Yasir Qadhi – Stories of Israeli Jewish Converts Embracing Islam
AI: Summary ©
The importance of achieving Islam's happiness is discussed, including a woman who found peace through her own faith and actions. The historical significance of Islam is also emphasized, including its historical significance. The segment also touches on the struggles of Muslims in their daily lives, including the lack of acceptance of Islam and pressure to admit their religious beliefs. It is emphasized the need for individuals to be mindful of their responsibilities and not give charity.
AI: Summary ©
In Al Hamdulillah
Muhammad who want to study you know, Horner still fiddle went through the biller, Himanshu Rudy and fusina woman say Dr. Medina, Mejia de la HuFa la medulla Wolmar Yulin who follow her the Allah wa shadow Allah Allah illallah wa de Hola, Shadi Cara, y shadow Annette Mohammed and avid who was sued sudo Yeah, you hola Dina. I'm an otaku. Allah helped her to call to one at a moto in LA and to Muslim moon. Yeah, Johanna SUTA Cora Baku Mulethi holla comin FC wa Haider wahala come in has o Jaha. Weber Theremin Houma de Jalan Cathy Ron Wani is what telco hola hola de Tessa Luna V world or ham in Allaha Can I leave Cumbre Kiba. I'm about Mario Brothers and Sisters in Islam. The majority
of us sitting here, the vast majority are those whom Allah subhana wa Taala blessed to be born into Muslim families. Our parents were Muslims for it by and large. Our mothers and fathers taught us the faith. We went to the massage with them as children, our parents arranged for us to learn the Quran. Our cultures, by and large, have been Islamic, surrounded by Muslims. And I speak right now of those who are born into Muslim families. And I know that a hamdulillah some amongst us have converted to the faith the majority of us as we know we're born into it. Have you ever wondered
if you hadn't been born into a Muslim family? Have you ever imagined if the world were a different place and Allah's other upon you were different than what it is? If you had not been gifted Islam as a baby or childbirth? Would you ever have discovered it? For most of us, brothers and sisters, we've never thought about that question. For most of us, we take Islam for granted. We take it as a birthright, we take it as if it is a part and parcel of existence. And so we take it for granted. And what you take for granted by and large, you do not appreciate.
For most of us, we have never wondered, What if I didn't know this faith? What if I was born into a different religion, a different civilization? Would my intellectual curiosity been so strong? That I would have questioned my own faith? Would my courage and bravery my conviction be so much that I would have stood up against my own relatives? Would I have challenged the status quo? Would I have been brave enough? curious enough, courageous enough to actually go against what my family what my society what my culture had taught me if I knew that the truth was an other than what my society had. And this question brothers and sisters is one that I have been thinking about for a long time.
And I want you as well to think about this because if you do not appreciate the gift of Islam, if you do not understand how blessed and fortunate you and I are to have simply been born into this faith, that Subhanallah we will take this faith for granted. And that is why brothers and sisters those who convert to the faith, those of you in this audience who were born in other traditions, and you are now sitting here, our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam He said, They shall get a double reward double of anything that we have done, because obviously, their whole lives they have had to change they have had to cut off they have had to stand courageously. Our Prophet saw some said that
person will get a little hold their fire and double reward because the one person that he has done or she has done, the courage that they have shown is something that we can only wonder would I have had that courage or not. And Allah subhana wa Tada reminds us in the Quran, hold the formula he will be rahmati he forbidden radica fratto who will hire you don't even manage my own tell them with Allah's father and Rama let them be happy. It been Abbas said, the father of Allah is Islam. And the Rama of Allah is the Quran, who will be fought Lilla he will be rahmati he Fabiola Ditka, Leo Ferraro, say with Islam and the Quran. This is what they should be happy about. This is what their
forearm should be based on. They should be happy the
Allah blesses them with Islam that Allah gifted them the Quran for the DA Lika failure. Ferraro who are hired on mimma, huge maroon, the happiness of Islam. The happiness of the Quran is a greater happiness than any other happiness that they can gather any money, any experience any joy, who are hired, oh, mimma, Yoji maroon, and brothers and sisters, these emotions of happiness, of sadness, of joy of anxiety, they bring out the reality of our inner thought. And I was somewhat amused two weeks ago, if you remember, we had the storm this winter storm, you know, the schools were shut down for a week, as you know, subhanAllah as you know, for six, seven days, our children did not go to school.
