Zahir Mahmood – There Are No Gangsters In Paradise
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
Cuz I know some of you may just think about bullets banging into you. Tonight, we're gonna bang up, boom, bang into your heart and your chest, that you can't shrug it off. They will come back and they'll Curse you, will haunt you and your prey upon you every single day. When you go back on road to make you think that what bullets Am I taking in my daily life? What am I doing in my life? What's my purpose in life? You think we create we are to vanity, no purpose. They just walk around
on the streets. That's not how Muslims should become to begin to live a life like that a sub lifestyle when they talk about the gangster lifestyle.
What's wrong with our society, you know, every time these things happen, you know, we blame. We blame society we said it was society's fault. It society is not society. society doesn't force you to do things. Allah gives you a mere choice. Every time you do something, Allah gives you a choice.
And it is up to you to do it or to leave it. When you pick up the cigarette and you'd be putting in your mouth you're about to drink it has societies that you would have
never said you should smoke. That is your choice. When you pick up a gun and you shoot somebody, it's in your hands.
Somebody
a lot gives you a nice choice.
That is a lot of things man. Grew up you racketeering and prostitution. Definitely on your stomach.
Your stomach, spit on your face. Mr. Live was worth more than that you think you're bad boy.
That's I love you because
you look at our lives who have we made a role model every Tom Dick and Harry we made our role models, the way that tell you to behave this how we behave. We spend more time watching X Factor than reading the seal of the purpose of what
they tell you you know wear high heels you wear high heels, then you will know we'll do when they tell us baggies you wear baggy, they send you a tight, tight they tell you the Palestinian scarf is in fashion. And then you start wearing the Palestinians rose the cause.
They tell you in a way your trousers halfway up your backside you wear your
your backside. Who wants to see the color of your jacket anyway?
Seriously, have some self respect. The professor said when you die
then you will do whatever you wish. You walk around your jeans outfit on your backside with your hair gone. But you do what they tell you to do.
What are the Haram things that most Muslim youth are doing? Sometimes you begin to shy away from the first thing that we find is alcohol
has become unfortunately a common trend
that Muslim youth drink alcohol, whatever the names may be, whiskey, Brandy, rum, vodka, beers, whatever it may be. common practice that Muslims get drunk, get legless can't find their way home, abused other Muslims are they making their way home? At least some people used to drink decent drinking secrecy, drinking the privacy of their own homes. But now we find that people out in the open behaving like disbelievers. But if some Muslims may say well, you know, I don't drink alcohol.
I take some substances.
I smoke drugs,
told me in the Quran, where Allah said the Quran cocaine crack smack weed scum, marijuana spliff, reefer though.
White Lady, CO, small, brown, Charlie, whatever name you want.
People say to me Give it to me to the Koran, and I'll give it up today my life.
Give me these words from the Quran I'll give you up in my life because it doesn't exist in the Quran. That's what I'm trying to say. Well for your information, it does exist inside the Quran. The Quran mentions quite clearly, the verse that I mentioned in the mahama hammer is an alcohol that's a loose translation. The meaning of common akoni Sherry is mouth hop and
whatever intoxicates you your language whatever rushes you stoned you buzzes you chips you makes you feel good racing is haraam. Full stop. The Sharia says that if it takes away your mind, it covers your mind shroud your mind takes away your senses. Finish and the story man wants to come to me and say to me, but she you know, I don't think so much of this stuff. How do you take a small spliff keep me mellow like Bob Marley used to take me keep the controlling focus? We don't do no not no harm but it creates schizophrenia that's what it does split personality but obviously this becomes common normal practice for us because for us because I'm a big daddy
isn't it I'm a big daddy if I move the key knows the keys isn't it? I'm a big daddy that's why I'm
you don't pick up on with me
the bullets I'm gonna come with a different bullets.
That's the bullets I'm going to come with you're going to think about it for the rest of your life.
So people we take junkie like to come and say we'll only take small amounts that keep me mellow. keep me focused.
I don't get stoned. So it must be hard for me
to distinguish some type of foods definitely think he played games with us.
