bismillah al hamdulillah assalamualaikum
which means peace be unto you welcome to
another episode of the Deen show we are
here making a pit stop in Jeddah we
completed the Hajj which is the fifth
pillar of Islam you testify that there's
no one worthy of worship except the
creator of the heavens and earth and
Muhammad is His Messenger la ilaha
illaallah muhammaden-rasul allah that's
the first pillar the second pillar
established the prayer third you give
from your wealth there's a cot for you
fast during the month of Ramadan and now
the pilgrimage Hajj where you see people
from all around the globe so we finished
at Mecca we're in Jeddah making a pit
stop on our way to Medina but before
that we got a tree for you we were far
special friends Shaykh Yusuf Estes we're
going to let you hear another story
because you got people from all around
the world deceptive Islam and we found
another person in Jeddah so we're gonna
have our brother Sheikh Yusuf Estes help
us with this interview I'm gonna be
right back no is for known the sleep God
gave to give us the journey that the
Prophet made and what photo before we
pray to help us wash our sins away and
yet is for yummy
maybe it's just to break the ice
the Dean show is about to show you
somebody's Bridge to faith we're right
here on the yacht here in the marina of
I'll get you the whole story of reddit
just right now from our guests our
special guests today to really don't
give a like Lu hamdullah tell us your
name
my name is Jibril Mason gibreel Mason
but I think you changed my name was Eric
Mason Eric everything became legible
Islam yes and I became Gabriel Gabriel
is the English version of gibreel which
is Arabic the angel Gabriel it's the
same one ah-ha-ha-ha the same one all
right no what we want to do want to ask
you where were we right now we're at
Mercer Harlem in North Abhijit it's a
marina built by His Highness Prince
Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz al-saud
the owner on this marina we have
restaurants recreation facilities we
bring many overseas guests diving with
us in a company that is owned by sinus
called dream divers dream divers yes sir
okay now let's come to something I'm
sure our audience are really puzzled
about you have a British accent yet
you're here in Arabia and you're saying
some Arabic words you have an Arabic
name what's going on with all of that
well when I was younger in Nigeria my
mother's Italian a Catholic my father
was a British Protestant they met
post-war and dad for children I was one
of them the youngest boy and then my
father was working for the Nigerian
government for many many years and we
are with our parents and I saw that many
of my father's workers were Muslims
house of people from the north these are
the house of people
okay and being younger more
impressionable
I wondered why are all the security why
are all the truck drivers why are all
the helpers Muslims and my father said
because they're good people you can
trust them so then he would say it
Weidman hold it the media today is
saying the opposite saying Muslims are
bad people you can't trust me and your
father was saying they're good people
you can trust them there is another
misconception being cleared up right
away my son was born in Saudi Arabia
he's now at University in England they
will never show a photograph of my son
playing football with his Saudi friends
but they will publish a picture of my
son fighting with his saudi friends no
the media do have a lot to answer for in
this context especially with their
perception of Islam Muslims are like
anybody else that are good Muslims there
are bad Muslims but Muslims practicing
Islam they are 90% the majority are good
people just good people huh that's all
they have to be good people okay now as
a question did you become a Muslim of
course yeah how long ago Oh five years
six years five or six years five six
years I reverted to Islam but I've had
my Quran since Nigeria since I was a boy
given to be my given to me in fact I'll
show it to you later
it's in my car yeah we're gonna hold you
to that well you know you're gonna get
to see the Quran the original what I
never travel without it what took you so
long to decide we are Muslim because I
wanted I wanted to revert to Islam for
me
not for anything else just for me and my
god and it came a time when there was no
option there there was no choice it was
to revert to Islam to the one God the
only God I mean God doesn't sit at the
table with 20 different color telephones
huh you know unto a Muslim spiel to a
Buddhist there is only one God and hum
delights allies that and Mohammed is a
Messenger of God that's it so that's why
I joined Islam okay know what happened
that you came this
people think you were crazy some
couldn't believe it
many even even I find it difficult
many accepted it many accepted it right
off many who've been here a while
understand that Islam is it's a fine
road to take it's not the winding paths
are many people did accept it right away
some know some said Eric how can you be
a Muslim you wear shorts your hair is
long you you say dude okay but Muslims
are people I like anybody else you know
don't get the idea that they all wear
that here and there they throw bombs huh
they don't they don't this is the
