As April comes to an end, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on how much of an important month it is.

It is a period filled with celebration for all faiths, with Easter being celebrated early in the month which is then followed closely by one of Sikhism’s most important festivals Vaisakhi, which marks the new year in the Sikh calendar. For those of Islamic faith, April also marks the end of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr.

Here at Built Environment Networking, we strive to spread inclusivity and equality throughout our business and wanted to share some of the experiences and stories of some of our employees who celebrated Ramadan as part of their faith.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset as it is the month of forgiveness.

Hasnatul Jannat who is one of our researchers here at the company said “this month to me is an opportunity to purify spiritually and concentrate on myself and my religion. There is a certain level of serenity about this month, fasting becomes a form of practicing self-restraint and prayers to Allah is equivalent to meditation.”

When asked what she would like people who are unfamiliar with Ramadan to know, Jannat said: “Ramadan isn’t about hunger and thirst to us. I know at times it hard to imagine going on without food, but Muslims treasure this month greatly.”

“It changes who we truly are, as Ramadan is not only abstaining from food, but also refraining from bad habits such as talking ill about people in their absence and swearing.”

Millions of people like Jannat adopt this yearly ritual as way to be charitable, kind and patient.

Muslims all over the world see the act of fasting as not only an insight into how it feels to go hungry for a day, but by breaking their fast when the sun goes down, it is a reminder of the less fortunate who can only break theirs with only a sip of water.

“Ramadan humbles us, we learn to appreciate what we have and share what we have with the poor through charity.” Jannat added.

Zakat, which is known as the obligation that an individual must donate a certain proportion of wealth each year to charitable causes is the fifth pillar of Islam. So, by the simple act of sharing wealth Muslims are fulfilling our obligation towards their faith. Supporting the cause of charity is a great way to put their beliefs into action.

Every little bit counts when it comes to helping people in need, be it helping the people in Türkiye, earthquake victims in Syria or to the people of Ukraine who are impacted by the on-going war.

During the 30-day period our Conference Research Executive, Isha Fahrin, journeyed back to her home country, Bangladesh for the first time in a long time.  “Eid became more enjoyable because I could spend it with my family and friends”, she said.

Isha spoke on how celebrating Ramadan and Eid in the UK was different saying, “Here (UK) the days were challenging as I was working all day long and then going home, I would have to make my food even when I didn’t have the energy due to having fasted throughout the day… But when I went back my home, I got the full support of my family, and I had the feeling of being part of a community which is more familiar and reconnected.”

Isha also said there’s another benefit to practicing at home.

“I was able to engage in fasting and other religious practices during while working without the fear of judgment or criticism. This has brought me peace of mind and the sense of being acknowledged and respected as a person rather than being categorised based on my religious faith, sexuality etc.”

Because the Muslim calendar year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle.

We hope everyone had an enjoyable April, no matter how you chose to celebrate it!