Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari – Detailed Interview Part 1-5
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The speakers discuss various topics related to culture and the use of names and titles in the past. They also talk about personal and family backgrounds and titles, including famous entrepreneurs and their struggles with finding work and finding their own family. They also discuss various personal and family backgrounds and titles, including their own experiences with books and people from the UK. They emphasize the importance of learning and practicing in learning and practicing, and emphasize the importance of practicing in learning and practicing.
AI: Summary ©
Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim Al hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu it's a pleasure for myself to welcome you all to this discussion. This informal interview with our respective share Mufti Mohammed Abdullah Adam al ko theory, when wherein will be inshallah asking him about his life about the different aspects of his service to this Deen his student life and inshallah some of his thoughts on various different topics we'd really like to highlight and extremely beneficial we pray that it'd be an extremely beneficial discussion for everyone be at Nila. So I'd like to begin by firstly saying As Salam alaikum warahmatullahi
wabarakatu to you. Welcome Salam rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh just like Lokeren for taking your time today to allow us to take this interview in Sharla I'd like to begin by asking yourself if you can briefly introduce yourself your name, where you were born, you speak briefly about your parents etc.
Smilla Rahmanir Rahim Al hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah while earlier he was savvy meanwhile,
I would like to welcome all the viewers and say salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatu them to the to all of you as well
as icons ahead for
this very important discussion that we're going to be having today. I want to try to make this as informal as possible, Inshallah, not very intensive. It's also the holiday period. So I think people want a bit of informal discussion in the holiday period.
So in regards to this first question,
in terms of myself, well, you've asked about my name, and details about myself, etc.
You've already mentioned my name. So
my name is only Mohamed, first of all, you know, I get this quite often, that people sometimes forget. They say everything else, and they forget Mohammed, some say moved to Lebanon, Adam moved to Adam, Adam, the coterie I don't know, all sorts of different ways people have said different things in different places. And I remind them that the most important part of my name is Mohammed, which is the name of our messenger Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, my father only kept my name Muhammad, only Muhammad. Muhammad even add, the son of my father's name is Adam. And, you know, all humans are even Adam. I remember once
there was some brother and our brother, a chef, I think it's been a long time. So when he asked me, What's, what's your name, I said, my name is Mohammed bin Adam. He said kulula of now, we are all the sons of Adam. So I said to him, Well, I don't even know I mean, I'm the son of two Adams, the Malays, Saddam as well as my father. So
that's why I like to keep my name Muhammad ibn Muhammad, the sentifi them and I think we should all try to use this as often as possible, you know, the,
the whole lineage
even or Bintan, even such and such have been such and such, it's really important. In some cultures, you have this in Arab culture. I think it's used more often than other cultures. In the subcontinent. It's not used as often people use surnames.
They have surnames, even in the West, people have surnames, but India, Pakistan, Bangladesh is continent. People have said him, so they have their first name and a surname.
No problem, use the surname and we need surnames. But I think the Father's name and having Ibn in between, or if not even in between, at least have the father's name. And I think it's really important and also another thing is, is having a Punia a title which is also the son of the messengers that Allah where you send them son of the Sahaba Radi Allahu and home and type your own and all our classical Imams and seller for Salah in these two all have these Punia abou such and such a boo Abdullah Miconia is Abu Abdullah because my son's name is Abdullah. So I tried to use Abu Abdullah and actually for that I actually thought about, you know, before naming my son, I was
thinking about who from the great personalities in the past have the cornea Abu Abdillah
conium is the honorific title.
So who from the past Imams have the title? Konya Abu Abdullah and at the same time they have the name Muhammad
because I wanted my son's name Abdullah is a good name anyway because the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in habeas micrometre later on Abdullah Duran, one of the most beloved from the most beloved names to Allah is Abdullah of drama. So that's why
I like the name Abdullah the slave would Obadiah in there as well. And my daughter's name is Sofia. She might get upset if so why didn't you mention my name? Sofia is my daughter's name. So anyway, I couldn't hear. I thought about
whoever from the past Imams have the cornea abour Abdullah and also the name Mohammed. Because my name is Muhammad and when I looked at the list, I find some amazing unique personalities. First of all, Imam Al Bukhari, Imam Abu Abdullah Mohammed bin Ismail Bihari
Imam Shafi is a word allah Mohammed ministries of Shafi
Imam Mohammed Hassan in the Hanafi madhhab is Abu Abdullah as well.
