Islam is good manners and kindness to mankind

who deny deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny.

To get

Bismillah off, man. Hi, my dear brothers and sisters, welcome to the show. I'm very happy to introduce us in kampsen and hamdulillah. We we've been talking a bit for a few hours and I already love you and your brother in Islam. And you know, your story is amazing. You embraces Islam in the 90s in UK, and maybe we can start with you know your story. And how did it happen for you in sha Allah? Allah? May Allah subhanaw taala love you. The Julian is a pleasure to meet you. And,

like, embraced Islam in 1994, I have to be honest with you that I haven't actually

told my story of Islam in the English language before ever. Wow. So it's exclusive is extremely just for you tonight, a

couple of other programs in Arabic are really never done in English, fantastic. However, what I will do is they will tell you the most important ones, if you're like,

I was brought up a Catholic with my mother and my brother, and went to Catholic school

had quite a strict upbringing. And although I wasn't forced to go to church every week, but the school itself was very good school. And so therefore we were taught quite intensely about the religion. And then

I was always had an affiliation with religion, I still like religion is to love watching religious films, 10 commandments King of kings, Jesus of Nazareth, masala is to the back of the class, they just have like little mini versions of the gospel was to take them home, look at them, you know.

Anyway, I went to college at the age of 16. And I met a brother

who was originally from Afghanistan.

And, you know, began to hang out with him. And then I realized, you know, because we had lunch between 12 one one

every day, he'd spent half of that, you know, somewhere else, and we'd have half an hour together. So I said, you know, you know, lunches an hour, what are we spent, you know, because I didn't know anybody else in the college, but once in Holloway, so when I pray. I said, Okay, that's interesting, what every day. He said, will you pray five times a day, and I was like, I couldn't, five times a day. You know, I found it difficult to go to church once a week, imagining somebody praying five times a day was

amazing. Anyway, had the head of prayer room, inside the college. I went there saw them praying. This was in 1993. How many people in the room there was about between 10 and 15 Brothers, okay, they made that event they prayed together. And then

the way that they prayed something just hit me. I just thought that's a really nice way to pray. And so then for about a year, I began to study began to read on and off look at videos used to watch a comedy that

will have mercy upon him. And then after about a year, in October, 1994

I embraced Islam. That's, in a nutshell, really, very naturally. Yeah, it was, it was, it came to a stage where really that you know, I was looking for something that you know, I was looking into my choice if you like, but they got to a stage where and I believe this that if a person really finds Islam, and I was lost count on a guns, that person, it no longer becomes a choice, right? Because you realize that this is the only possible thing that I can how I want to live my life. It's not do I don't I? This is I have to this is it. This is I have to take this way of life. I'm sorry. Did your family take it? I mean, you they were very Catholic, when you came back at home after your

Shahada. How did you did you keep it secret for a while or you straightaway told your mom, you know, so can you just share that? I mean,

because my mother and father they separated and was very young when I was about five, so I lived in my mother's a visit my dad, he's not religious at all. Okay, he's

agnostic, if you believe in something, but he doesn't know what my mother was when I told her to become Muslim was a little if you like.

A little upset, I must say because she thought somehow that I had

betrayals be good, right. But somehow that I'd taken another path that maybe was i'd rejected somehow, you know, what, our forefathers or my home mother and some would we'd follow it. It's like, why are you taking in other ways that what I have is not good enough for you? And I tried to explain to her until now, I tried to explain her that you know, 95% of what you taught when I still have with me, you know

Good manners, treating people well, being generous, being kind, being compassionate. You know, my mother taught me that and yeah, I tried to tell her that all those things whose qualities you have we have in Islam it's just that 5% in terms of straightening the belief in who Allah is and how to worship Allah subhanaw taala but after that after a short time we were still you know it's fine you have a good relationship speak everyday you know when people come you know judge Assam by Muslim I say look when you go to a restaurant you don't care with eating the food when you go there for the menu, the menu for us as Muslim is a Quran right? So and I know you've been studying the Quran quite

extended extensively in in Medina, Mashallah, you've been telling me that you've been studying for seven years and, and I'm quite jealous, you know, because of the race and racism. I was 40 years old and I couldn't make it, you know, to the Medina. And can you share with us like, how was the experience? I mean, seven years in the city of the Prophet peace be upon him, it must be quite something and, and what was the learning and, and what what helps you to be who you are today? Sure. I mean, you know, it's, it's one of the greatest neom after me accepting Islam was the greatest blessing that Allah gave to me.

