thean alhamdulillah Alum peace be with
you I'm Eddie your host you're watching
the dean show thank you for tuning in
today on this week's show we have a
special young lady who was out there on
MTV she was a superstar pop sensation I
mean Drew crowds from all over by the
tens of thousands
and was at the top of the music change
he was performing with people such as
Justin beaver was at J Park and all of
these other pop culture music icons but
something was missing it was missing and
fame couldn't feel that void money
status she had all that but something
else did and we're going to be talking
to her Miss nenina why she left that
lifestyle that people are running
towards towards this Lifestyle the
lifestyle that brings you peace
prosperity contentment in this life
Paradise to the next and we're going to
hear her story coming up next Miss Nina
don't go
anywhere
the is
the this is the
[Music]
this is the is
the this is
the this is the
the
the this is thean show and let us
welcome with us on the dean show Miss
Nina assalam alaykum peace be with you
and how are you doing sister Nina
alhamdulillah I am doing very well thank
you very much and thank you so much for
being with us here on the dean show oh
it it is such an honor thank you so much
for having me here alhamdulillah you
know for reaching out and inshallah my
story and inshallah my words will be
able to to uh to be of benefit to other
people and hopefully it can help other
people as well so inshallah tell us
we're over here in the United States has
the dean show reached your part of the
world you know what it has and I
actually tweeted about this uh I think
it was last week and uh we have a uh a
Muslim Channel Islamic channel here
called TV al-hijra and when I switched
it on immediately it was it was the dean
show and I was like alhamdulillah
amazing and so I tweeted about it and uh
I think a week after um I received an
email from the dean show so mallah I I'm
very happy that uh you know this your
show has been going on it has honestly
speaking before I even put the hijab on
I've been I was watching the show and I
was doing a lot of research about Islam
and you know looking for my way and my
path towards Islam and alhamdulillah it
has been a really good journey and thank
you for having the show you know it's
it's such it's such an amazing show and
I hope that more people get to watch it
and see it and and and know about it
thank you so much sister Nina sister
Nina tell us people are excited they
want to know the not yet Muslims the
Muslims they want to know how what was
the turning point in your life now
the turning point that had you really
start to research reflect and get you to
where you are today please talk to us
about this well you know I in in my life
in my past one I I kind of call it past
life because um uh I I would call myself
a revert you know I was uh born a Muslim
but I didn't really practice much when I
was young and um I think through through
the years you know I as you know I was
an artist was a pop artist I was a
rapper I did a lot of things on stage
and and all that so anyway that's the
past life and what really led me towards
um Islam and towards looking for
knowledge really was you know I felt
like I I had something that was missing
in inside of me you know I was searching
and reaching for goals of the dun and I
didn't realize that it was just leading
me to nowhere and um I think you know my
brother brother passed away a few years
ago and that was probably one of the
turning points that I had in my life
which kind of pushed me towards um
really understanding more about my Dean
and that actually pushed me to actually
start praying Salah um a few times a day
once a day first it started once a day
then uh after that alhamdulillah you
know I met my husband and uh he prays
five times a day you know he's a good
Muslim alhamdulillah and he taught me to
pray five times a day and he taught me
to slowly try to read the Quran and then
from there you know I uh my mom and dad
alhamdulillah they really supportive of
me um they take me to umrah and after
going for umra to Makkah and to to
Medina um it really you know really
opened my heart and my eyes and and just
myself to to to you know really want in
to become a better Muslim so Hajj was
really the turning the biggest the other
biggest turning point in my life where I
decided that I wanted to 100% submit
myself to Allah subhana wa ta'ala
and um to change my life completely uh
because I'm 33 years old right now and
uh you know I've lived pretty much most
of my life living for this dun and now
it's all about trying
to um find a way where I can actually
build a beautiful beautiful eternal life
in jenah inallah so you know seeking for
knowledge alhamdulillah you know
Malaysia is such an amazing country like
we're we're basically a Muslim country
but we do respect um other religions as
well we have Christianity we have
Buddhism we have Hinduism and all that
alhamdulillah we live here in peace um
but I'm so happy that our government
does support a lot of um classes and
Islamic um Islamic classes that go on we
have Islamic universities here as well
alhamdulillah so um this past actually
it's only been about five to six months
since I've done my Hajj and and that was
the time I decided to keep on my hijab
um these past six months has been
amazing alhamdulillah I I've been able
to actually go out and um meet not say
meet but actually go out and listen to a
lot of uh amazing Scholars that have
come to Malaysia like muy M um Numan
alih Khan um
shik Kamal shik sad shik wed and
alhamdulillah you know it's um may Allah
grant them the highest levels of Jenna
and for everybody that teaches our Dean
the right way of the Sunnah and from the
Quran and from sahab but um it's just
