I look at all of you guys and I see
everyone's just such a gentlemen
everyone's very I can't even explain it
there's not a word for
it he's explain now I'm like oh man like
what am I about to
do oh man I just remember it was super
intense the owner of it was Muslim and I
would see him praying at certain times I
would go to his offic with a question
and he' be in there praying with I loved
about Islam is that you know me being
around them they they never you know
they their dawa is just the way how they
they interact with people and I'll tell
you what I'm really excited the dean
Center is becoming a reality allahar
pulling the resources together making
this dream a reality a mega dawa Center
in the United States allahar this is the
future and it's happening we've got the
location but now we got to get the work
going we got to build the Masjid we got
to build the da Center we need you to
donate now not for me not for Eddie but
for that mjid for that house of Allah
that Allah would be worshiped in we need
to build that dawa Center where people
can come from across the world and come
and get trained in how to give dawa and
non-muslims can come and learn about
Islam we got to get this done everybody
donate let's do this together it's
happening allahar there is none
[Music]
greater
[Applause]
in the
house how are you your
brother so we go from Cali to the
jungles of Indonesia to Chicago the
jungles of Chicago to the jungles of
Chicago you feel at home here don't you
alhamdulillah I love Chicago I love the
people of
Chicago any I can't tell you how happy I
am to see all these young Brothers these
young faces that came out all the events
have been packed and you know we have a
lot of haters out there a lot of people
that want to stop the dawa a lot of
people that are jealous from the
community from outside from around the
world but this is a sign that they can't
stop the da alhamdulillah are you seeing
this more and more the youth that are
coming back to the dean in the dean are
really strong in the dean alhamdulillah
you know we have full Yen we have full
belief in the words of the Prophet peace
and blessings be upon
him and S alaihi wasallam the prophet
Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him
told us that this religion will reach
everywhere that the day and the night
reach every household mud or firm this
religion will reach it and we're seeing
this prophecy of this true Prophet
coming true in our time in the earlier
times it would be hard to imagine that a
message would reach every house you know
even if you had missionaries and you had
people going around they wouldn't reach
every house but with the internet with
YouTube with Tik Tok with Instagram with
all these social media platforms
whatever evil may be there but from the
good of it Islam is reaching every house
and we're seeing it the youth are
standing up instead of wasting their
time watching fail videos and watching
you know prank videos they're using
their social media for dawa I've been
around the world recently I was in
Malaysia I was in Thailand you guys can
see the videos and people everywhere
that would never have run into Islam
because of all of you who share the
videos who make Clips who put it on your
WhatsApp statuses who make Instagram
reals because of you they come up to me
and so I want to become Muslim I saw
your video Islam makes sense you know
every household is learning about Islam
Subhan Allah you would that was weak
allahar there you go for the uh not yet
Muslims out there you know and they say
oh man what are these guys saying now
when we say allahar we say Allah is the
greatest you know the same way that you
find in the New Testament Jesus saying
the father is the greatest you know like
you find in the Old Testament about God
being the most high we believe as
Muslims that Allah the one Creator the
one who sent Abraham the one who sent
Moses the one who sent Jesus the one who
sent Muhammad peace and blessings be
upon all the prophets that he is the
greatest the only one worthy of worship
and this is something we're proud of you
know when we pray we begin our prayer by
saying Allah Akbar when something is
good we say Allah Akbar and you know if
it's time for battle we say
allahar tell me this so now back to this
fulfillment of this prophecy you were in
literally in the jungles of Indonesia in
a place that now you couldn't get to
with a car and the message was even
reaching there can you talk about this
alhamdulillah we praise Allah ourself
we're nothing me you I mean anybody who
thinks that their own intelligence or
their own intellect or their effort is
anything doesn't recognize the greatness
of our creator we thank Allah I went
Indonesia and we went to an area where
missionaries had gone out you know
people talk about oh Christians can't
preach their message go to Indonesia
when I was there there was around 3,000
Christian missionaries Mormons Jo
Witnesses every different type Catholics
out there trying to misguide people
openly with visas and everything we went
out to one area and these missionaries
