this
is alhamdulillah peace be with you those
are greetings of Peace the best
greetings and we are greeting you with
it and our next guest from punk rock I'm
talking about you know that's that stuff
that you get a guitar and you Bob your
head and you just you know lose your
mind this guy went went from punk rock
to this way of life that brings peace
happiness contentment you're living the
purpose of life you know why you're here
you know when you're going where you die
we're going to hear his story here on
the dean show so don't go nowhere
the this is the
the is
the this is the
Dean this is the dean show
[Applause]
greetings of Peace how are you thank you
very much for I know it's your interview
but I'm asking you how are you
alhamdulillah praise to the creator of
heavens and earth you won't find I tell
the people you won't find a group of
people who are
more ecstatic about praising God isn't
it you ask a Muslim he can have the
worst day in his life he's like
alhamdulillah exactly all praise to the
crater exactly is that right that's
absolutely true amen alhamdulillah
alhamdulillah alhamdulillah so you have
a very interesting story sad uh I do I
do actually you graduated from Medina I
recently graduated Ed about a years ago
uh graduated from the University of
Medina yes yeah now I know we don't go
into we we we we dread a lot of the
things from our past but a lot of times
we speak about it to relate to the
people so we can say look I've been
there done that that doesn't bring
happiness it brings misery you used to
be in a punk rock band used to love
music did you wake up to it yeah I think
I did slept to it yeah I definitely
slept to it that was like the Shan's
Quran right definitely talk to us about
it what happened okay before I tell you
anything before I tell you anything I've
actually never really told this story
publicly so if you're watching this uh
you're the first time this the first
time telling it publicly only on the
dean show see you're getting it here
only on the dean
show okay so basically my story like it
it's very similar to a lot of kids who
grew up in America went to Public School
uh in high school basically just forward
to High School uh I started a band um
it's a punk rock band I like punk rock
music you were the lead singer I was the
I don't know if you'd call it singing uh
punk rock so you know it's not really
singing MH um but yeah I did I did lead
vocals guitar uh no not really okay uh
just just lead vocals did lead vocals uh
my band was you know was pretty
political so I I kind of in the back of
my mind I felt like I was doing
something good uh cuz it was political
and I spoke about real issues and stuff
like that I was supposed to like pop
music and stuff like that for me it was
like you know I'm speaking about
political issues people who are
oppressed and stuff like that so I felt
like I'm doing something good
so yeah that's where it started I was in
a punk rock band uh it lasted throughout
high school when I went to college uh
that's when things began to change for
me uh when I went to college I had a
couple experiences in my life people
started asking me my brother started
asking me about life and it's the first
time I actually began to question what
my life was
about so I began thinking about the
purpose of my life what it's all for and
it's actually one experience I had how
how old were you at this this time this
was at the uh beginning of college so
I'd say about 18 you're 18 17 18 around
that age it's it's been a while so now
at 18 you're thinking about purpose of
life yeah so the thing with me was I
would write lyrics for the band uh I was
I I thought of myself as somebody who
was spiritual to begin with uh I try to
think deeper cuz you know if you're a
poet or a Lyricist you know you you tend
to think uh deeply about stuff so even
when writing lyrics and stuff like that
I tried to uh stay away from the cliches
and you know write about real issues so
I would always I had kind of had that
spiritual side but I never took it all
the way where I actually ask myself like
what's the purpose of my life and it's
only when people started ask me and
question me Muslims there Muslims making
da to me by the way I don't even really
consider myself Muslim before I started
practicing Islam because I didn't pray
uh I never really even thought about God
so I'm not even sure if I really
believed in God did your parents bring
you up as a Muslim I was brought up as a
a Muslim I was in a Muslim household but
you know the way my parents were they
never really forced religion upon us uh
were they practicing praying five times
a day more cultural it was it was more
cultural uh nobody was really that
practicing the first person to start
practicing Islam was actually my brother
mhm uh and the rituals that they did you
know how a lot of times you know Muslims
will come up they don't even know what
they're saying they don't even know the
meaning behind it it was more kind of
like that it was actually like that you
know I would sayam alaykum um I would
say inshallah I I don't I don't even
know if I said it inshah to be honest
now that I think about it you know it's
just something you say this is very
common isn't it yeah it is pretty common
it is pretty common I remember uh I'd
pray on Aid uh pray Juma maybe Ramadan
Muslim yeah Ramadan you'd fast but you
