Bilal Assad – Why You Matter
AI: Summary ©
The importance of finding practicality and finding a common understanding between Muslims and non- Muslims is emphasized in the community's approach to helping each other with financial needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community's focus on helping individuals with their own potential is emphasized, along with the need for faith in their abilities and development. Open-mindedness is also emphasized, along with the importance of learning and development.
AI: Summary ©
You're minister. Yeah, it's gonna be something that has also led to cinema Allah rasool Allah
Subhan Allah. First of all, thank you for having me here.
Well, for the past 2025 years since I came back from Lebanon, I
just found myself going into Dawa.
I didn't ask for it, I just found myself going in. And I actually tried to push myself away from the public eye for a very long time. Even till now, I'm not very comfortable with the Public High, to be honest, even though we're out that 100 in.
I've been wherever I go, wherever I go University, people's houses, wherever I go in Charlotte, it's always Dean Dean pops up, for some reason around my life. And in the beginning,
we had some brothers who didn't know much about Islam, they still come and visit us see us at the mosque. And they would sit down and talk on a topic of incomes up and from there, it leads you to another gathering then to another gathering in some would invite you here and someone invite you there and then people stopped passing the information on until I found myself giving public speeches everywhere. Well, so which this is, you know,
is this would you describe this as like the infancy of the Muslim community in Melbourne? Definitely. We came back here. So from about 1996. I was about close to 20 years old when I was involved. So do the math. Yeah. Yeah. Do the math.
SubhanAllah.
And this is the first in Moscow that was at Princeton looks. Let me you're taking me back now to those years. Let me just refresh my mind smuggler. So we had
a community that was quite close to each other. There was a greater bond. And even before that, there, I heard that there was even a greater bond. So in the 70s, the 80s, when I don't know that youngsters don't know him but his name Scheffer, Mira McCullough, he used to be the main man who, along with many of the youngsters, grandfathers who were together, one of them passed away. At first, the mosque was a little house, and then there were like, Turkish Lebanese, Palestinian, Albanian, all the different nationalities in one place. And then everybody dispersed, and you got the different mosques from different nationalities. I came in when Preston mosque was, like, you can
say, it's like the mecca of, of Melbourne.
And it was the central place. We had a few brothers there that wanted to make an Islamic organization. Before that, we had a few youth organizations were called Why am I remember? Why am I here? They're still around. They're still around. Yeah, yeah. But there'll be stronger that time. Yeah. And then we had the radical Hamza there who wanted to make an Islamic Center, and we started helping him we had a few brothers from University
of the many names. And we started the Youth Center, gave it a name. And I was always sort of helping in the background of being part of specific organizations, the only organizations I became part of as part of the committee member is the Islamic society, Victoria Preston mosque.
And that's when I started to really learn about our community, from the inside and the outside.
Want me to start from there. That's where the journey began. And I learned so much about what our community needs, where we're successful, where we're thriving, and when we were lacking and need a lot of helping,
even among religious people. Just felt that got a lot of things. Got some things right, and a lot of things wrong as well. But I really want to focus on that because,
you know, I raised my hand on the blog, we still have Chef biller with us but you know,
Alia humble, Chef, me know, he's gone through he would have gone through so much so much experience and you know, I always find it really, really rewarding. I mean, listening to like listening to my dad or listening to my elders and hearing their experiences and extracting that wisdom and knowledge that that is disappears when they're gone. And no, people come into the community trying to reinvent the wheel over again do the same thing and replicate things but people have been there done that we experienced that at least in hindsight there's a lot to learn and I think a lot of our you know, I think they saw some similarities from those times that still exist. I'm gonna tell you the fine line
between
all of that shift for me I was by his side at the Crystal mosque for a long time people thought he was my dad I've actually got his picture on the Facebook page. My main the agenda the public Facebook page is one I don't know the there's one that's private is all personal and then there's one anyway one of them I have that old man with the with the turban sits next to me
So if you want to go to my first but that's, that's always I wanted to have him there because he did so much for our computer and I'm telling you why he was successful. It's not because he was the most knowledgeable person. Actually, there were many scholars much more knowledgeable than him. He wasn't what we call Ireland in the sense of wow, you know that day. But I'll tell you what he did. He knew what the community wanted, and focused on the knowledge that they need. And then avoided Subhanallah, something I learned from is that he avoided differences between people, anything that caused the controversy or the or made people separate apart, he avoided it completely and focused on
what the community really needs, practical things that people can apply straight away one of the first things he did, for example, with other groups of our elders, you didn't need much knowledge for that. Just the basics of Islam is enough that we need to thrive and move forward as a community Subhanallah one of the things is established the graveyard of a cemetery. For the Muslims alone before they used to bury them in bags, with the non Muslim in normal, some cemeteries, and we weren't allowed to wash them and shroud them the way that we do. We didn't even pray Janessa on them was all done secretly, people don't know, this went on for years. And then he was able to, you know,
go around the Muslims and say, Hey, guys, listen, this is important for us, how we get buried, started to lobby at speak, get to know the people in the in the council people in the government, you need people of authority and to connect with them. You can't just isolate yourself, you have to connect, you have to smile with them, you have to have even Iftar dinners with them too, believe it or not just so that we can get to what the community needs. Nobody's got the funeral got the funerals, right? And then he got the marriage thing right for us were able to get married Islamically I just asked What What time was that? That was so that was in the early 80s. But that's
not far away. Or early 80s? Yeah, started doing that. And we had the marriage celebrant thing we have religious celebrants like for example, I'm a marriage celebra took off the introduction for me, actually. And he endorsed me saying go ahead to do religious government actually says, Okay, you do it your way. And we'll acknowledge it, we'll just endorse it. If you don't have Muslims who interact intermingle a little bit,
meet people, you know, non Muslims, because that's where we're living, then you're not going to be able to move the Muslims forward. Then there was another group of people we used to interact with from non Muslims Subhanallah that want to isolate themselves from everything in anything. And focus on the differences of opinion that scholars used to have traditional scholars, you know, hundreds of years ago. And this is not the time nor the place.
