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alhamdulillah Alum peace be unto you
welcome to another episode of the dean
show where we're about helping you
understand Islam and Muslims remember
that Islam Today is the fastest growing
way of life in the world you got many
people every day embracing it accepting
it but many people still haven't
accepted it because they don't
understand it and hopefully God willing
today for those of you who are new uh
just hearing about Islam for the first
time maybe you embrace it today after
you hear the Simplicity of Islam and you
realize that this is indeed a way of
life a religion more so I like to say a
way of life the way of life chosen by
the Creator For All Mankind today we
have with us in the studio we're going
to bring him out he is a gentleman a
brother who's going to talk about his
road to Islam how he came to recognize
Islam as a way of life from the creator
of the heavens and earth and why he's a
Muslim today let's bring him out and
hear his story on The Dean
showb Stanley Jones how are you
everything's good it's good uh to that
you came on The Dean show and we want to
hear your story we've had many people
come on excited about embracing Islam
which means surrender and submission to
God and you're one of those people today
that we want to talk to we want other
people to benefit from your experience
and we want to know a little bit about
you let's start off with your life
before Islam tell us a little about uh
how you uh ended up finding uh
Islam okay
um for me it started out as
really wasn't looking for Islam um just
a typical guy uh out of high school
college and just hanging out with
friends uh
companion
and but in the back of my mind I always
knew that there was a
more reason for us being here me and
general so I always kind of thought
about that and as I still live the life
just like regular individuals you go on
about your life but you have all these
contemplating questions in your mind and
this was one question that I had
on what is the purpose of my life and
all these different descriptions of why
we're here all these different religions
so um I made it a point for myself to
find out more about what's really going
on in the world and with this quote
God so I sat down and I started doing
the
homework you know I grew up in a
Christian family like most
Americans and uh everybody in the family
Christian so already had a background of
what the concept of God was in
Christianity for me so but I didn't
leave it there I sort of like okay I
know what this is okay and I see the
people that are around me and how they
act as Christians but I didn't use that
as a tool for me to make my finalization
of what Christianity is I didn't look at
the people so I started to study so I
studied the three uh religions that I
felt that believed in the one God that I
was raised on the Abraham God and out of
these three religions I said to myself I
say the abrahamic faith abrahamic faith
I'm sorry I'm sorry um so I said to
myself okay there's three religions that
believe in the abrahamic faith abrahamic
God and that was Judaism of course and
uh Christianity and Islam MH so when I
did the homework I knew basically about
Christianity and what was the belief and
I start studying studying Judaism from a
distance just the core Creed belief I
didn't Dev too much into the uh all the
different uh aspect of the religion but
just there I want to understand what was
these religions concept of God so I
studied Judaism the concept of God I
study Christianity its concept of God
and I study Islam its concept of God
which I wasn't biased I didn't have
Islam already established that this is
what I'm going to choose because I I was
looking I didn't I was a Christian quote
but I didn't really have a religion so I
didn't really lean towards one hard I
had an open mind about the three and I
sat down and did the homework and for me
I came up with I I studied and I say
okay this is for myself I don't know
about other people but for myself what I
came up with
was in Judaism they had a concept that
God isn't a human
being okay I understood that
Christianity also had that concept that
God wasn't a human being
but as I did my study God became a human
being so I went to the next religion
Islam they had a concept that God wasn't
a human
being and as I I ration out these
three uh different
religions I'm looking for myself for
myself I already had in my heart in my
mind that my God that I'm going to
worship in no way can be a human being
no way fash
form if he was a human being then I
wasn't going to worship him no matter
what this is
me so for me that ruled
out Christianity for me and I was left
with Judaism and Islam because
Christianity obviously uh talks about
Jesus being the Lord being God being one
in three Divine and you weren't having
that I wasn't having that correct okay
you know and I talked to Christians and
I talked to priests and Reverend and
they they all had the concept
Christianity had the concept that God
was not a human being but then when I
started asking questions they like you
say that Jesus uh became um was God
manifest In the Flesh and for me you
know they they have their way of
explaining their religion but for me
this is what this is this is this isn't
what I was looking for MH this isn't the
the way of life I was living because no
matter what I was not going to accept
God as a human or having any qualities
of human I was looking for this God that
was totally other
totally great totally just nothing like
his creation nothing like his creation
so we take out Christianity and what's
next so I did the study of
Judaism and they had the concept that
God
was not human
but it was for me I say out of the three
okay Judaism they sort of they don't try
