[Music]
One more time.
Alhamdulillah. Much better. Okay.
On behalf of Masid Omar's youth group,
I'd like to welcome everybody to the
first night of the 30 for30 Abdullah
Brothers Ramadan Masid Tour.
Alhamdulillah, we have the honor and the
distinction of being the first masid of
this tour. So, alhamdulillah, we're very
very honored to uh have with us tonight
Hamza and Hussein Abdullah. Just a quick
uh bio before I turn over to them. Uh
for those of you who don't know, uh
Hamza and Hussein both uh attended
university at university Washington
State University. They're from Pomona,
California originally. So they're from
our our own neck of the woods.
Alhamdulillah. Uh went to Washington
State University. Hamza used to play for
the Cardinals most recently. Started off
with the Bucks, then went to the Denver
Broncos. Hussein starting safety for the
Minnesota Vikings. And the reason why I
say you is most notably people know
subhan Allah they actually have put
their NFL careers on hold to attend Hajj
this year. Subhan Allahbar.
Uh along with that they actually gained
some notoriety uh through ESPN, CNN,
other networks for uh their fasting
during the NFL season during training
camp that was highlighted uh on those
programs. So they've gained notoriety
for that as well and uh we just welcome
to to our community tonight in very
happy to have them here. Without further
introduction, please welcome Ham Hussein
Abdullah.
Can Can you guys hear me?
Can everybody hear me? Okay. Okay. I am
Hussein Abdullah.
I'm excited to be here. I'm actually
honored to be here. I get nervous every
time I get a mic in front of me and
everybody's staring at me. Uh makes me
feel important. I don't feel I deserve
it in all honesty. But um I I really
this talk is really geared towards the
youth.
Is that better?
Okay. Okay. It feels like I'm about to
do some kind of workout class or
something. Uh all right. But uh this
talk is really geared toward the youth.
So, uh all of our elders, please just
bear with us. Uh but I I really just
want to talk to you about who you who
you keep as your friends and who you
have as your as your inner circle. Um,
there was a time where I thought that I
was actually smarter than my dad who's
right here in the front row. And I
thought I could choose my friends
uh for myself. And he said there was
there was this one guy in particular. He
was like, "Don't hang around him." I was
like, "Why not? He's a cool guy. I've
been knowing him since kindergarten."
This is my freshman year in high school.
He was like, "Nope, I'm telling you,
just leave him leave him alone." I'm
like, "Man, I've known this guy since
kindergarten. We was cool in middle
school and now all of a sudden I just
can't hang around with him no more. Like
I didn't understand I didn't understand
why at the time. Uh come senior year in
high school I'm working to get a
division one scholarship. I have a lot
of scouts coming in and recruiters
coming in and offers coming in here and
there. And I'm looking at this other guy
and although he was pretty good on the
on the field as well and he be I was I
was going to say in the classroom but
that was if he showed up
um he he was he was he was never in
class. He's always hanging out uh
running the streets doing things he
shouldn't be doing. and he was actually
having a good football season, but his
grades made him ineligible and he
couldn't even play the second half of
the of the year. And he actually threw
away a division one scholarship because
of his behavior. And that's somebody who
used to be in my inner circle. So I I I
thank I thank my father for telling me
to to leave him alone. Otherwise, all
the all the different things that I've
done in my life probably wouldn't have
happened. So, um
really really guard your inner circle.
Um you have brothers and sisters and you
have a mother and a father. Uh you have
cousins, uncles, aunties, and they're
put there for a reason. Start start off
at home. Make make sure the ties inside
the home are are strong. Then then
venture outward. And when you venture
outward, come to the mosque. Come to the
mosque. They have a lot of good uh youth
programs. Alhamdulillah. Um there
there's there's a lot of different
things going on. I'm pretty sure you
guys have a lot of basketball stuff
going on. Uh are you are you guys into
soccer?
