WAYOFLIFESQ on The State of Dawah, Personal Growth & Muslim Youth Today

We don't have enough loyalty to each other. And that's the thing that I've, you know, come around to like in the last year I've thought about this a lot is like what would the proper amount of sincerity and loyalty look like? If you have if I'm loyal to you, you're loyal to me because we're black. We're brothers. We're Muslims. People don't realize that these refutation videos do more harm than they do good. The mission of Islam is to spread the Deena to toe hate and the Oneness of Allah subhanho wa taala. This idea of validation and this idea of acceptance is it's throughout its human nature, you know, to have this shout out to Sajid lifetime right? I think that's

right now we were both in Medina together. You may love this as well, because it was actually a turning point in my life. This other guy shows he's a very convincing father. Anyone knows that. He's very convincing, right? You have to call people to Islam and not yourself. copy copy, copy. Yeah, email, Tom. So like, revert? Yes. Hamdulillah 2010. Wow. Mashallah, watercolor. Yeah, how about you? What year? Um, I would say 2011 Okay. 2011 very close. A little older than me. Yeah. 34 Yeah. 34 and have the law. Yeah. Alhamdulillah. I think, um, I think, you know, these things in our lives have to happen for us to really discover what the truth is, you understand what I'm saying?

And just some people learn differently. Like, I'm a school teacher. Yeah. And I realized and obviously, duh, right? Everyone learns differently, right? But now, ALLAH SubhanA, Allah has created every human different, like, obviously, we have the similar needs that we all have, how Allah has created us, but all of our personalities are a little different. And Allah subhana, Allah knows what it's going to take for that servant, not anyone, but that servant to be guided to the straight path and, you know, whatever difficulties challenges and everything that comes about, that's all from Allah subhanho wa taala, so that you can come to that course, that he wants you on me. And, you

know, it's unfortunate that sometimes you have to go through it, but at the same time, Al Hamdulillah, because without that course, exactly. It's like your own personally tailored programs. Yes. And everyone's got a price to pay.

And that's just, that's just what it is, you know, and, you know, now in retrospect, we start thinking about our lives and how we could have done things differently, you know, without, without, obviously, obviously, we acknowledge the pleasure of Allah. But somehow, you know, you still think about if you could have done it differently, of course, you know, but this is just, it does, no, even if one slight thing was changed, the you know, the story in the thing that Allah sponsor was trying to preserve doesn't happen. One thing, one tiny piece of things changes So alhamdulillah at all levels, Mashallah. I know, it's crazy, because, you know, when I went to college, you know,

before I was a Muslim, I was really into music, like deep. And just I started getting interested, like politics and history and stuff like that. So actually, when it came time to go to college, I have applied to music schools, and I have applied to like other schools, and I was like, leaving it to the last second to decide like, which way I was gonna go procrastination or just just I wasn't sure, yeah. And I just like, you know, just kind of hedging my bets sort of thing. And then for whatever reason, at the last, you know, I got like very political once like 911 happened and all of a sort of like, you know, invasion of Iraq, stuff like that. And so at the last minute, basically

like the last possible minute to decide to decide to go like the the political route and stuff like that, and I left music behind. And that actually is what ended up exposing me to a slam suhara Like when I went to college and started studying stuff, and I ran into Muslims and like, and it was like the start of a long road that led me to Islam. And so I always think like, just exactly what you said. I went to music school I went to Curtis Horton once all these other places, like, what would have been the path would I ever have even been exposed? So let me ask you this. Okay, so So whenever someone speaks to me like this, you know, I mean, I would consider myself right more than anything

Alhamdulillah yourself to we're all dies, right? We all give Dawa to whatever a billion I would say that there's a die in everyone. That's what I tried to

do. You literally have no business in this country. Unless you're giving Dawa. And I know that sounds kind of weird. Sometimes. Some people might not understand. And if you look at the lives of the Prophet Muhammad SAW signs and his companions, right? Like, why would you ever want to leave Mecca? Like, take about 100,000 rewards, bro for a prayer yet? The act of Dawa and the call to Islam is more significant than you just sitting in that one position just praying all day long in the Kaaba in the hum you know, I mean, so like leaving these areas to go spread Islam that reward is just crazy. So I believe personally that there's a die in everyone like if you're in this country

right now like you like you did not your parents and I come over here so they could just work a job and get you in school or whatever, like you just do all those things, but also spread the deen. That's what you have to do. So I like I said, I definitely believe there's a DI a in everyone, and it's just our job to help unlock it, you know? But what you're saying is amazing because even though you know you're

Die and you're an Imam and hamdulillah there's also an artistic end to you. So did you not consider like maybe, in your raps, being political, like, for example, like the Lupe Fiasco and all that? Did you not try to do it that way? Where were you thinking? Well, that's the thing. And that's actually something that I asked a lot of people and I'll probably ask you at some point as well is that I find it amazing how Allah uses our pre Islamic life. Yes. In the creative and new ways. After we accept Islam. Yes, it's crazy. Yeah. So like, if you look at, you know, my, my sort of musical ability, and my musical experience was really key to me learning Arabic. So how many because I was,

you know, I did like multiple different genres. Like I was like a classically trained vocalist, like I've had a repertoire,

opera and stuff like that. So no, serious. So it's like, well, yeah, so I had like, you know, songs in Italian and French and German, like stuff. I know these languages, but I could sing and I had like, whatever you got, oh, yeah. Oh, my God. Wow. So that's that. And then I was in rock bands. And I was all up and down jazz like I did. Everything, you know, used to play some some plays, some spots and Philly.

But yeah, so when so when it came time to learning that language and learning the Koran. It was just made easy for me. Like Like, like, across the nation, and even some people and I hate to I hate to praise myself, but people even in my community, like, like, you don't have an accent, like when you speak Arabic, just like just because I was used to speaking in different languages, singing in different languages, things like that, you know, and obviously, there's a musicality to the Koran and reciting the Quran. That just is like that rich holy, that just like grabbed me and like, drugged me in so easy. So it kind of like it used those skills that I had, but in a new, different

and productive way. That's so it's so crazy. You mentioned that right? I was actually talking to my wife about this a few days ago. And I was just like, Baby, like, Isn't it amazing how Allah subhanaw taala has used all of our previous skills. And he used it for the deen because prior to like Islam and everything like that, I was really into filmmaking and just how things work in editing and learning how to do these things. It was at a very shallow level, but I was still working on it for a good two years or so like that. So Subhanallah when it came time to like later on in life, when he got reintroduced into my life, and had to go back to like the final cut, and go back to filmmaking

and all that stuff. When I was just like recording everything by myself.

Though it was still difficult, I still had a better start than the person started from nothing from zero. And it's so interesting that Allah so look at Allah's mercy, right, that he can use something negative that you were doing, or something like that could seem not positive or something. Yeah, and just convert that to act of worship, were now an old skill of mine that maybe I was making music videos with. That's what I was doing. I was making like music videos for people for free, just so in exchange for me to practice my skill of editing and stuff like that. And I lost my talents, flip that to where I can use those editing skills to make Islamic content instead. So Allah subhanaw

taala is the Most Merciful. I think about it, like, you know, we have like these tattoos and the sins and stuff like that. It could go from something being the worst to something that can earn me a reward by talking about it and calling people away from a sin and to the right path. So it's just amazing how long I've got I've got ink as well. And you know, it's like when when somebody sees that and they see a Khufu they're like, wait a second, you know, it almost starts a conversation 1,000% That's also why I never changed my name. In addition to being like my father's name, we have the same name. But it's like somebody sees a Muslim and a practicing Muslim name is Tom. Yeah, what it's

almost people can't resist asking, they have to ask about it. As it messes with the category. No, it does it because we have. So you know what it is, man? I've always found this. And you could definitely tell me if this is similar to your experience, you know, like, especially in the beginning of social media. One thing that for me, personally, I've never passed the eye test, right? Like I've never passed the eye test of someone who looks the part speaks the part walks the part, you know, like, even as a school teacher, right? When someone looks at me, I don't dress like the specific teacher. I don't speak to the kids as the traditional speaker does. And even when it comes

to like the Islamic content, I don't do things traditional, where traditional things are happening, you know, and I've just never passed the eye test. So when someone speaks to me for say, when they just judge you based upon the just the look of it, right? They're like, what does this guy have to really offer? You get what I'm saying? But then hamdulillah Allah subhanho wa Taala put something where he increases the word that he has the love between the two hearts. And then when you give a person a chance you listen to the guy. He's actually talking some sense right now. And I'm gravitating towards what he's saying, without knowing that I'm enjoying what he's saying. So I've

never passed the eye test. And I think one of my biggest mistakes and I think that people watching this thing at home, you know, sometimes we change just so that people can acknowledge us. Oh,

or give us arms or flowers or, like there was a time bro, where I literally, I did everything in my power to look the part just so people can acknowledge me as some Islamic speaker or something like that, like I was literally behaving this way. And I just had this existential crisis like hey, no, this is not who you are, bro. You are who you are. Allah subhanaw taala has made you this way he's given you your gifts, he's given you your virtues act on those virtues. You don't have to switch yourself up to be accepted by others. And imagine the reality that I'm earning, thinking, imagine if you don't have any self awareness and Allah doesn't educate you that you just think that all of a

sudden, I'm wearing like a Bish, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's you, yeah, if that's you, but all of a sudden, we're on the beach and I'm wearing the thing. I'm thinking of Mufti makeovers, and I'm wearing the thing, and you know, it's out of love, but part of me is also trying to be taken more seriously. Yeah, you know, and I don't think people were taking me seriously and I did everything I could so people could take me seriously. Instead of thinking about my intentions thinking about why am I actually doing this? And once you put that aside, and you really find yourself and you center yourself and you connect with Allah subhanaw taala you realize that look, I

am who I am Allah so I tell you made me this way. You know, use me to serve the deen however you use me and let me not to change for the worst or Yeah, definitely. No, I agree. 100% and the proofs in the pudding of the other day. You know, I find it really interesting that if you go back into the history, you know, the early Muslims, that's how they were viewed by other people. They were like the Hicks and hillbillies when they rolled up into Persia, right in Persia had this like 1000s of years long civilization. They had like the high cushions and the fancy everything or whatever. There's like the seriously like, you read the stories. It'll make you laugh. Here comes this like

Bedouin guy. He's like, What the heck is this guy doing here? And he's got, you know, just like, he owns like one pair of clothes. Yeah. And he's like, dirty from and he drags actually, it's funny. This like literally happened when they went to make war with with the Persians. And he's got his, you know, Persian rugs are like the big thing. They always were the big thing. Yeah. So imagine it's like hand woven Persian rug, and the king sitting there on his throne and stuff like that all of his tenants around him. Dude comes in, you know, Muslim guy, he's about to give them the ultimatum. Basically, it's like, yo, it's like, you gotta come with come right, or we're gonna go to war. And

he drags his spear on the ground. He cuts up the Persian rug, when he's when he's dragging on the ground. Everyone's just looking at him, like, What's this guy doing? But the thing was, he was clear 100% That's who he was. And he's calling to Tao here. And he says, Listen, there's only one God, you can be with us. Or you can pay us the jizya. Or we can we can throw down if you want to. Yeah, you know, and that's like, I think that's a model of what you're saying is that Yeah, nobody, we're not some sort of cookie cutter, you know, like development in the suburbs, where every house is the same or whatever, or you gotta okay, I've got to talk about Assam so I got to wear the white though and I

got to put the pennant I think that's sometimes that gets pushed. I think also it does get pushed, and it doesn't allow people from like, from my area, like you got to remember something everyone's raised differently. Everyone comes from different areas. There's not many people who look like me who can come into even though you might be laser brown guy with whatever the case may be. That's not the case. You know, like I'm literally from like from the hood you know, I'm from the Ghetto I'm from the streets I'm from the I'm a product of public education. I'm a product of being raised by a single parent there's not many people who look like me have my similar story that can feel like I

can make it out tunes and understand and when when we're saying like passing the eye test and talking about that companion who's coming over there to literally you know, Allah subhanaw taala has given such power to him that one man coming out is taken out a whole like military a whole army a whole nation you know, it just shows you that there needs to be multiple representation there needs to be people like when you said that you didn't change the name that's such a cool idea because a kid thinks that only an Arab could be a Muslim you know go stereotype only you got to be an Arab to be Muslim. You got to look like this to be a Muslim and speak like this change your name to this and

there's so much so many points of entry. Like there's so many entry points like so many gatekeepers for you to become a Muslim when we're making it difficult on pomp yeah it's easier than you think you're right and no no shade of people who change that because some people change their names because they want to turn a new leaf

but what we're saying is that you shouldn't feel compelled to you don't have to fit this mold of like some like perfect idealistic Muslim that people want to put you in though box because like you're saying like I forget the word you use but you can build up like a resentment you know what I mean? It's like if you're trying to be somebody who you're not you're trying to speak in a certain way and you start throwing Yanni and everything Yeah, so

that's a real thing. Yeah, that's me and some of the guys you know, I don't know if you I learned that you were accepted to Islamic University of Medina University. Yeah, I know. It's shocking to many people watching out there. I was accepted.

