Shadee Elmasry – NBF 136 Journey to Islam Shaykh Hashim Ahmad
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss their experiences with religion and their belief in spirituality, as well as their desire to see people from their culture and go back to their current country. They stress the importance of finding guidance and guidance for one's journey, particularly in regards to their beliefs. They also emphasize the need to connect with the right people and environments to avoid confusion and misunderstand, as well as learning to be fair and accurate to avoid confusion and misunderstand. The "one plus one equals two" concept in mathematics is used to justify prices, and the "one plus one equals two" concept is used to explain the concept of "one plus one equals two" in mathematics.
AI: Summary ©
Welcome everybody to the Safina society nothing but facts live
stream, where we have a special guest today, as you could see, on
our split screen. It looks like we're sitting next to each other
but we're actually speaking across from each other. We have a special
guest. His name is Chuck Hashim Ahmed. He's visiting us from
California. He is somebody who I'll give a brief introduction
about and we're going to have an open discussion about his path
coming to Islam and everything he's learned, masha Allah, he
became Muslim.
You and your wife became Muslim in California, and then not actually
not in California, but you're from California, Rich from California.
They became Muslim, then moved, many people are going to be happy
to Pakistan, and lived a long life in Pakistan raising children who
are Masha Allah Imams all across the country, just went to your son
Ibrahim's masjid, in Long Island, and I was just in Huntington, Long
Island, and where he used to be the Imam he had invited me there
and now I think now he's not the Imam there, but he still lives
there.
And then, of course, Sheikh Abdul Rahman was one of our own for a
while and Trenton and now he's in Sharon, Massachusetts, but Masha
Allah, a life filled
with stories and adventures in the life of the deen and the
modalities and the masajid. So welcome to our live stream. And
let me kick it off with with the story of tell us about the time
when you were young, what was the perception of Islam, how much
knowledge of Islam was, was in the air and amongst people because
that's something that today, everyone knows about Islam.
But in those times, even when I was in high school, Islam was just
like, only a few people knew about it. In America, at least. So tell
us about that aspect. Okay, yeah. So where do we start that so
I think probably my first recollection of you know, Islam or
Muslims were probably kind of an abstract image of these desert
wheeling people that in those days, at least for me, what I can
remember, recollect, there was a kind of an AW.
Which is interesting. There was, I never saw these people I didn't
know anything about but there's something about these, these,
these, these headwinds, you know, in the, in the desert, which is,
of course, no Saudi Arabia.
And I didn't know anything much more about them than that. And
there was nothing like, you know, Islam was not the hottest thing in
the news and said, Yeah, nobody ever heard of, it was a Muslim.
Yeah. Mother, who would they have?
Somewhere in the East somewhere? There was no no conception. Yeah.
And,
in fact, coming from a,
basically an atheist home.
My father family, they're Ashkenazi Jews from Hungary,
originally from Hungary that run the turn of the 20th century they
came
secularists, reformed Jews, if you will.
Somehow or another, my father was totally against anything religion.
We had a synagogue in our back in our backyard from our backyard, if
you just jumped over the fence, you'd be in the synagogue?
Probably. I never saw the inside of that. Yeah, it was like taboo
we talk about we don't think about religion is like off the, the
chart. Yeah.
So the I don't know anything about Islam.
And then, you know, I was my family were very sort of different
into things. Even though, as I said, my father's from a Jewish
business family. My mother's from a European mix of pot pourri of
there's a long story Jewish to know she's Christian, or from a
Christian family, she doesn't consider herself a Christian
either.
So we grew up a religious and I remember the first thing that I
that I even thought of religion was
I remember sitting on a couch when I was about five or six years old,
with my mother looking at the, you know, the window of the of the
front of the living room onto the street.
And some odd I remember this vividly, you don't remember too
many things when you're five or six years old, you know. But I
remember asking my mother, you know, if people on Saturdays and
Sundays they go to the synagogue, the church and stuff like that.
So, you know, why don't we do that?
I don't know that fit throughout the year.
So she said, Well, if we do that, then we can't do the things we'd
like to do.
That's gonna take our time up. You don't want to do that. Yeah. So
there's two things that our family was you know, into kind of
Uh, besides just being the old American, you know, kind of
working in house and home, but my family, they were all musicians
rather than the music.
So I grew up with that.
And horses. And this is in California, which part of
California now this I'm born in Cleveland, by the way. Oh,
Cleveland. Yeah, I'm born in Cleveland. My parents are from
Cleveland. So my very early childhood was in Cleveland.
As I said, somehow, my father, he was enamored by horses, cowboys,
and he always wanted to do that. And so eventually,
in 1960, you know, so we had moved out of the, you know, main city of
Cleveland out to the suburbs, we had our horses we had stable, and
we had so we were big into horses. But your dad wasn't the immigrant.
His dad was immigrant. His grandfather was in him. Oh, so
you've been American for two dice. And you're
the late the latter part of the 1800s is when my Okay, both sides
before the World Wars even. Yeah, so they weren't even part of the
world wars. No. Okay. So yeah, my father fought in World War Two, he
was an All American. In fact, it's interesting. We would lie about
our age not to get drafted. Well get out of it, particularly me in
Vietnam, War era. But my father when he was 17, he lied about his
age. So you go into
right, so he was a gunner, and he was like a radio guy, and you're
all American.
So
yeah, so I mean, we didn't have anything like that. So we're into
like horses and my elder sister. And I just like, you know, like,
we see the traditional people that with Quran, you know, when they
four year or five years old, from the Chi then and you know,
there'll be a stick on your head. So we were like that with horses.
And we had to be horsemen. Oh, every weekend, we'd be on the road
with my father and mother, and we'd be attending horse shows,
really? And then, you know, we had the group and then we'd be
traveling around performing. So you were you were writers for show
horsemen. Yeah. And the horse shows. That's a whole culture that
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it's a pretty interesting because we used to go
through the Amish country, you know, we were connected with them
kind of so used to come to Pennsylvania. Yeah. So Ohio, Ohio.
You go up. I think it's like, Columbus is right next to
Pittsburgh. And that's to what's takes you down right in a place
called jogger county ultimately, so we moved out of the city, we're
out in the rural area.
So then ultimately, my father says, Okay, so, you know, why am I
managing our business? Our factory in the downtown Cleveland, like,
your cowboy? I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna start a guest ranch. Dude
Ranch. I don't know if you've heard of that. No term, the horse,
the horse riding world. Yeah, it's a whole nother.
That's a whole nother world. You're right. So what happened was
so he and two other partners, they took a trip and they went out to
Colorado. Yeah, the surveyed around and they found this 500
acres of virgin land, like, in the middle of nowhere in the Rocky
Mountains, next to natural forest. And the only thing on that
property was like a burned down cowboy dance hall. And it was like
a little log cabin was left to that. And that's all there was on
his 500 acres. So we went out there and we developed this
resort. And people you know, it was Hey, dude, what's going on?
People don't know, dude. You don't know where that comes from? Yeah.
What is it? Yeah. So dude is in western nomenclature, you know,
cowboy. And it's the city slicker who doesn't know anything about
country life. And he comes out and tries to be a cowboy. Okay. He
said, Dude, I didn't know. So therefore we call it a dude ranch.
Oh, a city man who? Actually that's what we used to do. We
bring families out there and we teach them horse riding and
archery and right. We and waterskiing and it was a whole,
you know, program and then in the night, we would entertain them
with our music and shows. So that's fun. Yeah, it was great. It
was great to be action, and how would he get the word out that
this business exists? Well, he had a, he had a degree in marketing.
Which was supposed to be used for the family business, but then it
kicked in. Well, there. Yeah. So it actually became maybe the best
or at least one of the best resorts of its kind. Wow. So that
was great. Because of your family business. Yeah, that's great. So
now so how does that take us to religion? So out there in
Colorado, I mean, as a child, I was very introverted. I'm not like
now. I was very introverted. And I used to stay alert to myself and
just reflect on things. Nature. I used to love nature. That was my
thing. So in Colorado, I would just take off into the mountains
and just climb up on the mountains and absorb Allah's book. Just
marvel at that and so
After a while, what my father was espousing, you know, there's no
creator. And
that doesn't make any sense. You know, we got this. And then in the
in the mid 60s, so that's when the, the California thing started
because my mother and father were having problems. Interestingly,
this kind of a lesson for all of us.
They were having very, you know, critical fundamental problems, but
you know, we kids never were aware of it. They always kept it, you
know, I really respect them for that. Yeah, among many things, but
they had no clue. So then my mother's Okay, we're gonna have a
little vacation in California, because my grandparents were out
there since forever, I guess. And so we took off to Los Angeles. Now
a young musician. I mean, this is the place that we go. Right at the
edge of Hollywood, right? Yeah, right in what town? I was in West
LA, near Beverly Hills. Okay. Santa Monica and Beverly. Glen,
you're familiar with it. And so Wow, here I am, and ready to go.
And so now, this is the 1960s. All that stuff is happening? And I'm
right in the middle of it. Yeah. In the music world, entertainment
world artists and musicians and civil rights and the hippie
movement, that and I'm just immersed in all of it, you know,
right out there in it. Yeah. And of course, it this, at this time
in this age. You know, this, this concept of spirituality? You know,
the American Dream is turning into a nightmare, right, folks? It's
like, it's not giving us happiness. It's not giving me a
satisfaction. Yeah, we came here we, you know, self made man,
woman, whatever. And then you get all this stuff. And you have no
inner peace. Empty. That's what Rebel Without a Cause is all
about. Yeah. And that's what it was, without a call. What what's
the purpose? What's the point? There isn't any?
You know, so there isn't anything just, you know, at large just do
it? Do it? You know, like Nike says, Just do it. Yeah, whatever
comes into your, into your, you know, your desire, you're like, I
feel like it I feel you're winning. So what sort of that
anyway?
So then this concept of new, there's a spirit, you know, and we
need to find out about that. So that intrigued me very early on.
And I'm not alone. I mean, people, number of people from that era
that happened, particularly musicians, the first the first
Muslims in this country, you would know that, you know, they were
jazz musicians and criminals on the street. Malcolm's type. Yeah,
or, you know, like, like us from the, from the jazz world, you
know.
And jazz was considered something like it was fringe etc. While it
was itself a niche subculture counter. Yeah, thing anyway.
That's what I don't know if you're you've ever seen this quote from
Satan.