By and large, I know my children were very happy. And I'm sure yours were as well, very happy. They don't have to go to school. And I met one of our brothers who owns a business. He was very sad, because he's losing business for those six days. And I thought Subhanallah the same thing, the same issue. It brings out what is the reality? What is actually this children don't want to go to school. They're just so happy that Allah we don't have to go to school, and the other brother hits it is dependent on people coming to his office to his shop. And because everything is closed, there is notice for those days, and so his sadness comes out. And this also made me reflect Subhanallah Do we
really have that happiness for Islam? Do we really have that that joy that we should have? And Allah subhanho wa Taala reminds us in the Quran, while Hola, Fabiola Alikum warahmatu who mazurka mean coming ahead in Avada Well, I can know Allah user Keman Yasha. It is Allah's blessings on you. It is Allah's folden Allah's gift to you Allah's generosity. I didn't earn Islam. You did not deserve Islam, when hola Fogg Lula here aleikum wa rahmatullah who were it not for Allah's father and Allah's mercy, no one amongst you would ever have been purified and forgiven. While I can no law how you is that keyman yesha, but it is Allah subhanho wa Taala who chooses whom he wants to purify and
to forgive? We need to understand and appreciate these blessings these gifts that ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada has given us because it is Allah's choice that he has guided us manually dilla whoever ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala wants when you read the law, who and yeah do who whoever Allah wants to guide Yashraj so that our holy Islam, he is the one who opens his heart to Islam, woman you did and you'll listen to who and whomever Allah wants to misguide, then Allah azza wa jal will take him to another path. It is Allah's other that I was born into a Muslim family, it is Allah's other that my neighbor was not born into the same type of family. Yes, it is true that this is a gift that Allah has given
me, the least that I can do is to appreciate that gift. Because when someone has gifted you something you do not appreciate it. Then you are showing a type of Cofer a type of rejection of the generosity of the one who gives you a gift. How about the gift of Islam? And how about the generosity of the creator of this world? Allah subhanho wa Taala reminds us in the Quran, that a group of people think that they're doing us a favor by embracing Islam, no Yama noon, I like an Islam. This is the group of the hypocrites, the group of the munafo Goon. They embraced Islam. And they boasted to the prophets of Saddam, they walked into the masjid puffed up with pride. And they
said, Yes, we have accepted Islam, your religion, we follow it, and they were trying to show that this is a favor they're doing to the Prophet to Islam Jambo. Noona alayka and smo. They think they are doing you a favor by accepting Islam? No. But Allah who you know, are they come and her dad completely Imani in quantum Saudi thing? No, that is not the case. That is not the case. Rather, Allah is the One who is doing you a favor. Allah is the One who is showing you mercy that he has guided you to Islam, if only you are truthful and sincere. It is not any favor that I have done to anybody. It is not something that I have managed to do La hawla wala Quwata illa biLlah It is Allah
subhana wa Tada who has gifted and blessed us in the Battle of the Trench, the Battle of Isaiah, the sahaba. They're conscious of who they are. They're conscious who their enemies are. They were digging the trench and they began to sing poetry and the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam went into the trench and he's singing that poetry with them. He's singing that chant with them. And what was that poetry? Well, Hola. Hola. Hola. Hola. Houma. Dana wala Tosa doc now Walla Walla Lena, wala he were it not for Allah, we would never have been guided and we
would never have been found this Islam, were it not for Allah we would never give charity and we would never ever pray. Look at the Sahaba they appreciate the blessing this this this this poem is not in the Quran. Allah didn't tell them, it's coming. They're the ones they're thinking about Islam. They're thinking about guidance. They're thinking about the Daya and as they are surrounded by 10,000 men, the Battle of the Trench, as they're going to be cut off for one month. Their spirits are happy because at least they have Islam. Well, Allah He Lola Allahumma. Dana, what muslin well also Lena what else Elena, what are sadaqa wala Selena, were it not for Allah we would not have been
guided, we would not have prayed we would not have given charity and our Prophet sallallahu either he was selling himself as reminded that even he does not have the power to guide whom he wants. It is Allah who chooses whom to guide. Our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is told in the Quran in Nicola atta the men are habita you do not guide those whom you love. When I can Allah Hi yah, demon Yeshua, but it is Allah subhana wa Taala who guides the one whom he wants? Have you ever thought brothers and sisters, that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam so much wanted of both olives hedaya And yet Abu Talib was not blessed with hidayah. And here we are blessed with that, that we
