How do you prepare for Ramadan?

Every time I approach Ramadan, I spend some time thinking about how I’m going to tackle the month. It’s such a precious and valuable time for a Muslim; it’s just one month, but it’s worth a whole year in terms of doing good deeds and the spiritual benefits that you receive. But it’s hard, too, so I’ll trial different routines to find out what works best for my body.

What are your biggest challenges?

The fasting isn’t too difficult. I’m not a big breakfast guy anyway; my first meal of the day is usually around 2.00pm. So, adding another three or four hours to that is easy. It’s the lack of water that I find difficult. Your body starts to shut down; you get headaches. You can’t concentrate or focus.

How does this affect your work?

In the first week of Ramadan, I tried sleeping during the day, which helped with the headaches, but wasn’t a feasible option. I was missing emails. People were messaging me on WhatsApp, but I was fast asleep. So now, I’m just trying to stay up. It’s hard, but it’s just a month.

So, what does your daily routine look like right now?

I wake up at around 5.00am and have some water and a few dates for Suhoor, the last meal before fasting begins. I’ll then pray the morning prayer with my family, and from there, I’ll stay awake for as long as I can. I might have an afternoon nap from around 3.00 until 5.00pm, and from there it’s almost time to open up the fast. I’ll pray my evening prayer then I’ll eat Iftar with my family. From there, I’ll go to the mosque for my final prayer of the day, and in addition to that, there’s a special night prayer called Tarawih, which is only performed during Ramadan. It all takes about an hour and a half to two hours. I’ll be back at 10.30pm in the evening and then in bed by 11.00pm.

What are the biggest misconceptions of Ramadan from a non-Islamic perspective?

When I speak to my non-Muslim friends, there’s a lot of emphasis placed on the fact that we don’t eat or drink during the day, and while that’s definitely part of it, there’s so much more to Ramadan than just that. For me, it’s all about spending time with family and friends. When I go to the mosque for night prayer, I reconnect with old mates whom I haven’t seen in years. Every night, I sit down with my family. We’re all back at home. We eat together, talk together and the TV’s not been on once. There’s a real sense of community; it’s a bit like Christmas in that respect.

What benefits do you feel on a physical level?

It’s a reset. A mental and physical reset. You can get into bad habits over the year – when you eat, how you eat, your water intake – and Ramadan is a chance to reset all of that. I drink maybe a litre of water per day during the year, but during Ramadan, I’m drinking three or four. And I might fast all day and feel hungry, but as soon as I open fast, within five minutes, I’m full. So, it reminds you that you don’t need to overindulge. It gives you a sense of discipline and a respect for food and for your body.

And how about spiritual benefits?

From a religious point of view, it gives you time to focus on your faith and your relationship with God. It’s easy to get caught up with everything else, with work and life and all your problems, but this one month gives you a chance to reflect and reevaluate what’s really important. What’s a real issue? Where should I focus my energy? Ramadan gives you that perspective.

We’ve seen from your first collection how your religious practice informs your work as a designer. Can we expect more of this going into your next collection?

My religious background is the foundation of my brand. Every time I design a garment, every time I develop a concept, it has to relate back in some way to that. But it’s also important that this is a brand with mass appeal and it’s not seen as just for Muslims. My second collection, “Kids Playing Games”, shows that. It’s rooted in a shared experience. We all have that sense of nostalgia for playing with our friends when we were younger, whether it was a game of football or cricket, or just kicking a can down the street. I’m expressing that from my perspective, the perspective of a Muslim who balanced playing games with going to mosque, but I hope it’s something that anyone can appreciate.