Newcastle man aims for 100 press-ups a day during Ramadan in memory of father

Accountant inspired by his late father's charity work

Asif Saleem, right, is performing his Ramadan fundraiser in memory of his father Mohammed, left. PA

A Muslim man from Newcastle is attempting to complete 100 press-ups every day while fasting for Ramadan, saying it is the “least he can do” to pay his respects to his late “charitable” father.

Asif Saleem, a chartered accountant, aims to complete the challenge to raise funds to build a well in Kenya — the country where his father Mohammed Saleem was from.

Mr Saleem, 36, said he was “humbled” by stories of his “charitable father”, who died from a brain haemorrhage in October 2021.

“He was a massive family man, not just for our family but for our community as well. He would give to charity both locally and nationally,” said Mr Saleem.

“I’ve been humbled with stories of how he helped people in the community both personally and financially.

“He was a charitable guy, so I think that’s part of my inspiration to do the fund-raiser.”

Mr Saleem set up a GoFundMe page, which has raised close to £800 ($988) out of the £1,000 target so far.

He said that taking on the challenge during the holy month made it even more poignant.

“In our culture, we believe that as kids to a deceased person, if we do good deeds and charity, the blessings go towards the deceased,” Mr Saleem said.

“Particularly something that gives perpetuity or something that’s continuing, so the benefit would be that we’re continuously providing [blessings] for my dad.

“Any good deeds or charity that a son or daughter gives will create blessings that go towards the departed.

“It gives them a better opportunity to go to Jannah — [the Islamic] equivalent to heaven, if you like.

“It’s challenging, but thinking about the reason I’m doing it, I do feel like I get that spark of inspiration to keep going.”

Mr Saleem has received lots of support from his family. His daughter Aliza, 3, has also attempted a few press-ups alongside her father.

He added that seeing people making donations has also been touching.

“I’m massively grateful to everyone that’s donated and I’m humbled too,” he said. “It spurs me to keep on going and do as much as I can. It’s really touching.”

The challenge is something that Mr Saleem believes is “the least I can do for my father”, who played an “important part in my life and gave so much to me”.

“Family is hugely important. Just spend as much time as you can with loved ones, because you never know what’s around the corner,” he said.