kind of like just something you do right
like you don't know really why you're
doing it but it's just I think most
people think it's part of their culture
it's part of your culture just something
you do so that's how it was for me I
just didn't really even think about it
it wasn't like you know I didn't want to
be Muslim or anything like that I just
did I didn't think about it I didn't
care you know just too busy in trying to
get the most out of this life and that's
what really caught me is when people
started asking me or my brother actually
he he's the first person to started
practicing my house and he would ask me
he'd ask me these deep questions that I
really needed to think about like what
what were these deep question like for
example what's going to happen after you
die right and the average person doesn't
think about death I remember till now
I'm I was making da too this after I
started practicing a friend of mine uh
from before I started practicing and I
asked him I said I said do you think
about death like what's GNA happen I
asked him the same question what's gonna
happen after you die he's like listen
don't talk about about death that's too
morbid like I don't want to think about
that stuff I just want to enjoy life and
have fun and that's how I was too you
know I was like listen I don't I still
remember people ask me I'd be like
listen I don't I just want to do my
thing you know just want to have fun
enjoy life you're ruining the height now
yeah yeah exactly the problem was I at
that point I did believe that this life
did contain everything right and it's
only when I came to the realization that
this life does not contain anything and
that for me happened at a particular
moment it
happened at a time that I went to a
concert yeah and I'll tell you about
that you went to a concert I went to a
concert and something happened there
which was I would say the the the one of
the turning points for me now before we
go to break tell us so were you contempt
were you happy from a young age now
you're going to public you went to
public school from there you went to
high school and your friends they were
just doing the same thing obviously were
you trying to fit in were you the
popular guy or you were looking up to
someone you were trying to be who are
you identifying with okay so here's the
thing uh in in middle school I wasn't
that popular and when I went to high
school I began to find a little bit of
an identity I read the autobiography of
Malcolm X and I was like you know what
there's something to this Islam thing
and I began to build an identity as like
um you know I was proud like like I was
proud to be rebellious and like I wrote
that in my music you know and that kind
of that did make me popular you know you
know and then being in a band uh that
helped my popularity but but it stopped
there I used it for the means of just
being popular and you know having a good
time instead of taking it the step
further why why Punk it's punk rock it's
pun well it it's rock rock it's rock
what's the difference between Rock and
punk rock uh there's different types of
rock there's there's heavy metal uh punk
rock you know there's there's soft rock
there's classic rock did you also get
into a little R&B hip hop any of these
actually I wasn't really into R&B R&B no
not not really the only thing that I
listen to into a little bit of uh
underground rap cuz it was political
they were talking about real issues
social issues so a little bit of
underground uh rap I don't want to throw
out some names this really takes over
your mind your life music doesn't yeah
pretty much I mean at that point I had a
bumper sticker on my car it said I love
music right so basically I wanted people
to know that if you don't know me the
one thing you can know about me is that
I love music it becomes like a way of
religion it really is you know the
celebrities they're these they are the
people that you're mimicking you want to
be like it's like I remember the people
that I used to look up to like the
person that I wanted to be were people
who were celebrities you know people who
um celebrities in of Music they're
musicians and they were rock stars or
punk rock stars okay we got more to talk
about here in the de show the concert
yeah I got to tell you about the concert
we got talk about some of these
celebrities here on the dean show from
punk rock to true purpose purpose in
life be right back and it's simple to
understand I wouldn't know what the sky
looked like what the trees look like I
would have never seen the faces of my
beautiful children if I didn't have the
ability to see how blessed we are by
Allah and obedience is born out of
gratitude so thank him call upon Him
establish a relationship with him forget
about the past take it out of being a
ritual and make it a spiritual
experience Islam is not something
dubious unclear hazy it's really
straightforward he said it changed his
life he said he saw every single episode
that you had ever
recorded back here on the Dean show with
shik
sad and you are presently also a
instructor with El MB yeah I'm one of
the I'm the latest instructor for
institute we're going to get into that a
little bit later but now people want to
know like celebrities okay most of the
people today they have a favorite
celebrity you know if that celebrity
Cuts their hair a certain way they cut
