0:00:04 > 0:00:08Welcome to Sahur. It's breakfast time.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10It's nearly 2:15 in the morning
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and all the people that are fasting tomorrow
0:00:13 > 0:00:16are being woken up to come down and have some breakfast.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22'My name is Saleyha Ahsan and, like other Muslims across the world,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'I'm fasting during the daylight hours of Ramadan,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.'
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I don't feel like eating, but you kind of have to,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36otherwise you're going to starve during the day.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'And because Ramadan has fallen in July this year,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'it presents an extra challenge.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:46This Ramadan is the hardest in 30 years.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50It's cos the fasts are going on for about 19 hours each day.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54It's 2:54am.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57That's the last of the water. I can't drink any more now.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00That's it. We are into the fast.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06SHE PRAYS
0:01:20 > 0:01:24As a doctor, I believe fasting can be good for us,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27but is this the case in these particularly long days
0:01:27 > 0:01:32without food and water? I want to find out, and discover
0:01:32 > 0:01:37how people are surviving the hardest Ramadan for a generation.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39I think these are going to be difficult fasts
0:01:39 > 0:01:43because the days are so long.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I've never had to fast this long before, never.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I'd like to say it's exactly the same,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51but I will contradict myself here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52It's a lot harder.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56If you really hype yourself, thinking, "Oh, my God, I can't do it.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59"I can't do it. I can't do it." Then you will not do it.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02But if you say, "I shall do it. I shall overcome."
0:02:02 > 0:02:04You could do it and I think you can. Everyone can.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17On paper, Ramadan seems like a bit of an ordeal,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21particularly this year, at the height of summer.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25But we actually look forward to it, as Muslims, as a highlight.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27It's the time of year when the crown
0:02:27 > 0:02:30was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34It's also a time where we try to work on ourselves spiritually
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and try to become better people.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45It's eight o'clock - the morning rush hour.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Fasting during Ramadan is a religious practice,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52but it doesn't mean it can't be a healthy one, too.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56The Prophet said, "Fast so as to be healthy."
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I work in A & E and every Ramadan
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I see patients who prioritise fasting above all else.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12This is something doctors at the Royal London Hospital
0:03:12 > 0:03:13are very familiar with.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I got a patient yesterday, so it's a trauma patient and small injury.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23The patient don't want any painkillers. "No, I'm fine."
0:03:23 > 0:03:26She's fasting. She doesn't want to break fast.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I said, "If you're in pain, you should break it."
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- She said, "No, it's mild pain." - That's really interesting.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34They really feel so strongly about not
0:03:34 > 0:03:39- breaking their fast that they won't take a painkiller.- Yeah.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I believe an exemption is you don't have to,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45like if you are unwell and you need medication,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48then it's not necessary you have to fast.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- Are you fasting?- I am fasting, yeah.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Tell me, what's your shift pattern today?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I'm working, today, this ten-hour shift.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58A ten-hour shift. How's it going?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00It's... It's good, actually.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I thought, initially, it was a long day and, especially last year
0:04:03 > 0:04:07and this year, you have longest hours of fasting,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11but I don't feel tired and I don't feel hungry.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- How's it going?- It's nice so far. - Nice?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17The hours are a little bit...
0:04:17 > 0:04:21They're a little bit long, aren't they? They are long.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22But, you know, as long as you are busy
0:04:22 > 0:04:25because this Royal Hospital is very busy,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- so sometimes you can't feel it. - You can't feel it.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30And still we are working.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33We are happy to work all this month as well.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37So keep working, not to take time off, just keep working.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39That's what we are happy to do.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49What I find, when I'm on a shift in the emergency department
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and on fasting, is that...