Uh yeah, football. We're we're
Americans. Uh we play football. Uh
but uh come but seriously, come to the
mosque. There's different things. They
have different programs, different
things uh to keep you from being around
negativity. And this is this is Southern
California. I'm not overly familiar with
this area. I grew up in Pomona,
California. What was outside the home
wasn't wasn't always a good thing. Even
if you were going to uh just shoot
basketball, there's things that could
find you. So, if you go to the mosque,
alhamdulillah, you go to the mosque, you
shoot basketball, you hang out with some
friends, you make a lot, you're good.
Hang out with people who have the same
goals that you have. Don't don't start
hanging out with people that you have no
idea where they're going in life. You
have no idea
about anything outside of what you see
at school. So just just make sure that
you guard and protect your and protect
your inner circle. Um I I don't like to
sit here and lecture. So inshallah it's
going to turn uh interactive. Uh, I like
the Q&A style better cuz then I know
what you really want to hear. So, but
I'll just say if you if you take
something, make sure you guard your
inner circle and I'll turn over to
Hamza.
As my brother said, uh, my name is
Hamza, 7-year veteran in the NFL. I
graduated from Washington State
University in 2004. And, alhamdulillah,
Allah has blessed me to be on a few
teams and off a few teams. And one thing
that I noticed was just the Muslim
Ummah. You know, I've been a chance I'
I've had a chance to be in Tampa Bay,
Cleveland, Denver, uh, and most recently
Arizona. And, you know, some things that
are real near and dear to my heart. One
of the things is taking care of your
sisters. You know, alhamdulillah, the
brother invited us today and I sent him
an email. I said, "Okay, well, you know,
just make sure that the sisters have
exactly what the brothers have."
Unfortunately, that's not I'm not going
to say that's not what happened, but at
most massages, that's not what happens.
You know, my wife when we were in
Denver, she she had just became Muslim.
She had fasted a year during Ramadan,
and then the next Ramadan, the first
day, she says, "Hamza, I want to become
Muslim." Alhamdulillah. But we get to
the masid, the brothers have this 15
course meal, and the sisters have one
piece of pizza to share.
So you know today at the at at Juma the
Kativ was talking about taking care and
taking hold of Ramadan and not letting
the month pass you by. Well, how can we
get to that part if we can't even
satisfy the basic structures of Islam?
There are sisters running away from
Islam because of us. This is upon us.
Are we protecting our sisters? Their
sisters, they're they're hijabies. When
they walk outside the house, everyone
knows they're Muslim. But for me, what
do I have to do? I have to take my kufi
off or I have to put my kufi on, put my
jalab on, put my th on, you know, tell
everyone, "My name is Hamza Abdullah.
Now everyone knows I'm Muslim." It's
easy for us. We will never know what
these sisters go through. So because of
that, we need to stand up and protect
our sisters.
Alhamdulillah.
Because I have a bunch of sisters.
Alhamdulillah. A lot of them are here
today. I have a wife. I have a daughter
and you know subhan Allah I wasn't going
to bring them today but I spoke with my
cousin Achille and he was bringing his
wife so I said I'll bring my wife
alhamdulillah
so this is this is near to me you know I
turn around and you know there's there's
boxes of dates for all the brothers and
alhamdulillah the sheh comes in he says
have the sisters have you broke your
fast they say no
so you know alhamdulillah you know I was
going to talk about you know taking care
of Ramadan and spending time in the
massagids But how can we even get to the
massagid if we can't even satisfy our
sister's needs? That's what a man is
about.
We are the protector. We are the
shepherd of our sheep.
Allah made us stronger. Allah made us
this is why we have muscles. This is why
we're the head of the household to
protect our sheep. But how can we
protect them? Do you know sisters not
fasting, of not wearing hijab, of not
coming to the masid? Why would I? If I
was a sister, why would I? I can get
better treatment somewhere else. So,
it's upon us. I'm taking this as this is
my duty for me. I'm talking to myself
first and foremost. I have to be a
better brother. I have to be a better
son. I have to be a better husband. I
have to be a better father. And then we
can go to then we can go to taking care
of Ramadan. You know, they had the movie
The Dark Knight, you know, released last
night. It was either do that or go to
Tadawi.
