Muslim Student of Ahmed Deedat who had become very Christian

student, Medina. So here's how we're going now. So Jesus is God, I would like you to show me one verse, only one statement anywhere in your Bible, any version of the Bible, where Jesus says, I am God, or where he says what shocked me. Because when I was studying at the age of 17, I met personally,

that the woman must cover her head, that the woman who doesn't shave off her head, your Bible says

this modesty, then the nuns, the nuns, you know, the Roman Catholic Church. Nobody gives them a second look, is Mary the mother of Jesus came along. You won't give her a second look. But my dear sisters, those woman on your Gold Coast assess Barbaro and all that with beanies and tangles in G string. Look.

It's affecting

older men like me,

into the mosque, my father used to run a bar and went to a Christian school to be really a British white school, where I became very Christian. So I used to have a picture of Jesus whom I actually prayed to Jesus. Yes, went to Christian school, got a scholarship to be a pastor and a priest. Well, yes, yes, I go to church every Sunday, you said your family was Muslim. I very much anti Islam because of the culture I saw. It didn't make sense to me. I was seeker. We love Jesus so much that we pray to the God Jesus pray.

I feel I feel very happy to let people know that we love Jesus is one of the mightiest messengers of God ever sent. He was like Moses, Abraham and all the preceding messengers. Yes. But then I'll let him know. Let's get the elephant out the room. Yeah. And when people get cultural Islam, they are turned away. The relationship that you built with the Christians right next door to the mosque. Yes, yes. They're losing the kids in the nightclubs, drugs and fornication and adultery message of the devil. Are you familiar with that? That's in the schools. Now the

message of

this call is the Church of Satan. He established an organization called Hicksville football. Yes. What was that all about? It was an organization or law with only non Muslims, not only non Muslims kafar

Assalamu alaykum greetings of peace guess where I'm at in Hollywood now Hollywood, California, but Hollywood, Florida, with Shay Scheffer. How are you? hamdulillah Mashallah, how are you doing? I'm doing fine. It's a pleasure to be with you. Very nice for you to be with us. I'm in LA in Hollywood of Florida, hollywood of Florida. So tell me do you know what's unique you just gave me a beautiful tour of the mustard here and also the TV studio very beautiful martial I think every Masjid every community to have one of these setup because they need it It's so important shala but also what really what all of the hype manufactured fear the push you know the Islamophobia you know, trying to

separate polarize us, but you actually have a Christian church right next to your mustard. So some people would think like, that's the impossible to happen. But you guys tell us about that. It's the relationship that you built with the Christians right next door to the mosque. Yes, yes. So we are technically not under one roof. But we are connected different buildings, different buildings, but the same roof Yes, that is interesting. And we have a good bond and Fridays we share their parking lot and Sundays they share our parking lot. We don't have to invite Christians to have an interfaith program we live in defeat every day when we come to pray and when they have different services we

all meet we talk when we have programs and activities together we share the events together. So we are not just

interfaith dialogue people we live interfaith Yeah, so we can get some experience you've been doing Taotao is as I as we know is sharing because if you care you share yes yes Amanda and on every one who has submitted to the world of the crater a Muslim to share its art. We're supposed to be a mat ambassadors to this day. No more prophecies to come. Of course. Yes. So you've been sharing for over 3030 years? Well, 40 plus 40 years 43 years? Yes. So inshallah we can gain some some definitely some benefits from from your wisdom. Tell us what has been some of the challenges here in Florida. Some of the main misconceptions that people have and how do you go about addressing them well,

You know, Alhamdulillah maybe I need to share this with you.

I grew up very Christian.

