Why I travelled the country asking Muslims what Ramadan means to them

There are some staple moments of Ramadan that simply never change.

From the debate of when Ramadan starts, to being asked a thousand times “not even water?” when telling non-Muslims you are going without food and drink during sunlight hours for an entire month.

The truth is, these instances are all part of a shared experience in this very special month, one that ties the four million Muslims in the UK together.

While I’ve fasted during Ramadan since becoming of age, this year has been particularly unique, as I’ve been doing a documentary for ITV about Ramadan across the country.

Join Shehab Khan as he travels across the country, meeting those fasting from sunrise to sunset and exploring why this holy month means so much to so many

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with British Muslim communities from London to Bradford to Aberdeen, to see how they observe this holy month and why this period means so much to so many.

I was particularly touched by the efforts being made across the country to ensure people felt included.

In Bradford, we spoke to a non-Muslim teacher who chose to fast to understand what his pupils were going through this month, while in London’s West End, the Ramadan Lights were turned on, a moment which Aisha Desai, the founder of the project, said gave her a “sense of belonging”.

That has been a recurring theme throughout my journey and was even expressed at Crystal Palace Football Club where I spent time with Jordan Ayew, one of the club’s leading goal scorers.

Despite being an elite athlete playing sport at the highest level, he fasts while training and says it helps build his mental resilience but it was the moment I watched him share with his Muslim teammates as they spoke about Ramadan and prayed together, which showed, despite being thousands of miles away from his home in Ghana, Ramadan had helped to provide a sense of belonging and a shared connection with teammates.

But there is also a deep spiritual meaning to this month, where millions of Muslims around the country focus on their faith.

In Aberdeen I spent the night with Muslims who are participating in Itikaf, where you seclude yourself in the mosque, cut yourself away from society, to focus on prayers.

It was a deeply spiritual experience and while those who are doing it will do it for the last ten nights of Ramadan, my one night was enough for me to feel like I was transported away from our modern-day world.

Similarly at the East London Mosque, where I was for the busiest night of the year, the 27th night of Ramadan, thought to be the night of power.

I watched as more than ten thousand people joined in prayer together and also raised money for charity, donating almost £260,000, as people prayed through the night into the early hours of the morning.

It has been an incredible month and getting the chance to share this special time with so many different communities has allowed me to properly understand why Ramadan invokes a unique feeling among so many Muslims around the world and why it’s such a special time of the year.

Watch Ramadan: A journey across Britain on Wednesday April 10 at 22.45 on ITV and also on ITVX.

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