Whatever stones you enlarge announce becomes Halloween small amounts the sharing I didn't know that for you. I think balance of day and then I get drunk while I take the pillow crack and then I get good you don't get drunk will be probably those on your mind.
hallucinations jumping off some building or something. Sheree doesn't say you'd say you're you're free.
The city has said whatever in large amount, toxic as you
finish. The city as McCarthy has purposes five general purpose is to protect your mind, your body, your soul, your faith, your wealth, Your Honor, your dignity. Whenever you make something Hello, look at it. It benefits your life. benefits your wealth, benefits, Your Honor, benefits of dignity, benefits, your religion, benefits your mind. Anything that's made her I'm sorry. Look what it does to you destroy so well. destroys your honor. Man taking heroin lying on the floor like an
addict addicted to heroin, lying on the floor, picking up cigarette butts, shooting them because you become a target.
The shallower communities fallen down. We see on one falling on the floor, picking up small cigarette butts begging from another Muslim to go get another wrap to inject himself. A man wants to drive by his flashcard thing. Yeah, I'm a big boy. When some people send me substances is a cone of behavior. Never serve it up to another Muslim. Never ever in your life. Go down a long way. Go down a long way but never ever get your own blood addicted to it. We've pushed over the rules. we've crossed over the boundary. Some of us we think we're gangsters read about the gangster word or turn and look at people like the Scarface
Muslim boys walking about with a picture of Scott in his mouth. But what was the end of this individual? Was all these individual begins to take place inside their life. We begin to praise them look up to them. That this is my lifestyle. Live by the gun die by the gun.
Isn't it? The gangsta rap culture? Listen to these people. Man Walking with his trousers hanging below bottom. Think he's Tupac amaru Shakur
among means what the shining serpent?
That shining serpent is we're now wrapped around his mouth. All eyes on me now isn't it to pack? I get around isn't it damn how you get around? Come down 1996 four times and drive by shooting
this as some of us begin to finish listening to this isn't it
begins with people like NWA Nichols with an attitude. Public Enemy Ice Ice Cube coming back with other artists that begin to exist. Muslim
please a black man a Jamaican you're the language man
He's grown up in that language he speaks yada, yada. Since when have you been a yachtie? touching your teeth? going?
Since when? Since when is that been your culture? This man's culture? That's his lifestyle? That's how he conducts himself. You ain't no Jamaican yadi and when you pick the Jamaica doggies you know what happens you anyway you get put in your place and you drive back to your streets round in don't you? Don't travel out to hang with and deal with the situation do you put your head down and drive back where you belong? Stay in your manner yet little boy. You ain't no bad boy if that's your thing. Cuz it's always gonna be a bad boy and you out there that's the reality. You worried about your loss
you're worried about the next man's gonna come down wise next month in a gun you down.
Because you jack this E jack not judging each other.
Try them black on black crime. We've got now Muslim, a Muslim crime, police investigating amongst ourselves to schools about drugs taking place. That is a lot of
racketeering and prostitution. So fasten your stamp your Stamoulis on your faith muscle I was worth more than that. You think you're a bad boy?
That's how long you've become?
racketeering the substances getting addicted to it. Remember this one message in your life? Don't forget by the next man. Are you looking for you? Think about those people. You are addicted to these substances.
I don't often get up and pray at night. That's my downfall. I tell you one thing. If I knew somebody, my family got offered jobs because of you. And I know who you are. And make sure get up every single night and I'm telling you to the day I die. And that's what a lot of mothers are doing every single night. Remember those words? If you've been trafficking drugs inside this community is a poor mother out there who gets up every single night and says made that person died. You got my son, my daughter decretive
curse that
stays with you for the rest of your life.
And likewise, the other issue that we find some young brothers come and say well I don't drink
I don't take drugs.
I don't traffic them.
I don't even listen to gangsta rap whatever it may be know that I do have the no research if you've listened to snippets to understand what's taking place in a society isn't it?
To the next flesh of my flesh blood in my blood? * is hot damn * * is what isn't it man follows suffers from bipolar. depression or whatever he suffers from 50 cents. The look of him is rich get rich or die trying. He's a good man was shot nine times. She will look up to him.