Right. So that's your question. It seems like you had a good connection with the sheriff and learn a lot from him. Was it because of your own personal desire close to him? Or?
Walla he?
Can I have? Honestly, I can't answer that question. I don't know how everything. Remember how we started off. Coming back I studied in Lebanon studied Sharia in Lebanon had told dynamic in Lebanon, very different to Australia. You come back here and I didn't know where to go. But everywhere. Allah subhanaw taala just put me here, put me there, brought these people here brought this shirt next to me, I ended up in the mosque. I don't know how I didn't really plan it. Because I feel like there's a lot of young people that they want to learn. They want to take that good path, but then sometimes it just doesn't work out for them. I see that you had a good relationship and connection with the
share. The only thing I can I can share with the young people is this. I didn't have to try hard. And I didn't have to look for a group that I have to be part of young people, they want to be part of a group. I just let things flow. What I did was I prayed to Allah. I learned this from my father. My father says I was lost before he says and then this brother, he told me this dua that I can say at night and I still hear these things from my dad, I just took him on board started saying yeah, Allah guide me to the right path. I don't want to be on the wrong path. And then I had a passion, a personal passion for the deen.
That's all. But I like to mix I don't try to choose I didn't try to choose this group, that group, that person, this person, anybody who told me don't be with this person that'd be with that person. I didn't really take it on board. I'd respect him and say okay, no worries. But I go and like to talk to I want to see why. You know, they're all Muslims. When you mix a lot, but you stay you don't just accept things without investigating or reject things without investigating. Right? All right, and you always have people to ask you go back to ask people manage people to trust Allah Subhana Allah guides here. Allah guides you not to try too hard. My advice to young people is stick to the
mosques. And this is where I where I start. The first place you go to is to mosque. I even tell the university students as soon as you go on your first on your first day at university find the prayer and this is called the GEMA. Stick to the GEMA wherever the Muslim community is go there and mixed with them. Don't isolate yourself and watch the doors open Subhanallah watch the doors open and be seen
see about a sincere but I've seen young people who were successful young people who lost their way either became too much until they exhausted themselves. And now they went back to the old ways. Some of them just isolated themselves in in give themselves the chance. Some of them came in with sincere hearts, sincere hearts, and stuck around the masjid. And around and Allah Subhana Allah guides them to meet this person and that person.
And almost nothing against these young people like that. Just you have that passion have that sincerity. And Islam is simple. You don't have to go and if no one's asking you to become this great scholar and you have to
find this specific group and specific place to enter paradise. Yanni didn't I just saw the passion, sincerity, openness, open mindedness. Just accept everything everyone says to me, meet this person made that what remember one brother come to the mosque? And he said to me, he was with a tablet programmer.
And he said to me, should I go with them? Should I go and I said, go here. But one thing, just, you know, listen, but you don't have to accept everything. Everyone says no, reject everything. Everyone says, meet other people as well go wherever you like, don't make it a group thing. And almost matter to open the door for him to have at least we have an open relationship with each other, that he changed his life. Yes, of course. What happened is that
it creates you feel you're part of a community. When you don't isolate yourself and stick to one, you have a relationship with everybody. And what happens is that everyone starts to get to listen to everyone else and see the different points of views and learn that hold on a minute. There are fundamentals in Islam, and there are branches of Islam. And the branches, we can differ on them and still be Brothers and Sisters in Islam still move forward. As for the fundamentals, it's very hard to find people differing on fundamentals. Actually, if you do find him, that's very clear. Everybody can notice it. And this is brothers. So hold on him. It's not that difficult. It's like some people
some Yeosu if they stick to one place, or one group or one person, what happens to them is they think all the everything about the religion is fundamental. Even the things that you're allowed to have difference of views on them, and they become exhausted, exhausted, and they just give up. That's that burnout that after, you know, you put in your effort in the community. And you know, you're trying to be that unifying thing, or force or person. And you do get exhausted. Yeah, sometimes, right. Because I think one thing that one thing that you did mention, that sort of stuck out just then is that the fact that you didn't necessarily try to engineer anything, but you have
certainly had a sincere heart. You you you entered
the right arena. And I just wanted to take you places. Yeah, right. And I think there's there's this overarching
mentality now that you know, I need to come in, I need to transform that community. And I need to come in and I want to do this and do this and build out and do this. And it's like, and then you you know, realistically look back three, four or five, six years. It's like, okay, what have you actually done, except talk about?
And that grassroots work on the ground is like, you can't compare that.
Let me let me share with you one thing, maybe that'll make it even clearer and more practical. So the word is practical, very beyond the ground, what's happening right now in the community, try to understand what kind of mentality we have mindset in your community. One thing I did in live, I went to Lebanon. And it's a totally different mindset, they're totally different culture. And coming back to Australia, I realized that a lot of the stuff I learned there, I can't talk about all of it here doesn't all work because the mentality and the mindset has been different.
So I allowed myself to interact with all our brothers and sisters, so long as they're called Muslim, and Sunni, even with with with Shia, I had friends, you know, we used to talk but I didn't just accept everything. They said, I'd have to investigate. This is the thing. And I always had this mentality of, it's always better for me to follow the minimum of the religion that I'm very sure about, than a lot of it when it's mixed up.
