The Knowledge – New To Islam

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bump, often in gentleman where

we're looking for somewhere where I can sit down with my friend and talk to him for a little bit. I'm a Muslim, but he's a non Muslim somewhere like a mosque or something close by where we can sit down and talk. Okay. I know Regent's Park mosque is a nice area. Okay. It's a nice park at the back. If you're like, Yeah,

you're Muslim. I'm a Muslim. But my friend Anthony. He's looking into Islam. So we're going to think about just sitting down and talk to him. about Islam for

Santa Monica. Oh, when it comes to llama Tila, how are you doing? You're right. I'm good. Brother. How you handle I'm fine. Good. Yes, yes. So you've been to that mosque before it? Yeah, I've been to that mosque before was the first time for Anthony. And he's got quite a few questions to ask about Islam.

One of the one of the one of the questions he keeps asking me is, Can we be friends? Yeah. Well, you know, there's something which

people ask a lot, actually, that they, they take on a new life. And they make a lot of changes in their lives, you know, they make a choice to stay away from alcohol and,

and they stay away from certain places. And inevitably, that means you don't go to the same places that your friends maybe that they went to before.

But you know, in Islam, there's nothing that stops you from adding your friends, we randomly I'm sure you've known him for a long time. There's nothing that stops you from being you know, good person to him showing respect. And, you know, it's part of your old religion, that you show him a good side of Islam. The fact that you know, you're taken into the masjid, is a very good thing. So there's nothing in Islam that stops you from, you know, being good to him, respectful to him, showing him what you believe to be right shown in the straight path if you'd like. So, there's no problem in what you're doing. In fact, is it's unfortunate that many Muslims don't take the same

position as you are wanting to show your your friend, some goodness, you know, my friend,

my friend keeps talking about,

like worshiping in one God, but don't all religions, worship same God?

Well, the world religions, you know, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all claim to worship the one supreme god. So in that sense, yes.

They all came from the same source from a Muslim perspective. You know, the Moses was sent to the children of Israel, who now we known as the Jews, and Jesus peace be upon them both was sent to, again, the children of Israel to teach. There's only one God and like Muhammad peace be upon him to teach, there's only one God as well. So in that sense, yes, we do worship the same God. But there's one fundamental difference, and that is in Islam. We have something called purity of worship.

And that is that we have a very

monotheistic verse, pure way of worshiping, worshiping Allah, we ensure that there's no go betweens, or in betweens, when we worship God. So we wouldn't, for example, take worship prophets, we wouldn't worship, you know, holy people, we have to make sure as Muslims that we purify our religion,

for Allah alone. So, in a sense, yes, we might say, we worship the one God, but the actual practice of it is very different than the religion and how we worship God Almighty in Islam, is completely unique.

So how are we difference? How do you know you're right, and the others are wrong? Yeah, well, you know, the good question, how do I know I'm right? I mean, there's a couple of things. There's something in all of us, that we all recognize the Creator, and that's a lot. And we recognize that we should worship Him, and we should serve him. Now, there's different ways that people will claim this is what God wants from us. So that we need to look at ourselves and look at the evidence is because he can't have two truths. There is only one truth, because each of the religions they claim that we're right, and the others are wrong.

Christianity would say that they're there they have the correct path.

Hindus may say they have the correct path and Muslims have the correct path. So what do we do as human beings? You know, God gave us minds logical minds to, to analyze to think, to ponder over. And when you look at Islam very carefully, from a faith person

objective. And also from a logical perspective, it's something that's unique and stands out. So, you know, I'm sure that you know, when you go to the masjid and you speak with,

you know, brother Rashad there that whatever questions you have, it will always address your logic, it will always address your mind into something which is not just blind faith, it's always something which is something was acceptable to oneself, you know. So that way you come to a conclusion, yeah, this is the right thing to do.

One thing, one thing, most Muslims I see have a bit.

Yeah, you know, Islam is, is a way of life. It's not just something we do on a Sunday or even on a Friday, or, you know, one part in the week. Islam is a complete way of life.

And it's something that affects all aspects of our lives, from the way that we think. And the way that even that we dress from the way that we eat. And the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, for all Muslims is somebody whom we tried to emulate. And for, for men, trying to follow the way that the he looked, if possible, in that he had a beard, we tried to have a beard as well. And it's only natural to grow a beard because, you know, God created us that men have beards. It's a natural thing it was, you know, shaving your face all the time, and things like that maybe

is difficult for a lot of people. So it's only a natural thing to have a beard in the first place. So we tried to emulate his his way and in the way that he looked and the way that he he would deal with people can ask a question.

You know, when a lady becomes a Muslim,

she, she covers it covers it here. And

what's the ruling on that? Lady's covering? They're here? Yeah. Well, you know, when a person accepts, you know, Allah as their as their Lord.

