this
is alhamdulillah alum peace be with you
I'm Ed your host you're watching the
dean show and today we're going to be
bringing out sh Kamal mecki and he's
going to help us sing this song So You
Want To Be a Gangsta smoking All That
Dope disrespecting people and all the
folk that's what you think it's about
man you think that is what makes you
successful being a punk a thug
well the she when I talking about
milkshake he's got something else to
tell you so if your parents brought you
down to watch the dean show sit tight
because we'll have some fun but we're
going to be serious don't go nowhere
we'll be right back this is the
Dean this is the D
the this is the D
this is the dean show this is the dean
show with
youum Salam I don't know where you got
that song from but you know what it
covers our topic nicely I think you know
what way back I used to be in jalah and
I learned so much and I thank the
creator of the heavens and earth that he
guided me and I used to listen to the
hip-hop right and you know what you're
singing it they're singing about all
sorts of stuff disrespect to the parents
disrespect to yourself disrespect to
your teachers disrespect to the women
and now the youth as I was I thought it
was cool to disrespect people cuz then
people and this is what happens in the
high school and the colleges and whatnot
the more disrespectful you are the more
you're you know the cool guy people be
dissing each other they be dissing each
other right you know most people say
that you're black you know that right
most people watch the dean show they say
Eddie's black well you know what
they see that you know what what we
talking about here is not serious I
caught you with that
one but here's the thing here's the
thing you know I we try to keep it real
we tried to to connect with the youth
because we are in a real world and I was
living that life and I see that's the
wrong direction to go so now I feel is
requires discipline to hold back when
you're angry to not throw a punch you
have to stay calm be patient that's what
Islam teaches
it's easy to let out profanity it's easy
to to be a thug so that's what we want
to talk to why do you think more people
inclined to that it's easy but this it
takes some discipline and they kind of
go towards the easier R let's discussed
is very important fantastic let me Begin
by
saying for those who don't know that
means in the name of Allah and all
praise is due to Allah and may He extol
and send blessings of peace upon his
final messenger Muhammad and obviously
upon all the prophets that he sent
before now take a note just just just
I'm sorry to cut you out you said Allah
and again there's a lot of not yet
Muslims they tune in they hear Allah
they think moong God they think a black
box in the desert what do you got to say
about that it's just how you say God in
Arabic you know you go to uh if you go
to a mus an Arab country all right Arab
country and you go into a church the
Bible says Allah in Arabic if you go to
a synagogue for example Morocco Yemen
there are many Jews or Arabs or speak
Arabic and their Bible says Allah as
well so it's proof that it's the same
God not a different God so that's all
we're saying okay good I'm sorry please
continue now what I loved about how you
began is that you actually said a Hadith
because the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam
said he said that the the strong person
isn't the one who out wrestles people
because or lose your temper or use
profanity that's easy anybody could do
that the strong person is the one who
contains his anger you know who keeps
his his cool keeps his temper down
that's the strong person because you'll
agree that's that's harder to contain
yourself than it is to erupt anybody can
erupt use bad words and you know use
sign language anybody can do that ABS
French speak French yeah so people you
know they they communicate in these ways
and they think they're and then they
come and boast about these things they
boast about how they went off on this
guy and then I said this to him but
that's easy how do you boast about
something that's easy you boast about
something that's difficult so if someone
really got up in your face they say and
uh you know was rude and disrespectful
and you could contain yourself that's
something now you can boast about not
that you just curse them back anybody
can do that but what is going on now
with people even even you find sometimes
practicing Muslims if I can use that
term and they still have that Thug thing
going on you know Thug mentality they
don't want to smile when they shake your
hand they just give you a cold Salam and
what's going
on oh hard and stuff what's with this
hard thing you know it's it's pushing
too much I mean obviously and you've
interviewed rappers before and they all
said that it's an image right they're
not hard all the time you know they
don't wake up hard and yeah it's an
image thing but then these young people
they see it on television and then they
believe it that's how you have to be one
group did this U kind of a study if you
want to call it and they just started to
interview kids at at high schools and
they would ask him what is a man and