0:04:52 > 0:04:57..focusing on other people does help you to forget about yourself.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01And especially so when you get a sick patient,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04who required absolutely full focus,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08you sort of forget about your own hunger pangs and,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11you know, you might be a little bit on the thirsty side.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15The adrenaline takes over and you switch into gear.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26No matter how poor we are, every time somebody comes to our house,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29if we are eating a meal they will eat a meal with us.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34'Ajmal Masroor is an Imam and a consultant on community affairs.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37'It was the issues around fasting that led him
0:05:37 > 0:05:41'to compile an NHS guide to fasting healthily.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:44You are exempt from fasting if you are travelling,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46if you are not well,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49both short-term illnesses and long-term illnesses,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52if you are mother who is pregnant or breast feeding -
0:05:52 > 0:05:54all of these exemptions, a gift from God.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56God doesn't want you to break your body,
0:05:56 > 0:05:57he doesn't want you to be ill.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58If you are ill, don't fast.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01God has given you a gift. Would you turn God's gift away?
0:06:01 > 0:06:02Why? Take it.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05For many people, there's the question
0:06:05 > 0:06:07of whether fasting is good for you or not.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10If we keep ourselves well-prepared, fasting can't be harmful
0:06:10 > 0:06:12and it isn't harmful.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14In the long summer months,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17especially when the hours are as long as 18/19 hours,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19you need to be very mindful of what you eat,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21so slow-release food,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25energy food, food that stays within your system for longer,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27that keeps you hydrated for longer.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28You get tired, of course you do.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Of course you get fatigued, of course you want to rest,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33but you can be clever about it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Instead of looking for food, find a corner in your office
0:06:36 > 0:06:38and close your eyes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:4030 minutes, you will find a boost of energy.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44So be clever and smart about how you manage your fasting, you'll be OK.
0:06:49 > 0:06:5111 o'clock, the time when, normally,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I'd have a nice cup of coffee, but not today.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00I've always known that fasting was good for me spiritually,
0:07:00 > 0:07:05but I'd like to find out more about the physical effect on our bodies
0:07:05 > 0:07:07during these long summer days of fasting.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I'm here at the BBC and I'm about to meet Michael Mosley,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16who's an expert on the science behind fasting.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18I'm really excited.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24In a BBC Horizon programme, Michael put his own body to the test.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28'It's all a question of what you eat or rather what you don't eat.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29'It's about fasting.'
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I decided to go with what I call the "five-two diet",
0:07:35 > 0:07:37where you count your calories two days a week. It works.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I mean, the certainly the science shows really quite
0:07:40 > 0:07:42unambiguously the benefits of fasting.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47I lost about nine kilos in about eight to ten weeks.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51And the other thing, which it appears to do, certainly in animals
0:07:51 > 0:07:56and preliminary studies in humans, is it produced protein in the brain,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00which is important for reducing your risk of things like dementia.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Wow.- We know diabetes is doing that, dementia is doing that,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and this is certainly one way to address it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11And that's why I'm so excited about it and why I talk about it a lot.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Do you think that this is something that the West,
0:08:15 > 0:08:20with all the excesses that it lives through, could learn from?
0:08:20 > 0:08:23I do actually think so. I mean, if you'd asked me this five years ago,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25I would probably have said no.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I imagine most doctors still would say the idea that you can
0:08:27 > 0:08:29cleanse yourself through this is nonsense,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32but science is slowly catching up
0:08:32 > 0:08:34with an awful lot of things that the great religions have
0:08:34 > 0:08:37known for 1,000/2,000 years.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39It's had a profound effect on my health,
0:08:39 > 0:08:40and I do genuinely think that,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44if people embraced it, it could make a significant difference.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52I'm blown away by the potential therapeutic value of fasting
0:08:52 > 0:08:54that far exceeded my expectations,
0:08:54 > 0:08:59and it strengthens my spiritual resolve as we reach midday.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Long hours of fasting are one thing,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07but what about fasting in extreme heat?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Something I experienced three years ago
0:09:10 > 0:09:12when working in a hospital on the Libyan border.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I was fasting today and...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23it was just an unbelievably hot day.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24I'm clearly a wimp.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28I felt a thirst that I'd never
0:09:28 > 0:09:32experienced before to the degree that it actually made me
0:09:32 > 0:09:37want to snatch the bottle of water out of the patient's hands.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39Obviously, I didn't.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43And I was amazed actually by how quickly our bodies do
0:09:43 > 0:09:45adapt to the situation
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and the more extreme the environment,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49the quicker we seem to adapt.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54ZUHR PRAYER READ ALOUD
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Abdullah Afzal is a devout Muslim
0:10:17 > 0:10:22but he's best known as an actor in the BBC sitcom Citizen Khan.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23Hello, sir.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27It's a job that, surprisingly, prepared him for tough fasts.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29I've been on the weights, working on my abs,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32trying to get a bit of definition.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34'When filming Citizen Khan,'
0:10:34 > 0:10:36it's really long and really hot in the studio,
0:10:36 > 0:10:41there's lights down on you all the time and you're just sweating
0:10:41 > 0:10:42and hungry and thirsty.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- There's been a mix-up. - What kind of mix-up?
