Inspired by their grandmother, three young Muslim children from north-east London have raised more than £1,000 for charity by completing their own version of a triathlon during Ramadan.
Kamran Javaid, 11, his sister Eve, seven, and brother Harris, four, regularly take on challenges during Ramadan, Express & Star reported.
This year, the trio raised the money for the PL84U Al-Suffa food bank, where their grandmother Shabeena, 66, has volunteered at for seven years, by adapting running, swimming and cycling challenges based on their ages.
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The idea of the triathlon was inspired because their mother, Sarah, 40, who runs Cycle Sisters, a charity which supports Muslim women to cycle, is doing her first triathlon in August, the London Triathlon, and because of the siblings’ love of sport.
“We wanted to do a triathlon in real life because our mum is doing one too and we thought it would be a great idea to try and do it”, Kamran said.
As part of the challenge Kamran ran two miles and Eve one mile, while Harris ran up and down the road.
They also adapted the swimming and cycling sections, with Kamran pedaling 50 laps of their local park, while Harris completed five.
Proud
Completing the challenge, Kamran said he felt “really proud” to have helped the food bank to “feed people and help people to not feel hungry”.
Kamran said: “I feel really proud of myself that I have raised so much money to help people with no money and feed people and help people to not feel hungry.”
“Push yourself to the highest level you can be at – originally I wasn’t going to do as many as 20 laps if my swimming pool, but I kept trying and eventually I did it.”
Eve added that she is also proud to see donations on the fundraising page rise, with the trio’s £1,000 target successfully being surpassed.
The children took on the triathlon during Ramadan, when most Muslims fast between dawn and sunset. Although Eve and Harris have not fasted, Kamran has at times.
“Ramadan teaches you to be grateful for what you have and you’ve been given”, Kamran said, adding:
“It’s a time where you can give to charity and people less fortunate.”
In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.
Generosity and charity are generally blessed in Islamic Shari’ah, however, it’s specially blessed during the month of Ramadan.
Earlier this month, Blackburn Muslim Faizal Momoniat said he would run 10km a day this year while fasting, to raise £6,000 for charity.
A group of Muslim youth in Birmingham also said they would run 1,000 miles and do 10,000 press ups to raise money for victims of the Turkey and Syria earthquakes.
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