everything the youth would say back into
the camera was violent or aggressive and
they felt at them and they would use
words like a man is powerful you know
he's aggressive you know he's a good
fighter he takes you know matters to his
own hands he does everything they were
mentioning was aggressive because that
is the media definition that that you
get from the mainstream media of what a
man is you know the man is violent you
know the man takes care of issues not
not by diplomacy and speaking that's for
weaklings you know you know nerds will
finish will will solve their disputes
that way you know the man he he jumps
out of his car takes off his coat you
know throw the glasses off bam fist the
Cuffs punches people out knock people
out where' they get this from so this
violence thing is going overboard but
it's all from you know the movies that
glorifies you know the fighting the the
the aggressive behavior and from just
like you know the stuff that you were
quoting earlier the the rap music and
and talking about violence and how tough
they are how many times you have to
listen to a song about how tough a guy
is and in reality he's not tough he's
got a pool boy he's got a mansion and
you know he's living the easy life but
he talks about how tough he is in the
studio all the time and then people fall
for that yeah one of the interesting
things I really love this in the Quran
when uh lman was was a righteous wise
man in the past and he was advising his
son so one of the he was giving him a
lot of advice with manners with life
with staying away from worshiping things
besides Allah with being good to the
parents and then one of the things he
tells him he's starting to gives him
starts to give him advice on being
humble and having having humility so he
tells
him and do
not your your cheek to people do not
turn your cheek to
people is a disease that afflicts camels
and when it afflicts them their neck
turns and their face turns to the side
isn't it weird Eddie that the arrogant
people and the thugs they don't walk
straight they always walk to the side
like this you see a guy walking like
this just like the Quran described he'll
turn his face so he was advised his son
he said don't turn your face to the
people meaning don't become arrogant be
humble in in how you carry yourself be
humble in how you deal with people tlg
have you heard of that no what is that
tlg and I feel that people just today
are just
followers
tan laundry and gym have you heard that
no never I guess I'm not a hip like that
so you watch These reality shows and
these people who are out there
glorifying this lifestyle just more
about the body more about you know
physical appearances and they forget
they forget about purifying the soul
they forget about the reality of death
they forget about returning to their
creator so these things it seems like
you know we we focus more on the
physical our appearances and then at the
same time you know we we we we we don't
watch our behavior and again it just
seems again from early on from the high
schools public schools it just seems
like the whole culture is making it easy
so how does someone who has been
programed for so many
years how do they get out of this
excellent and of course as usual any
Improvement that you can make any
self-improvement if it wasn't possible
Allah wouldn't ask you to do it so if
you couldn't change yourself to become
more humble and and have more humility
then Allah wouldn't ask you or require
that of you so the truth is and the good
news is that you can improve and you can
change from you know being arrogant to
being in a state of humility you know
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
said in
the short Hadith deepen meaning whoever
humbles himself for the sake of Allah
Allah will raise him in rank you imagine
it's the opposite you know you act all
arrogant and then you know you get
better status with people but it's
actually the opposite you humble
yourself for the sake of Allah and Allah
subh will raise you in Rank and by the
way you know a lot of people think you
know if you're being humble that means
again you're weak you're letting people
step on you it has nothing to do with
that humility is just the opposite of
arrogance you know and it's interesting
how arrogance itself the arrogant people
Allah says in the
Quran those who were too arrogant to
worship me Allah is saying in the Quran
those who are too arrogant to worship me
they get a punishment that's the
opposite they will enter the Hellfire in
state of humility also the prophet
described that the people who were like
really arrogant got their nose in the
air and they think they're all that as
they say these people out of out of the
embarrassment and Punishment Allah will
raise them on the day of Resurrection
the size of little ants and people will
not see them and they'll be trying not
to let people step over them so we need
to Humble ourselves absolutely let's
take a break and we'll be right back
with more on the dean show and it's
simple to understand I wouldn't know
what the sky looked like what the trees
look like I would have never seen the
faces of my beautiful children if I
didn't have the ability to see how
