Hassan Hussein Msengi, popularly known as Babluck, is most likely the first person to summit Mount Kilimanjaro while fasting during Ramadhan. Ascending to the top of the highest mountain in Africa is a daunting task; doing it on an empty stomach is next to impossible.
A devout Muslim and addicted to adventure. This challenge was too good to pass up. During the holy month, Muslims worldwide fast for 29 or 30 days. Having no three-course meal a day can test a man's devotion, strength and limits, but adding that to scaling the highest freestanding mountain in the world is seldom heard of.
But this is exactly what Babluck was aiming for and in his own words, it was not really about competition or aiming for the Guinness Book of World Records, but rather a more personal quest, aligned with his faith.
”I thought about the Guinness World Record, but for me it is more like a movement whereby we aim to pray for our country and for peace,” he said.
Babluck is athletic and has been climbing mountains, but this time he wanted to make a bold statement.
He had to do something unique and powerful that would inspire other climbers to climb with a purpose.
”I come from a very religious family, so together with my friends and relatives, we thought of doing something that can blend my faith and love for adventure,” he said
Hiking at more than 4,000 meters above sea level under the hot Kilimanjaro sun, which abruptly gives way to gushing cold winds and heavy snow, is not a walk in the park; he had to prepare. So for two years together with his team at Tururamba Company Limited, the tour operator that took him to the top of Kilimanjaro, they had to analyse the dangers, the weather patterns, the dry and the wet season and to be sure, based on data, the best time to climb the mountain. ”My brothers are analytical and data specialists, so they helped me with that,” He said.
So during the Ramadhan of 2025, he had the green light to ascend. Babluck noted that in many religions including Christianity and Islam, the holy texts speak of religious men climbing mountains to speak with higher power, even in African spirituality and diety, men would always hike to the higher grounds to do offering to their gods in times of calamities like famine, wars, thus when praying for rain or asking for protection. ”we have the privilege to have the highest free-standing mountain in the world and we chose it to summit for our prayers” he said.
To Muslim faithful, ‘Lailatul Qadir’ or the night of decree is a night that only happens in the last 10 nights of the holy month and most likely on the 27th.
This is the night they scheduled their climb so that they would summit on that night and pray for everything they wanted. ” In Islam, we are urged to pray for others, like our neighbours, more than we pray for ourselves; it is more rewarding,” he added.
At some point during the hike, he was still wearing a kanzu, the ankle-length white robe traditionally worn by Muslim men around the world.
With no energy bars or food to keep him energized throughout the day, they trekked. He had to anticipate everything and know beforehand how he would tackle it. He was watchful of the weather; rain would be dangerous to his food-deprived body.
” We wanted to avoid pneumonia and any kind of illness that would hinder our hike,” he mentioned. They used the Marangu route and he clearly remembers the toughest day hiking from Horombo to Kibo. ” It was a long walk and the elevation started to kick in and my body needed sugar and water, but I couldn't have either,” he said.
This is the point when the torturous journey almost got the best of him, but he leaned on his faith, they had a special prayer for it and pushed through it.
On paper, this adventure seemed easily doable, but he had to go through the tedious adventure with conviction and it was not an easy feat.
The journey was worthwhile, albeit a difficult one, but the unselfish act of climbing Kilimanjaro for prayers and a time when the world is in chaos is a very fulfilling
Now that he has done it, they have shared the videos, hoping others will join in.
Speaking of fasting, Babluck said, there are merits to it that are more than a religious practise. The body heals and discards toxins when you deprive it of food.
For those who are not accustomed to it, the human body can adjust to conditions you put it in pretty quickly, so when you start fasting, your body will too, he explained. ” Along the way, the body got used as we ascended,” he said. ”Besides fasting, climbing Kilimanjaro builds resilience and mental gain,” he added.
For the young people, getting rid of a weak mindset is key to survival in this modern world. Activities like hiking can help build that mental stamina that will carry you beyond the slopes of the mountains and apply that to real life situation and help you overcome barriers. ”
We want to take these young people through the hardship of climbing mountains and help them build confidence and teach them how to overcome hardship in life,” he mentioned.
”I want to tell parents that spiritual life is very important, whether as a Muslim, Christian or any other religion, the spiritual life is vital for young people, so is the physical fitness,” he added.
At the top of the mountain, he was all smiles regardless of the cold weather and the empty stomach that was growling, yearning for food. To him, pushing his body to the limit is nothing new. His motto is ’you can do anything without fear.’
That has carried him through challenging times and he hopes to impact that mental strength on the youth. As an athlete, he wants to invest his time in training young people in various sports like the all-around course run that is an official Olympic sport and create employment for them.
Babluck and his team will scale Kilimanjaro again in 2026 during Ramadhan.
They want to make it a tradition that aims to inspire young Tanzanians to understand that they are stronger than their limitations.
”The mind and body are powerful tools we all have to unlock their full potentials,” he said. This time around, it won't be a quiet ascent. He will leverage social media and traditional media to publicize the amazing feat he has accomplished, with the hopes that young people are watching and taking notes.