to explain God to the masses for me so I
say well to be a Jew is sort of like you
have to be born Jewish yes yes it was
harder to to to go into to uh the Jewish
um community and them willingly tell you
about God and that this is something
that you need in your life so for me I
say Judaism okay it seemed like they
have you can't be a Jew unless you
really blood Jewish I've heard of
convert Jews and people that have
converted to Judaism but that sort of
set me back from looking into Judaism as
a way of life for me so I left those two
for me I set to the side now how' you
come across Islam now now Islam was the
third religion I didn't have to worry
about for myself uh doing a research of
all the other world religions because I
was looking specifically for this God
that is not manifest as a human being
and the abrahamic god that talks to his
creation so the other religions I didn't
uh study those I just stud old three and
then the last one was Islam that I had
to do my research on so I went into uh a
Muslim Community
and I watched the people and before I
went into the Jewish community and I
watched the people and I lived in a
Christian Community so I always watched
the people so I was looking for people
that had a conscience of God so when I
saw the Jews I say to myself these
people they look these people look
serious about
God I look I'm come from a Christian
background and living in a Christian
Nation where it's hard to even mention
the word of God without it being some
sort of political um problem you can't
even mention the word of God in your NA
national anthem or anything so for me I
was like okay now I went to the Muslim
Community and I looked at the people and
and the community and the way they live
and I say these people are conscious of
God so I I went to a Islamic bookstore
and I talked to a person that was behind
the counter and and I asked him some
questions about Islam he showed me some
books and um he talked to me for about
an hour so after that I just walked out
because I really wasn't looking to
accept the faith right then I was I was
seeking I went to work and I worked for
a a large beverage company in the city
so um soft
drinks and um
I was up for a new
assignment and when I got my new
assignment I'm a truck driver when I got
my new assignment my assignment was in a
Muslim Community I didn't ask for this
that's just the way it was H interesting
I had an assignment in a Muslim
Community so this gave me a chance
to by working around the Muslims and it
gave me a chance to be more around and I
was always around this bookstore so they
gave me a lot of opportunity and you
just happen to get set up to be in that
route now in that in that route yeah you
got set up by by someone
someone someone that uh wanted me to be
in that who's looking out for you I I
think so yeah so continue on and once I
got into that um in that route um I
started delivering there maybe two times
a week and I started making it a point
for myself to stop in the bookstore and
speaking with the Muslim brother and
still open-minded not ready to I'm still
searching so the more I talked and the
more I um came into questions about
different religions and he gave me books
and I read these books and I go back
into the community and I I look at the
people and I see the way that they
Revere
God and and I did my homework and I
studied and I studied and one day day I
went in and I say if something happened
to me for myself for my heart I say this
is this is what I was looking for this
is a religion where that I can I really
believe that these people strongly
believe in this God that I'm looking for
and this God the concept of this God
that they explaining to me is the god
that I'm looking for for the for our
audience uh please briefly explain what
is the the concept that was different
now
from what you had believed before and
what was the concept of God now that
really uh had you taken to it well the
concept that I found that I was looking
for
was a God that doesn't become
created this is what I was looking for
when I grew up I was I was grew up in
the church and they was uh always
emphasize Jesus Christ and and um
I kind of like for me it never struck me
that Jesus Christ was God in no form of
fashion I always knew God wasn't human
for myself no matter what I heard when I
went to church and I sung in the choir I
clapped my hands when everybody clap but
I never for once never for a second
thought that Jesus Christ was
God so any religion I set out of my life
any religion that says that God becomes
a human being I wasn't going to accept
this was something I wasn't going to
accept so what this uh this new way of
life that you've embraced what did it
say about God now what is Islam that uh
Islam have a clear concept of God now
for me Islam is stated to me by talking
to um and reading and talking to some of
the people Muslims that I've met their
concept of God what they explained to me
was that God was totally other he was
the creator of the heavens and the Earth
and everything in it and he doesn't
reside in his cre
and he's high above his
creation and the creation wasn't they
explained to me the creation was just
wasn't just humans it was the earth not
just the Earth it was the atmosphere not
just the atmosphere it was the moon all
the planets that I've read through in
science he was the god of that all the
orbits all the galaxies all the nubilus
and all the billions of galaxies and
light years he was the God of all of
this and I read the Quran they gave me
the Quran I read the Quran and it I read
a verse in there where it stated that
that us as human being wasn't his
greatest creation and when I read this
and I see how big creation is and I see
how small we are how small the Earth is
this God created all this and the Earth
