Shaun King – Gaza the Promises of Allah and the Single Largest Building in the World Travel

Shaun King
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AI: Summary ©

The H Andy cemetery in Istanbul, Pakistan is a large church with similar history as a large church in Afghanistan. The speaker describes a hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden hidden

AI: Summary ©

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			Good morning and Assalamu alaikum.
		
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			It's good to see all of you.
		
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			I am standing outside of the Hagia Sophia
		
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			mosque.
		
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			It's just opened up.
		
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			I've actually been here for a few hours
		
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			and one of the things that I love
		
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			about Istanbul is it's not a morning city.
		
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			I'm a morning guy and so when I
		
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			wake up early in the morning in Istanbul,
		
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			it's like the city is yours.
		
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			You can go all over and travel all
		
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			over and there's very little traffic and so
		
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			I've been up for a few hours and
		
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			I came here and took a private tour
		
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			upstairs.
		
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			I actually came here last night as well
		
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			in preparation to see you all.
		
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			I'm about to walk in and I have
		
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			a few things that I want to share
		
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			with you.
		
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			Okay, but first I'll try to show you
		
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			the outside but it won't do justice to
		
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			the scale of what I'm looking at.
		
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			Again, this is our wudu station.
		
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			This is several hundred years old.
		
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			This is where we would wash ourselves before
		
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			prayer.
		
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			I did wudu before I got here this
		
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			morning but it's a beautiful ancient wudu station
		
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			but above it you will see Hagia Sophia
		
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			which at one time and this is again
		
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			it's going to be very hard to demonstrate
		
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			the size and scale because I'm up close.
		
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			For about 1100 years, this was the
		
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			largest building in the world.
		
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			The Hagia Sophia church is what it once
		
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			was.
		
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			It was the largest single building known on
		
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			the entire planet.
		
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			Not for a year, not for a hundred
		
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			years, not even for a thousand years but
		
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			for 1100 years and when I get inside
		
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			I think you'll be able to really grasp
		
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			the size and scale of it inside but
		
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			there are so many caverns and tunnels and
		
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			so many different things for you to see
		
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			and I'm going to try to show you
		
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			what I can today.
		
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			What I'm mainly going to show you is
		
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			the inside of the mosque and I'm going
		
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			to tell you what I think is and
		
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			I want to be very honest with you
		
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			what is a very complicated history of this
		
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			place it's and anybody who says this place
		
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			doesn't have a complicated history is not being
		
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			honest.
		
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			I'm walking right now let me show you
		
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			right outside of the Hagia Sophia mosque is
		
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			a cemetery that has been preserved but these
		
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			are mainly Christians in many of these places
		
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			that are buried here and there are even
		
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			there are some Christian leaders and early leaders
		
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			of this that were leaders of this when
		
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			it was a church.
		
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			Remember Istanbul used to be what?
		
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			Constantinople and so when this place was built
		
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			it was the largest church in the the
		
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			largest building in the world but our prophet
		
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			peace be upon him he said to the
		
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			sahaba to his companions and many took this
		
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			to heart including our dear brother Abu Ayyub
		
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			and I hope if you have not seen
		
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			my video about Abu Ayyub please I'll link
		
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			it here in the description um this place
		
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			is deeply connected to Abu Ayyub and uh
		
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			it's it's it's beautiful it's it's amazing to
		
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			step into a place that is nearly 2
		
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			,000 years old uh in fact um it
		
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			just the floor just opened for us to
		
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			go in a prayer is not for two
		
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			more hours but there's a separate entrance for
		
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			Muslims than than visitors and so now that
		
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			the entrance is open for Muslims we're allowed
		
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			to go onto the floor and anyone who
		
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			is not a Muslim they have actually have
		
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			a very beautiful tour that they can take
		
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			upstairs and uh so this morning when I
		
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			got here anyone Muslims Christians or anybody who
		
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			wanted to tour the upstairs could tour I
		
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			toured that but it was just beautiful up
		
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			there um these minarets that you see uh
		
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			they're they are all around they were built
		
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			after this became a mosque but uh just
		
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			an amazing amazing place and I I have
		
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			a bit of a heart connection to this
		
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			place because in some ways I see Hagia
		
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			Sophia uh as a as almost a metaphor
		
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			for myself let me explain and and that's
		
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			why I want to be honest about the
		
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			complicated nature of this place when this was
		
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			Constantinople before a church was ever here this
		
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			place was full of pagan statues hundreds and
		
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			hundreds of pagan statues all over the place
		
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			there were pagan rituals that took place here
		
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			and so it was first not a place
		
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			that believed in one god and one of
		
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			the things that we have alike theoretically as
		
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			Muslims Christians and Jews is that we all
		
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			believe in one god and the truth is
		
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			if your theology is Jewish Christian or Islamic
		
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			there is only one god how we approach
		
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			that how we believe it but there is
		
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			only one god and this place used to
		
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			be a place for many gods and so
		
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			it was first established as a church and
		
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			then became a mosque I say that reminds
		
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			me of myself because I did not grow
		
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			up even a Christian my my mother she
		
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			had deep reservations about the church she was
		