Imam Abu Murgia is Abdullah Mohammed as well. And then the one who authored the Buddha is also about Allah and Muhammad and Boo city
and many others. You know, there was there were many people
and Abdullah itself, Imam Ahmed Abdullah he was Ahmed Imam Malik as of of the libre use Malik. So Abdullah is very unique and a very widely used Konya. So anyway.
So my name is Mohammed bin Adam, a barbil as the cornea, the title, the honorific title.
I was born here in the city of Leicester, UK, we are in Leicester, Sharif, as they say, people from outside the UK called Leicester, Sharif and Bradford Sharif. Before those outside of the UK, Leicester is in the central part of UK, it's what we call halogenated. It's the balanced land of UK. It's not really high up north, it's not south. That's why whenever it's really extremely hot. You know, throughout the UK, we don't get those exceedingly hot temperatures here in Leicester when it snows heavily. Everywhere in the UK, we don't get that extreme heavy snow. It's right in the middle Midlands and that's why it's a very kind of Hyrule Memorial. So to her best of places best of things
in the Middle East. So Leicester is a it's a great city. hamdulillah so I was born in the city of Leicester.
I grew up here I was raised here my father.
You know, my father, of course and you know, some of the brothers here the students all know, but there's people outside, you know, who probably don't know if my father
my father, Chef, more than half of the whole lot. I know he's 85 years of age, I think going on to 86 and he's a very old you know, serving Imam, originally scholar, teacher of Hadith, spiritual guide to a lot of people in the city of Leicester and in in Leicester, like he is probably the most well known and most respected at the moment, especially because it's the most senior.
So there are people outside of Leicester sometimes especially the younger generation, those who don't speak or two, etc, that are not too familiar with Him or know of him. I've seen some places on online people have mentioned my father and they've said father of my name with it. So
hamdulillah May Allah subhanaw taala granting wellbeing is very old and fragile now and you know, frail, he's got a knee issue. He can't walk properly, you know, on his wheelchair, etc. But he came here in the 1970s. Around 1976. I think he is originally from the subcontinent from India. And so my ethnic background is India Some people ask me as well, what's your background? A lot of people think that I'm originally from Pakistan, because they've more or less talking about Pakistan. For me these borders don't really matter. It's like whatever. But
originally, ancestors are from India, and India, Pakistan, who's old one before Bangladesh was all one anyway. So, he is originally from India. And he studied there and hamdulillah he's he became, he graduated from the famous der lune Dilbert
seminary which is in Dilbert. And he studied by some Greg Chu. His he's seen people like Sheffield Islam Alanna Santa Maria Rahim Allah and also some students of Imam in Russia. Kashmiri Rahim Allah is one of his teachers quoting Muhammad Ali Ibrahim Allah the student of Hakimullah Manuel anchovy Toyota himolla has a lot of senior people and that's why even Hadith Ejaz right now he's got some highest need which a lot of people don't have right now. And that's why there's a lot of people who want to just come and take the Joseph Hadith from him. So he graduated from Durban and then he went to another place in India and
there's a big mothers out there he taught there as well and there's lots of major you know, like see
He just got his way students actually. And then he from there, he taught there for a while. And then he moved to Africa, Southern Africa in a country called Malawi. Malawi is next to South Africa. I've been to Malawi, I've been to South Africa both places. I think he was an imam there for seven, eight years. I mean, I don't know all of this because I wasn't born. So my siblings were there.
But yeah, he wasn't a mom in Malawi for seven eight years.
And then after that in the 70s, like I said, 97 Six, he was invited by people here in Leicester, UK. And he established a masjid here which is we are in Doublelift on but just across the road, domestic Jamia masjid and there's a lot of mothers and you know, different buildings here in different schools and mothers etc. So he's been since 1976 Till what is it 2022 Right now, so we are like 46 years
and this is why you know, because of its services to this city and to this area, we have a chef Adam square here officially by the government by by the another government where maybe the council, sorry, the local council, they said that we need to name the square here kosher items. And you know, Hamdulillah you know, he's worked for many, many years in one place, like a lot of people don't stay one place, they move from here to here and there. So that's basically my father in a nutshell and
mashallah, I mean, I've seen him since childhood, very pious, very pious, pious individual is on his reading, reciting. I mean, I've not seen anything except you know, him all is reciting Quran every day and doing vicar and like, I remember as a child, that's all it was just the only thing he does at home is either read or write but it's mainly a bad, even his writing is not much books, etc. But he's more into our bladder. A lot of Ibadah is always reciting Quran Allah is doing worship of Allah since those days that I was young, I saw that as well. I grew up seeing all of that. And my mother half either Allah, may Allah preserve her she's also alive, maybe late 70s or something.