They're stuck by way and no, but it's interesting. I Subhanallah I was actually thinking about this a few days ago. It's so funny, you mentioned that. But yes, I was accepted Hamdulillah. But By Allah's grace, he had a different route for me. And this was around the time, it's so crazy, you said that this was around the time where I thought that for me to be accepted in the mainstream, or by my local or by my whoever, that I needed some type of credit and credentials, and you know, like some type of degree or some don't get me wrong, having those things go into study and do that. Like, obviously, there's some people that Allah Smith has opened their heart to study in Medina, or in

Egypt or wherever to do that, right. I've never been a person for the school, just because it's never, they've never taught the way I learned, if that makes sense, right? Like, I learned differently. And they've never taught me in a way they learned. They never even knew that there's other ways to learn. Yeah, so school just was never for me, because I was going through a lot during those times. But the main thing was that my intentions, like imagine me earning a degree, right? Doing all these things. And but the intention inside was always for something else. We're trying to please people at the end of the day, I mean, I was like, really were more concerned about the

acceptance of other people. Yeah, and the quality and the substance of our data. Yeah. And that's our main point here that I think we were trying to say is that the proofs in the pudding, right? Like we're talking about substance rather than form, you know, dress it up however you want. The important thing is that you're sincere. And no one's doing anything haram. Like it's just about this is the big, the big umbrella. Yes, the big umbrella of what Islam allows if we talk because the Muslim community sometimes makes me laugh, because we talk a good game, when it comes to like, you know, there's culture, cultures, diversity, and every different college like, Yeah, someone comes up

with tats in the mess. Yeah. And you're like, Whoa, you all stared at that guy or whatever. And you said, Imam, you said that, bro, it's so crazy. You say that? Because like, if you really want to test how serious the Muslims are, right? Like, have your have someone from a different culture try to come in marry your daughter, right? I imagine someone's a little bit more darker than you try. You get what I'm saying. You really want to put this in a test, like have one of these things who really show people how you really are. And when Allah He like, our religion doesn't promote that yet. Unfortunately, we're still stuck to those things. And, you know, we, a lot of times people

don't pass the eye test. And I think that that's what's stopping a lot of people. And you know, some people will misquote the the narration of urban Hatha bruh de la. And when he talks about, you know, we judge from the appearance right, from the appearance right from the appearance, but notice he's saying the apparent, not the appearance, those are two different things, appearance from what you can see, and you're making a whole conclusion based upon it. That's different. But most of the times we're judging based upon the appearance, that that's the deciding factor of If I agree with them, or if I don't agree with them, you know, yeah, so but when when Omaha brother in law is talking about

that, he's talking about a more holistic type of approach when it comes to the apparent that, okay, he's doing this, but I also know he's like this, but I do know, his family, his family's like this. He comes from a good family. I've had private conversations that he's not like that, perhaps maybe I'm misunderstanding what he's saying. Notice the amount of high level thinking that you have to do and you're not just going for the low level fruit, you are, you're not, you're actually making excuses for them, you're actually thinking better of them, you get what I'm saying. So if you're, if you're catching yourself,

it's easier to just pass a judgment on someone. It's just so much easier. We don't have enough loyalty to each other. And that's the thing that I've, you know, come around to like, in the last year, I've thought about this a lot is like, what would the proper amount of sincerity and loyalty look like? If you have if I'm loyal to you, you're loyal to me. Because we're black. We're brothers. We're Muslims. Right? It's exactly like you said, right? If I don't have enough sincerity in my heart, I'm not gonna have enough loyalty towards you. So if I see you even seem to do something out alive, here comes a reputation. Here comes, you know, I'm gonna make a React video and whatever the

other it should be.

I shouldn't be making an excuse for your brother. Say that, you know, maybe it's this, maybe it's this, this doesn't mean that you don't talk to them private, right? Because it's out of love that you came to them. I said, and like hey, listen, like what's going on? Like you said that. Let me just get clarification. What did you mean that exact you know, because, like you and I both know that that's not the case, bro. It's crazy, man. It's like some of the things because you know, I started working for Yaqeen Institute and I've seen people you know, a lot of people like question like, like, why would I do that? I don't want to turn this. I don't want to turn us into that. But

But what it showed me that there were people who have my phone number who knew me who could have reached out to me Yeah, who were following things and drawing conclusions in their head. And they never ever ever said anything to me like one on one. But then it comes out in a group chat or it comes out on something putting the almost fun put me on the and then the whole thing it's like somebody like open up the damn

You know, it's like when the whole thing comes out. So you see that what they've been carrying with them this whole time as an American Islam. He was like, bro, you had my number man. Yeah.

You like the first time you had a doubt or you had it like you're questioning like, why am I doing this? What are my intentions? What am I reasoning? You have? Like, it's not like some rando person. Yes. Like, like pure line number. Yes, it's like you could uh I don't know what's so interesting you ma'am that you say that it's so it's so interesting you say that because it's just so much more fun to start gossiping without drama, it's just so much fun to get a click Beatty title, it's so much fun to have a click Beatty type of like thumbnail look, I've done it. I know what I'm talking about over here, guys. Like please, like I don't want to be so guy, thank you like, Oh, he's just trying

to call trust me when I was in my stage of YouTube, which I'm not in anymore. And hamdulillah when I was in my stage of YouTube, I thought to get the most amount of attention, you had to do this, this, this, this this. And sometimes it didn't align with my own beliefs and values. It went against how i i actually am. And it wasn't until a lot of soul searching a lot of fixing a lot of tarbiyah within myself, you know, a lot of fixing of my heart because we're actually talking about diseases of the heart if we're being honest, right? If we boil down our whole conversation, bro, of judgment of types of, you know, false behavior and acting a different way than you actually are, this is all

part of a disease of the heart if we're being honest here, right? And I'm not afraid to admit that I have had a disease and I probably still do well, we all do. Right and and our job is to perform the test kiya just the purification heart as much as we can and becoming self aware. You know, I was talking to someone about this and I asked them, you know, like, you know, like, if suppose your your shirt got dirty, you know, like, if you hurt your shirt, something some garment got dirty, your sneakers, something got dirty, right? Like, it was a small amount, like, what's the first process? There was a you got to go wash it, then. Okay, good. What else do you Oh, you got it, like, you

know, you know, like, put some of the detergent on it. You know, the thing is that, you know, we're trying to clean it up. I said, Yeah, but that's not the first step. The first step is to recognize that it's actually dirty. Yeah, you know, I'm saying you have to first realize that there's something of dirt that's there. Once you acknowledge that it is dirty, it is not clean, it is not in your imagination. You try to not it's good, it's good. It's good.

It's not, it's you have to acknowledge that it's wrong, it's dirty, it's needs to be clean. And then you're able to identify the problem. Once it's there, that inshallah to Allah, you're able to clean the situation up. But unfortunately, you know, look, the shaitan wants to drag us to the Hellfire we know, it's it's a it's a common plot. His plan is so laid out in front of us yet we're falling into a trap every time every time including myself, you know, you know, the Prophet Muhammad SAW some said to protect certain things. And if you protected these parts of your body, you're guaranteed paradise, right? So, you know, he promised that if you protect what's in between your jobs, your

promised paradise, isn't it in shaytans best interest to attack that so that you're not earning paradise, right? Isn't it in his best interest to set up these group chats to set up these backbiting conversations? These group meetups? Are you backed by these common sections that are backed by and I mean, forget about the videos, bro. Look at the comments section. It's so toxic and detrimental. And the person whose YouTube channel it is they're not even being an admin on it. They're just letting people go crazy in the comment section. Not once is the person who owns the video comment in saying hey, listen to me. Fear Allah. Don't speak about your brother. This one.

Yeah, they're encouraging it but they're silent. And what's gonna happen on Day of Judgment, obviously, we need to hold we talked about fetco. We talked about like, applied fifth and like worth noting, like, somebody has a YouTube channel, and you got comments on your YouTube channel. And I've managed you've seen stuff. I've seen stuff as Oh, yeah, that's like the least of it. You know what I mean? It's like sometimes you get threats. Sometimes you get like really filthy snacks. And it's like, does that person who runs that channel have any responsibility? Are they going to see that on day of judgment? Of course, that responsibility, need to add minute or they need to hire an admin or

get a volunteer to add minute, but if you start getting comments, were like, let's suppose and see, these people don't realize that these refutation videos do more harm than they do good. They do more harm than they do good one and weakens the image of Islam to the public. Like it shows that we're so busy fighting amongst each other, that we don't have time to really talk about those enemies, right? Like think about it. If you look at the LGBTQ right all of them have their own motives yet they've all for the sake of their argument come together you wouldn't know that you wouldn't know unless you paid a real close attention that there actually be fun in between them in between them. They don't

get me wrong when it comes to the public face. They put up a united foul United when it comes to us you search a slap on YouTube. Yeah, and the first thing

it's hit the Creator strings with another person's face over there, and it looks like something else.

have, you know, you know this finger? It's just so interesting that that's the route that we've taken. But look, respectfully speaking, I've been there, I've done that I've made videos like that in the Paris center one or two videos like that, in the past, I've been on the receiving end of those videos on the delivering any of those videos. And I'm here to let you know, with the small amount of benefit that does have, look, if someone does say something publicly, that's wrong, right? You show your first effort is with the manners and the HELOC of a Muslim to find a way to address it, right? That's private or whatever. Because perhaps you don't know this. Perhaps let's suppose

you said unless it was I say something right? And I said it. And it was wrong, right? Like if it's something that was haram that was said that was there, or maybe it was something that was ambiguous or something like that, right? You could go about it a few ways, right? You could like say, Hey, listen, you have my number, right? Brother, as you've heard has my number. This Hey, bro, listen, do you have a minute there? Can we have like five minutes? Can we talk about something like this? Right? If I'm thinking there's no problem, I should agree to it. Like, what's the problem? What's the issue? And you talk to me five minutes, and then the five minutes becomes 15 minutes or 20

minutes, and then you're coming? This is the thing, you got to come from a place of love, right? You got to come and talk to me from a place of love. Not a place that's a cry for help, or a cry for help, bro, how could you do that? It's filled with so much judgment. It's filled with so much preconceived notion of I know exactly what you were trying to say. I know your stance, I know what you're feeling. I know exactly what was happening on the day that you filmed that, without you even knowing that maybe something happened to me before I filmed that, which affects the entire energy of my whole conversation. Maybe it came out wrong, what happened to assuming the best of your brother.

Now, right?

You're on the payroll of the Feds and you're trying to water down

your plant here, you know, you're someone with the FBI. Like come on, bro, like assume the best in your brother first, right? Talk to him try to call them out a little bit. But it's just easier and more fun and more cloudy and more exciting to make a video about you instead of actually trying to reach out to you in the DMS. But some of my saying they're too big of a personality, or they're too big. That's true, haven't tried. And you know, someone knows someone, it's a small world, okay, someone knows someone, like you might not have direct access to me. But you might know someone who does do some research. But it's just easier to just make a video about someone or to just call them

out in a rough and rude manner. And people who are doing that, then they start calling each other out in those manners. And there's a ceiling and a cap to that type of Dawa. Yeah, not only is it hurting the image of a smile, it's hurting your own brand. If you're even thinking that far, like it's hurting your own brand, right? It's not. And you might think that you're doing the haka, and this and that, there's no such thing, right, you're patting yourself on the back, and your big, you know, big bad line defending Islam. And really, you're just tearing everybody else down, you know, and it's like, it's like you said, you know, it's like, there's gotta be protocol. And you I

believe, I firmly believe that you have to demonstrate your loyalty. You know, it's like, if if somebody goes astray, it says more about you and how you handle it. Yeah, than it does about the person and how they messed up. Sure. You know, it's like, if you're truly loyal, we talk brotherhood, we talk about, you know, a believer doesn't fully believe until he loves his brother way loves herself, you gotta maximize the chance that the person is going to turn back. Right? So it's like, if you're, if you're the shepherd of the flock, you got a bunch of sheep, you got one sheep that goes astray. You don't just like take out your gun and like, know,

you try to guide it back. It's like you got and you got to take every single sort of reasonable measure, yes, that is going to increase the likelihood that you're gonna get it back. Yes. And that was like, Look, I can understand if you've tried to contact me, you've tried to do every single thing. You've tried to do all these things like this, right?

You know, and a person might say that, hey, listen, they made a public comment. So I have to publicly refute them and all that stuff. That's not necessarily the case. Right? And look, there's people out there who know more Fick than me who have more scholarly knowledge than I do. I don't look, I don't claim to be anyone. You know, I've I've left that image and that desire to be accepted a long time ago. And By Allah's grace, I think that's the reason the Dow has expanded and I've seen so much growth, because I've stopped caring about what people might think about me, and I'm focused on the mission of Islam. The mission of Islam is to spread the Deena to toe hate and the Oneness of

Allah subhanho wa taala. And recognizing that you're not my opposition, you're not on the same same thing. Different flavors actually have different flavors. Now don't get me wrong. If you're doing something wrong, it should be addressed don't get me wrong, like I want to make that clear because someone might in the comment section below was doing you know, our job is to

evil we see we see the opposite. Unfortunately, sometimes people papered over stuff or they look the other way when somebody should have been checked. You know, and we've seen some stuff unfold. It's like, Man, I really wish they should have been checked a long time ago. Exactly. You know, it's like so 100% with that and but also also you got

You got to remember something. Let's suppose I say something back from 2015. Right? I made a video 2015 Okay, there's a few factors. That's mistakes about that video. One my knowledge, I might not have had the knowledge, right? Number two, let's suppose from 2015 to now 2023 pro 2015

mod Allah, right? If you want to dig up an old video of mine,

you're gonna find some mistakes. I want to I want to invite people dig it, you're gonna say es que said what first step has to be does this person still believe that? Yeah, that's a good point. How many people have you ever seen ask that question? Yeah. Are you still upon that belief? Have you had no way bro? I've been changed that, but there's so many videos out. Look, the internet is a living place. You know, you could go about the route of going through everything, checking it, deleting it deleting, deleting, and deleting and deleting it. And you know, like, if there is something really harmful to the Ummah it should be deleted, right? You should go back and scrub through your

thoughts. If you did support something haram, if you did do something wrong, you should scrub you should delete or whatever the case might be. I found in my personal in my own personal life and the Dawa, that we're doing when there's something wrong, Allah subhanaw taala has put something in our heart that we sort of kind of know that this ancient like, you know, there's something in it. And let's suppose you find out later on, it is your responsibility, your moral responsibility that you're going to be questioned the day of judgment to be accountable for that which you are posting or putting up. Does that make sense? Like, you want to be accountable for that. So if I've said

something that was in favor of something or done something haram or I should acknowledge that and I found in my opinion, I found that the more you acknowledge your mistakes, the more love and respect people have for you. It's true. That's the craziest thing. And I want to try to I've always had this idea of trying to recommend that brothers team up and do things collectively rather than just individually. Because most people not everybody, but most people when you are your brand, you know what I mean? Now there's a conflict of interest. Yeah. Now you don't want to say you're sorry. Now you don't want to admit you are wrong, because why you feel like it's going to hurt your brand.