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			she was twice divorced at a time when
		
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			that was frowned upon there were you know
		
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			like rumors about who she was rumors about
		
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			who I was about who my parents were
		
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			and so she she really rejected and felt
		
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			uncomfortable in this small town that we grew
		
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			up in I really was not raised as
		
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			a Christian I don't think I was a
		
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			pagan but I but I wasn't religious just
		
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			like the early beginnings of this place then
		
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			for most of my life until the age
		
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			of from 16 until five months ago the
		
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			majority of my life I was a Christian
		
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			and for many of those years for those
		
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			of you who didn't know I was a
		
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			Christian pastor and I was proud of that
		
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			and believed I believed I would be a
		
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			pastor my entire life and and so for
		
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			you know 25 years I was a Christian
		
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			and for five months I've been a Muslim
		
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			and so we're in this place that used
		
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			to not believe in one god then was
		
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			Christian and is now Muslim and in a
		
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			lot of ways I see that as a
		
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			as a similar a similar path that I
		
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			am on but this place has a very
		
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			complicated history I want to tell you a
		
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			I'm walking now into the main floor of
		
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			the Hagia Sophia mosque there's a separate entrance
		
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			for men and women and there are I
		
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			see a cat let me see if I
		
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			can show you if you know anything about
		
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			if you know anything about Istanbul cats are
		
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			welcome everywhere they're all over when I was
		
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			here inside of Hagia Sophia early this morning
		
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			I saw cats all over they were beautiful
		
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			beautiful cats and they were kind and friendly
		
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			they are like the the kings and queens
		
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			of this city they run the show they
		
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			go where they want they they do what
		
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			they want they're not bothered by you they
		
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			are not afraid of you but we are
		
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			now inside of the Hagia Sophia mosque I
		
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			have my camera on a wide lens but
		
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			nothing I could ever do could show you
		
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			the scale of what I'm looking at now
		
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			and what I'm about to show you behind
		
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			me is the entrance into the prayer area
		
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			it's it's beautiful I came here and prayed
		
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			last night but let me try to show
		
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			you just some of I'm in like a
		
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			lobby area the floors are thousands of years
		
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			old the walls are thousands of years old
		
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			let me show you so they have these
		
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			just beautiful lamps all over their inside as
		
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			well but the ceiling is painted with gold
		
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			you can see there a cross across you
		
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			know which is a symbol of Christianity so
		
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			this on this place has a complicated history
		
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			and they they haven't tried to hide all
		
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			of that in a second I have to
		
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			take as as is our custom we take
		
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			our shoes off before we our dirty shoes
		
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			before we enter into any holy space certainly
		
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			before we enter to a into a masjid
		
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			or or begin to pray for those of
		
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			you who are Muslims watching this I appreciated
		
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			this I'm about to put my shoes uh
		
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			each shelf has a container for one pair
		
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			of shoes with a number on it so
		
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			my number is 15 um tell me why
		
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			do I keep losing my shoes I lose
		
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			my shoes like every other day at every
		
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			masjid I go to I keep forgetting where
		
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			I put my shoes I'm always so excited
		
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			to go in and pray and I think
		
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			to myself I'll remember where I put them
		
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			but at least this place has a number
		
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			we should do that back home as well
		
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			but uh I'm about to enter into the
		
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			masjid if you if you saw what I'm
		
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			seeing right now uh it will take your
		
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			breath away and uh I'm gonna I'm gonna
		
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			turn my camera around and show it to
		
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			you and then I have three quick stories
		
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			I'm just gonna find a corner and sit
		
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			down on the carpet and try to share
		
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			these stories with you I'm gonna turn my
		
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			camera around it it will never do justice
		
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			what I'm looking at right now but let
		
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			me show you it's I mean just magnificent
		
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			um my right now you are only seeing
		
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			half of the height it goes up hundreds
		
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			and hundreds of feet just magnificent I've studied
		
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			the history of now every wall every uh
		
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			every mosaic just I wanted to be able
		
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			to understand it so that if you came
		
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			there are birds flying high inside here it's
		
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			it's just again it was the largest building
		
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			in the world for 1100 years just beautiful
		
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			um praying last night I I struggled I
		
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			told you I'm a sensitive man you know
		
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			already but I struggled to hold back the
		
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			tears at just the beauty and majesty of
		
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			this place and and then it dawned on
		
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			me uh the story that I share they
		
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			have uh ancient paintings of angels you know
		
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			they the angels have like somewhat European faces
		
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			that's because it was uh this was really
		
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			a semi-european at one point in time
		
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			when it was built uh these things that
		
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			we know of as as Europe those definitions
		
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			were created much later but just a beautiful
		
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			beautiful beautiful place um I was I was
		
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			upstairs earlier and being able to look down
		
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			on it uh it's just just magnificent sorry
		
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			if I'm making you dizzy but uh you
		
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			really need a 360 degree view of it
		
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			it's one of the largest most magnificent it
		
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			it it may be the largest most magnificent
		
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			building I've ever been in in my life
		
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			um it's gorgeous it's uh spectacular um I
		
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			will and after I finish the video I'm
		
