As Ramadan started on Saturday, Muslim celebrities marked the beginning of the holy month with celebratory posts on social media.
From the US to the UK, and the UAE to India, famous faces across the world sent out video messages and Instagram posts to their mass of followers.
These are just a few of those tributes.
DJ Khaled
American musician DJ Khaled was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Palestinian parents, and he has always been vocal about his faith.
This year, he shared a post on Instagram from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture, saying "Ramadan Mubarak", as well as a picture telling people to "relax".
"Allah sees, Allah knows and Allah will fix it soon," the image read, with a caption from the DJ and producer saying "keep going".
He has also shared a couple of other posts, writing "God is the greatest" in the caption, with a video of him landing at Miami Airport, saying, continually, "God is great."
DJ Khaled, whose real name is Khaled Mohammed Khaled, previously spoke to GQ Middle East about fasting during Ramadan. "I'll be honest with you, many Ramadan times, I'll fast, and then I get dehydrated and have to go to the hospital. Just because I work so hard. I try my hardest to fulfil the beliefs and how beautiful what we fast for is. It's so beautiful, what we're doing it for."
Mona Kattan
Entrepreneur Mona Kattan, founder of the Kayali fragrance range and sister of Huda Kattan of Huda Beauty, shared some fun Instagram Stories on the first day of Ramadan, joking about food she wants to eat.
She also shared a recipe for rose and cardamom milk tea, which she says she loves to make during the holy month.
"Literally like a hug in a cup," she captioned the video recipe.
Kattan, who got married recently, also showed off her Van Cleef & Arpels Ramadan gift calendar and introduced viewers to Humantra, a company she and Huda recently invested in, as a "hydration hack".
Yusuf Islam
The musician Yusuf Islam, commonly known by his stage name Cat Stevens, has been a devout Muslim since 1977.
While Islam is known to live in Dubai, he shared a post on Twitter on the first day of Ramadan from the UK.
"Blessed with another month of Ramadan," he captioned a picture of himself praying in a park. "A time to get closer to our true nature as mindful beings… time to reconnect."
Mohamed Hadid
Property mogul Mohamed Hadid shared Stories on Instagram of his family's first iftar this year, with a snap of him and his supermodel daughters Gigi and Bella, who shared one of her father's Ramadan posts on her own account.
Mohamed shared a graphic from the Instagram account Muslim, which said "Ramadan Mubarak", and added in the caption: "Ramadan Kareem and Mubarek wish peace and tranquility for all Religions we only have one God for all you can be a Muslim Christian Or a Jewish faith. Hope I see peace in the Holy land and refrain from giving pain to others I wish for peace in Ukraine and Palestine and all parts of the world."
In another post, he shared a photo of himself looking pensive, with a caption tagging his children: "Ramadan Mubarak to all from my family to yours... Love and respect to all Gods religion’s Let’s have some love in this month please."
Imaan Hammam
The Dutch model, who is of Moroccan and Egyptian descent, also shared Muslim's Ramadan Mubarak graphic on her own Instagram Stories, writing "beyond excited" underneath.
In a 2018 interview with Vogue Arabia, in which she starred alongside Iman Abdulmajid, Hammam referred to herself as a "proud Muslim", saying of her family's support of her ambitions that it "gave me the strength to use my platform to talk about issues like race and religion, with the aim to empower young girls — no matter the colour of their skin or where they come from".
Paul Pogba
Footballer Paul Pogba, who was born in France to Guinean parents and plays for Premier League club Manchester United, is also a devout Muslim.
"Islam is not the image that everyone sees, terrorism," Pogba told The Times' Life Times podcast in 2019. "It's really a religion that opened my mind and that makes me, maybe, a better person."
On Saturday, he shared a collage of himself to Instagram with the words "Ramadan Mubarak" written in ornate script over the top.
"Ramadan Mubarak to all my Muslim brothers & sisters," he said in the caption.
Hend Sabry
Egyptian-Tunisian actress Hend Sabry shared a photo of herself on Instagram with "Ramadan Kareem" written over the top.
“May you be well all year,” she wrote in the caption. “May Allah accept from us and from you."
The star, who lives in Egypt, has been involved in Ramadan charity campaigns in the past, including one for the United Nations World Food Programme in 2018, which asked people to #ShareYourIftar with children in need in Syria and Yemen on the organisation's ShareTheMeal app.
The actress currently stars in the Netflix reboot of Finding Ola.
Hina Khan
Indian television and film actress Hina Khan shared a photo of herself in 2020, on the first day of Ramadan, urging people in the caption to "pray for infected, let's pray for protection and healing", referring to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year she simply wrote "Ramadan Mubarak", sharing a series of photos of herself in a stunning yellow outfit and holding up a plate of dates.
She has done something similar this year, sharing an older photo of herself with Bollywood star Salman Khan, captioning it: "Ramdan mubarak".
Huma Qureshi
Award-winning Indian actress Huma Qureshi shared a beautiful photo of herself on Instagram to her nearly five million followers, alongside the caption: "Chand Mubarak… Ramadan Mubarak .. a month of prayers peace prosperity love compassion sharing."
Gauahar Khan
Indian model and actress Gauahar Khan has shared numerous videos and posts since the start of the holy month, including a clip from a tour of Qasr Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi.
"I had such an amazing time exploring Abu Dhabi," she wrote in the caption, alongside a Reel on Instragram. "They retain their culture so beautifully."
In the clip, she explores the Farah Al Qasimi exhibition at the Cultural Foundation, the Children's Library and the House of Artisans.
Yusuf Pathan
The former Indian cricketer, and brother of Irfan Pathan, shared a photo of himself and his family on Instagram, captioning it: "As the holy month of Ramadan begins, may Allah bless all of us with peace and grace. Happy Ramadan!"
His previous post was of himself and his brother in Muscat, Oman, with the hashtag #jummahmubarak.
Sana Khan
Former Indian actress, model and dancer Sana Khan has shared her activities extensively over the first couple of days of Ramadan, with photos and videos on her Stories of her first taraweeh prayer, her family reading the Quran and passages from holy scripture.
In one Instagram post, she wears a headscarf by her own brand Haya By Sana Khan, captioning a video "Ramadan Kareem".
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mobile phone packages comparison
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