went out and that video is already
online on the one message Foundation
Channel you can see it they brought
alcohol they brought cigarettes they
didn't come to improve the society they
brought ills with them and they went to
this community in a far away remote area
Indonesia and they told them we're going
to build you an English language school
and they lied right they talk about
these tricks but they
lied and instead they built a church and
they brought money in they they made
videos got money from the 700 Club and
all these different Christian preaching
organizations I don't even know their
names and they started to bribe the
people with alcohol with cigarettes and
this town that was 80% Muslim they they
tricked them their kids brought them
into church and and converted them to
leave Islam you know all these people
had left Islam alhamdulillah me and some
of the local brothers who were reverts
themselves we went out there we started
doing dawa within a week out there
alhamdulillah those people they left
those ills they told the missionaries we
don't care about your money we don't
need it we didn't pay them we didn't
bribe them we don't go out and bribe
people we don't go out and give alcohol
we told them you have to give up these
bad habits because these things harm you
Islam is there to improve you
alhamdulillah you can see the video the
the chief of the village he took the
shahada then we went out around the
village and in big groups we gave out
shahad alhamdulillah 200 people became
Muslim there alhamdulillah the entire
Village 90% more all even the ones that
weren't Muslim before became Muslims we
went out to the areas that are in the
jungles and the jungle I mean inshallah
that video will post soon we still
haven't posted
it these people you can't get to them
it's not like you just drive up you
drive up as far as you can and then
there's a 4-day hike and you know I mean
I didn't go all the way in cuz four-day
hiking is not for me man I was like
we'll do that another time I got to work
out first I got to Grapple with you a
little bit um but we went out to those
areas to the outskirts of those areas
and we met these people who till today
live as if they were cavemen I mean they
walk around naked they're cannibals I
mean can you imagine in our day and time
in Indonesia this is the importance of
that that why we have to do da and these
people they have no concept of marriage
these people they if they see a woman
and they force they force you know they
have no concept of right and wrong you
know they they still live in trees if
they see you you're not from them
they'll just shoot you with the arrow
and they'll eat you up so this is
seriously they'll eat you you know so
this is a very I I was shocked that
until our time we have people like this
but alhamdulillah we spoke to some of
them some of them that already became
Muslim we interviewed them and they
don't speak the Indonesian Bahasa
language they have their own language so
we had to have like a translator for a
translator and alhamdulillah they talked
about how their life changed how they
improved with Islam Christians also go
out there I mean they they put that work
in but they don't improve them they give
them alcohol they give them cigarettes
they just tell them put on a cross Jesus
died for your sins keep doing what
you're doing I mean you see him still
walking around naked but the cross on
how does that help you right but
alhamdulillah the ones that became
Muslim you'll see videos inshallah soon
on the one message Foundation Channel
they were memorizing Quran you see them
clothed some of them took the shahada
with me out there alhamdulillah and we
we we trained them to understand right
from wrong I mean for them they didn't
even consider incest to be bad
and what's strange to me is a lot of
what I saw that I was shocked at is
where Society in America is going is
heading right you know in America we're
we're getting more and more naked you
know we're getting less and less morals
the idea of marriage and man and woman
all these things are being attacked so
we're we're not progressing we're
degress did they know the pronounced
over
there you can choose whatever you like
if you eat people up man
but alhamdulillah by the will of Allah
we had many of them that became Muslim
and many more that are becoming Muslim
and inshallah I intend someday to go
back and hike up all the way in there
and speak to them and by the will of
Allah all of them are going to enter
Islam and they're going to leave those
evil habits and Islam makes you the best
version of yourself Islam improves you
Islam changes you and that's why
alhamdulillah everywhere in the world
Islam is growing
the the future is ours Brothers there's
no question the future is ours the only
question is are you going to be a part
of the dawa are you going to be one of
those haters sitting around backbiting
and looking for fals and making excuses
or are you going to be a part of Islam
reaching every household for us we don't
do it for money we don't do it for fun