0:10:44 > 0:10:46There's been a mix-up with the messages.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48What kind of mix-up with the messages?
0:10:48 > 0:10:53I did find myself thinking about samosas more than my lines at times.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55There's been a mix-up with the messages on the mobile phone.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- What kind of mix-up with the messages on the mobile phone?- Mrs Khan!
0:10:58 > 0:11:00'But it's not a major issue'
0:11:00 > 0:11:04because, quite obviously, the people who are hungry and who haven't got
0:11:04 > 0:11:08food around the world, they don't have this thing where,
0:11:08 > 0:11:09"Oh, we're hungry,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12"but we're going to have something later on in the day."
0:11:12 > 0:11:13We can't compare to that.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Who's that?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Me?
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Does it not look like me? Not with wet toes.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Filming Citizen Khan wasn't the first time that Abdullah
0:11:28 > 0:11:29had fasted in front of the camera.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34He appeared in a documentary during Ramadan aged nine.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35We went to the hall,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38it smelled like we're going to eat then.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And I felt like my tummy's shouting at me again,
0:11:42 > 0:11:43and I felt like eating.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46I went, "No, I can't do it, I'm fasting." I kept it in my head.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Was I cuter then or now?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53This year, Abdullah's six-year-old niece, Inayah,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55is fasting for the first time.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58So, how long are you going to fast for?
0:11:58 > 0:12:02It's a bit long in the summer so are you going to do a smaller fast?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- Yeah.- Are you feeling a bit hungry in your tummy?
0:12:05 > 0:12:06- A little bit.- A little bit.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Do you know I was seven years old when I did my first fast?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13And some people say, "Oh, is that not unhealthy? How do you do it?"
0:12:13 > 0:12:15But because we do it from such a young age,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17we get used to it, don't we?
0:12:17 > 0:12:21When you were watching your sisters eat, did you feel like eating as well
0:12:21 > 0:12:24or are you happy that you're doing something different?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- Happy.- You're happy? That's good.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Have you got anything else to add about your fast?
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Just that face?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35LAUGHTER
0:12:37 > 0:12:41I remember my very first fasting.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42I was about 11.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46It was this time of year, it was hot.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49The fasting days were long, I remember that.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51And my mum and dad had said that, no, I couldn't do it
0:12:51 > 0:12:53because I was too young.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54But I kept bugging them
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and, in the end, they thought, "Let her get on with it."
0:13:01 > 0:13:04I think I was about eight when I did my first fast.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07It's a huge moment
0:13:07 > 0:13:10and everybody in the family is excited by it, and all
0:13:10 > 0:13:14the aunties and uncles and grandmas ring you up at the end of the day
0:13:14 > 0:13:18if they're not with you and a real fuss is made and you get presents.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23I remember when I was about six years old
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and I was very determined to fast
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and I said to my parents, "I'm going to fast."
0:13:28 > 0:13:31And they said, "No, you're not going to fast, you're too young."
