Muslim Karate Champions Emotional Story

The Deen Show

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Muslim Karate Champions emotional story of the Death of his father how it brought him to Islam.mp3

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smilla 100, Salaam Alaikum greetings of peace. If you've been following along, you know that I'm not in Chicago. I'm not at our home base. I'm actually visiting Bosnia, and I'm bringing you some incredible stories. You've been in the streets of Bosnia. And if you haven't watched those, you can go to our social media pages and check out from the mountains from the rural areas to the city. And now we're in the studio like to thank all the brothers helped make it happen here. Studio five in Sarajevo and I got another exciting guest. Diamond. How are you? How are you, Ben? How you doing? How about karate champion? Yeah. You know anything about the karate kid? Well, yeah, yeah. Yeah, my

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oggy right. And I was those were those your humble beginnings as

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a karate kid, then I go into the gym. So that helped motivate you? Of course. Yeah. So you've been training karate For how long? Um, karate for 18 years now? 13 years? I'm not 28 I start with 10 years. Yeah. When I was 10 years, and you still training karate? I'm still crutches. I heard Boston has one of the strongest teams in Europe in karate. That's true. That's true. We had been maybe two times the second place in the world. Yeah, yes. So so. And karate is the most popular sport in this country. And, you know, I'm, it's, I'm very satisfied. And I understand now why people, and I'm not now before many, many years, but I understand. And the kids they like karate. First, we have many

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movies about karate. And then when they try it, they like it. You like Bruce Lee?

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I know. Everybody, right? Like this king of martial arts? Yes, yes. But he's gone. So as I was Presley, so is Anna Nicole Smith. So as you know, a countless variety of others, you know. And that's where the turning point in your life, as you were talking about was the sad incident that happened with your father, as my father. Hey, can you talk about that? Could you elaborate about what happened? Of course, so what?

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My father he passed away 2006 Actually, I was 17 years old. And it was very hard for my family. Because our father, he was number one. And he was just working and all the money's coming from him and, and I had one mother and sisters, two sisters. And

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when he passed away, I started to think about death. And I, and I saw everybody will die. Because actually, at that time, I thought my father he will never die. He's like, like, Oh, my God, you know, how did he die? in a car accident car accident. But what's interesting, he was a professional driver. And he was driving, he had a car license for a truck for so heavy duty cars. So a car it's not nothing for him and Salalah taken from this world, in a car accident. So and at that time, I just first my first words, I told at that time when I hear he passed away was Alhamdulillah. I don't know how, because you just said Thank God, thank God just think so.

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And then what what myself, nobody told me You should now pray you should do this. Just I I start to follow my heart. And I start to read the book about death.

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I see many people are dying and something should be on the other world. And step by step. You know, I, I was trying to be honest to God, to Allah and I asked him everyday, please show me the right way and Alhamdulillah step by step, you know,

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I feel more comfortable and I didn't know at the time I didn't know how to pray Nothing. I just went to the masjid when I was Juma slaughter Juma and I was just looking people in all how they're praying. I'm just following them. And although I didn't know anything about Islam, but after that extent, so at that time, this was my worst point in my life. But actually, now I see that was my best. Some of the best thing what's happened in my life? Wow. I mean, that's just you know, when people are able to, when they're in a situation they can't see they they don't realize the wisdom or what's going on, but you have reliance on your Creator. Now, when you look back, you can start to

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slowly start to see some of the reasons why the wisdom and you see that it's actually was it was good for you, whatever you went through. Yes.

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Tell me

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before now you're an athlete. You know,

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You probably live in life like a normal young man. Right? And how was life before then, like without Islam.

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During my, my life due to my father was was alive. We didn't have any contact with Islam. So I lived in a family, let's, let's say, family, everything was open. I am.

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I was I was in the national team of Boston characters. We were just traveling each weekend, we were going some somewhere outside Boston, so it's just party party, you know, party, girls.

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But to be honest, never the time I feel comfortable with myself. You know, this was just the moments during I I'm doing the party with my friends. I'm with the girls, you know, that time I'm laughing. But when I come home back, to be honest, I start to cry because I didn't feel comfortable. Everybody say you know that that's good. What you're doing, you know, you're like, good guy. But actually,

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I didn't feel good. Something's missing.