Well, even though you're right, Why won't people realize this guy's genuine I like it, look at how humble he is like whatever. But because it's like my name that's why we always wanted to make a YouTube commercial. We want to make an email I'm Tom like whatever channel because like, if I make a mistake, it's not about me it's about something bigger than me. So your apology needs to come because you represent a community a masjid something bigger it's not just you and forget all this man forget Utica mache forget Imam Tom forget SQ forget way of life, fescue, forget all that. What is the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammed salah, forget all of us. You see, the Prophet Muhammad SAW

some at the time of the battle right when there was a companion who stomach was out. Right? And the Prophet Muhammad SAW some tap to stomach to suck it in, put your chest out, you know, I mean, and he found this as an opportunity to tell the prophet muhammad shah said that you hurt my feelings by doing that. Right? He immediately he didn't hold a grudge. Let's first break this down a little bit. Right? He didn't hold a grudge. He didn't say that. This is going to be an opportunity. I'm a holdest I'm a heartless shaytaan the worst wasum che don't get me speak to

me about

the Messenger of Allah. He's not going to get through my feelings, right? That's messed up. Now I'm holding a grudge. Now. He calls me and I'm just uh huh. Yeah, I'm just listening to my heart. Yeah, haha. This is how we are now. Right? They were feeling a certain way and our heart will still do what you asked me to do, but in my heart, I'm still hanging on you. And then when we're standing alone, and we're in the elevator or something. Someone's like it will happen. You me with the stomach, bro. Like, what was he thinking bro? Like, we're doing that bro. Like, I've done this for him. I've done this for him. I've done this for him. Anytime he asked for money. I give the money

and since one time bro, my stomach's out. He wants to do all that stuff. That's messed up. That's how it happens. In today's society, that's what happens right? Bro. Immediately done in there. He felt a certain way. And Allah says I knew his intention best right? And this was a teachable moment for all of us. He immediately said O Messenger of Allah like to hurt me like when you did that, to me that hurt my feelings or whatever the case might be. And immediately the Messenger of Allah saw some let's get his own shirt up. Subhanallah he lifted his own shirt up. And just asking him

I acknowledge my mistake, right? I acknowledge whatever happened. You do it to me now that he kissed his stomach some Aloha names send them right. You notice this in the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW send them in even when ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala is correcting him with the blind man when he he found from the bar, even though it wasn't a big deal, but in the sight of Allah subhanaw taala it was a teachable moment. The problem is we've all we all think we're perfect. We all think that you know our issues don't stink. We all think that we are in fact infallible from making mistakes. I see you're a human being or we're afraid or we're afraid that if people find out that we're not all the

followers are gonna

I've found people are more related to you when you do mess up. You're right

When you when you when you are him, you show them, you're human by you messing up and you take this as an opportunity to humble yourself and learn the Sunnah is to humble yourself and learn so, so I'm pretty sure if someone wants to find the bat and what we're seeing right now they can Oh, yeah, you know, they can. Look, we've made some of the most positive videos out there. But people do, they will still get 2000 dislikes, right in a ratio of 250,000 thumbs ups, for example, right? Because there will still be people who don't like what you're doing, right? Like, think about the message of Islam forget us. Let's go back to the actual teachings right of the Sunnah and so on, bro. How could

you hit the message of Islam? Yet? People did right? How could you hit the best of creation to ever walk this earth? SallAllahu yet they did. Yeah, right. So who are you in? I write for you and I he was criticized, he was critiqued. He was always slandered. He was always gossiped against who are you? And I? In fact, that is the Sunnah. Yeah, exactly right. So you are not like you are not immune to the drama, you're not immune to that. And I don't know, that just seems a very in line with the center. What you got to make sure is that you have to be able to put your head on the pillow at night and go to sleep. And you have to really ask yourself, did I harm someone today? Did I hurt

someone today? Did I? You know, do my best? Did I show the clock of a Muslim today? Did I you know, and really question yourself before going to bed? Did you forgive your brothers? Just think about it. If you're trying to dig up stuff on me. If you're trying to make videos about me, have you went to sleep the night before it forgiven your brother? Have you? You probably haven't. That's why when the Prophet Muhammad SAW some saw the companion in his vision right in the Revelation and he saw that he was amongst Jana. Yeah. And when the companions went to observe his lifestyle, like we don't see anything like what's like, what's he doing? I'm sorry, if you're making videos about someone if

you're holding grudges in your heart before going back. Matter of fact, you're probably getting your best ideas when you sleep it and you got it? Oh, sure, I gotta write this. You can't sleep because you're thinking of all these ideas that are coming to your head of what you could say about this brother. Yeah, you're not following the sun. That's the truth, you know? But, you know, teaches Oh, it is what it is.

I don't I don't like it. It's not a good way to see the Dawa. But I'm telling you right now, this will bring only short term success. You know, I've been on the and forgive me for being so long winded or just speaking so much. If you guys are listening at home, forgive me, you know, I don't mean to like just talk, but Alhamdulillah like just these past almost 10 years of like, just Islam versus social media, right? Like, Allah subhanaw taala has allowed me to mature and gain more experience and stuff like that, you know,

this, this type of attention affected me as a 30 year old, right? I try to think about those young in Muslims who don't have the tibia, who don't have Islamic friends who don't have an Islamic lifestyle environment. You're at 19 fusi to 20 fusi tube and all of a sudden you get all this attention and haram coming your way. You don't know how to navigate it. You know, as a 30 year old I struggled with it in the halal right. And imagine getting that attention in the Haram it could be so detrimental to you yet we're so quick to you know, judge his lifestyle but where's his Islamic friends? Where's the tarbiyah there's no one there they he has no friends what do you expect is

going to happen when you receive that type of attention from something like that the reason I'm sharing this is because one of my first YouTube videos everyone is trying to grow on YouTube and all the social media pastoralists please cut out the the nonsense of No, no, no, I'm not trying to Why are you doing this? Like obviously you want to make the best thumbnails possible. The best titles possible, the best content possible the quality needs to be highest up there? Because you want to give beneficial Dawa to everyone hopefully, right? So everyone is trying to grow their platforms and grow their influence everyone is trying to regardless of what people say, Oh, okay, no, I'm not Ah,

you are look there is there is a type of axon and doing this. I think you're using these cameras mashallah botica This is axon doing something for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala in the most purest way possible. When I showed her the other one who had who had a poor beggar come to her house for some some money when she gave the dinar, when she was given the coin. She didn't just give him the coin. She said hold on a second, she went and polished it,

put some water on it, and then gave it to him. When she was asked why she said it's not his hands, I'm giving them giving in the hands of Allah subhanho wa taala. You know, when we start thinking about content and stuff like that, we shouldn't be producing the highest level quality content, things highest level quality podcasts, we should, because that's Ehsaan the listeners are we're giving this in the hands of Allah subhanaw taala that's the reason we should be doing this. And thinking about the long term Muslims 30 years from now who might come across this podcast one day, how it could help them one day, we need to start thinking from a long term perspective, not short

term, when

I started my YouTube channel

struggling to get a click struggling to watch someone watch my video someone to, you know, just give me what I'm looking for which is growth, which is whatever was a huge struggle. I remember at this time I was making content around like something that would happen in Muslim like, let's suppose like LeBron James had What about he jobs like I would be the like one of the first one very similar to a method that still happens today, but I was one of those youtubers, right where someone Reynaldo said, What about Ronaldo made a such that I need to make a video about that right? I'm not saying that there shouldn't be videos about that. I just don't think there should be 510 YouTubers making

videos, but I think that we need to keep it to those who do it the best. And let them do it the best and that's it. There was this, like Muslim couple or whatever, right? It was a it was a complete social media thing from the beginning. But we were so young, in in social media to understand this, there was this Muslim couple, right? Who had done some fraud, a slug for Allah amongst each other, right, whatever, and had stolen some money or whatever and they got exposed or whatever the case might be. And I was one of those people who was making videos the truth about such as such person, it's my thumbnail, that person's here, that person's here. And I have some text messages as if I've

been talking to them somehow, you know, my thumbnail is so clickable. Like I'll make my thumbnails just like and then, you know, like, their pictures will be here. Their pictures will be here. And the there's a DM between me and them, whatever, like where's the money and it's like they're responding to me with the three dots like they're about to write. Like, it's so quick. Maybe it's so obvious, right? That was my first video that blew up. That was my first video that blew up. And I wake up with this. Nothing like you wake up one day. Like I went to sleep. I remember I spent the whole night I hate developing that video. I remember it. I wrote it. I spoke about it. I did it. I

did it. I edited it, bro the whole night. I must have slept at like maybe 5am 4am 5am Right?

Prayed Fudger whatever went to sleep, right? I had to wake up for work, right? So I wake up at maybe like, seven 730 or whatever to get ready for work or whatever. And this is the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life. I check mike my YouTube studio and thing and it had 14k views right? That's never happened to me before bro. I barely struggled to make 1000 views and maybe a whole day. It was rough. Right? And hamdulillah like we've come so far from them. But I'm sharing this for those listening out there who might be thinking about making content what direction hopefully they can learn from this right? Um, I remember I was gassing my 14k That's crazy. Kept on refreshing. 20k I'm

like, yo, this is growing. Like I'm growing. It broke. 100k I'm like, That's impossible, bro. How 30k First, I'm gonna say oh my god, these fit, bro. There's a dopamine spike in you. It's undeniable that you cannot sit it and

don't get me wrong. You can say Alhamdulillah all you want but you can say it with a smile.

The video is doing great. There's nothing wrong with that there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that bro like I didn't come to the law. It broke what and how Thank you Allah that sincerity right? Not this fake type of

you know you false piety. Not that false piety stuff like, bro, when when you survive, Sam came out of the prison. One of his conditions was first I need a public apology. I needed an apology. I need you to first acknowledge that that person that you put in thing that was wrong. Apologize publicly first. Second. My next condition is you got to make me the treasurer.

He Oh, look at him. He has he's so arrogant. Why does he have to be the treasurer? Oh, look at this. Look how cocky he is. Right? Look how conceited he is. Look at the ego. He's the best man for the job. Stop playing yourself. Yeah, he's the best man for the job. And there's nothing wrong with acknowledging your the best knowledge Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah it's not you it's Allah who has given me that, that that that that that authority in the land. It's not me. It's Allah who has given me so pointed back to him. Allah knows our intentions. Okay? This is where people fall into this false pie the but what about my intentions? But what if people start thinking, man, stop it, you got

to think how do you think right? Ask is your relationship with Allah? subhanaw taala. Okay, if that's okay, then everything will be okay. So let's go back to the story. Right? Yeah. So I'm going back to it. I'm growing. My subscriber count is growing and all these sorts of things. And, man, the next thing I know, like it's just growing more and more, and I'm on a plane, I'm going somewhere. I started thinking to myself, I'm like, is this how I want to grow? Like, is this really how I want to be known? Like when someone Oh, sq just got the T? Yeah. He got the juiciest content. And then I find myself making more videos about them. Then finding drama, drama.

I'm telling you this, finding drama bro amongst them and just spreading the facade and the Pfitzner just so I can get a click and I could get

Have you maybe two people or beef and write a software Allah like two people are beefing, I come and chime in about it. Yep, someone did something public or whatever like that. And I'm making a video about that. Why? Because I knew I could put their name in my title with their picture in my thumbnail. Now, all of a sudden, I got a good video. And if you're monetized and handed it out, then there's another layer right? Of interest. And you know, you're this, I noticed something, you can go through people's video, like libraries, whatever. And look, you know, organize it according to views. And then you see the drama always rise to the top 100% You see people that make even like

good quality content, maybe a good 1015 20k views or whatever, you start to take a shot at somebody, Oh, okay. 200k, whatever. And they will, but that's 100% How many people and you know, props to you. And may Allah bless you, you know, for asking that having that moment of reckoning and saying it's like, do I want to grow? Is this how I want to grow? Subhan Allah? Can I Can I just say, I realized something that

How about this fast forward? Let's look today?