Going to uni. I went to Latrobe first year. And the first place I went to was the prayer room. Now, there are all sorts of Muslims there. Yeah, I did not stop myself from being friends with any of them. We had all the different people following particular parties in particular groups have to tweak their mindsets. I really enjoyed the discussion. We used to talk and talk and talk and sometimes it gets heated. But this is the thing. As soon as that ends, you will see no difference in the relationship we had. We're brothers, we're brothers in Islam. We still love each other. We are loyal to each other. And none of those differences ever, ever split us apart. Got it? You got to
have a bit of an open mindset that Paul
I think that maybe she's gonna share that, too can elaborate on that. Now, there's some good stories of points, the differences between our Buckler and an Omar for example, right? Like, literally almost polar opposites, you know, to the point of,
you know, the example of,
you know, either
killing the captives or keeping them alive. Yep, that's like,
check. Could you maybe recount that story in a little bit more depth again? Yes. I remember
the time of regarding the captives and abuse of Alario Salam. I mean, that was the first first battle and, and the first time is captives. So how do you deal with them, or model Yano had his strong opinion. And obika Leandro had his opinion. And I believe Abdullah roja also had his opinion too.
So Subhanallah Nabi SallAllahu Sallam took the opinion of Abu Bakr Radi Allahu Anhu. And that was to
check in regularly that to take them as ransom. And that could benefit Islam, strengthen Islam, and I'm one of the honors said, every family member should take their family member from the captives and execute them. So at that stage in a visa Salam took the opinion of a worker and then Quran was revealed in soul to soul to unfurl Allah subhanaw taala reviewed and verses regarding that, but it's just always amazed how many different incidents have occurred a normal yawn who had difference, but then at the end, still, that connection was there are just going off track. But I remember years ago also when I was trying to find my journey and and what to do.
I started going to the masjid. And I really just wanted to create I had a passion as she said, Young and an under allah subhanaw taala was guiding me. And a certain people kept coming up to me and telling me that this is wrong. And this is right. And they tell me the intricate issues of Islam that I didn't even know what they're talking about.
And I started to get confused.
I started to get confused. What do I do? How do I deal with this? And one thing is just go to the shack in the masjid, and just helped me know that everybody's still learning about this. And
I don't go off track by just wildly. Finally relevance that's very relevant. Yes. It's nice to to go back and might make dua Gaiden, what are they saying is right is wrong, which is total confusion. But then I just kept looking for the truth, kept looking for the truth. I didn't take exactly what they said. And then Subhanallah by time, Allah blessed me with opportunity of studying and then I realized she exceeded the fundamentals and things which are tertiary subsidiary, like the branches. But I'm coming back to
like the question of a worker or model, the lion who has so much love and mutual respect for each other. And I think, like, that's really important for us as Muslims as community working with each other.
Yes, finally.
Yeah, that's exactly what we're talking about. That a worker number all the Sahaba even differed on how many things they differed on yet, the spirit of the Brotherhood stay together.
It was musasa and did say that Walker, Delano and Omar, they differed so much that he said to them, Listen, if you ever agree on something, then don't even ask me. It must be right. But what you got to understand that what they differed on was not the fundamentals of the deen, if it's something Okay, let's let's just go through that. Probably two minutes on, it's very important for you to know, what are we talking about when we're saying fundamentals? And the
in laymen terms, the not as important things that Islam gives some room for differences of opinion among the scholars. The fundamentals are things that the majority of Muslims already know. Okay, it doesn't take much to learn them. So for example, the Quran talks about alcohol being forbidden. Gambling is forbidden. You don't need a scholar to tell you that these are fundamentals. There are five daily prayers. There are fundamentals of knowledge, what you're supposed to believe in the fundamentals of actions, knowledge, Allah's pantalla is able to do all things. Does anybody differ on that? There is only one God worthy of worship, not a single Muslim in the world differs on that.
And then there's the actions. Everybody believes in the five pillars we have to pray our five daily prayers, fasting, Ramadan, going to Hajj does everybody differ on that? These are muslims we already handled on the right group. And then you have the for the branches of them the little. So for example, the only one that you have the four different schools of thought one says
You can wipe over the leather socks. The other one says over fabric socks, for example, one has a different opinion on marriage.
You know you need a Welly in every situation. The other school of thought says no there are, if certain conditions are met, you don't really need to worry. The point is Yanni. These are called these photo Rei, the the the branches of the where Islam allows some differences of opinion, but don't turn them into fundamentals.
What happens from that when we turn things like this into fundamentals?
This is where separation happens. People won't pray in certain mosques, people were praying behind certain Imams.
This obsessive
enthusiasm, uncritical
sort of
following of a either a party or a school of thought zealously is something that the scholars never did. Subhanallah and I think that you mentioned something shady, Jeff Bowden said that when you go into the mind people telling you, no, stick with us. Don't follow that because we're right. They're wrong. And you got to be careful of this. You think like the world's over, there's no more Muslims on Earth, everybody is wrong, and you have to be part of 10 or 15 or 20 people who are the the saved sector are going to join and nothing else say the truth at that time. It's difficult, like I know, it's difficult. But what we learned, I went through the same will lie here. And what we learned from
this is Is this from now on me, I can go back
if anybody comes to me, no matter how knowledgeable they are, and uses that mentality, that kind of attitude. Yeah, I've just just come in new and you got to be careful this group carefully, then these are the shifts you got to follow. These are the books that we follow this, anything outside of it? Don't I know something's wrong there. Something's wrong there.
Subhanallah I'm not not happy with the end. You mentioned that he Abdullah about my journey through the mosque in the community, this is what I went through. So brothers, sisters, they come together and it became more like a gang sort of thing where like a group, this is our group. So it is something in common.
I realized well, Aloha, this is my opinions what I saw from experience.
If if someone had that had had
Okay, a gang mentality before coming religious, or an attitude of stubbornness and my way or the highway before becoming religious, you know, that type of approach. And then they become religious, that mentality comes with it. Even I saw some some students back in Lebanon, doing Sharia, you can tell they're really have a rough, tough personality beforehand. They have a gang mentality, and they learn the Sharia, only to serve that mentality go out and then I'll come around me, I'm your share, and no one else becomes like this. It's 90 that comes in with it. That's why Rasul Salim said that, in the Hadith decide that the best among you in the deen now are the ones who were the best before
injure Helia the ones who had the best character before have the best now, because they bring in that character with them that good character with the dean and the dean serves that character as well.
