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Rapper and TV chef Big Zuu talks about his life-changing journey to Mecca, and the challenges of embarking on the pilgrimage.

When Big Zuu went on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, he wasn’t sure what he’d find.

“It was something that I definitely wasn't ready for,” he says. “But it was something I felt like I needed in life.”

Before filming his new documentary, his relationship to faith was “up and down”, he says. While faith has always played a significant part in his life, he says he could follow the religion more closely.

“I go out, I go to the club, and I drink alcohol and I talk to women,” he says. He recognises that all of these things are haram, adding many “people would say doing that doesn’t make you a Muslim”.

Haram is a term that means forbidden or unlawful, according to Islam.

In Big Zuu Goes to Mecca, the rapper and Bafta-award winning TV chef embarks on Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca, during the month of Ramadan. It was his first time visiting the holy site, and an important milestone in his life.

Umrah differs from Hajj, another type of Mecca pilgrimage, because it’s voluntary, whereas Hajj is compulsory for those who are physically and financially able.

Big Zuu, real name Zuhair Hassan, is probably best known for his cooking series Big Zuu’s Big Eats, where he and two friends cook for comedians across the UK, and ���˿��� Three series Hungry for It.

In 2022, Big Zuu’s Big Eats won two Baftas, but before a career in television he was part of rap group MTP crew (My Team Paid), alongside his cousin AJ Tracey and other grime MCs.

The TV chef is candid about having never been a “very strict Muslim” growing up. Born to a Sierra Leonean mum and a Lebanese dad, he was not raised to pray five times a day.

However, Islam is something he inherited from both sides of his family and he continues to consider it part of his core identity, he says.

“I feel like sometimes when you think of Islam, you think of a sheikh in very religious clothing with a long beard, who's very humble,” he explains.

“That is great because that is [a part of Islam], but Muslims also come in different shapes and sizes, different people, different ideologies.”

One thing that unites many Muslims is Islam’s holiest site, Mecca. Located in modern Saudi Arabia, Muslims undertake a pilgrimage, or Hajj, there at least once in their lifetime.

For Umrah, Muslims are expected to perform Tawaf, which means circling around the Holy Kaaba (the Sacred House of God, a stone building in the centre of the Great Mosque of Mecca) seven times.

This is then followed by Sa’i, which entails a brisk walk or run between Safa and Marwah, and is also located in the Great Mosque of Mecca.

Big Zuu still can’t believe how affecting it was for him.

“Being in front of the Kaaba, the house of God, in the Grand Mosque… the feeling in my heart was just pure, pure bliss,” he says.

He “just felt so pure” and “connected to so many different people”, he explains. It was a “beautiful moment” that changed him.

“Emotionally, I learned a lot about myself. I still carry that with me to this day, so I'm very lucky that we were able to capture such a poignant moment in my life and I feel like it will inspire others.”

But filming the documentary and embarking on Umrah wasn’t easy.

Of all the changes and new experiences he faced ahead of Umrah, cutting his hair was the one that really challenged him. Men are advised to shave their hair off during pilgrimage.

Big Zuu sat in a barbershop chair, squirming at the prospect of shaving all of his locks off.

“I’ve been growing my curls for the past year,” he says. “But [this is] for God.”

With hindsight, Big Zuu has had some revelations as to why cutting his hair felt so difficult. Yes there were fears over his appearance (“Is my head going to look mad when I cut my hair?”) But there was something much deeper for him, too, he says.

“It’s because as a black man, your hair is your power,” he explains.

“I had to let go of that identity and realise that I'm doing this for a higher purpose. I'm cutting my hair to show that I am one with everyone. We're all the same - that's the bottom line.”

Big Zuu hopes audiences find aspects of themselves in him and his experiences.

“It's just good to have that representation,” he says.

He thinks many wouldn’t associate him with Islam having come from a music and entertainment background, but he wants to unpick this stereotype.

“What was good about doing this documentary is that people might be able to look at me in a different light and be like, ‘Oh, you know what, he does all of that, but he is still a young Muslim man on his own little journey.’”

As for any potential criticism, he’s prepared.

“You know, I feel like I'm going to get some negative feedback. I'm going to get some positive feedback,” he says.

“But all I care about is if I make one mistake, and that brings someone one step towards making a change in their life, I feel like we've done the right thing.”

Big Zuu Goes to Mecca is available on Sunday 14 April at 9pm on ���˿��� Two and ���˿��� iPlayer.