Ashraf Schneider – Finding the Path – Episode 2

			Because Abu Bakr Siddiq are the Allah one, the greatest Companion of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, he was a revert. So one of many of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad Salah
isn't any prostrate to one God. Yes. And that made lots of sense to me here
		

			Salam Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh peace blessings a mercy be upon you all. Welcome to this
episode of finding the path. Today we've been honored by a guest and his name is Ismail. And we're
going to be speaking with him with regards to his journey to Islam. So without further ado, let's
get into that as Salaam Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dear brother Ismail, how are you today?
Why don't you come to Santa Monica Mr. Muhammad, Ashraf Alhamdulillah and while in you are
hamdulillah can't complain grateful for the time and space that we find ourselves in we are under
the mercy and protection of Allah subhana wa Tala
		

			Hamza. So we'd like for you to tell me a little bit more about your background. Right. So the faith
that you grew up in, and a little bit more about that history. So I grew up in Cape Town, South
Africa. Yes. And I was a Christian. However, we did not. We weren't practicing Christians. I did not
know much about Christianity.
		

			My life I would say it was just, I would ask for something and I will get it. It was an easy life.
And subhanAllah I was close to my mother, I was very close to my mother. And I still am. And I grew
up without a father. It was just me, my mother and my grandmother
		

			Alhamdulillah that is absolutely amazing. And this actually reminds me of a sunnah of the Prophet
and a hadith where he said that, you know, Jana lies at the footsteps of your mother, or humbly
Allah and Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi salam, when he declared this, the amazing thing is that
I myself, I also found Islam through, you know, through my mother, she actually gave me a Koran, and
the relationship that you had with your mom, you said that you have a lot of love and compassion
towards her that she kind of, you know, instilled within you desire to follow God and to worship
him. Indeed, she is actually the main reason for my relation to Islam. Oh, wow. Okay, that is
		

			absolutely amazing. Tell me a little bit more about that. She used to explain certain principles of
Islam, such as the Israel only one God, and the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is his final
messenger. Okay. And I was not used to
		

			hearing about religious figures.
		

			Because I wasn't exposed to anything to do with religion. Yes, my grandmother actually would always
say
		

			that we need to thank Jesus. But then other times, she would say, thank God. So I was pretty
confused. So for you, there was like a separation between this god figure, and this figure, Jesus
Christ be some lessons we upon it. And what eventually made you realize that listen, you know, my
focus should be only towards this god figure and not towards, you know, a creative being, which is
not really a representation of this creator itself. Because I was around a lot of Muslim people. I
obviously knew of something called salah, which is prayer, where the Muslim dedicates he lets go
everything of this world.
		

			And he prostrates to one god, yes. And that made lots of sense to me here.
		

			And I knew Christians didn't do this. I didn't go to church much. But Christians would just sit in
the church and seeing different things, but I didn't I wasn't understanding what was happening.
		

			No, definitely. And I think it's something that all the prophets did, you know, they put their
forehead to the ground. Like, even if you read the biblical texts, for instance, in the book of
Matthew, oftentimes, when Jesus Christ piece of lessons to be upon him was with his disciples, he
would kind of you know, just go off into the, to the, to the woods, and then they would find in
actually prostrating on to the Almighty Creator, right. And the question that I would like to ask
is, like, you know, sometimes you come to the realization that, you know, God will not pray to
himself, right, especially in privacy. So what was that like to you to realize that lesson, Jesus
		

			Christ is actually worshipping this creator? He's actually submitting onto this creator? You know,
he's a servant of this creator to bring about a message that was decreed upon him. What was that
experience? Like when you first discovered that? It was something undescribable? Actually, yeah. I
wasn't able to comprehend what was actually happening.
		

			Because when my mother explained certain principles of Islam, to me, I
		

			it made so much more sense than anything else that I've ever heard before. No
		

			I definitely and that is the beauty of Islam, right? It's just to understand that this almighty
creator is all powerful. He's all knowing. And he's all it's self sufficient, right? And that this
creator cannot lack power, he cannot lack knowledge. He cannot lack, you know, sufficiency. For
instance, he doesn't need to eat, he doesn't need to sleep, he doesn't need to pray on to himself.
And as soon as you compromise as soon as you think, and you realize that you come to the
understanding that anything that doesn't have these names and attributes of this creator, cannot be
him. Right. And that was, you know, a major part that I think that you know, all of us can agree
		

