Interview

Islam.

Islam is a principle. Islam is a comprehensive system. Islam is a

Muslim.

Watching slam dunk. And we are joined here tonight in Toronto, Metro city during your fate conference 2008. Rather Yeah. Hey, Rahim, hypersonic

all the way from Australia. That's Perth, west coast

in two minutes. So a little bit about yourself background. I was born, born and raised in Toronto, I

grew up here my whole life. They're Canadian, very much, viola, Canada, very much a Canadian.

I've been in Australia for six years now, almost six years, married to an Australian or someone born in Australia, of Turkish ancestry. So it makes my two children there, Egyptian, Turkish Canadian Australians is an amazing world.

Can you tell us a bit about what you're doing right now?

Well, fortunately, the brothers that the journey of faith conferencing invited us to have a little bit of input into

our life, I look at it as a spiritual development for myself, but hopefully for the 1000s of people attending something that could be a benefit to them to bring them closer to the message of Mohammed the piece that he brought the serenity that he brought to the hearts and you know, law tells you in the LLB degree lots of minor photo is not the only way to bring serenity, and peace to the heart through his remembrance to thinking and pondering about why it is we're here. And where's it all going to? And that's life.

So let's get into the core of the

problem having Mohammed is

the West has a very different image, a very, I would say

distorted image, at some point, not everyone can generalize. But we find throughout the media, throughout

the Danish Danish cartoons and, and some of the propaganda has been moved around, we find that the West is somehow ignorant of who this man was.

If a Westerner comes to Canadian, and asks you tell me who was supposed to happen in two minutes, tell me who is this man that you guys love so much that you get mad over in our cars, we don't get mad. And if someone draws our profit or you know,

like, why, why this love for it was this man.

Well, believe it or not, they don't know much about him because of our failure. And as Muslims, for a lot of us who live in Canada, we came from migrant backgrounds. And our parents come from regions in the world where it's better just to stay in your home and be quiet because you don't want to bring attention to yourself. You don't want to share things. And it carried on in society. So our and you know, our elders in the community did a great part in bringing about mosques and places for us to learn and to meet about Islam. But now it's important for us to be more vocal because in the climate of terrorism, which we live in, you know, after, you know, horrific criminal acts, being

committed on broad, large regional scales, such as September 11, or Madrid or London, you have to question

Where are the Muslims? Why haven't they spoken up? And one of the key issues is what they believe in, and Mohammed as to us as Muslims. He was the walking for us. He was the word of God, the revelation of God, walking amongst us, teaching us how to live, how to eat, how to do everything we do in life, what to do with earnings and income, what not to everything in our life is based on the system that allows the panel's Allah, God the Most High put into existence through his tradition.

So who was on the two minutes?

He's a man, flesh and blood, ate, drank, walked amongst people. He wasn't more significant than others. In fact, he was illiterate couldn't read and write

But he was a person who purpose of honesty and truth. He was chosen by God, out of the people that he lived amongst to lead a nation that came out of an ignorant, illiterate society that had no significance in the world prior to it to become the most dominant force that the Earth had seen for generations that governed the earth, from Spain to China, from Siberia, to the depth of Africa, it came from a man blessed by and touched by God, to spread a message of peace, the message of Mohammed was a message of peace. And as such, you see that the variances we find in our society today, where terrorism and militancy and things that lead away from the path of the prophets, I send them, you

find that as a blatant contradiction, and that can only be made known by your programs. And we help Allah blesses your program and gives you

you know, insight into your efforts and brings you closer to the righteous way so that you have a positive impact and let people know Mohamed was a man who came to teach people to love God in came to teach people to be fearful of God when their conduct was away and assuage from the way that he commanded. Mohammed was a man who loved a lot, who loved God, and God loved him. And that shows in the nation that is built around his name.

If a non Muslim comes to and says, I don't believe Mohammed's prophet proves to me the premise, but how would you point them in the right direction? What would you say? What kind of arguments would you use to prove his faith, and you can't convince someone to have faith in something that's something that's in the heart that's placed there, out of rational insight. They're rational, they look at history truly out of sincerity, they're not biased to begin with. Third out of correct information being given to them, they're not reading something corrupted, and forth out of unembellished practical experiences that they have with people who follow Islam. And at times,

you'll find a person who's read all the right books, who's knows more about Islam and the history of Islam and the prophet of Islam, the many Muslims, but the experiences that he had when he went to a mosque or met a Muslim or how he was cheated, or how he was dishonored, led him away. And finally, all of that doesn't matter. If Allah does not want faith to enter into that man or woman's heart. So it's not that we want to evangelize the world for Muslims, we're not evangelists. But we want people to treat us with a sense of love, admiration and fairness, and to make us from those who who are accepted in the society that we live in.

