okay we're live bro oh we're live
brother we're here with John Fontaine
and um they know who you are already so
why don't you tell no they know who you
are you know what I'm saying really yeah
I'm so what have you been doing the past
few days I've been here running around
the mass ikna convention in shy town you
know you know Chicago is is a real cool
City you know that well H it's full of
tough people My Kind of Town yeah that's
what I oh wow who it's full of tough
people like Al Capone yeah and Mr T and
Steve
URL and Webster you know all those
references I know what you're saying
okay goodah but I love Chicago so
basically we're just doing a few clips
for England so we want to we want to
reminder of yourself they may not get
those references in England anyway but I
love England as well alhamdulillah I
mean you've been to Manchester AR you my
my my hometown I've been all over
England
twice I I was in England probably four
times all together but I did two tours
of it and and I really loved it I love
going with all the the brothers and you
know England you do everything by
training yeah so you get to actually go
and experience the whole country right
mallah I was from I went from London Lon
all the way to to uh the South part of
England what is it oh man ah pth
Portsmith was a wonderful place yeah
Southampton Portsmith been down all the
way around there then I went to London
and I went to exor now you telling me
yesterday about the about the brothers
and sisters in Manchester and London and
and UK yeah and you like the atmosphere
right oh the crowds in UK are awesome
man like they're they're vocal they're
kind of like Chicago but they're they're
vocal I was in Manchester and and I I
made a crack about the Manchester United
Team I believe and I actually got booed
at a Muslim
event and I loved it for say cuz I'm I'm
an ex pro wrestler
so we have you know two kinds of pro
wrestler we have the heel which is the
bad guy and we have the baby face which
is the good guy that night I wanted to
play heel in Manchester so I got boot
out of the building but I love them
anyway they're great um all the way up
to Sheffield and and Wales and mashallah
UK is amazing and I can't wait to come
back yeah so can you tell us a bit about
yourself and how you came to Islam uh
for those who don't know who didn't see
the videos and stuff abua is my name uh
Jerome CLA was Jerome CLA was my name
before Islam it still is my name today
actually still on my password yeah uh I
I learned basically in short I learned
how to wrestle at the age of nine I was
a professional uh wrestling student in
my late 20s I would say alhamdulillah
but during that time I read the
autobiography of Malcolm
X and Malcolm's story really had an
impact on me I I really thought that I
don't know I was blown away by his
Charisma and the Charisma that Malcolm
had I haven't seen it ever sense uh his
his story and his listening to his
lectures even every now and then I still
go back and and check the YouTube videos
for him and I think that if you're going
to be a Muslim in the west I think that
and it's not a feta so you don't have to
do it but I really believe that reading
his autobiography should be mandatory
for us while living in the west it's not
and don't quote me on it and don't you
know refute me or whatever I'm not
saying it as a fatwa but again
alhamdulillah I I think that to to
understand the culture of here and to
understand what people have to go
through in order to find Islam would
really soften our hearts towards the
daah So reading his story I I believe
that it should be uh mandatory for
anyone who wants to give da in these
countries you can't include it by the
way
yeah so where did he from there when
when I read his story I learned very
basically that the Muslims believe in in
one
Creator one all powerful Creator who who
is the Lord of all that exist and who is
the sustainer of all that exist and I
really was captivated by that message I
wasn't much of a Christian yeah I really
wasn't and I wasn't really searching for
anything which is makes my story a
little bit different than a lot of
people's I didn't have this um spiritual
void at least I didn't think I did
anyway I had questions of course why are
we here and is wrestling that's it you
know is that all I'm here for is to beat
people up and and make them tap out I
had questions like that but I wasn't
really spiritually empty at least I
didn't think I was anyway yeah and
alhamdulillah I really thought that the
message of one Creator was what I wanted
cuz I did believe in God not to say that
I was an atheist I wasn't so you
believed in the that there something I
always believed in something I thought
