Hoffman Estates man’s fast, running aiding orphans

Hoffman Estates attorney Junaid Afeef discovered the secret to losing 70 pounds: running while fasting.

While the health benefits of weight loss are enormous, Afeef actually started running while fasting for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan last August to raise funds for flood-ravaged Pakistan.

Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink during daylight hours and urged to give generously for charity during the month.

This Ramadan, which began Aug. 1 and ends around Aug. 29, Afeef is running to raise funds to help orphans in India. His goal is to raise $3,000 while running 80 miles in 29 days.

As Ramadan falls roughly 10 days earlier each year based on the lunar calendar, running in the 90-degree temperatures of early August without water breaks has been a challenge, Afeef said.

“It’s definitely very tiring on the body,” he said. “When you haven’t had water since 4 a.m., it adds some difficulty. Once I actually start running, then it’s not hard. I try to do it as close to iftar (fast-breaking meal) time as possible, so the downtime between when I finish the workout and have to break the fast is not that much.”

Afeef, 41, runs in his neighborhood when temperatures are cooler. On hotter days he uses the indoor track at the Prairie Stone Sports & Wellness Center in Hoffman Estates.

He took up running in February 2010. Weighing 270 pounds at the time, he could run only 20 yards at first. Now, 70 pounds lighter, he runs up to five miles a day.

Afeef said he was motivated to tie his running to charity after his wife told him to stop being depressed about the woefully inadequate aid response for victims of Pakistan’s 2010 flood and do something about it. When he was done, Afeef had raised more than $1,400 for Pakistan flood relief.

“Last year, in the last 10 days of Ramadan, I ran 30 miles for UNICEF,” he said. “I got a very good response from that so this year I thought I’m going to keep going with it.”

Afeef started paying attention to the plight of orphans in India after watching the Oscar-winning film, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Though born in Hyderabad, India, Afeef came to the United States when he was 4 years old and had been out of touch with the abject poverty afflicting people there. His research found that there are an estimated 25 million orphans in India.

“I was really shocked by what was being depicted and went on the Internet and wanted to see if it’s real, and found out it is worse,” he said. “The whole depiction of beggar gangs and how they maim the children, I found out that that’s not something they added for theatrical effect. That really goes on there.”

Afeef has teamed up with The Miracle Foundation, a secular charity working to build group homes for orphans in remote Indian villages. The group’s mission is to help children of all faiths.

“They don’t proselytize,” Afeef said. “My personal belief is children deserve to be helped regardless of what religion they happen to be born into, and they deserve to be helped without pushing them to accept a religious tradition that’s not of their parents’ heritage.”

Afeef primarily is using Facebook and his personal blog to get the word out about his cause. As of Friday, he had raised $709.

“I know I’ll be competing against a lot of other good causes,” Afeef said. “To raise $3,000 from people for a cause like this is pretty challenging, especially with what’s happening in Somalia. A lot of people are giving money there.”

Afeef said he hopes to set an example for fellow Muslims about not taking it easy during Ramadan just because they are fasting.

“Maybe we can try to get this to catch on and try to reclaim Ramadan to what it’s really meant to be,” he said. “The point is to develop an empathy for people that are poor and struggling.”To follow Afeef#146;s fundraising progress or to donate, visit firstgiving.com/fundraiser/junaid-afeef/ramadanrunning4reliefproject2011.

Ramadan facts

Ramadan, a month of obligatory daily fasting for Muslims, began Aug. 1. It is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

Ÿ Ramadan is a time of self-purification, self-restraint and inner reflection for Muslims, who abstain from food and drink and other sensual pleasures during daylight hours. During the month, believers focus on piety, charity and self-improvement.

Ÿ Muslims begin the daily fast at first light of dawn after having a pre-dawn meal known as “suhur.” Fasting ends at sunset with a special evening meal known as “iftar.”

Ÿ The elderly, those who are sick or on a journey, and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up days missed later in the year. If physically unable to fast, every Muslim must feed a needy person for every day of fasting missed.

Ÿ In special nightly prayers called “Taraweeh,” the entire Quran is recited in mosques each day of the holy month.

Ÿ Ramadan ends with a day long celebration known as Eid ul-Fitr. This year Eid will fall on Aug. 30 (depending on the moon sighting).

Ÿ Eid ul-Fitr begins with a special morning prayer attended by men, women and children in their new or best clothes. A special charity, known as Zakat ul-Fitr, is given out before the prayer to feed the poor. The day is marked by feasting, visiting relatives and friends, and giving gifts.

Source: Daily Herald research