How many views is that video even pulling? Does no one even watches anymore? There's I haven't had a single comment on that. Because I'm someone who stays up on all my comments. Like, what I tried to do is this, like, I don't release many longterm YouTube videos anymore. I stopped that at this. At this day, I used to release a video every day or trying to make a video every single day and do all these sort of things. But no, like, like, I needed to realize that how am I able to purify my intention, if all of a sudden I'm looking for the breaking news? Like I had to really ask myself, maybe those who make them have better intentions than I do. Personally, I'm weak, bro. And I

struggle and my intentions are something that I always have to fight with. And I've realized that I used to be with my family, right? And I would be with my family. But I was not really with my son. I wasn't there with my mom, I was there. But I wasn't there. I wasn't there. You know, I was on my phone. I would literally, I'll be on Twitter. Man, let me share the game with you guys. I would be on Twitter. I'd be on Google. And I had like a like, you know, like, there's these things that you could put on alert or alarm? Okay, on certain words, right? So anything with Islam or Muslim? I'd get the alert. Really? Yeah. So what I would do is this right? I would type in Google Islam, like

even people do it today. Right? Like, you know, I'm showing you guys how things get done. Right? Islam today, right? And you'll see something, see something. And then all of a sudden, you'll see like in Sri Lanka, a Muslim today was kicked out the machine, for example. Interesting. Let me do some more research on that, right, boom, boom, boom, just happened two hours ago, I'm already late. Let me get on it. And then the title, Muslims and sheer luck are being oppressed. And then I'd make a video about that, whatever, which is Hamdulillah. Good. Like, you shouldn't be pointing out these things. Right? But what was the cost for me? What was my intentions? Was that really doing it for

the sake of Allah so I could defend the Muslims, and maybe those who are making it are, that's what their drive comes from, that they have to defend Islam. And this is how they defend the sun, no problem. But you also got to ask yourself, at what costs, I was literally losing, my family broke, like my relationship with my spouse and my children was on a thread. That's heartbreaking. I know people, content creators today that are on their second and third marriages, not wives, marriages. Let's be clear over here. The first one left them yeah, they got divorced, or they divorced them. Oh, they're not supporting me. And my content. Really, all you do is think about content all day

long. You could finish being intimate with your wife, I gotta go and make a video. Yeah, what that bro what your life is not revolving around this at all, when Alhamdulillah when I found myself stepping away from it, and looking at it from a bird's eye view. It allowed me to be more strategic and less hasty. I used to be very, very hasty with my videos. And this is something that people have told me, people have commented about it, but I didn't like to hear it back then now, definitely was hasty. 1,000% like I was, and I think that people content creators out there need to recognize isn't that we're not like, we need to just step away for a second and recognize the content that we're

creating. Is it right or wrong? So going back to the story, right? Today, the view, the video does no views at the time when it was hot. For the first two, three weeks, it did a lot of views are pulled in a lot of views, which allowed me to sub categorize it and make a split off video part two to that video. And then a reaction to that. It just allowed so many different branches of that one thing and what am I doing spreading their lies or spreading their drama or whatever. And I haven't even considered what if they've repented from it? What am I doing right? I'm so focused on the clicks and the likes, that I'm not focused on being the brother to them being the Muslim being the

correct person who brings the information to the people you know, and in this process of hastiness, I spread so much false information, bro. So much false information. Like dude, be something that happened. I don't even have the facts yet. Yeah, I'm making a video about it. Speaking on authority point, one point 2.3

Should I find out that that's not what happened, something else happened. Now I have to make an a retraction video. Hey guys, sorry, the last video I made was ah, when it could have been all avoided if I gave myself a day. But how could I do that? When all of a sudden that YouTuber is going to upload your video news cycle? I need to beat them. Yeah, but he did it. I'm the third person uploading. I want to be the first I'm the fourth person uploading about that topic. I gotta be the first what does that mean? Taking away time from my family being on my phone all the time?

I gotta make a video about it. We just got home baby. I gotta go you go upstairs. I'm gonna go make this video about it doesn't matter. I don't even come to the bedroom. I have no relationship. My family No relation. My wife? No, really should my kids, I've realized from videos like that. There's a lot of short term success. But it's not a life changing videos. Now, we only focus on making life changing videos and the best videos partial 100 A lot. How are you able to pull yourself out of that, because most people get swallowed, most people get swallowed up, it goes back to the example that I gave about the shirt being dirty, you have to first recognize that there's a stain on it. And

this was something that I had to really recognize in my heart that there was something wrong with how I'm doing things. You know, my relationships with people became so businessy they became so just work. That's the only reason I do that. Like for example, I have an editor Alhamdulillah a shout to usher and if I can, can I just put his email right over here. If anyone wants to contact him? Please put it right right here right? Anybody wants to contact him to help you edit your video whatever hire this man. See, I'm not one of those people might might think that I don't want people to know who edits my videos.

We go build each other up pro isn't. You know when we say love for your brother, which you love for you. So don't you want to see your brother succeed on YouTube? Don't you want to see your brother or sister win? Come on, bro. That's the problem. We've kept kept all the secrets to ourselves. But it was amazing. We were we were with another young sort of social media influencer that we knew. And off camera at the end. He's like, I find myself I have feelings of like competition with other people. Yes, he was so honest. And so he recognized that statement you're talking about? And he's like, he's like, What do I do about it? sustain that, you know, see if it was like, like, spread

stuff, share stuff. Yes. build them up. That's sincerity. That's like, that's exactly it's like and we try to just drop people, you know, some people. Some people follow the channel. I think they're confused, because they're like, why are you sharing this person stuff? It seems random, right? It's like, but we're just trying to build other people. It's not about us, we don't want you we don't want your clicks. If it's going to mean that you're not going to click somebody else. Like we all have a role to play. We're not making a colts bro, this is this is what I've realized. Some people are making cults without even knowing if that cult following from people, right? Like blind loyalty

to their brand to what they're saying that even if they're wrong, they wouldn't get called out on the wrong because of their following or whatever. So what happens is that you start making yourself a bubble, and this bubble gets so much bigger and stronger, that you're unable to see that stain that we're talking about. So like, bro, it's not hard to recognize that how do I get out of it? I wasn't feeling good about what I was making. I wasn't feeling good about it. I wasn't happy with the success that I was getting from it. You know, maybe some people are like, this is me, you know, Allah subhanaw taala has made me in a way where I'm very sensitive to my own feelings. Like Allah

has made me in that way. Alhamdulillah it's for the best, obviously. But it also works against me, because sometimes I suppose I won't get a call from you. Or maybe you didn't respond to me. I'm not getting my feelings into my bag. Like, is he Mom? Can I say something to him? I'm sound like

me. I'm like that. I'm like that. And that comes from a lot of issues with me as a child, with my father, with abandonment with abuse that you see, when we start actually opening up the door. There's a lot of reasons to why we act the way we are. And I think that we need to all stop thinking that we're up here and really humble yourself bro and come to the ground like when the Prophet Muhammad SAW some would be lying down. Right? He is still alive, Salah he would lie down on that on that. Like in Pakistan, we call it a Sharpie, right? It was like the strings that are all put together and he'd be lying down on it. And when he moved in, he turned over he had marks from that

Mark Salas. Imagine is blessed skin having marks of that bed. I imagine that he could have had the best mattresses. He could have a mattress, let's say a mattress has always existed, right? All right. He could have had the best type of cloth, the best type of whatever, laying on his side so that he's comfortable and calm. But he didn't write when it was time to dig the trench. Right. He had two stones right? Why? Because he was always self aware. He was a messenger of God, bro. He was always sensitive. He was just so sensitive and spiritually when a person becomes spiritually awoke, right like awakened, you know, I'm not saying I am I suffered a lot. I'm gonna say that but when you

start trying your best to focus on your relation with Allah, Allah subhanaw taala starts opening your heart and you start recognizing your own faults. And I think that that's where it came from. I have to recognize my faults. And I'll actually you know what, I'll do something this this is a good one. Maybe someone clips this out and sends it to

Whatever right I want to I want to

shout out to Sajid lifetime right I think that's

right. We were both in Medina together you suffered a lot like maybe I'm saying his name wrong Forgive me, bro. All right. We all know what we're talking about right? Yeah. May Allah bless his brother because he was actually a turning point in my life. It was actually a turning point in my life right? At this stage I was maybe making videos every day quickly trying to get on top of the topic trying to get on top of the topic like we always do. And in the process I rushed it I didn't do my research. Okay. I think it was something about that sellout Ilhan Omar whatever man these people are sellouts Wallahi like May Allah guide them let me be clear over here May Allah guide

these people come here in such a position of power that if you give the right person the right type of thing like that will Allah He bro you could literally like change the world you could do something like having a real Amir there to help struggle for the Muslims not fighting for like LGBT rights and all that nonsense day them stuff like Stop it, bro. This is all part of the agenda and the problem. Anyways, anyways, anyways, right? So they said some at some law that's about to get passed, or whatever they get like that. And I've always been and I still am on the fence of you know, we I don't think we're serving the whole I know that sounds crazy, but like the homosexual

community, but there is a homosexual community. But there are Muslims who are gay. It's just a reality, this Muslims who are either having questions, they are confused. It's all shaytaan. Right? But there needs to be some Dawa to they're there to help them. And I've experienced this I know people. And you know, they've been in that thing. And May Allah guide their heart and come out of it because people have gotten out of it. Right? Yeah. But there needs to be some dollar to them. But the way I did it wasn't right. Like if I missed the mark, and you know, I'm not afraid to admit it. I missed the mark. Right. So I think by the sajit Right, made a video about this was years ago,

right? People are gonna probably try to find a number five and this is years ago, and I made I made this video and he made a response to me and I have to say that it was one of the most nicest, sweetest humblest and like, just just, it was just straight up. Like, it was so sweet. Like how he spoke to me, right? And it's very nice. I like the manners of how he spoke to me, right? I don't know if that's how he speaks to everyone. I don't know, his content like that, you know, I respectfully speaking, I don't watch content like that. That's not the type of content I consume, period. Um, and I received for the first time I received on, I was on the receiving end of making

those videos, right. And the anxiety that comes with seeing your name and your face in the thumbnail, bro, if people sharing it with you, it's crazy. It's crazy to receive a thumbnail that has your face in it, and a tag in the title that has your tag in it that has your thing it's missing is that because even if it's a sweetest video, your heart sinks for a second. Whoa, what did I do?

And I realized that that's not the feeling I want to give to others. First, I realized I'm like that's not a feeling I want to give to others. Because even if it was a good video I mean I don't want others to feel that way. So that was the first thing I felt right second when he gave them the see hand the video and listen, I'm like damn, like he's just right away it made sense. I didn't know that that's what the act was. I didn't know any of these things right so like I'm and his stance mashallah Byculla was a point of a place of ignorance. I'm coming from his ignorance. He could have said Ah, this guy who's following trying to misguide

you, yes, yeah. To his credit, mashallah Baraka

after I learned about all of these things, and obviously I checked to the comments in the comments were so oh my god, bro. Like, will Llahi I'm being serious right now. No one knows your mental state or mental health, bro. Well, lucky, like shaytaan like, I imagined a person's like week on that day. Listen to the comments where they could really go in some depression mode, right? They could really be saddled from stuff. You know what's crazy? interject Reiki? I don't know. One thing that shocked me as I started making more contacts, contacts and getting to know people in Dallas anymore. How even at the top? People are reading the comments. Oh, yeah. And it affects Oh, like it really does

get to them. You know, it's like, nor should we ever make videos for the comments or it's not like that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is this like after reading, like if anyone who goes to that video and looks at the comments, the comment section is so nasty, bro. Son. I knew it. Oh, he's up to you. He's at the desk and I was thinking oh my god, this is all heartful and and this is the possible I'm just like, Come on bro. Like put Sajid himself like put some comment and pin a comment say Hey, guys, this will be respectful to see through some stuff over but there's no policing involved in and that's that's not up to him. That's to everyone. No one's doing what would be cool

if we had a culture we started a culture where we started doing be cool. It would be cool. Someone amongst them says Hey guys, let's fear Allah. Yeah, someone amongst them in the internet community. Yeah, random. I don't care who you are. But your job is to go around and make sure you check the Pew your police people are like, Hey, I understand you're feeling this way. But now you're entering a sin. Yep. By speaking about him like that. Now you're going so after making that video, and saw the video, watch the video off

I got out of my feelings. You know, I made a video response to that. And the video response is something I'm sorry or I was wrong or something like that I was not afraid to make mistakes or whatever. But after I made that video and I remember I got so emotional when I made that video as well, too. I literally just took a break and I took a break. And I retooled, right. It's about the I think the best people are able to pivot and retool instead of just oh my god, my life is over. I don't need I'm quitting. You're not quitting. You're tired, right? Take a break. Take a nap. Right? But you know, we're doing so much great work that shaytaan wants you to quit any content creator out

there like you're trying to grow. Like this is part of that dip process of struggle of difficulty of getting two views when I've been there, bro. That's why whatever views we get now, bro. Alhamdulillah I've been on the receiving it. I know what five views feels like. It's not that far from me, bro. I can still remember that feeling. And to even you know, someone might ask me what do you think a successful video is today? Metrics wise, right? Not sincerity wise. Not?

Not like, quality wise, just metrics wise for me, bro. My video breaks 1000 views, bro. I'm ecstatic. And this is so far in our lives. Now. Why? Because I remember how difficult 1000 views were. So even if we get now maybe 100,000. Right. I'm still appreciative of it. Because I'm just like, I remember what 1000 views was like, I remember what 100 views was like, I remember bullet 10 views was like, I remember how difficult it was. And I know how much it hurts. And I know what it takes to get to the next level. But it requires patience. So after that video came out, I had to take a break. And I had to really look at myself. And what happened I think like we were coming out

of COVID or we were still in COVID I can't remember it was something I think we were in COVID Still, and COVID itself was very, very weird. You know, I felt certain types of ways because I'm like an emotional person anyways. And after that, bro, I really just retooled I said hey, I needed to just look at how I'm doing things. I need to be less hasty with things and like just be more mindful. And just from that point on, I just started being a little bit more slow with how I moved right? More should not more not to strategic but more sincere. And I'm not afraid to admit this. I was probably not as sincere as I should have been in all of my content. May Allah forgive me for that and still

reward me for any tiny Mustard Seed worth a good that was there. But I know it wasn't it, bro. But Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah. Now, where if you're asking how does the person get out of that? It's not the content that needs to change. It's the creator that needs to change, right? I need to change. I had to now study a little bit more. I had to now just connect with the Quran a little bit more, because I wasn't. And I don't think that I still am. I still think that there's so much work that needs to be done. But if I want to benefit my viewers who are watching or listening, I need to be beneficial. Until I'm not beneficial. They're not going to get better. You got to have

something to give. I need to give some something right? Like I forgot someone spoke about this and they said like when a person walks away from your video. Do they feel like they got closer to Allah? That's a great litmus test. If the answer is no, then what was your point of view video, but they weren't getting closer to Allah if it didn't remind them of a sunnah. If it didn't teach them something. Where was it? So now that's my metric. My metric is like, did my video make someone smile? Did it make them happy? Did it make them remember Allah? subhanho? wa taala? Did it teach them a hadith? Did they remind them to get closer to Allah? Did it remind them to maybe give sadaqa?