that anyone who doesn't believe in the
Creator was was was crazy I I I really
did I really believe that I just didn't
know what he wanted from me at the time
and and you know I figured that if he
wants me for something then I'm sure
he'll show me what it is yeah and
alhamdulillah he did just that when I
was allowed to enter Islam I went to a
computer camp for blind people I was a
counselor there I was working there and
I met a
sister and that sister and end up
actually taking my shahada alhamdulillah
in 1996 but the thing is I went from
1992 until when I read the Malcolm X
autobiography until 1996 and I couldn't
find the
Muslims I didn't know where they were
and I I there was no internet and all
that stuff back then you know we had
actual phones that had wires in them
right yeah we how old are you brother
I'm 27 yeah you're a little bit6 okay
you're kind of there a little a little
bit sort of like no one had cell phones
when I was a kid except drug dealers and
police officers that's you can laugh you
know that right don't I'm Ling these
jokes don't get no better so you know so
we didn't have the whole guas TV thing
or AA or anything like that so it was
really up to the Muslims to spread that
word of mouth and I really couldn't find
them and Allah didn't mean for me to
find them so alhamdulillah I'm not upset
about that but it really does bring the
cruciality of spreading this message and
sharing it with people because abua is
just one guy yeah you know you're just
one guy Yousef essis is just one guy
there may be thousands of Abu Haas in
John fontains and Yousef EST is run
around uh America Canada and England
there may be thousands and there
probably are but it's just up to us to
properly present the message to them and
if they don't accept Islam then that's
fine too because at least they will know
that they're safe with us yeah as long
as we've conveyed the message our job we
don't convince we convey and that's
what's really really important
that's the most important thing because
many people who are doing DA they they
misunderstand what da actually is yeah
they think it's just about arguing and
debating with people it's not it's not
just getting that message over and
whether we like it or not not everyone
will accept Islam exactly can you just
explain to us like the importance of
daah cuz not everyone's doing da no not
everyone is and I think that when it
comes to okay if you if you think about
it for a minute right let's say for
example to to my brothers and sisters
who are from the subcontinent of India
yes or let's let's just say the Arabian
let's just say the Arab countries
outside of the Arabian Peninsula yeah
how where would you be today if the
companions of the Prophet Sall wasallam
didn't come to you and convey the
message Subhan Allah I mean let's say
they just came and married the pretty
girls and and opened businesses and then
you know did their job and then they
said well I don't really care about
these people I'm going home one day
Allah and let's go to the subcontinent
brothers and sisters what would happen
if those people didn't come to the
subcontinent where would you be today
Subhan Allah that's a big reminder bro
and let's say it's let's pretend you're
from
Mecca well if Allah didn't send you a
prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam where
would you be today you'd be still
worshiping and and whoever what else so
this is what's important so now guess
what you're in England I'm in Canada
we're here in America it's now become
our job just like it was the muslim's
job before us the companion's job before
them and the prophet's job before them
and Allah has Mercy before him subhah by
sending us a messenger in the first
place Subhan Allah so just think about
that for a second because I I get it
sometimes people will forget we're born
Muslims we don't need to give daah well
you were you were given dawa before you
just weren't here here to see it yeah
Subhan Allah you were given daa
somewhere along the way Muslims did not
fall from the sky in spite of what we
like to think right so since you didn't
fall from the sky since you weren't
hatched Muslim you were given daah at
one point yeah whether it was your great
great-grandfathers or or even further
back than that you were given you were
given da by someone else at one point
and if you weren't you were given da by
the prophet sallallah alaihi wasallam
who was who was sent by Allah subh tal
so everyone has received daah at some
point yeah so why should it stop now
yeah subh Allah so it's our duty to give
the da to do do the
work Allah ordered it he didn't
say he didn't say it like that he said
