The restaurant on top of The Gherkin, one of London’s most recognized skyscrapers on account of its shape, hosted on Saturday for the first time an iftar with the Muslim charity Human Appeal.
This is also in association with the British Muslim professional networking organization, the Emerald Network.
Writing about the event, Rooful Ali, the founder of the Emerald Network said “A wonderful array of guests from across the UK, diverse professions and heritage coming together to breakfast with 360-degree views at one of the world’s famous buildings – truly serene watching the sunset in the city.”
Representing the Association of Muslim Lawyers, Iram Iqbal writes, “An evening at the top of London’s iconic Gherkin….almost touching the stars. A spectacular 360 view of the whole of London. A beautiful sunset, Maghreb Salah [prayer] in the skies and a delicious 3-course meal to open our fast with.”
“AML is proud to have been able to join Emerald Network and Human Appeal and distinguished guests at this wonderful Iftar event.
The evening started off by a beautiful recitation of the Quran which echoed around the glass globe of the Gherkin warming the heart followed by a talk about the virtues of Ramadan, a time for reflection, ibaadah, good deeds, and charity. A truly magical evening.”
Before the event, Ahmed Osman from Human Appeal said, “We are in the Gherkin building today, alhamdulillah. We have invited our special donors for an iftar event, alhamdulillah. We are going to be fundraising for various projects around the world, especially feed the fasting projects in Ramadan. Aiming to raise as many funds for the needy inshallah. Please make dua for us that the event is a success.”
Iftar At The Gherkin
Reflecting on the event, Head of Fundraising at Human Appeal, Zaheer Khan, shared “Last night was a wonderful evening. Alongside our partners, The Emerald Network, it was a great honor to host the first ever Iftar At The Gherkin.
“A truly iconic and prestigious building, with spectacular 360 views of London, including the Thames it was befitting that we were able to come together and raise awareness of the plight of those who have no access to safe drinking water.
“The food was a delight of starters, mains, and desserts, including delicious fresh salmon strips served with warm seeded bread and crisp salad and condiments. The mains including succulent roast chicken, slightly flavored with a soft warm vegetarian pie. This was all followed off by tea and macaroons, served on the 39 floors amongst a fantastic networking session whilst enjoying the London evening sky views.
“Approximately 120 guests came together, from different networks, backgrounds, and locations to join in prayer, great food, spiritual reminders, and humanity. A huge thank you to all those who attended, donated and supported this amazing cause.”
The evening included a talk by Shaykh Muhammad Bhuta one of the teachers at Ebrahim College, and an adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, in the main restaurant atrium over 600 feet in the sky by Qari Omar Aswat who recites so beautifully that he has represented the UK in Qur’an competitions around the world, including Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, and Tanzania.
Sawood Pearce from the Deloitte Muslim Network said of the event’s success, that it was “A pleasure to attend an inaugural iftar at the Gherkin last night with the awesome Deloitte Muslim Network team, hosted by Emerald Network and Human Appeal. Over £72,000 raised to build water wells serving over 13,000 people. An evening well spent.”
Iram Iqbal AML with Rooful Ali and Zaheer Khan
‘Photo credits include Photographer Sammy Rashid’