we do it for the one the only one that
deserves to be worshiped Allah that's
why we do it that's our mission
missionaries they put a lot of of
working you know they do they do more
work Mormons the Jo Witnesses they do
more work than us Catholic Charities go
out to Africa they do more work than us
but they're not doing it for for God
they're doing it for their monetary gain
that's why the Mormon CH Church wants
10% of your check you know those Mormon
Elders I saw them in Utah they be living
large right that's why you look you look
at the pope you know talking about you
know all this stuff about being close
with God go look at his cars look at his
houses where does what job does he work
you know well I'm I'm out here I work a
job you know I'm here last week last
weekend I was in Dallas went home I had
a audit you know may Allah reward my
family for their patience I mean had to
go work 12-hour days had to earn my
living to feed my family because I don't
take a penny not from omf not from the
mjid you can ask the brother's
organizing this trip I'm not taking
money why we don't do it for that we do
it because we believe in what we're
preaching and that's why I challenge all
these Christian apologists and and all
these Christian debaters and dis Hammer
times and mad dogs or whatever they are
right go cancel your
patreons go give up your money and then
come in debate and then see if you're
really doing it for God Subhan Allah
it's one thing us talking about this but
we have a live example special guest
special guest now this a surprise
unplanned unplanned unplanned Allah
planned it Allah planned he's the best
of Allah is the best of planners so we
have this young brother Bobby that we
like to invite up come on come up
Bobby how you doing Bobby pleas meet you
nice to meet you too so Bobby tell us a
little about
yourself um I grew up here in Chicago
more on the North side um I never really
had too much of a religion background
here I was more so um I had a had a
thought of God like an idea just from my
parents but
um I really love being here just because
the the the the feeling is more so it's
it's very uh welcoming feeling uh I I
feel like I have a lot of uh Brothers
here already this my first day being
here in the Mas at all and um it just
really makes me feel better as a person
every time I read the Quran every time I
do uh research on it and try to be be be
more into
it so real just want to thank you all
for um for having me here and also just
just being so so so welcome
alhamdulillah you're our brother you're
welcome and we were just talking you
know this the first time I've met
brother Bobby you know um he just came
into the Masjid and first thing he
learned about Islam from watching the
omf videos so all of you that are out
there sharing the videos promoting this
you guys are part of the the reward for
this will be with you secondly you know
I really like something we were talking
about earlier when we just met before
the prayer when you were talking about
other religions just being a coping
mechanism where you kind of just throw
everything off you know you sin you do
whatever and you say Jesus died for my
sins you know I confess that's okay you
know but how you felt when you read the
Quran tell us about
it uh there was a lot um for me
personally a lot of personal like drama
I guess I say and things going on with
my parents and things that have my mind
kind of full and just today I just read
the Quran on my on my lunch break as
I've been trying to do uh daily as I'm
at work and just as soon as I closed it
when the lunch break was over I just
felt better like my confidence was
raised everything was was better and
with the same things going on but but
better prepared by by Allah by by God I
believe
alhamdulillah
[Applause]
that's beautiful man that's beautiful
alhamdulillah you know one thing that's
uh again amazing about brother Bobby
that you know he didn't go grow up
around Muslim he didn't you know Islam
reaching like we were speaking earlier
that Islam is reaching every household
everywhere the day and the night Islam
is reaching alhamdulillah and I think
that's wonderful
um how long I'm curious how long ago did
Bobby did you take your shahada accept
Islam he hasn't done the shahada yet
allahar we it's a beautiful
opportunity all right how's your quest
so it's been going great huh what's your
tell us in brief your background uh
brief of my background
um um I'm half polish half uh Mexican
and then just never grow up more of a
lower class family I suppose not so much
money just trying to um um I would
saying when I was younger I I suppose
I've always wanted to kind of fit in and
have brothers and this uh more of a
family life more family feeling and and
then uh like a lot of it got into it was
um was a job I was working uh the owner
of it was Muslim and I would see him
praying at certain times I would go to
his office with a question and he' be in
there praying with the lights off so I
would come back and not say anything and
I was talk to his son a lot about it and
he told me one of the like the three