The Egyptian writer who became a Islamic
activist, yeah, he came to America. Really? I didn't know
that. Yeah, he came to America. And he wrote back, he wrote some
memoirs, and he's one of the things he said about it is that
this country is doomed. Okay. In the source of it all, is this jazz
music coach.
But I tell you what, I don't think you got that. Right. May Allah
bless him. He had amazing insights. But I don't think he got
that one. Right. It's a matter of fact, these are the people that
came towards us, not the Spatola. Yeah. From back in the 40s. Yeah.
And,
in fact, you know, the web Jamaat, yeah. You know, which I was also
highly influenced by that early on. So the founding the Majelis,
shooter of that originally was five brothers, three of which were
former jazz musicians, myself, and there was one look, man, I don't
know if you know, look, man, that was one of the Rocky from New
Jersey,
Afro to Afro Americans and me. Yeah. And there was two Indian
guys, you know? And because actually, it was
good, the black people anyway, the black culture is half of them were
Muslims anywhere at least. And then they're up there are much
more spiritual. They're much more religiously oriented people, you
know. And all the music from the black community stems from the
church.
You won't find any black musician that didn't start in the church.
That's why they're there. Their style is so unique and so you
know, well, over so Elvis, Elvis, his music started from he was
influenced by them by black churches because he was poor. And
he lived next to some of these revivalist churches and his
shaking. Yeah, moves came from those, you know, those wild
revivals of churches where they like if you go in the white
community
is where they got the Oregon music race going on in the in the in the
in Baptist party. I mean, it's like it's like a nightclub. Yeah.
And the first person that really brought that out of the church
into the public domain was Ray Charles, who I ended up working
for No way. Yeah. Was my childhood idol. My dad really liked him and
ended up working. So
he when he brought that dead genre to the to the stage, they got
upset, so you can't bring this. This is sacred music and he's
bringing it onto the your foot making it filthy like this. Yeah.
He said, Well, that's all I'm gonna do.
So that was kind of a turning point. But in any case.
So now we have in the 60s, people are starting to say, wait a
minute, but there's there's something fundamentally missing in
our lives. It has to do with the Spirit. So now, you know, since
Christianity, Judaism, and then the, you know, the established
religions that we were familiar with just weren't cutting the
cake, you know, that this wasn't doing anything for anyone, as far
as we could see. So where is it happening? So then the eyes turn
toward the east, the Buddhists, you know, the Hindu traditions
yoga, so we're in all of that kind of stuff standing on that stuff.
You know, week long water fasts and all that kind of thing. The
guru of the of the Beatles was named was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Have you ever heard never heard of him? No. Yeah, it's very
interesting guy. So this guy, he was the guru of the of the
Beatles. Which that's another whole you could have Oh, podcast
on that. I never even knew that they were into this. Oh, yeah. You
know, they started out, I want to hold your hand, and I love you.
And, yeah.
But they ended up with some very profound observations, there was
there was two, I would say, in our era. There were two, you know,
sort of reflectors or mirrors of our society and critiques of what
was going on with the Beatles, The later Beatles, you know, like, you
take like, the song Eleanor Rigby.
And the theme of that was all the lonely people, where did they come
from? All the lonely people? Where did they belong? You know? So, I
mean, we were seeing that there's, there's some fundamental problems
here. You know, man is not living a human life. So what's what are
we missing? We're missing spirit missing, contact with the Spirit,
we're missing divine guidance that that's finally what I came to the
conclusion, I think.
And so we need that guidance. Even somebody like The Beatles, you
know, like the, the Rolling Stones, they're still around,
right? Yeah, one of their most famous songs was I can't get no
satisfaction.
And the amazing thing, people don't reflect on that the poor
guy, you know, he's flying on his private jet. And he's got his his
villas all over the world. But he says, I don't get any
satisfaction. It was a Wow, great, you know, he looked the poor guy.
He's, he's, you know, he's empty. Got to feel sorry for them.
And so this is what and this is what ultimately, luckily. Because,
you know, then I started seeing, you know, being in the industry
and they're getting into showbiz and, and all that, and then seeing
the reality of that lifestyle. Colleagues, you know, they're all
dying and dying right in the front. So if you want to live past
30, you know, better look for a different lifestyle. This is
dangerous. So you ended up getting into that scene, and then getting
professionally into that. So yeah, so I was a professional, very
early age. Kids, you're asking me, I said, How did you become a
Muslim? When I was 20 years old? So we were very young, you said,
Well, I was I was pretty old. I felt like it was an old man, I
feel much younger. Now. What was the instrument because I was a
guitarist, basically. But I played a lot of things. And then how
would that work? Like, how would you get gigs? Or did you join a
band? Or? Well, you know, like, every musician, you know, I
started out when I first got to California would you would do to
go down to the music shop, you know, and play around with the
guitars and there'd be, there'd be like, it'd be like, you know,
build there'd be like bulletin boards, none of these still have
that kind of thing, you know, looking for a guitar player for
that form a band, let's say you start you know, and then you get a
contact here, I think the first kind of break was there was a band
that we formed, I was like 17 years old.
I was probably earlier than that 1516 years old, and we had a
battle of the bands on some TV station and then you so you get to
know and then you get a contact needed to move up. And yeah, so.
So getting into that, and then you know, being in that society, then
you see this sickness and then they hypocrisy and greed and just
material. You know, on the one hand, you have an artist is
trying, he perceives things he's trying to express that in his art
form, whatever that might be. A
then you have, you know, these, these blood sucking, you know,
business side of the whole thing. It's just sick. You know, and then
the whole thing is just so sick and so perverted, and causing such
travail and everybody's, you know, like out of their minds. And so do
I want to live like this for this to my life, I mean, end of the
day, what's you know, and then at the same time, and then what I
would do, I would take off from gigs, when I got just too
overwhelming, I would just take off, we go to Big Sur, or go out
in the desert, fast and do yoga and
tune back in, you know, and then cleaned out a bit, and then come
back and get involved and fully talk too much. And then finally, I
said, No, this is just This is madness. I mean, we're not
supposed to be living this kind of this is not what we're here for.
And I don't know, it's kind of like, you know, it sounds like you
know, fairy tale kind of, but
in Big Sur acts, I know big Southern California. What is that?
It's, it's on the coastal highway
around Monterey, you know, a Mondrian, up in the bay before you
get to the bay. It's an area it's one of those beautiful places
that, you know, it's an iconic place. And it's an iconic place,
particularly for the hippies. And, you know, it would be a perfect
Sufi Dhoni, you know, destination like you should ever confab.
So, it's these big mountains, these big, beautiful, huge,
awesome mountains that go right down into the sea lifts and His
majestic sea and you're on these mountains between every mountain
is a stream and the virus is just fabulous. So I used to go there
and you know, just camp out and cook my own food or fast and do
meditation, this transcendental meditation but by the way, when
this Mauricio his yoga guy came, so I was in LA Airport, among
others to greet him and so shaved you know, a guy comes with a long
beard or painted face, he's wearing this line, loincloth
barefoot. That's crazy, guys. Oh, yeah, that's the one. But then
after a while, you know that you realize it's, this is really not
what do they call to? What do they call it? What they do is they have
a kind of maraca kind of a thing they call Transcendental
Meditation, which just shut off all of your shut off all of your,
you know, your, your, your are the thoughts and just kind of focus on
your inner being and your inner, you know, it's just kind of
shutting off from the material world and try and focus on your
spirit, decreasing their distractions, basically. Yeah,
you're not we have a kind of a watered down version of that,
which would they call?
What do they call that?
awareness or some mindfulness, mindfulness, mindfulness? Yeah,
it's something along those lines. But that was a little bit more
philosophical. Yeah. It tended to kind of touch on Sufi concepts.
Yeah. And they're, and they're all about, like, not eating a lot. Not
talking a lot. Yeah, right. decreasing your thoughts. Exactly.
And that's what then so it was spiritual exercises, you know, and
I think in every, every traditional culture you've got,
because people recognize spirits. So whether it was prophetically
inspired and got, you know, diluted, or just it came fifth
three, or whatever, but we find this in all traditional here in
our indigenous, you know, cultures in America, we have things of that
nature, whether they were originally divinely inspired or
not, who knows? Yeah. But in any case, I came to the conclusion
that
all of these spiritual disciplines, they're all pointing
to one thing, there's a creator, the originator of the entire unit,
the controls, and if you if you connect with that, then you're on
then you made it. And if you haven't, you're gonna be you know,
you're off the frequency. You're not you just you're just lost. And
so I had this kind of revelation that was also very kind of
indescribable spiritual experience, I just kind of felt
like, and this is kind of thing and Buddhists that they tried to
you merge with the, with the, with all of existence, you know, got
you, you would know that stuff. Well, today, they just say the
universe. Yeah, cool. So I have that actually, I had a kind of
experience like that two times. And one was in Big Sur. And, and I
just from that moment, I said, Okay, that's That's it. That's it.
I'm done with this stuff. Yeah. It's like this. You know what
you're all about Moses coming down from the mountain with
the stuff with love, you know, you know, but it was it was really
like, and now I'm very clear this what I'm gonna do, I'm getting out
of here. Yeah. And I'm going to search for that. I'm going to look
for that. And at this time again, now going back to your question,
so wrong here and there. But
at this point in time, Islam I don't know anything about Islam
other than Allah
Is your Mohammed. Right. And by the way, Malcolm. So I never met
Malcolm but being a musician and being engaged with black musicians
and engaged in the, you know, the civil rights and in the black
national movement and all that. So I was, you know, really connected
with all of that. So I was a big fan of Malcolm, and all of us were
every Muslim my age, Malcolm was like, 90% of why they're Muslim.
Yeah, I'll let you know. So you know, after reading his
autobiography, and all that, and then he then he mentioned about,
you know, these Muslims, and they don't have this thing called
racism, you know, they can actually get along the whites and
blacks and green, whatever color you are, it's not an issue. said,
wow. That that's unique. I mean, come from the west. And you know,
like, that's, that's a situation where there's no, as they say, in
Arabic, called the Hola, abolhassan ma na, you know, that's
it, that's it, that's the situation, there's no judges gonna
be able to figure that out.
So, I had come to this conclusion now being a pretty extreme
radical, in my own way.
Being connected with everything radical, anything that was an
unconventional radical that was up there.