You have to use expression someone who thinks that we are the harmonica
and I GGA you know they say about reprimanding
getting goals accomplished. Isn't it sir? Is it justified?
You understand it's not rudimentary statement when adding glamour to it man.
It's all about cream isn't it?
Was cream look at the real cream means? Cash rules everything around me. That's what it's all about. Isn't it?
About that, isn't it?
Um, what did mom say when they rap about that? Well, you never live no shanty town
in our heart and had no food I just thought crap to get by.
Is it
big, isn't it?
What happened to Biggie six months later after Tupac Shakur got gunned down at all four times.
I wonder who got him down? He was notorious, wasn't he? His mom said he never lived in a shanty town. He had down good food given to him. My man rubs up by a server crack to get by.
is a fake image.
A Muslim youth want to look up to that figure that's me. Boy ain't no Muslim youth is gonna reach that level.
man sits in so weeping away.
Just get me out of here.
Have you got yourself in your mind out there? Write your sentence that command.
Why did I come down all the way?
There's some people out there that made my life who even said summon taking a man's life? mainly for justified reasons.
You say to him, you feed me sorry about what you've done. So don't feel any sorrow at all.
By the way,
but some of us when we go there, we think with a big Don Teflon isn't it was taking place in our community. The moment the term was the violence the crime?
Don't you think that these people don't know what's going on and no one
I'm telling you now, give me 10 minutes in other block and I'll give you the names of the places all the big traffic because in this community you're telling me five I don't know whose food
is that you're trying to tell me? That five I don't know who's doing what goostin Oh, by the way they see that we see in East London
you can battle it out.
Let them tell you whatever they're doing, they're destroying their own race, their own people, their own culture, their own identity. That's what they're doing.
But the other thing that we want to mention is some young boys
Is it a man says Well, there's nothing wrong about that
what's happened to you?
Oh man says that you know, Muslims in India describe that what's wrong with free mixing what's wrong with people? I'm good. I'm going to mela and enjoying themselves. What's wrong with that?
You know, I don't see no inclination towards women. I just go there and enjoy myself to Elia ramadasa you are
legal people serving sentences in the conversation you know, you got some great friends.
At least were banged up in prison writing a sentence because we got some drama in our life you know?
Your family is playing next mini semiotic system
is give me passports and driver's license and D standing yada. I don't understand him. I'm a criminal. I admit I'm a criminal. I don't play on fourth I don't mix the two together. I don't be religious one minute next minute. I'm tracking down the system of brainfood breaking the system Make up your mind if you're a criminal or be a criminal if you're would love
to work together in mixed messages. walk away from it.
First thing Amanda women have you ever thought about why Look what I'm saying right in the beginning man loves women. That's what man loves that wealth. Then property the land and branded horses. You know today's branded horses today's language, cars. You know what car for me? Was the logo on the Ferrari, the stallion, the horse? Look at the language to put on still serves us today.
No monster lobbies right?
mostly young boys. Living in flats will pass in a sea 100,000 pound Ferrari and look up. Look at the car. Look at that nothing. Boy.
You tried to tell me that you done some footwork. You may you may fool your local Imam and say yeah, you know I've done you ain't done a day's work in your life.
In a day's work in your life. You're trying to tell me that shake I work hard for my money.
That's right, you work hard for your money, don't use that money ain't worth anything.
This lifestyle is not acceptable.
This way of life, this behavior these characteristics is not the way it's not for us Muslims.
Because today
what's happening to our people what's happening to all youngsters?
young offenders Institute's in juvenile prisons, they have more youngsters that are Muslim than any other population. That how many parents must be outside having to live with the fact of knowing that their son or daughter is behind bars not being fed for not being close. How are you going to live your life where you have no access to your family, to your loved ones, to your children to absolutely nobody apart from your lawyer.
The only access you've got to somebody outside is your lawyer. And if somebody comes to visit you maybe once a month.
So I asked this question to my congregation.
And I said to them, some guys told me
Do you feel like you have achieved anything?