Yes, I grew up very Christian. I don't like to accept that. And I do not say that I ever denounced Islam and I used to be law, I don't want to get into that jurisprudence technicality, because we love all the shakes getting on. And so my parents were Muslims, for Father's 200 years ago with the British coming from India, etc, to the Caribbean, because I'm Caribbean. So I grew up very multicultural multifaith, I went to a Christian school to be really a British white school, where I became very Christian. So I used to have a picture of Jesus home. I actually prayed to Jesus. Yes, went to Christian school, got a scholarship to be a pastor and a priest. Yes, yes, I go to church

every Sunday, you said your family was Muslim. But the sad thing they were not practicing was like most Today, many, many people, they'll fall into the trap of just being culturally most Yes. And well, they were a little beyond cultural Muslim. My father never entered a mosque. My father used to run a bar, you know, I'm saying. So it was not about understanding or knowing Islam. So hence, I got involved in the Christian community and, and sad enough, you know, because of the cultural Islam that used to be practice around and in some places still today. I grew very much anti Islam, because of the culture I saw. It didn't make sense to me. I was seeker. And I love the question you asked,

Tao. And that is what motivated me to do Tao today. Because I saw in those days, the walls that were around me from Islam, and I will I wanted to know. So when Allah guided me, guided me and gave me the Hidayat to get into the fold of Islam, and when to study Islam, etc. My dream and vision was not to have people like me anymore, that did not know Islam that turned away from Islam by not getting the true Islam. And when people get cultural Islam, they're turned away. Yeah. So that's what opened up my vision, through the mercy and guidance of Allah to do Tao in such a way that what I was hungry for and people like me, I feel that this is the message we need to bring to the world. We are in for

an exciting show. Yes. So you are technically okay. So you come from a Muslim family. Then you are about to be a pastor or priest. Yes. Got a scholarship for it. Okay, so technically went to church. This is not new to me. I just interviewed another Muslim who technically he left Islam came back to Islam. So because you get many situations like this. So you actually now you know, the Bible very well. Then. Hamidullah? Yeah, not supernatural, but so you're good. I went to church. And so you read the Bible and you're another, you know, our teacher, one of one of the people that many people says benefit, I'm gonna do that. Well, not only I know, I'm a dad, but let's be very real. He was

one of the motivating factors in my life, because when I was studying at the age of 17, I met a mudita. Personally,

quite shallow. I met him in India, where he came to the University in Bangalore. Personally, I met him, and I was totally motivated by his message and his style as a young boy, a teenager. Then I became his guest in South Africa in 1994. We got a student, my deed, so here's how we're going now. So yeah, the Muslim Muslim family. Then he's went to study to be a pastor priests, and then comes back hooks up with dama das, yes. And that's why the very same verse of our Medina to us uses Audrey laughs Amelia Rebecca Bell hikmah invited aware of the Lord with wisdom. I use that as Al hickmott verse, you know, because of Medina. And then when I became as guests that Islamic Propagation

sentence or Africa, you know, it concreted everything in 1994. Yes, yeah, I've been to his home. I've been to his grave. Um, you know, I've had that personal connection. So he has been very great in motivating me in this field of town. Yeah, he really helped to solidify and to help give that confidence to Muslims out there. And I also tremendous asleep benefited from much of his work, of course, and as many have millions all over the world milligram Jen Nami. So what do you remember some highlights from from his lies from your time spent with him that stood out that really had a great impact on you to share with us here today? Well, the mere fact that Sheikh Ahmed deedat would

look at the Quran and look at those areas that humanity needs to better understand those areas of misunderstandings that our Muslims would only concentrate Yes, on their pillars, prayer zakaat even though they don't give all this a cart, the cart fasting and Hajj, so he went into the other eras of like pseudo Allium, Ron, the life of Marissa molesta led to Salaam Prophet Jesus speech.

All other profits, and that linked with the Bible, Christianity, Judaism, you know, the message of humanity and how our Muslims by understanding that we will be able to relate better with non Muslims from the scriptures, and that message, which is the universal message of God. And I try to concentrate on that area like when I go to synagogues and churches, you know, Alhamdulillah we would we would refer to the Bible and the Torah and sometimes we will talk about stories from the Bible and tour I remember I went to a synagogue and spoke about the life of Joseph peace be upon him. When our Finnish Jewish guy came and said, you know, that story is very similar to the Torah. But you

guys went a little more in details, I say, Yeah, that's it. We're the same scriptures from God. Because that's the kind of thing that I I believe that the non Muslims do not hear from us. They think that we are a bunch of aliens we are different people. Our lifestyle is different, we learn we practice with each different, but if only they will understand the commonalities that exists between us. And Allah says that or do last year Rebecca bellick invited we have dialogue with them. Then he says in the Quran in surah Allah Mirage chapter three verse 64, to Allah we like Kalimantan so I'm Bane in Albania can invite people to the message that one word of commonalities between us and them.