So she's hamdulillah she's also
very pious individual and
she's you know, 100 law supporting them of either all this time she used to teach in the beginning, some girls etc in the madrasa but then she retired after that, but you know, she's the energy at home is my mother's you know, everything is like she's she looks after the whole family and my father, all the children and all the grandchildren and great grandchildren now, but she is like the absolute, the energetic woman, you know, and from childhood we've seen how she has always, you know, martial law, being very energetic and, and even this right now, this ages, while she's got a lot of energy and interest, and she needs to know, everything was what's happening, what to teach him
where, and who's going where, and, you know, everything about every aspect of the madrasah and everything so but handler. So these are my parents and
I was born, like I said, in Leicester, I won't say which year.
Okay, because that's something I don't want to give a lot of free time. This is the thing every time until now for the last 1015 years, every place I go people ask how old are you?
And I was actually tweeted about this as well. And
I said Imam, Imam Malik, somebody asked him Malik, how old are you? He said, Akbar Allah shirt, Nick. Mind your own business. Not in a rude way. But it's like two more important things that we that I shared, you can carry on doing all you have to do. This is another important question. Then somebody asked him, I'm sure 30. So your mom Scheffer. He? He said I asked my teacher, Mr. Malik. How old are you? He said, Bill, Alisha, Nick. So I tell you the same thing as well. apabila Chanel. And then I heard that there's a whole that student who himself or somebody asked him, How old are you? And he said Aquila, oceanic and then he somebody else asked him, How old are you said apabila
Shinnick all the way down until today. There's a chef in some way in Medina or Mocha, I don't know where someone said where you can go to him and get this whole muscle cell continuing muscle cell Bill COVID Equilibar headman home Aquila. Shinnick. So you go and ask him how they share he said Aquila, shallick. Because I asked my teacher how old were you? How old are you? And he said up with allergenic and because he asked his teacher, all the way to Imam Malik. It's a continuation. But anyway, um, yeah, I get asked this a lot. Sometimes people say like you've been, you know, I mentioned some time some things that oh, yeah, this was 15 years ago, 20 years ago, I took this
course. This last question I, you know, so people, let them keep on thinking how, you know, it's just, it's because, you know,
if they think that you're older than what you are, then that's also an issue and if they think they're younger than what you are, that's also an issue, but anyway, so yeah, they
Is this is my family, mother and father
and I have siblings.
Just quickly not too much detail, but I am the youngest of five brothers and sisters. So
all of them will hamdulillah all graduated as scholars, my eldest brother shared more than Amadori He's much older than me and age and seniority and Elena and everything and
he
graduated from darlin berry in the UK, he also
stayed in the company of shells, a career Rahimullah and he also studied a bit in Pakistan and he's written a few books on how to do and, mashallah and he does a lot of, you know, charity work and he goes to Turkey and places like that. And he's he also resided in Canada and he's established a mother's own Canada before as well. And then my second brother after that shot more than a moron. He's also mashallah, you know, he's been here for many, many years. He's an imam of the masjid here he teaches in the mother of saints, actually, the principle of the mother aside, runs the whole madrasa that we have here. He also graduated on darlin Berry, and then I have two sisters after
that, they both also involved in the film of the teaching, reading, madrasahs, etc.
And then I'm the fifth to the youngest out of all of them, and all of them have children as well. And a lot of them have all memorize Quran and you know,
not just memorize Quran that have graduated as scholars. So a lot of my nephews and nieces, you know, the whole graduated scholars, many of my nephews look older than me. Now, but Hamdulillah. So this is the small family that are not the small family, the big family that have shown just to add on in terms of your name, I guess a lot of listeners that they will know you as a local city. Where does this come from? What does this title come from?
Yeah, this also people have asked this question quite a bit as well, this Alko theory come from. It's not a family name.
It's not a Sunni. That's why none of my family members, brothers when you want to use the US military.
So I only use it. And the reason was, I mean, there's a couple of reasons. One reason was you know, when I was studying back in Syria, many many years ago, we'll talk about that later.