Along it's just in a nutshell, I thought
we have bigger, bigger, bigger problems in the world and in Australia for the Muslim community that we need to focus on more than any things do you feel that that is that over the last few decades, that has transformed or moved in a positive direction was it got worse? Both ways. Both ways.
We've seen an improvement in a larger group and we've seen the other side the zealous approach still happening but in a larger group too. So while it was still happening, except that they've just gone bigger
I haven't seen a shift total shift from one end to the other it's just that those who are gone this way either they got older and I'm not talking anymore they're not really part of the community but then you have the younger ones who have come up and now I know some groups of Muslims who don't pray in any mosque whatsoever because they believe no one's prayer is accepted and then you got the other extreme where they say pray behind everyone even if isn't open yet you know that
very clear that this person is
that the other end of the spectrum All right, and then you have the ones in the middle inshallah we're after the ones in the middle that's why I lost my tomato religion was out on in the middle. And you know, the Hadith chef about
about the shaitan in the shaitana. Yeah, you're the shaitan has given up hope of people praying to the shape or worshipping the shaitan while they are the Inessa let, but he hasn't given up on the Muslims fighting each other quarreling with each other. This uniting with each other he's happy with that is how this was assigned Muslim. So he gave up on anyone making shit up for example the majority of Muslims do not make sure the majority of Muslims fo hate the majority of was anywhere you go, you enter a masjid. You're praying in one direction or praying to one Allah Spandana regardless of the difference
his opinion here and there, but what the shaitan got us with is this.
Now a fitna between each other, even in the religion is shaitan said la Coda Nila home Serrata comes the team I will sit awaiting for them on your straight path. So I'm going to get this person with that attitude. They can think that with his religion he can make fitna between the Muslims. But alhamdulillah Abdullah, there is a larger group that's going that's more understanding at the one understanding being bit more open minded, you can see it Michelle is more knowledge is more in depth knowledge. But look, I'll hurry through the Allah who said, Yeah, rasool Allah, give me an advice give me something that I can hold on to toss him be here I can hold on to that will take me to
paradise. And he grabbed his tongue from his own tongue. He said.
Take control of this, the tank. What's what's our biggest problem these days, we love to talk, talk, talk talk, I want to express my opinion about everything in anything qualified, not qualified, I don't care. Not thinking, especially on social media, people are very quick to write things. People see the keyboard warriors, keyboard warriors, or even people who are quite sincere. They're just not careful. And he these things stay there. And I think it doesn't really matter. When you see them face to face, they don't talk much. They buy your typing there. People are reading it, they're getting influenced by it. Number scheffau. He says
everything that your hand has written or your mouth has spoken, stays while everything else fades. So be careful what your hands have written for other people later on, we'll take it and move with it. And you will be judged for it either in a good way or a bad way.
Right. Just be careful to just blurt out things. Some of this stuff is, you know, we've mentioned being negative and
having real
solid stuff, you know.
So people have difficulty navigating differences. But would you say that the fit now
that exists or whatever that used to exist? Was not? Was it just that or was it there's more to that than it is here in Australia agenda is egos people. So that's what we're coming to?
So,
yes, most of them. Remember I was saying that coming out of the attitude? Yep. Yes, no, that's exactly I'm saying. So a lot of them, you can find that there's an ego behind it. There's an ego behind it. And that's the nature of human beings. I want to be heard. I want to have a voice people around me. I'm right, they're wrong. But this exhausts the youth. And I found a lot of the youth used to get put off. I say, Man, I just want to be peaceful with my Muslim community.
My advice, actually, that I finally rested on in the end, there are fundamentals in the deen, which the majority of Muslims don't differ on, do your best in Napa. And then see what a Muslim community really needs. And be part of that, moving forward with them something as simple as I gave the example of shift for me, looking at the funerals, looking at the marriages, nobody differs on the Muslims wanting an Islamic marriage. Nobody differs on burying Muslims in an Islamic way. And I avoided talking about differences, to be honest, in Lebanon is to talk about differences so much that we stayed brothers cannot imagine how many groups I went with moving on. And we still managed
to stay brothers, real brothers. We came back to Australia. I didn't see any room to talk about differences was just
we're all here. We're all Muslim. Sunni is the furthest furthest I would go.
And living in Australia. We're What 2% Not even 2%
We barely got our head out of the water. We're barely breathing. And we've got so much lacking in our community, we need to come together on common grounds. We don't have time to talk about differences. His sock, didn't wipe the sock, join the prayer. Don't join the prayer. You know,
differences of opinion about travel? Do how many days do I pray this long that no that means you're on another group and I won't pray behind you because you're wiped over your sock. I only pray behind people who pray wipe over their leather sock. Some you know if I if I walk in front of you in prayer just to prove a point about some opinion or something like that. This separates the community. Honestly, I avoided the differences of opinion with the common people. This is not to trivialize differences and legitimately exist and it's the mentality that exploits that for the sake of
you know,
other things negative negativity and so very good point Abdullah that when I come in and use exploit the differences for an agenda of my own, you know, a discount
It party that I follow or zealous approach to a school of thought I follow. And I use the differences of opinion to create a group to create
an isolated group from the rest.
