Deaf Umrah

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1:07Every year, millions of Muslims go on pilgrimage to Mecca and do the holy ritual of walking around Islam's most sacred shrine, the Kaaba, seven times.

1:23Many of them will hear these sounds, The hustle and bustle. The footsteps of thousands pacing around them. People praying for forgiveness, for guidance, for their loved ones. But there are others who will experience it in silence. If you can't hear the call to prayer, you have to imagine it in your mind. You picture it and you imagine yourself praying to Allah right in front of you. Feeling people moving around us Seeing the word being made in sign language Feeling the vibration of the crowd It made that experience so much more unique When the interpreter signed I truly understood the meaning of each dua I felt like Allah was listening to me through my sign language

2:18This is a documentary from the BBC World Service I'm Zain in Boston, and for this episode of Heart and Soul, join me, Zahid, Riyadh and Jani, as we travel to Makkah and Medina to perform Umrah. As deaf Muslims, making this pilgrimage together, we will experience each ritual visually, via British Sign Language, with the help of interpreters on the ground. Although this programme is built for sound and can't fully capture the deaf experience we want to share our stories and give you a glimpse into our perspective

3:08It's a few weeks before we head off on our pilgrimage and I'm working at Al-Ishara a deaf Muslim charity based in East London. I've worked here for two and a half years and this will be the second time I'm travelling as one of the key interpreters for the annual trip to Saudi Arabia for deaf Umrah. Unlike Hajj, which is a mandatory Islamic pilgrimage, Umrah is voluntary and can be done at any time of year. Many of us would choose to undertake this journey to purify ourselves spiritually. renew our faith and develop a deeper connection with God. I performed umwa for the first time in 2023 alongside 49 other deaf pilgrims.

3:56I was born deaf into a deaf family and for the first 11 years of my life communicated exclusively through British Sign Language without speaking. At the age of 11, I received a cochlear implant, a device that provides a sense of sound for people with severe to profound hearing loss. I am a deaf person and my experience highlights that deafness exists on a spectrum. Zahid, Jani and Riaz, whose story we will follow, are all deaf but experience sound in very different ways. Zahid has a cochlear implant. Jani uses a hearing aid and Riaz is profoundly deaf. Riaz and Jani use British sign language to communicate with me.

4:50And for this programme, their words are voiced by actors. My name is Jani. I'm 40. I was born in Bangladesh and came to the UK when I was around six months old with my family. I was born deaf and I use one hearing aid to help me with my hearing. My main communication right now is lip reading and speaking. But when I was born, my first language was British Sign Language. I don't always feel comfortable speaking around new people. And I'm aware that my voice sounds different to those who are hearing. I can start to panic if I speak and someone doesn't understand me. I also have to get used to someone's lip pattern before I can lip read confidently.

5:35Many of us will lip read, but it's not always reliable. Only around 30 to 40 % of spoken English is visible on the lips. My name is Riaz and I was born in Pakistan. I lost my hearing when I was three years old after getting ill and until the age of nine, I relied heavily on lip reading and hand gestures.

6:00I remember my parents took me to the mosque, but I couldn't communicate and I couldn't really understand what was going on. Even during Ramadan, I was just following what everyone else was doing. For many of us deaf Muslims, understanding comes later, through the use of British Sign Language, or BSL for short. When I moved to Scotland, I didn't understand sign language at all. I had to start from scratch, learning things like, what's your name? My name's Riaz. I began with finger-spilling and slowly, bit by bit, it all started to come together. I never really went to mosque growing up. Maybe once or twice, but there was no access.

6:48I just sat there, looking around, not understanding anything. That all changed when Johnny started attending a deaf-led service 15 years ago. Alishara promotes Islam in BSL. It just made it so clear for me. It was so visual. Zahid also struggled to connect with his faith before finding a service dedicated to helping deaf Muslims access Islam. My name is Zahid, I'm 18 and I was born deaf and I used a cochlear implant. I used to attend a hearing Islamic school but I did not have access to the resources I needed. I could not learn the Koran in British Sign Language and that's something I was deprived of.

7:37The deaf community in London is small and tight-knit. I've known Jani and Zahid for years through my work as an interpreter in the capital. Although many of the pilgrims on this trip are from London, this opportunity is open to all deaf Muslims in the UK. Riyadh has travelled from Scotland. His understanding of Islam deepened after meeting another deaf Muslim at college in Glasgow. When I was about 16, 17, I started learning about Islam through a friend. They were teaching me and I became really interested. Before that, I didn't even know things like what food I could or couldn't eat. My family hadn't taught me any of this, so I had to learn it from my friend.