One of the next greatest blessing I can see for sure is a loss of power out of facilitating me, you know, to go and live in Medina.

I went and I started studying in Medina three years after I embraced Islam in 1997. And I stayed there till 2004 went to the Arabic for Arabic Arabic program. And then I went and studied in the Faculty of Sharia and spent time with, you know, a lot of great people have a big influence on my life. And

coming back to the UK, as you know, enabled me to

have an impact on and benefit people in the way that I really want. So, you know, I got married there had my children, some of my children were born there, Mashallah. So, it was a big part of my life. You know, living in Medina, it's, you know, the greatest city for me to live in. So, what are the thing like, that you miss, you know, from this place, and maybe some some stories that happen to you that, you know, because every time I talk to students of medicine, I always amazing stories, you know, like, experiences, you know, with the dean and also the people out there. Yeah, I mean,

I mean, anyone who's who's gone to Medina, whether it's on a small trip for a Mullah or Hajj and they spent some time in Medina, then, you know, I was there last week, by the way. Oh, so, you know, I just want you to remind me, you know, so I want to feel again, because I haven't been there for two and a half years, I shall make it easy for you to come back. It's like a lifetime.

The Prophet alayhi salam, you know, made a dua

concerning Medina when he left McCann Mahajan, when they went to Medina and he said, Elisa, Allah from Mohammed, a lien and Medina kabhi, maka, or Shahada that make Medina beloved to us, just like we love Macau, but even a more intense and severe love. So whenever a person goes to Medina, they have that love for Medina, just upon by the drag the Prophet so so, yeah, so

you know, it's such a major part of my life.

You know, been a Muslim 21 years now, seven of the a third of it was spent in, in Medina. Right. And I, you know, the major events in my Islamic life. All happened in Medina. So, you know, I can't thank her enough for that. So you came back in 2004 and UK now? Yeah, down the line. We are 11 years after like, do you see any change from the Muslim community back in 2004? When you came back here? And then now like, do you see some tremendous changes? For example, in France, when I was living in my city, nones, I couldn't see any sisters wear hijab downtown. Now when I come back, it's full of It's really impressive. Yeah. So do you, did you feel this type of same?

Same experience when you came back? And now in 2015? Yeah, definitely, since I first embraced Islam, and then coming back each year, and since I graduated in 2014, and now that the Muslims and the apparent what you can see for the Muslims is much more than it used to be, you know, the availability of students of knowledge, the availability of literature, books, lectures, that's, you know, metabolites were saturated with with so much information, beneficial knowledge that is, but there is unfortunately, the same differences of opinion, the same kind of arguments, the same sort of mentality that existed 50 years ago is unfortunate, it still remains in certain certain people.

And I really think we still have a long way to go like now that we've made great strides in improving with Institutes of Health, you know, educating Muslims to, you know, to a level that they never had before. We still have a long way to go. Because I still think you know, that even though Islam is spreading far and wide hamdulillah

vast majority of Muslims really, still need to know what they have that beautiful gift that last panel has given them that they don't know really what they have the value. And so therefore you think, you know, there's a large portion of the Muslims, a large percentage of the Muslims are really, you know, kind of just going with the movements from one day to the next, you know, right. These are the kind of areas that we really need to focus on. What are the things you think we should work on to to be more united? Because this is really I think, what we need to work on at this point in time, you know, yeah.