As a Muslim, or a non Muslim, I want to be treated and governed under the law as one. And that's really what we aim for us as Muslims living in Western societies. I don't want anything more than what everyone else has been given

the importance of the center

is it that Muslims are so attached to it. And what's the significance of this? In Islam, the word sooner in itself from the Arabic language is is significant.

sadhana it means that which is constant or which is habitual. It's something that is a re occurrence. And we established things that were re occurrences in the life of the problem, things that he didn't just do once. So it wasn't by chance, things that he did constantly, day in, day out, week in week out monthly, yearly, till he died, peace and blessings be upon him, and all of the profits that came before him. So it was so significant that he would repeat this thing so often, and tell people to do it, and he himself doing it, it's got to have some spiritual or physical benefit. So whether it's a tangible benefit or spiritual benefit, there's got to be some good in it, or else

it wouldn't be as soon as an oft repeated at, of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon. So the more you come closer to the sooner the more you live your life according to his way of life. And the more you live your life in his way of life, the cleaner your life, because you guard your tongue, you're not

slanderous, you're not lying, you're not cheeky, you're honest in what you say. you're careful with what you look at and with people's property. Your head doesn't touch what doesn't belong to you. You're generous you're giving your conduct with people is exemplary. And that's what the prophet Muhammad cultic.

The youth today are having

Questions about the sun is supposed to have a beard. Are you supposed to wear it at all? It is supposed to use miswak it's supposed to wear poofy it is I mean is this sun something that you know a Muslim should portray throughout you know is it like my by wearing at all by using the SWAT how what's the you know what what do you What's your say on that okay? Suna

summit is the spirit and the heart of Islam. It is the wisdom that the Prophet used to show people how to live the bride. Its basis is not simply the miswak, or the length of the beard, or the length of your clothing or what clothing you wear, the prophet wore what other people wore, he wouldn't wear the clothing they wore for religious services. If something was a religious garment that they wore for ship, he would never wear that. He was different from the society that he was in, in terms of their religious devotions, and their acts of worship, to dignify the way of a mom and the way in the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him. But what is meant by sooner is the overall overwhelming

character of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon. So we lead people we don't we don't say to people, you are not on the sitting of the buffet, if you don't use the tweet to brush your teeth. That's not what's meant and that was never the intention of the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him solely. Yes, we recommend to people to clean their teeth to brush their teeth. And if you have the ability to be living in a land where the root of that tree, which is a tree, medically proven to fix ginger vitus to remove plaque if you have the ability to use that right upper branch and root of the tree and use it otherwise use something that acts in a similar mode like a toothbrush today is

the intent for you is don't go to the mosque with your breath and breath stinking right? Go with nice minty breath. Brush your teeth two, three times a day. Don't let your teeth fall out because of your negligence of the habitual habit and custom of the prophet to cleanse his mouth for 510 15 times a day. No garlic breath. Cut that out.

All right, on the same issues and we as when we're involved in our people have researched Islam a bit and have read through them. And they ask us how come the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him? Was it valid to do certain things that the oma the homeless are not allowed to do? How come he had some exemptions for some things? What are some of these things that? Well, the exemptions are not given to himself. It wasn't something he gave himself.

They are limited in scope, very few in number.

And they had reasons for example, marriage.

As Muslim men we are confined to marry one way, if we are in need and take any capability of having more than one under right conditions, and with the right reasons. And in many parts of the world, it's a fact of reality and a necessity, then it's permitted. The Prophet did not have a finite barrier. For us. It's for for him, it wasn't for

when you see the women, the prophets, I saw them married.

When you see the reasons behind them, you find very easily that it was not out of lust, it wasn't out of desire. Some of them were too old, to sustain themselves. Others were from a tribe that was just entering into slump, who needed political clout with him.

Others were

to bring peace between two warring tribes.

All of that had a basis and a reason in the life of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu dimsum. So there are special realities for him, but they are in things that are defined and given to him by Allah as a command department, not something himself choice.

Prophet Muhammad peace be upon the western minds of the Orientals have spent quite a lot of time there's actually a lot of very prolific have written many books

and

will in your other Orientals have spent their life researching.

A Muslim would wonder How come these people have spent so much time there? Some of them have learned the Arabic have traveled to Arabic lands, and have written so much about Prophet Muhammad? How come they did not see or did not embrace the beauty of Islam?

A lot of times, you know.

There are people who are dumb that

blind, they can see the balloon life on their hearts that they can't really have a conscience with it.

They have eyes they see with but they can't really see. And they have ears and they can't really hear with meaning that their heart was in touch, that what they read didn't go down into their heart, it go went through their eyes, Rach and lives in their brain, but it stopped there. And that's why initially when we were talking earlier, I'm setting it all nighters on that touch and it comes to you in the heart, where God, Allah opens your chest tea for you to recognize what you come to believe to be the truth. Now, a person who comes at it from a scholastic point of view, and is just there to critique and to analyze and to write, and to further their academic credentials in

their career is not always fixated on the truth, you'll find that for a great many that there are atheists who lead heads of departments of religious studies, in many of the universities around the world. So it's basically the sincerity of a person and looking at, it's not the sincerity, they just haven't been touched by they have not felt what an illiterate person will feel. Some illiterate people you will command them was one thing. Do you know who God is? And they want to know, other people will write novels of who God is, but they don't really care about

a Christian friends.