blessed we are by Allah and obedience is
born out of gratitude so thank him call
upon Him establish a relationship with
him forget about the past take it out of
being a ritual and make it a spiritual
experience Islam is not something
dubious unclear hazy it's really
straightforward he said it changed his
life he said he saw every single episode
that you had ever
recorded
back here on the dean show with Shay Cal
and mecky we talking about serious
business we're talking about things that
are very important it's not just about
getting to 10 doing the laundry the
clothes getting ready for the nightclub
on the weekend hitting the bench press
that's all you focused on you're not
thinking about anything else cuz you got
to go get your honey you got to go
fulfill your lust and desires and the
woman she the man's on the hunt and the
woman is just acquiring as many phone
numbers as she can so she can have her
phone blowing up ringing and it becomes
a whole game we get caught up into this
whole system and we forget about our
purpose in life why we've been created
and we start doing things that are
displeasing to the one who created
us why is this again I keep asking a
million dollar question why are people
more inclined to this nowadays right and
obviously you know if I were to take the
easier rout I'll just say you know it's
it's lack of Ean a lack of you know
belief yeah or the belief is weak in
people's hearts a lack of knowledge when
the duny becomes the dun meaning this
material world becomes great in people's
hearts you know and because the D is
great in people's hearts people Envy
them each other hate each other because
of things of the material world like you
know even a good person will see someone
with a nice vehicle and they'll envy
that and they'll be jealous of him
you're only jealous because a couple of
things one this material world is great
in your heart otherwise it's just a
piece of metal it wouldn't have mattered
to you but the the material world has
become great in people's hearts the
other thing also you find people you
know their meaning their their trust and
their Reliance in Allah is weak you know
Allah owns everything in the heavens and
the Earth if a guy has a Ferrari Allah
gave it to him he could give it to you
so don't worry about it or maybe he's
not giving it to you for a good reason
so don't worry about it but because
material things have become so great in
our hearts that that we want to express
who we are through our
material possessions and so you'll find
even some you find some very Hollow
people who will they won't even have a
car but they'll have a Mercedes-Benz
kitchen and they'll just twirl it around
like this as they talk to girls and
stuff yeah you got to see the the the
Ben symbol huh you know the three-point
Star right trying to show that I got a
Ben and the guy is taking the the city
bus you know so but because the world
has become so great in people's minds
and hearts that they always try to
express who they are through their
belongings and through their possessions
some cities I'm not going to say which
cities but in certain cities where most
people don't drive I think I gave it
away people try to express who they are
through what they're wearing so they try
to wear the flashiest outfits other
states for example where you know it's
not really about what you wear it's
about the car that you drive so people
will put everything into that car I
remember one time I dropped off uh some
people at a homeless shelter they were
staying there and there was a guy with a
brand new Lexus living at the homeless
shelter so for the moments when he's out
of the homeless shelter driving the Le
everybody will look up to him like oh
he's got money but he doesn't even have
a house the guy is homeless and he's
broke and he's unemployed but he put
everything into this car so he could
live that fake image you know and and
also it brings to mind the Hadith of the
Prophet
mentioning some people in the worst uh
position or the worst of people one of
them is like someone who is poor yet
he's arrogant what are you being
arrogant about the guy's poor he's got
no money but he's still being arrogant
so you'll find the guy who's homeless he
puts everything that he has into a car
then he'll drive it looking all arrogant
like he's so he's living the life so so
this is this is the easy way this is
easy to be a thug to act out of line to
go and lift some weights even there's
nothing wrong with lifting weights
there's nothing wrong with being clean
doing your laundry and all this stuff
but now it takes some discipline to
control yourself to stay away from Evil
this requires some effort and work but
isn't the come better than just living
according to your lust and desires
absolutely I mean the prophet even
promised us that you know those who were
humbled and don't have that attitude and
all that and think too highly of
themselves the prophet
said so the prophet said whoever humbles
himself to Allah like this then he turns
his hand downwards and he lowers it all
the way down near to the ground the
narrator says then he then he turns it
he says or Allah will raise him
then he turns his hand says Allah will
raise him like this then he starts