So now everybody's going to Tibet in India. So I'm not going to do
that. Yeah, I'm gonna do something else. And like, I had a close
connection with Africa, right? So I'm gonna, what am I gonna do? So
I checked out stuff, you know, and I'm looking now with the, with the
concept that since there's a must be a Creator, He sent these holy
people and he sent these, these messages that has to be somewhere,
the real one, the one that wasn't tampered and twisted, and all of
that. So where's that going to be? So I came up with this idea, you
know, that it's going to be in Ethiopia. Why Ethiopia? Because
ostensibly, you know, the early followers of Saudi salaam, Jesus
peace be upon him, they migrated to Ethiopia. And they kept their
tradition and they've got the altar, and they still have it
there in the mountains. And that sounds pretty hip, you know? Like,
that's, that's pretty awesome. So I'm gonna go there. That's so
interesting. Yeah, I thought you were gonna say Morocco, because
that's where everyone else was going. No, that was a destination.
And I also put that on the on the route. Yeah. But But even at that
time, that wasn't a destination for spirituality. That came later.
That was, that was a destination for the hippies, for drugs, drugs,
and just froward culture, not necessarily Islamic movies.
You know, they do weird stuff. They have good hashish. They're
very ornamental and dancing. And it's pretty weird plays in these
different Orientals that that was the attraction in those days.
But Ethiopia,
yeah, so I thought they're gonna, you know, these mountains of
Ethiopia, that really sounds far out. It's gonna be, so I'm going
there. That's how I was. I feel like I'm just gonna do it.
Because you crazy. I mean, you know, anybody there?
So, I mean, you speak, you don't speak the language, you know,
anybody? Hi, you're going to connect with any. So amazingly, I
don't know, I'll put this. He said, Look, the one who I'm
seeking for knows what I want, and he's gonna show me so that was the
hippie mentality. You know, that was those kinds of the good
teachings that, you know, yeah, we learned, you know, good karma and,
you know, good vibes go around comes around. And so I'm just
going to be positive and throw good vibe, is gonna provide me
right into what's happening. You know,
it's interesting, but that kind of, you know, there was.
So I set off for Ethiopia. That's, we don't have time for that. But
that is a long story. Wow, full of all kinds of what did you What did
you How long before you actually got something out of Ethiopia?
Well, so as I said, since I was tested, these vibes worked. Yeah.
So.
So the idea is religion, right. And as I mentioned, so since I'm
very influenced by Malcolm also in his and his mentioned of the
Muslims, so I want to go to Ethiopia where I want to see these
Muslims to. So therefore, intentionally, I went
to Luxembourg, down through France and down through Spain, mostly
walking and just, I have no timeframes.
And then I go to Morocco, and then from Morocco, all the way across
North Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Nigeria passing by
anyway, hey, train, walking train. That's crazy. I don't know. I'm
just you know, you got time. Yeah. And the world is just gonna absorb
and just move on at my own pace, however long it takes. And so when
I get to Morocco,
it's Ramadan.
Right.
And
so then everybody's fasting. So as I said, you know, we used to fat
ask them do this water. And when again, they sit the whole country
is fasting. Are you kidding me? They said, Yeah, even our King,
he's fasting. I have Wow, this is this is real. And so so
immediately it was there was a you know, the election, you know,
there's a it was a sink, you know.
And so I just and it was in Morocco, you must have been there.
It's a mesmerizing, especially in the 60s. Oh, you know, all the
modernity human and.
And then yeah, and then this concept white, black and all that.
Yeah, absolutely does no concept of it. You know, as I as I usually
say, it's so weird. I've been Morocco. We've been Sameera. No,
no, I've been there. It's weird. That was the iconic. That was the
hippie Destiny's Child, you know, if you could, if you could hang
out in this winter, that was the top of the line. So actually, I
lived there for a while. And I lived in a house actually. And I
got so immersed in the culture, that was my thing. I could just
kind of adapt. I just got immersed myself in their culture and all
that and I became like, one of the family members of a family in
Minnesota. And interestingly, the the
the, the father must have been have some kind of African
background because he was black is cool. I mean, really, you just
look African totally. And then And then his wife, who was probably a
Berber, she was like white as snow. So you got black is called
whiteness, and children are the colors of the rainbow. I mean,
they're all different shades and colors. And, and it was beautiful,
you know? Wow. You know, so.
And then I got I got hooked up with Moroccan musicians.
Right. And musicians always clicked with musicians. And so I
got into rockin traditional music music. Can now if you look I heard
Yeah, I heard it's, it's a very interesting, I was trying to
explain this to somebody.
Which, you know, it's pretty hard to explain. But it's, it's part of
the culture. It's, it's, it's definitely satanic.
No question about that. But it's still somehow connected to the
culture. And it's also connected, obviously, to Islam in a way, even
though it's brilliant. And it's so it's like ritual. It's like ritual
music. You know? And, you know, it goes on, and then people go into
transit. It's kind of like how you know, and stuff, you find this
kind of. So So I was doing them. I didn't really understand what's
going on. But then I was playing with them. And so I used to hear
the Athan. And I used to get really like, it used to really
fascinate me,
used to hear the alarm. And then
and so these musicians were the first ones actually to invite me
to Islam. And so the point is going back to your question,
still, I don't really know anything about Islam, nobody, you
know, we don't have any real information about it. Wow, thank
you so much.
Yeah.
And so I'm not really seeing a lot of truly Islamic things in my
musician, buddies, or the hippie crowd, or, you know, people who
connect with them. So you don't really get a chance to see
really Islamic teachings in that context. Other than, like, cut
them.
You know, yeah, friendliness, generosity,
honoring the guests. But also, if you're in that environment, and
you see something good. That's like the edge. So if the goodness
trickled down to these people, right, then it's pretty thick.
It's pretty good. Yeah, that's the point. And you know, when people
ask me, So how did you ultimately accept Islam? You know, you know,
I didn't hear a single I had of Quran I didn't hear a single
Hadith. Nothing. It was all these, you know, glimpses of Islamic
character during this journey, you know.
And so still, I don't really know much about Islam. And we don't
know, I didn't know anything about the Prophetic teachings of
Muhammad Ali saw nothing but his seal.
But seeing these, you know, seeing these, these qualities, you know,
and then all across North Africa, it was it was a one year journey,
approximately for I got to Ethiopia. It's amazing. That
everything could never happen anymore.
With the world economy and the way things Yeah, it could never happen
anymore. Yeah. Eldest countries that haven't they're all been
destroyed Yemen. I mean, yeah. Subhan Allah. Later on, when I
went to Yemen, the two countries that were most impressive people
usually ask me what the two countries that really stand out
was Morocco in Yemen. So many people say that. And the reason is
that because they were isolated, one all the way in the West one
all the way in the South. Yeah, their culture grew up exact by
itself. Whereas like Egypt, everyone's there. So it's going to
be neutral. Yeah.
And the thing about Morocco, when would you just leave Morocco and
go to Algeria,
even though they're very similar people, ethnically, culturally,
but it's a totally different feeling. The Moroccans they love
their culture. Yeah. And even if they're not religious, but they
love their culture, everybody knows Quran.
So I didn't know at that point, but later after, after a few years
ago, I went again after all these years. And you know, you would
have noticed that everybody knows Quran, you know, in the masjid
every morning is that there's the Jews. Yeah. And that's how you
know what day of the month it is. Yeah, you want to know what day of
the month is go in the masjid.
And whatever, whatever, whatever, you know, Jews they're reading
that's the day. Yeah, because for those who aren't aware of this,
it's by law. In Morocco. It's a law law by law. I didn't know
that. Yeah. And it's endowed by the state that after fetch, his
past be recited, which is half a dose after market. Yeah. The
second. Next, his has to be recited. And that's recited in a
group. Yeah, yeah. So the Imam turns around after the sun isn't
everything and he settles, then they make a big circle.
Right? It's usually two rows connected, like in a long oval,
and then they recite it. Sometimes they're like seven people in the
little mosque is like eight to 10 people. And they'll recite and so
many of the people know it from memory. Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes
you have a guy in a business suit, right? Sitting and he's like,
tired. It's like, after maghrib. And he's reciting from memory,
right? Yeah. It's a middle motor. It's not Mulkey as seen. It's
something from the middle like students and photocards Shara.
Yeah, and they're reciting. So that's one of the most amazing
things and believe it or not, I heard that the first people to do
this were the Tebay of Egypt, the soldiers, and they were reciting.
And it's in the books that they were the first people to do a
group recitation, because people weren't reciting. And they want
the soldiers to recite, so they would do this group recitation.
And that that's the same melody that's still employed now in
Morocco. Lower group. Yeah. And it's, it's also it's almost
military, its military.
Cadence, right? It's one cadence, boom, boom, boom. Yeah, that's
interesting. I didn't know that. And I had a friend who was just
like, you know, like these regular Moroccans. They love Islam, but
there's not much Islam that you can see right away. Yeah. And this
guy, he's a family guy here. And he's a gay, we're from an area
called Soos. Yeah, right. And, and they're just like, just he's
Muslim by his identity, and a lot of things about him are Islamic,
but he's not putting much effort into seeing, like, what does FIP
say What a shitty essay is just going with the flow Muslim guy. So
he says, Where I come from, in Zeus, it was a thing, no matter
what gathering we have, you have to end the gathering with yesin.
So that's how they're very Yeah, someone will just start, it
doesn't matter if you're you go out a bunch of guys go out for
tea. Right, the sign that the gathering is done, someone will
start with yesin. And we all right, your site? Yeah. See, it
doesn't matter. You pray don't pray your website. Yes.
Hello.
So, yeah, then you get to Ethiopia? And then did you find
what you were looking for? Okay, so that very interestingly,
as I said, I still, you know, I still don't know, you know,
anything academically about Islam, other than what I see. Right.
And,
and in every country, there's, there's, there's new revelations
in terms, I mean, we see new things and we see new aspects of
human behavior that indicate, you know, the uniqueness of Islamic
character, which obviously is coming and what what, what I was
trying to, you know, correlate was these good qualities like this
generosity, and this, this this, like, for example.
I was,
I was coming from a place like glulam, beams, right, way down in
the south, near the Spanish Sahara, you know, the toric, the
land of the product coming up from there. And then I passed over the
year, in between over the year and it's weird. I was going back to
my, where I was staying in, Sierra.
So now I'm traveling on the road. And in those days, you know, a car
or two might come in a day, you know, yeah.
And so it's hot, you know, I'm hot and I'm hungry, and I'm thirsty
and I'm tired, and there's no transport and I'm just walking
along the road. I got my backpack and my guitar. And
so I just kind of exhaustedly Sit down by the side of the room. So
this Moroccan guy comes by reading his donkey and he looks at me
and he says, like, you know what's wrong with you?
