the dean show alhamdulillah peace be
with you welcome to the dean show my
next guest an amazing exciting show for
you today na from France bonjour to
everybody all of our French viewers we
got a lot of people tuning in from
France born in Paris then came over to
the states lived in Chicago and was an
agent to the underground Stars his whole
life revolved around
music and eight slept music that's all
he did was music promoted music and
today he's got an incredible story
turned his whole life around not upside
down made a 180 and he's here with us
today
Antoine and we have an incredible story
for you don't go anywhere we'll be right
back with my next guest here on the dean
show this is the de
this is the
the this is
the this is the
the
the this is thean
show this is the de this is the
[Music]
now I know I missed I said
ananan but you how do you pronounce
itan we I know I mean uh there's a big
community in there is there is and you
know they're tuning in and they're like
alhamdulillah we have a a native from
pis you got the French that's you can is
that is that like uh particular to uh
that's more British British yeah but
people usually associate with with why
do they associate it with uh the French
people you know I guess you know it's
the Beret and the baguett and I don't
carry the bagette with me so so you have
a very interesting story you were agent
to the Stars the underground Stars uh
Derek Carter and some of these other
people who were very well-known DJs some
of the the top Elite DJs in the music
world and we want to kind of get a
before and an after so tell us a little
bit about yourself and uh so we can kind
of have the audience identify with you
and then we'll get to where you're at
today so first thank you so much for
having us me for having me here
in we um we I'd say we because it's my
wife and I actually traveling and we
just going back to Chicago where I used
to live and that's where I reverted to
Islam 12 years ago uh at that time as
you were saying I was in the music
business I was bringing basically French
DJs to the US and French DJs and
musicians and on the the other way
around as well and um you yeah as you
were saying music was my life uh dance
was my life uh I was spending most of my
time in nightclubs not for drinking I
wasn't drinking at the time actually I
quck drinking already but to you know be
um in that kind of frenzy you know I
guess and uh and you know Chicago opened
up its arms for me and so I I worked
there for for a few years um but I guess
I was also developing on the side some
um U you know I wasn't satisfied
completely of course uh I was looking
for something else and even though um I
was physically involved in a lot of
things um spiritually something was
missing there's a big void you could say
there was a void isn't France known for
now being a you know people go to France
for that romance and it's kind of linked
to you know you get away you got French
wine French women and it's just kind of
like you know the big party in France
romance is this kind of uh is this
correct there's there's a part of it
that's correct it still has you know
very big fantasy fantasy that's what it
is people create a fantasy around French
you know French language and but you I
mean obviously you were living that that
whole lifestyle and you weren't happy no
when I grew up also I was lucky enough
to travel uh i' lived in other cities i'
lived in London I lived in Hong Kong I'd
seen in other parts of the world and I
you know for me it all eventually goes
to the same materialistic view of things
you know our world today is just the
same pretty much everywhere so even the
fantasy about France you know when
people get to Paris they understand it's
no more no no unfortunately is that the
the is it the French President also who
was uh kind of also just chasing his
desires is that the one and he was uh
hiring prostitutes and is that the
French president or which uh this one
maybe not you know like so overtly I but
uh you know yeah these politicians
they're kind of getting caught with you
know yeah oh yeah you're talking about
yeah the the former president of the IMF
okay yes okay was was going to be the
next president he was going to be the
next president that's true
yeah yeah it's crazy right so you you
see people I mean uh indulging in their
desires you you are you know living
numbing their minds with you know either
drugs or alcohol yes I was in the middle
of that yeah you were in the middle of
that I had some clarity because I wasn't
taking any drugs or or drinking uh but I
guess another way of numbing yourself is
you know through any kind of addiction
and music to me was an addiction
addiction dance to a certain extent was
an addiction as well I had to have that
you know that inner rush you know like
you can get in sport so you can get so I
was kind of hooked on that and um
alhamdulillah you know I Allah made it
so that I get injured actually I got
injured I couldn't perform what I was
doing before I was how did you get