This is the free, this is separating the gym out to separate marble, whatever the law needs to say in this court where I lay computer jam out, you must stick to the general community, stay with them. And be aware of separation for the shaitan can take control of one person. But when there are two people together shaitan moves away further. So we need to find a way where these differences do not. They're not supposed to separate us, it's supposed to unite us, you know, the Jonnie, we have in our dental Hamlet all the scholars of the past are different any of these opinions such as, for example, the four schools of thought, still love each other? Imam
Sheikh chef EIU is added to COFA when Imam Abu Hanifa had passed away, and his grave was there near the Masjid. That's where he's to give his classes and Imam Shafi believed in raising his hands, when he stood up from record, for example, in the Hanafi madhhab. You don't do that. And they saw him, Mr. Schaeffer. You're not raising his hands in the way that he used to give footwear in, you know, back home, but he was in Kufa and asked him, Why did you not go with the opinion that you follow? And he said, out of respect for the owner of this grave, this is his place this quarter. Do you see how these small differences of opinion did not create a grouping or my way or the highway? You can't
you can compromise a bit for the sake of the Brotherhood, or for the sake of the fundamentals. A very quick example about the Sahaba is at the time of Bani coryza. You know, that story when it whatever, when the Sahaba were going there, and the Prophet sallallaahu, Selim said, will only pray as sort of Benny colada. And on their way, they didn't know what it meant. A group said the answer is about to go. So we better pray before the time goes was the Quran says pray when it's time and another group said no, but the process Selim has exceptionalist that is an exception. He literally said prayer there. So we're going to just obey the process. And because it's an exception, he won't
go against the Quran. A group prayed before and the group prayed that after, you know, after murder had come in, when they approached the prophesies. Solomon said, Well, look who's right, who's wrong across Assam knew which is right and which is wrong. He wouldn't tell them something that's conflicting. But what did he say to them, he avoided completely those differences. They tried their best. And thirdly, they tried to look at the deline evidence within their capacity within the capacity they knew. So I sent him said, You are both on good could look them Allah. Hi, you both on good inshallah. You didn't want them to separate because of something like that or to create into an
egotistical. I think, with the zagaleta issue, well, that with I think, and tie it back into the title, and the title is sort of much of the poster is a bit stands out to you a little bit in the sense that, you know, why does this matter? And why do we matter in this conversation? And I thought to myself, Well,
one reason could be is that I'm often where we inherit the baggage of others, and the next generation may not in the sense that every generation has to start afresh, but um, you just carry that, that mentality or the negative mentality, and then move it on and then pass it on and pass it on. And rather than think about, think, think of it a bit more critically, do you feel that that sort of happens a little bit, of course, that's the problem, carry on things from
the other generation. That's what truly happens. But
now you can live for long enough sin Illa. Allah does not burden people with acts of worship or religion more than what they can be. And Allah knows the hearts and the sincerity. You don't need to be knowledgeable to know sincere from an sincere you can feel when you're, when you're just one want your voice to be heard and your opinion to go you don't need to be knowledgeable about that you need to inherit that you already you already know that. Because you get angry if I get angry when you oppose me, it means that okay, there's a problem in my approach to so I gotta mellow down a little bit and go to the fundamentals of the net. Is this in the sincere maybe the other person could be
right? It was very, very open your mind let's have a listen. Let's also assume who did you listen to listen to? And Mahira
you know what, either Bill Mosley Of course, great the enemy of the process, and he sat down in front of the Kaaba telling off the protests. I mean, so long the process I'm just listening to him until he finishes his if he finished, he goes, Yeah. And then he recited some Quran team. So if you don't these fundamentals, listen. And then give your opinion and you don't have to, you know, that it's my way or the highway. But at the same time
my heart goes out with the young people. And my address really is for people who will lead
is people who are knowledgeable.
My brothers and sisters, please take it easy a bit on these youngsters they're copying things. They're taking us as role models. Take it easy on you a little bit of what open minded there's no need for us to
you know sort of gather them in one, one particular corner one particular pocket, they can be right or wrong with us and they can be wrong wrong or right with the others. Doesn't matter visit that Masjid go over there pray behind that person. Be open minded insha Allah but investigating, always ask. And if you happen to get the wrong way, it doesn't matter. There were even differences of opinion in our creed, and in in the belief in God. But among the scholars, even the the sub sahabas. But
but they never what happened, it's gone.
Let me let me talk about something a bit more on a positive note. I was going to shift the conversation a little bit, but um, I'll let you go fifth.
Look,
why do we matter?
Let's get back to the fundamentals. We matter because we matter to Allah.
We matter to Allah subhanho wa Taala because he placed in us that special soul which the angels knew was special. And when he placed it in Adam Alayhis Salam said to the angels bow to him.
We met it to Allah Subhana Allah, because Allah says Allah Karim Devaney, Adam, we have honored the son of Adam, he made us see, he made us here. He made it he gave us metacognition able to think how to think, learn how to learn, he gave us the ability to stand up straight, he gave us dominance over all creatures and all animals to sail in and over the sea. Allah subhanaw taala has truly honored us and made us special, he chose you between all those chemical reactions for you to be born amongst all this billions of other phenomenal little creatures, and you've come out here, so you matter to Allah Subhan Allah to Allah, and Allah is merciful with you, he wants us to be merciful with each
other, wants to be forgiven with each other, give each other a chance. Wallahi if if I can talk to you, and you can talk to me with mercy, Rama, you know, what mercy is that if you wronged me, I'll give you a chance, I won't punish you for it, I won't come down to you with Judge mentality. But rather, I will put my hand on your shoulder and say it and Allah Subhanallah, you know, talk to him. And I'm here to listen, and I respect your view. And I acknowledge some of your view, and you acknowledge some of my view, we're going to keep listening to each other more and more after that, because there's Rama, this is what we're based on, we're based on mercy with each other, we have
that principle is
easier said than said than done. But it requires that sincerity and that, like that open openness to have that and the people that do that,
you know, like credit to that, Mashallah. And then there's sort of a sort of a mentality or a culture that we need to
promote much, much more, because it is one of those things when your ego gets in the way. Hey, like, it's probably one of the most difficult things to, to dismantle in the heat of the moment. Now, you mentioned
you mentioned, you know,
people focusing on, you know, sort of theoretical issues and whatnot. Right. And you also mentioned how the community needs, needs to focus on other things, right. And those other things, potentially our
services, infrastructure, yes, people.