Why is that even an option?
What are what what what are our goals?
But Kib said today
that prophet Musa Alisam, you know, was
talking to Allah. He he got to talk
directly to Allah
and he said, you know, Ya Allah, you
know, this is this is me and you. Has
anyone else had this opportunity? Just
just me and you. No. and he was behind
70,000 hijab.
He said, "But the son of Adam, as long
as they fast,
they will meet me on the day of judgment
and he will remove the hijab. Inshallah,
we go to Jenna and we get to see Allah.
He will reveal himself to us."
That is the goal. That is the goal.
The goal is not to buy a fancy watch, to
get go drive a fancy car, to get a fancy
house. What will that do for us? I've
seen it. I've seen a guy spend $100,000
in one sitting. I have seen it. I have
seen this. But that's what we're all
chasing.
And they throw all these different
distractions on us. They make us fight
against each other. They tell us how to
live our life. They tell us what Islam
is. They tell us when to fast and when
to break our fast. They tell us that. Oh
no, you're not a practicing Muslim,
Hamza, so you can't go here. Practicing
Muslim. What does that mean? You're
either Muslim or you're not. Oh no, you
can't do this cuz you're not practicing.
Oh no, I'm I'm Muslim, but I'm not
practicing. What does that mean? We're a
Muslim. When we come to the when we come
to the masid, it should be just big hugs
for everybody. Mashallah, you're my
brother in Islam
because inshallah, what are we looking
for? We're looking for the pleasure of
Allah. That's it. We were created to do
what? To worship Allah. That's it.
Everything else is secondary.
And alhamdulillah, we had a brother
Brian make shahada today. So what
happens? He comes tomorrow. Oh shoot, he
took his shahada yesterday. He gets no
hug from me today.
Is that how it works? It can't. We're
Muslim.
We want shade on the day of judgment,
right? So inshallah, we meet our brother
and I love this brother simply for the
sake of Allah. Inshallah, we'll be
shaded. That's what we're working for.
This other stuff, it means nothing.
So please take care of our sisters, take
care of ourselves. We are the men of the
household for a reason. I when I was in
college, you know, I was H, you know, it
just was simpler. And then you you go
around and you're like, dude, my name is
Hamza. That's not that hard. You know,
you have some other names, you know, but
they're pronouncing the entire German
last name, but your name is Hamza, five
letters, and they can't they can't
pronounce your name. They have to call
you H. Oh, you have anything for short?
So, let us be Muslim, you know. Let us
let us take charge. You know, this
starts now. Today is our first day.
Alhamdulillah, inshallah, we'll be going
around the country. And inshallah, we
would love for you guys to tag along on
the trip. I know you can't physically be
there, but we'll be online. You guys can
go to abdullabros.com.
Hit us up on Twitter, abdullabros. Hit
us up on Facebook. Uh
facebook.com/abdullahros.
But we would really just love to meet
our brother, our brothers and our
sisters and let your let our family
become your family and really you know
really just love you for the sake of
Allah. So inshallah with that I would
love to open it up for Q&A inshallaham
[Music]
prayers during
prayers during a game.
Oh, well, you can't you can't just go to
the 50 yard line,
start making salah. Um, unfortunately,
I'd say there's there's not many Muslim
Muslims in the NFL to where there's a
there's a huge need because if there's
not a huge need for it, they're not
going to have a a room or a certain
place where you can go where you can
pray at. So, a lot of the time we have a
12 we have a 12:00 game. Uh that's
typically what it is in a 12:00 game. Uh
so as soon as the game is over, go in
there, shower up, make salat, then I
would say that's uh we're we're not like
some of the soccer clubs over in the
Middle East where it's time for salat,
everybody's Muslim, they drop and they
make salat. Um inshallah, one one there
will be a time where we we'll get to
that. But right now, we're not there.
Yes, brother.