Did it remind them to do something? Our metrics and our measuring tools are so much different? He Alhamdulillah. And because of that, I think that we've been able to silence all the noise, right? And ever since that video, I haven't ever made a reaction video to someone doing something. I'll leave it to the pros. I'm not. I'll leave it to the pros, let them do it. Let them you know, and you know, when some drama happens today, there's so many reaction videos to that drama. And it's just like what for? Yeah, you know, for again, sorry, sorry about this. Long term views versus short term use in the short term that is gonna get a lot of use in the long term. It's a dead video. Today, we

focus on the long term

residual benefit and the rewards that come from it, like a video today that might get maybe 200,000 views. Yeah, I got 200,000 views in a month, maybe. But in the long run, it's a life changing video, right? And it will get us recognition one day, three years or four years. But that video that you made about that person, the drama, that no one's getting recommended that in three years from now, yes, that video. It's kind of short. shelf life. Oh, yes. So let's talk about your data. Now. Let's talk about your strategy. So you talked about sort of what was animating us certain point along the way and the different changes and stuff like that. Now, where are you at? Like what's what's your

Dallas strategy now? Like what's, what do you find? What are the things that you are putting out? So ha, that's that's a very good question, bro. Exactly. Hey, Mom. Um, I would say this, right? If anyone looks at my YouTube stuff, and even from Instagram I've taken

I'd like a gentle kind of, I don't call them even breaks. I call him a hiatus. Right.

I just take a little hiatus sometimes. And that allows me to recenter refocus and stuff like that. And it's so interesting earlier in the conversation you mentioned, you know, social media influencers are looking at others as competition. And I just don't I look at them as collaborative collaborators, you know, I don't look at someone as competition once upon a time.

And there's so many people do this. I'm being honest. But I think that this is just such a unfiltered conversation, right? And one of the first things people do, and I want people to catch themselves doing this, when they click someone's account, the first thing they do is they look at the number of followers their account has, right? And if it's a competitor, right, why are they your competition? Because they have something you don't, right? That's competition, right? Like you're competing about a metric or something because that that's where your competition, right? You want to see how many likes is their average real get versus your average real right? How many

followers does their Instagram page have versus your Instagram page? How many comments did they get versus you? How many views is their story get versus your story? What about their short? What about their tiktoks? What about? That's why you're in competition mode, right? Because you're looking at what they have and what you don't have. Instead, you know, I would recommend anyone first and foremost, don't look at them as a competition. First and foremost, you should message them and just give them their flowers like hey, may Allah reward you what a beautiful video, right? I've realized that I'm like the big brother of people. I'm not your competition. I'm just like, a big brother for

you. Like one of the people shot to blahs this brother name was like, he used to go by Khaled was I think life of was that. Yeah, we know him. I know him personally. We did a video with him I absolutely loved was I love I was on the phone with him yesterday. I love this kid. And you know, I have my my students were like 1413 years old. And they don't even look at me. They don't even care who I am. But you know more? Yeah, no, no, no. I'd be writing his copy. Yeah, no mas. Yeah, that's my homie, bro. You want me to FaceTime he might not pick up you might have me on DND. But shot towards right?

This somebody used to love him. Now if I was in competition mode, I'm like, Damn, why does the 14 year old love me was right. Instead of thinking that the Dow will gets done? Yes, exactly. You got the dollar getting done? Why is it important to you? Who does it? See, that's where you need to check your intention. On the head. I think that's where I think if if first of all is if you're feeling there's a competition or you're in competition, you need to check your intentions. There's a there's something serious happening in your heart, you need to really check. And when you when you it's not about.

It's about it's not about doing it's about catching yourself doing I've realized this you know, as someone who's struggled with addiction, most of their life, like I've struggled with addiction, a lot of my life. This is what a lot of people don't know about me, but I've struggled with addiction a lot in my life. And I've realized something that may Allah obviously protect everyone from such nasty addictions. And it could be from any level of vaping, pornography, cigarettes.

Weed, it could be, it could be it could be gaming, addiction knows no bounds. But there's real addictions out there. I've realized something that I'm always in constant recovery mode, I've realized that the moment you stop thinking, you're in recovery, that's when you slip up. You have to be able to pat yourself on the back and say, You know what? It's been a year, it's been six months, it's been three months. Yo, that's something it's been three days in a row three days for someone who's used to doing it all the time is a big deal. celebrate those things, right. So I don't know where this conversation goes by bead. Sorry, we go on these tangents. I gotta I gotta insert

something, please. It was almost exactly what you said on some of that. My shaker Medina, Sheikh Abdullah Shanti. They used to say, he said, there's two people, there's somebody who uses the dean for themselves. There's somebody who uses themselves for the Dean SubhanAllah. And how do you tell the difference between the two? So have exactly what you said? The person who uses the dean for themselves? They're not going to be happy unless you're guided through them. You see someone got it for somebody else. You're in competition mode. Why as you go through him, Oh, he must be astray. Oh, that those guys over there, you know, you start throwing shade you start putting them in a box or

whatever. Somebody who's sincere someone who's really putting themselves in the service of the dean. If it's me or you or Sajid or wise or whatever, yeah, we're happy we're ecstatic Yes, like hamdulillah you're in the Dallas few 100 and you're benefiting and you're getting better and that's that's

Hang on a second, right? That's what should matter Yes, but you know, Shakedowns are enemy and he's gonna cause you to be like, again, going back to the last example. And you know, why don't the 13 and 14 year old demographic say anything about me right? Why are they looking at my videos? Why are they doing these things? Right? The moment you start thinking like that, bro, you're hurting the dollar and you start. If look, this is what I got from my brother, the Sunday guy that's my bro.

I like the center guy. And he's killing it on social media and all these sort of things because it's the message inside of him. It's not these cameras and lighting that he's using the edits that he's using. It's a very great message mashallah, by Nicola, right? He was actually the one a lot of people don't know the shots isn't that guy. He was the one who encouraged me to start a YouTube channel. So people don't know, right? He's from the same town that my wife's from in the UK. And we met when he was giving Dawa. And I came up to his store. And I just gave him Salam and said, you know, just look out for all the work that you're doing. And we just became best friends from

2015 2016 From that time. And he remember I remember one day, he just told me Sq, you gotta do this. And I'm like, no, he's like, You got to do this. How? Just gotta do it. And so I had this other guy show up. He's a very convincing father. Anyone that knows that? He's very convincing, right? But he's such an amazing brother. Right? So I remember he told me this once. He was just like, if you start worrying, let's suppose we're all in the army, right? Which we all are. If we you start worrying, whose arrow hits and damages the enemy. You're doing it wrong. It's brilliant. That's great. You get what I'm saying? Yeah, you're doing that right. Shouldn't we only care that the enemy

died? Every defeated and we can all celebrate tonight? That's right. Isn't that what matters? Yes, it does. If your hearts in the right place. If it doesn't, then you're like, I wanted the cloud or being able to kill the enemy or harm the enemy or hurt the enemy. Why does it matter? Shouldn't we all just be happy that the enemy has gone we all have families who live in peace, we all could go back to our daily lives, and it's good to go. But yes, if you're sincere, if you're not sincere, now you're worried about well, who does that? Who's gonna do that? And all these type of things. Like no, like, I've found that my role in this is being the big brother, it's to encourage people to

continue. Hey, that was a great video, bro. Keep it up subscribed, like hey, I just subscribed what a great video right? And that puts a new boost in your account with this guy, even though I'm a nobody, but because of like, whatever the cloud or whatever the influence. People think it's a big deal to get a comment from me, right? So if if just to know that someone's backing you, oh, that's like a cosine ago, I'm doing something let me keep going or whatever. But the moment you start thinking that people are doing like, you know, are your competition. That's a huge problem. Because no one's your competition. No one's competition. Like on the Day of Judgment, Allah subhanaw taala

is not going to compare you to anyone but your own self University, your own capability, your own capacity. So really ask yourself what's your capacity right now my strategy right now is simple, bro. Put out the greatest and the best Dow video on the internet. That's my strategy. And sometimes that takes three weeks to come out four weeks to come out. If anyone looks on my YouTube, I put out a bunch of shorts, obviously, because I'm showing you content for that video, and the cool moments of the video Hamdulillah I post those as many times as I possibly can.

But long term videos now, it only comes out when the video is ready. And this affects a lot of people like partners, like because I'm partner with a lot of people and they're just like, sq you said it was gonna be this Saturday, where's the video? And I'm like, hey, guys is not ready. And anyone who wants to work with me knows that we work on our schedule of just Ehsaan at least that's what I think. I think it's Ehsaan I think so inshallah like, it's just us trying to be sincere like making. Look, we know from the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, that the son of Adam's feet will not move until they're questioned about a few things, right. One of those things is the time and how

they spent their time. One thing I've realized from this Imam, is that anyone who watches our videos, your videos, my vid anyone's videos, right? You are now but you're now bonded to them for the rest of your life. Because you've just taken five minutes from them. 10 minutes from them, maybe a minute from them. Maybe it was 37 short, a second shorts are real or Tiktok. Right?

Allah is going to question you about that 37 seconds that Allah is going to question number about that. 30 seconds, 737 seconds that they used right? Now, if that 37 seconds were really beneficial. You are now a part of that life for them right now. If you benefited them, what a great what a great thing, right? But let's suppose you watched a five minute video and it didn't remind you of Allah and His Messenger SallAllahu sallam, the map Allah Subhana Allah has cursed. Think about this bro. Allah has cursed any gathering and meeting in which his name is not mentioned and ended with or something.

So how can you watch a video or give some type of content in which they're not being reminded of Allah and the highest level? So we've basically just stopped making videos, and we only put the best content on YouTube with the best idea with the most creative ideas with ideas. If someone has done an idea, we don't want to do it. We want to push ourselves to the next idea. So our next video inshallah coming out is a social experiment, which was supposed to be released yesterday, but it's clearly denied. It's not raw. It's called it's not ready. It's not ready. It's called attacking a Muslim praying in public social experiment and

Yeah, it's really dope, really, really dope. The preface of it is us. Setting up we have two of our reverb brothers who are on the team. And I'm praying in public, right. And the goal is to see who would defend a Muslim because there's so much Islamophobia happening right now, right? People are literally this assault rifles are coming into the misogyny to attack people, right? And there's so many people who are literally being attacked, and all these things happen to them. And a sama phobia is happening, we see people get violated and no one defends them, right. We wanted to see when people defend a Muslim who's being attacked in public, that's literally what we want to say, will

someone defend a Muslim who's being attacked in public, and the results are incredible. They're incredible. It's truly a social experiment. Because we're not afraid to put ourselves in a condition where we look kind of silly, like, I look like a homeless man, I don't care like I don't mind. Like as long as it makes a good message. But that's that's what we're focused on. And I don't know it's an excellent, excellent social experiment after that we have

given $1 For every Quran I recite that's a new video coming out, that's going to be fire as well too. In sha Allah, we filmed that. It's absolutely fantastic. And again, all of our videos are focused on empowering the Ummah and helping the OMA and putting smiles on the woman's face and reminding them Allah subhanaw taala at the highest level, and just making just dope content, bro things that no one's doing or thinking about. And that's my strategy, bro, it's kind of maybe silly on paper, it might be like a script as opposed to enough and I get that sometimes, like, don't get me wrong, I feel like maybe I'm getting left behind like, but they just made this video and they

just talked about this and I'm still on this phase or whatever. But then I realized that the work that we're doing requires us to just be a little slower and just put out the best piece possible to try and change the game. And then anybody anybody who's trying to change the game, they do things differently and it takes different time. You know, it's like for in a very, very different like audience. We saw that with Paul Williams and with blogging theology, you know, like like how many people you know he proved something that a lot of people didn't think was possible that you could do long term academic content around Islam and sort of issues like that. And now in his wake there's a

bunch of people that are doing similar stuff are you know, some of my work with your penis too is pretty much just three doing what he does. So if you if you're trying to change the game, if you're trying to be like anybody else, yeah, post every day but if you're trying to change the game, you got to be more selective and you got to you know, I think that's what it is we are trying insha Allah may Allah accept right we are trying our best to give something people never seen before something different from storytelling perspective, from content from the idea and just, you know, just just taking our time with it being the most sincere possible and having the best possible

message behind it so we don't post a lot but you know, like that's where that's what but when we do post we have honestly I have the best community in the world. I'll be honest with you, bro. Like, I'm really nothing without Allah. Obviously Allah subhanaw taala and the guidance and everything that he goes, but without the community members, like our community is growing strong. And it's because of these loyal dedicated viewers who are not well liked he bro i challenge I can, I can challenge people. This is a challenge. You guys watching this clip this clip show to everyone I challenge you to look for more beautiful, heartwarming, wholesome, Common section than mine. I

challenge anyone, bro people's comment sections are so toxic. That's what we should compete in. Yes, that's where we are. My community is doing the best, who is my community, I am so proud of them. They are always my community is the greatest, they are always the most positive, they are reaching out. And if there's someone who says something negative in them, there will be someone from my community who will stop them and defend them and say, Hey, but do you notice this, this, this, this, this this? And I love that I love it. And guess what if they don't, I will show my best ability and I'm good. But we have the best community, the most supportive community, the community that people

are just championing me and other people, like there's people in the comment section that have become friends with each other in the comment section. And that's what we want to do. You get what I'm saying. So our goal is to make the best community make the greatest community and just, you know, like, I want to just meet all all my community members in general, like I want to meet them you know, I want to see that person watching in Bangladesh. I want to meet them you know, like the fact that someone would watch my video it's the most humbling thing that I can ever experience like someone watched it, like wow, bro, like wow, like that's just that's so awesome. It gets my juices

