Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Richard Allinson sits in

Richard Allinson sits in for Chris, with a fully interactive show for all the family.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Mon 30 Jun 2014 06:30

Music Played

  • ABBA

    Money, Money, Money

    • Abba Gold (40th Anniversary Edition).
    • Polar.
    • 009.
  • The Beatles

    Rock And Roll Music

    • Beatles For Sale.
    • Parlophone.
    • 4.
  • Paul Carrack

    One In A Million

    • Rain Or Shine.
    • Carrack-UK.
    • 1.
  • Rosemary Clooney

    Mambo Italiano

    • Rediscover The 50's - Sugartime.
    • Old Gold.
  • Crowded House

    It's Only Natural

    • Crowded House - Recurring Dream.
    • Capitol.
  • George Ezra

    Budapest

    • Wanted On Voyage.
    • Columbia.
    • 001.
  • First Class

    Beach Baby

    • Dance Hits Of The '60's & '70's.
    • Old Gold.
  • Foster the People

    Coming of Age

    • Supermodel.
    • Columbia.
    • 001.
  • Free

    My Brother Jake

    • Music Of The Year 1971.
    • Spectrum.
    • 9.
  • Gladys Knight & the Pips

    Baby Don't Change Your Mind

    • Gladys Knight & The Pips - Singles Al.
    • Pro-Tv.
  • Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott

    Moulding Of A Fool

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin EMI.
  • Ella Henderson

    Ghost

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony Music.
    • 001.
  • Michael Jackson

    Black Or White

    • (CD Single).
    • Epic.
  • James

    Laid

    • Now That's What I Call Music! 26 (Various Artists).
    • Now.
  • Kaiser Chiefs

    I Predict A Riot (Glastonbury 2014)

  • The Kinks

    All Day And All Of The Night

    • The Journey - Part 1.
    • BMG.
    • 23.
  • Little Richard

    Long Tall Sally

    • Little Richard - British Hit Singles.
    • Ace.
  • Monty Python

    Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin.
  • Pet Shop Boys

    It's A Sin

    • Pet Shop Boys - Discography.
    • EMI.
  • Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

    Going To A Go-Go

    • Supafunky II (Various Artists).
    • Universal.
  • Emeli Sand茅

    Next To Me

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin.
    • 1.
  • Scritti Politti

    Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)

    • Now 1984 - The Millennium Series.
    • Now.
  • Ed Sheeran

    Runaway

    • X.
    • Atlantic.
    • 9.
  • The Smiths

    Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

    • Hatful Of Hollow.
    • Warner Music UK.
  • The Detroit Spinners

    Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

    • Afrodisiac (Various Artists).
    • Universal Music Tv.
    • 6.
  • Cat Stevens

    Another Saturday Night

    • The Very Best Of Cat Stevens.
    • Island.
  • The Supremes

    You Keep Me Hangin' On

    • Diana Ross & The Supremes - 40 Motown.
    • Polygram Tv.
  • Talking Heads

    Once In A Lifetime

    • Talking Heads - Remain In Light.
    • Sire.
  • Tavares

    Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel

    • 20 Songs Of Love From The 70's (Vario.
    • MFP.
  • Paul Weller

    Broken Stones

    • Paul Weller - Stanley Road.
    • Go! Discs.
  • Bobby Womack

    Daylight

  • Stevie Wonder

    Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing

    • Innervisions.
    • Motown.
    • 58.

Pause for Thought

Pause for Thought

From writer Abdul-Rehman Malik:

This morning I got up at around 2 am. Battling sleep and pressing the snooze button on my alarm, I teetered to the kitchen. I broke a couple of eggs into the frying pan, tried to make sure the porridge didn鈥檛 burn and reminded myself to drink enough water. Though, it wasn鈥檛 until I鈥檇 smelled the intoxicating scent of my freshly ground coffee beans and had first sip of my morning cup swirling in my mouth, that I felt truly awake and ready to face this second, epic day of Ramadan 鈥 the Muslim month of fasting.

Abstaining from food, drink and physical intimacy during the daylight hours, the fast of Ramadan is seen as a blessing and a challenge. The long summer days means the fast is long 鈥 over 18 hours for most of the month. I鈥檇 like to say that my spiritual mettle was totally up to the task, but I鈥檇 be lying. I know there鈥檒l be quite a few afternoons when my hand will want to reach for a bottle of water or a cup of coffee.

That鈥檚 the funny thing about fasting. There鈥檚 really no human authority that can enforce it. I could sneak off and have a decadent meal and no one would be the wiser. Fasting is, in truth, a kind of pledge between God and me alone.

The Prophet Muhammad warned that, 鈥淢any will receive nothing from the fast except hunger and thirst.鈥

In the dryness of our lips and the rumbling of our stomachs, we are encouraged to experience a different awareness. We try to turn our urge to consume to acts of giving and service. We set aside distractions and try to reconnect to those enduring wisdom traditions that give our lives meaning.听 Above all, we are called to celebrate and share what we have with others 鈥揻riends, neighbours and strangers alike.

The ancient Arabs had a word to describe the particular joy, elation and euphoria one experiences when drinking coffee. They called it marqaha. I never experience marqaha as I do in Ramadan. As the fasting day comes to an end, I hope I will feel something else too: a sense of gratitude for all the blessings I鈥檝e been given. It鈥檚 one of the few thing that even a good cup of coffee can鈥檛 quite match.

Broadcast

  • Mon 30 Jun 2014 06:30

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

500 Words

大象传媒 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.