I published a book so when I published the book, and the publishing house said look, what's your name? How do you know as an editor of the book, what can we put so I said Mohammed bin Adam, so he said what's the last name you need something Mohammed Bin Laden what
I don't like to use the normal subcontinent surname that we have because it's not common anyway. So I said Mohammed bin Adam is enough, please I know we need something and this via an attribution
to something like Shall we shall report on Hindi
the Indian I said, I'm not really I haven't even seen India property yet. I was born he said to put a little bit of tiny, you know, the British, and that the W tiny just doesn't look that nice, you know,
an Arabic Book. So then I was thinking what there has to be some sort of mitzvah like is there a mother or so is like some sort of Islamic attribution that you can have because you see in the subcontinent and not just subcontinent many parts of the world. Like those who study in us who call us hurry, they put us hurry up after the name. in Durham Durban seminary, the people who have graduated there are normally known as cost me because my Nana Qasim NaNoWriMo law, he was the founder of the dorm room. So attribution to him, asked me there's Mala Hiro lumens shampoo, which is a famous mother of those who graduate from the Ecole muda hurry.
So it doesn't have to be a place as well. Those from macaque monkey Madani bursary. cofina. Even in olden times, everyone used to remember Harley's, from Bukhara, everyone had these attributions.
So I was thinking what attribution to use. So then this algo 30 came in mind and there was a reason is because one of the places I studied it's not an official but the Durham very, that I studied at, it's not an official like
you know, title or attribution used for those who graduated from there. But in the olden times, there was some kind of reasoning that was just thought of that those from here from here can be called as Uncle three, there's some story behind it, but nobody ever used it.
I thought, you know, maybe, you know, that's one place that maybe I graduated from, I could use it and I just used it. And then there was also another reason was I used to at that time, I was reading a lot of books of Imam Muhammad Zayed that go three Rahim Allah, great Egyptian scholar.
Even though you know, some of his ways of writing certain things you can disagree with,
which I can maybe talk about later. That doesn't mean I agree with every thing that he says and the way he says
as well especially he could have said things in a better way. That's why shareholder fatawa I'm always student who is mashallah very balanced, amazing scholar, and we'll talk about him later. One of my favorite scholars
in a very balanced way, he's explaining everything. So anyway, I used to read a lot of his books. So I had that in mind as well. And this is why I just started I just used it in the beginning not as I thought I would officially officially use it, but then it became so common and so famous that they just became used so much and now it's everybody. Mohammed even Adam l Guthrie. So, yeah, that's the reason why.
So this is my name. Like I said, siblings, brothers, sisters, all graduated scholars and my father as well mashallah
old scholar, imam for many a long time. And
and also, like I said, you my family,
brothers and sisters, their children, nephew nieces, many of them all, have memorized the Quran or graduated as scholars as well, inshallah.
So in terms of your childhood, could you describe where your studies began, as a youngster as a child? I guess your father Shahar them must have had a huge impact and influence in that, could you kind of describe briefly about what impact he had, and where your initial early days of studies began?
Here, so I was born in this city. So childhood childhood was spent in the city.
Not just in the city, this area where we're sitting in the lift right now.
Outside, this chef Adam squared is where we used to play.
I grew up here as a seven year old eight year old mischievous young boy, you know, messing around and playing around and there might be some people who used to play around with me in this area. They might be watching in this I don't know.
Have you seen a sign that says no bowling games? That was because of us, the police because the police used to be these to a police station there. Then they moved. So they used to come and tell us that you're not supposed to play football here. He was we used to play football in this is to be a park small car park. We used to play one touch football. There's benches there. So the benches was the goal. I grew up in this area every day. Just come here. Come on. And we used to play here. So the police used to come and say, Look, you can't play here. There's cars are gonna be parked here. You might hit someone's car. They used to confiscate our board.
I used to tell every all the young kids, I said, Don't worry, I'll go and get it. I used to be the chief head of the gang. I used to go to the police or university again, cost annoys my board, please give us a board. Okay, next time, don't play. Don't worry, we're not going to play these seven, eight years of age. So then after that, they had to put that big sign no ball games. So this is the area that I grew up in the city of Leicester. This area, you know, there's like buildings here always to climb on top of these buildings. And, you know, you have this water thing here would you call them books or something? I don't know. Like this river. We used to go down and we used to go
underneath the tunnels from here all the way like Saturdays and Sundays. You know, those were the days when we never used to have these gadgets and you know, PCs and laptops and tablets and computers. So people played naturally.