flowing, bro. Like, I'm so excited when I hear someone watching my video so we just try our best in case that was the strategy. I forgot the question was that but we just try our best to make the best possible video and call people to Allah subhanaw taala make the coolest social experiments make the coolest type of giveaway videos I don't know whatever it is. We just want to make the coolest thing. We want to change people's lives inshallah. We want to change the dollar scene and we want to set the bar for the dollar seen that when you watch another dollar video, you're like it is not living

up to the standard that it should be, and this is going to challenge inshallah it's going to challenge other content creators to level up their game. I think we've gotten too comfortable. Yeah, I know your content creators have gotten too comfortable. And they just think that hey, like, you know, I could just post out a video people are gonna like it people gonna watch it and hulless you're done. But I think that by what we are doing, we are challenging people to up their game as we should people's games should be challenged and everyone should up their content and serve our growing diverse community, which we have and we need our immunity to do our best to provide the most

cinematic you know, visuals and everything that's what I think was the center guy and I'm maybe missing some people but those are the people who come to my head when it comes to that. But obviously the Tao of Sheikh was mine and the Warner and all these people bro all these the only dial up and saw the gentleman who's done a great job. Don't get me wrong. It's just a team that's on the same team. We have different flavors. You might you might like his videos more than mine. Yeah, good. At least you're watching that and not some haram bro. Now I'm happy for you. But unfortunately in this world that we live in with just competition this and that. We just forget why we're doing

this like yo we're doing for the sake of Allah, bro. Like stop thinking that you're the only soldier in the army? Like you're not, you're not. And if you're the General of the Army, shouldn't you care about your soldiers having sharp swords and weapons? Like if they have done and dull weapons? How are you going to go to war, you're going to die, you're going to lose your as a general your focus should be your army, making sure that they're strong. They're their morale is high, right? But how can you do that when you're competing against them? Who's going to kill them? I'm a total then that's not that's from the Hadith where we know where there was a smarter where everyone just kept

on praising him and then when he got murdered, he was in the hellfire. Why? Because he died he got murdered so that people could say how amazing of a warrior he was. His Nia was never right. You know. And we know this about the first people tossing the Hellfire of their intentions wasn't right. So I would challenge everyone and myself. I'm challenging myself first to recognize the stains on your heart. And the problem I have is also compared your Eman to a to a T shirt that gets used a lot. He said you're me compared to it and I'm paraphrasing and you're a man to a T shirt that just like a T shirt gets worn it gets used your Eman gets worn in us. It is your responsibility to patch

it up to strengthen it to make it better to clean it to cleanse it. It is your responsibility right there for you and no one could do it for you because on the Day of Judgment, Allah subhanaw taala will weigh the hearts he will look for the collarbones Salim coming to him with a peaceful tranquil heart. So that heart needs to be purified. And it's hard to purify when you're making videos everyday, everyday, everyday everyday and just focus on videos, videos, videos and competition competition competition, like know like what about yourself? What about you know your own honesty, your own, you know, your own self care, bro, like your heart needs to be taken care of. And I don't

think I'm doing it. I'll be honest, I don't think I'm doing it. And we can all be doing It'll be awkward. He's doing better. We all could be doing better and may Allah make me better at what I'm doing. But I can tell you this when I was making that content, I wasn't doing nothing bro. I would skip praying and Jamar because I thought editing that video was more important right? Let's talk about Allah. Think about stuck for Allah bro. And I know people who heard that resonated with that because there are people who are doing that today. The machine is only a few feet away from them. But there's the think that somehow I gotta make this video or I gotta edit it. That's just way more

important. It's not it's not praying in JAMA. I learned this like you know when you say I mean with the whole GEMA Allah subhanaw taala forgives you of your sins.

Do you want already no video?

If everyone has uploaded one time,

or if you upload it this time all uses no way. Yeah, there's nothing like that for this game that we're doing. It's the game. No, it is. Hey, go and Gemma. Hey, afterwards, sit down, finish your card, and then get up. Yeah. And hey, did you recite it Chrissy? Hey, we're your knees and the same position when you finish Fajr and Margaret, that you recited some card as if you've prayed the whole night or perhaps you got elevated to the heavens, were your knees or were you so focused on you know, just chill, take a breath. Stop moving so fast. And this is coming from person who thinks like I'm always hype, slow down a little bit slowing down, you sometimes they say the statement that

to take two steps forward, you got to take three steps back or something like that. Right. Sometimes you got to take a few steps back so you can leap forward. Right. And I think that's what's happening right now. hamdulillah we've taken what seems like a few steps back, but it's helping us leap forward. Because Alhamdulillah we're able to focus on more sincera things allow our bus Yeah, well that was a long winded answer.

Have you

had to listen to all that

talk from now? No, no, no, no, no, I'm going on to something else. So I want to pivot to something because you mentioned about being with a 14 year old, we I'm having a great time. This is awesome. It's fun. It's really fun and getting in these, these conversations, you know, these are our conversation we do, because a lot of times, you know, I never met the person, but we've got so much in common. It's such a like, it's such an easy thing. It's like a conversation is so easy. It's not like unnatural. And so, you know, you mentioned about 14 year olds, and you know, you know, I know that you're also a teacher and that figures into a lot of sort of what you do and probably gives you

a unique insight. And for me, teaching has always been super important. I teach online teacher in Islamic High School and online high school, middle schoolers and high schoolers. And a for me for my Dawa and even like my talks even my husband's like, I've found it essential, because it gives me that interface with what the youth are going through. Yes. And you're in a public school. Yep, yep. So even more so. So tell us about what it's done for you. Being a teacher having that exposure to the kids to what they're going through. What do people need to know what are people sleeping on that kids are going through?

Great question. I want to say this right? You got to be in the trenches and I think that this is a mistake that a lot of social media influencer I don't know what to call us like, bro, when someone calls me an influencer. I take Rezept

COVID on

the correct my wife. Yes, my wife was like, she was trying to like she's fine. She's like so unplugged. Mashallah. I was gonna be more like her that and it's like, so she was trying to understand like, what kind of person was labeled an influencer? She's like, would Ronaldo be called like an influencer? Like, if you call it Ronaldo emphasis that would be like an insult like he's like a sock. Like he's like a soccer player. Like he's bigger than us. Like I wouldn't say using his influence actually being a world renowned soccer player football player right for everything. Now, his claim to fame well gave him that is that but now in the sphere of everything else people want

his influence right is because now when you know Vitamin Water wants to talk to him, right? He's not Ronaldo, just to soccer. But he's the influencer of millions of children who follow Him and look up to him. If he drinks that they're gonna drink that as well too. And if I introduce him at like, a dinner or a talk or something I'm not gonna say and social media influencer. That'd be like, what? Like golden booth bro. Like, I'm MVP. I'm like, a, like a champion over here. Yeah, me. No, that's that's a great point. Right? And I mean, personally, I've learned to not be married to these titles anyways, like you okay? You want to call me social media? I go by a die. Like I like to be called $1

A person like $1. Like, like, I think that on someone's flyer once they put like Wavelab SQ and then they put like

I think they said something like, the way of SQL they call it they you know how like, everyone has their picture and then their name. Oh, yeah. They said SQ dollar. That's all they wrote. It just said SQ dollar. And I'm like, You know what, that's not too bad. SQ dollar just call me SQ dollar. Like that's, that's, that's good enough for me. You know, like, I'm not married and attached you. You got to you got to have this right. You got to have my name. I'm some social influencer, I realized that this is an Amana. Yeah, it's such a burden, bro to have this type of influence or whatever you want to call it Clow influence whatever you want to call it. It's such an Amana and a

burden that I feel like I'm one of the first who will be questioned on the Day of Judgment, or having this and what I do, you don't get to be like a private citizen. Anyone know, you're like no black person and a public persona. And it's, it's different. You know, I had someone tell me when I first came back to like, you don't get to have friends anymore. And I was like, what? He was totally right. You know, it's like, once you start doing this work, it's like, you have people that are part of your community, you have people that are following you, you have people that you have influence over students, whatever protege is meant mentees or whatever, but friends are few and far between.

You know, and that just kind of is a really sort of interesting thing about how the way you interact with people and how they interact with you is always going to be different. You know, bro, going back to the question that you were saying how do you know I think that again, influencer social media personalities, whatever, right? They're so caught up you see, you know what it is bro? Like once upon a time these people weren't like genuinely regular regular people, right? And all of a sudden they gotten so much attention that they forgotten that they are just a regular person. Obviously I know so many good people like I want to shout like Oh my My brother hoop hoop finesse.

Such a great brother. You know, like, always grassroots love. Love that guy. Right? Some people have just forgotten who they were, you know? And

I found that I still attend holocaust in my local community. Cool. Mashallah. Do you understand? Yeah, I'm still the guy who goes to the Holika my local community. i We run a Holika in Queens. We're in Queens right now. We run a Holika in Queens every Friday at 8pm Nice. We run one. You see you're saying

How do you stay connected to and all that sort of stuff by doing that, like not abandoning your community and thinking you're some rock star, some community, some guy, you know, like, like that they need to, like shut down the machine for you or you got to be having a table and a cloth and a microphone. And you know, everyone quietly holding out their phones and trying to like get a little sense. That's not what it's for. People need to recognize that you have to stay grass rooted with your community. And I think that that's the problem. I think people just get so much success in such a short amount of time. And may Allah bless them. They don't don't have bad intentions. It's the

shaytaan you know, shaytaan tried to divert you slowly. You ever been driving? Right? And you sort of slipping a little bit and all of a sudden you sippy Sip, sip and then they have these things on the side of though that does the

strips, right, those strips. Now, if all of a sudden you did this massive jerk where you'd be like, Whoa, no, but shaitan doesn't do the massive jerk, right? He slowly steers you off the course slowly, you don't even realizing that you're in both lanes right now. You don't even realize it until you hit those little rashes on the road, that you start getting those vibrations, right. It's very similar to that no one ever starts off by saying, I'm going to abandon my community. I'm not going to be with the youth anymore. That's it's actually the opposite. It's actually Allah give me that I will be doing more for my community. But shaytaan slowly make sure prioritize that event

that's happening in Brooklyn, or you're trying to find me out to Detroit to do this little talk. All of a sudden you feel like you're some some guy like you know, don't want to have a whole flier about me this and that. That you forgot in your grassroots Dawa? We like we have not bro I am a regular dude with a regular nine to five it's really eight to four but whatever eight to five maybe but I'm a regular dude, bro. Like, I am not some. Yeah, obviously when you go out people are gonna recognize you. That's that comes with the game, right? But I am a regular dude. I'm a regular person who when the kids come into the classroom, I'm giving them high fives and fist bumps. I'm a regular dude.

Yes, they see me as like, oh yo million subscribers or I'm a regular due to myself. And that's all credit to my mom. Who, who still yells at me and humbles me. My wife who still yells at me humbles me my kids who remind me that Dad you need to take me to the park to ride my bike like you like my kids don't care who I am. No, not at all. Yes, they understand that Hey, Dad has to go give Dawa. He has to go to Canada. He has to go do they understand that? But Hey, Dad, we haven't spent time with us. Hey, Dad, you haven't taken us out? Whatever. Hey, Dad, you haven't done this with us. They are very quick to remind me. So I think having the right type of circle around you who humble you who

remind you a team that humbles you remind you that they're not just gassing you up? Yeah, they humble you. You know, I think that's the reason a lot of people make these mistakes online. They don't have a team of circle of friends and people who are there to like check you and say hey, hey, hey, bro, tell you that statement these numbers wrong. So you can self correct. But staying in the grassroots my ears always in the mud brag. My feet are always in the mud. I know, By Allah's grace, what the youth are going through, right? I know it. So let's let's talk about that. So I want to, that's where I want to take it. So what So that's how does being a teacher affect your Dawa? And

what are the youth? Right? You're in the grassroots of it, right? You see the body image issues that the media tries to put on our sisters. We see it, you know, we see these tiktoks that they're dancing, right? But not only are they dancing, they're dancing in a seductive way. Not only are they dancing, seductive way, but they're also showing a little bit of the belly. And they're and they're showing their curves of the body. Now, you see this regular kid from the Bronx is girl of Spanish descent. Right? Her body does not look like that body, right? Her body has more curb appeal to it. It has different types of shapes and sizes. This is not but she doesn't see that she thinks that

she's overweight. Now all of a sudden, she's going to skip the next five meals and act like she's eating and she feels insecure because all of a sudden her body isn't the right way. She's not a Muslim, it has nothing to do with being a Muslim. It has something to do with being a child of Adam, a son or a daughter of Adam, and she is struggling with this now, she's going to maybe lose the weight. But when she learns to look in the mirror, she's still gonna see that fat, overweight, curvy. So, when a person sees these people, they naturally don't find themselves to be beautiful anymore. Because to believe you're beautiful has to come from the heart because when the heart is

beautiful, okay? When inside everything is beautiful. When you don't have an ocean of tsunami of waves and emotions and feelings and all these negative thoughts coming to you. You're able to appreciate what you have and you're able to say Alhamdulillah Wow. Alhamdulillah as a beautiful, Allah has made me beautiful. And then you have a father who makes her daughter feel beautiful is the most beautiful thing in the world. You're the most beautiful girl in the world. Now they don't have to go and get that type of, you know, like validation.

