Big Zuu, a rapper and TV chef, has been observing Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. Muslims worldwide have been fasting and praying to reflect on the significance of the Quran since early March. The holiest time of the year is a way for the Islamic community to connect more deeply with their faith, and Zuu says that it has been the same for him.
As a West Londoner, Zuu has been trying to find a better balance between his religion and day-to-day life. During Ramadan, Muslims do things to strengthen their relationship with God, including fasting, giving to charity, and some avoid listening to music. Zuu’s cooking shows made him famous, but he is also a member of the MTP Crew grime collective that AJ Tracey is part of.
To follow Islamic teachings more closely, Zuu has posted less food and music content on social media over the past month. Nonetheless, he also believes that “it is important to adapt the older aspects” of his faith into a modern-day context. Big Zuu says that people are sometimes surprised to learn that he is Muslim, even though he has “one of the most Muslim names of all time”. Zuu is a black man with a mother from Sierra Leone and a father from Lebanon, so he is not part of the faith’s South Asian majority in the United Kingdom.
Zuu is also the star of a BBC documentary called “Big Zuu Goes To Mecca,” which chronicles his pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to complete Umrah, a shorter version of Hajj. The journey was accompanied by his two closest friends, Tubsey and Hyder, and while it was “intense,” the documentary provided Zuu with the chance to grow and brought him closer to God. “All of that is just going to stick with me for life,” he says
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