is not even a spec there's a planet out
there that Earth I think it's Neptune
the Earth in this planet maybe U over I
know over 20 times MH but this is the
god that created that planet mhm so this
God wasn't created did he have a son
this God I was looking for is totally
other free from all these human
qualities no human qualities being born
children having children eating sleeping
getting tired none of these qualities
this wasn't going to be a God that I
worship so the God now that you're that
you're worshiping is the one who's
created the heavens cre the Earth
doesn't have a father doesn't have a
mother he's uh the one running the
universe and he's created everything in
it and he's outside of his creation and
he's not in it exactly okay high above
his creation as you said high above okay
and how do you get to know this God now
how do how does the average person now
if he's not in this creation how does he
how does uh how do we get to know uh
this creator that you have embraced now
how does a Muslim for those of you that
that don't know how did you get to know
him how did you establish more of a a
personal relationship with uh your God
now now for me the way I came to
understand the because as humans we
never can totally understand God except
what he wants you to know about himself
yes and by being around the Muslim
Community and reading books the book
that they gave me to read like all
religions they have scriptures and they
gave me to read they gave me to read the
Quran yes so I took the Quran and and I
made it a point for
myself to read this book and when I read
the book right then for
me I read the entire Quran
translation and when I read the book
before I even got nearly not even
halfway in my mind and in my heart it
said to me this is God because this book
spoke and said this is God I am you're
God he he identified himself he this is
my book and only I I'm I'm the only one
is revealing I'm talking in this book
this is what I got out of it okay and
you got to know him through his
Revelation through that book not just
making up as many people today are
making up concepts of God and they're
getting know God through their own Mind
Correct making up things as they go
along but in actuality he's revealed a
uh Revelation to mankind which is the
verbatim word of God Quran and through
this Quran this is how you got to know
him this is how I got to know him okay
so that's a good point there if anybody
wants to get to know their
creator should read his book it's the
verbatim word of God is the Quran
revealed 14400 years ago to the last and
final Messenger to mankind Prophet
Muhammad who is in a line of Messengers
Jesus Christ being one of them one of
the mightiest Messengers and we're going
to take a break and we'll be right back
with Stanley Jones on The Dean show
Allah
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Alum welcome back to the dean show we're
on a Dean show this week in the studio
we have Stanley Jones telling us his
story on how he has embraced Islam
brother thank you for being on a Dean
show so we uh briefly talked about how
you uh went from being a Christian and
then you went on your journey
investigating some of the other faiths
and to coming to where you are today a
Muslim who has embraced Islam which is
submission to one God okay let Let's uh
let's go in reverse real quick what were
what was some of your uh your daily
routines some of the things that you
were just accustomed to doing before you
were Muslim what were your interests H
some of my interests was uh earning a
living a job uh
friends um
Pastime a
companion um basically those things that
every human looking for in their daily
life you know just regular things just
uh living your life so to speak uh-huh
so uh money money Mak it a living uh
women women women uh Good Times past
time good times party do you have any uh
guidelines that you were living by
whatever I wanted to do your so your
desires were dictating your life my
desires as long as I didn't get
uh let's say how we put it uh in
situations where we lead to jail yeah or
I wasn't really a bad like just criminal
type but I just live my life the way I
wanted whatever I wanted to do like
everybody like the majority of people
today that's just get all you can just
do what you want to do short just get it
on let's do it yeah so many many of us
have lived that life but when uh those
days of
ignorance alhamdulillah they've uh uh
changed now and now you are diving uh
living a different life we want to know
from that life now from the darknesses
the depths of darknesses into the light
tell us what is your daily routine now
consist of
now life has changed for me since I
accepted Islam because before like I
said I live I have my own rules and be
the other rule that I would abide by was
the rule of the land let's say the law I
wasn't a real I wasn't a law breaker but
then now that I accept Islam I learned
that there's another law and that law is
even bigger than the law of the land and
that's God's law so by my study I
learned God's law and he has decreed
things that I should do things that I
shouldn't do things that I did that
would cause me to be in trouble things
that I didn't do that would cause me to
be in trouble and things that I did that
would give me reward and give me good
standings with God so I innovated this
into my life that there is a law higher
than the law that I thought was the high
law that was the law of the land so when
I learned God's law I start to implement
it in the way that I I live my life so
before it was your law it was what you
thought was right and wrong permissible
not permissible as long as I'm not
breaking the law of the land it's all
good it's all good so those are the days
of the darknesses that's the days of the