And what I learned from DITA, based on what you asked me, is, that's an area that a lot of our people do not really study, or try to comprehend. Hence, when we come across non Muslims, we are lost and we look like we different and we already at last, they already don't know us, and we now don't know about them. But our Quran teaches us about Judaism and Christianity and the Prophet Abraham peace be upon him and if only we would learn that and that is what chicama de that was a an expert at and I really admire that and I met and I think if more for Muslims will understand that we're not just telling people that we are there for you, we will let them know that we all one

people yeah, we just have some misunderstanding here and they're obviously representing our Deen in the best of manners in the best of character as the last and final messenger Muhammad peace be upon him said I have not been sent accepted perfect good manners. So that foundation is there. We're trying to be great ambassadors. How do you sometimes we'll have groups come in and one interact with our Christian neighbors and friends? And I tried never to because it's never our intention to insult to belittle, you know, to put anybody's faith down. But how do you address sometimes it's a sensitive issue, but I feel I feel very happy to let people know that we love Jesus is one of the

mightiest messengers of God ever sent. He was like Moses, Abraham and all the preceding messengers. Yes. But then I'll let them know. Let's get the elephant out the room? Yeah, because Come on. Look, people respect. When now I respect you. You tell me Look, if I don't believe Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the tenant is I'll go to the hellfire. And I respect you for telling me that I don't have to hate you now. But now I like to let you know that we don't believe in him as a God, or a little son of God. But we say peace be upon him that he was one of the mightiest messengers of God. And he preached us a message all the messengers that pure monotheism call it tawheed. So now we get that

out of the room, and we can go on many of the other commonalities, how do you address this is without compromising? What without compromising? You know, we agree to disagree, agree to disagree in a play, like, Listen, we keep our identity. And this is very important, we should keep our identity and that's why we are who we are. And we tried to understand the commonalities of which we have more in common, we get to understand that and better understand it, because if we don't understand the commonalities, we will never get over the differences. And when we understand the commonalities, then we see Well, okay, here's where we differ. You know, it's like a husband and

wife. Yeah, listen, husband and wife,

kind of home, we love to have the same kind of children, same achievement in life. But listen, get honest, and you're a man and I'm a woman. And we have different responsibilities. And the wife tells the husband, you cannot take the pain of, of becoming pregnant and having a baby. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, and the husband probably say, you cannot take the financial stress that I go to. But let's understand that we have differences, agreed to agree to disagree, and respect each other's differences. And there will be differences, and they are differences. And I think people are intelligent enough to understand that very intelligent, and we got to let them know why we differ.

And I love to explain to them why we differ so and they are so amazing, like, wow. And do you know sometimes when we talk of the differences

when my little experience, brother Eddie,

you're able to see where, from a philosophy point of view. Other religions also have those beliefs that we differ in when I mean they think like us, among the teachings of Jewish philosophers and Christian philosophers, etc. They also think like us in many areas, but it's just a thought.

Those that are thinkers, so they don't disagree. They agree that this is your difference. And you pray to the God that Jesus prayed to. And I'm like, do you know, we are very much in common? They're like, What do you mean? I said, Well, you love Jesus, and the God that Jesus prayed to we pray to the God that Jesus prayed to. So we are very much Sima.

Anyway, I say that one more time, I say, Tell them we are so common that you love Jesus and we love Jesus. The only difference is that we love Jesus so much do we pray to the same God Hebrews, we love Jesus so much that we pray to the God Jesus pray. You like these guys a wall, amazed that you love Jesus so much that you pray to the God that he prayed to. So how could they disagree with me? Okay, but now he says, look a little bit, but I believe that he died, he came, and he sacrificed himself for my sins. You don't have that? How do you deal with that? Know what I didn't know. Some of them tell us? We don't have them? And I'm like, Yes, we do. Now, because they believe that Jesus died,