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			going to pray here before I leave and
		
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			as a rule I I don't know I
		
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			I don't know if it's I don't yet
		
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			know if it's against our faith but I
		
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			I don't film myself or ourselves praying it
		
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			seems wrong to me it's a it's a
		
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			sacred time and not a show but I
		
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			do my wife and I and our daughter
		
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			we pray five times a day and uh
		
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			it's the most beautiful part of our day
		
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			every day it changes your life to pray
		
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			five times a day and I pray more
		
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			than five times a day I but I
		
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			I have five daily prayers that I do
		
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			along with two billion Muslims around the world
		
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			and then other times throughout the day I
		
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			may stop and pray I may pray when
		
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			I'm walking or when I'm traveling but uh
		
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			it's just outrageously beautiful here and I want
		
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			to tell you and talk to you about
		
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			the promises of Allah about the courage of
		
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			early Muslims and how that applies to us
		
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			okay um you know I was my first
		
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			job out of college a long time ago
		
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			can you believe I graduated Morehouse College now
		
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			almost 25 years ago like oh I'm getting
		
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			old uh but my first job out of
		
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			Morehouse was as a high school history teacher
		
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			and so I always find myself going back
		
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			to my roots as a history teacher I
		
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			taught history middle school and high school I
		
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			taught civics in middle school and high school
		
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			and uh that early career for me really
		
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			shaped my whole life I say this place
		
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			is complicated because it was the prophecy of
		
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			Muhammad peace be upon him the prophet Muhammad
		
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			peace be upon him that one day Muslims
		
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			would open up Constantinople and it would be
		
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			a safe haven a home for Muslims and
		
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			no one no one on earth took every
		
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			word of our prophet peace be upon him
		
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			more literally more seriously than his companion Abu
		
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			Ayub he he was known for if the
		
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			prophet said it you do it if the
		
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			prophet walked it talked it ate it whatever
		
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			the prophet did Abu Ayub al-Ansari he
		
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			he wanted to do everything that our prophet
		
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			peace be upon him did and it was
		
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			a message from our prophet to the sahaba
		
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			to his companions to the early Muslims that
		
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			this city that was thousands of miles away
		
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			from Mecca or Medina that this wonderful city
		
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			Constantinople would one day be a city for
		
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			Muslims it it was I listened to my
		
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			entire statement here it was an outrageous prophecy
		
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			because it was so far from the truth
		
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			that to make such a statement is almost
		
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			setting yourself up for failure because no Constantinople
		
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			could not become that it was Constantinople was
		
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			the capital of the world in fact over
		
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			a thousand years after our prophet peace be
		
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			upon him said that Constantinople would one day
		
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			be open to Muslims would be ruled by
		
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			Muslims over a thousand years later Napoleon that
		
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			Napoleon and by that time this was very
		
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			much a Muslim city this was this Hagia
		
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			Sophia was a mosque at that time Napoleon
		
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			said that if the world was one country
		
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			if the whole world was just one country
		
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			its capital should be Istanbul Napoleon said that
		
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			not Paris he didn't say Paris should be
		
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			the capital he said Istanbul should be the
		
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			capital and so our prophet peace be upon
		
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			him he understood he understood early the significance
		
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			the importance of this place for Islam and
		
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			what I learned was that the Hagia Sophia
		
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			for hundreds and hundreds of years was even
		
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			a stop on the pilgrimage to Mecca in
		
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			fact in the 1500s and 1600s and 1700s
		
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			for people who could not afford to make
		
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			Hajj they would make their own pilgrimage here
		
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			it was seen for a while for hundreds
		
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			of years Hagia Sophia where I am right
		
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			now was seen almost on equal footing with
		
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			Mecca with Al-Asqa and Hagia Sophia and
		
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			millions and millions of people over time came
		
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			through here to celebrate to recognize its importance
		
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			in Islam and so our prophet peace be
		
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			upon him he understood how vital this place
		
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			was and so his companion Abu Ayyub please
		
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			go watch my video on Abu Ayyub the
		
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			companion of our prophet peace be upon him
		
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			when he was nearly 90 years old and
		
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			our prophet had already passed away Abu Ayyub
		
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			who outlived him on on earth when early
		
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			Muslims said we must fulfill the prophecy we
		
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			we must go and open up this city
		
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			to Muslims it was our dear brother Abu
		
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			Ayyub who said at almost the age of
		
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			90 who said put me on the front
		
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			lines I want to be found fighting for
		
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			the promises of Allah and if I die
		
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			so be it and I told you that
		
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			Abu Ayyub let me go closer that Abu
		
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			Ayyub fought in every single battle that our
		
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			prophet peace be upon him was in every
		
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			battle and the only battles he ever missed
		
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			in his entire life the only the only
		
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			wars the only battles he ever missed as
		
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			a Muslim he missed because he was in
		
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			another battle somewhere else this is documented this
		
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			is not legend this is documented history of
		
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			the life of Abu Ayyub that's why I
		
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			wanted you to know his story now what
		
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			I'm about to tell you is is likely
		
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			legend but we don't know Abu Ayyub made
		