0:13:31 > 0:13:33I'm a very stubborn man and I haven't changed.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34And I did.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And from the age of seven until today,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40I've not missed a single fast in my life.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I just remember feeling incredibly special at the end of the day
0:13:45 > 0:13:47because I'd completed it
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and suddenly I was in the same community as everybody else
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and I had foregone and I think it was an incredibly important
0:13:54 > 0:13:58lesson on selflessness, which is an essential part of Ramadan.
0:14:07 > 0:14:13It's 4:00pm - 13 hours since anything passed my lips.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19My body has used up all of the nutrients from breakfast time
0:14:19 > 0:14:23and it's about now that I'm feeling a little bit tired,
0:14:23 > 0:14:24dipping in and out of that.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Tummy's rumbling a little bit
0:14:27 > 0:14:31and everywhere I look people are eating something or other.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35My body's in a slight state of stress
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and once my brain accepts that it's not going to get any food,
0:14:39 > 0:14:44my fat reserves are going to be utilized for energy,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46which is great, that's every dieter's dream -
0:14:46 > 0:14:48the fat-burning mode -
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and maybe I might even lose some weight.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52But, psychologically,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57it's about this time of day that I find things start to drag.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02'There's an hour in the middle of the day,'
0:15:02 > 0:15:05which always drags on even if you're working.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07It's just this one hour that you keep looking at the clock
0:15:07 > 0:15:10and you go, "Right, it's 4:01, OK."
0:15:10 > 0:15:13An hour later, you look - 4:03. What is going on?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It's not changed and nothing happens
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and that is really difficult in the day.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I think Ramadan becomes more difficult
0:15:22 > 0:15:25when you have large periods in the day when you're not doing
0:15:25 > 0:15:29anything and just focusing on the fact that you're fasting.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33When you are bored at home
0:15:33 > 0:15:37and you have nothing to do - I feel like crying
0:15:37 > 0:15:38cos it's not nice.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41It's lying around, trying to sleep,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44watching the worst things in the world.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47You know, a documentary on beetles I've done once.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Just say to yourself, "My cells are rejuvenating,
0:15:50 > 0:15:51"the spring cleaning is going on,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54"my brain is sharpening, this is all to the good."
0:15:57 > 0:15:59But not all good.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03There's something that we call Ramadan breath,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05which is a modern term.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07You don't want to be sat next to someone who
0:16:07 > 0:16:11ate a lamb karahi at Sehri time and didn't brush their teeth
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and hasn't eaten or drunk anything since.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's basically dehydration in the mouth
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and that sort of concentrates the odour.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26That's why we have to do the five-times-a-day washing
0:16:26 > 0:16:29which includes rinsing your mouth out, for reasons like this,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34when there are people who have breath like they have eaten
0:16:34 > 0:16:36something out of a bin three weeks ago.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42PRAYER READ ALOUD
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Shakeel Mohmed is co-owner of a restaurant
0:17:13 > 0:17:16in the Whitechapel area of London.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24He may be fasting but his non-Muslim customers want their dinner.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Most of my chefs, or nearly all of them, are fasting.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It's extremely hot, they're dealing with the food,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34you know, as a hands-on,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36so, for them, it is more difficult
0:17:36 > 0:17:38in terms of controlling their desires with the food
0:17:38 > 0:17:42but by controlling your desires it brings you closer to God.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Allah makes it easier for us because we can't eat 18 hours only
0:17:48 > 0:17:52but so many people in the world, they can't eat food two, three days.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53But we're lucky.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It's a challenge. Other people are eating, can I control myself?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I can smell food 24 hours a day. Can I control myself?