exception to the rule so well you
brought up the subject of bombs or one
of the misconceptions that we've been
talking about in our program today is
the idea that somebody says that
terrorism is a part of Islam Islam as a
part of terrorism but it seems that
you're agreeing with the what we've
heard from our scholars telling us that
no that's the opposite of course there
are thugs in all religions thugs yeah in
all religions you can't stop it so that
you are not the same huh
uh uh-huh they are not there are good
Muslims and bad Muslims as there are
good Catholics and by Catholics but no
no no no no Islam is not so you're
saying anybody throwing bombs is a thug
I say anybody anybody running anybody
harming innocents are thugs yes that's
not what Islam is about it's not about
killing people it's not it's about
discourse about understanding and that's
what we have here in Saudi Arabia it's a
wonderful a very fine country it really
is all I wouldn't be here for 36 years
I'd have left with 30 years ago how do
you like being a Muslim uh uh it's great
I love it it it makes you wonder this
ain't America laid back laying back here
it is it's the miss Conder the problem
with the West is Islam's a brotherhood
you're a brother he's a brother she's a
sister if you harm someone's brother the
rest will protect them ah that's the
problem they don't understand that if
you hurt one you hurt all
no it's a brotherhood it really is it
really is and it's very nice to know
that okay well another question for five
years you've been Muslim no have you had
you're here in Jeddah right now in Saudi
Arabia which is the seaport not far from
Mecca the place that where they have
their holy pilgrimage they call it what
what do they call that the holy
pilgrimage the Hajj high cost and have
you done the Hajj I have not I'm doing
the Hajj next year with the Jada Dawa
Center with some of my European
colleagues we've all got together and we
all want to do it together all different
nationalities Americans Germans French
Italians British what if we join you
come more than welcome more than welcome
I love this attitude I love it you'd
better hurry up there okay sailing up
it's filling up I've booked already so
you'd better better hurry up
otherwise you're not gonna get in there
but I've I've done a murder twice on the
27th Ramadan which is very nice I
visited the prophet's mosque in Medina
which is also I think you're going to
medina when tomorrow you're on your way
today i'm d'lai you will love it give us
some advice some advice be a good person
it it doesn't take much read the Koran
get yourself a copy of this book it's
it's it's a book of is it really is a
book of wisdom it's a book of waser but
don't you have to wait 35 years no not
like me go there when you go there
younger but no no when you're more
mature you understand it better really
yeah that's the way it is there's no
pressure there's there's nothing nobody
in this country told me become a Muslim
become a Muslim nobody that's what I
like about it the choice is yours the
choice is yours and they expect nothing
from you except prayer and be a good
person that's it
words of wisdom we really enjoyed that
it laughs I'm glad you can say that
because I'm not alone at first yeah well
they say these are good words to live by
thank ya it's not difficult Aslam is not
difficult it's common sense
why do you bathe five times a day before
prayer because you're sweating you're in
the country and you're all together in
the communion why it's common
cents don't eat pork rye it's a
dangerous me don't drink alcohol it
makes your mind wild you do stupid
things you know the story about the bad
lady yeah she said to the guy yeah sleep
with me know kill my child he said no he
said well come to the barn have a drink
no come to the bar have a drink he had a
drink I said have another one he had
another one have another one he had
another one she said kill my child
his mind was sick he killed the child no
it's common sense don't do things that
can hurt people that makes a lot of
sense we're really happy to have you on
the program and look forward to more in
the future and more than welcome sample
of care and we're looking forward a
chance to be together yes please come
next yeah
yes but book now well yeah filling up
more good advice it's your list now get
your name on the list to go out and have
a good time and do some deep-sea diving
and don't forget to get your name on the
list to be amongst those who entered
agenda the Paradise by doing what
accepting the truth of la la la la
there's an under worship except Allah
and Muhammad is His Messenger all of
that from right here on the Deen show
and the bridge to faith until next time
I'm used to Vestas remind myself in you
about the peace assalamu alaykum rahman
to allah well there you have it another
person sharing his story on how he came
to islam like to thank Sheikh Yusuf
Estes for helping us with that in it
conduct that interview and we hope to
see you again next time here on the Deen
show every week you don't want to miss
us
until then assalamu alaikum peace be
unto you
la la la la mohammad rasool allah
la la la la russa la la la la in Allah
Muhammad Rasul Allah the Ilah there's no
god but Allah in my peaceful harmony my
brush is His Messenger