[Music]
alhamdulillah greetings of Peace assalam
alikum Justin how are you all right you
actually not too long ago a few years
ago you actually accepted Islam yes uh
say about two years ago I took M Shada
why why what what what made you make
that decision uh just grown up in a
non-religious home uh a lot of things I
have you question like why is like life
itself you know when you go through your
doubts and droughts and
uh you know you you want to look for
something to bring you up and why not
look for the answer most high Allah so
religion caught my eye uh you know to
find answers and will L me to become
Muslim so yeah what what were you doing
before Islam what were you what were you
involved in you don't have to go into
the details I mean that did you feel
just spiritually empty did you how did
you feel was the feeling that you felt
before uh as compared to now basically
like how you said it's spiritually empty
um lack of
guidance um that's what Islam has done
for me so far is guiding me in the right
way um makes your troubles come easier
uh makes answers come easier and uh it
does uplift your energy you know uplifts
your you know basically I said uplifts
your energy to a higher level where you
feel more confident and that's yeah so
Justin
when
you see yourself now and how how long's
it been since you accepted how long uh
it's been two years uh so you're you're
pretty much like a baby now so
everything is is is new for you uh when
when you have certain individuals and
many people have many prejudices towards
Islam because it's the they feel it's
the other they don't know it they don't
understand it but usually what I tell
people when you do get to know it if you
remove these prejudices you'll see that
this is something that connects with the
heart it's something that it's from the
Creator it makes sense just give it the
time of day you gave it the time of day
that's why you're here but when someone
throws at you oh and has this happened
like oh you say I'm Muslim oh you're a
radical now you're now you're one of
them you're a terrorist what do you say
uh well Islam is pure so when they come
out with stuff like that you know uh the
the the basis of Islam teaches you first
of all is patience so I have many uh
many people come at with them uh with
them Slanders and stuff like that uh and
I just ask them to open the book read it
and you'll find aners yourself um about
how you look how they view it uh
terrorist to to false beling the book
speaks for it all so when you start to
open the book and read it I feel like
just open the book itself as you begin
reading you get a source of energy
coming to you you know uh it speaks
truth right away from the beginning to
end so that's why I would tell them just
up in the book and self-educate yeah
this is really important I like what you
said you right away you said it teaches
patience because there are even some
Muslims you know they'll come into Islam
and they'll be really ecstatic and happy
but they're not seeking knowledge and
then they do something opposite of Islam
they go and misrepresent Islam because
Islam says have patience and now they're
on the street corners getting in the
fist fights because somebody says
something derogatory about Islam but
Islam doesn't teach that in the Quran
Allah God Almighty is saying how to deal
with the ignorant people by saying words
of peace and just excusing yourself and
you said patience this this is this is
this is key huh uh yeah you know uh it
teaches you to
uh to mind control you know uh evil is
easy to manipulate uh so without
patience you know you right away jump
into assuming to judging to all these
wrong ways of going about life so with
patience and know that's what Islam
teaches and it makes everything come to
you slower and you understand it a lot
more and makes life itself more
understanding uh of
purpose uh purpose many people they when
ask this question they get like the deer
in the headlights right that stump
feeling you know they don't think about
it some people who do they make their
own purpose they say okay I'm here to um
do some charity have a family when win
the NBA championships make this Grammy
hit number one whatever the case right
this is all you know something that's
can be a means but the ultimate purpose
we know what it is and how have you
found that Islam has answered this
question this crucial question that many
people they're not reflecting about some
people they've concocted their own way
but Islam we know is from the crater how
has it filled this void
and answer this crucial question about
the purpose of life why we are here is
it pretty clear now to you as opposed to
before Islam yeah definitely uh I mean
we all think these other things is a
purpose of living like to like you said
win a championship and everything like
that but that's
that's you know that's in a short period
of time you know God is forever so we
got to answer like what's our purpose
being here you know we're not here
forever
so that's I mean it it shows you clearly
of our purpose is to submit to Allah you
know so I mean Islam is definitely clear
that you know for me what's a purpose in
life is you know due to when you start
to read into other religion or I mean
just when you're not religious and you
question yourself once again Islam when
you open the book it shows you a
guidance and the guidance helps you
figure out a purpose so for our not yet
Muslims for our brothers in humanity
maybe sometimes you you hear you know
two Caucasian white guys and say Allah
and then you just like get spooked out I
mean that's just if somebody was uh from
the Latinos they would say Doos uh God
in English in the language that Jesus
spoke he didn't speak English he spoke
Aramaic and he called on God by the name
Allah and we're saying Allah this is the
creator who has no beginning no end he
has no children he's not like anybody he
is indeed the one who created creation
Allah and you