it's just you know seeking for knowledge
for me is I'm I'm a student of knowledge
now so so that's my goal in life
inshallah so yeah Nina tell us uh you
mentioned your brother who had passed
away tell us a little bit about about
him
please um my brother that passed away
well he passed away when he was in his
40s yeah he was a special child he was
born with a hole in a
heart and uh you know when he passed
away he had um he he was married he has
one child and she's she's um she's 16
right now she's doing so well in school
alhamdulillah her mother's such a such a
beautiful woman she's such a good Muslim
muslima as well and my brother died
basically because of of that condition
and infected all of his other um organs
in his body and so you know inshallah
you know um I hope to see him in Jenna
my prayers are with Him inshallah Nina
if you can think back to when you found
out your brother had died and that
moment what it felt like because I know
for myself and many people the turning
point was when someone close to him died
and you really start to really reflect
Ponder and think about that moment of
death that you'll be away from all your
loved ones your loved ones will be away
from you you're in the grave the money
can't save you nothing all the wealth
you've amassed that stays behind you
can't take it with you and the reality
kicks in death I'm really going to die
so share with us that experience when
you're you had your brother who was very
close to you when he passed what was
that like so we can attain some benefit
from that okay in
um well you know I was I was close to my
brother and I never thought that you
know at the time nobody that was close
to me ever passed away I had no idea
what it felt like to to lose somebody
that I
loved and when I got the phone call um I
knew that he wasn't really doing well
but when I got the phone call and my mom
told me that he's he's gone he's passed
away I was like what I couldn't believe
it I thought I thought I was dreaming
and you know to have somebody leave you
just so I don't know I was I was
heartbroken I I was lost I I didn't know
really what to do what to think and then
I talk to myself like you know where is
my brother now where did he go you know
is he is he in heaven is he is is he in
his grave at the time I I don't really
know much about Islam so um you know we
you know we um we said our prayers we
you know we cleaned him as as we do and
then and then buried him and then said
all the prayers and everything and then
um you know that that at that point I I
look took a look at my life and I really
kind of tried to see you know you know
honestly I knew at the time that I took
my life for granted I took the people
around me for granted my family
especially my parents and my brother who
who who left me and I didn't even have
time to to even to even talk to him as
much as I wanted to um and so you know
uh yeah it's you know I I believe that
if Allah takes something away from you
that you love he's he's really you know
he he Allah loves us because he's
testing us and so you know that was
unfortunately be you know it was my push
towards the dean unfortunately you know
my brother had to go but you know um
inshallah I'll see him in Janna again
but that's the thing the thing about
death is I actually asked myself this
question a couple of months back when I
went for this course called heart
therapy and uh you know they there was a
question that was that was asked are you
ready to die if you died tomorrow what
would you do this this next 24 hours and
would you be ready to meet Allah subhana
wa ta'ala
and you know if I asked my question back
then um of course not you know who's
ready to die I mean who who wants to die
but this question is so important like
you were saying you know it's it's uh it
reminds us of of
reality and it reminds us that yes there
is going to be a heaven and a
hell and it also reminds us that we need
to you know start looking hard at our
lives and seeing whether we're doing the
right things that we need to do to be
able to get to Jenna and at the same
time to face Allah subhana wa tala on
the day of because I know that my
brother is in the grave right now and I
pray to Allah that he he protects him in
the grave from any torture or
torment and uh inshallah Allah will have
mercy on his
soul and may Allah have mercy on all of
our
souls a mean that's right May the
creator of the heavens and earth have
mercy on your brother have mercy on all
those who strive to please their Creator
before they meet their creator may he
guide us all to the truth the way that's
pleasing to him now tell us also you
mentioned that you had started praying
once one time a day twice three times
finally you got up to five times a day
then you started wearing the hijab tell
us how you made this wonderful progress
yes that was that was pretty much um the
way that I I kind of found my way
towards um you know learning about it
more and and understanding about it more
and believing in it more in actual fact
I you know um praying praying once a day
was for me in the beginning was was kind
of hard but alhamdulillah because my
husband helped me out so much with this
alhamdulillah I you know from once twice
to three times a day you know um coming
back from Hajj alhamdulillah I I pray
five times a day every day and I think
Salah being you know praying is one of
the most fundamental things is the most
important thing to to pull um to
actually pull ourselves towards Allah
subhana wa ta'ala I feel that every time
that we pray we are actually calling
Allah and we're connecting with him in
in such a direct way and and and that is
our source to Allah subhana wa tala our
duas our our wishes this that's the time