And believe me, some of these guys were the biggest gangsters in Berea. Some of these guys when they would walk the streets people would make Saddam
Hussein
and then have all these wonderful gangster names. crack. Yeah, mg. What crew you from the Spartans. What crew you from reminds me of a story once I was teaching in McDonough
years ago, and there was one little child, you had a little confrontation with a little competition with another child. And they were arguing instead what you're going to hit. So that's how it goes to normal let you off he goes, you touch me, I'll tell my uncle. And
so he goes, What's your uncle gonna do? He goes, do you know who my uncle is? He's from the Mmk.
And I'm sitting there listening to this child, FM, K and
K. So once we finish the little thing, both of them. So what's the m m k equals mu t mafia Muslim crew?
was like, What? Have you missing the M equals get that once? That's a hidden one. That's why we don't talk about that. Because if m and
m m m k, sounds very snappy. I've
got the x five. And it just goes on chilling all day. You know? And if anybody messes about then he's there to sort it out.
Wow. What a life. What a life Allah has given you, man. You know, you lost giving you a life almost giving you health. Well, what do you do you drive an x? Why were you seven? And you're the biggest gangster there is.
You know, can you windows pump a bit of bass? And that's it. And let me tell me, somebody, what do you do you put the window down? No, honestly, it's reality that have a look at our streets.
When you're driving up and down, if you're not one of them yourself.
Who's doing it?
Is everybody second cousin and first cousin and brother, an uncle.
And this friend and that friend.
Uh, most of the time, if it's not yourself, you're either sitting in that car with them.
Because we start to respect these people
wish not to respect these people and look at them as if there's something in society.
We start to idolize these people.
So somebody has a fight in the street. And everybody's on their toes. Have you heard this guy knocked him out? He was sick five.
Me Go home and talk about he's hard man. Mashallah, you know, he pumps this much amount of iron. So he's like, this is like that, or what punch he was, you know, it was a hook. And it was just one only and he knocked him out. So what now is a done? Right? So he's not done. So what do we do? Whatever file we got call him. And if he got his number in your mobile phone, did your gangster do? Because he's one phone call away.
So somebody comes or you walk into a shop and you forget.
All right, say, put my phone and you call you up.
And this is the lifestyle we live
a lot, he brings shame upon us. And you think that
cuz he's gonna set a rule. And that rule was that you love your neighbors. That is a part of your responsibility in society, that you ensure that other people stay safe from your hands and your tongue and the way you interact with people and your social characteristics. But we have become animal like, we've become literally animals. In fact, Allah says
nothing sometimes. Even though Allah refers to others on the non Muslims, we bring ourselves into the category
will worse than animals.
We are ashamed to call one another brother.
We do it with lip service, but we're ashamed of in reality. And if you ask yourself, Is this what Islam is? Is what the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam emphasized? It is what it talks about in the corner.
We are totally opposite.
Who
is the one who books the highest is the one who is the most hardest? For Tell me what is it? Am I missing something?
Or is it the if you swing your body to the left with a bit more that you practice in reflexes? Because I don't see it? But what is it? What is it that we're doing?
These are men who spent the whole of their life and dedicate every minute of their life to be like the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and he is you me wanting to be gangsterism bopping every time we walk in and ask you who you who you like. Who is it? You don't even know yourself who is you just think is cool.
So if I asked you who you walk in, like, you could never give me a comparison because no idiot even worse like that.
This is something in your head and you think how Islamic it is.
Atticus as a professor Lysander when you walk in the streets, he will stop and give some time to the children.
He was talking to the elders, he was stopping give some thought to everyone. And he's you would be so busy swinging your arms, you love him and hit the guy behind you, even though he's a mile behind you.
And you start to wonder, where are we going for life? Where are we headed?
Let me tell you where the gangsters end up,
they end up in a six by seven little box, and it lies a bed
with a mattress half the size of the one that you probably sleep on now. And if you're a nice rich man, that is probably a quarter of your mattress
does a toilet in there. And every morning when he brushes his teeth, he looks into the reflection that he received from some silver paint that was left on a piece of wood.