A from a boy. Yep, who's ready to give you that validation to say a few words, W res W res. He's saying what he needs to say, to get your snap to get you to send them a picture or two. Why? Because that girl still wants to feel beautiful, because she still wants to feel beautiful. She will be willing to send you any picture that you want to why you just got sick, tapper says. So now all of a sudden, he's doing that. And now he's going to show his friends your picture. So now all of a sudden, why? Because he doesn't feel loved. He feels like in order for him to fit in with his friends. He needs to show you all the things that he's accomplished first. Uh huh. So you see, you

see, bro, this is an issue that's all connected to each other. It's not singular issue. They're actually all on a string. And they all relate to each other. And it all comes down to the disease of the heart, it comes down to you not having a purified heart. And it comes down to you recognizing that, hey, I have some mistakes. I have something's wrong. Why am I feeling this way? In today's society, we're not taught to question our emotions. We're not even taught to recognize our emotions, or decipher or unpack our emotions. I have so many students who if they get a bad grade, or if you tell them off and say, hey, you need to switch your seat or you need to stop talking or I need you

to move, bro, they will just go crazy. Like they will literally just slam this stuff, throw a tantrum, because they don't know how to control their emotions, you know, they have a war within but they can't win the war within. So how are you going to win the war without on the outside? You know? So emotions are not taught to be recognized to be unpacked to be dealt with. None of us are taught these things, you know, so we have to recognize these emotions. We have to know what the issues are with the youth and the body image issue. That's an issue that no one talks about, you know, when you don't even recognize when we talked about this last night. At the Math Center, we know exactly the

same thing and how much the idea of sex appeal has ruined the youth and how even Muslim youth Yeah, measure themselves based off of sex appeal Absolutely. Has outwardly totally ruined 1,000% Right. Well, while the Sunnah is asking Allah subhanaw taala to beautify the insides like he's beautified the outside. Someone put something like this. And I loved it. They said, Too many people relate horizontally, right? So they're trying to like you're saying they're trying to get validation from outside, they want to feel beautiful. And so there was there relating horizontally who's going to tell me I'm beautiful, who's gonna tell me I'm beautiful, versus relating vertically to last fall

and Tata and having your sense of beauty and self worth come from that relationship. It's a whole different thing. Because if you're straight with Allah, you don't care what anybody else around you is saying. It's so interesting. You say that bro, because even relating horizontally to the youth, right? Like, someone might think, Oh, why? Oh, do youth love sq? You know why? Because he wears a hat. He knows how to talk to the kids and all that sort of stuff. Okay, maybe that's partially right. But in my opinion, that goes to that horizontal view that you're talking about, bro. That's a horizontal sort of view. It's actually a vertical view, because you need to understand the depth of

what they're going through and treat them seriously. Absolutely something my my whole life my whole life. If you treat young people like they're like actually full human beings, they recognize it right away. Yes, and the respect and the respect and they'll trust you. Because they want they also are looking to be treated like an adult without the adult responsibilities. They want that validation as well to like, hey, my thoughts matter, my opinions matter. Yeah. And I think that this is where a lot of parents are crippling their children, not allowing them to have decision making authority, and making all decisions for them so that when life really smacks them in the face, they

don't know how to make decisions, right? And decision making is a strategy. It's a skill, it's a muscle that kids need to be taught. But going to the point, if you're trying to relate to them vertically, you could be an old man forget Sq, you could be someone who looks super old. But if they understand the problem, the youth the government, the youth will quietly listen to them, like yo, this person is wise. They know what they're talking about, you know, I mean, so it's not about looking the part it's actually understanding the dynamics of the youth, understanding that the youth are going through something and they are it's an attack on the modern Muslim man on the modern

Muslim woman through a feminism through this LGBT nonsense through all of this stuff. Because they're trying to attack Islam. They're trying to attack your relationship with God, it's an attack on God. That's what it really is. It's attack. Because whether you're Christian or Jew or something like that, if someone is practicing the religion, I get excited, because bro in today's day and age are taught to abandon your religion. Now, look, we could talk about the differences and the similarities and we could come to common terms. Don't get me wrong, but if a person is on some type of religious track, it makes the conversation easier. That's the counterculture these days. Like,

like the counterculture has been religious, and we ought to lean into that, you know, and yeah, you're right. Like you find Jews and Christians. It's like they they're going through their thing, just like we're going through our things the Muslim community, like you see, there are Christians that, okay, now they're starting to take traditional values or traditional gender roles, like seriously Yes, like there's a lot of conversations that can be had, you know what those and you would see that you agree

With a lot of the things that are taking place and a lot of things, and if you're going, going back to circling back to a question that you asked, like, you know, what strategy, what's this? What's that? You know, and when it comes to the Dow rolls and everything like that, I've realized that even with Dow,

you know, somebody wants someone to accept the sum then in there, well, hey, I showed you all the proofs of the courtroom. Right? I showed you all the proofs of the Quran, everything like that, if you're not accepting it, then in there, there's something wrong with you. That's why I love

like, you know, like Sheikh was MAD Brother Abdul Wahab from the war. I love them, like, you know, they're actually out there giving Dawa. It's not like on the site. Yes, our people can accept some 100% on the spot. But today we're learning to we're teaching people to ridicule them. Like if you gave someone Dawa, and they didn't accept some then Muslim or non Muslim like you advise a Muslim to start doing something or non Muslim guiding to Islam, we would immediately label them look at their heart. They're not they're not sincere. Yeah, he was wrong with them, we quit on them, when you know, when this idea is that Tao is planting a seed, and then watering it and making it nutritious

for them and the soil and the fertilizer because if you planted the seed today and came back tomorrow, and to see the seed, if it's a tree or not, the seed would say, Are you new do not know how this works. You You take care of me, you nurture me, you water me, you give me sunlight, and then maybe, maybe I'll become a plant maybe, maybe I'll come out of my dirt maybe if you're lucky, right? It's the same thing with our right like we have to build relationships with people and I realized that you have to have proper serious conversations with people and show them that you love them and care about them and and I would say for example, I'll give you an example of my my my video

I believe is the most successful video I've ever made right? Maybe not in numbers wise but it was one of the most successful videos I made. I made this video called surprising Muslims with expensive eat gifts I made this some time ago for eat right?

And it didn't get the craziest it has some views whatever right whatever because metrics do matter because we are trying to go global and you know make the dollar so mass appeal that we want to make sure that it reaches every home because we believe every video that we make is the best video we have to we have to we believe that it can be better obviously but we're giving the best ideas to people in sha Allah hamdulillah mashallah Baraka but anyways right? The best part of that video was me meeting this brother who's who accepted Islam in the video right he accepted Islam is revert 16 years old 17 Now right shout to CJ right Chadwick. I met him through that video, he took a shot if

you ever seen it, watch it inshallah. And you'll see the brother I'm talking about now mashallah Baraka Allah. It's amazing. I actually missed his FaceTime call yesterday, so I have to call him back. But me and him are so tight. Now we're so close. And I think that that was the biggest win of the video, that I met him, like, he's such a cool kid, you know, And Alhamdulillah like, that's what I'm in it for. I'm not in it for anything else. I'm in it for the long term relationships that a person can make from this. So you know, and hamdulillah Dawa, and all these things take time, it's not some rinse and repeat method is not the cookie cutter method that you alluded to earlier in the

podcast. It is something that is tailored to you. And Allah subhanaw taala has sent you as a messenger to them. So give them the message and be there for them and make yourself open and vulnerable. Okay, and I would say that even in a podcast like this, I've made myself vulnerable, right, like I'm willing to share some of my mistakes and some of the mishaps and the issues that I've had and the mistakes I've made because I'm not afraid of being vulnerable bro. Like, I'm not afraid of shedding a tear if I had to, like if I became emotional, right? People are putting too many fronts. In I mean, too many too many masks and walls before you reach their true core

Alhamdulillah I'm trying to be in touch with my most spiritual most honest, authentic Eman, driven self I possibly could be like, I tried to view the world from the heart and from the man that Allah subhanaw taala guides me through. That's how I try my best to view the world. And when I start feeling like it's not there, I gotta check inwardly not outwardly. But I gotta check on the inside of me. What's happening? Why is that still? Why is that storm in my heart happening? Why is the unrest feeling happening? I got to really ask myself those important questions. So when I do Al Hamdulillah, nine out of 10 times I'll get those answers and Allah subhanaw taala will reveal that

he revealed them to me that hey, this was the issue, fix this be better? Because Allah knows how sincere you really are.

So let's let's imagine a scenario real quick where you know, because you really don't want this podcast and go on. Yeah.

The only reason is, because we got checkout, checkout, you gotta take

but um, but you know, thinking again, because like being a teacher and being in the trenches with the youth is such such an important window into what they're going through. Yes. And most Muslim parents, they have no clue. Yes, right. So if you were to say like you like, we'll put you with a with a table on a cloth and I'm like, gotcha in the Mesquita.

And you got all the parents gotten, you know all the kids from from school? Yes. What are the top three things that they need to know that the kids are dealing with that they're sleeping on? Okay, so there's a lot of peer pressure, you got to remember something, that peer pressure and the idea of acceptance and validation is so important to them. It's actually important to all human beings, right? This validation idea that you're doing the right thing, like think about it, right? If we look at new highly Salam, some scholars say the max he had was 100 people, right? Some have limited to like, I don't know, like 20 people, 30 people, something like that of its followers, right? If

you put that metric on paper, like and you put the you know, like, today, we're talking about, like, ROI, what's the ROI on a 950 years, our mission? Barely under people?

What are you doing, his investors would have pulled out, right, but you get what I'm saying. So many people will just pull that like, Nah, bro, we can't invest in you. There must be something wrong in your data. Right. And, and every messenger has felt a certain type of way. And new highlights, I'm talking to Allah subhanaw. Taala communicates like I've done everything, I've called them an open, I call them in public in private, I've advised them like, I don't know, there's anything left for me to do. And that's when Allah subhanaw taala commanded him to make the art. And you know, even the Prophet Muhammad SAW some signs out a certain type of way, when he's giving the message of Islam.

And this only a handful of people was accepting this people rejecting this idea of validation. And this idea of acceptance is it's throughout its human nature, you know, to have this, this feeling you know, of longevity and stuff like that. It's just in our nature. So that's one thing, that's one main thing that parents need to recognize that peer pressure. And this the source, and the search for validation is so important. That's why you got to provide that validation at home to these children so that they're not seeking it. So in this in the terms of our young sisters, fathers and mothers, explaining how beautiful they are giving them that attention, that they are knowingly or

unknowingly seeking and searching for right, giving their sons those attentions that they're knowingly or unknowingly seeking for. So giving them the validation having those like, you know, conversations with them. Second, I would say is to recognize that the world that the parent grew up in is not the world that they're in right now. The parents world is a different world from the child's world. So they have to start opening lines of communication with their children, they need to start talking about all those uncomfortable conversations, they need to develop a borderline, like not borderline, but like a friendship with their children, a open conversation with their

children and open flow without any judgment, you want your kids to come to you and some 1,000% 1,000% and you need to be so in tune with the frequency and the vibration of your child's a vibe, you know, that you know, something is off. And you pester them a little bit like what's up, nothing's off with me know what's going on. It's not everything is good? Or is there something happened in school like Nana, it's not like that. Okay? Did I do something nada? You didn't do anything? It's just, you know, when when I did this, you see,

it's natural, right? You pass them. And you ask them because this and this is the third one is really important. But you have to have open dialogue and conversation with each other. So that's the second one, right? So like, having the reinforce validation and acknowledging your children, right, acknowledging peer pressure, acknowledging the pressures that they're under, and the social validations that they want, and they're looking for and providing that for them. They're so full, like, imagine, bro, have you ever been so full and stuff that you thought of food bothers like, oh, I mean, that's how we need to do a validation that we have pumped up the, the, the, what's the word,

I'm looking for this self worth, not the ego, but the self worth the value in our children so much that their stuff they don't need to hear from someone else. Like my mom, my dad has validated me so much that I need to hear from you that I'm some really great student, or I'm a great son, I'm a great daughter. My parents have done that for me, right? So parents need to listen to the idea that peer pressure is a real thing your children would do that. So self out. Social validation, give children validation, and the peer pressure is real. So target that second thing, have these open dialogues and conversations, create an environment of, you know, respect, and rapport and love and

respect and rapport with the children that they can come talk to you about them. And they should be able to use one of those pieces like data, you know that you have a car like, you know, I got to talk to you about something, but we're not allowed to talk about this ever again after this. Like it needs to be one of those conversations where I want to talk to you about something. But you cannot use this against me ever. Because that's what parents would do. Right? Like, yeah, but remember last year when he did that, and you're like, come on, bro. Like don't bring that up again, right? Imagine if Allah subhanaw taala brought up all these things that we've done. You'd feel horrible, bro, like

you don't want to bring these things up like you know, I mean? So have that Oh, create a environment where your children are able to come to you and speak to you. So respect and rapport for children environment, making sure that you acknowledge the peer pressure and you acknowledge the thing

things that are happening in the life to provide that validation. And the third and final thing is learning effective communication. I think that that's a struggle that a lot of people in general, let alone parents have, but they don't know how to communicate, understand people, their emotional intelligence is so low. And I don't blame them. I mean, the father's working their butt off to just provide for you. And this is what this country does the rat race and the dunya does us a rat race, that you don't want to spend time eating dinner with your children, you would rather be on your phone and you just need a break, I get it right. But you need to have emotional intelligence and put

your family first and learn effective communication. If I could provide a quick skill for all parents and all people listening out there. I you know, if you allow me to, there's two forms of communication that people miss read, and they don't know how to judge upon and like, you know, sift through, you know, because you have to know how to compartmentalize things, you know, yeah. When conversations happening, there's only two forms of direction that the conversation is coming from only two places. Either that conversation is coming from a place of love, or it's a cry for help, right. So when your child is coming to you, and talking about this issue that they're having, right?