Education, there are a few things that come up, come up top of my head, but out of, of course, I'd have no experience of my own. What are your thoughts on what the community really requires? Well, but you said education is one of the first and we've got a lot of youngsters, who have a problem. Now, believing if a lot even exists, you know, isn't this a fundamental that we can focus on here and sort of address as teachers
in our schools, for example, to start bringing up the topics that the youth are struggling with such as the existence of God evolution,
let's talk about the topic of
relationships that have changed now you know what I'm talking about this talk about
you know, issues of mental health this is a big one now with our Muslim community find people even praying five times a day and doing all of that but still this saying I can't feel it, you know, how can we reach out to them and and focus on you know, more of a, what's it called empathetic approach, inshallah.
Issues of marriages, having services of counseling more,
doesn't have to be the Imams for example. People doing courses like you shift course on counseling, have a few more PDS bit more qualifications in that know how to help our Muslim communities on our own have
have businesses focus on building our businesses to employ our Muslim community because they have religious commitments, which sometimes I find very difficult to practice in other places of employment, you know, we hear this all the time, come together and start building businesses together.
For financial gain, a lot of youngsters want to get married early, but we're keeping that, you know, it's very hard for them to get married at an early age, or they have to wait until Allahu Arnhem 30 Some of them especially in lockdown, half, especially in lockdown. Yeah. So you know what, there is a community, you said, You're from the Somali community, Chef, Chef, what I was very impressed about them, they came here as refugees, the Somalis, what they did was a look at the whole community, I think, man, you can't rely on this, we're going to have to get together and do our own thing. So they got together, and they have this funeral thing where people put in money, for example, in in a
community box, and that goes to the funeral. It was cost like seven, eight grand, and then it's free service for the Muslim because when I was at the press the most that's what happened, Somalia has always had the money. And I think and where do you get it from? So we have our community, which established this a long time ago. You know, for marriage, for example, when I have a box, you know, and something like that each community, say, you know, what, we're going to have these finances to help people when they get married, but financially, they're doing it hard, such as being whatever, we can do a lot of that. A lot of that in that area.
What you said is basically enhancing that stuff and relying on our on ourselves and show.
Okay, can you be extra shift button and explain that, that Somalia initiative? If you're a little bit more, you understand a little bit more? How does that how does that work? Is it a collective love, actually quite into that when you pull that out? Well, it's the first I've heard of that.
I don't know the fine details of it. But I know the basic concepts were
different. So the community leaders,
they will make an announcement amongst families and the tribes. So we have different Somali tribes. So if the person was from this tribe, then the people in that tribe, immediate family members and distant family members, they'll know they'll help straight away, and then people that are connected to them.
So but exactly with the funeral, I'm not sure who know the point that I'm trying to list, I just gave that as an example, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm also interacting services for each other.
Everyone can, for example, pick up a phone and check on another person in the community, see what they need. I had brothers in the lockdown just come out of nowhere. And just at my door, there's food. They said to my wife, I don't know, I wonder how many other people they're sending it to, for example, and they're anonymous SubhanAllah.
Focusing on helping each other services with each other on the fundamental needs,
just the stuff that we normally need day to day, to enhance that rather than, you know,
complaining and talking and going on social media, just to sort of express my opinion, in your opinion and
getting likes for it, we want to actually go into the empathy, the mercy the helping the Brotherhood.
Let's do this. I mean, there's so much there's so much to focus on, whilst there's so many other distractions to sort of take away now we wanted to, and this is something that we've been speaking about, on the Saturday night session for the last couple of weeks, in fact, because, you know, we see it in the community, I'm humbled by the community is quite diverse, in terms of ethnicities, as well as ways of thinking and doing things. So there's always naturally going to be, you know, a little bit of
tension at times. But it's, it's this conversation needs to be elevated in the sense that
if there's something we shouldn't tolerate is it's that, right? That audit almost internal Islamophobia, where we see other Muslims from inside as sort of
enemies or as,
not on the hardcore, you know, labeling them, you know, in a way where we can just easily dismiss them. Right. And, of course, we wouldn't appreciate that from from anyone else, let alone, you know, our own our own people. So the dynamic is sort of, you know, there's something to relate, you know, because I do think that does happen in the community where we try to discredit each other,
just to get our way forward. And
I feel I feel though, it's part of, I don't know if I'm still considered as part of the youth.
I think ship I don't the youngest person on this panel.
But I sort of do feel that that that is sort of or maybe I've just moved away from
that culture
But um, I do feel that there is a sort of positive progression where no Muslims are now or young Muslims identify, mainly identify as Muslims in Australia as opposed to ascribing to.
Yes. Yes, actually Abdullah,
remember, we're talking about the fundamentals of the deen things that are very clear to any Muslim who doesn't have to study too much of the deen. there does come a point where we have to
advise and correct. But this is all part of the mercy between us. It doesn't matter. This is what I'm trying to say. It doesn't matter what we do. And what we differ upon, we will always differ, we have to accept that it can't unify everybody on the idea is to accept the differences. And there are so many things that you can accept the differences on, so long as they are differences of opinion among the scholars, it's okay. However, when the fundamentals are there, no scholar defers upon them. Yes, if we start going outside of that area as well, then we have to have a merciful approach to those brothers and sisters, even if we have to be firm, and hold discussions of, of things that
may even upset them. But it's not about saying the truth. It's about how we say it. The only for example,
I might see something about you on social media that happened four or five, six years ago. And everybody's forgotten about it. Nobody's talking about it, don't share that post.
And then I come I want to I want I want to change the bed. Maybe it's you've crossed fundamentals. And then I come along. I search that up, I bring it I whack it on social media, and then I do a whole post. I'm doing a good thing that I'm showing the right from the wrong. But the community had no idea about that. Now I've just put it out there. You know, it wasn't an issue. So my approach here has made more damage than good. Yes. They've been telling me I saw the Mongols drinking alcohol. When they first converted to Islam and he left them in a Muslim land. They said why did you leave me a Imam? He said, because these people are still new out of barbarism. And they're drinking
alcohol. They're better off being drunk at the moment. So they don't start chopping off heads. They still new to it. So I left them. And I saw it's better off like that. That lack of wisdom even they were really like that. Yeah, yes. He said, he said leave them for now. They were very new to the dean. And he.