their hair a certain way they they you
know raise up the skirt dis way they do
the same thing did you have certain uh
pop stars rock stars that you were
emulating
scream like I mean if if is there
someone that you met or if you wanted to
meet that you just go crazy for uh I
mean I wasn't into pop stars obviously
it's ridiculous now that we look at it's
not like I was in the pop stars uh I
wouldn't scream stff like that Errol
Smith I don't know if you saw if you met
Errol Bon Joi that was before my day
that's before my day hey we get get old
who were the guys at that time um I'll
tell you about one of my favorite bands
and like I said this is exclusively for
you I haven't really told anyone about
this uh raging is the machine I don't
know you probably have you heard them
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against
the Machine they're one of my favorite
bands because they were political they
talked about real issues and I felt like
this is the type of music that can make
difference you know so I felt like there
was substance to I didn't like pop music
because I felt like there's no substance
to it right so I enjoyed punk rock and
you know a lot of punk rock bands even
rock bands they do talk about political
social issues raging machine was one of
those bands and yeah I did look up to
them you know the lead singer I would
say was one of the people that I really
looked up to yeah now now you were there
you've been there done that now you're
at this
concert concert basally this is I would
say one of the turning points in my life
cuz people ask me like was there was
there one moment that really stands this
is the moment I would say although it
did take time but this was the one
moment that that really stood out I went
to a concert and at this concert I
remember till this day there was uh
floor seating and there was like balcony
seating in the back uh so people on the
balcony they could look down on the
crowd and and the band and I was sitting
on on the the floor seating the ground
seating and the Band came on everybody
started playing the band started playing
everybody was having fun everybody's
having a good time and I just paused for
a moment and I have this feeling and I
don't want to say it's an outer body
experience right I just want to say that
I could feel like it's almost like I
could look down upon what's happening I
could look down on the situation so it's
almost like I was sitting up on the
balcony I'm sitting on the balcony and I
look down
and I see myself I see everyone there
everyone just like dancing rocking out
to the music and I'm like is this it
like is this my life like is that is
that the purpose of my life is just to
try to maximize my fun now people here
at the scene if we can paint the picture
the visual people are just boobing their
heads from side to side they're like
drunk uh yeah people are drunk at these
concerts like zombies now uh it's like
zombies yeah people that's other thing
and now you you're actually having
athony now you're having your moment
you're just like it was like it was a
Moment of clarity that is that One
Moment of clarity that I had where
through all this all this chaos this
chaos you're thinking serious yeah it it
became serious at that moment I I could
look down I can see it and that really
affected me to the point where my friend
sitting next to
me uh she says to me she says she yeah I
she was she trying to pass you something
no no she wasn't passing me anything she
wasn't passing me anything but she says
to me she noticed she said is everything
okay like she saw I mean the color of my
face changed like obviously it affected
me and I was like yeah I'm fine and I
was like listen I just I got to go like
I can't be here right now like I know
this is not good for me I left uh got in
my car and I drove that night remember I
drove for hours just thinking about life
and one of the things I asked
myself was where am I headed so I
plotted out my life and I said let's say
everything in my life goes as planned
right which never happens anyway right
like you don't always get what you want
but I said let's say best case scenario
I get what I want uh my band we got a
record deal which I mean bands don't
really get record deals it's really
really um rare that a band gets a record
deal but that was that was your dream
yeah that's the dream right so I was
like my band gets a record deal we get
signed uh we tour uh become rich and
famous right I I spend my life doing
what I like doing doing music playing
music and then I'm like I fast forward
I'm like okay let me fast forward a
couple years 5 years 10 years 20 years
30 years then I'm like then what right
then I'm like okay now I'm sitting on my
deathbed then what what did I just spend
my life doing right there's got to be
more to life than this fun right and
then the other thing I was like are you
still 18 now or you 19 uh I'm I'm a
little bit older at this point yeah it's
been a year or two after that you're
fairly you're young yeah I am young and
that's you know I was pretty mature from
my age like I said I did write and I
wrote poetry I um I wrote lyrics for the
band so I I did think about these type
of things so at that at that time I I
thought to myself I even this life even
the life that I'm chasing I know it's
not perfect because I've been to