0:18:08 > 0:18:10If you can do it in the middle of a place
0:18:10 > 0:18:14where everyone is not fasting, then you really are strong.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16And that's what fasting brings out of you, the strength,
0:18:16 > 0:18:21the inner character of you is tested and brought to the fore.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So, could you come before Iftar time, sir?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Before half an hour earlier?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30That's all right? Perfect, sir.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33The fast will end in two and a half hours with Iftar -
0:18:33 > 0:18:37the first meal after the sun sets.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Customers start to come in towards about the seven, eight o'clock time
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and we prepare by taking the orders in advance
0:18:43 > 0:18:45and trying to get the orders in.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49We are fully booked at the moment, sir, yeah.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Yeah, I understand, but we are fully booked, sir, tonight.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55In the next couple of hours,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58when you see 300 people breaking their fast all at the same time,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00it's a great experience to be part of.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11In the spirit of trying to have a healthy Ramadan, I've decided
0:19:11 > 0:19:13I'm going to go
0:19:13 > 0:19:16to the gym at least twice a week.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I've never done that before.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21The idea of fasting these huge, long days
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and exercising does seem a bit mad, but you know what?
0:19:25 > 0:19:29I wouldn't be the first Muslim to exercise whilst fasting.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Hello, I'm here for the gym.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36This gym has extended its opening hours during Ramadan to allow
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Muslims who are fasting to exercise just before breaking their fast.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48It's around 7.30 in the evening now, two hours to go.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53There is at least seven or eight people right now
0:19:53 > 0:19:55who are doing all this
0:19:55 > 0:19:57and who've been fasting all day.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I'm pretty amazed, actually.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Where are they getting their energy from?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09The thing that does catch me off-guard
0:20:09 > 0:20:12is when you smell something really kind of strong like fish and chips.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Only when you smell the food then actually
0:20:16 > 0:20:19you think, "I'm actually hungry."
0:20:19 > 0:20:24Yeah, it does feel pretty long. I can't wait to drink.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27HE GROANS
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Guys, you've got two minutes to wipe yourselves down.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32For those who want to get some fluids, go for it.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Those who are fasting, don't worry, you've got a little while to go.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I tell you what I've noticed is that
0:20:38 > 0:20:41even when you said,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43"Everyone go and get a drink of water,"
0:20:43 > 0:20:44even the ones that are not fasting...
0:20:44 > 0:20:46They don't skive.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Yeah, they don't tend to.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49It's like at work,
0:20:49 > 0:20:50people don't eat in front of us.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I think those school days are over.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55"Do you want some?"
0:20:55 > 0:20:57No respect.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59A little bit more civil, I think.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03It's really funny, I'm not feeling the least bit tired.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08I WAS on my way here but I seem to have woken up.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10There's a bit of a tonic in the air.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12I might have to go
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and do some exercise now that I've seen all this.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20HE GROANS
0:21:20 > 0:21:23The research suggests that if you do short bursts of
0:21:23 > 0:21:26high-intensity exercise - that can simply mean running up the stairs -
0:21:26 > 0:21:31then this suppresses appetite, so you'll actually feel better on it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I think, if you can manage it, it's a good thing.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45The research I've seen on athletes during Ramadan is
0:21:45 > 0:21:47that their performance is hardly affected.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49The dehydration can be a problem
0:21:49 > 0:21:53but actually the food is not, or the lack of food.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58I don't actually feel that thirsty, just hot.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08I probably haven't pushed it as hard as I normally would because
0:22:08 > 0:22:11I've got it in the back of my mind that I've been fasting all day.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12But you know what?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I survived it, I don't feel terrible.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20I feel kind of refreshed. I don't feel hungry.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I feel hot more than I do thirsty.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I really feel instead of just having a drink of water,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I could really just dive into an ice-cold swimming pool.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38The breaking of the fast, Iftar, is now only minutes away and,
0:22:38 > 0:22:43in Whitechapel, hungry fasters are gathering at Shakeel's restaurant.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44What can we do for you?
0:22:44 > 0:22:46We're here for Iftar.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- Do you have a reservation here? - Yes.- What's the name, please?
0:22:48 > 0:22:50It's under Saleyha.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- Oh, hi, there. How are you? We have your table ready here.- Thank you.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57People break their fast here
0:22:57 > 0:22:59with the dates and fruit we provide
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and then they go to the mosque for the Maghrib prayer.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05They come back and they expect the food to be here.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09We are fully booked tonight and we've got a waiting list.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Let's do this!