he just said it to us that we're
supposed to do that if you know the path
of your Lord You're supposed to convey
it not just by giving an argument or by
yelling at people or you know getting
upset with them or or debating with them
with your kindness and your and your
societal like that word societal
obligations right alhamdulillah subh
that's very important I really believe
that it's good I mean it's it is so
important alhamdulillah I mean you've
been here today uh you've been conveying
the message uh inshallah so what are
your plans for the future well I wanted
to just stick with this topic for a
second okay because many people may
wonder what do I get out of it why
should I do that well the sister who
took my shahada now she gets reward for
every single thing I do now Subhan Allah
like
everything except for the bad stuff I
keep that one to
myself but what do you think would be
the reward for giving shahada to someone
like Yousef Estus Subhan Allah I mean
really I mean I I remember a story of
you know ABD Rahim green yeah he was say
another example actually too of the ways
in which he accepted Islam he was he was
in a black cab and one of the taxi
drivers gave him a Quran Subhan Allah
can you imagine this Taxi Driver doesn't
know what he's what's waiting for him
and gave our brother Anthony at the time
yes the Quran now look you see ABD Rahim
green you see youf and I ended up
actually ended up giving da to my wife
who took shahada from me when I was in
Africa so that same sister gets the a
for that until the day of judgment as
long as I mean imagine if my family
lasts for 3,000 years in Islam or more
you'll see them all so when you're
giving da to people think of the big
picture think of the long term don't
think of one person he may say no today
but you may still get the AUD for him
tomorrow when he says yes Subhan Allah
or her I should say as well so this is
this is very important you may see this
multitude of people behind you on and
you won't know who they are and Allah
will tell you this is because you gave
da to one person who rejected Islam when
you did it but who accepted it
eventually yeah and you may not even you
may not even know about that you may not
have any idea about that but you're
getting all the a for them subh and
let's say that the person who you give
da to decides to take it to a Next Level
and he or she becomes a as well and they
become a speaker or a graphic arts
designer or whatever it is that they do
in their field and they help guide to
Islam thousands of people during their
lifetime
you still get the a for them so don't
ever think of it in a small window cuz
it's a big picture it's not just a
little
thing it's the it's the ultimate
multi-level
marketing for lack for lack of a better
word I I I really don't like that
business but
anyway this is one that actually works
and isn't a scam
alhamdulillah so now uh the future what
is it I got to go to
I'm going to go to bed that's my
future but tomorrow you flying away
tomorrow no I'm not we're driving down
the highway we're going to go to
Kentucky yeah Louisville the chicken
place yeah that's right and then on I
think Wednesday I'm going to Columbus
Ohio inshah inshallah and then on Friday
inshallah I'm going to
Atlanta inshallah and then on Sunday I'm
going home I hope inshah and then Monday
you mentioned You' been to Africa I I
was I was four times in Africa where
abouts in Africa was you I was in Kenya
I love Kenya absolutely Allah bless them
and guide them um and protect them I'm
actually going to Kenya on on the 27th
Adan Rashid oh man yeah you guys should
have told me I would have went with you
brother you should come with us bro I
can't now we've got a few trips going
you 27th I'll be in Columbus Ohio and
then I'll go to Atlanta and then next
month I think it's Texas I'm going to be
in Texas and I think Dubai next month as
well in inshallah so next time you're in
Manchester next time you're in England
I'll let you know y you're going to hook
up you follow me on Twitter right of
course AB Clair AB
Clair can you keep that there can you
keep that in there yeah don't worry
we'll put it on the on the uh on the
show in okay
BR Just One Last Question absolutely
this name CLA where does it come from I
remember when I when I walked up to you
yesterday he was an Irish brother hi
yeah cuz you know I told you so yeah um
it it apparently we spell it c a r e
yeah so so we're brother the French they
spell it c a i r but yeah brother we're
brothers my grandmother was Irish really
yeah mashallah so we've got the Irish
click so we're Irish like kind of sort
of that way there all right we look
sounding like
leprechauns I want me gold in Jen