Alhamdulillah
you know uh one of my brothers we call
him she shabba he mashallah he's been a
study a learner since he was little and
he just you know he informed me he said
hamza you know just make a small dua you
know and inshallah Allah will reward you
so you know in my duas I just tried to
do a couple different duas and you know
so and I asked Allah you know oh Allah
you know uh please bless every step that
I take to be in the sake of your name,
you know, for the sake of you and a step
towards good and a step away from evil.
So, you know, we're in the middle, you
know, we'll be this is exactly how to be
uh and I'm not pretending. Uh let's say
the call was open me 43. They say open
me gash 43 ready breakd.
And then I'm ready to play. And I just
have a few different duas that I go to
and you know and if it's quick subhan
Allah you know subhan Allah
alhamdulillah. So it's you know so every
single step that we take inshallah we
want baraka for it you know when you get
in the car you know you just got your
BMW wash you want to drop the wind or
you don't want to drop the windows you
just want to let the sunroof down and
you want to sit back and you want to
ride your car but I mean are you getting
baraka from that? No probably not. So
what happens you get in there you know
okay let me listen to surasin or
something like that you know this is a
long story I have a 20-minute drive I
can listen to surasin or I can listen to
surman or something like that so it's
just about doing those small steps that
you know we were what we were biting
times you know every time there's a
stoplight what do we do everybody picks
up their cell phone text text you know
put put a se CD on put a nasheed on or
something like that and inshallah Allah
will make it easy for us
any questions from the sister side. No,
I got two questions.
First question,
obviously, you know, everyday life,
but I'm pretty sure in the NFL you guys
have a lot more.
And what and what's your second
question?
My second question is, how do you guys
control your football? All right.
On the football field.
Yeah. Right. Right.
Hussein has a story for that. So remind
him to tell you.
Okay. Okay. So the so the first one
about uh temptation. I would say for me
my first
uh three years it was easy or actually
my first two years it was easy because I
was a special teams player. Nobody cares
about a special teams player. The media
doesn't care. Nobody I came went from
Pullman, Washington to Eden Prairie,
Minnesota. So I'm I'm hanging out with
the guys that are just happy to be in
the NFL. So So we're we're at the bottom
of the barrel. So you go to work, you go
home, they invite you to go out, you say
no, you go to work, you go home. Simple.
Next two years, now I'm a starter. Now
I'm around guys that make $10 million a
year that and has been making that for
years. And like how Hamza said, they
they don't have a a value of the dollar.
You'll see $50,000 come and go off a
coin flip. And it's
it's it's weird. I'll just say that. And
then there there there's stories and
different things, but you really you
really do just got have to uh buckle
down for the most part and say what's
important like I'm say am I am I chasing
that or am I or am I chasing uh Jenna?
So you you really have to say what's
important to me and that has to uh take
over. Um and then as far as anger on the
football field is football first first
and foremost.
Right. Right.
There there's always I mean it's the
nature of the beast. Uh when you when
you got guys that are that amped up,
things will be said. Uh I mean we hit
people for a living. Um
how do you control your tongue?
How do I control my tongue? You know
what? There there was a time where I
I'll say I had a potty mouth, but then I
said, "Okay, I'mma switch it and I'm
just going to be very sarcastic, but in
then I read that we can't be sarcastic."
So So all and then in all honesty, I
just I just started playing. I I just
don't say much anymore. But there were
there was one one time where I'm going
against a guy on punt. I think his name
is George Wilson. He's a safety for the
for the uh Buffalo Bills. And soon as
the play starts, he charges off at me,
hits me. I hit him. I try to slam him on
the ground. He's trying to slam me. He
hits me under my chin. I punch him. Not
in the face, but I punch him to get off
me. And no, like we're like, we're like,
seriously, we're trying to dump each
other on the ground like we're this
close and then the whistle blows and
then we just send him. He's like, "Hey
man, I seen that ESPN story, man. I
gotta say this. It's so nice." So, you
know, we we sh it was all cool. Much
love. Everything was fine in but be in
between the whistles. He's my enemy. He
has on a different color jersey. That's
that's how we're wired. After the
whistle, it's all love. There's nothing
after that.