8:25Then I started going to lectures about Islam as well, and I learned so much. I began to realise that some of the things I'd been doing went against Islam, and I also realised it wasn't my fault because my parents weren't able to teach me. For some deaf Muslims, the first experience of Umrah comes long before they fully understand what it means. Johnny was 13 when she first went At the time I felt like it was a wasted trip because I didn't know anything I didn't know what to do didn't know any of the Islamic rituals didn't even know what the Gabba was or what Medina was I remember seeing my mum crying but I didn't understand why she was crying which felt really sad Riyazi's family offered him the chance to attend both Hajj and Umrah Everyone in my family has been except me and they still ask me to go with them but I always say no because if you can't communicate with me I can't fully take part.

9:29If I go, I need to go with people who can sign so I can actually understand what's happening. After years of saying no to his family Riaz saw an opportunity to experience a fully inclusive Umrah. I told my family I want to go this time because there would be interpreters and full access. I spoke to friends who'd gone with them and every single one said the same thing, that it was amazing, really emotional and that I should go and experience it for myself. They kept saying, just go. In the weeks before we leave, we're all feeling equally excited and nervous. Umrah can be physically and mentally demanding and travelling with family can bring its own set of challenges.

10:15For Jani, this means thinking about how she'll balance her children's experience alongside her own journey. I want to refresh my spiritual self because I feel like I've been slowly becoming disconnected from Allah. I've been a full-time mum for eight years, focusing on my children. It's always been about them and I haven't had much time for myself. But I'm also excited for them. this will be my first time going as a mum. Jani will also be travelling with her husband, Lukman, who is hearing.

10:50Zainam Bostan:For me to my wife, I had no knowledge of deaf awareness, no knowledge at all. I have not come in contact with anyone deaf or have not interacted with anyone deaf. So for me, it was something new. For Lukman, this journey is about faith, but also about supporting Jani and helping his children understand why they are going. This time around, I think it's more geared towards the children. So we want to give them the experience, the understanding, and they're at an age now where hopefully they should understand what it means. So how do you feel about supporting Jani on this trip? I'm more than happy.

11:30Zainam Bostan:She's my wife. So obviously I want her to get the best experience, the best understanding possible, and obviously I want her to leave with that sort of attachment and sort of understanding with what she's gone through. We all have our own personal reasons for wanting to go on Umrah but the idea of reconnecting to faith is one Zahid also feels strongly about. Going to Umrah is a chance for me to switch off on worldly desires and switch on spiritually. The desire to be with my Muslim deaf brothers and sisters and experience it with them whilst being deaf myself. It's just a unique experience and something that I've been wanting to do for the past three years.

12:14It's not something that I was able to do before, but you know I'm able to now. And yeah, it's something I'm really looking forward to. Some Muslims believe that going to Umar is a miracle and use the opportunity to think about what they gain personally from the experience. For me, that means performing the additional prayers and coming home feeling more content, more spiritually grounded. For Riyadh, his hopes are centred on family. I want to fix the issues I've had with my family, be happy, stay connected and worship Allah. I also want to support my mum and dad. I haven't always felt connected to them so I really want to go and strengthen that bond and be united as a family and of course, I want peace and a good future So you're running out of closet space The good news?

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15:20You are listening to the documentary with me, Zainam Boston. With our intentions in mind and our bags packed, we set off on pilgrimage.

15:51When we first arrive in Makkah, we prepare ourselves through cleanliness, through dress and through intention. The Kaaba, a cube-shaped black stone building at the centre of Islam's holiest mosque, is the first major holy site Muslims visit. And the view has a profound impact on all who see it. Before I saw the Qaba, I was reciting a dua

16:22which means, here I am, oh Allah, here I am I was feeling nervous and excited at the same time I had my children with me and I was holding my son as I was walking I tried to recite but my mind was all over the place I wasn't reciting properly because I was distracted. It was quite difficult. So I have my Ikhvamon, my two garments on, and I am walking on my way to see the Kaaba. There is this big gate that I see in front of me, Gate 79. This gate is where most pilgrims go through to begin performing their Tawah, or even just to see the Kaaba.

17:10So we walk through the big gates I take off my shoes, my socks Just for the earthly experience Just before I see the Kaaba I take some Zamzam water and drink it Then I walk through the crowd It takes a long time to get through Someone asks me, are you ready to look up? and when I do I just break down. Honestly, I have no words. I can see a little glimpse of the Kaaba just coming up to my eyesight and finally, as we reach the bottom of the escalators, honestly, I'm just overwhelmed with emotion. I'm crying and it feels like I can't even catch my breath. I feel my heart attach itself to the Kaaba.

18:01I feel deeply connected to it emotionally and spiritually with such a strong sense of respect. Our next ritual is the Tawaf, which includes walking around the Kaaba seven times. It can take up to an hour to complete, and the Mataf, the area around the Kaaba, is designed to accommodate over 100 ,000 pilgrims every hour. This can be one of the most physically difficult parts of Umrah.

18:33by the fourth round it's getting more crowded my children are really really tired and overwhelmed there are so many people pushing past them and they start crying they keep saying mommy mommy I want to go home I want to go home but they're all crying and then I start crying too because they're crying when they start crying that's when my anxiety kicks in I keep telling myself you can do this. But honestly, I'm so proud of them. They complete all seven rounds on their own without me even counting for them. I'm fine until they start crying. My husband is carrying our baby the whole time. I'm just with my three girls.

