Observing Ramadan at NWAS

In March, Muslims across the world will once again observe the holy month of Ramadan. It is an important month in the Islamic calendar in which Muslims fast for either 29 or 30 days, depending on the sighting of the moon. This involves fasting from sunrise to sunset without food or water. The end of Ramadan is then marked with the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr.

There will be many of our colleagues across the region who will be observing Ramadan, one of those is Health Advisor and NHS 111 Wellbeing Champion Hassan Sheth. We caught up with Hassan to find out what this holy month means to him, what it involves, and how his colleagues help to support him through it.

Hassan said: “Ramadan allows me to focus my time on praying. It also puts into perspective how lucky I am to have access to food and water whilst millions around the world may not be in the same fortunate position.

“Like many other Muslims, I aim to increase the number of good deeds I do such as contributing more to charity. I attend special daily prayers at night known as Taraweeh prayers which are 20 units of prayer in cycles of four that follow our night prayer (Isha), with the person leading the prayer reciting verses from the Quran by memory.”

Hassan will be fasting during his working hours, as they fall between sunrise and sunset. He explains how his colleagues show their respect: “Some of my colleagues that don’t observe Ramadan have taken on the challenge of fasting to show their support. One of the team managers also completed three days of fasting last year and then shared how much of a positive experience it was for them.

“Additionally, some of my colleagues won’t have any fluids whilst at their desks simply out of respect for those fasting around them, which is thoughtful.”

Ramadan starts conversations all over the world and the same can be said for in NWAS. Hassan said: “Myself and other Muslim colleagues get asked about Ramadan by members of the team from different backgrounds. It is nice to experience this and see that colleagues want to learn more about this special month.”