concerts I've been to parties I've I've
had the fun that you can have and it
just didn't it wasn't fulfilling right
so I was like if I if I spend my whole
life doing this it's not going to all of
a sudden become fulfilling
right so that I look back at my life and
I'm like is that a wasted life and it
seemed like a wasted life and I said you
know what I need to figure out what my
life is really about cuz it's not
definitely not this it's definitely not
chasing this life and just trying to
have fun that can't be the purpose of my
life and that's where I started my
journey now the Journey Begins yeah the
journey began that time serious Journey
that's when I became serious that's when
I was like you know what I know
happiness does not lie in chasing the D
that I that much I had figured out at
that point so what from here from there
uh I begin looking at religions and
spirituality and you know one of the
things about as a young person you tend
to rebel against those things that are
around you so I rebelled against the the
religion of my family Islam so I'm like
obviously that can't be the truth so
that's the last place I look for the
truth yeah so what you started did you
get into Christianity Buddhism Hinduism
I looked looked into not Hinduism but uh
Buddhism uh Christianity I had a Jewish
friend talk to him uh for a moment there
I was like maybe you just have to be
spiritual right and that didn't make
sense and I remember I would always have
these questions right cuz I was like if
I'm going to change my life it has to be
logical it has to make sense and I have
to be completely comfortable with it and
I remember talking to like my Christian
friends and talking my Jewish friends
talking to Buddhists even talking to
people who are just like listen you just
got to be a good person doesn't matter
you know just just be good and I
realized that I always had issues like
it was never I always had questions that
they couldn't answer right and obviously
with with other religions stuff like
that their questions like when it comes
to Christianity for example the whole
Trinity business and all that like it
never made sense to me and coming from
the outside uh it really didn't make
sense to me like I just wasn't convinced
yeah and nothing convinced me until I
finally finally went to my brother M and
I'm like okay tell me about Islam let's
do this I have questions for you you
let's see if you can answer them where
was somebody questions some of these
questions were some of the questions
were about um why do I have to worship
God to make it make it to Paradise right
things like that questions of uh
predestination for example like if God
has decided everything uh ahead of time
if God knows what's going to happen then
what's the point of me uh doing anything
if it's already questions like that
which I didn't know back then but now I
know there's clear answers in Islam
Islam didn't provide you anything
ambiguous yeah there's nothing ambiguous
uh everything even like you take the
most taboo subjects right you take
polygamy you take um you know cutting
people's hands off when they steal and
stuff like that if you look at it in
context and if you look at if you look
at the the spirit of Islam you'll see
it's the most just way right and that is
at that point when I when those
questions were answered for me there
came a point where I was like I don't
have any more questions was everything
explain to a an understanding now that
look A A A young adult such as yourself
it was clear it was lucid purpose of
life where you going when you die what
you need to be doing here everything was
explained and the evidence because look
many people say look religion is a
personal choice you just have that Faith
you just got to believe you just got to
believe was it one of those it wasn't
that's that's what I heard from other
religions and when it came to Islam uh
my brother didn't tell me or even the
other people that I was talking to they
didn't tell me listen I can't explain
this to you you just got to believe
because that's a no no for me at that
point I'm like peace out I don't have
nothing to do with this right when it
came to Islam they would answer my
questions and they would explain it to
me and it would make sense so there came
a point in my life at that point where I
was I said to myself I remember clearly
I said to myself if I do not become
Muslim right now it's because I'm
rejecting the truth because I know it to
be true and my heart is comfortable with
it because that's the thing about about
worshiping Allah alone is that your
heart is comfortable with that concept
because that's part of our F that's part
of our our nature is to accept so at
that moment I realize that my heart
accepts this it's it's it's pure and if
I still don't do it it's because I'm
rejecting the truth and at that point it
was a matter of it's like to to people
outside it seemed like a single day that
I changed it wasn't a single day but it
was a single day that I made that
decision to say you know what I think
it's time to submit you have peace now
are you happyt alhamdulillah someone
wrote you a check right now that said
you know here's a million dollars
contract come and be the lead singer for
this bad B and would you take it I
wouldn't do it I wouldn't do it you know
why I wouldn't do it cuz I know it's an
empty life I know it's an empty life and