So my approach with you, I can say the truth. And what's what's wrong with me saying to you, brother, Abdullah Wallahi, you are my brother in Islam.
And you say you're my brother to say,
I need to say something. You know, when you said such and such a thing? Well, I hate to tell you this, and I'm not here to oppose you. Why not add these few words there. But this is the thing. This is the thing, one brother, he contacted me in private when once long time ago I put some information out that was wrong or not very wise, contacted me and told me a sign as well lie. The way you spoke to him was so brotherly like a father like an older brother. And I went and took it and corrected myself. Nobody knew who that person was. Nobody had to even know about it. You know, and why why not add that human approach with people and Russell? So I said to him, What is Darwin? What is Darwin?
Darwin is talking inviting people who don't want it. It's not people who agree with you. And with that, that's what the prophesies Elon does as well. In fact, one of the legal Kalvi Elon for domain Holic if you were harsh hearted, hard in your approach that will all move away from you. I'm not talking don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about tolerating
things that go totally against the Denon and calling it then some people do want to monopolize on that, and they changed the entire deal from its core, and then says, oh, we can't judge me and I'm just saying what I think is my opinion or say no, this religion is not yours and mine is Allah's religion. You know, out of love for you, I need to correct this, you know,
those few words that we put in our approach our friendly approach our brotherly approach even while we're firm can make a huge difference insha Allah Yeah, I'm saying add that little human element watch how things change. And that that's that's that's from the Dean but and masala but it's also just basic decency as well. Of course, to be a scholar. Yeah, school to learn. How do we tackle the identity crisis facing Muslim youth? And how do we define what it means to be an Australian Muslim, and and be be part of the Ummah as a whole as well?
Wallahi very good question. I have to summarize this because there's so much yeah, we can ask about it. Yes, he will. Allah He being
identifying as a Muslim is very easy. It's very, very simple.
I'll go back to the originally.
Thoughts that I spoke about here in this podcast.
The fundamentals of the deen
that no Muslim differs upon
are known by all
have us
practice them to the best of your ability
to the best of your ability, whatever you can't do what you can, and you are part of the Muslim identity Insha Allah, Muslim identity is about the ideology. The thought, Muslim identity is not just about the clothing or the outside appearance, it is about your ideology. Number one, get the ideology, right. And then practice the fundamentals as much as you can show that you're part of the Muslim. Muslim Ummah is not just, you know, who's here in Melbourne, it's all around the world. And when we make that for our brothers and sisters around the world, anywhere, in any country where they are oppressed, and
persecuted, we are part of the identity we're part of the community. When we go to the masjid and we pray, I will select in there just to make the rows look bigger and to make the numbers greater handler we are part of the community. When I call somebody and ask how they are, I am part of the community this is you know, it also sounds very simply says Be part of the can be part of the Jemelle be involved in some way, even if it's very, very small, and your identity and share a lot is practiced.
Wherever you go.
Don't be shy, don't be embarrassed to ask for your religious rights. This is another thing and don't shy away from it. I went to the Mercy hospital once and I found
I think he was he looked like he was a supervisor or some head of the cardiologist section or some cardiology section or something like that. And he's got his you know, full on looks like a Jewish man just hopped out of, you know, we call it Palestine but Jonnie out of occupied area, and it looks like a complete.
And I think
we shouldn't really shy away from something.
And speak out if you haven't, but if you can't meet it, understand that it doesn't build any more than what you can be. You're still humbler part of the Muslim identity insha, Allah Allah, even if you ended up being,
you know, you can't really put too much into the community can't really involve yourself in the community, at least do what you can in your private affairs, with your family, with your parents, with your siblings. In sha Allah, Allah Subhana. Allah is merciful afford and he's much more generous than what we think of as final. I mean, you've really reinforced that I think quite a few times the focus on the fundamentals, and
how important and profound those fundamentals are, because it's so easy to build that stuff. But really, in practice, it's a it's a totally different thing right. Now, I'd like to add, regarding Muslim, Australian identity, something I found beneficial for me is that
one Hadith Rasulullah sallallahu sallam said, that, Al Hikmah, to bother to the moment
that a word of wisdom is the last item of a believer. So if somebody gives you a piece of wisdom, something beneficial for you, then it is as if it's yours. So, like growing up in Australia, I don't find it difficult to say that I'm an Australian, Muslim.
Another person, for example, different nationality, who say that they Palestinian Muslim, or
Pakistani Muslim. But then sometimes people find it difficult to say I'm that I'm Australian and Muslim. So Australians have a lot of good values.
Very kind to animals.
So the values, the good values that they have.
It's as if it's a piece of wisdom for us, that belongs to us.
As this hadith, this is one understanding that I took from it that if somebody if somebody brings you your last item, and it doesn't matter if that person is a Muslim, or a Muslim, it's yours.
somebody knocks on your door and says, found, I found this belongs to you, you're not going to say to them, are you Muslim, or Muslim in Australia, and you're not Australian. So when we find people who have good values, and they don't go against Islam, that's the main point though. So if, for example, the Australian values, or the customs that they have here that they drink alcohol that goes clearly against Islam, so we can adopt that we can take that, but if they have good values, then we take it. So looking at it that way from any culture, we can find good, we can take it. So as Muslims and in Australia, Australian Muslims, that the good we find people, we take it, and the bad we don't
and they'll come back to knowing how Islam coming back to knowing the fundamentals of Islam, as Sheikh said, ideology of Islam, knowing how to be a Muslim.