So you look despondent, you know, like,
I did exactly what he said, you know, but I mean, it's like, you
know what's wrong with you? And you know.
And that's the thing about Moroccans, you know, you probably
noticed that they're all happy. Oh, they're always happy. Yeah.
Regardless, it's such a happy culture. Yeah. So he's looking at
me like, Hey, what's wrong with you? Yeah. I said, yeah, yeah,
yeah. Well, you know, just start with, like, I'm tired. I'm hungry.
I'm thirsty. And what else you want? You know?
He said, Well, you know what, that's what it is. So why don't
you just enjoy it?
You know,
that this guy. We thought we were hip. This guy's like, he's, you
know, stuff like that. Yeah. What did he take you on to his he just
up and I'll tell you nothing in Libya. Amazing thing. So anyway,
so he went on his when I said, yeah, he's right to enjoy it.
Yeah, it's bright sky. No, yeah, he's right. Absolutely. Wow. Hey,
thank you, you know,
once I went into into into a date market, Rakesh, you know, my, my,
my background, you know, natural food, AIDS, like after deeds every
day. Okay. So I go to the date, Mark, you got these 10,000 guys,
in one place selling the same thing dates? That doesn't make any
sense. You know, why didn't you you know, find a place where
there's no data, you know, and some data come on the market
share, how are you going to get any market share here, you got 20.
So I thought, you know, okay, these poor guys, you know,
Moroccan, third world of America, and, you know, come from business
family, I have little business savvy. So I'm gonna do a favor to
these guys. I'm gonna give them a little marketing, you know, sort
of coaching. So I went to one of them, I said, Hey, you know what,
this doesn't make any sense. You know, you guys are all sitting
here. Why don't you you know, like, find a place mark is a big
place, you can find it, you know, some place here there and set up
your shop. And you can probably get, and the guys looking at me
and smiling. You know, like a little kid comes up and says,
uncle, I think, you know, oh, yeah, Sunday that.
He's looking at me like, you know, okay, Sunday, you know, he said,
Look, he says, If we all sit here, or we sit all over the universe,
we're gonna get what Allah is gonna give us a problem. It's
impossible. What's the tension?
Again, you know, like,
we're supposed to be hippies. But this guy's talking about, you
know, I said, so I mean, so these these people on another level, how
they perceive the world and what's going on in the universe. Yeah,
you're on another level. And it's like everybody, it's not just the
clerics. Yeah, everybody's like that. Even my musician buddies,
and they're doing all the things musician who everywhere. But
still, they've got this level of, you know, different newness, you
know, uniqueness.
Okay, now,
fast forward. Libya.
I'm in Libya, by the way, in Libya, I had a very interesting
encounter. Because now, you know, being a rebel, you know, from the
60s and getting out of America, like, I don't want to see America
again, ever, you know, like, you know, like, this is the worst
place on earth to go around the earth and you find out what, it's
all pretty much like that or worse, you know, but in any case,
so as soon as in Morocco, I you know, I was wearing Moroccan
clothes, I had a turban, you know, these todich they have the black
turbans, they even and I loved that thing. That was as you wrap
it around your mouth. Yeah. And yeah, and I just was immersed in
all that.
I was speaking a little, you know, I was speaking some some Arabic,
you know, the colloquial Arabic.
And so when I get to Libya, I get a quote, I'm finding Algeria and I
get to Tunisia.
Very interesting. And I got stories rather than rather, but
when I get to Libya, okay, so I got across the border, no issue.
So I'm in sixth, which is the place where of Orpheus, from
where he and he was ruling at this time, and he had just taken over
at that point. Yeah. And he had his pictures up everywhere. And
everyone was, you know, hip hip. Hooray. So, so I'm sitting at this
little, you know, roadside Cafe kind of thing, you know, like bus
with bus stops. And so, I'm having lunch.
And then I get on the bus and we go, so in the meantime, these
policemen come.
And these policemen are standing behind me and like, right behind
me. Like, we want you to think you're a spy. I don't know what
they thought. But in any case, they were kind enough to let me
finish my food.
And then they say we our chief wants to talk to you
Okay, so I go to the chief. And I say assalamualaikum
Waalaikumsalam. We're not Muslim that but you picked up Yeah, I
picked up. Yeah, I'm living on Muslim families. And I'm like, you
know, I'm only you guys, you know? Yeah, basically.
So then he says, Where are you from? I sent from the United
States. He said, What are you doing with those clothes?
Whatever. No, you can't.
So this is cultural appropriation before that became a thing. Yeah.
I mean, this really blew me away. I couldn't, I couldn't believe
this. He says, No, you can't you can't wear those. And he was
serious. He was gonna get angry, in fact, so you can't wear those
kind of clothes here. You have to wear your own clothes. Weird.
So you know what? I don't have any clothes like my own. These are my
clothes. So Well, you better get some Oh, he's gonna put you in
jail back in Tripoli. Oh, my god. Guys.
Serious. And he said, Don't try anything new. If these two guys
are going to be with you, you go and get 10 changes. So this kind
of knew what happened to our culture a really weird, you know?
Or maybe like, maybe you're trying to impersonate I don't know what
his Psych was, but it was pretty, pretty intense. So then I don't
have any other clothes. And how am I going to shake these guys? And
what am I going to do? So then I get back to the that cafe.
And these guys are a little bit behind. In the meantime, a bus
comes. So I grabbed my stuff and jump on the bus and for they go
off on my way. Okay. So
at Maghrib time, now, somebody gets down from the bus, the next
stop, and he goes in, he buys a big bag of boiled eggs. I don't
know if you ever noticed that. That's one of the things he did
get on the side. And maybe it was in those days, boiled eggs goes
easy thing. Yeah, you know. And he distributes that to everybody on
the bus.
So obviously, this is he's part of the group and maybe this bus is
just a group and they're going to Benghazi that we're going to bid
posi.
So,
okay, another guy gets started and he gets a big bag of almonds and
you just distribute salmon to everybody. Okay. Then we get done
a mother or a mother ship time and we have dinner. Couscous, you
know, North Africa, everybody's got their own kind of couscous.
Maybe there's, we all need couscous, and they're fighting
with each other. Who's gonna pay for everybody? In America? We're
gonna fight who's gonna you know? Yeah, yeah, up. No, yeah. They're
fighting. Who's gonna pay? No, I'm paying them.
Anyway, I know, they're very generous, but this was like, you
know, in steroids.
And they were strangers. Well, I didn't know that. I mean, I
assumed they were a group. Yeah. Because I mean, they were just too
familiar. And they were just, you don't do that with everybody.
Right? Well, we'll see. So
we get the Benghazi. Every single one of them went in a separate
direction.
Jeep? I
feel like nobody knew. But they all knew one another. And they all
had this fraternity. So this uku within Islam and all that, I mean,
it's just, it's just kind of nobody had to tell me in Islam,
that we're all Brotherhood and the philosophy, they just this. That's
why people always ask, What can I do to be a representative just be
a Muslim. So you have to do some homework, your actions are going
to attract people in ways you can't even imagine. I'll tell you
a story about that. The reverse of that. Cynthia hay wrote us and his
friend who was Afghani, they went out for pizza one time. And
they're sitting around, and there's just a bunch of guys
eating some pizzas. So the guys behind them, they couldn't help
but overhear the guys behind them. Were about five guys that ate
three pizzas. So they're like, Well, guys, what's the math on
this? Because the math doesn't even out. And then they finally
figured out the fraction that works. And then but one guy
interrupts he said, No, but I saw that you had four pieces. I only
have three pieces. Right. So how are we going to divide this up?
Now the Afghani
can't believe what he's hearing, right? That they're arguing and
they're counting what you ate. Okay, yeah, but I saw that last
time you ate for, right? And we split it evenly, so that he can't
believe what he's hearing. So we got so fed up, fed up, he goes up.
And you know, these pizzerias, like, they'll have like a pizza
prepared, and they'll give it by the slice. He's like, give me that
whole pie now. So the guy puts the whole thing into a box. And he
pays for it. He takes it and he slams it on their table. And he
says, Would you all just eat and shut up?
I got the shock of that. Like, like, like, what is this? And
here's like the F Gettys. Also, this is like really into their, in
their culture to this generosity. Yeah. So the guys are like, they
looked at him like he's from Mars or something like who would do
that? Like you just paid for that by yourself. A Muslim would do
that. So why don't we even had a neighbor one time and we had to
burgers. And we had ordered some Hello burgers. And we had the
burgers out. And she was passing by. So my wife said, Ron, just
come on in. And she sits at the table and we're about to eat.
We're unwrapping these burgers. And so naturally, we went got a
plate for her to eat to just go, I can have one. We're like,
how could we invite you in and eat in front of you?
So it's like a foreign for a lot of people. Yes, this this tight
festiveness and I think it's cut them is one of the best. Why is it
move people? It's an extra it's a reflection of event. Because you
believe that there's no limit. There's no limit to the sustenance
that Allah has. Whereas stinginess is the opposite. It's like there's
a limit
to the to the sustenance that Allah has revealed.
So it sounds like to me that it's just kind of the generosity of
people that was the biggest What did an episode Some say the first
thing he came to Medina? Yeah, even as I'm sure salaam, what the
mood bomb was, or hum. Saloon has neon. That's a big setup. Yeah,
the first thing that the social things, say salam to one another.
He didn't say Okay, now, this is haram, this is haram Be sure you
do this, don't do this, you know, get yourselves you know, together,
you know, become a fraternity, you know, have love for and affection
for one another, connect with one another and collect this one thing
that blew me away in Islam, the collective connectivity with
Allah. It's not just me. And I'm the whole collective the first
time I saw saw that in Jamaat, it blew me away upon the whole
concept that you know, you have not simply your personal
connection, you have this whole Jamaat and for Muslims, they
really blows them away. Because how did you get blown away by
something we see every day we see new phases. We never even thought
about that. For somebody you never seen that. Yeah, it's mind
boggling. You know, sometimes I think the best thing for Muslims
is to be tossed somewhere. Now, this is probably not the case
anymore, because we're all exposed to everything on the internet. But
for Muslim youth to be flung somewhere far from Islam. We
wouldn't actually do that. But when life does that to somebody, I
there's so many stories of people who their way their appreciation
of time only occurred when they lost all of it, if not lost it,
but they were in an environment that was totally the opposite.