have you're coming you know taking those
baby steps you're coming along uh tell
us something else that uh you'd like to
share with the you know um audience that
can kind of U motivate people to really
do what you did and to um take life
serious you know it's not all about
playing basketball football partying you
know and just forgetting about your
purpose what what what other things you
can you can say and and to try to
motivate people to really take life
serious and really to seek out what's
the purpose of My Life um
something I would uh get back is uh I
would say is to sit down evaluate
yourself evaluate everything going
around you
um you when you got your ups and downs
uh there's nothing in this world that
could really prepare you for how this
world is going to go but God seeking God
that's the best way to prepare yourself
so I say if you really you know if you
really have doubt
first is uh evaluate yourself and then
up in the book up in the book that's
that's it's it's the key to a lot uh you
never stop learning God you never stop
learning
so uh it's the want so if you want in
life to live for a purpose is search for
it so open to all religion read all you
know and self-educating and you will see
when you open that book the Quran you're
right way start finding answers I like
that because many people who come into
Islam they've they've read the Bible
they've looked into uh Buddhism to
Confucianism to all the world religions
I did the same thing I wanted to make
sure if I'm going to practice Islam is
it can't be a religion organized by man
or men it has to be from the Creator
open up a world religions book and you
can see from the face from him this
doesn't make sense this doesn't connect
with the heart ah man this this is
something that just way out there but
like you said Islam makes sense it makes
sense worship the Creator not the
creation it's laid out how we need to
live our lives from A to Z and Justin I
really enjoy talking to people who have
made this very important decision tell
me that do you feel what you've done now
and compared to how you were living
before do you feel you're becoming a
better human being uh do you feel that
you you've grown spiritually W um with
your connection with God uh definitely
you know uh before I become
Muslim you you do you I think everybody
even people who's uh who's disbelievers
you always feel
emptiness uh so have I Chang it's
definitely changed me as a better person
uh I always keep on patience cuz life
you know people don't keep up that
enough you know they rush it and
everything so it's definitely changed me
into a better person uh it humbled me
made me more wiser uh even at my young
age you
know age is just a number why wisdom and
being humble you
know it's it's a want and uh that's what
what that's what Islam has done for me
from then you know being impatient
wanting for Unnecessary wants and
everything so that's what is done for me
is make me be patient and be more humble
about life and them are key things going
going going into life you know when
you're trying to find yourself so one
key thing before we end coule another
point I just want to focus was there a
point in time that you because I always
tell people look if you want to know the
truth it's got to be simple to
understand and easy to find and where
does it start within yourself reflecting
thinking and then contemplating and then
removing those desires that you have
inside of you and say okay this is not
the most important thing I should be
doing in life right drinking partying
playing hold on hold on that's not going
to get me anywhere and then doing
something real simple did you do this
many people they find that after they
have asked the Creator the reality the
one who created creation guide me have
you did some did you was there a point
that you remember that you asked the
Creator alone to guide me to to to show
you the way uh strength and guidance is
key uh you ask that from Allah and uh
you know he will eventually answer you
so uh yeah definitely uh were you asking
is there a time when you were like you
were seeking to know and you were saying
God whoever you are guide me to the
truth actually that's that's what led me
into BEC a Muslim I was asking for
seeking and guidance know all the
um trouble going through life you know
uh unanswered things uh why is this
going wrong why is I'm why am I not
getting blessed this way or whatever uh
then that's the question I ask is for
guidance you know you know the most high
guide me to truth and uh when you want
something that's when it'll hit you and
when I wanted it and I felt like that's
how God led me to Islam uh so guidance
yeah definitely uh about two years just
want to ask for guidance and then it
happened that that I mean that's simple
that is something that's not illogical
if if if if someone was asking you to
pray to to to aliens and and and uh
unidentified uh creatures or some some
uh little statue or anything in creation
that your your your instinct would
reject this but when you're being told
to try something that's not going to
bring you any harm but a whole world of
goodness can open that you call upon the
most high if there's a picture of you in
your mind of him no no that's not God
God is the one who created creation but
he's not a part of creation he's the one
that can only guide you to the truth but
you have to ask the owner of Truth who
is the one able to give you that peace
and direct you to purpose and that's
where it starts right there and then he
will facilitate away try it right now
you have nothing to lose ask the most
high for guidance say guide me why am I
here why am I in this world to just
party and play then you die and it's
finished do what Justin did do what
those sincere individuals who want to
know the truth ask the owner of Truth
God
Almighty don't have to say his name say
the one who created Me Guide Me Guide Me
Guide Me we'll see you next time until
then peace be with you Salam