And I'll uh go back to your question
about temptation is one thing we have to
realize is we're not perfect. You know,
everyone wants to sit up and say, "Oh
man, these brothers are here and this
and that and they're just so perfect.
We're the furthest thing from perfect.
I'll be the first person to tell you.
You know, we ask a lot for forgiveness
every day. I ask Allah to forgive my
past, my future, and my now, my present.
And what we have to realize is, you
know, this is my brother. That's why
what our mother taught us and what we
grew up on was want for your brother
what you want for yourself. You know, no
matter what it is, you know, you see
your brother, oh man, he's not doing
something he's supposed to do. Oh, do
you go say, hey, guess what I did? Or
no, or do you go pick him up? You know,
that's why we have to be very careful,
especially being online. I'm a big guy
on Twitter. I fast from Twitter during
Ramadan, but I'm big on Twitter. And
you'll see a trending topic and you say,
"Hey, you know, for for the older older
gentlemen uh and and sister, just bear
with me. Uh but you know, you'll see a
trending topic, you say, what are they
talking about?" And you you know, you
look and it said they're talking bad
about just that retweet that's spreading
a rumor.
Just that retweet. And we don't want to
do that. Do we want to eat the flesh of
our brother's back? No, we do not. So,
we have to stay away from these things.
We have to ask Allah for forgiveness.
Yeah, you know what? I messed up. Let me
ask forgiveness from the person who I've
wronged and ask Allah for forgiveness.
And that's what we have to realize.
We're not perfect. There's not a single
per perfect person on this earth. And we
have to realize that. And as Muslims, we
don't jump on other Muslims. You know,
we supposed to go to the aid of our
brother, whether he is the oppressed one
or he's the oppressor. If he's
oppressed, we go help him out. If he's
the oppressor, we go and say, "Hey,
you're doing the wrong thing." And
that's we have to remember that we're
going to the aid of our brother because
this is Islam. This is universal. Uh and
then as far as the uh the anger issue,
yeah, that that's tough, right?
The same way you give da to anyone else
is your is your walk is your walk.
Because we've all seen the person who
every single day tells you how holy they
are and they want to sing their gospel
hymns. Oh,
you know, you see that and then all but
then you're like, I know that guy.
That's not how and he's trying to No,
you need to be doing this. You need to
be going to Bible study. You need to be
doing that. Mashallah. The best D I got
was from a Christian brother. His name
is Jason Wright. He was a seven-year
veteran in in the NFL. He's actually
from Diamond Bar right now. He's
studying to get his MBA at uh the
University of Booth in Chicago. And this
brother,
he was he was he was on his dean. He he
read his Bible every day on the team
bus, on the team plane. He was straight
up and down. He was clean. He wasn't
flashy. He drove a Ford Taurus. And he
just every single day it was just
getting better, just getting better. He
wasn't, "Oh man, I'm so holy. Look at
me. Look at me. I'm so humble. Hey, I'm
so humble. Aren't I humble? How I mean,
that's not humility. That's not
humility. The believers are the ones who
are what? They're patient and they walk
through the earth with humility. That's
what we're supposed to be. We're
supposed to be humble and we're just
supposed to lead lead by example. Just
just do that. So for Timbo, it's not
like I would just go to him and say,
"Hey, you need to read the Quran. Hey,
you need to do this." Nope. You just do
you. Because people start to take
notice. Uh short a short story about
that is on Fridays, alhamdulillah,
Friday in the NFL is a very short day.
