Ali Ataie – Todd’s Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)

Brother Todd is gonna take his Shahada,

and he's going to formally join our community

as a new Muslim. Make sure that you

introduce yourself,

shake his hand, ask for his dua. It

is our belief that a person who makes

the shahada

is as if they're born again as it

were with no sins

on their,

scales.

So we ask Todd to make a dua

for us,

when he does his shahada.

And Todd also wants to just make a

brief statement as well,

explaining why he's

becoming Muslim inshallah. Something a little just very

shortly, inspiring for us inshallah.

So I'm glad that I thought my khutbah

had scared him off, but

we found him.

Okay. So, brother Todd, you're going to repeat

after me.

My heart leaped when I was greeted by

my former students

and I knew,

which is really the first reason why I

converted.

I found peace in Islam. I found people

of peace in a world that's lacking peace.

I observed my students, the staff, the families

of the various ways where I used to

teach. And I found people committed to faith.

And there was something about them that was

different.

And I it was irresistible in a way.

And so this past summer,

one of the various teachers conveyed me to,

Zetuna

to study, permaculture which is a form of,

sustainable agriculture. Anyway, I was up there with

brother Amis and, for a few weeks.

And I can't tell you what I found

there. It was by permaculture, of course, but

it was beautiful.

People of peace, people unassuming, people

without agendas, people that just wanted to work

with one another, wanted to support one another,

people that were open, people that were friendly.

And I I found myself every day

praying with them. I had no idea what

I was doing but, you know, prostrating.

And

I felt part of that community and that's

I think that's huge.

And I also be remiss that,

you know,

observing the the parents that have aeroism. My

students, seniors last year that I worked with

on their capstone projects,

they wrote about Islam.

And I could see the centering quality to

it. And I thought, you know, I'm an

educator

and I want that for all these kids

to to have this

marvelous anchor of peace from which to choose

and relate to other people. So,

so there's that element. And there's this young

woman

who's a former teacher at a bare ways.

She could be my daughter. Anyway, this is

a very learning woman, and, she was so

helpful to me in guiding me. She was

an exemplar of faith,

really interrogate your faith. And I we had

so many discussions where I learned

and I read and I observed and I

interrogated. I went online and I saw all

these things and I realized.

But but the second reason is just is

read.

Islam is a

a faith of scholarship, of reason,

which is something again, which I think is

so lacking in the world.

I my greatest one of my greatest achievements

as a father is that my my children

love to read. And I think that's what

Allah wants us to do.

I think it's the most amazing instrument that

he's given us is to read. It's meditative.

There's

there's working memory. There's arguments. There's reflection. There's

ideas.

So there's that and I think that Allah

wants us to look at everything, his creations,

and to challenge them and interrogate them and

evaluate them.

And one thing that I love about

Islam is like there's no pope. Anybody can

make a work make an argument, but you

better be well reasoned. You better have done

your homework.

And the third thing is just the prophet

peace be upon him.

Every day the the bar seems to be

lowered on character in this country,

which I know as a teacher gets to

my students.

And in the prophet,

peace be upon him,

I see the exemplar of character. And I

wanna know and I wanna read and I

wanna

I see him as a missing piece in

what I'm trying to teach my students, and

I wanna learn from him. So I'm actually

gonna begin really my real deep dive into

Islam through the prophet.

And the 4th is I'm I my only

experience with the Quran is al Fatihah.

But I was amazed that in that short

verse that I found

mercy, but I also see, you know, that's

forgiveness. Like we all

and Allah is so loving us that he

he forgives.

And in in return, we praise, which I

think is a form of gratitude to be

so grateful what that means to us.

But we have to be accountable. That's where

the judgment comes in, and I honor that

responsibility.

And then the last thing is through this

relationship is that he guides you on this

path. And this is a path that I've

been seeking, which is really the last

argument why

it's it's a lot.

I it's something that's been lacking. I

I I believe in predestination. I believe Allah

made me for a purpose. That's why I'm

here today.

And I believe that this faith, this gives

me everything that I need to learn and

study for the rest of my days. There's

so much.

It's

and so I'm starting to learn what that

means. I'm I'm praying

right now just twice a day, Fajr and

Isha. And

some days it's really cool and I really

don't wanna stick my foot in the sink,

but I find that I get what I

do, what I do, when I get I'm

always happy that I'm praying.

I'm always happy and I'm starting to recognize

that structure is there for a reason. And

5 times a day, you turn to the

light.

To be reminded of that and to have

this constant dialogue

with your creator, that this makes so much

sense to me.

So so there you have it.

I can't tell you how appreciative I am

of everyone being here and that

I'm I'm

I'm a Muslim.