when we you know really connect to them
so um I believe that anyone who who
starts praying in they will get to to
know more about Islam and to go deeper
and want to go deeper and know about the
knowledge and the dean and so yes you
know I I alhamdulillah for for Salah and
um and yeah my next question I have
sister Nina is the Hajj we know that
Islam submission to the will of the
Creator not the creation based on Five
Pillars one that you testify there's
nothing worthy of worship except the
Creator not the creation and Muhammad
peace be upon Him is the last and final
messenger and that would include Jesus
Moses and all the proceeding messenger
pray five times a day give the poor dud
the charity the zakat fasting during the
month of Ramadan and the Hajj let's get
into the Hajj when you went to Hajj you
mentioned that this was the turning
point in your life this is where you
wanted to really take this for real tell
us about this okay well before I went to
Hajj you know the last three or four
five years of my my life before Hajj I I
was a solo artist and I had a couple of
albums out you know I did a few songs
with with a few artists from around the
world and all that and so um when my mom
asked me to go to Hajj uh the first time
a few years ago I was like Mom sorry I'm
not ready yet because I have I have you
know I was so involved in in music in
the Duna and all that so I I didn't
really think about it too much but um uh
think about a year and a half ago after
I I returned from umrah with my family
she asked me again and then I was like I
thought about it and then I said yes you
know I I don't know how but I think
Allah opened myself up to towards
alhamdulillah towards becoming you know
towards doing the Hajj and and I knew
that doing the Hajj is is not like is
it's not you know it's not for fun you
know I've I know I've heard of and I've
seen some people go for Hajj they come
back and not change and what we wish for
when we go for Hajj is a that is M
that is accepted by Allah subhana wa
tala so um you know I prepared myself I
went for my Quran classes I went for
Islamic classes and just trying to
prepare myself mentally physically
emotionally um to to really try to make
sure that when I get there it's all
about I it's all about about you know
worshiping Allah subhana wa ta'ala and
learning even more and mallah when I was
there for Hajj last year in October
2013 it was oh my goodness it I don't
know how to expl you know how to explain
it in words um especially on the day um
of I think it's called
wuk um at Arafat there's one day where
all the Angels come down to to Earth and
whoever is making Dua at that time after
uh zor until m inshallah the angels will
carry your duas up into heaven and
mallah and I could see everywhere
everybody wearing and it was such a
humbling experience just to to be a part
of this umah you know and to see that
you know everybody is is making power
but and repenting and asking for
forgiveness and it it was you know it's
it was so moving and alhamdulillah I'm
so happy that Allah had invited myself
and I went with my husband and my mom as
well um and so you know alhamdulillah he
brought us there and um you know when I
was in mukah I you know I was it's funny
because I was watching um there was one
there's one episode where you had Newman
alihan on the show and he was talking
about um some uh I think a sister she
was confused about the hijab so I was
watching that and then I was watching a
few other shows as well and then I was
thinking I said you know what this is it
I if I if I want to if I'm going to do
this right I'm going to I'm going to
have to do it the the right way which is
you know as a Muslim I should keep the
hijab on and and um if I didn't I don't
know if I maybe if I didn't go for Hajj
maybe I wouldn't be on right now but
alhamdulillah it still is um and
inshallah for forever so I would
recommend anybody who has the chance to
go for Hajj you know instead of taking a
holiday going to you know the Bahamas or
going to you know uh anywhere in the
world why don't you save your money and
and go for Hajj because it's
lifechanging it is so lifechanging it's
so it is so amazing it's it's I can't
even really explain it you know it's the
best time of my life mashallah you know
and to be there with my husband at the
same time it was I think our best date
ever mashah it's really exciting
listening to your story tell us how do
you deal with a lot of the
misinformation the false stereotyp ypes
that are out there about Islam and
Muslims the false stereotypes um okay
well you know I know that a lot like
around the world everybody believes or
thinks that um Islam has got to do with
you know terrorism you know is uh is is
not a religion of peace is oppressive
against women you know unfortunately
these are probably how a lot of people
view Islam who don't really know about
it so um you know in Malaysia here in
our country it's not so bad because most
people understand or most well most
people here are Muslim alhamdulillah but
um there still are misconceptions for
example um in terms of the hijab um just
recently that was World hijab day um and
uh uh a lot of sisters here in Malaysia
are really really supportive of world
hijab day because sometimes even in um
in in in our Muslim country we do find a
little bit of discrimination against the
hijab as well um you know um not many
job offers for example like um being an
air stewardess or or working in certain
companies they will not hire you because
you wear the hijab so that's one kind of
um discrimination that we Face here in
Malaysia but you know around the world I
you know I really hope that um those
people who just kind of point fingers
and say we're like this or like that and
Allah you know Allah guide them to to