injured uh doing martial arts actually
so you you've done martial arts also yes
cap cap yeah I was playing Capa here so
uh yeah yeah so you get injured now was
it was it kind of a match that you had
or just during some regular training
just during training okay yeah and you
know as something snapped actually in my
back um I get I had to you know take a
rest for a long time and it happened so
that at the same time I met this brother
here uh fared who you know must know
send him my biggest Salam because you
know he today is still my biggest friend
my best friend so you met a Muslim now I
met a Muslim yeah he's a French Algerian
okay but before that were you involved
in any kind of religion not much I was
looking at different philosophies mostly
Eastern you know or like Buddhism
terorism yeah was more into that Bic you
mentioned before I think that you you
you weren't the the whole there's kind
of um a negative thing attached to
religion people don't want to be
associated with any organized religion
exactly that at the time when I met this
brother that was what really struck me
you know he was someone who was very
free very himself who know himself very
well who had knowledge about a lot of
things was very smart and we had a lot
of conversations together and you know
he was taking me to other levels really
of intellectualism but at the same time
he was following what I called at the
time organized religion which for me was
nothing but constraints and you know
like shutting doors to your uh yeah to
your spirit or to your intellect so for
me that was a big Paradox at the time
yeah is it in France what's the
predominant religion there now today
today some people say it's Islam some
people Islam yes because there's a very
large population of Muslim in France and
unfortunately you know uh the uh
Christian uh Community doesn't practice
anymore the churches are empty the
churches are empty inance much very much
empty I've heard the same thing in UK
and many other European countries that
the churches are empty yeah why do you
think this is well you know they got
caught in into that um individualism
this materialistic world and um they
don't see any interest in those
Traditions anymore and on the other hand
the musks are full the MOs are spinning
over the streets you know which causes
trouble sometime but because we don't we
are not given enough uh enough room to
pray for instance on on Friday prayers
for instance so yeah people pray on the
streets the MKS are full yeah yeah we're
crammed you
know so how do you go from from not
wanting to follow any organized religion
MH and then you come to Islam so first
because of that meeting with this
brother you know that idea that set idea
that I had in my mind was slowly
changing you know I could tell there was
something else in Islam that actually
provided him with the right basis the
right structure for him to Blossom you
know this in every direction that's what
Islam is all about gives us this strong
basis basically and then on the other
side so that was more know like the
intellectual side of things the
theoretical
and then I also started um feeling uh
very you know like different pains in my
body and at the time IAL talked to about
it to his to his brother and he said
maybe you know uh Islam can do something
there for you as well and that's where I
started actually uh having Ria done on
me that's the healing with
the with thean you can actually do that
yeah yes yes and for me that was you
know very very strong because the first
time I actually heard the Quran uh I
didn't speak a word of Arabic it was
someone actually he had brought in so I
didn't know him I was sitting on a chair
he started reciting and I started
shaking yeah and I started actually
moving the way like he was telling me to
in Arabic but I couldn't you know
understand a word yeah uh it had a
profound effects on me like physically
uh
emotionally uh ecstatically as well I
could feel something in my heart opened
up at that time and this you know that
it was just something
very beautiful that was just uh coming
to my heart that was uh touching my
heart and you know from that on then on
I was uh I was hooked I guess you know I
could tell that I needed to go and and
dig further in that direction so that
has never left me since since then
basically we're going to take a break
right now what you can do is actually
type type in if you're close to a
computer look type in Quran recitation
and just listen to these words powerful
you might not understand understand them
but you will feel the effects definitely
Quran recitation and you can see if you
can identify with what he was talking
about and we'll be right back with more
to talk to our brother all the way from
Paris we'll be right back with more here
in the D show 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 back here on the dean show with
Anthony and proper pronunciation or
proper way to say this name is and Anan
Anan Anan okay so antoan uh now nowadays
you see that that when we mention