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Big missing. You know? So the void void in the Yes, yes. Yes. So many people describe it. Like there's something as a void. There's, it's there. Yeah. Yeah. So I just had one my father he when he died.

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I just recognize that I will die. Yeah. And this is not the way I should live.

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And

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I feel that I should come back to to my Lord. You know, this is the only way.

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And I start. But to be honest, when I start to pray, you know, my challenge was the federal federal slots of federal Why? Because I couldn't understand how somebody can wake up in the middle of the night to pray, you know, that you can wrap your mind around that I couldn't because we do that prayer. I mean, as Muslims, we pray, obviously, five times a day. So. So Dharma is talking about the specific prayer that before the sunrise, you get up, and you pray, and you just you're like, how can they do that? It's very challenging to get up. And what was my biggest challenge about about Islam? Yeah, because during my university days, and my friends, he was from our 300, he was the only guy

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who prayed at that time. So I was fascinating with him, you know, he was so calm, and he was praying fudger and I asked him, you know, how you can pray? Okay, the other sellers, you can pray it's day. But so I started with,

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I challenge myself because I'm a color tan. I'm a competitor, I used to focus, I focus on federal judges. And when I established federal, I add one more, like, like, I add

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the second, the second, the second.

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And one time, it was two days before Ramadan. I completed all five. And then I sit with myself and I told myself, because this is what karate sport Teach me. If you if you

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be on, you take one good level, you should stay there not go down. Yeah, so I told myself, I cannot stop more. I cannot go now to pray tomorrow, five,

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five times, I must pray five at the time that they and 100 logic. Until today, I'm praying for Sunday. This is the most important thing from you know, what's interesting that anything that a law the Creator of the heavens and earth, told us to do, as Muslims ones who've submitted to the will of God.

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You see that sometimes you see, sometimes you don't, but there's wisdom behind these things. Right? And we don't do it because of that, but we benefit from those blessings. I've read, you know, many articles, where these are people who are not practicing Islam, but not Muslim, but they talk about the benefits of starting your day early. Start getting off like there's a there's a saying that the early bird gets the worm, right. So for well being and wellness and even health benefits, getting up around the time we get at five, six in the morning. Right? And and that's prescribed for us without us having to figure it out. In the salon. Yeah, in Islam. Is that amazing? That's so now you have

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you are implementing Islam, you're researching, you're studying, but now you talk about some of the challenges struggles it wasn't just a walk in the park was of course not now. So at that time, I was to be honest. One of the most important members of our family, our families, a huge family. And when I was a nasty guy, you know, when I

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start to practice Islam,

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I didn't have a father. So I was living with my mother and two sisters. And the next five or six years, I was the worst guy in the family. So nobody

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you know the family it was giving me a some support, like money support, you know, they can

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Got that. So, you know, my mother's after maybe one year, she told me I cannot let you. We are praying, doing all the Islamic things leave my house. Why? Just because I start to be good. Just because I was praying, you know, but hold on before you said you were a party guy, you're hanging out the nightclubs going out? Did they have any objection to that? And I think changing, you know, when men going out, you know, abusing women not you know what kids do, you know, not even thinking about just changing women. Nobody's objecting to that. No, this was a real big disrespect to us, actually. But now you want to respect them. You don't want to fool around. You're getting serious

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with like, you're not talking about you know, doing some crazy stuff. You just want to please your Creator. There's a problem now. Yeah, that's crazy, isn't it? Of course. And you know, at that time, this was the the most tough period of my life. Yeah. But actually, from the other side, this was my most beautiful part of the life because I was never so satisfied with myself. Because I knew I'm close to my, my loss. Yeah. And actually, at that time, I was alone. Nobody was with me. Not my friends, not my family. My mother. I was walking on the street, you know, I was hungry. No money. To be honest. I sleep on the road. You know, he kicked you out. She kicked me out. You were kicked out

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just driven out of your own just just like that. So wait, your parents technically they're like, are they? Because from the former Yugoslavia, you have many people are communists. So he left religious right. So where they have that mindset, same, same, same, same. So they're like atheists. Yes. Like it? Yeah. Okay. So they kicked you out? They kicked me out. Yeah.