raising his hand up up higher and high
until he went as high as he could go so
you humble yourself Allah will raise you
whether it means as what people think of
you in the community your position your
actual rank your status or you'll rank
with Allah subhana tala as well so Allah
will raise you from acting humble not
from being like a thug yeah now someone
might be watching the show now and
they'll argue well we see all these
people who act AR arant and act like
thugs and people look up to them yes is
not the opposite of what you're saying
well in the end people look up to them
what kind of people look up to them yeah
most of you you'll see that there are
worthless people who look up to them
because Allah describes this in the
Quran describing Pharaoh he
said it means he belittled his people so
they respected him he they respected him
when he treated them like dirt which
means they have no self-worth they don't
have self-respect cuz anyone with self
resect if you treat them like dirt they
say look I don't want to deal with this
person anymore but the person who
respects you if you if you treat them
like dirt they're themselves low a lowly
individual so if if you're telling me
these rappers they act like you know
arrogant and they act like thugs and
they get respect from people they're
getting respect from people who have no
self-respect that's number one and and
the second thing their respect is
limited to what they have and to their
status you know any of these uh F any of
these rappers or what have you they
become less popular nobody remembers
them anymore you know if you one rapper
steps out of the Limelight next day the
next guy is is popular and nobody
remembers him anymore yes you know I
don't think we need to mention any names
right no so so tell us why do you think
many of the youth they join
gangs a number of things sense of
belonging you know also to feel
important you know human beings
psychologists say they are social beings
so they want to belong right and people
also need to want to feel important and
everybody loves loves themselves you
know if anyone tells you they don't love
themselves hit hit him on the face and
see what they'll do they can defend
themselves because they love themselves
of course don't do that but the idea is
people love themselves right and they
tell you like you know everybody loves
their name even the letter of your name
if you see it you know you know under
studies they'll see that your brain will
light up more when they see the letter
of your name you know so if you see an e
your brain will light up more than than
a b if I see a k my brain will light up
more so everybody loves themselves when
you look at a class photo the first
thing you look you look for yourself you
don't like a where's Jimmy you look for
yourself right so people love themselves
they want to feel important and they
want to feel needed as well and they
want to feel part of a group and so a
lot of Youth then instead of going to
the right group instead of going to
their mosque to their Masid to their
Community you know to the sh to the
righteous people you know they might get
lost a little bit and then look for a
sense of belonging with that kind of
group and it's amazing the kinds of
things people will do to become accepted
by a certain group of individuals like
they'll go to the point you know you've
heard about hazing of course hazing
actually has a lot of psychology in it
when when someone does something
ridiculous related to hazing like
they'll make someone you know dress in
his underwear in the winter and run
across you know in front of people they
actually because they're doing something
so ridiculous they convince themselves
that I really want to be part of this
group that's why I'm willing to go as
far as doing something so ridiculous and
humiliate myself because I want to be
part of this group human beings have
that need to belong and gangs offer that
Unfortunately they offer that yeah so
we're going to continue more asking some
more questions here on the de show don't
go nowhere it's like when did you think
that you had no
purpose are you
worthless the value comes from
purpose your purpose in life is to
worship the Creator not worship your
desires and self not worship social
pressure the celebrity culture but
worship the thing that's much higher and
Transcendent above and beyond by
worshiping God and seeking his pleasure
you get pleased so you have double
pleasure we are here on the dean show
thank you for joining us and we're
talking about it's easy to be a thug
it's easy to follow your lust and
desires but it takes a little more
effort on doing the good things that the
Creator told us to do and I think that's
the cool thing people feel that that's
not cool but how can we again bring it
home where that is not the cool thing
being disrespectful to your parents
being disrespectful to your teachers
being disrespectful to your classmates
being respectful to your peers that's
not cool what's cool is being respectful
being dignified showing humility bring
it home A you know uh I love
blaming the media what's wrong with that
I'll blame them and I studied uh I
studied media production I studied