peace be upon him for their sins. And that's their salvation. And they're big about salvation, this big blessing salvation thing. I said, Well, we don't have it because we don't believe Jesus died. On the cross. We believe that he was raised. And you know, we go around, and he will come back. And you believe that he will come back and they're like, yes, we believe he will come back. I said, The only difference is you believe he died, and he will come back. We believe he never died, and he will come back. Again communality, we are in one. And

we believe that God

grants us Paradise by His mercy. So just as you believe that you will get paradise and salvation by Jesus dying for your sense. We believe that without Jesus dying for our sins, that the God of Jesus will grant aspired by His mercy. And that is what he's all about mercy. And we believe that in Islam, it's not your prayer in your hygiene, pilgrimage that gives you paradise. That's your effort. But God forgives whomsoever He wishes, and He grants you by His mercy, His grace and mercy. Like one of you guys caught that merciful thing we never thought that Islam has. And I said, Yes, we are granted by by the mercy of God. And that's what we live by. So you got the same thing, but in a

different line. You see what I'm saying? And, and these are some of the ways you better explain to them and the people understand and then if you even want to go back into the Bible, and you see the protocols, the story of the prodigal sons, right. And then the one who went off and he went and he's, you know, burned all his mother, his father's money and whatnot, and just partied play, kicked out the other was obedient. But then he turned and came back to God. I mean, he turned, turn back to God turn back, came back home. And just like, you know, God Almighty, when you turn back, he opened his arms, he took him in, believe we had the U turn back to the crater. You know, it often reminds

me of that authentic, Id from the last in front of the merchant who said to mankind Prophet Muhammad who said, that, that if the son of Adam was to come to me with sins all up into the heavens not ascribing any partners to me, I will forgive you got this story there. It's very similar than yes in the Bible. Yeah, you see it over and over. And you know what, what is very interesting sometimes I tell my I mean, I still got my my father sisters are Hindus. Yes. I got my cousins are Christians. My family's very much interfaith. Yeah, so I do have a lot of dollar to do you know.

But I also tell them I said, you know, when Jesus says, the way to my father is through me, I'm like, oh, Prophet, peace be upon him said the same thing. There's a Hadith of the Prophet peace be upon him in which he sees the way to Allah subhanho wa Taala. Is to his son, to his way Yeah, so his way, and even a line the Quran says that, if you love Allah, then obey the Prophet, peace be upon him. So I tell my Christian friend, this and we have the same principle, the way to God is true, the prophet peace be upon him. And that's what Jesus meant the way to God that he wished it is through him. But we don't interpret that as worshiping Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, or as worshiping

Jesus peace be upon him, but the way the God of Jesus God of Muhammad peace be upon him is to follow Jesus peace be upon him and follow Muhammad peace bother teaching. The teacher they understand. I mean, it makes an intelligent person can definitely understand it. The same words is just a matter of differences of opinion in interpretation. It's nice now to go we can go a little bit and into the Bible, as someone who is studying to be a pastor, priest and I, there's, well, I didn't get into it. On your way is God Almighty, guided gave me that he died back to that

to the way of Jesus because Jesus submitted his will to God and that's what Islam means submission to the will of the Creator, not the creation, is that there's a passage in the Gospel of john and it's amazing because it hits home where Jesus is reported to have said, This is life eternal, but they may know you the only true God and Jesus, I don't

Have you heard Jesus who has been sent? This is like so similar now to the Shahada right close Yeah. And shadow. There's nothing worthy of worship except the one true God. And Muhammad is the final message. So that's it, he was saying the Shahada there, it's right there, this is it. And in the line of forgiveness when, according to the Christian teachings, when they were on that crucifixion mission, Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know, they don't know not what they do. So he's always been speaking about his father, and forgiveness and mercy and kindness. You see, so even in his last according to the Christian teachings, he was praying to his father. And in the end, the

father in this sense meant God the God that he prayed to Yeah, but father is just a language of speech. Yes, you know, it's a it's amazing that you will have many of the the people who haven't connected to Muslims haven't connected with Muslim haven't visited a mosque, you know, they just been brainwashed, you know, a lot of the the height, the manufactured fear that's out there. And now they don't have the proper understanding. But when you just look at and we're not going deep into some other issues, but just if you start with this pure monotheism, this just connects, we say with the closer it connects with the innate nature of man that you just worship the one God, yeah, we've

