Celebrating Ramadan 2024 with Mansoor Ahmed

For Ramadan 2024, we spoke to Mansoor Ahmed, Assistant Project Manager, Gas Management to find out what the month of Ramadan means to him.

Manny has observed Ramadan since he was a teenager. “It isn’t just about fasting, fasting has 3 levels. The first is to observe physical fasting, which as people into fitness know, focuses the mind and detoxes the body, while helping you appreciate what you take for granted.”

“The second level is fasting of the tongue, eyes, ears and hands, to not speak harshly, curse or cause harm with your words.”

“Finally, the most difficult part of the fast is the fast of the inner self, to control your thoughts and internal disruptions. This is done through additional prayers and constant remembrance of Allah and following the Holy Quran and Sunnah (practices of the Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings upon him his family and companions)”

Charity and helping those less fortunate in your community is a core tenet of the Islamic faith, and the month of Ramadan is a perfect example of this. “As a Muslim we believe there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and Prophet Muhammad. Peace and blessings being his final messenger, our holy prophet has taught us that we are all a community."

“Throughout the blessed month we serve food daily at the time of breaking fast. We cater to people who may not have a family to break fast with, new Muslims, Asylum seekers, and those less fortunate."

“During the COVID lockdown a few years back, we delivered food parcels to everyone in need. Anyone who wants to eat is most welcome, humanity is truly appreciated when you sit with each other and break bread.”

Last year, Manny helped to raise thousands of pounds for his local community through the Mosque and as a volunteer at an ice cream shop, which runs as a non-profit in his hometown of Bury.

When observing Ramadan, being at the office or worksite can become a little tricky. “One misconception I want to clear up is fasting Muslims getting upset if you offer them food. Please don’t think this at all, don’t worry, we won’t get upset if you offer food and are not aware of fasting, it’s normally a great way to talk to people about fasting and people normally start to get intrigued about it, I love explaining it to people.”

As managers, you can support your colleagues observing Ramadan by being flexible to make nightly prayer easier, and understanding that their energy levels may be lower than usual. Compassion and understanding are all it takes to show your team and peers that you can support them through anything.

Thank you Manny for talking to us and we wish everyone observing in the Energy Division Ramadan Mubarak!

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