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And,

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you know, but I was satisfied. I was everyday I was praying and continue my way because I knew this is the right way. And one day, I will change all this, because this is what he what he told us. And at that time, I was just reading, just reading, you know, Quran and our authentic books. And we had, like, one one meeting, family meeting, a big family meeting. And I was such I was surprised when they invited me because I was now kicked out. But now they called you somehow because the family is getting together. Yes. She got an invite. Yes. Okay. And maybe the mother's more soft, right? She's She's made missing us. Yeah, I'm telling you. She wants to see you. Maybe she told them because, you

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know, I wanted my son be here with us. We don't like him. But he shouldn't be with us. And they don't. It's not that they don't like you because you're a troublemaker, you stop being a troublemaker, and you just start praying that you just started. Can you know, being a Muslim? I was sitting one time with them. And they just you know they may rabid? They just pick about other people on the bed way. Yeah, I was talking with him. Yeah. This took me two hours after two hours. The chairman of our family, my uncle, he just jumped stand up and said, this guy's crazy. He don't want to even speak that about people.

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Because in you know, many people don't know this aspect. It's actually a major sin. And many, you know, houses would be saved marriages, relationships, if people don't gossip behind each other's backs. So you weren't jumping in because usually people will have dinner, he'll hang out. And instead of talking about something productive, they're talking about, he said, she said, talking about people behind people's back. And you didn't have No, you didn't want to have no part of that. He got in trouble for that, huh? And they kicked me out again. Yeah. So anyway, at the time I came, they kicked me out. Now let me ask you this. Hold on. Let me be you know,

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objective here. No, actually, I'm gonna play play on the other side and think like, Oh, hold on, because sometimes when people do accept Islam, they get a little bit some people are over enthusiastic, rigid, and they come at people a little bit rough. Was there some of that? That maybe you like, scared them off a little bit? Or maybe you look back? Were you a little bit too tough? I was a little bit too tough. Yeah, maybe because

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at that time, I saw what's Islam and I just wanted everybody for my family. My friends started most people want people to develop idea your spiritual time. Yes. Yeah. I'm, to be honest, this was my situation. I was like, that would be tough. You know, at that time. I should be maybe more soft, but you know, I was alone. So I thought this is the right way. Yeah, I didn't shout on them. I didn't say that bad words. Just I was you know, if I sit with them if they start to she said, he said I just stopped I didn't Yeah, maybe I don't sometimes.

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But it's happened like that. people's experiences and what I usually the beginning phases are like that. So what happens now so now they invite you back to the house and what happens at that time I I finished my

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course for reading out of the clutter.

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And I start to, to read on the way to recognize the Koran. And

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they invite me. So the reason was because my cousin from Germany, he, he read all the Quran, you know, and he was younger than me. And so, you know, they just searched for a reason to make a meeting. And they invite me and he read the Quran. So everybody was listening him.

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But actually he's reading was like Chinese, you know, somebody teaching her that So, but I was

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just listening him, how are they getting? Because they're, they were more you were mentioning that they weren't into religion. And now they're, they're, you know, are they coming around? How does it work? It was at that time, same thing, because this cousin was young and he in Germany, some somebody teach him some of France or I don't know. And they didn't have problem with that, because he's just reading isn't nothing not practicing nothing. And when he finished one page, everybody kiss him give him money or no money.

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And then one guy from the family one member I told, let us hear them hear what he what he now they want you to recite me Yes, yeah.

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And, okay, accepted. And I start to read

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two page studies and, you know, set for six years I had all these problems with the family and I get very emotional and of course, you're reading on and I start crying, you know,

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as fall under time,

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when I finished, I was reading reading two pages. And when I finished I just

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start watching the people around me everybody was crying.

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And my mother she said, she cried she she come to me and start to help me my mother she didn't hurt me maybe four or five years ago, and very emotional moment for me and for all the families and they start them to show us You told this dummy see he's reading he's a good guy. As part of the time Allah change the situation my life, I get married, again, good job. And now 80% of the family there, they're practicing Islam.

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And when I see my family before and now of course, this is Allah open the way for them but

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the Quran at that time change everything.

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And Allah No, no, my mother and my sisters practicing their wedding a job you know, everything is different, totally different. Mashallah, so that situation, it went from that five, six years of just life being in a total what you think is a catastrophe. Right? So you holding on steadfast, and now looking back?