just been talking about, and that was Jesus's whole mission, calling people just to worship the one God. And you know, brother, Eddie, that's one of the thing I tell some of our students because, you know, we have a class where we only train students to be Imams and to do interfaith work. So I always tell them that I said, dow, and as you were mentioning earlier on the kind of dow dow got different levels, people like dow, I said, Yes, dow got different levels. One level is only to invite people to God, you got a level to only invite people to God. And if we look at that, that's not my opinion, the prophet peace be upon him. That's what he was doing for 13 years in his early

mission, only inviting people to God. Then when you have people come to God, then you get them to understand invite them to understand the teachings of God, because a man may believe in God, but he does nothing that God says, Now you've got to give him down and invite him to do what God says. You might have a guy who is a Muslim, and he's doing what God says. He's praying, he's giving charity, but he's not live in Islam. Otherwise, you've got to give him Dawa, to live Islam, you see, so Dharma got many different categories, and people can fall into any category. Yeah. So now you guys, okay, we get that out of the room, we talk about the pure monotheism, not ascribing partners to God

relaying This message is what we believe. And that the door Mercy is always open that you turn to your Creator alone. And you come to him with a sincere heart. He's the most Gracious, The Most loving, the most forgiving, get that out of the way. But now, you're the pastor comes over. And now some common things you can work on, for instance, this this whole movement now growing the kids go to the, to the university, and the professor, you know, writes on the board, no, God here, right. So now there are given Dallas. So now you can tag team right together to come together, say with the Christian neighbor, say, Look, they're trying to take our kids away from God, look at that same

there's no God. You know, how do you do? Have you had these situations come up all the time? Yeah, we had we had recently the people who start preaching the message of the devil. Are you familiar with that? That's in the schools. Now the

message

on this call is the Church of Satan. The Church of Satan is literally called the Church of Satan. So now we work together. I mean, I do have a lot of Muslims, I do criticize me and said, Why are you involved with all these people? What are they about Islam? I said, Man, listen, we have so many things to do in Davos, as we said earlier on, invite the god invite to righteousness, enjoin, good and forbid evil, it got so many things we got to do that the Prophet peace be upon him taught us to do. So when you have these people seeing the Church of Satan. So we work together with our Jewish friends, and Christians, and everybody, even the Hindus, everybody doesn't matter, to get people to

believe in God, or not the devil, not the devil, and the there are people who just want you and they had a big, big fight about that, you know, whether it was saying that if you can teach religion in the schools, then you need to start teaching about the Church of Satan. So we work together with a lot of other churches and religions and faith to stop that, because that's not right. That what faith is that? The fallacy that that's opposite of the faith, that is no faith, you know what I mean? So that's areas of commonalities and working together for the pleasure of God, you got another example. I mean, any Christian, any religious God conscious person wants their children to come out

and to have a wholesome relationship between man and woman to come together in the family to have children to bring them up to be morally upright, and society, you know, now they're coming and, you know, kid they're losing the kids in the nightclubs, drugs and fornication and

altri Another common good you can work together with us. We are commanded to enjoin good and forbid evil and call people to righteousness. So we can work together. And I think that's the area we need to work together. You know, I really do admire a lot of all Muslims in the united states of america now, working very hard to get involved in politics. Congratulations, wish them all the best. But I do think there is so much more to do, as you rightly said, on righteousness, humanity, seven our children from their own path, uniting people and believing in God, in doing righteousness, we need to get more people involved in doing this kind of activity. Because it doesn't become you can be the

president of America, it doesn't mean you're going to stop this evil, you may be able to make policies in Congress, but not necessarily policies that can save humanity from

and from their own path. And that's another area that we need to work with our neighbors and our people of different cultures and faiths. People, you know, you're in this part of the woods, as they say that the neck of the woods that many people you have, you know, people go to extremes and call Muslim terrorists. And you know, they're here to take over. Sure. Yeah. Right. have you dealt with people like that, who have been hostile? And had these kind of twisted thoughts? And how have you dealt with them? Well, I have had people come to me and said, what, what is this Sherry, why are you Muslim is want to take over, because you know, when we have these interfaith programs, you're a