19:15Then in the last round, I finally see him and we both just start crying. He says, I thought I lost you. That completely breaks me. I've never seen him like that before. But I'm so proud of my girls. At one point, I lost track of the group slightly, but I managed to catch up. I wasn't far away. There were moments when people tried to push in or interrupt us, but we were all holding hands so we could stay together. I remember signing to someone, please respect us, let us go first and then you can come behind For Zahid, walking around the Kaaba is a chance to reflect quietly despite the stir around him There's a moment while I'm circling the Kaaba when it gets too noisy for me I can't concentrate on my own prayers so I turn off my cochlea and I just feel the silence In that quiet, I'm finally able to focus on my prayers.

20:18The shayi is the next ritual, involving walking or running seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa. And it honours the story of Hajar, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, who ran between these hills in search of water for her infant son, making it a physically demanding act similar to the Tawaf. one way we navigated the crowds was by using red umbrellas we had a red umbrella which we opened up and we can all follow that umbrella in order to stay together this sa 'i was taking place after maghrib so after sunset it was dark and we had umbrellas we had a couple of people telling us oh you know what are we doing like are we going mad are we crazy you know but alhamdulillah it It made Sa 'i more accessible for us.

21:12During the Sa 'i, while many pilgrims are deep in prayer, Johnny is balancing the ritual with motherhood and ensuring that her children are okay. My husband manages to complete two rounds with the baby, but he can't continue, so he asks me to carry him. I know I won't be able to carry him the whole way, so I decide to put my children in a wheelchair. I try and put my son in it too, but he's crying and doesn't want to sit. so I sit on the wheelchair with him instead. That part of the ritual doesn't go the way I hope. I really want to walk and complete it properly but Alhamdulillah I trust that Allah has better plans for me.

21:52I just pray that Allah accepts my umrah. When travelling for a sacred pilgrimage, bonds can form quickly. For us, as deaf pilgrims, those connections began to grow beyond the rituals.

22:10After Jani performed the Tawaf with her children, she decided to do it again, but this time with all the women in our group. When I did the first Tawaf with my children, it was hard. I wanted to do it again, this time on my own. I asked one of the sisters if we could do a ladies-only Tawaf. My husband looked after my children while I joined the group and we all agreed to do it together. We fought through the crowds and at the end, we all sat together talking about it. It was such a beautiful moment. And the best part is that these were all strangers. None of us knew each other before and we became such good friends.

22:54Lukman, Jani's husband, could see how Jani's experience differed from her previous Umrah trip.

23:01Zainam Bostan:this was our second time round. And the first time I went with my wife, obviously we didn't have access to all these services. So in my part, obviously we, we were new. I think it was a year or less than a year into the marriage. And I wasn't death aware. I just took it as it, like she's the same as me, which was wrong, obviously. But now on the second one, like it's almost sort of like, She was out of her shell. She was in her element. Like the best version of herself. And I don't know, because even it's something I can't put a finger on. It's like the whole group. I don't know, because when we came back, I told them, this trip felt like a big family holiday.

23:51Zainam Bostan:That's how in tune everyone was with everyone. In Mecca, Riaz also found a sense of companionship. I became really close to Zahid because we communicated so well and another pilgrim, Junaid, from the group, we shared a room together. We were strangers at first. I asked them about their lives and about how Alishara had helped them. It was really beautiful. At one point I said, People say you should go on Omra every three or four years. I've never been before and now I'm 55. It feels really late. And they said, Age doesn't matter. What matters is that you come. We also had the opportunity to connect with deaf pilgrims from other parts of the world.

24:33We were going for our Jummah, Friday prayers, and we went to a special area where it was only reserved for deaf pilgrims. Because of the Qutbah, or the sermon, it translated into sign language. And I met a deaf person from Saudi Arabia. He did not know any British sign language. he knew his native sign language but we communicated and we would help each other you know we were essentially teaching each other our signs the fact that we are all coming from all over the world regardless of race skin color age we all come in to do one thing which is to worship Allah and to meet other people like myself but in a different part of the world it's an amazing feeling

25:25Zainam Bostan:Faith shouldn't be locked behind a sort of language barrier So access is what Al-Ishara gives And of course Islam places immense value on inclusion, justice and removing any form of hardship Sheikh Mishkat Hassan works as an imam and lecturer And is one of the team back here at Al-Ishara working on their BASL Quran project This project is a project that brings a full structured Quran translation into BSL, a proper methodical structure of the translation into British Sign Language. And we're trying to build something from the ground up academically and spiritually. This is the first full translation of the Quran into BSL.

26:14So far, the team, made up of deaf consultants, theologians and interpreters, have translated 64 chapters with the aim of making the holy text fully accessible for us deaf British Muslims.