never had that strong desire before our existence. It wasn't something we willed. Have you ever wondered Ibrahim alayhis salam, how much he made dua to Allah for his father's Daya how much he begged Allah, Ibrahim Ali him so much so until Allah tells him this one thing, don't do it. Your father is gone. No, you cannot make dua for him. You cannot pray for him now. But he kept on praying, praying, praying, because he wanted hidayah for his father. And here we are. And Allah azza wa jal chose that he Daya for us, he gifted us that he Daya. So the least that we can do brothers and sisters is to thank Allah and appreciate that blessing upon us. Brothers and sisters, many of
you might know I have returned from a trip from from Philistine and I went to Masjid Al Aqsa. And I want to share with you some of the most amazing stories that I have come across in my life when it comes to converts. And we all as Muslims born into Islam, one of the reasons we love when people convert, one of the reasons it's so exciting we all become happy is because it reaffirms our own faith and our tradition, it makes us feel at Hamdulillah. That's something we might not have appreciated, but this person has appreciated. And we feel and we should rightfully feel, we feel a sense of pride that had hamdulillah somebody has found what we have taken for granted. And there's
no problem in in, in being that happy and whatnot. But you should be happy at your own Islam, by the way, right? You should be even happy that Allah has guided you to Islam. And there's it's good to reaffirm our faith through the stories of converts. And that's why our convert brothers and sisters they know every time they're in a Muslim gathering the first question after they find out they're Muslim, oh, how did you convert that conversion story? It is really powerful for us born Muslims, we love to hear it, because it reaffirms our faith, it makes us feel so good. It makes us feel a sense of pride. And I want to share with you stories that I myself have interviewed and witness because
for me, and Allah azza wa jal has blessed me to see many and interact with many Converse. But this group for me was the most bizarre and the most moving for me. And this is one of the reasons why this question even though I've been thinking about for a long time, it really became very powerful. In my mind, for the last few weeks, I'm going to only tell you three stories, I met a group of Congress, all of these converts our Israeli Jewish converts to Islam, all of them. And it was truly the most
strange stories of Congress that I have ever met the first of them, I'm going to quickly summarize the three stories because each of them is very powerful that it really moved me the first of them. I actually got an email many months ago last year. And I unfortunately don't have time to answer to all of my email, but sometimes Eliza just just blesses and I'm able to an email came to my public account and it was a lady from Israel and she literally starts off that I was born into a Jewish family. I'm from a Western country, I cannot give too many details why they will understand why. And I migrated to Israel for religious reasons. It's called the Alia Hijra. I made hijra to Israel as a
young girl, I abandoned the West, she's in the this part of the world. I abandoned and I moved there. And over the last few years, I grew agnostic now I'm looking for the truth. And I read the Quran and I'm you know, and I came across your lectures online, and I'm interested etcetera, etcetera. So, obviously, it's very interesting. Of course, it's a bit strange as well, I mean, very rare to find that type of person. So began a series of emails and whatnot then as
Did you know what it was? I then emailed her in like late November. So you know, I'm coming in January, why don't we meet up in Arkansas, we meet up, she had never been to Oxford because she's not allowed to go. Because she's obviously from another background. She had never meant to Mr. lochsa. So we agreed to meet up And subhanAllah to make a long story short, she was not exposed to Islam via Dawa tables via pamphlets that doesn't happen in that land. It does not happen. Rather, she felt a sense of emptiness. And she did not find that peace in her own faith of her tradition. She didn't find it in Christianity, she looked at Buddhism, other religions and in the end, out of
desperation, she picked up a Quran. She didn't think she'd find anything in it. And she said, this is the book I have been taught is full of hatred. This is what she told me my whole life I had been taught this book teaches to kill other people hatred of other people. And she goes, I read it and read it and read it. And I found nothing but peace. I found nothing but peace. And so she went online looking for lectures, she found my lectures, listened to some of them And subhanAllah my lecture about Khadija was the one that really moved her a lot about hydraulics. And she said, I want it to be like Khadija. I want it to be like Khadija And subhanAllah brothers and sisters, she gave