religion you know people have this
distance they they distance themselves
from any organized religion and then you
mentioned something about the Quran you
it had this effect effect on you now
many people don't know that you know
Islam really calls you to think to use
your mind you know it's a thinking man's
way of life you know this Quran P you to
think you know uh the Creator is
challenging mankind if you say that this
book is from other than the Creator find
one discrepancy contradiction as in the
other man-made religions you will see
contradictions things that you know
don't add up so people just leave
religion
altoe you said that now that this the
Quran had a profound effect on you and
you went further was there was there was
there mental int intelligent stimulation
that came after this that when you
looked into
it um of course you know um but I was at
the time I wasn't speaking Arabic so I
was going through
translation and um I must emphasize here
how important it is to learn Arabic uh I
was actually for a long time I've been
struggling with it because of the effect
it had on me you know it was hard for me
to open up a Quran I could feel you know
I could feel it basically its power I
guess you know it's healing power so it
was very much you know like in a room
where I would be learning Arabic or
listening to Quran I would have to leave
would be too much if people were
reciting around me you know it had this
profound effect on me so of course I
could tell you know even though that the
time it was only like a physical thing
but I could tell of course there were
those were powerful words yeah so and
all of this you know went further after
that to a more of a you know like again
I started learning about my Dean I I was
able to access this uh theological
Institute in Paris and you know learn
about um all we know about the about
life of the Prophet sallallah alaihi
wasallam about about um Arabic
eventually and then so um yeah
eventually I get to the point of course
where uh you're able to you know open up
any page of the Quran and learn
something that is useful for you in your
life today that has been apply very like
um practical application and lesson how
did you deal with all the negative
stereotypes and the islamophobia many
people they're searching for truth you
know they want truth and if truth comes
to them if they can buy it they would
pay for it you know what I mean but
nowadays as soon as you say Islam
there's some negative stereotypes and we
know all of this stuff is just false
propaganda that indeed Islam is this way
of life from the Creator submission to
the will of the one who made you your
maker the maker of mankind you know the
same way of life that Jesus Moses All
The Messengers of God they called people
to worship this one God so now you know
you have people especially in France a
lot of islamophobia yes how do you how
do you deal with this how did you deal
with this you're still dealing with I'm
sure yes of course we're still very much
concerned although we've left you know
France a few months ago now but you know
this this is our home this is my country
this is I was born this is where all my
family is from uh so it's uh it's very
painful just painful to have uh My
Religion being portrayed like this uh my
you know fellow countrymen having a a
very negative view for most of them uh
in my family even you know um it's it's
hard it's hard because it's not anym an
intellectual uh you know level that the
dimension that where things can be
discussed you know it's actually hard to
discuss you you you know you mention God
in friends and the door shut down so
it's very hard to actually have a
conversation about God yeah I mean do
you think now if people didn't have this
myopic uh Vision they weren't so
narrow-minded and you can actually get
in to talk because people obviously you
can see like when people when you start
talking about God being a man that he
died and and many many of these beliefs
that just don't make sense Trinity and
you can't figure it out and I'm sure
French people are are intelligent people
they're people so now I think most of
this came from man-made religions
organized by man but now you know the
door is shut but there a lot of people
are losing out because I'm sure if they
heard about Islam and the the rational
teachings and you know the the way that
Islam is the antidote for many of the
all of the social ills yeah exactly yeah
it's um again as I was saying today it's
hard to challenge this on a like
intellectual Dimension level it has to
be more for us first as being you know
the best examples that we can be you
know da starts with uh Behavior with how
your character is and we very much
empathize you know our life and our
Behavior to be the best person that we
can be
uh that's that allows us to have like
further in you know discussion and go
deeper into every people like you know
kind of lift off a few barriers that
people have you know a few that of those
Gates that they put they've been putting