0:23:15 > 0:23:18What I really love is that people are arriving,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20sitting at their tables, not eating anything,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24just waiting for that moment when they can break their fast.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28The tables are laid with the dates and the watermelons and the drinks.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32There's a real buzz in the air of anticipation.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40Ten-minute countdown. No-one is eating!
0:23:40 > 0:23:41No-one is eating anything!
0:23:41 > 0:23:44The five minutes before you open your fast,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46the time just stops for a bit.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48You see yourself, feel yourself ageing.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Your eyes want to eat the entire world.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The variety of food that you might imagine that you could consume...
0:23:54 > 0:23:55unbelievable.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02I'm kind of like filling up, just with the atmosphere.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It's 9.22.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07The setting of the sun has signalled the end of today's fast.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16I just want to let you know it is Iftar time.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Thank you very much. You have to break your fast as well.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Yeah, I'm going to do, yeah, thank you.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's funny, I can't really eat that much at the moment.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I've had some amazing dates.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37When I have those dates and some water,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40that's kind of me for a while.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I kind of just like looking at everything.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48The feeling of opening your fast,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50I am telling you, it's like no other feeling.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Imagine the hottest day of the year
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and you're gasping for something, gasping.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57And you have a cold glass of water.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It's just absolute heaven when you open your fast.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02That was refreshing.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09God loves to see his servant, us, those who are submitting to him
0:25:09 > 0:25:12so pleased to have eaten some food and, for us,
0:25:12 > 0:25:18whole days climaxes awaiting the food that we have in front of us.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23At that very moment, your taste buds have woken up.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26They've been refined, refreshed, they're not numb.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I'm just waiting for this!
0:25:31 > 0:25:35For me, the moment of opening the fast,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I'm surrounded by a large family, members of the community
0:25:37 > 0:25:42as well, and it is an incredibly uplifting, celebratory moment.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51The dates have broken our fast but the main course must wait
0:25:51 > 0:25:53until after day's fourth prayer.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55PRAYER IS READ ALOUD
0:26:04 > 0:26:09My Ramadan is about reflecting, self-evaluation, reassessing
0:26:09 > 0:26:14priorities and about questioning whether I am doing enough in terms
0:26:14 > 0:26:18of my responsibilities as a member of the human race.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21For me, I think Ramadan, it's about redemption.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25A lot of Muslims will say, "You know it's Ramadan when
0:26:25 > 0:26:28"the local drug dealer's wearing a mosque hat," and that's funny
0:26:28 > 0:26:29but it's so true.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32It means that anyone, no matter what they've done,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34they've got a chance to start again.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40It's one month of transformation that you get an opportunity to take
0:26:40 > 0:26:45and that opportunity missed is the most unfortunate thing one
0:26:45 > 0:26:47can do in life, in my view.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50It's like somebody saying, "Here is a detox programme, ready-made
0:26:50 > 0:26:54"every year for 30 days," and we're saying, "I'm not interested."
0:27:04 > 0:27:07The restaurant's empty now.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08How did it go?
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Great, I think it's another great Iftar day.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13When do you guys get to eat?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15This is probably the time I'm going to eat now
0:27:15 > 0:27:18so I'm going to go to the back and have a quick bite to eat.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19And you've not eaten yet?
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I've had the odd few snacks on the go
0:27:21 > 0:27:23but I'll have something in a little while.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I don't want to hold you up. Go and eat, because it will be time
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- to start fasting again soon.- I will.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34SHE SAYS PRAYERS
0:27:42 > 0:27:48Ramadan is about more than denying your body food and water.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53But with one more week to go before Ramadan ends, I'm feeling
0:27:53 > 0:27:56the physical as much as the spiritual benefits of fasting
0:27:56 > 0:28:00through the long summer days, a benefit which
0:28:00 > 0:28:05I hope will carry on long after the month of fasting is over.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Fasting for me is a transformative time.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14In one month it's an amazing boost of goodness and virtue
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and spirituality.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18I like this.