darkness now the days of uh as coming
from the darknesses into the light now
you abide by another set of laws correct
the one who has created us he's got laws
and these are the laws that you live by
today those are the laws so give us just
a daily routine on the muslim's life
your life what what is so the people uh
can see that is this something strange
that you live from what you were living
before we're going to do a comparison
from your daily routine before which was
uh what more the normal person does is
uh chase a job a
position and you know good times uh
friends how has that change now what is
your daily routine like now today as a
Muslim from waking up making the prayer
and just give us a glimpse of your day
my day routine now starts with it's not
about me it's about God first and what
he expects of me and then if I have time
it's about me so I wake up my daily
thing that I didn't do before is pray to
this God I had a I had was looking for
God but it wasn't such thing as Pray
when something happened bad yeah if I
wanted something yeah but I got a new
concept that prayer is essential to
knowing
or uh conversing so to speak with your
God so prayer Islam has taught me that
prayer is the most important thing for a
person that believes in God this the
only way that I could relate to my God
so my daily uh things now go where I
live life I don't live life sheltered as
this totally religious person religious
religious where I don't come outside or
things like that yeah you're not like a
Hermit lock I'm not I live life because
he created us for life but I live life
life according to rules that I've got
from the Quran and following the ways of
the Prophet that the Quran will reveal
to the prophet Muhammad and I innovate
my life around my religion my way of
life so what I do if it if it conflicts
with what my belief then I stay away
from it and the main thing that I
establish now that I didn't have before
is prayer I pray five times a day and
I'm making a a point God willing to not
to miss the prayers and Islam has taught
me that the prayers are set up at
certain times so I don't live my life
and try to do my prayers when I get time
my prayers are set and anything that
comes to my life now I have to it has to
curtail to my
prayers so this is something that I I
got from Islam and by doing this I find
out that a lot of things that I was gone
into
before those things when they come they
have no place cuz I have no time
especially if they only the important
things I've learned now are things that
I fit
in that I have time to fit in my life
right now they got to be important
because prayer in the
morning in the afternoon the late
afternoon in the evening at night and
this is set in my life so you don't have
time to let all kinds of things NS sense
so to speak from me come into your life
because these things interfere with who
you are in your prayer mhm what if you
make a mistake sometimes who who uh who
do you turn to if I make a mistake I
turn to the person that that I turn to
God okay and when you uh are feeling
down who do you turn to I turn to God
when you need help who do you turn to I
turn to God do you turn to any uh do you
confess your sins to anybody do you uh
uh believe any superstitions or any of
these things only God Only God okay so
Islam has erased all of these uh when
you're in distressed going to a
confession box uh going through any
intermediaries so you have a direct
connection with your creator Direct
that's what I was looking for that's
that's a very very uh uh logical thing
and I don't think anybody with the
natural uh uh thing that God has given
us can can can can turn this away to
have a direct connection with their
creator this is what Islam has given you
the ability to do correct and who can
bring who can bring your system more
better than a direct connection yeah I
say to people when I talk to them all
the time bring me something better than
a direct connection and I accept it it's
nothing like that it's nothing better no
and no one has brought me something
better I see and if you make a sin if
you make a mistake like we do as human
beings this uh God that you worship he's
the most merciful does he forgive your
sins and is this is not just me thinking
he will he says this over and over again
in the Quran that I read that he's the
most forgiving the most merciful the
most
loving the greatest the greatest yes all
right and he say he created us to sin
because if you didn't you wouldn't be
human mhm but the key to that is to ask
forgiveness then I can show you how
forgiven I am to acknowledge that you
have a Creator okay acknowledge the sin
that you've made that you should stay
away from it and direct your worship
towards him
that's it yeah okay for those just
joining us we're here with Stanley Jones
on The Dean show the all new show on
Islam and Muslims we're getting to hear
Stanley's story on how he embraced Islam
how he came to Islam his new way of life
Islam which means surrender and
submission to one God worshiping him
alone with no Partners worship the
Creator not his creation
and uh Stanley tell us
has Islam answered all your questions in
life have do you know what the purpose
of life is now do you know why you've
been created do you know where you're
going when you die have all these things
been made clear to you 100% 100% and
some people say
110% okay so you know your create you
know your purpose in life now very much
so you know why you've been created you
know where you're going from here if you
fulfill your duties towards your creator
Islam has answered all this I have no no
questions about if I have a
question I'm sure I can find it in the
Quran and if I can't find it in I'm sure
it's in the Quran but it's also in the
sayings of the Prophet because his whole