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They're actually all the majority practicing right now. majorities amazing. So

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to be honest, my mother, she's praying better than me. All the time, she should pray she

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100 line now what if you gave up many people? Because Allah tells us in the Quran, has he been a user? Who a year could? You know, do you think that you'll be left alone, I just say, I believe and you won't be tested.

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Many people, they get tested, and they don't rely on a law. And what happens, then they don't end up seeing the light at the end of the tunnel even on me. So this story is really, you know, amazing and unique that it shows that when you hold on when you trust in your Creator, it's just like, you have a good friend who never let you dice it. I'll be there. Right? You trust him? You know? And you don't give up that trust on a good friend. What about the one who created you many people just they forsake a lot. They don't trust in Allah. And then what do you expect? But you never gave up? Never? Yeah. And now how's life now for you? Know, it's it's totally different. You know, the time I was

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alone, I nobody no money now I'm, I have three of my company three companies. I'm doing the construction business property, business, real estate, you know, I have a big family now and

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what was down outside? So totally so no family kicked out of the home, no place to sleep. But basically, you were boycotted. Yes, you were boycotted. And then the situation just took a one at a turn and totally Yeah. So what advice do you give for people I mean, people I mean, who are kind of just going with the flow they Ramadan comes around, and maybe they'll fast a few days, right called Ramadan, Muslims. You know, maybe they'll go, some people might go to Juma might not right. I had a really good friend here. That is also Muslim. He believes he's a really good person and you know, he's a genuinely and,

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you know, trying his best, but it just varies

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difficult for some reason he won't make the slot, you know, to me says I believe I'm a Muslim whatnot. What do you when you connect with people like what advice do you give them?

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My devices that are devices that I want sense for myself the sentence that Allah is the most important. If I want to do something, which I know Allah is not satisfied, I said, just to myself is the most important. And this sense

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is everything in my life, and Salah is number one, because I'm now in business, I'm just working. wake up early, just with this salon, this is my break.

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And five minutes, I'm taking my break. And to be honest, it's totally refreshing for me. And I'm trying in the solid, the focus and the Salah. And after that, again, I'm in

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a business and, and Salah is number one. So people who say I Muslim, but no Salah, there will be probably they No, no, actually, they don't have that connection with the Lord. And

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the second most important thing is that I must be honest with myself.

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What's my Lord? I know, everybody know, I feel that like I feel at that time. So I must be honest with me, am I good enough or not? So every day, we should make a test test for ourselves what I did on watch what I should do. So this is what I'm trying to do every day. We'll see. It's amazing when you read some of the biographies. And you listen to some of the people that people look up to the Oprah Winfrey's of the world you know, Oprah Winfrey has, in many of these issues are a billionaire now. And other people who are at that status, they look for things in their life to make them more complete, right. And many of them a great majority, they have a spiritual time where they cut off

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from the world, and they dedicate 2030 minutes, and maybe they just go in a dark room they go home, right? submit a meditation spirit, because they feel the soul is is yearning for that. But we have that Salah right, right? We don't need a billionaire to tell us we don't need anybody. We have that. So people are robbing themselves. A lot of don't need the prayer a lot don't need, you know anything from us. But that's for us. And it's it's very sad that people that's that medicine, the Food for the Soul. And when you neglect that you're neglecting your heart and so.

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So you kept to the prayer, right? You didn't give it up. You didn't give up hope. And a young man, what about for the people who feel like, they just feel the pressure from the culture, right? They're scared to go in the masjid or they're scared to because they're going to be bullied, right? They're going to it's, I'll do that many people they say, oh, I'll get religious, some Muslims. And I when I'm when I'm older, you know, right? When I'm 5670 years old, what do you say to them?

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From my sides? Yeah, I'm just thinking that maybe I'll like tomorrow, death, death. So because my father died. And from that day, I think every day I will die, to be honest. And I'm doing my best to finish all my obligations of the day.

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And the humbler before two years, I went first time Hutch. And again this year, with my wife, and I'm planning not to stop. Because a handle on our law, give me money, you know, and I can do this. Because in our country, it's very hard to go hard, because it's very expensive. People are not so big salaries, you know, they're sometimes collecting the money for 2030 years. But now, I can do it because I think always I will not be able to let the next touch. So this will be my last that that is number one for me. Yeah. It's always always, you know,

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scary me and I'm trying to be better. And

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I just want to tell one, otherwise, to to our, to people to you, too, who want to practice and have similar problems like me.