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			it all the way from Mecca Medina Egypt
		
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			all the way to Constantinople and when he
		
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			was buried he was buried outside of the
		
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			walls of Constantinople because it was not yet
		
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			acceptable for Muslims to be buried inside of
		
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			Constantinople but it is said and we we
		
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			don't know for sure and that's why I'm
		
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			framing it the way I'm framing it it
		
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			is believed by many that the very first
		
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			Muslim to ever pray inside of Hagia Sophia
		
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			was Abu Ayyub many people stated that Abu
		
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			Ayyub received some kind of and he was
		
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			a Abu Ayyub was a traveler and he
		
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			traveled all over he was a wise man
		
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			a disciplined man that he negotiated an opportunity
		
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			to pray here in this space 1500 years
		
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			ago um if if that is true the
		
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			documented history of it is lost but if
		
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			it's true it's a it's a beautiful thing
		
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			but what we know and this is why
		
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			I wanted to tell you about the promises
		
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			of Allah whether Abu Ayyub was able to
		
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			pray here in Hagia Sophia or not there's
		
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			something beautiful about what happened Abu Ayyub he
		
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			followed the promises of Allah and as I
		
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			told you in my video about Abu Ayyub
		
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			Muslims were not accepted into Constantinople when Abu
		
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			Ayyub came here in 690 AD not in
		
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			the 700s not in the 800s 900s not
		
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			in the year 1000 not in the 1100s
		
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			1200s 1300s 1400s it was not until deep
		
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			in the 1400s 700 years after Abu Ayyub
		
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			came here over 700 years after the prophecy
		
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			of Muhammad peace be upon him over 700
		
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			years later Muslims finally opened up Constantinople and
		
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			it became a glorious home to Muslims and
		
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			it has been that now for the past
		
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			700 years why do I say that I
		
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			say that because sometimes you act on the
		
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			promises of Allah even if you don't see
		
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			them pass in your lifetime even if your
		
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			children and your children's children ten times down
		
00:24:27 --> 00:24:30
			still don't see the promises of Allah the
		
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			promise of God is always true and here's
		
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			the beauty you pursue the promises of Allah
		
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			whether or not they are fulfilled in your
		
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			life or not and so Abu Ayyub said
		
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			our prophet peace be upon him said we
		
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			will open up Constantinople and if there's a
		
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			chance it could be me even if I
		
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			die there in a place that was not
		
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			his home even if I die there so
		
00:25:02 --> 00:25:06
			be it I want to die attempting to
		
00:25:06 --> 00:25:11
			fulfill the promises of Allah I I Shaun
		
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			King I want to die fulfilling the promises
		
00:25:14 --> 00:25:18
			of Allah and if you die when you
		
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			die not if you we will all die
		
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			when you pass oh how beautiful it would
		
00:25:24 --> 00:25:28
			be for you to pass fulfilling the promises
		
00:25:28 --> 00:25:33
			of Allah and so in this space it
		
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			is in many ways an answer to the
		
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			promises of Allah it's a beautiful complicated space
		
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			but I want you to understand something you
		
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			don't pursue the promises of Allah just because
		
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			you yourself will fulfill them you pursue the
		
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			promises of God because it's the right thing
		
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			to do because you believe because you want
		
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			to live a life that walks in the
		
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			footsteps of Allah you want to be seen
		
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08
			fulfilling those promises I want me and you
		
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			to be seen fulfilling those promises in this
		
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			place is about the promises of Allah it's
		
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			just beautiful there were some some brothers up
		
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			here praying and so I didn't want to
		
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			get too close to the front while they
		
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			were praying but they've stepped away but out
		
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			of out of my own reverence I'm going
		
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			to lower my voice but I'm going to
		
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			get closer there is a there is a
		
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			step here yesterday when I prayed I prayed
		
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			all the way up on the front row
		
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			by the altar it's blocked off now but
		
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			anyone who's praying right now they are walking
		
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			up this step onto this carpet and praying
		
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			and so out of reverence for them I
		
00:27:01 --> 00:27:04
			won't walk up there now just because it's
		
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06
			a holy space and some brothers are about
		
00:27:06 --> 00:27:10
			to begin praying but it's the recitation last
		
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			night was just gorgeous you can see verses
		
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			from the Quran you can see names of
		
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			many companions of our prophet peace be upon
		
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			him written in Arabic script of to many
		
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			of us it just looks like calligraphy it
		
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			looks like art Arabic in so many ways
		
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			is so artistic but you can see just
		
00:27:38 --> 00:27:43
			the beautiful words of Allah all around the
		
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			Hagia Sophia it's just it's majestic it's beautiful
		
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			our brothers are are praying now and so
		
00:27:51 --> 00:27:55
			I want I want to step away and
		
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			I don't want my voice to interrupt their
		