communication so we studied the theory
behind television the theory behind
radio all kinds of things related to
that and one of the things is that you
know this is you know the media they
claim that it doesn't affect people's
behavior but it will affect what's in
the Forefront of your mind right so if a
young person sees that the the the
proper way is the the respectful guy as
you're saying saying the humble guy is
always presented as the square the nerd
you know you always see the proper guy
who uses proper language and has a shirt
tucked and wears his glasses is always
like socially inept it's always the nerd
and the clown even in sitcoms even in
children's sitcoms you know these Disney
Channel they have these all these
sitcoms for kids they always show the
cool guy is kind of disrespectful and
and kind of uh you know carefree and
what have you and then the proper guy is
always uncool so then they get this
image you know being proper and right
and and and and good in language and
respect and manners you're uncool you
know you're socially inept you're a nerd
and they always dress them up weird with
bow ties and stuff like that yeah but
then the guy who has got bad manage got
a little bit of attitude he cracks the
funny jokes and everything in in in
class he's the cool guy so then it
remains and then they want to act out
these certain scenes in the classroom
find a lot of kids now disrespecting
their their teacher trying to be funny
trying to disr disrupt the class because
they learned that's what it is to be
cool but of course cool is uncool on the
day of judgment right whatever is cool
here I mean if whatever is wrong that
people make is cool it's uncool on the
day of judgment that that that's my next
that leads me to my next question the
day of judgment and before that to help
people realize the serious of this
matter that death is approaching and can
you just explain emphasize what will
happen in the grave when you die and
that angel melal Mo angel of death comes
to take your
soul well you know uh it everyone thinks
they have time to repent or it's not
going to happen to me and they told you
also this is one of the things that
happens in the minds of Youth they
always think the accident will happen to
the other guy but not to me so we always
think that death will come to me in my
deathbed when I have my family around me
but I'm not I'm not the guy who's going
to be killed in the street suddenly
going to work or going to school but the
truth is it will happen and it does
happen to people young and old and so
when you die you have to be prepared for
it when the angel of death comes to you
you can't repent anymore and when you're
put in your grave you're going to be
asked three questions now even if you
studied these questions in school you
can't answer it unless you're a Believer
who is your lord and only a Believer can
answer that someone who read a book
about Islam and didn't become Muslim
can't answer this question now a
Believer who's a Believer one who who
worships the one God alone without any
Partners not his creation and the last
lives his messenger and his messenger
Muhammad and that would include all the
preceding Messengers Jesus Moses Abraham
all of them absolutely and all the books
and all the Angels you have that belief
you're a Muslim and then doing all the
good that God Almighty has calleded to
do and staying away from the evil
because it's not enough it's not good
enough to just know that there is a God
you have to do it talk Lou Than Words
absolutely so you can't answer these
questions in the grave who is your lord
who is your Prophet what is your
religion so that's why everyone you have
to become Muslim you have to repent you
have to abide by the rules and forget
what's in the media okay and and a
Muslim is simply one who submits to his
creator that's what it means not to a
man to a monkey but to his creator
that's it and do you get rewards for
just tell us briefly now do you get
rewards that if you want to be a thug
you want to act out of control but you
contain yourself do you get rewards for
leaving off the evil and doing good to
motivate them to do more good than
rather than evil from the Creator
absolutely anybody who leaves thuggery
gets the reward for leaving that
inshallah and you get the good deeds
absolutely you get the good deeds and
some uh that some Scholars say even
whatever bad Deeds you have when you
repent can be converted into Good Deeds
man nothing's better than that this is
great this is great thank you again for
being pleasure oh yeah thank you and you
got to get some good advice don't be a
thug be someone who is doing good being
good and calling others to good because
you got one shot you got One Life to
Live so you can go ahead and keep
following your lust and desires and die
in a bad state or you can worship the
one God not his creation follow the last
and final Messengers that was sent to
mankind the prophet Muhammad peace be
upon him and then you can be in a
constant state of self-development
striving to be the best human being that
you can be and then at the end result is
Paradise and that's what we're striving
for we'll see you next time God willing
peace be unto you