Like that I find no issue of saying
Hey there, I'm Australian Muslim. And, you know, don't even like to say
identity crisis. It was once Yeah, go ahead chamber once we have once you know, once we we are Muslims, we know what we are about. And then when we find other cultures and customs that are in conformity to Islam, the mashallah we take it as if it's else and if it's something which is not then with respect, if they do it we respect them with good character conduct but it's not acceptable
share he was just gonna say
if anything we need to focus on his attitude. And in Australia, we're not asked to convert the world or change Australia into something you know Sharia or to change it into a whole new Islamic State or anything like that Allah is not asking us about Hamdulillah we have the opportunity as you said chef to practice although all our religious values and practices when standing in our way, and I see it very close to L the Muslims were within Abyssinia with the Palestinian King
in Nigeria, she is in Nigeria she the prompts are Salam didn't say you know the Christianity is the best or that's what's going to help you hit so said he said he is adjustable just means you give people their rights to practice their values and their obligations. And nobody stops them from doing that they're free and peaceful to do that.
So one thing we need to get rid of is not burning ourselves trying to change everything here You said this of the Abdullah, get rid of this so we don't burn ourselves. Number two, you will find that majority of the values of Islam are already in front of us here in Australia. And he must send in your neighbor, reach out to your neighbor and say hello how are you Allah He my neighbor had her boy had a birthday party
I didn't want to go into the issue is birthdays haram or not haram. I don't want to give you my view on that. But I just went I thought, Okay, this is my neighbor. She doesn't know except that birthdays is a good thing for them. It brings people together. So I focused on that with that intention. We bought him a little present and gave it we talk now we talk the other neighbor across the road, talk to another neighbor over there, another neighbor over there. Allahu Akbar, I feel my identity stronger now because they're asking me questions about the beam. And even further, and as they're looking and watching how I'm acting with them. Just practice those values by expanding, we
already have them, just expand them a little bit and practice them. We already have them in Hamdulillah, the friendship the neighbor expanded go up, give me a mole on it, your neighbors just go around to take about 20 minutes and give it across. That has a tremendous effect on him. So panelists a little smile a little Hello.
Checking on them out of the ordinary. You'll be surprised how many Muslims don't do that. Even though they're shy or they're embarrassed to do that. Just go ahead, even with whatever you're wearing insha Allah
Allahu Allah Marie. I think it's simpler than what we think sometimes we make a more complicated than what it is. I think I think that is probably the take home of this whole conversation or is that it is it is far simpler. But we wanted to tie into sort of personal experiences because it's that experience that you know, that on the ground experience that really
provides help helps you instill that wisdom and show Fidella just I know you want to say I'm sorry, I gotta talk about personal experience. One thing about Preston mosque, yes. One time
the neighbors that press the mosque, and I was back there about talking 15 years ago, they protested against us parking in the streets.
Why? Because you know how Muslims park here.
But they went to the council and protested, okay, we had to face the council, we had to go and I was myself going in there trying to vouch for the Muslims that this is our rights and whatever. They brought the neighbors to talk Subhanallah This is an Islamic practice, bring the neighbors so that they can voice their opinion. They had mediators between us and then they gave us our respect that gave them their respect Subhanallah
there was no fighting or heard that we heard what they had to say. One thing that caught my attention, just to show you how simple it is that Islam goes the values just expand it and use it. The neighbors very primitive, not primitive, sorry, very simple.
Simply they said, You know,
I have been living here for 10 years. 15 years. I haven't seen a Muslim Nakamoto just say hello, they come pastor didn't even look at me. They didn't say hello, even just say hello, you know, something simple that I felt ashamed about a sense of, hey, this is what we do.
Have a little conversation with me. I feel like I'm part of the community. You've got to make them feel that you're part of the community.
Aloha
occurred as a result only because of the lack of
inclusive including them. And they want inclusion, they just want to feel that they're part of something and they want to feel safe. They're living there.
There was some restrictions placed on the road. But this is exactly what we started doing. Carry on saying hello to them out of the ordinary giving a smile the more Muslims did that, the easier our interaction with them was, the easier we're able to go to the masjid without having difficulty or concerns and Subhanallah remember this just in Muhammad, Allah this, this interaction is dealing on fundamentals of our deen, just enhance it. Let it be seen when you reflect you think that's a no brainer? Exactly. But it's actually just got to do it. Yeah, exactly. Just got to do it. Instead of me saying, I gotta get to my salad on time. Even if I park in her driveway, this elderly woman
because that always happens. When that happens. I'm not sugarcoating. We mean very well. But we need to get to our Salah type Allah subhanaw taala. What about
Subhanallah if I had looked out for her a little bit more things would have been easy over there. Something so simple, like that very easy for any Muslim to do increases our pride about our identity and who we are.
You're all watching us everyone. And as soon as we make a mistake, what happens? The Muslims, we do something good. What I say is avoid argumentation with each other. Just let go of it yesterday as much as you can, as much as you can let go by Allah spent Allah, we would all our brothers and sisters for this. I want to see and I mean, I love them all. My final words is every single member of our community is important. Every one of you my brothers and sisters are part of this growing community. And every single one of you is as important as anyone else. Please do not look down on yourselves. Please do not think that just because you haven't had you know much of a religious life
yourself that you are no good. You are amazing. And without you we cannot be a community we have to rely on you insha Allah. And I look forward to seeing more positiveness, as Schiff said, in every single Muslim, because what Allah allows him Allah, He loves him, Allah, I love him.
I love them with all my heart. And I want to say because I have this opportunity. I went through an ordeal this year, as everybody knows, and I swear by Allah, every single member of the community
that I that I can think of was there for me.
The argumentative and the easygoing the harsh and every person. Allahu Akbar, I thank the community. And I can't thank him enough Subhan Allah, Allah, He Annie, I'm indebted to them. All the goodness and the empathy and the kindness that they had.
is very promising. Subhanallah that's my personal experience with them and I love them peace of mind last month I reward you