00:27:57 --> 00:28:01
			prayers and I'm going to go go with
		
00:28:01 --> 00:28:04
			me okay I'm going to go set in
		
00:28:04 --> 00:28:07
			a corner and I want to talk to
		
00:28:07 --> 00:28:10
			you for for just a moment about Gaza
		
00:28:10 --> 00:28:15
			about the promises of Allah about what it
		
00:28:15 --> 00:28:18
			means for us as Muslims to pursue the
		
00:28:18 --> 00:28:21
			promises of Allah for us to live the
		
00:28:21 --> 00:28:26
			the words of the Quran um it's a
		
00:28:26 --> 00:28:29
			beautiful beautiful place I I saw them cleaning
		
00:28:29 --> 00:28:32
			it they they clean it so with such
		
00:28:32 --> 00:28:36
			great care um this is a world heritage
		
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38
			site it is one of the most magnificent
		
00:28:38 --> 00:28:43
			places I've ever seen in my life I
		
00:28:43 --> 00:28:47
			could not imagine there being many places more
		
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49
			beautiful than this I see a brother even
		
00:28:49 --> 00:28:53
			just resting uh at our masjid in New
		
00:28:53 --> 00:28:57
			Jersey uh we we embrace uh sometimes if
		
00:28:57 --> 00:29:01
			if you're tired between prayers lay down rest
		
00:29:01 --> 00:29:07
			rest in the mosque it's okay um I
		
00:29:07 --> 00:29:12
			am next to a a just a giant
		
00:29:12 --> 00:29:17
			marble pillar that is holding up the beautiful
		
00:29:17 --> 00:29:21
			let me show you um I here is
		
00:29:21 --> 00:29:24
			a a giant marble pillar that is holding
		
00:29:24 --> 00:29:29
			up the dome here that is just so
		
00:29:29 --> 00:29:33
			grand and uh here's another one of those
		
00:29:33 --> 00:29:37
			pillars and I'm I'm standing right next to
		
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39
			one you could just see how huge it
		
00:29:39 --> 00:29:42
			is compared to my hand but uh I'm
		
00:29:42 --> 00:29:45
			gonna sit down for a moment and I
		
00:29:45 --> 00:29:50
			I want to talk to us about how
		
00:29:50 --> 00:29:56
			the the promises of Allah apply to where
		
00:29:56 --> 00:30:00
			we are right now and this is a
		
00:30:00 --> 00:30:03
			message that I've I've only shared uh I've
		
00:30:03 --> 00:30:06
			never shared online before but I've I got
		
00:30:06 --> 00:30:10
			a chance to speak here in Istanbul earlier
		
00:30:10 --> 00:30:13
			this week and I shared this at a
		
00:30:13 --> 00:30:16
			beautiful university in Uskudar and I want to
		
00:30:16 --> 00:30:22
			share it with you I recently learned a
		
00:30:22 --> 00:30:27
			verse in the Quran and at first it
		
00:30:27 --> 00:30:30
			touched me because as a new Muslim I'm
		
00:30:30 --> 00:30:34
			I'm often searching for where where do I
		
00:30:34 --> 00:30:37
			belong in the faith what is my what
		
00:30:37 --> 00:30:41
			is my role as a Muslim and I
		
00:30:41 --> 00:30:44
			heard this verse and it immediately just I
		
00:30:44 --> 00:30:49
			mean it like squeezed my heart and in
		
00:30:49 --> 00:30:54
			it it says when you see injustice when
		
00:30:54 --> 00:30:59
			you see it first try to stop it
		
00:30:59 --> 00:31:03
			with your hands and if you fail to
		
00:31:03 --> 00:31:07
			stop that injustice with your hands then use
		
00:31:07 --> 00:31:10
			your tongue use your mouth use your words
		
00:31:10 --> 00:31:14
			first try to stop that injustice with your
		
00:31:14 --> 00:31:17
			hands with your body and if you fail
		
00:31:17 --> 00:31:20
			try to stop it with your words and
		
00:31:20 --> 00:31:28
			then if you still fail then feel feel
		
00:31:28 --> 00:31:31
			the the fury the frustration about that injustice
		
00:31:31 --> 00:31:34
			in your heart but it didn't stop there
		
00:31:34 --> 00:31:38
			it said and this this convicted me it
		
00:31:38 --> 00:31:41
			said first use your first listen to the
		
00:31:41 --> 00:31:45
			order first your hands then your words then
		
00:31:45 --> 00:31:49
			your heart and it said but the heart
		
00:31:49 --> 00:31:53
			is the least of these and when I
		
00:31:53 --> 00:31:57
			heard that I was immediately convicted because in
		
00:31:57 --> 00:32:01
			the world as Muslims and and really all
		
00:32:01 --> 00:32:03
			of us those of you who are not
		
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05
			Muslims and maybe you've made it deep into
		