I and I know I mean a lot of times the
problem with the youth is they don't
understand that money and and and fame
and that kind of stuff it's not
fulfilling it's not fulfilling and one
of the problems is a lot of kids they
don't have it they just see other people
who have it and they see them on TV and
they see them on the Internet and stuff
like this and they look at their lives
and they assume it looks like they lives
are amazing their lives are not amazing
how many rock stars have committed
suicide one of my favorite rock stars uh
Kurt kaban from Nirvana Nirvana I was
just thinking that yeah he committed
suicide I couldn't I couldn't believe it
let's hold it right there we're going to
take a break and we're going to we're
going to pick up right there suicide
celebrities why are they doing it they
have all the money and the fame we'll be
right back here on the dean
show this is my
family always been stuck
he started having his problems G
activity fights one night policeman
called me you his father come on get him
from the station he's locked
up one fight here another fight there
his physical being was great for his ego
but it left him empty if someone who
knew and his youth they would predict
that he'd be
dead on the outside people looking in
say hey this is the man everybody knew
Eddie at any given moment you could have
seven to eight women that are running
around the club looking
for I have to get out of this
[Applause]
totally right near the end there there
was just a void it was a constant
struggle his inner soul was broken at
that moment there was that emptiness in
his eyes it was a bigger emptiness that
I think I've ever really seen in his
eyes I'm running here running there but
mainly I'm running the wrong way
it was Dr Jackal Mr hiy and he was
struggling with that but the effort was
there there was a conscious effort to
make that switch people actually started
talking behind his back look at him he's
starting to be a good
guy this was the
[Music]
reality was he wanted to start showing
Islam and spread it to the non-muslims
people didn't know who I was why are we
doing this no's going to take you
serious you're living a dream people
were just stubbornly resistant and I
started looking at you like you're you
know from outer
space I had to be out there and trying
to convince people to be on the show of
that uh show aired I think that's when
you saw the full formation coming to to
hope this guy's changed what's going on
here's he's a machine you know see
someone change to see their character
changes to see positive changes in their
life it's a sign uh of
God back here on the dean show from lead
singer in a punk rock band to peace and
purpose living the way the Creator wants
you to live and at the end nothing less
than Paradise avoiding the Hellfire and
this is something that all the
messengers of God they brought and
taught they gave the good news didn't
they obey God and you're going to get
Jenna Paradise obey God live according
to your whims and desires and your
fancies you're going to go to Hellfire
on the day of judgment and now Islam
provided all the rational logical
evidence before we get into that tell us
now suicide if these people have all the
money Whitney Houston yeah many of these
people continue you mentioned the person
that was dear to you uh what's his name
Nirvana Kain Kirk Cain what happened
there huh he got all the money he had
money Fame and he wasn't doing something
look that's the thing he wasn't doing he
wasn't doing this unfulfilling music he
wasn't a pop star he was a grunge rock
musician like he was making the he was
playing the music that he wanted to play
and he's still committed suicide you
can't that void there yeah you can't you
can't feel it only turn into the nothing
nothing nothing will fill that void
except submitting to the one who created
you that's the void you had yeah that's
the void I had is it still there
alhamdulillah that void is not there
anymore it's not aldah how how could I
mean I'm sure look that 17-year-old 16
you're an adult now right you're
accountable in Islam what age now
puberty yeah you're you're an adult you
have to make these decisions so for
those young adults that are out there
and they're just their minds are warped
with music they wake up to it they go to
sleep to it you know marijuana drugs
drinking fitting in they can relate now
you know you speak the the the language
of the times you were living that yeah
what advice do you have for him look um
one of the things that I often talk
about is being real and opening your
eyes and thinking about the big
questions and that's one of the issues I
think with being young we tend to ignore
the big questions right we don't want to
think about death we don't want to think
about the fact that this may be our last
moment to live I may not make it home
today this may be my last interview
right this may be your last interview
that's the reality of life even a
non-muslim won't deny the fact that he
doesn't know when he's going to die even
an atheist somebody who rejects God
doesn't deny that fact those are big
questions and our Islam theh encourag
just to think about those big questions
he
said he said increase in remembering the
destroyer of desires death MH right
that's the big question so if we think
about those things it'll bring us back