You played naturally you
exercised outside children used to play all day, outside here in this car park this park here, from morning till evening. There used to be children play for all the children used to play that. Now you hardly see children, everyone's inside indoors.
So
as my channel hood was in this area now, as you mentioned, my father of course, I think one of the great things
that a great Nirmal of Allah blessing of Allah and I feel it's such a unique form of Allah, which I can't thank you enough was from a young age I saw and witnessed great shoe scholars orlimar in my house, they don't come down often now because my father's gone old, but at that time, frequenting my house. And I think that plays a massive role in how a child's upbringing takes place. Two things one is I saw a lot of books. So like we have a lot of books here. So I grew up seeing like books I can still until now remember what color what book was. And those books are still available by my father. His model Quran which is a Tafseer of Tishrei Rahim Allah black cover with golden retriever Quran. I
haven't seen him for years, but I saw it as a 567 years old. There was a commentary of hidayah I know he died overdue.
My father used to use in his right lands on a black cover.
Thick for volumes, lots of his old books because you see them regularly. So when you see this has an impact on you. So a lot of books. And the other thing was, like I said, lots of shoe and
from different parts of the world. I've sat in the laps of lots of lots of great scholars.
I mean, I can think of so if I can mention some of the names that I can remember from the top of my head right now.
Great, great scholars who have come to our house.
There was somebody called chef Mufti. Moodle hasn't gone go here.
He was the grand mufti of their own job and this is not not to be confused with Madonna Rasheeda Hamid can go here, Rahim. Allah, the teacher of came along with him Allah parts here. This is with Dima Moodle hasn't gonna go here. We have this fatawa Moodle. It's behind me here. You know.
These are 20 volumes. This is just volume number 12. For Dharma Medea this 20 of these is always with ours.
For people OMA Molana Mufti Muhammad Hassan in Congo, in our love America, he passed away in 1996. He passed away in 1996 or 97, I think, but he came to the UK many times and I will talk about later but he came to the darkroom very and we actually finished our, you know, body hurt them with him and took each other from him in all six books and he read the final Hadith by him, but he came here in 87. Came to Leicester. He stayed at my father's house stayed there for three days.
Also, Chef Maulana Madani the son of O'Donoghue center in Madeira, mahalo Allah. He used to come every year to the UK come and see my father used to come here
regularly.
And then
also some unique great scholars. I remember once the Imam of harem of Makkah, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Sabah, yeah, he's passed away. He was imam of Haramain Mecca and Medina very balanced humbly but very balanced, very balanced. good connections with
subcontinent scholars, good connections, he was very close to show the Korea Rahim Allah as well came to the room very as well.
And
he actually will talk about this later maybe he came to darlin very, I think more than one occasion and also some other masajid in Leicester and other parts. He came to the UK a few times. He used to lead the Asia prayer. He was the chef of most of the Imams of Harlem today
is the teacher. For many years good 4050 years he was imam of Harlem Harlem of both homes but he's lead Salah in Makkah, Aisha Salah Mohammed bin Abdullah so but then afterwards his son became a mom or whilst he was alive, his son became DemandBase and passed away before him in a car crash.
So he came the Father's house is just here. Next Street. I remember he came
there was there for a few hours I sign his lap. And then
I read because my father told me that when it comes read in a sheet in Arabic, so the only Arabic machine that I knew at that time which I stole is read was The Border now the word that can be problematic slightly for somebody from Saudi Arabia
because of certain words, etc, but I just read it and he was just hearing mashallah and you know, it's just I don't know what part of the I think the main Mohammed and so you don't Conan, you're tackling
well for him in Arabi women are Jimmy mobilier. Sunday was selling the image over the
holiday.
So I read that one
was he was also from the scholars that
I remember.
Coming to my house. There was a Great Mufti of Pakistan called Mufti. Well, he hasn't donkey Rahim Allah. He's actually a teacher of moved to talk with money and with the interview with money.
great scholar Pakistan. I remember him coming to my house even showed Islam with the Muhammad W with Mary having a whole lot my own teacher. He visited my father in 1987. For the first time, just pass by Lester. I saw him I still remember the image. When he came. His brother mufti, Mohammed Rafi with money Ramallah just passed away. Many times he came in, he came to my house and used to sit with my father. But I'm not talking about even people older than them. Senior ones. There was somebody called chef Maulana Muhammad used to do deanery Rahim Allah, he was martyred in Pakistan. He was a great scholar of Hadith and fiqh. Teaching the janitor Islamia and binnorie town famous whenever
He used to come to the UK. He used to say to all his hosts, when I learned in UK from the airport, first I need to go to Leicester to Bob Adams House. It took my father but I'm going to stay there one night either eat bond with him relax and then rest there and the next day take me wherever you want to take and he was an amazing scholar.
