For the first time in 6 years, if Allah gives me life, I’ll be spending a Ramadan somewhere other than Ramadan TV studios. And the heart feels a little sadness. For the past 5 Ramadan’s, Allah blessed me with an opportunity to be part of a project which ranks right up there with the very best and most beloved projects I’ve ever been involved in. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end and thus it was that last year, after 6 years of broadcast, Ramadan TV in UK came to an end.
As we get closer to Ramadan, I feel a little sad. I don’t feel sad because RTV has ended because that was not in my or anyone else’s hands. That decision was made by Allah and He alone knows the reason behind. But, as I reflect on the 5 years I’ve spent at RTV and the 6 years it broadcast, I feel sad that I won’t be spending Ramadan with some of THE most dedicated, passionate, awesome and amazing brothers ever. As I look back over the years, I can remember almost every single person who made RTV happen. The brothers who sacrificed time with their families to to spend up to 16 hours a day (a lot of it fasting), in a small studio in London under intense pressure with minimal breaks to make RTV happen.
I know the words awesome and amazing get used a lot and have lost their value, but, my team at RTV are synonyms of those 2 words and many other adjectives you’d use to describe remarkable people. I guess it’s hard to describe or appreciate the efforts of the team unless you saw them in action yourself.
But, just imagine, on a sunny hot summer’s day during Ramadan, whilst fasting, in London, you wake up at 11am, grab a train to the RTV studio which takes about 40mins, pray Dhuhr then setup for the first show, prepare all the equipment, go live, handle many calls, manage advert breaks, manage all aspects of the show from production to direction, take the show off air, have a quick turnaround for the next show, then the next then the next, arrange iftaar for the team and all guests who are here for the Q&A and Charity Show, manage the iftaar break whilst you’re eating, pray maghrib, quickly go live with the charity show which runs all the way to 3am, in between you pray Isha and some taraweehs, prepare suhur and then take the show off air, then pray Fajr then clear the set and finally leave the studio at 4am (sometimes 5am). That is a single day in the life of the RTV team. They did this every single day for 30 days in Ramadan.
Until today, I look back at all these years and wonder how the team did it. I can only thank Allah for giving them the strength and for bringing them to us. I’m saddened because I won’t be spending my Ramadan with these individuals, probably ever, again. I’m saddened because I would put the RTV team and the original Little Explorers team as probably the most dedicated team I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and just like LE, this too has come to an end.
I’m also saddened by the fact that with the end of RTV, I will also not see some of the most amazing hosts and guests on some of the best shows on any Islamic channel. People who we all loved for the sake of Allah. People who, like the team, spent time away from their families and other commitments throughout Ramadan to bring you shows which will live long in our memories.
I’m saddened by the fact that a channel which was a platform for the smaller charities to reach out to the Muslimeen of the UK will no longer be there. Almost every Ramadan, on average, over £800,000 was raised by various charities and causes all around the world by the will of Allah.
I’m truly saddened by the fact that the Muslimeen of UK will be without a genuine alternative to many of the other so-called Islamic channels this Ramadan.
However, I’m happy that Allah gave us an opportunity to run for as long as we did. Wallahi brothers and sisters, every single Ramadan on the last day of broadcast before Eid, the team would be in tears as every single year, we genuinely believed that would be the final year of RTV. We had no plans and no funds to make it work the following year until the last minute. Things would just fall in to place by the grace and mercy of Allah. We faced many hurdles and challenges but Allah always gave us a way out from every difficulty, every single year, until last year. Last year was unique. We faced very very little difficulties or challenges. Last year was the most stable year we ever had and probably our most successful. We had nailed it Alhamdulilah. And that was the sign that time was up.
I’m extremely happy that Allah allowed me to play a small part in this fantastic project and to meet people who I hope I will love and cherish for the rest of my life. I don’t think I will ever be part of a similar project again… and that hurts :(
p.s, read my rant on the state of Islamic channels in UK, here: http://littleexplorerblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-state-of-islamic-tv-channels-in-uk.html
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