00:32:05 --> 00:32:09
			this video for those of you who aren't
		
00:32:09 --> 00:32:13
			Muslims we often say you know my heart
		
00:32:13 --> 00:32:16
			is burning with rage about the genocide in
		
00:32:16 --> 00:32:21
			Gaza but the Quran the holy words say
		
00:32:21 --> 00:32:24
			that's the least of your options it's in
		
00:32:24 --> 00:32:26
			fact it says it's the weakest of the
		
00:32:26 --> 00:32:32
			three then many of you thanks be to
		
00:32:32 --> 00:32:36
			Allah many of you are using your words
		
00:32:36 --> 00:32:40
			and I'm I am glad that you are
		
00:32:40 --> 00:32:43
			burning in your heart with anger and frustration
		
00:32:43 --> 00:32:46
			and sadness about this genocide so much so
		
00:32:46 --> 00:32:49
			that you're speaking against it with your words
		
00:32:49 --> 00:32:54
			but that's not the order it's not that
		
00:32:54 --> 00:32:57
			is that those are that is not the
		
00:32:57 --> 00:33:01
			order of Allah the order is use your
		
00:33:01 --> 00:33:07
			hands and if you fail then use your
		
00:33:07 --> 00:33:12
			words and if that fails at least feel
		
00:33:12 --> 00:33:14
			the frustration in your heart but that's the
		
00:33:14 --> 00:33:19
			weakest of the three I ask you sisters
		
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21
			and brothers I'm not pointing a finger at
		
00:33:21 --> 00:33:24
			you I'm this applies to me and you
		
00:33:24 --> 00:33:28
			and all of us are you using your
		
00:33:28 --> 00:33:36
			hands to stop this genocide I I'm going
		
00:33:36 --> 00:33:40
			to speak very clearly to you now in
		
00:33:40 --> 00:33:43
			October it was towards the end of October
		
00:33:43 --> 00:33:48
			I I'm going to try not to cry
		
00:33:48 --> 00:33:52
			because this uh I saw something that was
		
00:33:52 --> 00:33:57
			uh it was awful I maybe it was
		
00:33:57 --> 00:34:01
			you know the last week of October in
		
00:34:01 --> 00:34:04
			the genocide we didn't know that it would
		
00:34:04 --> 00:34:06
			last so long but it was fully underway
		
00:34:06 --> 00:34:09
			they were killing hundreds of people in Gaza
		
00:34:09 --> 00:34:12
			every single day but the infrastructure was still
		
00:34:12 --> 00:34:15
			in place the hospitals were still operational and
		
00:34:15 --> 00:34:17
			I saw something that I had never seen
		
00:34:17 --> 00:34:20
			before and it was it was so awful
		
00:34:20 --> 00:34:26
			I saw a grandmother and she was in
		
00:34:26 --> 00:34:30
			front of al-shifa hospital and she had
		
00:34:30 --> 00:34:35
			a bag and it was a a *
		
00:34:35 --> 00:34:39
			plastic bag and she said this was all
		
00:34:39 --> 00:34:43
			that was left of her grandchildren I told
		
00:34:43 --> 00:34:46
			this story many times but I didn't want
		
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48
			to say publicly what she said because I
		
00:34:48 --> 00:34:51
			didn't want him to be condemned but what
		
00:34:51 --> 00:34:53
			I'm about to say it's not about condemning
		
00:34:53 --> 00:34:58
			him she looked into the camera with a
		
00:34:58 --> 00:35:03
			* bag full of of flesh and she
		
00:35:03 --> 00:35:07
			said um she said where where are the
		
00:35:07 --> 00:35:10
			Muslims I was not a Muslim yet but
		
00:35:10 --> 00:35:13
			I she said where are the Muslims she
		
00:35:13 --> 00:35:16
			said where are the leaders and then she
		
00:35:16 --> 00:35:22
			said where is Erdogan the president of Turkey
		
00:35:22 --> 00:35:24
			and then she said something that broke my
		
00:35:24 --> 00:35:27
			heart she said she said I love I've
		
00:35:27 --> 00:35:30
			loved Erdogan all of my life she said
		
00:35:30 --> 00:35:33
			I have followed his career and I have
		
00:35:33 --> 00:35:49
			seen him for decades excuse
		
00:35:49 --> 00:35:55
			me she said I've seen him for decades
		
00:35:56 --> 00:36:00
			say how much he loves us here in
		
00:36:00 --> 00:36:11
			Gaza but she
		
00:36:11 --> 00:36:14
			said she said where are you I thought
		
00:36:14 --> 00:36:18
			you loved us she said you have you've
		
00:36:18 --> 00:36:21
			called our names your whole career but where
		
00:36:21 --> 00:36:28
			are you and in that moment I felt
		
00:36:28 --> 00:36:36
			frustration with him and I asked myself yes
		
00:36:36 --> 00:36:40
			yes where is Erdogan why is why is
		
00:36:40 --> 00:36:46
			he not doing more I thought that but
		
00:36:46 --> 00:36:50
			I didn't say it out loud and then
		
00:36:50 --> 00:37:05
			I realized that he
		
00:37:05 --> 00:37:11
			is no different than me or you yes
		
00:37:11 --> 00:37:16
			he is the president yes he has a
		
00:37:16 --> 00:37:23
			military at his disposal so I asked I
		
00:37:23 --> 00:37:28
			asked my imams I won't name their names
		
00:37:28 --> 00:37:31
			but I asked the men who are my
		
00:37:31 --> 00:37:35
			teachers about the passage in the Quran that
		
00:37:35 --> 00:37:40
			says use your hands then your mouth then
		
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41
			feel it in your heart and I said
		