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At that time, I was reading too much, you know, and

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what I did I prepare myself always to have a good answer. A short answer, but the good answer.

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And now after 10 years,

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people my uncle or some people for my family told me when you told me that answer.

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I just start to think about your answer. This is not for my for myself. I read it somebody told me, but I I just want to copy this. Yeah. And maybe five people told me at that from that moment you told this sentence

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Since I was just thinking about that, and that changed my life. So that means we should we must read, we must improve our knowledge.

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That was, we're almost out of time. But

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what you started off with was a story of, you know, may

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Allah, open all of our hearts to really reflect on that the the reality of death, and the last in front of messengers and to mankind of Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, he talked about think often of the destroyer of pleasures, and people are indulging in so many of the pleasures, but the smart person he reflects of a I can die tomorrow, right? And that's what you, the advice you're given is don't think you you, if you're gonna make it until tomorrow, you follow me. And that's not saying to forsake this world, right? have it in your hand, not in your heart, but be prepared for the ultimate reality that death can come at any time. And it's a you don't just turn to dust. Today,

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you're going to be accountable for everything you did in this life. How is life now for you as far as the void? Right? The Void in your heart that was there? Is that gone? Do you feel now that you you've, you've accomplished the greatest thing that finding your purpose, living purpose, you know, how is it

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Now,

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of course, now I have everything in my life. The most, most important thing is that Islam, and my family is number one, my mother, I'm living with my mother, my sister sisters, they get married. And I will never ever leave my mother alone. I told my wife at that time when I was want to marry her, we will we will live with my mother. Because in Islam, the mother is number one for the man. And I told her, if my mother asked me something, and you asked me something, first, I will go to my mother, then I will come to you. And never ever you will be in front of my mother.

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And so I'm doing my best that my family is satisfied. And

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to be honest, now I have money.

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And money is coming. But I'm satisfied with small things. Because we're praying my family's there. I must have time for my family. And that's

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the religion and family. That's it. So to be honest, I don't anything a little bit traveling. That's it. So now it's in the family where everything is great. Oh, yeah, one last piece of advice for the not yet Muslims, because I always say that everyone has the potential to submit their will to God. They hear a lot of the misconceptions they hear about Muslim terrorism, all this stuff. This is the kind of stuff we do back with back home, you know, the oppression of women all that? What do you What advice do you give for those people who are tuning into the deen show? And they're hearing about Islam for the first I already watched some episodes and they like the message of pure

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monotheism and prayer and all the good things that we do, you know, but they're a little bit timid scared, what advice do you give for them?

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My advice then, because I believe I was not a Muslim because

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if you are honest yourself, you will see that you're not you're not satisfied. Something you'll miss, what Islam, you'll get everything. Maybe two will happen, good things, bad things, but you will always be satisfied.

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And this is the most important thing. You will not need anything just you will need your Lord and He will give you everything. So what Islam everything what happened to you is great, and you feel good, because you have an answer of all things happen to you. And that feeling that you're satisfied that feel calm. That's the most important and nobody can tell me this money. Number one, I have no money I see money is nothing you know, just just this feeling this this Islam and five times praying and be what your Lord that that's

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I cannot Of course, explain this feeling. But they should try. Yeah, they should try. You got you got the whole world and everything to gain and nothing to lose. Thank you so much for being with us.

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And I want to thank you guys for tuning in helping you connect with different people from different ways of life and then finding this way of life that brings that solace that brings that peace. And like we talked about the reality of death should wake the hearts up to know that we're gonna die. And you're gonna leave everything behind. You can't take the fancy houses and the fancy cars and all that money at the end is going to be worthless. But what you did in this life how you live this life? Did you connect with one who created you did did you live it according to the blueprint that he sent to all the messengers that delivered the same message worship the Creator, not the creation,

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and that's all summed up? In one word. It's not it's all there so much to gain and so much to lose. Because you're gonna eventually leave this dunya this world behind and then what did you prepare for the next life and if you like what we had to talk about

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On this week's show, continue to tune in. I'm in Bosnia, here and meeting bringing some wonderful stories. Continue to tune in, subscribe if you haven't already. We'll see you next time until that Peace be with you. And I'll make