A student of shells a career Rahimullah and also
a student of Dr. Abdul ARS Rahim Allah Shah, Maulana Muhammad Yusuf DDRB. He has many books as well. I used to sit in his lap mashallah illuminated face, human to face a very pious and a very righteous and very knowledgeable intellectual scholar and earlier.
He has a book called fit one of his famous books is translated into English, amazing book, telephone metal Serato stalking, the differences of the Ummah and the middle path, and he's talked about all the different groups. That's one of his amazing books, but he's written some other books as well. He shared from Hamburg the use of Lydian Ramallah, so he's the eyes to see him every year. And then you know, a lot of these columns used to come for these hot minute war conferences from Pakistan from India. So these two all come on one weekend to my father's house. They used to come here they used to have one dinner here, so I got to know a lot of them. They will chef Maulana Abdul Hafiz McKee
Rahim Allah He just passed away in 2017. In South Africa, students of shows the Quran, Allah.
Yeah, I used to whenever he used to come to pick me up and put me on his on his shoulder. He used to be friends with another chef, this other chef mo learner, he's from Pakistan, but he was an orator. His name was Maulana Muhammad, the art will cost me
orator like a famous orator. Not a very prolific writer or a teacher, but an orator, one of those, you know, Pakistani orators, he was very much known for his
public speaking, a lot of them were in tune and, you know, last his days, it's like, you know, it's very, it's a thing in Pakistan where you become a master of being an orator and a speaker. So, I became very close to him, I was like 910 11 years of age, I used to listen to all his cassettes, and I used to, you know, because he was very nice, entertaining an auditor.
He was like, my first role model. And he used to like when he used to come, I used to sit to eat he used to eat afterwards is to make sure I ate with him. And he bought me gifts from Pakistan and things like that. And then they used to have this
hut menu or conferences in the UK, they still have them in Birmingham central mosque. These were the you know, when the Qadiani movement.
They, they they were in Pakistan, originally India, Pakistan, and then they were declared non Muslims in Pakistan. So they fled from the head fled and came to the UK until today, the head, they have this media channel and things like that. Because midazolam with Gianni was the founder, then his son became the head of, of the movement, then his grandson knights thinks somebody could build the metadata here. And now it's his grandson if I if I'm correct. I don't know his name, grandson or great grandson. So
the scholars from the subcontinent used to come here.
And these to invite people from scholars from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even from the Arab world, even the Imam of Masjid never we shall hold he have the whole law. He attended one conference in Birmingham Birmingham central mosque, he put forth a lead Salah he wrote to raka sorry to recall from the Quran and then gave a talk in Arabic which was translated into Urdu.
So a lot of these scholars used to come. So they used to come here. So this Modena, Mohammed Loiselle, asked me Rahim, Allah was a fiery speaker or writer, very, very popular, very popular.
So he told me that you need to read and Ashida not these conferences. They started first in London, in the Wembley conference that, you know, we have Wembley Stadium, next to Wembley Stadium. in Wembley, there was a Wembley Conference Centre, I don't know, I don't know if this it's still there.
I think houses about 5678 9000 people. And in those days, you never used to have too many programs. There's not online, so any major program people are going in coaches and traveling from across the country from north south, from the east, from the West, all going all the way to London. So
he told me that I need to read a sheep not. I still remember there's a recording somewhere. There was an order do not convert men who would Zindabad you know, it's like, I was nine years of age. And
I was I remember I tend
The Conference. Now the kind of the conference is like they've got a stage at the front there's about 3040 Major scholars of India Pakistan Bangladesh like some major the Imam of haram and even the local UK scholarship Mona is a multinational law and many many scholars major ones majority of them have passed away. I remember like my other brother was told that cry me and then I came from the back and from the stage and
I was sure as a young child, so short a bit but imagine nine years of age like cat was now there what they did was I couldn't reach
the mic. So they bought a chair and I stood on top of the chair and more or less our class we recommended I introduced me and he said look, this is a young child nine years of age.