in front of them so that's probably
right now in France how it is today I
would say for for most people yeah okay
so now you have all these religions in
Islam obviously you're going to get the
most trouble practicing it you know
you're going to get the most resistance
so you have Christianity you have
Buddhism and a lot of times if you
practice these no one's going to say
nothing to you just go ahead so why did
you choose Islam you know that's what I
tell all the revert I call them revert
or convert that I meet you know how can
you choose Islam have you look at the
news do you know do you know what Islam
is uh no it's just um it goes so far
beyond that uh you know I guess you know
a lot of it cannot be explained you're
just taken on this journey I'm taken on
a journey I don't control anything here
you know Allah actually you know brought
me here I was born and raised in a place
in France where there's very little
Muslim I couldn't access any knowledge
about Islam I had to come here in the US
2001 you know when people hear that say
well you shows your moment and and place
you know um and I had to come here to to
basically find out about it so I'm
trying the best that I can to um you
know Express who I am first and all I
think that's the most important thing
and Islam is the best
tool by far you know the most perfect
and the perfect tool to be who you are
on all levels on all dimensions and I
guess from that on uh you know you can
uh again trying to set an example trying
to reach out with that uh Behavior to to
other people of course not you know
never evading any kind of any
confrontation you know where both we
take part into like Interfaith dialogue
we take part and I'm on the field you
know I'm humanitarian worker so we do
meet a lot of non-muslim that we go and
help of course they have question and of
course they'll talk about Islam but it's
hard to like confirm directly today in
in France it's different here you know
people are more open-minded here people
you know are still God believing here so
you can talk about God but yeah it's
hard to even mention the world God God
sometime in France yeah I think people
like you know most people that we talk
to and we have this 1-800 number uh 1800
number that people call and some people
will call sometimes aggressively but
after you know they calm down and they
start thinking rationally and we start
to explain Islam to them Islam just
makes sense Islam is not calling you to
Blind belief as you obviously know Islam
it provides the evidence it's authentic
it's providing you know the thinking
person is there a lot of atheist in in
France yeah yeah probably is the first
religion or the first we we really I
mean according to we don't believe
there's strictly someone who's purely
atheist everyone believes in God yes
yeah or you believing nothing is already
believing in something you know so
there's already a beliefs there
somewhere you just have to work on how
uh find the right words also you know
we're missing a lot of of the right
words in France to being in French you
know to be explained about Islam a lot
of people are just ignorance it's just
mostly ignorance so that's the first
thing and and then the second thing
really is having a u you know that
broader View view of how um just yeah
being in your environment being the best
that you can and setting an example and
trying to be you know Islam has taught
me that that I can have a very critical
mind about what's happening around me it
gave me those those tools how to analyze
the society I am in the the environment
that I'm in and trying to bring
Solutions and it's true for me that
example in trying to bring Solutions and
they're going to say hey this guy you
know he has a few ideas that maybe not
that could be interesting for everyone
and where where does he take this from
Islam from from you know from the Sun of
alh wasallam and from the Quran yeah
we're going to take a break and then we
have some more questions before we come
to an end obviously you know people were
out there and depression is on the rise
you know suicide and people have money
but many people are unhappy are you
happy
alhamdulillah I'm Muslim you know I
cannot be happy uh definitely and and if
you didn't know I mean Jesus was a
Muslim Abraham was a Muslim all the
messengers that that the Creator sent
were Muslims ones who submitted to the
Creator not the creation they didn't
worship anything but the one who created
creation that just makes sense we'll be
right back with more here with
Anon here on the theme show right back
everybody in deep down they believe that
there is a God yeah and as much as they
deny
[Music]
it if God exists and he does if God
sends prophets and he does if God
reveals books and he does should he not
tell me how to live my life doesn't that
make
[Music]
sense that they feel more secure and
safe now inside the religion of Islam
than they ever felt out in the
[Music]
streets but the best way to bring true
profound happiness true profound peace
