Islam observes Ramadan as one of its holy months. From dawn to sunset, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking. Friends and family gather for a large meal called Iftar, which includes traditional foods. As one of Islam’s five pillars, fasting is one of the most important.
During Ramadan, I am filled with excitement. Several years ago, I started practicing Islam. Embracing Islam and wearing my hijab was an exciting experience for me. Alhamdulilah, I have noticed many changes since I started practicing good changes.
The Ramadan for this year was difficult due to the lack of hot water and heating. In order to wash, I boiled a kettle for hot water and filled up a pan with water. It was challenging to do wudu in the colder weather conditions.
This is my 30-day Ramadan 2022
DAY 1
On the first day of Ramadan, I felt energised and did an aerobics workout at home.
DAY 2
Praying Dhuhr صَلَاة ٱلظُّهْر – the second prayer of the day out of the five daily prayers.
DAY 3
I bought an iPhone cable from Holloway RoadI visited a halal butcher close to Finsbury Park“Palastine” in Finsbury Park
DAY 4
Today I felt unwell and phoned my GP for an appointment. I spent most of the day on the sofa and fasted. Ramadan is a time to increase one’s knowledge which is what I did
DAY 5
I prayed & prayed like every day in RamadanWinston Churchill lived on my road once upon a timeThe road I live on is patriotic
DAY 6
Documentary mood board for my final major project for university
DAY 7
I made daal for iftar
DAY 8
Off shopping for IftarI visited an Algerian shop in Finsbury Park
The dreaded locked gate. I have to climb over when I return home. It’s been like this for several months now. Climbing over with my bags is challenging when my trolley is heavy
DAY 9
My bath. I feel down today 😦 not having any clean hot water is frustrating. I have not washed my hair in over a week
DAY 10
Church Street Market Edgware RoadI prayed Asr in Central London Mosque
DAY 11
Today I felt sad as I have to find somewhere to live again due to my ongoing harassment and islamophobia.
DAY 12
I went shopping at Tesco in Vauxhall. The lady scanned all the products at the till. My bank card was declined. I had to leave the shopping behind. I’m so broke I have no money for food. I’m in my overdraft, behind with my rent and can’t pay my bills despite applying for 100 jobsI asked my local Afghan shop to fill my bottles with water. As I have no access to clean hot water in my flatAfter Iftar, I decided to log on to a Muslim matrimonial app and exchanged numbers with a man named Bilal
DAY 13
I need to clean my patio. Locals threw their rubbish on my patio. On two separate occasions, a man brought a bag of leaves and emptied them on my patioSomeone let themselves into my flat again. It happens so often and yes, I have reported it many times
DAY 14
I had no money for bottled water tonight. I filled up an empty bottle in Sainsbury’s toilets. Since we are in Ramadan, I need to pray, which means I need to perform wudu (ablution) several times a day. Having access to clean water is essential. Not having access to clean water is taking over my life
DAY 15
I had no money to buy food, so I went to the bureau de change with the 40 euros I had from my last trip to help refugees On my way back home, I visited my local fruit stall in Pimlico
DAY 16
I cleaned my dirty patio
DAY 17
I prayed Maghreb prayer on my clean patio
DAY 18
I booked a hotel so I can have a shower. After showering, the water started to sting my skin. I told the staff, who did not believe me. They refused to change my room or offer a refund. I left very upset and £80 down, having to book another hotelI bought my Iftar dinner from this lovely takeaway in Paddington. I arrived at the new hotel around 10pm, down the road from the previous hotel. I paid £52 for the nightI had another shower and this time, my body did not sting.
DAY 19
WhitechapelI gave a homeless man in Whitechapel some money. He told me he does not have anywhere to live with his cat and dogI received my student loan which means I can afford some decent food Alhamdulilah
DAY 20
Today I went to Brixton for food shopping. When you fast, all you can think of is food 🙂
DAY 21
I was unwell and could not move from my sofa for 24 hours.
DAY 22
East Ham for food, haha. I’m not fasting, as when women are on their monthly cycle, they are exempt from fasting.I went to Primark and bought some makeup & tights. Then treated myself to a lovely chicken curry from a Pakistani restaurant
DAY 23
I bought a new bakhoor burner a couple of weeks ago from Tooting. The smell is divine.
DAY 24
I packed a case waiting for an UBERThe UBER driver knew me. He dropped me outside New Scotland Yard for my university project some months ago. I arrived at my hotel. I had to book a hotel again to have a shower
DAY 25
I left the hotel in Bayswater and caught a tube to Edgware Road.
DAY 26
I took a train to East Croydon to buy dinner for Iftar. I started fasting after five days of not fasting due to my monthly cycle.
DAY 27
My cat Cookie was killed recently. Today I finally donated all her toys and beds to a local charity. It was emotional as it felt like the final goodbye. I did keep one toy and her blanket. Ramadan is a time for giving to those in need. Cookies toys may likely go to UkraineI’ve donated items to Mike’s charity on a couple of occasions. He does some fantastic work in Pimlico
DAY 28
After several days of not having a shower, I decided to join my local gym. After a workout on the cross-trainer. I had a shower, scrubbed my body and washed my hair. It felt amazing and refreshing
DAY 29
I joined another gym—the Dilly Hotel in Piccadilly, London. I had a better experience at the Dilly than at my local gym.
I met a Syrian man on my way to a coffee shop. He converted to Christianity and left Islam some years ago. I explained to him how the bible is one of the books for Muslims and how Christians are Ahlu Al-Kitab which means“people of the book I drank tea at Starbucks on Edgware Road
DAY 30
Today is the final day of Ramadan. I prayed. Tomorrow is EID SubhanAllah 🙂
Omg what a wonderful emotional journey filled with strength, emotions, presistance, kindness and godly light in the heart.
I felt so small and humble in front of your passion and faith.
May Allah bless, ease and enlight your path always.
Salam Hello Abdelrahman thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so happy to read that you liked my 30 Days of Ramadan project. Ameen ya rabb for your dua. May the Al Wadud accept it from us InshaAllah.
Parveen Ali 
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