They realized, wow, like, we would never this would never go on in
our society or in our family. That's an interesting story about
that.
When I was a student in Makkah, we're talking about back in 70s,
you know, late 70s.
So in you know, in traditional Arab society, you've got the
Rwanda Yeah, they're a little informal village chief. Right.
Yeah. Well, actually, this was in Makkah. So I mean, every every
Mahalla? Yeah, every, you know, section of this, of the of the
town has got the influential guy like
the tribal chief, if you will, but I mean, he's the big shot of the
of the area. So anyway, so they're under that height where we lived,
and they see it in Makkah.
So he had a little General Store, and his young son used to sit on
that store. So when I used to come from the Haram at night,
and, you know, I used to just talk with this kid for a while. Nice
kid, you know, I'd give him Dawa, and talk with him.
Clean shaven, nothing really outstanding, just typical Saudi
kid. And he happened to be the son of the
top of it. So and then I interestingly, I gave him he said,
You got any good books you can give me so I gave him the route to
Saudi? Two days, three days, like she got anymore. I was really
good.
Did you read the whole thing? said, Yeah, I read the whole thing
cover to cover cheap.
I mean, but how many of those Hadith did you actually act on
them? Yeah. Anyway, that's great. You did anyway. Nice kid. So one
day, he says to me, you know, Chef,
I'm gonna go to America. I'm gonna go to America.
And I'm like, what?
You want to go where? I'm gonna go to my brother's there. And he's
studying English. And I want to go there.
And you have no clue what's going on in America. Everybody in the
world. Every Muslim wants to come here and mocha and you want to get
America? Khan really? Now that he I mean, he was like, some this
guy. He was determined. No way. I'm going to talk him out of that.
Okay. All right. We're gonna go to America. Okay, let me tell you
something. You are not a number one. You're Muslim. You're an
Arab. from Saudi Arabia. You're from Makkah. I mean, like you are
the epitome of being a Muslim. Yeah, everybody's gonna be focused
here. The demographic
Yeah, you're the you're, you're the you're the, yeah, you're the
index. So you go to America, everybody's gonna be looking at
you and you're gonna be the representative of Islam and, you
know, don't screw around. If you're, you can't be messing
around over there kind of like. So if you gotta go there, just keep
that in mind. And the second thing is, you're gonna sink over there
unless you get contact with the right people. So I'm gonna give
you some addresses, and some phone numbers. And as soon as you get
there, you contact these people, okay? said okay. Anyway, he goes,
I don't see him for the next four or five months or whatever. Then I
come back, I'm coming back one night, and there he is sitting on
the shop. This time with a beard.
Right, yeah.
So I said, Simon, we Mashallah. And you're back. What is jazz or
what? And he said his typical Saudi, and I never forget the
exact lalala shape. But Dominica.
Yeah, give it up. I just, you know, throw it out.
Okay, so what happened? That's what he said. So, you know, you
said, Look,
you know, I'm born in Makkah. I never saw caffeine.
I never saw. Yeah. I mean, there's no way for me to even
conceptualize what a caffeine and Cooper disbelief we never saw
that. In those days, you wouldn't even see, you know, a woman
improperly dressed, you know, or anything like for that man.
And then, you know, then I went to America, and I got in as soon as I
got down to the airport was like, shock. Yeah, what do I do? And
then luckily, I remembered, you know, you'd give me an I call them
this wonderful one of our brothers from around here. It was JFK, he
would he would have landed into my brother's, you know, picked him
up.
He said that saved my life. Otherwise, I would have, I would
have probably died of a heart attack right there. And then I'm
telling you, contrast is an extremely important part of
shootin Mina. You cannot actually, we supposed to be grateful. But I
can't be grateful for something I don't really truly understand.
Yeah, that's right. And we know a thing by its opposite.
So should the contrast idea the contrast is so important. There
has to be a contrast, right? And I've always noticed it against my
relatives in comparison myself against my relatives in Egypt, who
never got really close to them, but I saw them and how foreign to
them? My mentality is to them. And I'm sure a lot of people are like
that. They just don't understand why I'm into this stuff. Right?
They don't get it at all. It's because you guys don't have
contrast. We have a great contrast here. So the key is, what is the
shutter a way of giving you the contrast? I think in the old days,
it was jihad. Go out to the to the hinterlands. Yeah, give Dawa.
Right, maybe join the army. See what those enemies are like.
Because they're when they're out in the
on the edges. They're not just they're fighting the whole time.
Sometimes there's no war. So you go out, go to the marketplace of
those, you know, Spaniards or Crusaders, whatever. There's some
interaction here. Right? There's contrast. But it's sorry. Because
you can't you can't Yeah, do it in a wrong way, either. Right. And
then I'm Jada J. Lee. And I'm Jana Ville, Islam. Subhan. Allah,
that's so important. So you got to do it in a way. That's why when a
lot of people ask me about conferences, said, Look, my kids,
they go to Muslim school.
They two, three times a week, they spent half the day in the masjid,
like with me on the job, right? Now, when we get a vacation, I'm
not gonna go take them to an Islamic conference after that,
right? It's like it's too much. So I want them to see a contrast. So
we'll go to a big city, take a vacation and like Boston,
Virginia, or just go camping, like there's got to be a contrast where
they're able or we join the local soccer teams, you gotta be able to
see what the world is like, but in a way that is mature. You really
don't get caught by it. Yeah, well, they're not gonna get
caught. And it's not irresponsible parenting. Right? There could be a
common sense where a lot of parents they want to do this,
like, I want my kid to know what's out there. But it's done in an
irresponsible way. You can be asked by Allah what you did. So I
wanted to be in a shut it way. And small regular dosages. And the big
nama for us is that we're next to New York. Because there you'll see
like the heart of this limit, right? When you get when they go
to New York City, it's like just the peripheral vision gives you an
education about what people are, how they're like, what they're
going through, stuff like that. And one of the biggest things it's
not like a knock but
On the East Coast, people tend to be a bit suspicious and not
friendly. In the south, I think they're friendly. So when you say,
Oh, hey, go do this. And like man that people are not friendlier.
He's not like, going in the masjid and talking to anybody. Right. So
their contrast, like that's so important. And that's probably
what you're coming from. And he finally got a contrast this young
man in Mecca, probably trust, and now we appreciate Islam after.
Yeah, so that's why this is I said, for example, Salaat Yeah,
I've seen it all your life. From day one. You've seen saliva.
You've seen mustards. The first time I saw Saladin Gmod was on a
boat
speaking of Egypt, and I went from Cairo down Nile to Aswan.
You know, those people are really nice down at us one beautiful,
beautiful it's a whole different thing. Cairo I was fine as soon as
I got out of the limits of Cairo. Yeah, I was.
Gonna cave was like, I just got down there in the middle of the
CBO. I always look for the cheapest place to live in. It's
always in the middle of the city. Yeah.
In the near the opera, there was an old opera down. Yeah. I
remember that name, but I can't remember whatever that area was.
So and then the thing was, he would go, you would just go
outside and all these little restaurants. So you'd have all of
these pots and pans you know, they'd be serving out of. So the
guy that's serving things, he's a drummer also. And so.
So he's got to be, you know, counting these things. It's just
overwhelming, you know? Yeah. Anyway, so that's why they do so
good in New York City, like Egyptians. When Egyptians come to
New York to do business to buy and sell in New York City. They
steamroll the competition. Like all the little side businesses,
especially food in Egypt, in New York City, it's Egyptians. They've
steamrolled anybody who's in the cart business, right. Like the
the cart food business. They know how to get the attention. Keep the
attention. Such hustling muck of these to do that. Yeah, remember
that falafel guy? Yeah, he was.
So
we I go down to a swan.
And I have to go with this big boy hate on us here if you're familiar
with that. This is that it's there's a big dam, the end of
either I don't remember whether it was in
the dam would have been in Egypt. Sudan, which is a huge lake,
manmade lake. Three days journey. It was or something.
And it was this old boat like Mark Twain kind of a thing. paddled
back and Wow, that's crazy. Yeah, like the Mississippi River. So
yeah, but this is the Nile not the sin yet. And you're going against
the current to go south? Yeah. Because the Nile is only river
that goes north. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know that. Yeah, the only
it's the only river in the world that actually goes reverse instead
of from the ocean to the lake. It goes from the lake to the ocean.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So at the end of that lake boy hate on us here
is why the Khalifa is beginning of Sudan. So you land in Sudan. You
start off in Egypt, and you end up in Sudan, beginning of Sudan.
So on this boat, there were these Sudanic there was bedded with
these Bedouins from Sudan. And they used to sell their camels in
Egypt.
And they would sell the camels and they would be coming back, Sudan.
And so these guys would call the Abon on the boat, and then they
would offer salad in Jamaat.
So
I was with another there was another Afro American guy was a
bass player. And he thought his ancestors are from Ethiopia. So we
hooked up in s one. So we're traveling together. So we're
sitting here, two of us. And these guys they call the Athan, which
I've been hearing all day long, but you know, because they're in
Maliki mother. You don't go in the masjid. He doesn't allow that.
Yeah. non Muslim. So no, I think it's the looser. But in those
days, you know, we're not allowed in the masjid and you wouldn't
dare set foot. I mean, it's like taboo and so I never got to go
into a masjid. Previously, I always wanted to do that fairs and
all these places could see these places that were just amazing. But
yeah, I never went inside. So I never actually saw the Muslims
praying.
And listen Jamaat.
So now this guy calls the Athan and then I'm sitting there
watching I know I've never seen this before.
Ryan can resonate with this probably, you know, but listen to
him. Saw don't do what? So what?
So I love it, then they stand up in this line.
You know, if you go to a church or a synagogue, and these places did
nothing like this, yeah, there's no last single some songs and
we're standing in chairs. These guys are standing up. This guy
says Allahu Akbar. And it's like
cut off. And all these other guys back Allahu Akbar. It's like one
body, one focus. And it's like, wow, these geysers, this is a
serious thing I've ever seen, you know?
And then to totally quiet totally still. And then Allahu Akbar, like
one body record.
And keeping in mind, these are bed wounds, you know, simple people,
but this discipline is just something out, it's almost
superhuman.