And his name is Mohamed, but I call him and he used to call me water sort of mining
give me the name he actually said it in the program during the recording someone that I have called him out of love waters Romani, like most of money I think what he was thinking was that you got a lot of meaning and you but your motorcycle is more tiny, but
it's a book what is a man is a book in in Arabic fossa and Bulava. You have turkeys with Thai money. And recently we set up with Michael Newman.
So I'm more than just mortises Eric Hi, everyone's calling me with the sun. Mashallah. So anyway, he used to call it water sort of mining. So he said that, that his motor ceremony I called him his name is Muhammad and inshallah he's going to read, they put me on the chair and I read like nine years of age, hope the man who Zynga violence, I remember, as soon as I finished everyone, like the whole eight 9000 people happy people are clapping. I'm like, people are crazy, yet to stop is enough enough, not everybody, when instead of this is the living miracle of Ebola that even small children today, something like that. He said in order. I remember after that when I was leaving, because
people are leaving in cultures etc. As all everyone's pointing, that's that child. That's that kid, that's the one we're gonna shoot. That's that kid. I still remember that wasn't around right from then from nine years of age. So anyway, these were great scholars. And I remember when used to come to my house, him and Shahabad have his monkey, they used to both take in terms for me on the head on the shoulder and said no, look, this is the better way to pick him up. This is the better way to pick him up. And this will work against me on the forehead. And so I saw all of this at a young age all these great scholars and eyes to imitate more than they'll cost me like mobile school do
lectures. I never understood what they meant. Because I used to understand although I had no clue what they were saying. But it was just two sides to just imitate them. And I remember in Canada I used to imitate love the Imams of Harlem as well.
And all
all these great Imams of Mecca Medina in love. So when I used to go formula, I used to want to go meet all of them, like I used to know who needs Persian Salah and who is God and who is Assad. And who's going to be where and I used to go meet them and then I used to imitate what so I remember shell slowly been remade. I think still EMR
needs to be first and then you had people like Chef so they essentially they've been there for a long time. They have age as well means it shines through so long. Since I was in my teenage years I can remember. She also the essential name Sheikh Mohammed Abu Zubaydah was she honey jabya his pastor Rahim Allah shahada is them for have been there for a long time. And then there was shock of the massacre of Qasim and all these great Imams of her. So what I should do when I was a child as to imitate all of them shall occur shortly as well as to try to be like him in might. Teenager so intimidating is actually when I met him recently. I said How old are you? When I was a teenager? I
used to copy he used to look like me now. She Hoboken shopper is in the UK. I think I met him last year. I said when I was 1718 So listen to
so the one thing I used to do was I used to do something in childhood as a joke. Now I don't know if that tells just I used to lead I used to read Surah Fatiha in the tune every verse with a different Imam. So Hamdulillah I mean like today's man and I he initially manicure within like someone else, which is I think is a bit of a joke in front of your child. If you do it. It's fine when you grow up, you don't.
So
this this was you know, my like, I used to like Imams and the recitations shoved and basit of the summit, grew up listening to him. I used to copy him as well. What do
I do exactly? Like I'm not exactly like him, but I used to, you know, his, of course, different level but I used to try to copy him imitate him. There was somebody else called show and I didn't have I used to copy him as well.
I used to have cassettes in those days, tapes, tape recorders and cassettes. So these were the great kinds of
callers who came to my house? If I'm looking, I mentioned most of them. There was somebody Kosha crisis Rama hazhar Rahim Allah from Pakistan. I remember he bought me a hat as well as a gift. So I've also I've also seen shareholder Hadith Warren as the courier.
You know, he never came to my house here. But he came to Dalton Berry and my brother took me and I was I think, I don't know how old I was. I was about four, five years of age. And I met him and I shook hands with him as well. Shovel Hadith wooden as a career, Mahabharata.
So yeah, lots of these great scholars who used to pre come into my house. And so that was one of the greatest natm I think, in my childhood.