Uh we get out about 12:00 12:30. So,
alhamdulillah, I get I get a chance to
make Juma. But this with our new uh
defensive coordinator, our new defensive
coach, Ray Horton, he wanted us to meet
every Friday. Every Friday. Every it was
mandatory. Every single defensive player
met. So, they looked at me like, man,
what's Hamza going to do? do what I
always do. I'mma go for Juma and
alhamdulillah. So, you know, you're
getting dressed. Everyone else, you
know, you wear shorts and t-shirt to
work. They see you every Friday just,
you know, getting dressed and say, "Oh,
you know, are you going to the defensive
meeting?" You know, "Oh, alhamdulillah,
oh, he has to go for prayer." It got to
a point to where people wouldn't even
ask me or if someone asked, someone else
would say, "Oh, he's going for his
Friday prayer." So, it's just about the
walk that you have. It's not that you're
going around saying, "This is what I'm
doing." No, that's not the way Islam is.
That's not the way a Muslim is. We have
to lead by example just by doing our do,
doing our do, doing our do every day,
inshallah.
The sister asked, "How do you balance
fasting with games and practice?" We
were just talking about that. It was so
easy to fast today. It was so easy. All
we did was sit, we played on the
computer, we went for Juma, we drove out
here. It was so easy. But uh you know
it's all about preparation and you know
everyone has heard this you know when
you fail to plan you plan to fail. Uh
last night alhamdulillah you know
they're saying hey you know it's going
to be the first day of Ramadan. You know
we knew Ramadan was coming. So you have
to start that preparation now. Right now
you know it's it's the night time we're
going to go in for tawi. This is when
you start to hydrate. You know you see
me I have my three cups of water. This
is this is just what I do. I just sip
sip sip. That's what I do throughout the
night. Then when you wake up in the
middle of the night, you drink some
more. You drink some more. And it's all
about preparation because I have to
prepare, you know, physically and then
mentally. First thing we do is give it
to Allah. Say, "Oh Allah, Allah, please
make it easy for us." That's the first
thing we do. The second thing is is is
is we take action. Uh, brother Rahan,
he's a nutritionist. I think he's here
today. But, you know, we and we just
talk and we just exchange, you know,
different different different things
that, you know, we would do and protein
and all that stuff. You know, he can get
into all that. So, if you guys have a
chance to talk to Brother Rhan, I
believe he's still here. But
there right there.
There he is right there. But it's it's
just about it's just about preparation,
you know, and knowing your limits. You
know, if we fast more often, we'll know
what we can do because sometimes you get
into Ramadan and it's it's day 20 and
then you realize, okay, now I can now
I'm fit. Now I can fast, you know. So
we've wasted those first 20 days. So
it's all about preparation. You know, we
know we're going for tawi. Hydrate
yourself. Still exercise, but don't try
to exercise at lightning speed. You
know, don't try to do what brother
Hussein does. You know, inshallah, he
can show you after maybe a light
workout, but you know, we just have to
prepare, prepare, prepare.
Yes.
Well, as far as me, I've actually had
four of them.
Yeah, but it it's I mean, it's the
nature of the beast. What other What
other sport do you have a guy of my
stature, 205 pounds, running full speed
to hit a guy that's 260 lbs? It just
sometimes it just doesn't sound right,
but when you're out there, you just you
just do it. But um it it it is something
to watch and something to look into. Um
you see a lot of the people from the
past from the 70s, 80s, 90s that they're
starting to have problems. There was
there was a lot of things that they
didn't tell the players back then. It
was just you got your bell rung. This is
football. Toughen up. All of that jazz.
Um, so it is I me personally, uh, for
personal reason, I keep a close close
watch on it, a close eye on it. I've
talked to the the guys who are supposed
like the top specialists in the country
out in Pittsburgh, and they said
everything should be good. Everything
should be clear, but at the same time, I
I will say the it it's not it's not a
finished book. It's still open-ended
because we're still playing the game. We
still don't know exactly what happened.
And there's been I think there's what
over 16 or 1,800 players to a team.
There's 1,800 players and the the
turnover in the NFL is high. In and out,
in and out. So, who knows how many NFL
players there has been since the start
of professional football. And then the
kids in college, which is even more, and
then the kids in high school, which is
way more. So,
I I think uh in 10 years we'll we'll
know a lot more. I think right now it's
kind of the hot button issue and it's
getting a lot of press, but I think
we're we're a ways away from actually
knowing what these hits