They accept everything that he advises us in the Quran.

And you find that in the Quran, there are different directives, different advices that are given to us, which we can display and show our servitude and worship to Allah. Now, men in different from women, men are different from women fundamentally. So there are times when we will display our worship differently.

Now one of those things, which is specific to women, is that they are required to dress

it's interpreted as modestly.

Now, how do we understand what modesty means? Because that may be something which is relative, you know, one person to the next, what do you understand to be modest, I understand this to be modesty, I understand that to be modesty. So we look at how the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and his wives, and all the Companions who were around at that time, how they understood how they would cover themselves, and they would wear what we know now as a female, or a hijab. And we're flowing garment, that women would wear this, and that's how they display their modesty. And it serves as a protection for women. And, you know, it's easy for me to say that, but there are many testimonies, many answers

from women themselves, because they're the best people to ask. And that the prospect the best people to give answers really, about how wearing a hijab and wearing this clothing protects them from from so many things, and it really honors them. And, in fact, what contrary to how many people think that it serves to suppress them is in fact, the complete opposite.

I've seen that they portray Mary where he made sure

that's, you know, Mary, Mary, you know, I don't there's not a picture that exists. That where Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus, Lisa, then of course, we don't have pictures in Islam of, of Mary, in that sense, muddy and, but within the Christian world, there's not a picture that exists except that the she's wearing what we know is a mod or a hijab, which is a sign of modesty. That's what I'm saying. So it's not something strange. This is something that's been known throughout the times, people who followed you know, followed religion and followed, you know, worshipping along women, this is what they will, they will, they will and I'll tell you something else, that

my grandmother, for example, my grandmother would not leave the house, except that she would wear like a small scarf. Actually, my mom was the same actually. Yeah, yeah, my mom was just what, you know, a couple of generations ago, it's not long ago. It's only in the past, you know, 20 or 30 years or 40 years if you'd like that people have decided that, you know, they don't wear these things anymore. But for the vast majority of time, this is how they displayed themselves when they got aside this this were small stuff and they weren't Muslims. You know, my family are not Muslims. So she used to leave the house and you know, not wearing a scarf. So she did used to wear a scarf.

I think some countries in European small towns in Europe still do that. Until now. You're right. Yeah. Until now. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, that's why

A

lot of these places where they've not been affected by if you want to call the the westernization

of certain, you know, cultures that they still reign upon, you know, their generations before them or upon, you know, wearing scarves and things like that men again, dressing very modestly as well, because modesty is not just for women, it applies to men as well, that they have to, you know, dress appropriately. You know, they wouldn't just wear clothing, which attracts attention, undue attention to themselves. They display modesty in many different ways, the way that we speak, the way that we dress, the way we deal with people. You know, that's what Islam came to teach us. Islam, you know, gave us this holistic view of how to live as good human beings. Can you tell me more about the five

prayers that Muslims do? On a daily basis? Yeah, I remember, once upon a time, when I was told that Muslims pray five times a day, I couldn't actually believe it. Because, you know, there was how was that person can pray five times a day.

You know, some people find it difficult to go to the church, once a week is quite difficult.

But when you know why you're doing it, and the special manner of the prayer itself, it has, it's a special relationship you have with with Allah, you know.

And then when, when I you know, when you study it further, again, it's not something which is unique to Islam.

There are many times when,

within, you know, even Christian scripture, there are times when it tells us that, you know, Jesus peace be upon him when he

wanted to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, you know, that he asked for water, he washed himself and he frustrated.

And, you know, the closest people to emulate in the Muslims. So the five daily prayers are something which is an opportunity for you to have a relationship with God five times a day. And it's the most important act of worship that you can offer on a daily basis. So it's very important as a Muslim to establish those five prayers. Can you tell me about any other acts of worship that they that they do that I might not know about? Yeah, see, a lot of the time

we focus on

the external worship. What I mean by that is, you know, what you see a person do, you know, they're praying, or they go on a pilgrimage. But some of the most important acts of worship are actually internal. They're inside and that's, and they, you know, they just in your heart. So for example, you have love, you have hope, and you have fear, and you have trust and reliance, all of these are extremely important acts of worship for us as Muslims. So, we, you know, we, when we speak to Allah, we supplicate and call upon Him, we have love for our Creator, we put our trust in Him, but He knows what is best for us. So this is, you know, a side of worship that a lot of people don't really focus

on.

So yes, we have the five daily prayers and we fast you know, we abstain from food and drink. But we also have these internal acts of worship, which are the very essence the very foundation and the beginnings of how we worship Allah.

You know, when you're offering those five daily prayers, if you don't have this love for Allah, and hope and fear that it just becomes actions.

So it's very important that you have both that you have submission in your heart and you have submission in your, in your limbs in your physical body as well. Boom,

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