He's not even allowed to keep his toothbrush or his teeth, in his own room in his cell, he has to leave the house.
When he runs out of toilet roll, he has to wait and put an application in to get another toilet roll.
Okay, when he feels hungry, he has a microwave or a fridge to open. He opens a can of tuna, it's a bit of pickle in it, puts it in a bread and eats it.
This is the paradise that every gangster gets.
And that is the paradise dump that keeps people like that
you only be a gangster, or you aspire to be like one or you think they're cool. And they're big enough that one lot You come with me I'll show you how much of a gangsta they are now.
You know, once people go behind bars, it's all over. That's 10 years of, of certain people's lives. That's 15 years of people's lives gone in a flash, and there's nothing he can do about it.
Nothing at all. And you think about it.
As against the What did he achieve? He had a strap of a gun around him somewhere. They popped a few pills, maybe here and there, snorted and smoked. What else did he do with his life? So once he then he smashed his own life of his living in a seven by six type of area that they have. I'm asking you is this what people want to achieve in life? isn't even a goal?
What's wrong with you and me? What's wrong with our society? You know, every time these things happen, you know, we blame. We blame society, we said it was society's fault. It's society,
not society. society doesn't force you to do things alone gives you a new choice. Every time you do something, a lot gives you a choice.
And it is up to you to do it or to leave it. When you came to the masjid today, this society tell you to come to the masjid. When you go to school for education. You gotta go there. You could Skype when you go to university to go to university course it doesn't. It's your choice. When you pick up that cigarette and you put it in your mouth, you're about to drink it has society said you were a smoke. Never said you should smoke. Your choice. When you pick up a gun and you're about to shoot somebody in your hands. Once society tells you to shoot somebody
gives you a nice choice. Um, our problem is, we look for an excuse to blame somebody else. If it's not society, you blame your parents. If it's not your parents, you blame your friends.
Let me tell you when it comes to your friends
azza wa jal says in the Quran clearly. He says people on the day of judgment will come in front of Allah. And they will say that Oh Allah be unto me God I took this person as my friend as my son he
for he made me forget about the message that you had sent. A what message are we talking about? We're talking about
these people will come in front of Allah and they'll have no excuse.
And you you ask the person about their friends and their boys today, people are ready to die for these people. Go sit in prison for a week and see how many of your boys come to visit you.
Go fight a cake, but you know cool cakes and see who comes to pay for it.
Your friends are your friends and never more than that.
It's clear the law says
that a man is upon the way of his friend.
So be careful when every one of you choose your friends. And nowadays What is this all about? The boys is all about the boys obviously youngsters so the boys in the gangs and you know he's one of my boys. He's one of your boys.
Like I said, goes in prison. And I will look how many of your boys come to visit you. I had a brother from around this area actually he was a revert to this deal. And he came to me on one eighth and he was upset. He goes, I can't believe because this is my second time in prison. And he goes, You know what, they couldn't even send me econ.
Boys,
boys, these were his boys. They didn't have that much inside them to send him an EAD card. And you were ready to die for these people. We sacrifice everything for these people to such an extent we sacrifice our parents for these guys.
You and me, we do this all the time. You know what you want my ask you to do something you like, you know what? I'm busy. I'm with
Mohammed, I'm going out with somebody. I'm going here. I'm I've got plans, and you're ready to go with your boys.
This is the life that we live. People are married nowadays, they have 200 wives in our home and a guy have a monster on our side. He's gone in a jiffy, he will look back.
Some people don't need to do this. Some people just want to hang out with their boys.
But how can you do this when you disrespect those who love you the most? I asked those same people. I said guys, where are your boys? We don't have any boys.
And you know, they said to me, they said the only people that supported us through our sentence was our parents. So
the only people saw it was that same old man who you used to hate the man you had no time for that came to your court cases that paid for your legal stuff that came and supported you that sent you postal orders when you didn't have a penny to your name.
And you think about your friends.
Who are these people?
You know one expensive Rule of Life. I will tell you today.
Keep your friends as friends. Friends will always remain friends your best friend is on Islam.