life is detailed and this is how I try
to live my life as best as possible and
from me the the the way that I try to
follow the the messenger of God the
prophet muham peace be upon him and I've
learned and I've learned for myself and
I see that it makes me a better human
being mhm all right so you have uh found
your new way of life you're happy you're
content you have evidence you're not
blindly following anything and you're a
rich man there's many people that you
come across who've got all the money but
they're poor in the heart they haven't
found their purpose in life and they go
through life in the dark but you're in
the light and you're a rich man is there
anything you like to tell uh anybody who
is out there and who is seeking the
truth and you know what they tune into
the dean show and you got their
attention any uh suggestions for such a
person I would
say when you're looking for the
truth you grew up in a land and you're
born into a land and you would think
that this is how you supposed to be this
is whatever religion is in this land
this is your religion but I've learned
for myself to not accept this my parents
grew grew up believing in this that's
what my parents believe as a child I had
no choice but as an adult as a as a
grown person when you reach a certain
age your parents tell you you reach a
certain age it's time to get on your own
that's not just in life that's in
afterlife also you have to think for
yourself because you're going to be held
responsible for what your decisions you
make once you get a certain age so I
would say just don't accept the place
that you live as this is the way
no do the research because you never
know there could be another way but you
never gave any options of waying is this
true or is it not true so the best thing
for me was to weigh my options I didn't
just accept this and these two for me
Judaism and Islam was another faith of
this abrahamic Faith a person you
denying yourself if you don't look into
them because it might be something in
there that you're looking for
so have an open mind have an open mind
and question ask questions ask questions
don't ex just except things study use
the mind that God has given you that's
what it's for like to thank you for
being with us on the dean show thanks
for having me Jer may God Almighty
reward you for being with us today and
he Grant you success in this life and
the
Hereafter and I'd like to thank all of
our guests who are tuning in for the
first time and those supporters of the
dean show I'm getting all your emails
keep them coming in your comments
suggestions i' like to thank you all
alhamdulillah uh that we're here being
able to bring people on to share their
stories with the the world and I hope
you've learned something today for those
of you that tuning in for the first time
you've been set up now to hear about
Islam and you're hearing that this is
the way of life chosen for you to live
now you have a free choice it's a free
country free world you can do as you
wish but you will be accountable for
your actions you will be accountable on
the day of judgment so it's up to you to
make a rational decision are you going
to go on worshiping your mind worshiping
your your desires consuming living in a
materialistic Society do you find peace
and contentment this way do you really I
don't think so so be sincere with
yourself and start to ask questions
start to go ask God Almighty alone for
the guidance put your forehead on the
ground and seek his assistance seek his
help and start to do the research use
this mind that God has given you he
didn't give it to you for nothing he
gave it to you for a reason put this uh
all these other things on on hold for a
while okay and do the most important
thing establish a connection with your
creator so you've been set up here to
hear this message that there's only one
God that you worship him alone and that
you don't set up partners with him it's
very simple and for more information on
Islam log on to the Deen show.com
we're here to help you I'm your host
Eddie and tune in every week as we bring
you a new show inshallah God willing and
we'll see you again on the dean show
assalam alaykum peace be unto
you what do you need most at this very
moment a good
education a good
job a
career money
every individual sets out goals that are
important to him or
her some are
shortterm and others
long yet not one of these needs is as
important as one blessing you possess at
every
moment
breathing it has been 39 seconds since
this film
began if you had been unable to breathe
for 39 seconds you would would have
given up all you owned in order to be
able to breathe
again in another minute or so you would
have lost
Consciousness brain death would follow
in another two or 3 minutes and your
life would be at an
[Music]
end from those around I hear a cry a s a
hopess s I hear the footsteps leaving
slow and then I know my soul must
fly a chil wind begins to blow within my
soul from head to toe and then last
breath escapes my lips it's time to
leave and die must go
so it is true it's to late they
[Music]
said given day when
my and meet with etal
[Music]
fa among the words that I do say who
knows the more would be your day at last
it come
to heaven or hell the sh which now do
not
delay come on my
brother de now do not
delay oh God oh God I cannot see my eyes
are blind and my tell me or has my soul
be let us
for still bright to
see and
as we all return and shall rejoice While
others
burn me I knew that before the I through
short and came my
turn and
now the they lay me with my rest flow
they cry not
my for they go my my
God the world that I say who knows
tomorrow could be your day at last it
comes to heaven on H side now not delay
brother let us PR this time was now
[Music]
notay e