Especially for the people who are not just Muslim to see us as you know, one, one community and, you know, this is a dream of the Prophet peace be upon him. Right. So any things that you want to share? Like, yeah, you know, I don't think the issue is very complicated. Yeah, you know, the prophet and so some gave us a model of how things should work. And you find that every within the community, every type of person was catered for the poor people that had to suffer, we didn't have very much that the Prophet Ellison allocated a place at the back of the masjid for them to stay. The people who came from the Bedouin people, when they came, they were given the information looked after in a

way that was suitable for them. Likewise, those who resided in Medina, those people who are merchants and businessmen, they're all given advice. Likewise, in our communities, there's different types of people, not everyone is the student of knowledge, not everybody's an Imam, we've done realize that people are at different levels of knowledge, different levels of understandings, so we need to kind of

get certain people whoever you know, whether it's educationalists doctors to cater for all these different types of people, right? I think you know, when you are doing something that if Allah gives you a gift, if you just applied for the for the dean for the dour, you will be united in it, because you you're working towards well, but if you haven't found it yet, then this is where the disunity can appear in you know, because you don't want to just lost focus, you're still searching. So I think it's maybe something that each must try to, must try to find, you know, not to duplicate the work. We don't ever want, you know, 10 organizations doing the same job. Exactly. different

organizations, you know, look, they're doing this job, okay, well, let's look at doing something different. So therefore, we can look after everybody, not 10 organizations or five organizations focused on one type of people. I'll try to you know, diverse, talking about organization right after the break. I want to talk about what you're doing in UK I know you're the Imam of the masjid and we will ask you a question about that inshallah. So stay with us and we'll be right back. Insha Allah

I found the truth. I found the truth. Yeah, so Bravo. To COVID agility. He divided the fun he kept the

scope bertola berita in control. I find the truth.

I am Muslim.

I'm Muslim young Muslim on

Muslim ban a Muslim or there's also no Muslim man on the border. So our assumption man, I'm a Muslim.

Tony

LASIK

LASIK

Ada

una de de la

Biche be bigger was

confetti then

Welcome back to the show. And we're gonna ask right now a very important question to have in the back of my mind system. I've been traveling in many Muslim country regarding the role of Imam you know in the society first of course in the masjid

It seems to me wherever I can be in Malaysia or turkey. A lot of the man just delivers of prayers. Yeah. And halus You know, that's and I would like to hear from you. What What do you think, should Imam do in the 21st century there? What do you think you should get busy at Shabbat from the five daily prayers? Yeah. Well, on the bee sallallahu alayhi wa sallam his email Muna was like our first email usually like or first person who took that position of any community and you find that the Prophet Mohammed Ellis was adamant responsibility not just to lead to five prayers, but was there as a guide, as a counselor, as a person to do so many things for the community. And I think, at least

in western countries, although you do find certain massager Do they have any man who justified does the five daily prayers, but our community, you know, they need more than that, they need to remember to be more dynamic, to be able to engage with the community. And I would, you know, I think it's very important that the Imam should be from that community who understands the different

you know, backgrounds of the of that community is very, very important the language of the people. And not just to relegate it just to five daily prayers, and we need to really educate ourselves as the importance of the role of the masjid and the Imam because the central to any Muslim community is the masjid. And the person who's in that Masjid, in educating people needs to be of the caliber so that he can take that community forward. Because essentially, they can't rely on just the building. Now, just the masjid, of course, very important. But they rely on the people who are, you know, taking care of the affairs of the Masters so that they can really benefit to the best of you know,

what they need in that community, talking about taking the community forward. Now, I want to talk about the new museum, we're entering in the community of Islam, and I know you're ready to vote, and you've been working within what are the experience and, and some advices you want to share to new Muslims who will be watching the show? And, you know, what are you doing in these aspects? Well,

you know, the Imam issue,

there's a statement of the Prophet Elisa said that every Nabhi, every prophet was alight in London, used to look after sheep, like a shepherd. In the UK, I can't be a shepherd. But being an Imam, if you like is the closest I can be to that, right. So that you can be free to see the different types of people, all you know, all walks of life, from that, as you know that those people who newly embrace Islam, which is very important, and the fact that I embraced Islam as well, I guess I have an affiliation with them, to some extent, the challenges and the questions that they have, I can relate to that to some extent, although maybe their their backgrounds may be a bit different from