find out more about the truth about our
beautiful beautiful religion it's not
about you know oppression it's not about
war it's about peace it's about love
it's balance you know it's our it's it's
our guidelines you know it's our
guidance um and uh yeah mashah tell us
what advice do you have now for many
young women old women
even men who are struggling with a lot
of the same issues you are struggling
with you have an emptiness in the heart
you don't have peace contentment and
instead of praying five times a
day you call your boyfriend or
girlfriend five times a day and going
crazy for Justin beaver and the
likes and really not knowing that you
need to change but really not taking the
matter serious
working more to please the creation
instead of working to please the Creator
what advice do you have for people
struggling with this talk to us sister
please well my advice for all my sisters
you know who are struggling right now to
to make a change to to look into your
you know your hearts look into your
hearts to make the change um you know I
I believe that you know in the beginning
you you may be scared you know I was
scared in the beginning as well I was I
was fearful about you know how how my
life could change how it could be but um
you know you know instead of going uh
instead of trying to impress everybody
about the way you look instead of trying
to to to idolize you know you know
artists like as if they are Gods you
know try to look into your heart and try
to see what's missing and that Missing
Link is is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
you know take that first step you know
it could be the smallest step for
example like if if you're if you're a
sister that likes to wear you know um
mini skirts and and singlets you know
maybe the next thing that you could do
is try to wear something that covers
your legs and your arms and and your
body you know then after that you know
inshallah you know maybe you can can
start you know contemplating your life
sit down for like an hour and think
about your life like where are you now
now you know what what is this life
about who created who created this world
this beautiful world this universe who
created the heavens who created a heart
you know it's Allah subhana wa ta'ala if
and if you if you can try to to to
connect with that inshallah he will he
will allow you to start praying once a
day twice a day you know and you will
see yourself changing a little bit here
and there you know and another another
piece of advice I like to give my
sisters is you know it's it's it's not
it's not you know honestly the be Beauty
real beauty comes from inside and I
think it's the beauty of modesty as well
you know um it's it's the way you bring
yourself and and how you would carry
yourself as as a Muslim woman so you
know don't be scared about it because
you know you're not the there so there's
a lot of people out there who are
struggling and the fact that that that
sisters are actually struggling Allah
loves you Allah loves you you more
because you're strugling even more and
inshallah you will you'll make that step
you'll take that step to to to to being
a better person to being a better Muslim
um you know
I I um you know it's it's not it's not
an easy thing you know every day it's a
struggle but remember Allah is always
listening to us even though you know
even though you don't know he's not
listening he is listening to you and
what's in your heart and if your
intention really truly is to change he
will help you change you just have to
you just have to reach out to him
inshallah Mah alhamdulillah tell us how
important was a
sister for your development having good
company around you good friends talk to
us about
this um you know I'm learning from my
teachers they tell me that your company
and your friends are what make you you
know so you go out and you hang out with
people who are who have who are in a who
who have influence then you're probably
going to end up like them but if you
hang out with people who are good um you
know who are Pious who are righteous who
are truthful and honest and and good
with good character inshallah you will
also become like that so you know who
you hang out with are so important just
as important as your family so I would
definitely suggest you know sisters to
make sure you hang out and you make
friends with the right people and but
then again don't forget about your
friends um who are who are with you or
who you know what I mean like who don't
forget about the friends who you think
you feel that you can pull you know to
the other side um just because your
friend is not of um good character
doesn't mean that your friend might not
be in the future so you know hopefully
with a sister's change you know your
friends will also you know tag along or
come along um but friends are so
important uh I I've noticed since my
change as well you know I've been I've
been um a lot let say selective but
somehow or other like I find myself
surrounded by people that I want to be
surrounded with you know with with um uh
with sisters who are on the same page as
me and we're going out you know looking
for Islamic knowledge you know and we
you know we meet each other for the sake
of Allah subhana wa ta'ala to learn more
and then you know I'm still friends with
my other girlfriends who I've been
friends with since I was a kid and
they're not wearing hijab yet but
inshallah they will be soon you know
since everybody around our circle is so
it's all about influence good influence
and uh and friends are that yeah sister
tell us before we come to an end about
how you feel now as opposed to how you
felt back then when you were living a
life of just chasing your desires
not living a life that was pleasing to