her shahada in Masjid Al Aqsa with our group and gathering there. I gave her the shahada, she said the Kalima and she accepted Islam in Masjid Al Aqsa, and we were not able to record because she said she cannot be public about this, she cannot tell other people or else is gonna cause issues for her and her family, that obviously she has to keep it under the you know, keep it under the cover, and I gave her Islamic name of Aisha, so we call her now Aisha, and our sisters over in the group are in touch with her and SubhanAllah. She's now active online Dawa, believe it or not, but anonymously. She was giving that hour anonymously online. Now, when I was in Arkansas, I met a brother there who
knew me from online and he said, Look, I need to introduce you to a group. But you cannot take any pictures, you have to be on the load, don't come with anybody, just yourself in muster the oxygen. And I said, Who are these, they said, he said, we are giving Dawa, to some of the hood. But we're doing it not publicly. Because if you do it publicly, there's gonna be a huge trouble. So I said there are actually converts here in this land. And he told me this brother, we estimate at least 1000 people have converted, we know around three 400. And from those three 400, we know that there are others, the majority of them are not saying anything to anybody. They come and learn what they
need to and then go back to their daily lives. A few of them, a few of them are public. And a few of them have had to flee from their families and homes and come and find shelter in Muslim lands. And they have heard about you they want to meet you and they will want to situate but of course, my pleasure, my honor to meet with them. So after the rattle veggie, we pray to the machine locks up, we went to one of the offices inside the complex. And we met like five or six of Israeli Jews who had converted to Islam, none of them had converted by one on one Dawa. None of them because that doesn't really happen. You know, in America, we have this, this freedom, you go in a booth and you
give Dawa, you get pamphlets, you know, you knock on your neighbor's house, whatnot. There as you know, there's a lot of religious segregation. There is no public preaching, per se, even though theoretically it's legal, but you know, what's going to happen if they actually do this? Right. So each one of them, they had been guided to Islam on their own, like just research and internet and, and buying pamphlets or, or doing this and that, and then they're contacting, you know, Muslim families and to find the there is this, a small group of brothers that they're giving our any Hebrew in Hebrew. And so eventually, they're all connected to to this group. And I just want to mention two
more stories that really moved me. One of them was a sister. She's now 19 years old, when she was 16. When she was 16, she wrote an email to this group of brothers who have a page on Facebook, which is in Hebrew Dawa, to Islam. She was 16 years old. And she says, I have decided to convert to Islam.
And the group emailed back, look, we can do anything. We cannot do anything. You are a minor, and we cannot get into any trouble. Best of luck and goodbye. She kept on emailing 50 questions. I'll tell you the questions and they have to answer just simple questions. Right. She began to pray in her own house in her closet at the age of 16. And she began to get material online from them. And I was with the brother who eventually there was a family and elderly man and woman they're living outside of Jerusalem. And they found are the group that is the Dawa group they found a family that at great risk to them would be willing to take in this this young girl
This young girl the night she turned 18 Because they said we can't do anything legally, we don't want any trouble. The night she turned 18 she packed her bags, went to a phone booth called the brother and said, I'm standing here you told me when I'm 18 it would be illegal. I'm 18 come pick me up. I cannot be with my family anymore. The brother became very worried what is this a trap? What not? Because obviously it's very dangerous, right? And he went with a group of family sisters, what not, they found out everything seems legit, what not, she says I need a place I cannot be at home. I'm not allowed to pray. They're forcing me to do this and that I need to get out to worship Allah
subhanho wa taala. They made a few phone calls a family agreed with great risk to them to take this young lady in. And she's now learning Arabic memorizing Quran. Now listen, in that country when you're 18. Do you know what you have to do? You have to go to the military and army. Okay. And her papers came. And the family said, Look, we're not going to do anything. This is between you and the governor. Because again, they understand you cannot risk your life, right. So you know what they did? She said, Fine, give me my paperwork. And I'm gonna go wearing my hijab and telling them I'm a Muslim.