00:37:41 --> 00:37:44
			please brother how does that apply to me
		
00:37:44 --> 00:37:48
			and he said both of my imams who
		
00:37:48 --> 00:37:51
			didn't even know that each other had they
		
00:37:51 --> 00:37:55
			said to the to the effect it is
		
00:37:55 --> 00:38:00
			indeed first the responsibility of the leaders in
		
00:38:00 --> 00:38:03
			the immediate area in the countries that are
		
00:38:03 --> 00:38:07
			touching Gaza it is their responsibility to respond
		
00:38:07 --> 00:38:13
			first and they have failed and then it
		
00:38:13 --> 00:38:16
			is the responsibility of Muslim leaders of countries
		
00:38:16 --> 00:38:20
			that aren't touching Gaza like President Erdogan to
		
00:38:20 --> 00:38:24
			intervene and they have failed and then after
		
00:38:24 --> 00:38:28
			them after the the Muslim leaders of the
		
00:38:28 --> 00:38:31
			countries touching Gaza fail and the Muslim leaders
		
00:38:31 --> 00:38:34
			of the countries around the world fail then
		
00:38:34 --> 00:38:38
			it is the responsibility of the United Nations
		
00:38:38 --> 00:38:41
			of the International Criminal Court of the ICC
		
00:38:41 --> 00:38:44
			it is then their responsibility to intervene but
		
00:38:44 --> 00:38:50
			they have failed and Sean after the Muslim
		
00:38:50 --> 00:38:53
			leaders touching Gaza fail and the Muslim leaders
		
00:38:53 --> 00:38:56
			of nations not touching Gaza fail and after
		
00:38:56 --> 00:39:00
			the UN and the ICC fail then Sean
		
00:39:00 --> 00:39:03
			it is up to me and you to
		
00:39:03 --> 00:39:19
			intervene forgive
		
00:39:19 --> 00:39:28
			me I've never cried on camera before but
		
00:39:28 --> 00:39:45
			now we have failed I'm
		
00:39:45 --> 00:39:47
			sorry for you to see me like this
		
00:39:47 --> 00:39:57
			yes yes President Erdogan has failed
		
00:39:57 --> 00:40:17
			but so have me and you and
		
00:40:34 --> 00:40:44
			we we will have to face Allah
		
00:40:44 --> 00:40:54
			yes I've
		
00:40:54 --> 00:40:59
			I've tried to provide food and aid I've
		
00:40:59 --> 00:41:06
			tried we've raised millions of dollars and during
		
00:41:06 --> 00:41:13
			Ramadan we fed we provided I I raised
		
00:41:13 --> 00:41:17
			millions of dollars and that provided hundreds of
		
00:41:17 --> 00:41:24
			thousands of meals during Ramadan that was using
		
00:41:24 --> 00:41:27
			my hands in a in a way but
		
00:41:27 --> 00:41:30
			that's not what that verse means you know
		
00:41:30 --> 00:41:34
			it and I know it the verse said
		
00:41:34 --> 00:41:40
			if you see injustice stop it with your
		
00:41:40 --> 00:41:50
			hands how how shameful is it
		
00:42:03 --> 00:42:07
			I can hardly even look into the camera
		
00:42:07 --> 00:42:16
			how shameful that there are two billion of
		
00:42:16 --> 00:42:23
			us and we cannot get a bottle of
		
00:42:23 --> 00:42:33
			water into Gaza how shameful that our
		
00:42:33 --> 00:42:43
			forefathers were warriors and we are cowards it's
		
00:42:45 --> 00:42:51
			not okay it's not and if you've convinced
		
00:42:51 --> 00:42:58
			yourself that it's okay you're lying what purpose
		
00:42:58 --> 00:43:02
			is there that we be two billion strong
		
00:43:02 --> 00:43:06
			but our sisters and brothers can be suffering
		
00:43:06 --> 00:43:12
			so mightily and we watch and cry and
		
00:43:12 --> 00:43:17
			pray it's not enough prayer is with your
		
00:43:17 --> 00:43:21
			mouth it's with your heart in the words
		
00:43:21 --> 00:43:23
			of Allah say use your heart use your
		
00:43:23 --> 00:43:27
			mouth after you use your hands and fail
		
00:43:27 --> 00:43:33
			sisters and brothers listen to me it would
		
00:43:33 --> 00:43:37
			be better for us to use our hands
		
00:43:37 --> 00:43:44
			and fail following the words of Allah it
		
00:43:44 --> 00:43:46
			would be better for us to use our
		
00:43:46 --> 00:43:50
			hands and die it would be better for
		
00:43:50 --> 00:43:56
			us to use our hands and be vaporized
		
00:43:56 --> 00:44:00
			by drones and bombs and missiles than to
		
00:44:00 --> 00:44:04
			be so cowardly that we watch babies be
		
00:44:04 --> 00:44:09
			murdered that we watch mothers be slaughtered that
		
00:44:09 --> 00:44:13
			we watch elders be decapitated burned to a
		
00:44:13 --> 00:44:17
			crisp that we watch children right now in
		
00:44:17 --> 00:44:21
