Islamic Drop In Centre Real Talk - Real People Haroon Mota - Coventry Marathon Man - aka Have a go harry Ma sha allah a top brother and a role model for the youth of today. here is his interview with fifteen21 Muslim Youth Mag. Please read Thankyou for agreeing to be interviewed for Fifteen21 youth magazine, how are you? Alhamdulillah I’m great. Thankyou for inviting me for an interview. Congratulations on completing the London marathon in April, what was your time? I completed the 26.2 miles in 4 hours, 57 minutes, Alhamdulillah! You can find a recent article about my experience at coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/coventry-runner-haroon-mota-completed-3414139 You’ve scaled Everest Basecamp, climbed the 3 highest peaks in the UK, and run the London marathon, what drives you? Climbing mountains, running marathons and trying to raise money for charity is never easy. But knowing that my efforts can make a huge difference in helping people around the world certainly motivates me to do more and more. Charity is very important in Islam, whether you’re giving money, helping people or volunteering your time, however much or little it may be, Allah (SWT) will reward us very well. So I’d say the rewarding work of charity is the thing that drives me most. One in 10 successful climbs to the summit ends in death, what was on your mind when completing your charity trek with Islamic Relief? When I first signed up for the Everest Trek I thought I was preparing to climb to the summit of Mt Everest. I’m glad I was only trekking to basecamp, which was a 2 week trek reaching an altitude of 18,000 ft, no way as risky as trying to get to the top of the mountain. So whilst on the trek I was just so grateful that I had the opportunity to be amongst the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world, whilst also being able to raise £20,000 for Islamic Relief’s Orphan projects. Could you tell us more about the Water4Life campaign? The Water4Life campaign aims to provide water to give life to the people of Africa. Water is so much more than just a drink; it’s needed to wash and clean, for cooking, growing crops, and so much more. So Islamic Relief aims not only to hand out water to those who are thirsty, but to provide water in a way to help build and sustain communities. By running the London Marathon, I managed to raise £5500 for this campaign, and the money that all the supporters donated will go a very long way inshaAllah. Anyone wishing to find out more or to donate can visit justgiving/irwater4life You work in London with young people who have been diagnosed with cancer, has this changed your outlook on life working with terminal illness? Yes, I work on a Teenage Cancer Ward where I witness suffering on a daily basis. Seeing young people fighting for their lives is horrible, but it only reminds me how lucky I am. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like in my teens had I been fighting cancer. What impact would it have had on my school & university, my dreams, my family? Every living cell in our body is a blessing from Allah (SWT), and sometimes we forget how fortunate and how blessed we are. Every day in the UK, 6 teenagers find out they have cancer, and I wasn’t aware of this before I started working there. I guess it’s reality that cancer just like any other illness can affect anyone at any time, and being reminded by this every day teaches me to be more grateful for the health Allah (SWT) has given me. With the Holy month of Ramadhan around the corner, how are you preparing for this year? I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t really made any preparations for Ramadhan. I’m so busy through the routines of daily life that time has flown by so quickly and Ramadhan is going to catch me by surprise. I guess this will be the case for many of you who have probably been busy at school with exams through the year. Ramadhan always tends to fly by too so I’d like to take my own advice and make the most of every second, and every minute of this holy month. What further aspirations do you have? I would like to continue my work of charity, and I want to carry on taking on sponsored challenges. If Allah (SWT) gives me the ability to carry on for another 50 years, I’d be a happy man. I want to better myself and focus more on my faith because nothing in life is more important than that. I lost my father recently and I’d like to fill his shoes and spend more time looking after my family. I’m also into martial arts competed as a kickboxer, but have been out of action for a few years. I’d like to find some time and get back in the ring inshaAllah too! MashAllah you are a great role model to our readers, but who was your role-model when you were growing up? From a very young age I was always reminded and taught at home about our beloved Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) and the life he lived. He was the greatest man to set foot on this world and there is no better example than him. May Allah (SWT) grant us all the ability to live our lives according to his teachings and example. Ameen! Any advice for the youth? If there’s something you wish to achieve in life, then don’t just dream about it. If it’s realistic then make an effort to pursue it. Never let setbacks deter you. Life is full of barriers but overcoming them will only make you better, stronger, more determined and more driven inshaAllah. Youth only comes once and when you age like I have, you can’t rewind or reverse so when you look back you don’t want any regrets. I guess that’s only possible if you give 100% to fulfill your potential and try to excel as an individual.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 13:49:03 +0000