When we engage in dialogues with them,

they often bring a question, which is so many profits, actually, most of the profits came from the lineage of Isaiah. How come now, you know, Prophet Mohammed, supposing the last prophet, he said, it was from Malaysian fishermen? Why once was, how come so many profits just from that line? You know, they say, No, all the profits are supposed to come from?

Well, two things.

Both lines go back to Abraham. So either way doesn't make a difference. Third, if he wasn't from any of those lineages, but he came with the truth, what's the difference?

So it's not about how does it matter to me, if 3000 years ago,

that was the grandfather of the you know, the great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, how does that matter if the truth is the truth. And if you see the message isn't true. And if you see your calls to what is good, it calls to pray your calls to fasting and competitive option calls to sincerity calls to humbleness it calls to charity calls to generosity, it calls to abstinence, you see all this, don't judge it by the concept of simply lineage. But in fact, lineage is also important for us as Muslims,

and the property was lacking said, lamb for two min Allah, the prophets are all paternally linked in their relationship. On the hunter chapter, their mothers are from different tribes in equal, what do you want? But what truly the seven is that their religion is one. So what is it called two is the same as what Ishmael call two because it was what was Abraham calling to and Moses calling you and those who came before them and after them, the one way is the way of worship of God alone. don't worship none with him. Don't take partners with him. Don't make equals to him. Don't make intermediaries between you and him. That was the message of all the profits.

Another very profitable

issue that people bring up today is the the attack or the acquisition of Prophet Mohammed was a very violent man. He led many wars, and he attacked deeply attacked caravans and he fought and that's what people try to pick up from, from the his biography.

It would be okay.

The prophet SAW Selim lived in a time where power and might or what govern, they will What magic and he was either fight to survive, or you will perish.

It would be similar to someone judging the Jewish people today by Moses having killed a man. Right? That's not a reflection of Musa peace and blessings be upon him. It was as he said, as Moses said as a log record says in the Quran, mean ammunition shavon. That's an act that is devilishly was in the right action. So, and that was before the message of Moosa was delivered

Written by a lot by God,

for a person to hold account of the Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings upon them, due to people invading his land, invading his city and fighting against him, and overlooking the 13 years of patience and sacrifice that he endured, and the hostility endured in Mecca, in overcoming the hardships that they inflicted upon him with peace and abstinence, and not acting in the way of his grandfather, Abraham and smashing the idols, but being peaceful and practicing of faith and then moving to Medina, and then being attacked there and defending themselves through and being betrayed. It is,

once again a sign of a lack of balance in the historical facts.

They simply by too emotional, when they look at these aspects, I think people are fearful. People don't know what Islam is about. People don't know that all I want in life is to raise a healthy daughter, to raise a healthy son, to educate them in the worldly life about maths and sciences and geography and, you know, geometry and all that is that is good. And to teach them the Koran and to have them as spiritual beings who pray and fast and are developed so that they will have righteous families and good people who will be pillars of their community and givers, not takers. That's what I want in life. I don't want anything more. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want anyone to hurt

me. I want to live a good, decent clean life. And that's what everyone wants, right? And whether you're Muslim or not, that's how we live. And not because I'm Muslim, it means I want something different. And people just don't know that because they don't know enough about us. And it's your job which you have taken that challenge. And my job is to present a true image of what we as Muslims truly believe.

And finally, Prophet Mohammed,

a man, a man chosen by God, last messenger to humanity at large, not just a certain issue.

How was he in his own household as a family man, he was a person who mended his own clothes, sewed his own clothes. He was a person washed his own garments. He was a person who never had anyone to carry him here or there. He didn't have an entourage no one stood at his doors as a private personal servant or guard.

He prayed more in the home than outside. He cooked for his family, he cleaned for his family. He taught his family.

He was a person who was balanced in every aspect of his life. There was no

there was no imbalance in his life. Nothing superseded the rest. Everything was balanced in its in his servitude to Allah subhanho wa Taala. He was a person who was was respected by his enemies. They were fearful of heat of slandering him, knowing that he was a person whose reputation would not be out Shawn by their immediate skill words and lies and treachery. So even though they hated and had hatred for him, they could not escape the fact that they couldn't lie about him, and say that he was a deceiver or a liar, when they knew that people knew him before as a new manager. And he remained the trustworthy and honest man, that they every everyone respected.

And I conclude this section by reminding myself in you of our duty to the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, or he says to us, transmit from me carry for me to others, even if it is just a single verse that you know what you know, let people know. And it's your mission and my mission, to let people hear the words of Allah and the tradition in the cinema and the habitual constant way of life, the way of peace of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon. So thank you for having me here today.

Our pleasure.

And all your listeners and our viewers. It's your responsibility now, to go on further research and to learn more about profit.

share in the

non Muslims go to your Muslim friends, Muslims go to non Muslim friends and tell them about Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Is that going to occur? Islam 2008 chonaill journey