main things would uh is having love for
like the fellow person being disciplined
being humble and those are three things
that I really that I do already really
um value a lot and things that I looking
forward to being more immersed in and
just there three things that I want to
keep being you know already I want to
keep being what I am a peaceful person
like a loving person and uh as as you
mentioned a little bit the things
nowadays the the the genery and like and
like me like even young before I was
like this I didn't even like to like see
it like certain things online like
certain you know sexuality things and
and like it's never been something that
I just love to see and like all up in my
face and certain things that's the
fuh insan you know this is something one
of the great Scholars was talking about
that Allah blesses the human with the
inner understanding of right and wrong
and that's why even when the people that
do do whatever evil they do they if you
if you look at them when they're doing
if you catch them at that time they'll
they'll feel ashamed you know even you
know these these strip clubs or whatever
they're always going to have a back door
why because they know what they're doing
is wrong the tells them but it's the the
desires that overpower people and that's
the beautiful thing about Islam we don't
just say okay I believe in Jesus that's
it oh no no no we believe that we need
to strive and struggle with our
shortcomings with the mercy of our
creator we need to strive and struggle
to be the best we can be described to
any particular religion in the past
before your parents or uh I never fully
subscribed but I would do little prayer
sometimes and I had a thought of God
like I like I like I just God like
sometimes I would like like I would just
like I would
like oh thank God I feel like like I
believed enough but I never started
reading a Bible or anything like that to
to get more into it but uh like couple
years ago I I I would start to do
prayers in the morning where I would get
on the knee and just say things
to to be better for me and my family and
the people around me and then I think
it's kind of a coincidence I would like
think to get on my knee and then with
the way we we
here and I would and like I would like I
both Buble my head down and close my
eyes and try to like feel it and just do
certain things and and just just just
try to feel I like a lot of things are
feeling process like I said when I st
reading the Quran I just felt better
like it
just and the only thing to change was me
reading the Quran was we we me accepting
more
alhamd so
now a big question any anything about
the Islamic Creed that you disagree with
or just holding you
back no you believe there's one God yes
I do you believe that God is the only
God that deserves to be
worshiped yes God is only God no
prophets no Saints No Monkeys no blue
guys flying around to be worship no
nothing no
cows definitely no steaks burgers and
ribs as as good as it maybe know you can
keep them
up now do you believe that that that God
sent us
prophets uh yes I do that would be word
Abraham Moses Jesus Muhammad peace and
blessings be upon them do you believe
those were prophets yes I do all right
that's it you're Muslim man we're going
to do your shahada very Arabic first or
English first famous question uh Arab
first Arabic harder first all you like
to do the hard things first tough guy
like I like to work all right man you
eat your veggies first
all
right
mbar
come on Chicago you got to do better
[Applause]
man I I got to wake up the New York
Brothers with
this all right we're going do English
now you ready yes I bear witness I bear
witness there is none worthy of worship
there is none worthy of worship except
Allah except Allah and I bear witness
and I bear witness that Muhammad that
Muhammad is the servant is a servant and
messenger of Allah and messenger of
Allah all right we good we good
excellent man this is this is the
greatest day of your life you are a
Muslim today alhamdulillah your life has
just began you feel that peace you felt
that Tranquility you feel the past gone
every sin every mistake every pain of
the past is gone you're like a brand new
baby today and we ask Allah to protect
you and to protect us and keep you
steadfast now there's going to be a
struggle right Shan the devil and his
minions from the humans and Jin are
going to try to distract you from the
right path and you're going to have to
fight it and that's what life's about
you have today come back to the purpose
of why God created you to recognize him
and to work worship Him is the greatest
day of your life better than the day you
were born better than the day that you
graduated or got married or had kids or
whatever this day you went back to
worshiping the Creator that was your
true purpose of creation now you're
going to you have great you have fael
here mallah he's a scholar he's more
knowledgeable than us and a great
example you can connect with him there's
going to be lessons in the mosque you're
going to learn whatever bad habits you