Best friends as an Islamic term. And I'll tell you why some Islamic
friends are always friends brothers always brothers. family are always family.
Your friends are just your friends. Love your friends. Okay, but don't over love them. love them because that's a part of our Deen.
If you if you have a friend who's a Muslim and you love him for the sake of Allah, that's brilliant. That's what you should be doing. But if you have a friend, you learn for the sake of Allah, he's your best friend. And then he goes on beyond that. Have you seen with two best friends? Cory what happens?
We see what happens they become the worst of enemies. And he still Allahu alayhi wa sallam In fact, mentioned this to us over 1400 years ago.
You know, these gangster friends, you have
these gangs, the people you want to be like, what are you doing? Ultimately, you're disrespecting your father and your mother, your father and your mother? Who are these people? Who are these people?
I don't even need to stand here and tell you from Quran and Sunnah.
Because the fact is they your parents, regardless of what Allah says, regardless of Rasulullah
sallallahu wasallam said, You must love them.
There is no excuse. Why should somebody have to tell you that Allah has commanded you to love your parents? What are you so stupid that you can't even see that these people are to be respected? You only came to dunya because of these people.
And what have you forgotten? The times when you were young and you have children, every time that they pick you up when you cry? Every time they fed you when you are hungry? Every time when you scream, that smell would be loved to them? Do we have to remind you that Allah said something about this, that you and I don't have enough common sense to remember that these people should be loved?
Tell me Do I have to tell you from Heidi? What the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said about parents? Do I really have to do this?
You know, every individual realizes once they become parents what is like, unfortunately, though, the table switch because when you have your own children, you start loving them and you forget about the love that your parents gave you. When you were a child.
I'm asking you what you ready to sacrifice that?
For your friends to be a wannabe gangster to be a part of the 17 group. Are you ready to sacrifice that For what? For a six by seven sell
in the same room, you have to sleep. And you have two extremes. You're ready to sacrifice that to be one of them. To show me one gangster in the history of humanity that ever achieved something.
Show me just one gangster one only.
You can't even show me half of one because they weren't even men. Because if they were real men, they wouldn't carry pulling from them. They wouldn't be walking around with knives. They wouldn't be there looking for trouble. A real man is that man who stands in front of Allah azza wa jal was every other human being is sleeping. A real man is that man, when he becomes he becomes angry. He controlled his anger. A real man is that man who looks out for his brother not kills his brother.
That's the real man.
And we talk about gangsters. We watch TV, and we think Wow, look at this guy.
Everybody loves him cuz he can rap and he sings, or everybody likes him and he's been shot nine times. He like I can let him be like a cat. What do you mean?
And you know what I'm talking about.
They know gangster's paradise brothers, let me tell you that. Now, clearly.
There are no gangsters in paradise.
You want paradise you want to live and die for the sake of Allah, you know, the same gangsters. You know, when these cartoons and those issues took place? There was the same gangsters, the wannabes that came to the streets to protest an issue protested. What I'm saying is it was all good. You came to protest because what were you doing? Cuz you're a gangster, you're defending the honor of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
When you yourself could honor the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam by even growing a beard. When you could honor the deen by standing on Korean peninsula.
You know what I would have loved to ask those people.
I would have loved to have those people. How many of you would know more soon nice.
Let alone honor the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam by going on a protest.
We don't need people like this.
When issue Palestine comes up, what happened? Everybody's on their heels. Oh, let's go out. Let's go into production. You can't even
you can't even read Quran for free.
You're ready to go on and show everybody that you're ready to sacrifice. What are you sacrificing for them?
You can't even sacrifice your time to pray. You can't sacrifice your time to learn about learning Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I want you ready to go to the streets. Don't be fooled.
I swear by Allah these people. They may remain gangsters in dunya. But I tell you there will be no gangsters in general.
There will be men in general, there will be women in general.
There are lawmakers who amongst those pious men and women of gender.
May Allah take the lump if there is any love for these horrid people away from us and from our hearts.
will lie no man will succeed by chilling with his friend and by disrespecting his parents.
There are no gangsters in paradise.