasons, Abdullah announced his retirement, putting his long-term health and family first. He was 30 years old — still capable of playing, and clear-eyed enough to stop.

From the End Zone to the Page

Retirement opened the door to teaching, speaking, and writing. In 2024, Abdullah published Mecca to Medina: 100 Personal Reflections on Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ Hijrah Journey — a book that reads like his career played out: preparation, sacrifice, patience, gratitude. Each of its 100 reflections connects a moment of the Prophet’s ﷺ migration to the tests of ordinary life. Read his full biography or look inside the book.