			with, especially coming from a Christian background, is that Jesus Christ didn't have these names
and attributes, right? For instance, he says that out of my own self, I can do nothing as a judge in
my judgment as right because I seek not to please myself, but only the Father, only the Almighty
Creator who had sent me, right. And he was also not all knowledgeable, he says, of the final day,
and our nobody knows not the angels in heaven or myself, but only God who had saved me. And it was
also not self sufficient. I mean, he had to find care from his mother, you had to eat and sleep, you
had to pray on to God, as we've now discussed. So I think that, you know, that is definitely a major
		

			stepping stone for a lot of people that come to Christianity. So tell me, what's your relationship
with your mommy? Right? Did you eventually like growing to a point where you said that? Listen, I'm
ready to embrace this way of life. What you're telling me it makes sense, right? What is the next
step for me? Basically? Definitely. I, after all of the stories that James told me, I can't actually
remember it now. But that was stories of compassion, and mercy. And that brought me closer to Islam.
Yes, no, definitely. Uh, what are what are some of these, you know, experiences that you had with
your mom? You know, would you like take you aside and say, Son, let's have a nice discussion or
		

			something. Was there ever, like conflict? Was there ever somebody that tried to say that, listen,
don't listen to her or something like that.
		

			She would always explain it to me, when we embarked on a journey with just me and her. Like if she
would drive somewhere, or something, then she would explain to me at first, I thought, why is my
mommy telling me about Islam? But then afterwards,
		

			once I've reverted really now talking, maybe a year later, I realized why she actually told me that,
yes. And what would you say is like some of the things in Islam that really stand out to you, that
you can say that while this this has changed my life, the main thing that stands out for me in
Islam, is that you have a purpose in life. When I wasn't a Muslim, I was just living. I was asking
and getting. But when I found Islam,
		

			I found a purpose, that we have to pray to one Almighty, and we worship Him alone. Yes. And
everything comes from Him, handled with Allah. And the goal of, of every believer of every person is
paradise. Yes. And also the fact that Islam has guidelines for everything in life, even going to the
toilet, speaking to somebody else, your character and conduct, how to pray all of this vessel, this
is what I was highlighted for me. No, definitely. And it really, as you said, Islam kind of, you
know, becomes a part of you as well. It's not just about going to a location, doing an act of
worship, and then separating yourself from it, it actually becomes of your daily life. You know, we
		

			wake up in the morning, we we perform our first prayer, and then we would sit in contemplation and
meditation with the Creator. And throughout the day, whenever you enter our house, you think about
the creator, you ask for his protection when you enter the restroom, before you drink water, and so
forth and so forth. So would you say that this entire experience of you know embracing Islam has
made us spiritually stronger and actually grew a relationship with this creator? Definitely. Because
I always think something. Death is something that many people avoid the topic of death. But I always
think to myself, before I commit any action, that when am I doing this? What is my intention? And
		

			oh, my mate could be pleased with me if I do this. So this is lots of
		

			meaning behind everything that I do. I do, I think in vain. We don't do things just for the sake of
it. And the amazing thing is that Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi salam peace be upon him. He
actually mentioned this, he says that the most intelligent person is the person who contemplates
about death. Because as soon as we realize, you know, where we are going to end up who we want to
be, once we leave this world and how are we going to meet our Creator? Our intentions on so many
different things, you know, it completely changes and we reevaluate who we are in our lives. Right?
Would you agree with me on that? No, fantastic. Zack Allah has so much for joining us today and for
		

			having this conversation with us. It was
		

			is absolutely amazing to hear about your story about where you grew up in a Christian family and how
your mommy actually guided you to Islam. So does that leave her brother? Is there anything else that
you would like to leave with our listeners today? May Allah bless you and bless us all with goodness
and happiness and success and contentment in the best of both worlds. I just want to end by saying
to me of the reverts are the new reverts who have embraced Islam as the religion as they live. Islam
is a knowledge based religion. You need to seek the knowledge, if you're going to neglect your
Islam, when you're going to dwell, you're going to fall back into your past. And the greatest gift
		

			that we have been granted as reverts is hedaya. That always guided us from darkness into light. And
many people, the Muslims that are born Muslims actually, they speak down on reverts sometimes. And
revert is actually so special because Abu Bakr Siddiq or the Allah and the greatest Companion of the
Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was a revert. So one of many of the companions of
the Prophet Muhammad Yunus. And so this just highlights the fact that the limits are so amazing.
Yes, so, so everyone out there,
		

			always put your trust in Allah. Don't matter what don't. Don't think of what the people say. As long
as you purify your intentions, and you do everything for the sake of Allah. And as I kind of said,
and that concludes today's episode of finding the path. If you have any questions or you have any
queries, feel free to message our page and we will respond to the best of our own capacity. Maybe
Almighty Creator bless you with peace with happiness and contentment to Zachariah here, all the best
blessings upon you