I'm lucky that such a poignant moment in my life was able to be captured
| Published date | 13 April 2024 |
| Publication title | Evening Chronicle |
That said, he didn't grow up following the rules of islam to the letter, instead blending the traditions of multiple cultures. While he might not have been raised praying five times a day, he's always been devoted to his faith, just in his own way.
Recently, he says, his relationship with his faith has been "very up and down". So he decided to perform Umrah - a pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city in islam - during the holy month of Ramadan, out of a desire to connect more deeply with his faith.
Umrah is a shorter version of the annual Hajj gathering, though, unlike the Hajj, it is not a pillar of islam and therefore not obligatory for Muslims. But it is an opportunity for many Muslims to refresh their faith, pray for their needs and connect with others.
The pilgrimage involves two key rituals:
Tawaf, circling the Kaaba in the Sacred Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, seven times, and Sa'i, the ritual of walking back and forth seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah. To conclude the pilgrimage, pilgrims cut or shave their hair, which marks the end of the sacred state of ihram.
in Big Zuu goes To Mecca, he shares his experience each step of the way, giving us an insight into his relationship with islam, showing what it's like to perform Umrah, and discussing how the pilgrimage has affected his faith.
Ahead of the documentary, Zuu chats about what he learned. How would you describe your religious background? My dad comes from a very religious background, whereas i've been raised with my mum being more spiritual, more into faith than religion - so i've kind of been raised with both spectrums.
My mum always raised me to be god-fearing, whereas my dad is more strict on what it means to be a good Mus- lim. They both really had an impact on where i'm at now - i think i have a little blend of both.
Why did you decide to embark on the pilgrimage of Umrah and make a documentary? it was at a time in my life where my relationship with my faith was very up and down. So i think exploring that was something i wanted to be able to do.
i hope what people take away from the documentary is that there is no true form of what it is to be religious, it's just about who you are and what you care about.
From the outside looking in, you wouldn't think i was a religious guy, but i performed one of the...
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