theist, you've got Scientologists, you've got all kinds of people. They're people, again, from the satanic church. And we have been in interviews and events and programs like that, and we have all these questions from them. So

based on what you just said, we tell people that, you know, you need to work together. And what was the question you just asked me now? where people come on, and they they associate Islam with terrorism, and you Muslims are doing to kill you're lying to us under Sharia? And so get to the right point, Sherry, I want to get to that point, because that's what I want to know what you specifically asked what it was there, so to show you, so people come and said, Why you guys want to make America Sharia country? I'm like, Listen, I think this is greatly misunderstood.

Islam and Sharia is a misunderstood, misunderstood thing today. If you go to Saudi Arabia, they got their own Sharia, they got certain laws that are not practicing in India, you go to India, they got certain Sharia laws that are not practice in Saudi Arabia, you go to Africa, they got certain laws, they call Sharia that are not practiced in India. So bottom line is Sharia laws put together by scholars who deduce laws from the Quran and the Sunnah. But it does not mean that anyone is going to bring Saudi Arabia laws in America, Pakistani laws in America, African laws in American college, Sharia Islamic laws, there is nothing like that. That's my verdict of Sharia. Me, Sharia. And that's

what the law says, is the Quran. Sharia is the tour. Sharia is the Bible. Because really, Sharia is the law of God. And the real Sharia that we supposed to follow is the law of the Quran. So the fear that Americans have brother Eddie, is not the law of Quran. And I'll tell you why. Because they believe in the Quran. They know the Quran exists, they are allowed to swear by the Quran, you're allowed to live by your Quran, the Constitution of the United States of America gives you freedom of religion, to live by your Quran, which is your Sharia. I think the fear in America that some of our Muslims have misinterpreted, is by letting Americans think that we're going to bring the Saudi

Sharia law here, the Pakistani Sharia law here that, you know, but that is a little misunderstanding, and people mix them up both. There's a fine line within that there are laws. I mean, let's take the niqab. Let's say someone is wondering, what am I speaking about? Well, in some Muslim countries in India and Pakistan and Arabia in some areas, some villages, not the whole country, some villages, the Sharia laws, women must cover their face. In most other Muslim countries, it's not so are we bringing that law? No, no one is bringing that to them. Those are laws that are Sharia based on the the the deduction of laws of Quran and Sunnah in certain states and

countries. And that's what Americans are freedoms. I tell them, color cut. This shirt is a misunderstood thing. We are going to live by the Koran, and no one is applying the chronic law to America and Americans a man who believes in Islam. He lives by the Quran it's nothing like applying this man made Sharia law to everybody. You know people get often confused but when you when you bring it back home and since you we talked a little bit

The Bible. I mean, you have Sharia mentioned over 200 plus times in the Bible. I mean, prayer is *tier Of course, you know, it's charity, you know, the 10 commandments, right? That's the Sharia being beautiful to your parents, you know, how many of the people now nowadays have their kids cursing them out? Right? You know, if you follow the way of the Creator, right with the kids in the home, you this is addressing all of that, all those things, but many people they get, they get they get caught up with with the 2.1% or 2% with the the penal code. And we often give this example imagine if aliens came from outer space. And then he wanted to know about, you know, America and the

US Constitution and all we talked about was the electric chair. Right? The penal code. Yeah, yeah, we do justice. No, not at all. So people get lied to they create Islam and like this Boogeyman coming to get you and they misunderstand and yeah, they totally misunderstand. Many just deliberately get lied to, because the truth they get told is not the full truth. Yes. So you have you know, so much negative you know, Time magazine didn't did an article and over a span I'm not actually I believe coast is that over, I believe, 70,000 publications or more, were printed talking negatively negative propaganda about Islam. So now imagine today with all the Facebook and the