have you're going to you're going to
slowly slowly work on getting rid of to
improve yourself to make yourself
healthier to make yourself at peace and
you're going to take this message to
your family and friends and community
and inshallah inshallah next time I come
to Chicago you're going to be reading
Quran with us and praying with us
inshallah anything else you want to say
as a message to those maybe watching
maybe people like you are kind of on the
edge uh yeah um I just want to say thank
you and also so um I think you can see
how no matter where you come from that
you can come to Islam and and be
accepted and be loved
and and be able to be be be set on a
better path going forward and it will
affect you in all aspects of life and
just have you keep moving forward keep
being better and keep stepping with
purpose and and and just keep being the
great people you are no matter who you
are really uh this is the greatest day
of my life though
and we have this uh young another young
brother how you
doing actually took his shahada what was
it about Islam that did it for you that
you finally ended up understanding the
purpose of life why you've been created
and you end up taking that step taking
that Declaration of Faith the shahada
and you're here with us
today our brother Julius he took the
shahada here in this mjid in this
blessed mjid of the Quran the message of
our brother sheh fael Julius
alhamdulillah took shout this Friday so
alhamdulillah you see from this trip
Allah is guiding
people I just don't like speaking in
public man so this is really hard for me
but um you're amongst your brothers
don't worry I look at at all of you guys
and I see everyone's just such a
gentleman everyone's very I can't even
explain it there's not a word for it but
it's just beautiful to see that and I
just learn so much from people that are
just I guess gentlemen right you know
I'm just trying to learn from all of you
guys and I'm going to be as as humble as
I can I'm going to use
uh just that my time in life just to to
learn what I can from you guys so that's
I'm just trying to be as humble as I can
about everything so that's beautiful
you know again this is something I think
beautiful about Islam you also look you
look over this crowd and you see people
from all walks of life you see people
different colors different backgrounds
different ethnicities different
languages different social statuses and
you don't see any differentiation see
everything together alhamdulillah as one
Humanity with one purpose and this is
why Islam grows you know we don't have
you know you know churches like you know
where I grew up there was a Chinese
Church right across from a Korean
church and they theyed you read same
type of Christian same Methodist
whatever but they but they were
different you know they it was more like
a social club but in Islam alhamdulillah
we're all Brothers we're all one and
that's why you see the message of Islam
is what unites
mankind anything else that you want to
say just about how you've been feeling
the last couple of days as a Muslim I
just can't stop
smiling I told my parents this and I'm
like I just can't stop smiling I that's
beautiful beautiful man give
me thank
you thank you so much thank you guys so
much there's uh we got another surprise
shck yeah another surprise I don't know
about this one there there's a couple I
mean we can keep going there's a lot of
a lot of brothers here there's one in
particular then he come up uh this is
unplanned unscripted this is all it was
amazing I spoke to this brother I was I
was teaching um and he came teaching
jiujitsu and he came he does a little
bitsu and I asked him just recently and
he's going to go overseas he wants to
study and he asked him how long did it
take you to really figure this out some
people take years and you'd be surprised
and I let him take it from here come on
he knows right away who I'm talking
about good good have a SE
go ahead introduce yourself and finish
the story from where
ium everybody my
name my name is Edwin
um like uh brother Eddie was saying when
I first
uh came to Islam it wasn't anybody
giving me da uh I was actually at a at a
coffee shop and it had a library in it
and something was telling me it was
Allah but at the time I didn't know
Allah was telling me to get closer to
him Allah was telling me to find him and
I didn't really understand it was a
feeling and all I didn't know about
Islam at the time all I knew um was uh
uh the Bible and so I was there and
there's a library and I always knew
there was a Bible section so I went
there got a Bible and that's where it
started
um and at the time I didn't know that
that was my f telling me to to get back
to Allah and uh
alhamdulillah uh what I read in the
Bible it was I read a little bit of the
Bible but the part that I read what
talked about how true knowledge begins
when you begin to fear God uh uh and
uh uh I remember specifically there were
a few nights where I read those verses
and I just got really scared uh and at
the time I didn't know but that was my