your creator and many people are are
doing that now and they don't have that
peace and we know that people such as
Justin beaver you know on Xanax drugs
alcohol their lives are upside down but
they have money they have Fame but
they're not happy so you had all of that
but now you gave it up tell us about the
feeling that you have now that pricess
feeling that people they would spend all
the money in their bank account to have
but you got it for free tell us about
this okay well you know back then uh I
was I was searching for happiness in the
wrong places I was searching for
happiness through my friends I was
searching for happiness through through
the the career that I was pursuing in
music in in performing I was searching
for happiness in just all the all of the
wrong places and and you know it it
really created a a feeling of
restlessness of constantly searching for
something but didn't know what and uh
you know feeling depressed and lost at
many many times and uh alhamdulillah now
now that I have found Allah subhana wa
ta'ala I feel I feel
so not all the time but inshallah I feel
at peace you know I know that Allah is
with me
subala and I also feel um I feel love I
feel love has is is surrounding me now
you know as compared to before I was
trying to search for love in the wrong
places where you know our first love is
Allah subhana wa ta'ala
um and at the same time I I feel content
you know um with my life what Allah has
given me you know um
before before this whole change I was
never really happy with what I had even
though I had everything in the world you
know I I wasn't even I was I was wasn't
even sure what it was I was I really
wanted um but uh you know contentment
you know feeling the um E-class E-class
meaning um I don't know what's the word
in English the sincerity sincerity thank
you very much you know um sincerity um
about the things that I do the decisions
that I make before like I wouldn't even
think and I make it decision and then
I'll end up like um I'll end up where I
don't want to be so now you know Allah
has given me tawa knowing what's right
and what's right what is right and what
is wrong he's he's alhamdulillah given
me um in um I pray for a class as well
for sincerity for the things that we do
you know nowadays when I make decisions
especially with my work I have to know
okay um by me doing this is this going
to go is this going to be against Allah
subhana wa tala's wishes is it against
the sunah of Quran or you know is it is
it something that that's going to lead
to something bad so so I've never had
this kind of um thought process before
you know um and alhamdulillah you know
it's it's uh it's really really trying
to find peace and happiness in life and
that peace I I believe comes from
praying five times a day from doing the
duties that you need to do as a Muslim
um you know pay your zakat um fasting
during Ramadan um and uh going for Hajj
or maybe you know going for umrah as
well um and also you know building good
character you know uh uh um making sure
that you're always in check with what's
going on inside of you and making sure
that your connection with Allah subhana
wa taala is always there at any given
time um you know there are special times
um I read in the book that that when you
make Dua that Allah will listen to you
and inshallah will accept it so you know
you can make Dua at any time you're
driving in the car if you're home you
know the Allah is everywhere so that
connection with Allah and uh is what
gives me
peace if I if I stopped my that
connection I know that I would be I
wouldn't be I wouldn't be around I I you
know I be left behind so you know the
key is to have that connection and to to
contemplate about where where um I am in
my life with Allah subhana wa tala yeah
mashallah we've come to an end thank you
so much for being with us here on the
dean show May the creator of the heavens
and earth Allah reward you keep you
steadfast and far away from ever going
back to that lifestyle keep you and your
family blessed as he's blessed you with
his guidance such a gift you can have
the money you can have the fame but you
know that Islam submission to the will
of the Creator not the creation is a
gift it's a Priceless gift and may the
Creator keep you and keep me and keep
all of us on this Dean all the way to
Jen thank
youum thank you so much brother Eddie
for having me on the show
jaum thank you so much once again peace
be with you asalam
alikum and that was sister Nina she went
from pop culture icon pop music singing
dancing and having that celebrity status
as a very famous musician but something
was missing and as you can hear from her
story she's happy now she's very happy
she's doing the right thing and many
people can relate to this because many
people if not the majority they want to
be like the star Stars they're reaching
for the stars and it doesn't matter what
it takes they're going through all sorts
of obstacles to get that Fame to try to
get that dollar and end up worshiping
the dollar worshiping the fame the
fashion but our life is not just about
that it's about a more important thing
this life is short and we're here for a
short amount of time so it's about
really knowing the purpose of life
learning it living it and dying upon it
and you've been LED here to the dean
show today and I hope you've gotten the
benefit from this young lady's story and
we pray that the Creator continues to to
guide her guide us and keeps us
steadfast continue to uh turn into the
dean show you can follow us on our
Twitter and check us out on our Facebook
if you have any suggestions or some
topics that You' like to see us cover
and some feedback and until next time
we'll see you until then God willing
peace be with you