She went to the IDF. She went to the military. And she and the brother told me he the brothers saying, Yes, he will lie and attack, you know, because I swear I left her a mile outside. I didn't want to go close to the post. I just dropped her. I said, Call me when you're done because they're scared for their own lives. Right. So the elderly couple, they left him outside outside, she walked to the post wearing hijab, she handed the papers of the you know, conscription. And she goes, by the way, I'm a Muslim. So you should know that before you do anything else. And for three months, her case went back and forth, what could they do, until finally they gave her a letter that for reasons
for whatever, we don't need you to work in the army. But the courage she must have had to walk in, and to be who she is. And now she's memorizing the Quran learning Arabic, her Arabic was better than her English when she's talking to me. And subhanAllah just mind boggling for me to meet somebody like this. And the third story and time is short. But this third story will lie. It was very emotional for me. And I had to really control my tears because it was very, very difficult for me to maintain composure, there was one of the people there there was some brothers and four or five sisters, as usual. There are more sisters who convert even in that society. And there was one sister
who was very quiet. She didn't say a single word, not a single word. While we were there other than set up, and we're going around the table, what is your story? What is your story? Tell me your story. And when it came to her, she couldn't speak English. She's like third generation. Now. You know, living in that land. She speaks fluent Hebrew, but she doesn't speak English. So it was being translated in Hebrew to me, by the middle man, the brother there. And her story was so traumatic for me that it really it shook me and I almost had to just break down I had to literally compose myself. This lady in her 30s, she was the wife of a rabbi.
And she decided to convert to Islam after reading it on her own studying and, and whatnot. Her husband, when he found out, of course, divorced her, threatened her, and then took them to court, that my wife is mentally insane. And she has to be deprived of her children. She had three children.
And the brother, the middleman told me and this literally caused me almost to break down. She said, he said that this mother has not seen her children for three years.
For three years, she has not seen her children. Because the husband has said that she is dangerous to the kids because now she hasn't embraced Islam for three years. And she said to me, this lady, that will law he I swear if they throw me in jail, I will not give up Islam. If they throw me into a cave and abandon me, I would not give up Islam. And I almost broke down that this was a lady. She She voluntarily gave up her three children. She did not lie for ALLAH SubhanA wa taala. She did not say an untruth. She just said I'm a Muslim. And because of that, they took her children away from her. And it really made me feel so
here we are, we cannot even give up our sins, brothers and sisters, you know, we cannot give up anything for Islam. But here is a lady and she did not even grow up in a Muslim household. And she told me if they throw me in jail, or they throw me into a cave and abandon me, I will not give up Islam. And you know, you hear these stories from Billa Libyan robot from food and I'm not comparing a stock for Allah does do that. But you know, we've kind of sort of lost that level of Eman in our Muslim societies. When's the last time you met somebody with that level of Eman? We've kind of lost that persecution.
Imagine, but to meet these people in the very land that we know is the land of Masha and the land of Erbil Mubarak to meet the people. And they said to me, their families don't just view them as converts. Their families view them as traitors. They have left the society and they have nowhere to go. They're being taken care of by poor Muslims here and there, and they're giving up their society, their luxury their life, and in this case, their children, for the sake of Allah subhanho wa taala. If that is not going to cause us to appreciate the blessings of Islam, then what will brothers and sisters let us always remember that Allah subhanho wa Taala gifted us this faith without us having
to lift a finger, the majority of us were born into it, and even those who converted Yes, your struggles are more than ours ours, but look at the struggles of those brothers and sisters in that line. Remember, in the Quran, we learned that when the people of gender enter Jannah What will they say? What will they think of? They will say as the Quran says, we'll all do Alhamdulillah he lady Madonna, the hada woman couldn't do Lola and Hidin Allah, this is a Quranic dua from the people of Janna. Even when they get to Jana, what are they thanking Allah for? Alhamdulillah who has guided us to this hedaya And we would never have been guided to this hedaya unless ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala had
guided us to Et Al Hamdulillah for the blessing of Islam Alhamdulillah for the blessing of the Quran, Alhamdulillah for the blessing of being of the ummah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Bata colonial from Quran and Aldine wonderful anyway yeah, be Murthy him it was declared Hakeem Akoto Metis maroon was stopped for a lot of the muddy water. What is in Muslim it included the Memphis stock photo in the hula photo Rahim.