You also said you asked about, you know, how father's influence in the study. So basically, I studied initially at home, I memorize the Quran handled, I started memorizing the Quran at the age of six, I completed at the age of nine, despite me not wanting to buy I remember, like, my father was very strict, like, you know, everyday with school. So imagine going to school in the morning, and then coming in afternoon, and like coming back at 334 o'clock, 330s. And then straight learning, you know, I used to have a quick like some
drink milk or some you know, biscuits, and then learning international go to the mother. So I used to study at home. My father used to listen to me. But then also I used to go and attend a health class in the mattress as well. So officially, I can read again the results at home as well as in the mother side, and I memorize the Quran at home, my mother used to really push me as she used to make sure time to read time to you know, she used to listen to me. My mother used to listen to my Quran. I remember, Have you memorized your one page and needs to listen to me? So yeah, I did a little bit of goodwill, etc. So a lot of the initial studies was at home by my father in the mother Assam, my
mother as well. And yeah, so this is basically the basic initial studies and childhood. Also, we remember that we used to have in our local mother Savannah was growing up here.
We used to have these yearly annual
programs, we used to call them Genesis mucked up chances
were, the objective was twofold. Number one was that all those students, children, who
passed the exams, who came first or second or third, in the exams, they were all given
gifts, and they were rewarded. So these two announced in every class, class number one, class two, class three, this class, that class who came first, second, third, and needs to give presents. In those days, the presents are like kitchen cutlery. And I don't know why they used to give like microwave and you know, some plates and things like that children use take that home, then they changed it because someone said that all of this work, the children go and give it back, they're gonna go to the moms in the kitchen. Then they change it to calculators, I remember I got a calculator. Once I was so happy, I got a calculator as a gift, so that there used to be one
objective of the Joestars. And that's one thing that used to happen. And the other was that all the children used to participate in conducting programs. So this is Cara and she talks in order to do an English
performances basically.
So I remember from childhood days, every year, I used to do a lot of performances you call them perform, because children are performing, adults don't perform. And this is you know, when you say this person is performing, that's not bad as adults, they give a talk or even if they're reading the sheet, they're giving the calling people towards Allah. It's not a performance. Because Nia for children, you don't have an intention here. It's just showing off. And it's just, even if it's not showing up for children is just encouragement, because you're 678 10 years old, you're a child. So this is the messaging and what I'm trying to say here that adults they don't perform. So anyway, I
used to perform under law every year I remember at the age of six was my first performance, and this semester here that we have here. They used to be a pulpit member.
At the age of five or six, I read my first letter of the Quran I still remember I read the first record of Surah, Rama screaming, I was five or six, I think maybe six.
When tried to the top third. See tonight, this will have a
man who I learned I still remember I think there's a recording somewhere because more tapes. And then I give talks in order to give talks in English. I
didn't of course the sheets on a regular regular basis. And she was I grew up doing a lot of sheets. Even in those Katrina war conferences. I mentioned that the one in Wembley conference center in 19. That was in 1986, the Women's Conference Center the first time when I stood on the chair and you know Modan as they are cast me right now
Allah, he passed away in 2000 models
when he introduced me, but then after that every year, I used to recite an art or an A sheet in those conferences, so 8788 89 They used to have them in the admin who, in the sorry, the Wembley conference center, and then from 1990 onwards, they moved it because I think the expenditure was a lot because they had to pay to either halls, so they moved to Birmingham central mosque from 90 Onwards 9192 93 I think they still have it every year, they haven't been building a central mosque. So I recited not even in 9192 and entity 9495 Every year, so tell me till about 96 When I graduated from the very, we'll talk about that later. And I remember one of the weekends, I think in I don't
remember I think 87 or 88 There was a weekend of major programs. So on the Friday dollar and very had a new Masjid built a new building new facilities. So they were integrating the new Masjid in 1987. That was a Friday, Saturday.
There is a madrasah here in the Midlands Medina to loom in Kedah minister, which is, you know, like affiliation of Darren Berry. So they have just purchased a building and they were integrating that building on the Saturday. And on the Sunday was the Hartman award conference in London. I remember, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all three places are in an art scene Friday and it was just getting done very well still arid and had all the great scholars from subcontinent they had come for the habenula on the Sunday.
They all went to Durban very on the Friday. shithole on a Saturday Madani Rahim Allah this son of Modena, Sen. Medina him Allah He led the DUA. Actually, the Juma was supposed to be led by imam of Arab Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah spade, but last minute, he had to cancel this program. You know his trip he couldn't come because he didn't come because he was scheduled to leave the Juba. So then more or less said manipulated and then all these great scholars gave talks. And Saturday they all went to them near Birmingham, killer minister in West Midlands and then they all went to Sunday.
So yeah, I've had this childhood growing up of reading the sheath and now it's and performing and showing off since