And then some Mula huitema. Then when the Allahu Akbar did they all
went into such dot
that just blew me away. Subhanallah
That's it. That's it. That's what I that's what I'm looking for that
that Ryan's resonating. So Right. Yeah. Because, I mean, that's the
ultimate of humanity in front of the creators can't get, it doesn't
get better than that. So whatever religion that's in, that's what it
is. And I knew what religion that's in. So it's like, but I'm
already Ethiopia, I've gone all these waves. So that's, um, the
back of my mind. But from that moment, it was like, that's what
it is. It's amazing. You made the intention to get to
Ethiopia, but you're getting an education way before? Yeah, yes.
So this month, Allah has, you know, I had a history teacher,
from us her in op X. And most of the teachers are outside. He's
here in McAllen those days, in the Jamya. So we had Dr. Hudson share
with us a very well known story and scholar about salary. So when
I first met him, and I was signing up for his class, and he talked to
me he want to know, what's your story? He said, hatherleigh your
call?
Said that doesn't make any sense. I mean, what what he wants to hear
something logical why they accept Islam, I gave him like proofs.
Yeah, I
just couldn't figure that out. But we, we really developed a love
affair. I mean, it was, it was awesome.
Russia Dean was just fantastic. Anyway.
So
yeah, just to seeing this, you know, the salaat. It just like
knocked me out. So when I got to Ethiopia,
I still don't know anything other than, you know, like this. This,
that I was in Sudan, and Sudan, all kinds of things happen. And
then finally, when I got to Ethiopia, the, you know, the straw
that broke the camel's back, if you will, was I actually did end
up connecting with these Coptic monks, the ones that I was, you
know, the box set as it were.
And,
and if you remember back, the whole thing was, you know, the one
I'm looking for, he knows what I'm looking for. He's gonna take me
there. So I didn't know how I don't know. But yeah, and I
couldn't even imagine that. That's how it would end up. So when I got
to Ethiopia, and I found these monks and I mean, she talked about
Zuid Oh, my God. I mean, these guys didn't Yeah, there wasn't it
wasn't in the equations. I mean, these guys lived in caves. They
grasp the growing of the out of the wild and well, you know, I
mean, celibacy and, and zoo hood and
but more than a dunya you know, distance from anything worldly.
But in spite of that, there was no mood on their faces.
You know, so you know, you're getting a contrast after Islam.
Yeah. After seeing these Muslims all happy, newer, you know, you
can sense it, and being an artist and a musician and a hippie and
all that. So that's what we're looking at anyway. You know,
that's what Yeah, that's the vibe, you know, this vibe is not cool at
all. Like, it ended up because their skin was was dark, their
continents was dark. They just do weren't happy. They weren't like,
you know, Basha, you know, like, you know, continents of joy or
just like, you know, like, you might have, you know, recollect
there was an incident where, oh my god, the law passed by some monks,
you know, that were in their soma and
um, you know, Amita Nasi bought Tesla not on hommy Oh, look at
their faces they're they're so engaged in his struggling and
their Tjahaja you know, the effort and but the end result is Yeah, is
disaster so that's kind of like what I it kind of hit me up this
was no no, so it struck me that the religion that's that's really
going to be solving the world's problems from the Divine, it's
going to lighten up because it's going to produce gonna relax a
parasite in light. There's no light there's darkness on there.
These guys are wrong when they have to talk to him. I just looked
at these guys.
Right like you know how I always say that. Bidet Fisk heresy
whatever it is heresy inside of us.
Lam untruths outside of Islam, that Allah Tala out of His mercy,
He gives a sign on the face of the people to the common man who is
not going to read proofs. Right. And you see that with the monks of
Christianity and the hairsplitting Jews of Judaism, where these laws
that make no sense, right, like you got this not so unnatural. The
way you're living is so unnatural, the other side, right? And even
bit out within Islam. Yeah, like the Shia flagellation, that's from
ALLAH SubhanA, WA Tada to keep everyone else away. Like, I'm not
doing whatever that thing is, that can't be right. Like that cannot
be with God's religion. And then other groups, likewise, they do
something to themselves, which turns off the fitrah. Like, it's
too ugly, it's too wild. It's too extreme. It's too legalistic. It's
too denying, like Zillow to an extreme. I can't do that. I mean,
I go talk to some of these fitrah Christians who became Protestants,
like so either the path of God or marrying a woman. Right? That's
why why would you do that to me, right? What's the tyranny of or in
the genius of an SubhanAllah? That's how it is. So, so tell me,
just out of curiosity, did they have generosity to the guest?
These Christian monks,
as I said, I didn't really I didn't have to interact with him.
Just they weren't, like, you know, welcoming or anything like that.
I'm interested in this and it wasn't like,
like, they were moved from anywhere. So it as soon as I saw
them, I was just turned off. Yeah, so that was the end of the story.
And by this time, by this time, I most of the people I would be
connecting with would be Muslims. That's just our this month, I'll
set it up. And ultimately,
it's amazing how I actually, you know, just took the stance that
okay, I want to swim No. So they're in Ethiopia.
So I was traveling all around, you know, as a music musician, just
anywhere you go, you can play music and kind of get over. And so
I was traveling around all over various villages. So I was in a
village, and there was this.
This fellow young guy,
who was sitting in a little cafe, and then he comes out and he says,
what are you what are you and
through a translator actually speak English?
And then so he says, Well, you know, me, I'm a sport, man. I
mean, I put on the sport shows, like,
car drives over him. I bought her on his streams and stuff, extreme,
weird stuff that he puts on his show, and says, You're a musician.
So let's let's, you know, make a collaboration. And we're unchosen
a great, wonderful. So we started traveling around and doing this
Ethiopian villages and Ethiopian village. That's crazy. And now
Ethiopian villages. Very interestingly, people may not know
this was no oh, by the way. We know you hear all this?
No, is it knows a Ethiopian? Yeah. See what he says? Here's what my
father said. Same thing, when accepting Islam from Ethiopian
Orthodox Christian backgrounds. SubhanAllah. Well, gee, you
so, so this guy is a Christian.
And there's a there's a very distinct divide, obviously, you
know, between the two and they don't really get along super well.
And they definitely don't eat each other's food, the Christians and
the Muslims. Okay. Yeah. I mean, you wouldn't notice that
immediately. But if you look a little bit deeper, yeah, there's
definitely been Omarosa. There's a clear divide. And so wherever
village we go, and people don't know this, perhaps, that at least
in those days, this was during the time of Haile Selassie, by the
way, not only Selassie was that emperor, he was really iconic. For
the afro Americans. Also, this guy had some kind of special, like, he
was the I forget what they the Lion of Judah, or some weird
nomenclature they had about this guy.
But at any rate, it wasn't a good time for Muslims, not at any time
after there was as well. But that was particularly a tough because
he was tough on Muslims.
So anyway, and half of the population are Muslims. I mean,
that was the first major right, that was the first you know,
immigration was was Ethiopia. And you know, the jazz you accepted
Islam, you know.
So they have a very rich, we're hoping to actually have a tour go
to Ethiopia, love to do this.
I haven't been back there since. So
half of the population are Muslim. So whatever village we would go
to, like I would gravitate toward the Muslims. And then my buddy,
you know
used to kind of earn him you know that was, and then I wouldn't you
know, then I would eat. They don't eat each other's food and why
you're going with them to be with us. I don't feel like anyway. So
we went to we came to this village. And I'm just walking down
the streets a dirt road is typical, small, little village.
So some guy comes running up from behind. And he grabs me started,
he says, I heard there's some American Muslim in our village. Is
that you?
So I said, Well, I can't imagine any other American walking around
here in your village. So I guess that's me. You know that he took
my hand and look at me see other. Hi, you're Muslim.
How do you get that? That's good. Oh, yeah. What's that? No, being
the hippie me, you know? Yeah. You know, what kind of which then do
we have here? He says, look, look at your hand. Here. You see,
that's one and eight. Very clear. Some people it's not really clear
doesn't connect here. Uh huh. And if that's the case, then you got a
problem. Oh.
So he said, one and eight. Then you got eight and one very clear.
99 means Oh, yeah. Oh my god.
18 and 81. Yeah. And, and how did you react to that? Yeah, that's
all I need it. So let's move on to the you know, because already all
this time, it's just I just needed that. Anything. Just a little push
always knows what is going to, you know, do for who?
So that that's all I needed. Okay. Yep. Okay, done. That's it. Now,
what did you know about a concept of taking Shahada? No, no clue
whatsoever? Yeah. And then they didn't either. So you just
so yeah, so when people ask you Who gave you a shot? Nobody. I use
just one of the more I just want to listen and so that's it. That's
it. So
so now this guy he turns out he's a school teacher and actually
using that he was he was an English teacher. That's why you
knew English, you know.
So now he takes me home
and feeds me this pot. You know, the Scott was loosely leave that
in Yemen to you know, they actually get it from Ethiopia. But
the best is from Ethiopia. That's where they get Yeah, mostly comes
from me. If not all of it. Yeah. So we sit up all night eating the
spot. And he's teaching me the alphabet, olive Bata. So by
Fudger, those in a salad or Fajr, anything, but this year, he was
teaching me the alphabet, you know, and that was, that was
great. You know, so by, by the time it's daybreak, so I know the
alphabet now.
Well, and plus I was a vegetarian. You know, all good. hippies are
Yeah, yeah. So and nice. But so even anything, I wouldn't eat
meat. And that was a big thing in all these countries meat is Oh,
yeah. But I wouldn't read meat.
But they said no, but in Islam, you know, our Prophet eat meat and
you know, you gotta be okay. Okay, forget. Don't worry about fetch.
At least. Okay. So I say that mean, and I got sick as a dog.
Fine. Well, your nervous system, your digest? Yeah, it's just a
that plus Ethiopian food. I don't know if you've seen it. It's as
red as your culture with spices with with red pepper. Yeah, okay.
I mean, when they eat it, well, that's part of their that they're
talking and I figured out why because there's so much red
pepper. Like, no, it's phenomenal.
Yeah, I don't know what sign is why, but that's what they do.
Anyway, so now now I'm a Muslim philosopher. That's it. I'm a
Muslim and and now is I'm going to go back to Addis Ababa. And I'm
going to go start learning Arabic. And I'm going to end I'm going to
be Muslim now. That's it. If I go until my buddy going,
Oh, that was like Scanlon MAN Yeah, can't you know we're
brothers in Sorry man. That's that's the end I'm going so I'm
back to Addis Ababa
and
and I didn't know anybody I don't know what I'm doing but like
everywhere else okay. He's gonna show me what to do so I went down
to the middle of the city already Ethiopian brotherhood know that in
Mercado there's a big Masjid down there in the in the center of the
city. We're always in the ghetto you know, Muslims, right. That's
how we so I get this little room down there.