mine. But I can understand, you know, taking that step from not being a Muslim, to now being a Muslim. And the challenge is at the very beginning, that you have a lot of energy at the beginning. And then the reality of the decision that you've made really hits home, that yes, I'm going to pray five times a day, five times a day, and I've literally changed my life. I would really advise sincerely that when a person embraces Islam is not to rush. But to take things day by day, right. And to allow things to, you know, be part of you and take it naturally. Don't you know, very simple example I have is like a weightlifter, you go to the gym, when you go to the gym, you don't stop

thinking about picking up 200 kgs you're going to break your arm, you break yourself. Take things slowly, slowly build your so it's like your Eman, strengthen it. This is what we need to do. And I think in even with Muslims, just generally, without a man, it's something we need to take care of. And you need to strengthen yourself gradually take things slowly, that becomes part of you naturally. And a very, very beautiful Hadith that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam said that the most beloved actions to Allah are those which are done constantly, even if they're small. And if things are done constantly, they become part of you, it becomes natural for you. So then when it becomes

natural for you, you know, naturally inclined towards that action. And the last panda loves that. So is better than you just you know, doing like one whole night of standing up for five hours in prayer. It's more preferable to Alaska, Montana that each night every little bit. Yeah, even if a smaller amount. So I definitely say take things slowly. Always ask questions if you're unsure of something. Because your knowledge is very smaller, especially when you embrace Islam as people who who do know. Again, that's a very important principle in Islam for cielo analytical, incontinent Italian, ask the people who don't you don't know. Okay, this is very important. Mashallah, thank you

for the advice, Chef. And I want to ask you, what are actually for you? The factors that explain the the amount of people who are embracing Islam, especially in UK, I mean, I've been reading some articles that talks about 5000 new Muslim sisters every year who are embracing Islam in UK and especially a woman I'm raising faster than men. According to you, what how do you explain this coming? This is becoming a phenomena to the point that a lot of media talking about it and we're just interesting about this. Yeah.

Personally, it's not something strange, of course, because what I believe Islam will give you a

saddle huthi will give you true happiness. Because it's an internal happiness is a satisfaction is not a happiness that relies on money. It's not happiness that relies on position. It's happiness that Allah subhanaw taala gives to you, but you know, between you and your Lord. So when a person is struggling and fighting in this, you know, this rat race in this world, the life and is looking for happiness in this life, because ultimately, every single creation on earth is looking for happiness, they will find it in money they don't find in all of these beautiful things that they find in this world in life. So when they, you know, are constantly looking for new phones and new houses and new

cars, and it never satisfies the soul. So when they come across a way of life, which gives you satisfaction, without any of these things, you don't need money, you don't need all of these things, you find that, that that natural inclination that Allah put in everybody subhanaw taala, that they will return to that because we believe as Muslims, that everyone is created in a natural way, in a pure way. So when they come across something which is pure, or gives you that happiness, you'll be inclined towards it.

So this is I think, you know,

one, as I said, it's not strange for me, it's not strange for me, you know, that when people come across Islam and see in its pristine and true picture, they can only say this is, you know, a good way of life is a good, healthy, clean, pure, loving way of life. This is what they should and this is actually how the people were embracing some the first generation of Sabah because when they were seeing was men Mashallah they were liberating them from oppression. And you know, they wanted to be part of his Dean because he was so inspiring and a great character and they lived and breathed Islam exactly lived in but it wasn't a part time drug or walking Khurana he was describing his management,

the Quran, yes. But as Muslims we need to really make a sacrifice to live and breathe Islam 24 hours a day or it's a challenge. It is not something which we can just pick and choose. And we really look at ourselves. We do pick and choose many things. And this is the kind of area that I want to really display my Islam and other times maybe I'll just take a back seat on it, you know, really need to make a sacrifice in all areas. Then you'll find the loss of penalty Allah will just make things easy for us. Much Russia It was great to have you on the show. Thanks. I'm looking forward to your classes in our coffer and all over the world and chocolate and Trinidad and wherever we can meet and

inshallah so much mela bless you

who deny deny

deny deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny,

deny, deny.

denied,

to get denied,

denied,

denied

to get denied