			Gaza at this moment Gaza which only has
		
00:44:21 --> 00:44:26
			two million people has more amputees than China
		
00:44:26 --> 00:44:30
			which has 1.3 billion people there are
		
00:44:30 --> 00:44:33
			more amputees in Gaza than China what are
		
00:44:33 --> 00:44:38
			we talking about who are we is this
		
00:44:38 --> 00:44:44
			just for show what is the beauty of
		
00:44:44 --> 00:44:48
			this place if it doesn't inspire us to
		
00:44:48 --> 00:44:50
			stand up for our sisters and brothers to
		
00:44:50 --> 00:44:56
			actually fulfill the promises of Allah I'm sorry
		
00:44:56 --> 00:45:00
			that you saw me this way I'm but
		
00:45:03 --> 00:45:09
			I I cry almost every day at the
		
00:45:09 --> 00:45:16
			shame of our inaction it's not okay they
		
00:45:18 --> 00:45:23
			are still asking for us I saw a
		
00:45:23 --> 00:45:32
			beautiful young girl just this week the only
		
00:45:32 --> 00:45:35
			surviving member of her family she must have
		
00:45:35 --> 00:45:37
			been 11 or 12 she's now an orphan
		
00:45:37 --> 00:45:42
			everyone else is gone and even she looked
		
00:45:42 --> 00:45:45
			into the camera and said where are the
		
00:45:45 --> 00:45:54
			Muslims are you a Muslim she's
		
00:45:54 --> 00:46:01
			asking for us she's calling for us yes
		
00:46:01 --> 00:46:07
			she's calling for Erdogan yes she's calling for
		
00:46:07 --> 00:46:10
			the crown prince and yes they're not coming
		
00:46:10 --> 00:46:13
			but are you not a Muslim do you
		
00:46:13 --> 00:46:18
			not have hands does blood not flow through
		
00:46:18 --> 00:46:24
			your body does your brain still work does
		
00:46:24 --> 00:46:34
			your heart still beat have you not confessed
		
00:46:34 --> 00:46:37
			that there is no god but Allah and
		
00:46:37 --> 00:46:41
			Muhammad is his final messenger have you not
		
00:46:41 --> 00:46:45
			said your shahada if so you are a
		
00:46:45 --> 00:46:48
			Muslim do you not pray five times a
		
00:46:48 --> 00:46:53
			day if so she's calling for me and
		
00:46:53 --> 00:47:01
			you and either either we will answer her
		
00:47:01 --> 00:47:10
			prayer or we're cowards either way one day
		
00:47:13 --> 00:47:16
			we will stand in front of Allah and
		
00:47:16 --> 00:47:20
			all of our good deeds yes they will
		
00:47:20 --> 00:47:22
			be listed but listen to what I'm about
		
00:47:22 --> 00:47:30
			to tell you I'll close with this I
		
00:47:33 --> 00:47:37
			am afraid that there are not enough good
		
00:47:37 --> 00:47:43
			deeds in the world to make up for
		
00:47:43 --> 00:47:50
			us watching a genocide acting cowardly and refusing
		
00:47:50 --> 00:47:56
			to intervene it would be better for us
		
00:47:56 --> 00:48:00
			to be like Abu Ayyub and pursue the
		
00:48:00 --> 00:48:03
			promises of Allah even if we fail did
		
00:48:03 --> 00:48:09
			Abu Ayyub fail no did he see the
		
00:48:09 --> 00:48:11
			promises of Allah fulfilled in his lifetime no
		
00:48:12 --> 00:48:16
			but did he pursue them and here's the
		
00:48:16 --> 00:48:21
			truth pursuing the promises of Allah can never
		
00:48:21 --> 00:48:27
			be failure no it's only righteous and one
		
00:48:27 --> 00:48:33
			day Allah will say to me to Erdogan
		
00:48:33 --> 00:48:38
			and we're no different we're Muslims he will
		
00:48:38 --> 00:48:44
			say Sean when you saw injustice did you
		
00:48:44 --> 00:48:47
			stop it with your hands did you try
		
00:48:47 --> 00:48:50
			to stop it with your hands what am
		
00:48:50 --> 00:48:54
			I going to say to Allah will I
		
00:48:54 --> 00:49:07
			lie how foolish he sees us I love
		
00:49:07 --> 00:49:13
			you please forgive my emotion you know my
		
00:49:13 --> 00:49:17
			my therapist told me she said Sean I
		
00:49:17 --> 00:49:19
			would be more worried about you if you
		
00:49:19 --> 00:49:23
			weren't crying I would be more worried about
		
00:49:23 --> 00:49:25
			you if you saw all that you saw
		
00:49:27 --> 00:49:28
			and it did not affect you the way
		
00:49:28 --> 00:49:30
			it does Sean the fact that you are
		
00:49:30 --> 00:49:33
			crying is a sign that your heart is
		
00:49:33 --> 00:49:41
			still alive assalamu alaikum sisters and brothers I
		
00:49:41 --> 00:49:43
			love you and I want you to use
		
00:49:43 --> 00:49:47
			your hands then your words then your heart
		
00:49:47 --> 00:49:49
			peace be upon you