And
subhanAllah so I get this room and I'm right next to the masjid and I
want to start being a Muslim. So the first thing I want to do is
learn how to pray right? Yeah. So I went to my you know, these were
some students or workers or whatever, and you know, okay, I'm
Listen guys, you know, just like you and so I want to pray. Can you
teach them how to pray? So well, we don't know how but let's go see
if he knows you know. Subhanallah so I went to you know, so old
timidly they said, Well, none of us really know how to pray. But
just go to the mosque and then do what the people doing.
Said, Okay. So I went to the masjid and it was it was Juma.
Salatu. Juma and so you think that this is every prayer, in your mind
was just like, oh, five times a day, we're gonna have Jim
recollected that somehow I mean, I know, like, you knew that this was
specific. It just so happened. I mean, just randomly, that's when I
picked to go and it just happened to be doing. Yeah. Okay.
So I get in and as I'm a little bit late, and like I was right in
the bag, the whole place was packed. I was right in the very
last row inside the masjid. And so then Allahu Akbar, you know, there
was a football and then I saw the stand up, okay, just do what they
do.
And
so I'm just, you know, checking them out and following along, and
I'm okay. And then
when I leave the masjid, and I see they're all offering no awful, you
know,
on the steps and outside, or Joe gets, you're supposed to do that,
too. So, yeah. But the problem was, I had forgotten the sequence.
Exactly. And exactly how so? So people started noticing that this
guy looks weird, you know? Yeah, what he's doing? Yeah. And, and,
you know, Ethiopia, particularly that time, it wasn't like a
tourist spot. And then I'm used to having people. So it's like, you
know, then they just started gathering around and pointing, I
mean, I was like, you know, what's this guy who's with you? And I
thought, Oh, my God, you know, this is my first and my last slot.
And then ultimate, somebody comes up and just said something, and
they all disperse. So, I don't know, it was an angel or whatever.
But anyway, so then I went to Harada. And I went to do that when
these places, you know, the traditional, free content that I
started, that's where I started learning. And but yes, nobody said
okay, c'est la la la, la manga, Shad, when I
first shot it would have been when I learned to say shot in my jeep.
And then it went on and on and ultimately went to Yemen. You
know, what I love about these stories of people come into Islam,
or they make Toba into, into practicing as Muslim, is that
formula is named a VA hit the outwardly manifest. That means
like to know that this religion is the truth should not take any more
than a common sensical and fit three investigation. It's like
your, like your journey. And it's, there's no investigation of
theory, there is no absolute, there's not much thinking it's
just being there. And then contrasting it with other groups.
And then even the the Scylla is something it's the most important
part of the religion. If there's a mosque, that's the easiest way to
learn. And all you have to do is ask, What do you say when you're
silent? Right? Like when in record, what do you all say? And
it's due to what you're saying? Right? When you're silent? What do
you all saying, and it takes just to study a fact and one sutra, but
first how you don't even need to study. If someone just keeps going
into the masjid, you're gonna hear fat enough, you're gonna memorize
it eventually, in a few days, or a few months, weeks, I mean, so it's
a thought. It's like, just like the sun and the moon and the ocean
and the plants are out there. The truth of the true religion is
going to be just out there. Yeah, it just needs to be seen by
people. Most of the people except Islam here, and as you said, you
have people who are academic by nature by, you know, by
background, and they would approach it like that. They're
very few. Most of the people believe in I think they have a
harder time. Because in gonna have to rationalize the whole thing.
And yeah, in logic, even in our books, they say that one of the
hardest things to prove is that which is most obvious, because
it's not meant to be treated like that, right? It's meant, like, you
look at you see it, yeah, you look at it, you know, what, when you
see it, so some truths are meant to be like that, right? You know,
when you see if you try to prove, you know, like the most obvious
things, it's very difficult to prove the sun is actually there.
Yeah, exactly. How do you prove like, another simple? How do you
prove logic, that the permissibility of use of logic,
like you can't, because you need logic to even discuss that
question, right? You can't prove rationally things that are very
obvious. And that's one of the beauties of love the dean is that
all you need to do is just be exposed. And have you almost said
that one of the reasons prophesies seldom used to take loans from the
Jews is Tosia irritant, it's Asad. Just an excuse to have a meeting.
It's like an excuse to have a meeting, which is part of the
purpose of the soup kitchen. Like we don't do any doubt. Just let
just you're gonna come see us after regularly, you know, once a
week, and some of these kids hopefully when we have a seven day
dinner, some kids will see us five times a week just interaction is
enough over a long period of time, you're going to know that this is
this is real and this is real.
This is true. And this is not like these people are different. Every
single time I interact with them, they're different than everybody
else. And that's the whole point of Tao. Right? It's, it's, it
doesn't have to be an explicit speech. Absolutely no.
So then it How long do you stay in Ethiopia?
So Ethiopia, I stayed there for about seven months.
And what ultimately happened there was
I really liked it there. And I was telling you a hidden you know,
that.
An example of the cudham unprecedented kind of mid you
would see this happen a number of occasions. So I'm just walking
down in Hunter, which is one of the very, you know,
very prominent seats of learning and shy if and so, amazing place
the hardware. Harare comes from Yeah.
And the houses are all mud. But they're just so immaculate. I
mean, it's awful, and you feel so comfortable there and clean.
Everything's mud, but everything is speaking Spanish is not
absolutely immaculately clean. So what happened is I mentioned
during that time, during the time of Heidi's lesbian property, it's
Miss similar now
that there's a lot of suspicion. And by the way, Ethiopia is one of
those places that has never actually been colonized.
The Italians for seven years, they managed to get certain pockets and
they were. So the Ethiopians by, you know, by historically are very
vigilant on anybody trying to come in. And I used to make fun of my
Italian friends about this, because in history, we read that
Italy wanted a piece of the pie. So they got involved in Libya for
a little bit. Then they got involved and tried to take over
Ethiopia. And at that time, Ethiopia was going through serious
famine. So Ethiopia was always on TV for like, these people were so
poor, right? And then we read we were reading in history class, how
the Ethiopians beat the Italians. I was like, you guys.
You guys lost them.
But I'll tell you, they're fierce warriors. Yeah. Well, they got
like a history of Yeah. And so they're very unique, a BIA, you
know,
this national pride, and they're all They're vigilant that anybody
would try. And, you know,
this was an amazing zoom in on. And it reminds me a little bit of
a story about a woman from that they eventually made a movie about
she's, she's actually from Pennsylvania, where this woman,
she is a regular this is we're talking the 90s and the 2000s.
She's like a regular well off
American woman who has no beliefs. She doesn't believe in anything.
And she's she's gone through a divorce. And then she's totally
lost. Right. And from the outside, you think she's got everything
going for her in terms of her life. She's got money, she's got
health, she's got everything. But inside, she's totally lost. She
goes through this divorce. And then she starts traveling the
world as a therapy, like looking for stuff. She goes to India. She
goes, and then
the biggest experience that she had, she goes to like
Bali,
Indonesia. And then she's in like a little.
I think
she gets so sick
of it. Yeah. And it was an Indonesian woman. And this is like
literally right after 911. So she's coming back. And she's like,
I don't care what anyone says about Muslim people, like whatever
they did. That's like a small group. Because this woman she did
not even, like speak any word of English. He just saw me sick every
day. She bring me soup, she bring me food. She take care of me,
right for like weeks on end until I came back to health. And but it
reminded me of that, that it's just the Mohammed. Yeah, it's just
the generosity of people. And if it's the truth, if this religion
is the truth, it's got to trickle down to everybody, right? And it's
got to make everyone a bit happier. Like what you said that,
like if it's the truth, like everything in the in the world
that we see, which is the creation, Everything's beautiful
in the creation, right? Like, the stuff that's out there is always
always beautiful. The stuff that's not beautiful, is always hidden,
like cockroaches go down. They don't come out on a nice spring
day.
Cockroaches go down, rats are down right there hidden there in the
darkness is right. So the bad stuff is hidden. But what's out
there is beautiful. Trees are beautiful, right? So therefore, if
this is the truth, it's got to crop up and everyone's got to
touch everybody. So that's the approach that we should take, like
my takeaway from this is like that's what that's what that was
got to be like, and Dow can't be you can't
Don't hold yourself back. Right? If it's true, you gotta be there,
be out there, let people interact with you, if it's true.
So this is really like somewhat did, it would be nice to have to
make a movie about this actually. Like, it'd be one of those movies
where he starts off in Colorado, California, then you take the
hopefully it's gonna be a book, I'm working on that kind of W
great, you know, and it will cook the Buddha, John Walker kind of
thing. Well, we haven't even
maybe at mbyc, Friday. For all those who are watching from New
Jersey and New York, you can come down and meet Sheikh Hashim in new
in mbsc, we're gonna have a women's program first at six
o'clock. And then, and then we're gonna have a community wide
program at 745, which is after a show 730 repression and some 45
and then we'll have dinner. So at that program shook Hashem will
give his message and the takeaways from his, you're going to be
talking to mostly born Muslims. So,
you know, the one of the wisdoms that you have to offer is that you
have the contrast. And although that contrast may be from another
era, right, it's a different contrast. But nonetheless, like
your advice is going to be very valuable family related advice,
and then just general community related advice on how we, how we
can spark ourselves and we always have to have a spark, like there
can never be a moment of dullness and boredom with Allah, you should
consider that a sin. Like if you find that you're standing in the
Presence of Allah, you're and you're just not in it, that
there's something wrong. Right? Because look at the world around
you. He has so much you just have to at least get yourself going
somehow by ask him for something right for His kingdom. That is a
bad Muslim. Yes. Lila Yes, the ballet. So that's what we're going
to be looking forward to. We have time maybe for one or two
questions only. And you have a question and here we got us.
Welcome back from Egypt to us come and say salam to our Sheikh Jolla.
Oh, awesome. Grew up with your son, by the way. Didn't you go to
Trenton?
Yeah, so three or four years and Trenton in Lawrenceville as well.
Okay, one of my first teachers ever Yeah. Pray for him back and
you look like you breastfeed.
He like seriously last week.
I hope he sent take all your clothes send it to the dry cleaner
now. Do you fumigants cockroach eggs. He just came back from Kira.
Do you fumigate all of your socks? Your everything not allowed in the
house? You know your mom's? When we quarantine when we quarantine
and you're right. She's right. Right, quarantine it all out. And
then we need to feed him stuff and like an Egyptian Mashi to get your
weight back up.