to reality right I don't think I don't
think young kids deny the fact that
we're going to die they just don't think
about it right they don't they don't
yeah they don't think about it so the
idea is you know bringing that bringing
the the real questions you asking
yourself the real questions that's what
did it for me now tell us before people
have to go all the way around the world
and accumulate all these bad Deeds you
know blacken their heart and all the
trauma and everything now how can people
be sure how could they know that this
way of life that we're talking about
Islam submission to the will of God is
indeed from the Creator is not man-made
right how can they be sure what would
you encourage them to do listen the
thing about Islam is alhamdulillah we
don't have to do a lot of work right is
such a simple concept how would you
translate that pure monotheism pure I
would translate toed as worshiping the
one who created you and gave you life it
can take your life away beautiful simple
as that because he is the one who
created us he gave us life he gives us
sustenance he provides for us he's in
charge of all Affairs he is the only one
who deserves our worship and our
devotion that is right there it's so
simple nothing in cre not Jesus Muhammad
I mean not praying to them they were
messengers of God one thing Subhan Allah
I remember now when thinking about
Christianity and Islam and those things
I was like my f told me I said why Jesus
like why do I have to go through
somebody to get to God right if God
cares if he's the one who created me why
do I need people why do I need
intercessors right and it's unfortunate
that in this day and age we have Muslims
that go to intercessors right when we
have alhamdulillah we have a pure
religion no intercessors no intercessor
no middleman no secretary exactly only
God only Allah and this is a power that
a Muslim has to have a connection with
their lord right other alhamdulillah a
Muslim knows this this is why when we go
into s we know we're close to Allah and
we call out sincerely to Allah so can
before we cut out can we say that's the
start right now you're at home watching
this and you know there's a voice start
asking the Creator alone for guidance
exactly that's that's one of the things
I did actually I I sincerely I said God
if you're out there Guide Me Guide Me
Just guide me and and it wasn't it
wasn't a matter of anything I just
purely wanted to I had that I was like
just show me what the truth is and if
you put down those barriers right I
don't care what your religion is you're
you're Jew or Christian uh atheist if
you're a Muslim who doesn't practice you
put down all your preconceived notions
all your barriers you put them down and
you sincerely make Dua to Allah to God
and say oh God guide me to the truth
Allah will never leave you you
facilitate a way he will make a way
simple as that we're out of time tell us
you have a special class that you yeah
I'm teaching a class for Al it's called
the of chilling uh it's basically the
Islamic perspective on entertainment and
Recreation okay the point of this class
is to find that balance in your life
because obviously as Muslims we submit
to Allah our goal is the Hereafter at
the same time we don't abandon the Dy
altogether right as Muslims our goal is
to lead a balanced life and in that
balance we find Comfort right we're a
religion which is away from extremism
right extremism meaning going too far or
not going far enough or not doing
anything at all so for example uh you
somebody who showers 20 times a day
that's extreme cuz he showers too much
somebody doesn't shower at all that's
the Other Extreme the balance is in the
middle so the point of this class is to
find that balance in your life in terms
of entertainment and Recreation so you
so you lead a fulfilled life at the same
time you don't feel like oh I'm Muslim
so everything's Haram now yeah you know
to find that balance in your life people
can look you up at where yeah I'm on
Facebook sad taslim I'm on Twitter sad
taslim look me up and uh yeah may God
Almighty the creator of the heavens and
earth in every we say Allah Jesus said
Allah that's the one God may he reward
you thank you keep stast see you next
time and there you have it another
person's story who was living this life
the wrong way and then he came to the
right way which was based on proof and
evidences fing the void that was in his
heart that was missing it was missing
and Islam PR provided him with that
peace that contentment that satisfaction
Jesus brought Islam Moses brought Islam
Muhammad the last and final messenger he
brought Islam submission to the will of
God not to your fancies your desires not
worshiping a man a monkey and elephant
nothing in creation but worshiping the
one Creator and we have the living
miracle today the veran word of God the
Quran you can pick it up for free 1800
66 to Islam and start asking start
asking CU you know money can't buy
happiness nothing in this world can fill
that void except you tur into the
Creator and him guiding you so ask for
the guidance ask for the guidance and
when you get it you will you will see
that your whole life will turn around
and you'll truly be happy you truly have
success and at the end when you die you
have Paradise that's right and you avoid
the Hellfire we'll see you next time
peace be unto you