If you’re a smoker and want to quit take some advice from Mohammed Ameen. He gave up smoking and went on Hajj with the money he saved!

He is now urging other people to make the most of the month of Ramadhan and quit the deadly habit for good.

“When I made the intention I would quit I also made a promise that I would use the money I saved to go on the biggest spiritual journey there is – the Hajj.”

Mohammed aged 30 started smoking in his teens and was spending £6 a day to fund his habit. But in 2008 during Ramadhan he decided to quit his 25 a day habit “It was mentioned to me by a scholar that smoking was haram. That by smoking you are in fact destroying your self. Now that we know of the dangers then smoking is indeed self-destructive.

“Coupled with this is how some surgeons say you are committing a slow act of suicide. Therefore, I applied the act of smoking to that of something that was self-destructive.”

He said it was difficult giving up but not impossible and as a smoker you may have your doubts if you will succeed.

“It was one of the most difficult things I have done in my life. I really enjoyed my cigarettes – every single one of them - so when it came to giving up it was very hard.

“But I was determined to stop and through willpower I did it.

“After two years the cravings may have gone but the desire to smoke is still there.

“My family were over the moon when I quit. I still have some friends who smoke but a couple of them are saying they going to stop this Ramadhan.

“I can’t believe I was spending £3,000 a year on smoking!

Mohammed said quitting smoking was the best decision he ever made in his life.

“I know during Ramadhan people hurry to have their first cigarette after opening their fast.

“I just want you to think for a moment and having gone 18 hours without a cigarette why not simply make that into 24 hours?

“Rather than feeding your addiction - use that money give it to a charity?

“People don’t realise that there are so many chemicals in cigarettes. A total of 85% of lung cancer cases are due to smoking. And it is not just the smoker who suffers – those around him or her are breathing in lethal toxins too.”

Mohammeed has used his own experience of quitting and now works as a NHS Stop Smoking Health Advisor.

“I started as a volunteer but then I decided to that I could pass on advice to other people. I myself quit cold turkey without any replacement but there is help available for you if you want to stop.

“I would urge people to use the NHS Stop Smoking Service that is available in every town.

“It provides you with many different types of nicotine replacement.

“I have always found people in our community fail to take up the service that is available to them.”

Anybody wants any further information about the NHS Stop Smoking Service call 01254 380424