true profound Tranquility is by
following the guidance that God has
given
see for yourself what Islam has to say
because it really is the path to
happiness and Truth in
life back here on the dean show before
we went to break I was mentioning some
facts not fiction that suicide is on the
rise people have Technologies On The
Rise but depression is also mhm and
people are listening to music numbing
their minds and when you want to bring
up let's say the serious topic what's
the purpose of life have you thought
about this important question at that
time you know you had obviously money
agent to the Stars underground Stars you
were you know indulging in your
desires I mean there was a point where
you probably not even this question if
someone ask you purpose of life it's far
from you know thinking about it right
enjoying it I guess just enjoying it
yeah that would have been prob so if
someone asks you look life is short just
get all you can right now because that's
it it's done just I guess yeah what
would you say to them well so today you
know now that you now that I know there
have different take on things uh yeah
life is short uh you know every breath
counts uh and every breath today
actually in our cities even it's hard to
breathe you know this even gets hard
today uh everything is done for us not
to be able to have that uh connection
you know that spiritual connection
whether it is through um remembrance
just remembering and how can we not
remember who created all this you know
going a little further in our reflection
all this is given to us at any minute
every breath is given to you it's a
blessing every piece of food every you
know every step you take is a blessing
in this world and how can you not be
thankful for that basically how can you
just not uh you know think okay all this
people you know talk about the energy
going through or you know this
Everlasting thing goes around but this
has a Creator too all this you know it
has to go back to the Creator you have
to go this step this one step further
higher to the creator of all things and
be thankful to him because he's the one
who created all this you cannot be
thankful to all this this is creation
this is not the Creator
M so that would be probably my that's
where it starts being grateful and
thankful not being too proud to turn to
the one who created you and to thank him
for all the breath that you mentioned
that we breathe that's a blessing if
people right now they can just hold
their breath see how long you can last
on your own you can't yeah it gives you
all this but we don't even think about
this we are as we saying numbed but not
only by music we're numbed you know in
the city life also we're numbed by TV
where number by all the screens you know
I don't I haven't had a TV for 10 years
more than 10 years when I go to
someone's place I'm totally hypnotized
by it so I can tell it's a powerful tool
it's very powerful tool the media right
and just the screen itself you know
because you'll be looking you know your
it's your Reptilian Brain that go and
see movement and light that's all he
needs and then he get distracted yeah
that's distraction right there that's
already like starting to worship
something else trying you know you're
just fascinated by something that's not
Allah yeah so for me it's the our
society today has um a lot of struggle a
lot of um you know uh traps so someone
says how can you give up music I mean
people go to sleep to music alarm to
music you know that's all they they
think about you know making a new CD
putting in the car blasting it and just
you don't think about this reality
purpose of life you know and going
beyond the the partying the playing and
amusement so what if someone's tell how
can you live with without music you know
I was I was right there I was just
having music 24-hour day uh and I quit
like this you know from one day to the
next I actually I threw all my records
it was you know it wasn't very
transitioning but I had to you know make
room basically so I did and and you know
alhamdulillah I feel so much better and
that g leads me to just other places now
places where silence is important you
know where you can hear yourself think
hear your think just be able to connect
with with that's why we're traveling now
actually yeah you know a lot of people
can't do that they can't bear to be by
themselves because Eternal pain kicks in
they have to be around uh people they
have to be in the pub in the bar
drinking taking some substance because
there's a void and they're filling it
with the wrong things have you noticed
that very much so and we I'm trying
today to fill it with the right things
basically that's what we're trying to do
fill it with what the medicine that the
crater's given us yes you know it's all
around us yeah it's all around it and
especially in nature that's my big thing
now is to go the way we're traveling now
so told you we are we're on H actually
my wife and I we're traveling to NEX
Hajj touring around the world meeting a