Al Hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah helwa had a had a summit a lady Lemuria What have you learned? What am your caller who for one I had about two brothers and sisters Eve and our Prophet Muhammad salallahu idea he was selling them and he is who he is, is reminded by a law Rob bull is of the blessings of Islam upon him. So how about me and you? Even the NABI and the Mustafa and Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is reminded by Allah that Allah blessed him with Islam. Mara, Quinta, Teddy melki taboo. What are the Eman you did not know ya rasool Allah what was the book nor what was Iman? But Allah azza wa jal has given it to you as a nor you did not know what it was. What were Jeddah ballin
for hada. We found you not on guidance. We are the ones who gave you guidance. Even the Navy is reminded of the blessings of Islam. How about me and you brothers and sisters, let us never become complacent with this blessing of Islam. Because understand that with that blessing comes responsibility. Allah subhana wa Tada explicitly says in the Quran, we're in touch at what Allah we establish, oh man Hira come from Malaya. Kulu Antheil LUCAM. If you don't appreciate the gift, if you turn away from the gift, Allah will gift it to somebody else, he will replace you with another group and they will not be like you. The purpose of this gift is to bless to be blessed by it, to
appreciate it to love Allah for it to worship Allah to act upon it, brothers and sisters, and one of the ways that we can thank Allah is to embody the teachings of Islam and to want others to be guided as well. So each and every one of us should become a role model for our colleagues, our neighbors, our co workers, brothers and sisters, I conclude with a beautiful Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam narrated in the mustard that a COVID hakim that our Prophet system would make this dua to Allah let us memorize this dua and let us appreciate the blessings of Islam through this dua. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would make dua to Allah Allahu Allah father near Bill
Islamic called Eman we're following a bill Islam in our hidden white folder enable Islam Iraqi then this is the door I want you to memorize it. Allah who my father kneeble Islami or Eman Allah my father nibble Islami or Aiden Allah homophobe liberal Islam me are all Caden. Oh Allah protect me with Islam as I am standing protect me with Islam as I am sitting protecting me with Islam as I am lying down. This was a prophetic dua he always remembered. I am a Muslim because ALLAH blessed me with this lamp. So Oh Allah, protect me with Islam guide me through Islam, whether I'm standing, sitting or lying down, always have me covered by Islam. We should also make this dua and never take
Islam for granted for ourselves and especially for our children and grandchildren after us Allah
in need for a minimum Hola Hola. Hola to the letter if you had that you won't be them and Illa Fatah. Wa Hammond Illa for Raja wala Dana Illa Kadota. While I'm at Elan, inertia, feta, when I see you're on Illa your servitor Allah my friend Anna, what is one in linea? Saba Hoon Eben Iman one I'll tell you a few KHUDOBIN as Villa Latina Amman Roberta in Nicaragua for Rahim, Allah Houma Israel islam al Muslimeen Allahumma is islam al Muslimeen Allahumma Israel Islam I will Muslim in Allahumma Adana ora Islam all Muslim in Ebisu and vegetarian who been upset would you admit Oh heated BT he Jaco will you yah Aziz everybody Allah in Allah to Allah Amara Combi Eminem better
behavior NFC within the Malacca the Odyssey was held at a become a U haul engineer he was insane for call as the main part in Idema in the law, how Umberto Eco saloon or the NABI Yeah, you are Latina Amanu Sallu alayhi wa sallam with a steamer Allahumma salli wa salim wa robotic or abducted or pseudo Mohamed and while he was on BH Marine, everybody's Allah and Allah to Allah yeah motivated they would so anyway the quarterback when the fascia it will move very well. You're able Kamala come to the karoun kulula had already made go to wash Kuru here's what at Glorieta Allah Akbar whilst in Mississauga