Tua and uh alhamdulillah I was very
scared and I was like there's something
here but I can never quite pinpoint it
cuz it was always very like uh emotional
it was uh based in my feelings like my
brother just said he came up here it's
like it's a feeling you can't really
describe
it and then alhamdulillah one thing led
to another one day I'm like on this
journey now I'm getting closer to to
Allah
um and one night randomly it was a
Friday night I'm hanging out with one
friend he was a Christian and randomly
we got out to eat and actually a friend
that I had grown up with since middle
school uh I'm a freshman in college and
uh since sixth grade I knew this uh this
brother and uh he was Muslim and it just
so happened that he randomly showed up
at that
restaurant and
we all just happened to go back to my
friend's house uh and we were there
until like 4 in the morning and I
remember super late into the night
alhamdulillah we just started talking
about religion I started explaining how
I'm looking uh I'm searching uh I'm
trying to find God
and at the time I didn't uh I couldn't
really understand what I was going
through it was very like uh intense uh a
lot of
fear uh a lot of Hope but it was very
messy it was never really
coherent uh and alhamdulillah we're
talking and I remember specifically I if
I'm taking up too much time just let
know and uh I remember specifically as
I'm
talking at the time religion was in my
mind just like a concept I thought like
okay everybody does their own thing
there's Christians there's Catholics
there's all these different religions
but it Al it's all the same thing it
just imp improves your life and as I'm
explaining this and I'm talking to my uh
my friend his name is Adam Adam K and
uh he started explaining to me he I
remember specifically I don't remember
what I said I said something and he goes
oh like I don't believe in that and he's
like as as a Muslim we believe this and
he starts explaining it to me and just
the fact that he said like like no we
don't believe that and he started
explaining but it was very like gentle
like oh we don't believe that this is
what I believe
I was like huh and one thing
specifically about him quick little
Sidetrack is I always noticed from
middle school very young he was always
different from everybody else I was one
of the loud guys just like being super
obnoxious with all the other guys
talking Macho like and I always remember
like he was just always super quiet he
would never get involved he he wasn't
allowed to go to school dances he like
man this kid is weird all this sort of
things like
but I had I had respect for him because
I was like there's no way he's not like
saying this or doing that I was like
there's no way he's got to be lying I
always thought that there was also
another sister that I grew up with uh
she was always the same she was always a
little different always quiet never
getting involved always super respectful
super humble kept to herself I always
noticed this but I never really put too
much attention to it and so that was
that after that night with my friend he
gave me our she's uh number she
Usama uh and uh he gave me his number
and he said look I'm not the most
knowledgeable but if you want to learn
about Islam reach out to our Sheikh he's
uh he's really good with the youth he's
like our youth guy he's like if you have
any questions go to him I'll hope be I
like okay perfect and that was that it
was super simple he didn't really give
me
dawa um it was that simple um
and so I left I reached out to she
Usama uh we were planning a little
meeting and
uh I remember I actually went to the
Masjid and he was in a meeting I was
texting him that I was there I was there
for like 20 minutes and I was like man
this is a sign from God that I'm not
supposed to be here cuz I was there I
was super scared I was jittery I was
like I don't know what to do so I just
left I was like it's my excuse like I
waited here 20 minutes I took it I was
like I'm out of
here and at this time I'm getting closer
to Allah and I'm looking at these
various different religions and all I
knew at the time was Catholicism so I
went to a Catholic priest and I start
asking him
questions um and so I'm talking to him
and I explained to him look I'm not here
to become Catholic I'm just here to
learn more trying to figure out which
religion is the right religion and then
my friend Adam out of nowhere he text me
he's like hey I have a Quran that's in
English
uh it's yours if you want it I was like
sure he's like okay come pick it up at
this time so I
go and I remember parking and I get
really scared again I can't really
explain it just scared just like but a
good scared like um I don't know just
like adrenaline I was just like it's
scary because in my mind I was like what
am I getting myself into like this is
something big I could just feel it so
I'm walking up to his steps he opens the
door each other and then he has a Quran
in his hand and I remember he starts
giving me like uh the rules of like
don't put it on the ground don't put
anything on top and he's explaining I'm