lot of mothers you know brothers and
sisters and also spending time in those
places where they call Organic Farms
yeah where people there you know they're
very close to Islam Mah because they
have that direct connection with Allah
you know and they're very much there and
I think for us it's a one of the main
solution is out there actually in those
places in that kind of Lifestyle because
what's coming today you know as far the
economic crisis as far the social crisis
everything is coinciding right now our
Iman in the cities is weak when we go
out you know it it gives full other
meaning basically to uh to what we're
able to practice to pray in nature to
have your you know your for forehead on
on the ground in the earth it's nothing
comparable to that appreciating you know
the the Creator by looking at his
wonderful creation isn't it and you just
get uh flabbergast all all of its you
know peoples you know he created us in
different tribes so that we can meet
each other that's what said in the Quran
you know and and that's what we're doing
basically so now before we leave you're
also traveling the world with your wife
yes and you started now and your
destination Final Destination God
willing is where Mecca Mecca H to the
first house of worship built by Abraham
yeah yes Adam even you know even going
back further so that your that's your
destination now you going to travel the
world yes amazing from you know we
started in France Europe uh Iceland
Greenland the US inshah South America
and then um New Zealand inshallah
Australia inshallah uh through Asia
inshallah and then to to Mecca beautiful
we got to go now but there was also I
forgot to mention in the beginning of
the show there's a famous US C Ultimate
Fighting Championship fighter uh George
Saint SRE SRE now you guys you speak the
same language and to many of the you
know you said like look now we've got a
lot of people's attention they're
they're listening and we hopefully we
can get him this someone get it to him
and for all the other French people now
what what would you now that the door is
open what would you encourage them to do
so
to to George yeah
spe
for beautiful God willing that message
gets to him and everyone else that
understands the French language thank
you for being with us here on the de
show thank you so much thank you now
it's a very important topic you know
that many of us we neglecting purpose of
life why we've been created and we
shouldn't have apathy towards this we
should really think about it and you
want to model someone after someone
who's successful someone who's made a
billion or a million and then you look
okay how' they get there so how did this
person that lived from music that was an
agent to the stars who just engrossed
himself in materialism now he came to
this wonderful way of life that's based
on reasoning logic let's put aside all
of this these callow and just
senseless arguments that are made by
people Islam we we obviously know has
nothing to do with all these things that
are affiliated with it get to know it
from The Source meet a Muslim ask these
important questions and really use your
mind that the creator has given you and
weigh it out it's easy to close the door
on this but open the door up and see
what's behind that door really get to
know this way of life that is from the
crater it's not an organized religion by
man or men but it's organized by the one
who created man and woman and everything
in creation the one who created creation
and I guarantee you without a doubt it
will bring that peace that you're
looking for Into Your Heart it'll be a
new beginning a new start follow us on
Facebook or like us on Facebook follow
us on Twitter and tune in every week to
the dean show and let let let's just I
mentioned that suicide and the
anti-depressants you know are on the
rise the the the pharmaceutical Mark uh
companies are making B
Millions on people's depression but why
stay depressed so start right now leave
you with some homework look ask your
creator to guide you real simple not a
man not a woman not the creation but
Raise Your Hands Up prostrate the way
that Jesus prostrated and asked the
Creator alone that just makes sense
what's internally built inside you is
identifying with this ask the Creator
alone to guide
you establish a direct connection even
the Stars such as Oprah Winfrey and many
of these billionaires they meditate they
meditate daily 10 to 20 minutes in the
morning 10 to 20 minutes at night to
awaken this the spiritual side in them
but you can do something even greater
than that take time to thank your
creator for all the blessings for the
air that you're breathing right now and
all the countless blessings that you get
throughout the day too many to too many
to to enumerate on so thank him and ask
him for guidance let's start there don't
let this program end and after you're
being hypnotized by the by the boom box
and the TV do it right now and we'll see
you next time here in the dean show
until then peace be with you