Okay, let's see. Question. Okay, go ahead. Yeah, so
this was a beautiful journey. So I feel like the whole, this whole
idea was like compressed into this journey. Because I know before I
was a Muslim, personally, there's this idea. As Muslims, we know
that we seek the afterlife, we seek the role of Allah to Allah,
we seek company with the prophesy, Solomon, all the NBA, I didn't sit
down, and all the Saudi hanging over the agenda, and everything
that is mentioned in the Quran. But then there's also this concept
of it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. And like
it kind of your whole story kind of reminded me of that. What's our
viewpoint on that? And it's not like it's the destination is laid
out in front of us as many as but like, what about the journey? What
about the journey? Did you ever reflect on this, that the one dua
that is wajib, there's only one dua that you have to ask from as
well. If I don't ask for health, wealth, children success in my
profession, I'm not going to be held accountable. I don't have to
ask that. It's nice. I'm not saying it's good to ask for
everything. As chef said, if you don't ask Allah, then Allah, you
know, as you get gets angry. But what is the thing that we have to
ask for continuously? Its guidance, right? And what are we
asking guidance for? This is very interesting. This is the point and
Dina said, oftentimes the team you ask to put us on the right path,
the journey.
You know, therefore the aroma said, it's, where is your ultimate
destination, wherever Allah is going to take you in Ethiopia,
some of the first Muslims that before actually accepted Islam.
You had these guys that we weren't these kind of, you know, pseudo or
semi Sufi, or whatever they were, I don't know. But anyway, they
would just walk around with these big misbehaves, you know, these
big testimonies, and they were just humbled and humbled in
everything was humbling, learn 100 And they just be walking around
these groups. And so I said,
All these guys are hippies to me, you know, hey, wow, these guys are
cool. What do you guys saying? I'm doing the appraisal? Hey, yeah,
that's that's, that's fantastic. Where was this? Yeah, this
Ethiopian Addis Ababa, which you'd see these guys around different
places was the name of this tribe that there's a tribe that like. So
I said, Where are you guys going? Wherever it takes us? What do you
got to eat? Whatever love Jesus
on steroids got nothing? Yeah, these guys, I said, You guys are
great Come on Come, I took them home, you know, and I was living
with another musician and the guy said where do you get these guys?
You know, what are we doing here? You guys are cool, listen to what
they got to say so I wasn't even a Muslim. But the point is, is that
you know it Dennis Rodman was struggling to be on the path,
you're on the path of Hamdulillah. And that's something we don't want
to get off the path, you know, when he says, this is the path and
these are the civil, don't get snatched away and wander off the
path as long as you're on the path. That's that, and all that
other stuff. That's the fringe benefits. Yeah. And that's the
motivation as human beings, you know, what's in it for me? Yeah,
but actually being on the path, if we're on the path, it's all gonna,
it's all going to fall into place. Yeah, being on that path. And
therefore, you know, it would be of great help to us, particularly
here in this day and age, in this country, in our position, because
a lot of times we don't see what we want to see. Right.
Nobody's listening, nobody's paying attention. This, these
obstacles are appearing, you know, nothing's coming up things, you
know, falling into place. That doesn't matter. Are you on the
path, you're on the, on the journey, then everything's fine.
Just, you know, just okay.
And all that other stuff that's gonna come, it doesn't mean I'm
not discounting any of those favors. I want all of that to, you
know, but being on the path, if we, if we're on the path, it will
make it. So yeah, it is the journey being on the path of like,
keep us on it. I mean, here. Here's the question.
What is the number one thing? I think you just answered it,
actually, that you would advise new converts? I think that's
that's, you just basically said it. Yeah, like look for the right
path and the right path to it's something that it unfolds over
time. And it unfolds by Samba. Exactly, that's, that's what I
would get, you'll get what you need, because not everyone is
going to need the same thing. Like we could say academically as a
curriculum, you need what you need to study, we can objectively say
that updated zahana Silla, alright, we can say that, but that
might not be on that people may need specific things. Like some
people may need different medicines, for what.
But I think you hit on the main thing, and that is connecting with
the connected, I have the saying, connect with the connected
disconnect with the disconnected.
So if we connect with the right people, the right environments,
you know, whatever that need might be, and so it's gonna be awful. If
we don't do that, it's gonna be extremely difficult, if not
impossible, and the good news is,
today, we have these facilities available. When we became Muslims.
It wasn't there was no infrastructure, there was no law,
there was no, it was one of copies of Quran in the whole country.
It was it was a desert. It was it was this, and I'm from California,
and I'm back together. But I came over here to New York, because
only in New York, was there anything happening, you know, and
even with that was only two or three places in New York. And not
many people knew anything. You know, we were all like, and we've
made a lot of blunders, a lot of blunders. And so connect with,
look for the people that you can relate to and be sure that they're
credible. Yeah, there's a lot of bogus stuff floating around out
there. You know, and exposure to the internet, internet is very,
very dangerous. So be careful about Well, one of the things that
I noticed is that because Islam has met is very public.
That if you expose yourself to a lot of different masajid, and
groups, it may be a bit dizzying in the beginning. But it's one of
the best ways to actually realize what is Islam that there's no
doubt about it, and what is totally French, and then
everything else will be a difference of opinion. Right? Like
does not have to be just one way. Yeah. But that's one of the best
things is when you go to so many and makes sure NorCal I wrote
about the web Gemma. It's like one of the blessings of these people
is that they really know what is totally agreed upon. And what will
never be separated from Islam. What you can totally disagree on
and what will never be Islam, just because how many mosques they've
been to how many Muslims have they seen how many groups have they
been?
It may not be something that you want to do to somebody. But if you
have no other way of learning, just observing
A huge what do they call it in statistics? Like
a sample size. That's the word. Like the samples, this sample size
cannot be wrong. Right? So they all pray five times is a 100% of
them, right? Except, like one group. So you know, that group is
different, right? They all but they don't all pray the same way.
Okay, okay, so but they all pray five times a day. So that's
basically the sample size is extremely important. When you
listen to speakers on the internet, if you're gonna go on
the internet at all, the and you're totally new to Islam.
The best way to do it is to listen to everybody possible so that you
won't be totally misguided. And they'll balance it all out. Like
if you're fair, if I'm if I want to study something, and I have no
clue about it, the right way to do it is not to get attached anyway.
Let's listen to everybody and see where's the common line? That's
what's going to the truth is good. Right? So that's the advice to
somebody who
says, I don't know what to do, I'm not going to put my eggs in one
basket. Alright, fine.
The truth is going to rise up over time
by what everybody agrees on. So because otherwise, then the
message wasn't conveyed properly. Right. And the essence of Islam
has been conveyed properly. One God five prayers, afterlife, don't
do drugs don't do these basic fundamentals. And then once you
stick to those, Allah will guide you after that.
So let's see if there's any other questions before we wrap up.
Funny thing someone was saying that in mathematics, one plus one
equals two, it took 378 pages to prove it.
I was I was chatting with a mathematician we have one of the
founders of our mosque was a mathematician. He's a math
teacher. And I said meant that the new math is terrible. We all agree
everyone is Jamel. What's the watcher that the new math the way
they teach kids? It's terrible. Because it says Like
if John has three apples, and Mary has three apples, how many apples
are there? Six Apple's follow up question. Explain why.
I don't I don't have an answer to it. Because three plus three is
six. Then they say, Well, what?
What's the principle? There's the commutative property, which
property is applied? Right? Can you apply it to this? I'm like,
just like six years old. They didn't even have a chart in my
day. We did a chart, right? One times one is one, one times two
was
a table. And they're asking her for a property. She never studied
the table. Right? But they want her to know the property can even
add three beginning barely added right. So I'm telling him this is
nonsense, right? It's not something that's any use. And
she's like, Yeah, but then they need to know proofs later on.
Alright, so I'm like, what? Proof? Three for three plus three equals
six. He's like, Oh, yeah. But I'm like, these are six fingers.
Right? So he's like, Yeah, but that's not a mathematical proof.
So I'm like, I'm against the science of yours. Right? Because
it you can't complicate things so badly. Like, how are you? Are
these guys like vying to create University positions? By expanding
their discipline so much that you need all this? You don't need any
of this stuff? Right? Well, it's all it's a it's a, it's a
consumer. It's a consumer, you know, culture, right? That's what
so we have to have can't keep selling the same book. We need
exactly it right. Yeah. It's all gonna be, sadly enough. It's all
gonna go back to economics. That somebody's got it. Exactly.
There's got to be all these disciplines. They're inventing
stuff to justify their positions. Right? The liberal arts, they've
they've transformed the liberal arts into, they're trying to
imitate the physicists by being complicated and complex and all
that stuff. Whereas you go to the past and Oxford professor, like,
what does he do? He teaches the classics, just like a ship. Like
it's to shake up Hanafi FIP, Sheikh Maliki fake Hanafi fiqh for
1000 years, it's the same curriculum, what's your job, teach
that teach this curriculum? That's it, you don't need to innovate
some bizarre idea to justify your fear or your salary, right? That's
what Oxford professor used to be teach Shakespeare teach whatever
that other guys can name Monty, what's his name? All these these
ancient classics, right, that they used to teach. That's it.
But they got to justify stuff. So anyway, that's my thing on on
these mathematical proofs. All right, can we close
you know what I tell I tell. I also have a property in my house
called the associative property. Right.
What does this consist of probably it allows parents to shut their
kids up
Thank you, Ryan. Great job. And we'll close now with the dot job.
Similarly, you can close with with $1 Arabic or English however you
like it.
handy lower blood I mean I definitely would have obviously
was you know 33rd Kadima
Allah Allah no Seetharama and he can take them out.
Suddenly also Limburger law said number on early seed number humble
consolidator. So lympho Baraka library Mata earlybird
Allah loved one up another I'm known for selling on takfeer
ha city
Subhankar in Raleigh mean Allah Medina What do you know what John?
Medina Serato statim Serato Medina naantali him in the bean was in
the Ukraine was shahada in Saudi he hasn't met with agar Salah more
salam ala Sayidina Muhammad on early He sent him to see him and
Khedira Subhan Allah bigger Felicity, I'm seafoam Salam. Salim
Al hamdu lillahi rabbil
Sidhant, Nicola, Nicola
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this shift you need to come and take the drive up Friday night and
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rahmatullah wa barakatu.
All right. Thank you so much.
Job
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