It's a cry for help, right? Now, all of a sudden, if you as a parent, start saying, Why didn't you tell me yesterday? Right? Hmm, where were you when that happened? Right. If you would have told me the day before yesterday, I could have helped you but that and now you want me to do now you're crying for help? So hang on a second, your child's crying for help. Now you're crying for help, then it makes sense. But dad, like you didn't see what I was going through another but no, you did. Now both of you crying for help. Who gets the help? No one. So when one person's crying for help, you got to come from a place of love. And that can only come and you become self aware and realize Hang

on a second, let me step back from this and say, na nana, like, okay, my son, my daughter is crying for something right now. What is it that they need? So they came to you with some issue instead of your first immediate response is like a stuck for Allah? Ah, trying to understand the Subhanallah Are you okay, now? Are you okay? Now? How are you now with it? I'm fine with it. I'm fine. I'm getting over and all that what was what was the tough about it? Okay. This, this happened. And then my friend said this to me and all that sort of stuff. No way. Who's, who's the friend this time and all that. So have you talked to him how you felt about that? Now? They're just opening up to you

about things that you didn't even know that they were dealing with? Yeah. Right.

It's a switch off and on. Because if you react the first way, like you said, if you respond to a call to a call for help, what's the chances they're going to come to you the second time now, you showed that rich? Yes, yes. So you have to remember that effective communication always comes down to this. And honestly, if this was the clip alone, like a four minute clip, for a parent like this needs to be on the channel by itself. Parents need to recognize that they need to come from a place of love with their children. And you know, you cannot cry for help. Now, look, we could talk to the kids about how to deal with their parents. And we could talk to parents how to deal with their kids.

But this idea of effective communication knows no bounds like this goes with me well, so you what your students, right? If all sudden your students are complaining about things, and then all of a sudden you start complaining about them? Like yo, you give too much homework, Mr. Yeah, what do you mean, I didn't give you homework this whole week? I know you both are crying for help. And all this sort of stuff happening, right? So you instead you've got to switch it up on them, you got to come from a place of love. And then there's a time for you to cry for help. So what does this mean that you never address the issues? I'm not saying that, what I'm saying is that there's a time and place

to address that issue. Right? So let's suppose someone comes with their wife, you know, you know, people, people have a husband and wife marital issues, like, you know, the wife comes to you. And she's saying something to you, right? That sounds really, really negative. Or maybe the husband comes to the wife and saying something that sounds really really negative, right? That negative is really just him or her crying for help. Now you have an option, you could either recognize it and come from a place of love. Or you could just start crying for help, too. Yeah, right. So the wife is saying something like you always leave in the towel on the floor. I'm going by memory bought my wife

says, you leave in the towel on the floor, your boxes over there. You do and this is a mess. You didn't put the plate away. You didn't read the microwave is open and you love the fridge open.

And I could be on some yo who provided this right? Yo, who like I go to the you can have escalation. You just escalated. What do you mean? Ha, I'm do laundry all day long. And off to you and all that sort of stuff. Yeah. Okay, I get it. You're working. But you're not doing this part over here. I shouldn't have to. And now all of a sudden, shaitan is like, yeah, it's awkward again. So what I want. Instead, you need to recognize that, hey, this is a place of cry for help. This is what she's saying to me right now. Or he's saying to me right now. Hey, listen, I'm sorry about that. You know, how can I make it better? Okay, nope. Ah, I'm sorry about that. I was in a rush. Nope. I'll pick it

up right now. Anything else? Okay, cool. Okay, no problem. Now, circle back to that in three hours.

And let's suppose your wife spoke to you in a way that you didn't like, or your husband spoke to you in a way that you didn't like so rubbed you wrong in the moment. You ate the humble pie in the moment. But now three hours later, baby okay, baby. Do you have a son

I can Yeah, what's up, but they forgot

to talk about what I'm saying. They, you know, they remember earlier when you when you spoke to me and you know when the whole towel thing happened. Yeah. So listen, when you spoke to me next time, can you just speak to me like a little nicely because, like, you know, when you spoke to me, it just sounded like you were yelling at me when it wasn't really even my fault. Like, I just had left a towel. Like, you know, it wasn't that big of a deal. And when you said that, it made me feel like this. When you come from a place, it made me feel a person, they're left defenseless, like, you can't, you've

you, you've disarmed them, like, ah, and then they realize because it was a jerk over here. Ah, hey, listen, I didn't mean that like that. I just got frustrated. Why I said that to you and spoke to you that way. I didn't. I didn't mean to speak like that. So please forgive me. I'm like, no, no, it's I forgive you. It's just like, moving forward, if please just be mindful, because it hurts my feeling a lot. And then I think about it. And then I'm like, no, no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And then you know, it gets fixed up. So it's not like there isn't a time to circle back to uncomfortable place of love. But right now might not be that time. And you just got to be smart. Emotional.

Intelligence, you got to take turns. Everybody's got to, you know, especially in a marriage, you know, you got to play tennis. Yeah, yeah, that's okay. I was when a time when I'm eating, and I need you to take my emotions seriously. And then we're going to take turns, the problem becomes when you start competing the competition? Who gets last word? Yeah. I mean, you got to ask yourself, do you want to be? Do you want to be happy? Or do you want to be right? No, you go, that's, do you want to be? Do you want to be in love? Or do you want to be correct? And when do you want to be? Do you want to win the argument you want to be loved? Those are two separate conversations, you know, and you

can't be in competition with each other. It's collaboration, because now your children see how you handle conflict. Your children are gonna learn from you, man, and your children. Nobody, listen, I was raised in this environment, nobody wants to see their parents fighting, because your parents are supposed to be the rock foundations of how you live your life. And when you see them, like dealing with conflict in this way, it upsets you and you whether you know it or not, and children don't want to see their parents fight it grow, grew up with it, they don't like it, it's not good. And then only teaches you how to fight with others and handle your conflict. So like for the sake of your

children, let alone the sake of Allah, right, the sake of your children who are witnessing you, like, take it easy, go in the room, so that your issue but don't do it in front of the children, and one person has to eat the humble pie, and stop thinking about competition who's right who's wrong, just do your absolute best to, like, have a collaborative environment and just have a happy home. Happy Hill does matter. So the last thing I want to ask about is that we've noticed that recently, you've gotten into more humanitarian work. Yes. And so we want to ask about how has that experience been for you? It's a really cool part, sort of an add on to your data and your influence on what

you're doing? Yeah. So just wondering if you could talk about that. Have you reflected, you know, you know, once upon a time, I would probably think, like, I gotta do this part. I gotta do this. And it's also that this Sq, sq this figure, right needs to be like, you know, celebrating the Dawa community celebrating the humanitarian community. I don't care about any of that. Allah is my witness, bro. I could care less. If someone needs help. It's time to help them. Hey, you have a campaign that needs to be shared. If you DM it to me on Instagram, and I somehow see that DM, I'll put it on my stories for you. No problem, right? Because once again, we are not in competition with

each other. I am not the only soldier in the army. We all are collectively collaborative in our experiences like that, bro, when I went to Yemen recently, it changed my life like to see a war torn country. You know, and I'm not even talking about Syria, like Syria is worse. But like, I went to Yemen, in the south of Yemen. And then and bro, this buildings that are leaning because of a missile that hit on the bomb that hit him. And there's holes in there, the structures clearly damaged. But at nighttime, you'll see a light flickering in there because people are living inside of it. Right. And, you know, I've seen the humanity of these people were they living in tents and a tent, calling

it a tent is like an overstatement. I mean, it's an old

you know, you know, like a TV box that they use as a wall and a bed sheet that has holes in it as the roof. It's not really a tent, but whatever, right? They would tell you to when you walk inside of their tents, take your shoes off, right? The humility of like, I'm keeping this space clean. Right? It was beautiful, right? Like we stood in some space. We walked in someone's tent. That was like their living room. Right. But it was also there near their bathroom. And there was also their kitchen. Right? Talk about an open concept right on the floor. Right? It was also their kitchen, because they were just like, yeah, then we come to our kitchen. And I'm looking I'm like, where's it

and they just point down and bro, there's just some wood and like this rising fire, like right around there. And it's just the most huge, huge, it's just, bro it's the humility that you have is just incredible. Like, it's just about humility. It's not about being humanitarian. It's not about like, man, it's just about helping the OMA bro like we just want to help the OMA like here in Syria and Palestine. I'm going to pass it on.

shantala This Tuesday, I'm going over there we have a project where we're built. We're doing an expansion project on a orphans school for orphanage orphans in the Shuafat refugee camp near Ramallah. And we're trying to build that extension on top of it. And we're just trying to do our best bro. Like, we just want to help the people out. It has nothing to do with like, you know, humanity is what it's called humanitarian where the you don't care, like what it's called, the job needs to get done. It's not, you know, it's not about man, people are so focused on their branding, and like, Oh, but I can't share that because my, my contract with them, conflicts with them. And I

can't I can't do this and I can't big that up and they're like, What are you talking about, bro? Like, if I have a contract with someone, right, a partnership with some Muslim organization that is limiting me from spreading someone else's. I would never ever even take a contract with them. Because I'm not interested in that. I'm not interested in just being exclusive to one person and just doing whatever, right. Like, it's like, obviously like if I'm doing one project with Yemen here. The other Yemen project doesn't make sense, right? If you're showing me a Syria project, I'll share your Syria project. If you show me a Pakistan project, I'll show you a bug subject doesn't

make sense because I'm doing Yemen, you know, combined. Don't get me wrong, but like, it doesn't make sense from that perspective. But like, I just want to help bro, like, I just want to I feel like I'm talking about us on way too much. But like, I just want to help people. I want to make the greatest videos. I want to bring people on that experience of helping and I just want to encourage people to help more. And may Allah does use me to give more Dawa. May Allah sponsor us the OMA and everyone watching this to give more Dawa and allow us to focus centrally and specifically on giving Dawa nothing else matters. Stop competing against each other. It is about the Dawa just give the

Dawa. It doesn't stop trying to like, focus on building your brand. Right? You know, and we'll end it on this. Stop calling people you have to call you have to call people to Islam and not yourself or you. Stop calling people to yourself. Call people to Islam. call people to the to hate call people to the Oneness of Allah, stop calling people to yourself and your brand. Stop it. There is only one brand and that's the brand of Islam call people to the brand of Islam because your don't think that you're not corruptible because you are. Don't think that you're immune to from some type of tests or fitrah because you are you are one baddie, sliding your DM away from messing up. Don't

make you some pure guy air man. You're not You're one body away from it all throwing being put about your one loose conversation away from it all go to away. Stop thinking about yourself. Put the deen of Allah first, when you are doing something wrong or haram, I want you to imagine that you're holding the flag of Islam. For you to do some haram you have to drop the flag of Assam to do that. Haram if you are interested in watching pornography, you are holding the flag of Islam you have to put that flag of Islam down because you're not going to be thinking about Allah and His messenger when you're watching and doing something wrong. You have to put that down just Seagull why support

and now the flag of Islam was on the floor. What did we just do? For what? Yeah, so we have to put the flag of Islam first. If you drop the flag, we lose. There was a companion right of the Messenger SAW so that was a battle of the five if I'm not mistaken, please correct me in the comment section below for you bro. And his job was the flag bearer. You know, like that was his job. He was holding the flag and his arm gets cut off. And before the flag could jump the floor. He grabbed it with his left hand right. His other hand and the blue he's holding it because once the flag goes down the the opposition believes they want Yeah, right. They chop his other arm, grabs it with his mouth, bro,

grabs it oh actually grabs it with the stumps, grabs it with the stump, whereas with the stump right grabs it with the mouth I'm not mistaken as well too. And or with the stump and then his head His neck is chopped off. You get what I'm saying? Until he did he did the best that he possibly could. So I'm asking everyone, are we all holding the flag of sound which we all are we everyone is holding the flag of Islam. This is not limited to some special subscriber kindness. I like when you get 10k followers on Instagram. That's when you hold the flag of Islam or 10k subscribers or a few tick tock million views blah blah blah. That's when you're holding the flag of Islam. No, you are currently

holding the flag of Islam right now. What are you going to do about it? You know me What are you going to do about it? Are you going to drop the flag of Assam to promote your own brand or whatever? Or is your brand the brand of Islam and you know this deen is uncorruptible but you can be corrupted so please focus spend time with people who love and care about you who are not afraid of correcting you people who are not afraid to tell you the bitter truth stay humble yourself be with your family and friends who will tell you how it is stop having a circle of yes men stop holding a circle of yes men even if at all encircled there was a man right who is known as the believer. We don't even know

his name. Right. Right, who checked federal and he said are you going to are you attacking him? Because he just says that he worships Allah like Are you really going to do

that bro like, Why? Why are you doing this? You need to be checked by people. And if you're becoming this monster where no one can tell you anything, your to your policies, we have struggled with growing so much that when you walk into places, there's so many people there that no one can even approach you, you become approachable. You're doing something wrong, bro Humble yourself, go back to the basics, go back to the roots, go back to the tarbiyah go back to fixing your heart. And just go back to the basics of Islam because, you know, chances are that there's a storm brewing in your heart. And if you don't settle it, you're gonna burn out and you're gonna harm to the more than

you're trying to hurt it. You're trying to help the Dean take a break. You're tired, take a break, re align or readjust your intentions, intentions matter. Readjust those things and the last month I will handle the rest of it. Allahu Akbar es que yo man. This is this has been one of my my favorite podcasts to talk about 100 and I'm humbled Imam there, you've invited me here to talk to you in sha Allah Tala and I'm looking forward to all the great work that you and your organization and the Dawa, you do commercial are going to be doing and shout to Allah. And now let's find out grant you more sincerity. I mean, Allah subhanaw taala help you spread that the more I mean, and just like not

listen to all those people who might be trying to tear you down. Because there's two ways to build the tallest building. There's one way to compete with the person that build the building, and the other ways to tear down their building. So yours is the tallest and I think we all have to decide which person we want to be Allahu Akbar will be in Queens. We'll be in touch and we'll be doing more stuff together. Grow me I'd love to have a coffee.

So this is an absolute pleasure, bro.

This was an absolute pleasure just not going ahead. I pray that people benefit from it and that the audience, you know really, really benefit from this and have their love