YouTube Oh, yes, all of the, you know, the misinformation, a lot of ignorance out there. But yeah, it's really a lot of ignorance. Sometimes they speak to some of my colleagues and friends of interfaith background, and they had made the deal a lot of ignorance people really don't know, they see what they just saw online, on social media, and that's why we as Muslims need to clarify these misunderstood areas and Missa misconcept from a very intellectual point of view, not from an ignorant point and create more confusion to the situation before we wrap up just because many people here and people respect when you tell the truth and obviously coming from genuine love and concern,

right? I mean, you get upset if Come on your neighbor neighbor told you you know, look, you're about to get a ticket and you knew that and you let them get a ticket so why don't you tell me man right? So that's a minor What about these major things when we talk about salvation we talk about you know, Hellfire paradise and all these things that are important we get that out of the room, elephant of the room and we move on to the commonalities. But now a lot of people they have misconception not this term when you hear interfaith so clarify froze, because now someone thinks like, Okay, are you talking about that we all come together from all different religions and we hold hands and sing

Kumbaya so and everything's good you know, we can do whatever we want mishmash is a buffet and don't mix it all up together. Or what do we mean when we say interfaith? Well, you know, again, if we look at the Quran, yeah. And, and basically, I tried to not be a person, you know, if you if you if you check me out, I try to not be a person of stories and fairy tales, and fake news. Put it like that. So I like to get evidence and backup from the Quran and the Sunnah.

And as we mentioned a little while ago,

Allah subhanho wa Taala says in Surah, Allah Brian chapter three verse 64. Kalia kita, to Allah, Allah Karim attain so I'm vain in Albania. Allah is telling us in the Quran to call the People of the Book and discuss areas of commonalities commonalities if Allah tells us Kalima the same area, the same talk the same word. See, if Allah tells us that we need to do that, then it's a command number one, to call people of different faiths to discuss areas of understanding and then yes, you explain to them your belief, your belief in God, how they believe how they don't Mashallah you believe that's what you believe for you is your belief for me is my belief, but at least we educate

them and that's a dour. Now, if we go into the Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him, the prophet peace be upon him then in his days when he used to get frustrated in the message and the people not getting the message, Allah subhanho wa Taala told him, your mission is to give the message Allah His mission is to give you diarrhea, so prophet of Allah, you cannot give he Daya. Allah gives guidance, your job is to give the message. So in Tao, and with interfaith people in the line of interfaith, let's stick to that. Yes, doesn't matter what fits people have, we need to bring them together. And as you rightly said, Taka for righteousness, the problems facing our children, woman, humanity,

society, things that are affecting people we could work together without I have to believe

in the way you believe in you believe in the way I believe, but we can do the areas of commonality that will benefit all of us. And if you look at the time of the Prophet peace be upon him now for those people who say don't work together and we do have that problem out there. A lot of our Muslims who are getting very extremist nowadays they're like, don't work with it, but the other people when we look at the history of

Prophet peace be upon him. And this is where, again, it's not my opinion. It's what we read in the life of the Prophet peace be upon him when he started preaching Islam and growing up in society and the community as what we have today and what caused it to happen like that, okay.

He established an organization called Hicksville football. Yes. What was that all about? It was an organization allowed only non Muslims, not only non Muslims, kafar people, hardcore disbelievers who never even believed in God.

And for the righteousness and the betterment of society. He worked with the people together and worked on areas to help people from being robbed, being killed, being mobbed, be murdered, all these different things. He worked together in a society to help the people that have the people and people of all different walks of life, all kinds of people Good, bad and ugly, as we would say. And he loved it. He loved it, working with them, to help other people. So why can't we do that? Yeah. Are we looking at the sooner that we enter a time like that, actually, when a very serious time, and we should work with people and they will not? It's not like they were all people of one faith?

Definitely. It was not. Yeah, this was known as a repeat this again, so called fool. Yeah, that organization that worked for the virtues and the benefits of helping the society against crime, criminals, teefin, Robin, you know, harms to different people. And then later on in life, the Prophet sallallahu Sallam mentioned again, how much he loved that organization? Yes. So we see it in his lifestyle where he did it for the society so that he did, why can we get faith leaders to work together? He worked people who did not even have a faith? Yeah, that's my evidence, and I will based on Quran and Sunnah. Last question. Before we cut out, is that so from a Muslim family, to almost

becoming a Christian pastor, and to coming back to Islam? What was it that brought you back to Islam?