like oh man like what am I about to
do oh man I just remember it was super
intense and he gives it to me and
uh I
leave and at this time there was a lot
going on I was working a lot I was
full-time at
school uh I was training a lot of
Jiu-Jitsu there was just a a lot I was
like hardly sleeping like days where I
wouldn't sleep I was just like all
jacked up I'm reading the Bible scared
out of my mind 247 don't know what's
going on I go home I read the Quran and
as I'm reading it I just remember
feeling like like this is it like this
is it I couldn't really explain I was
just like there's something here I can't
pinpoint it but this is it this is the
truth right
here and then after that I stopped
reading Quran as much uh
that meeting didn't go through with the
Shea I'm talking to this Catholic priest
and I explained the situation where I
went to the Masid and then I left and he
was like well it's a sign from God
sometimes God gives you signs that it's
not for
you
and and then this is where it gets
really interesting I think you guys will
like this so I was my family I was I'm
from a Catholic Family but I never
really understood the concept of the
Trinity I didn't know that Catholicism
had the trinity I didn't know that they
believe Jesus was God until I'm actually
talking with this priest and I start
asking him questions and I remember he
slipped it in he was
like he said Jesus was God in some like
slick way and I was like wait hold on
like um wait a minute I was like wait
what and so he he looked like mad like
wait what he's like you don't know about
like the Trinity and
like I told him I was like a c like a
born Catholic and all these things and
he was like well you don't know what the
Trinity is and I was like no you explain
it to me so he's mad he's explaining it
and you didn't pick out the belt or
anything
what oh man suck at
a and
uh so he explains it to me and once he
started explaining it to me I was just
like okay all right and so I
left and
then I remember Shea Usama reached back
out to me and and he was like hey Edwin
like how are you doing do you still want
to meet up and I was like okay I'm going
to do this and so he's like come to Juma
on Friday we'll
talk um very simple and I was like okay
and so before
that um I remember I'm going to this
Catholic priest and now I'm reading
Quran again I'm watching a lot of
lectures I'm watching these lectures and
I'm like why is it that they're so
confident in what they're saying why
does it actually make sense and why does
like the uh like what's the guy's name
the David wood it doesn't make sense
what he's saying it's like a it's like a
loop it it was weird it was watching it
was like Muhammed alhamdulillah he was
like digging in on him and I was like
man I was like there's something here
and I'm watching more videos and I was
like this makes sense again I was just
like this makes sense so I'm reading
Quran I'm watching these
videos and I remember uh I read Surah
FAA
and it just there was something there
and I was like I have to memorize it so
I memorized it in
English and I
remember and I I promise before I knew
what sujud was how to pray I would get
down with my forehead on the ground I
didn't even know I was facing the
Caba I would recite s
fa and I just remember
like I can't describe it I was just like
this this is it this is it I could never
explain it even now I can I was just
like this is
it
and alhamdulillah at that point I was
like like I'm Muslim like I just need to
learn what I have to do
next
and I remember the last time I went to
go to the Catholic priest right before I
went to the
Masid
um he he he had me read this verse in
the Bible and then we were going to go
over it and so we were going over it at
this meeting and he was T he was
like uh basically uh it was Jesus peace
be upon him talking to a man with great
wealth and uh and the man was like what
do what can I do to ensure I go to
heaven to Jenna and he go and Jesus
peace be upon Him says like you have to
be willing to give up everything like
all of your wealth and so the priest
looks at me and he's like well that's
what we're here for like what aren't you
willing to give up for this for the
religion for Catholicism and I just
remember getting super scared inside
like adrenaline's pumping my heart's my
heart's beating like crazy and all I
could think about was like the Quran
Islam like that's all that was going
through my mind I was like that's what I
can't give up and that's when I knew
like Catholicism was not it it didn't
make sense he's explaining the
Trinity oh also I want to point this out
cuz I think you guys will enjoy this
when I had him explained the Trinity to
me he got so
frustrated that it didn't make sense to
me he's like well it's just what we
believe like you just have to believe it
you and I was like oh man like no no no
and so alhamdulillah fast
forward I go to Juma uh and at that
point I was like I'm going to be Muslim
but I was like okay I had the same
concept of like Catholicism where like
you have to do this the
