Being...

British Muslims from across the faith mark some of life’s biggest moments from birth and coming of age to marriage and end of life. Jermaine and Mariyah are preparing for the birth of their first daughter, Rumi. Jermaine is a Muslim revert and is working hard to learn the adhaan, the Muslim call to prayer, to recite to their baby when she is born. Eight-year-old Hafsa is doing her hifdh, an ancient traditional practice of a small number of devout Muslims. She wakes up early and learns verses from the Qur'an, then after school she practices those verses. Hanna is a born Muslim; her parents were both converts to the faith. She and Ali met and fell in love, and they are now married. They look back at their vows with pride and reflect on how their faith has helped them in their marriage. In London, Emine is marking the death of her mother. A final prayer takes place, symbolising her mum coming from God and going back to God.

British Sikhs celebrate some of life’s biggest moments, from birth and coming of age to marriage and the end of life. Harsimrat and Jagjit are celebrating the birth of their first-born baby at home. They turn to the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh book of prayer, to determine the first letter of their baby’s name. 15-year-old Ansh has been wearing his turban for two years. He is continuing to learn and embrace its sacred meaning and looks ahead to how much of a part it will play in his life as he grows up. Hari and Kiran are young newlyweds and are continuing their devotion to their guru through their marriage and in their daily lives. They visit their gurdwara and carry out worship and prayer with one another. Hardeep’s father recently passed away, and after the funeral and cremation, he scatters his father’s ashes over flowing water to reunite him with God.

This episode highlights how British Hindus from across the faith celebrate life's big milestones, from birth and coming of age to marriage and the end of life. 18-year-old Samahit is leaving home for the first time to go university. His family travel with him to recite ritual prayers at his halls of residence to bless his new home. Navi and Karan are getting married in a traditional Sri Lankan Tamil wedding. For the couple, getting married is the only time in their lives when they will be elevated to God status. Priti's father Arvind recently passed away, and she wants to carry out his wishes for a traditional Hindu funeral. The ceremony takes place around an open casket and focuses on the journey of the soul. In south London, Bhumi and Chirag are marking the birth of their six-day-old son with a traditional ceremony at home, inviting the gods to write his future.

This episode highlights how British Jews from across the faith celebrate life’s big milestones, from birth and coming of age to marriage and the end of life.

How British Christians from across the faith celebrate life’s big milestones, from birth and coming of age to marriage and the end of life.