You're familiar with the public Jamaat, right? Yes. You must be familiar. Yeah. So because my name was Muhammad, I still had the name Muhammad Shafi Muhammad. My mother name was canine canine. My father name was sheriff. My brother's name was Ricky, cc, we are very much very Christian eyes kind of thing. But because we had elastance, the surname Muhammad. So there was a group of South Africans who came to the Caribbean

around the year 1994 95, something like that. And they would go to homes of Muslim homes, that someone directed him to home. And that's how they ran into me. And they're like, oh, but you're a Muslim for Muslim family, and they got me to go with them and sit and eat nothing about mosque, nothing about nama, pray Our Salah, eat some mangoes, I still remember that. It's a mangoes had a nice conversation with about five or seven South Africans. So I thought it was a little retreat, it was a little camp. And I started hanging out with them hanging out with them. And as a teenager, that was kind of exciting. It was interesting. And that was also a strategy I learned and how you

can win the hearts of people and they really want my hearts, how they were so loving, and so kind, you know, they were people, different people I seem to bleak nowadays. Nowadays, the people I seem doubly good. Some of them, some of them, if you're not in public, you're not one of them. These people know that I will not even in mustard. I want to practice in Islam and the kind of love they showed to me, and the caring and the love. It was phenomenal. You know, they sponsored me to go with them. And in my mind, it's a camp, it's a retreat. So I went around and hung out with them. And they were the people really, who told me whenever you decide

to think about Islam, will sponsor you to go and study Islam. And they did I got sponsored from South Africa. When I finished college. Allah gave me that he died and guidance that they will write me every month, every month. Are you ready? Are you ready? You're ready. So I'll use this group of South Africans

to write to me on a regular basis to keep me going that whenever I write in later on, a lot, give me an I like that, that that that theme that you have purpose of life. And that's I mean, I must say it's a pleasure to be with you on your deen show, brother Eddie. It's really nice to be with you on the purpose of life. And as Allah gave me the hit die, I started realizing what is the purpose of life. And I was I will get in this call from there, ready to sponsor me everything for Islam to go to cut the university in India, study Islam and everything. And then one day I just started getting frustrated. Bottom line, the worldly life here.

will be totally frustrated. Everyone will just frustrating me in how my believe because I started practicing Islam. Why are you practicing? Are you becoming a Swami? Are you becoming a Blackmagic? Guy? What are you doing, why your life has changed. So from this Christian lifestyle to this, from this modern lifestyle to this sort of Islamic lifestyle, and that started frustrating me. And on the other hand, I will get in this call from those Muslim brothers in South Africa who were just willing and willingly say, whenever you're ready, we sponsor everything for you to go and study and boom, one day I said, Let's let it happen. Oh, it's a whole long story. I had a whole nine yards. My

parents didn't want it. My relatives didn't want it. They were like you wasted your own college life. You wasted time, what are you getting into because remember, they will not practice in Islam. But Alhamdulillah Allah made it happen. And I got that scholarship from South Africa to go and study Islam. That's what happened. hamdulillah and he came back to the true purpose of life was the creator, not the creation to the way of Jesus Moses, Abraham and all the messengers including Mohammed just being the last and final message of peace be upon him and inshallah maybe on our next hookup can be you guys. got me thinking since you're from Trinidad? Yes. From the island of

Trinidad, and maybe inshallah we'll hook up again. there sometime in the future. Of course, some radar use people have been mentioned to me before and now I'm meeting some people from Trinidad long as you made the intention. We're gonna let it happen. But it must be awful because you know, Trinidad is like the leading island of Islam in the Caribbean when I mean and activities. You got a lot of big Islamic centers in the Caribbean, when it comes to population and activities and dynamism. Trinidad is it you'll feel at home in Trinidad, you feel like you're in the West, but in an Islamic atmosphere. Beautiful. Thank you. Thank you guys for tuning in. Go ahead and leave all

the gems of wisdom you picked up from here and your experience with this interview. Thank you so much for tuning in hope insha Allah has been a benefit continue to tune in subscribe if you haven't already. We'll see you next time. Peace be with you as salaam alaikum Alaikum wa Salaam wa rahmatullah. Thank you very much, but a pleasure to be with you on the deen show. 100 law. Thank you.