confirmation all this sort of thing I
was like okay what do I have to do and
so I'm talking to my she and he explains
like you just take your shahada you
declare and he's like we can do it right
here in this
room he asked me he's like do you want
to take your
shahada and I was like I can really do
that he was like of course I like okay
let's do it right now and he he wanted
to wait until next Friday for Juma to do
it in front of the whole Community but
he said
we never know like if something could
happen before next Friday if I could
pass away or that sort of thing so he
said it's always best to do it right
here right now I was like okay let's do
it oh man you can only imagine like how
I was feeling again I was just like oh
like right now like how I feel I'm like
scared nervous but like hopeful
it's alhamdulillah and he he's like okay
wait right here he runs out he gets a
couple of
brothers and I take my shahada
alhamdulillah my she starts crying and I
was like wow like I just couldn't
believe it like he was just being super
genuine started crying so I take my
shahada all the brothers come up and
start hugging me uh and I was like I've
never had this before I've never had
like people that I've never met just
genuinely come up to me and show me love
and show me support and tell me they're
there and you can feel that they
actually mean
it um
yeah so alhamdulillah in brief that's
that's how I came to
Islam
[Music]
and um yeah I mean I do want to say
something real quick and
uh it's hard to say this people say like
when you come to Islam it changes you
you become a different person all of
these sorts of things right the things
everybody promises like if you do this
you're going to become a new person
you're going to see life differently but
man my family my friends everybody can
testify that I am a completely different
person than I was a month ago I was a
Muslim a month ago but I'm a different
person than I was a month ago I was a
year ago two years ago three years ago
all of my life when I came to
Islam everything was so clear so simple
everything made sense I didn't realize
it at the time but Young when I was
younger I felt like I was always
reaching for something like I was never
really like satisfied like I was looking
for the next best thing running jiujitsu
I want to become a neuroscientist I want
this is the answer this is what I'm here
to
do and I was always so set like I'm
going to be a heart surgeon I'm going to
be this but it never went through and I
was like man like why why why why like
what's happening I was always looking
for fulfillment in things big reader oh
this book is going to change my life I'm
going to follow this book now this this
book is better just hoing from one thing
to the to the next looking for something
not knowing I was looking for something
just weird just confused all the
time and when I came to Islam
alhamdulillah life has just become super
simple I understand that when you
believe in Allah subhah wa tala and his
Messenger s you obey them wholeheartedly
you do good deeds so your scale of Good
Deeds is ways more than your scale of
bad Deeds when you obey your parents
when you just listen to what Allah
subhah has written in the Quran and you
Prophet and you follow Prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wasallam and the
Hadith that's it you just follow that
you do what they say and avoid what they
say to avoid you go to Jenna you go to
paradise
forever I read in the Quran the other
day and it stuck with me Allah gives you
life he gives you Provisions he takes
your soul and then he res you for
eternity to go to Jenna as a Muslim it's
that simple and we're just here for the
ride like alhamdulillah I've never been
so stressfree I've never been I've never
felt this good I've never gone through
like the hardships that I've gone
through recently my big ones small
things that would normally just trigger
me and make me mad all I think in my
mind is like this is what Allah has
destined for me why am I going to get
mad why it's like Allah has written this
for me just accept it and it's this
clarity this sense of like you're doing
what you're supposed to be here for it's
just like you it's hard to explain you
just feel like everything is in the
right place all the time you feel like
you know what to do you know what to
avoid and you're just going through life
waiting to die like the thought of death
used to scare me but now I'm
like man like death can't come sooner
like I want to go to Jenna
like but yeah alhamdulillah I I'll pass
it over to you guys
[Applause]
how about uh just another we'll do one
more it's a two a two minute
one all right
brother now this one we'll make it much
we we'll do a short one real quick but
this brother just surprised me in a th
and uh we've been talking to him for
some let me guess let me guess where do
you think he's from Philippines
Philippines come up here Philippines
where is he
have you you met him I just met him
earlier and I was thinking the same
thing when brother EJ oh the brother
just left what's his name Edwin Edwin
Edwin yeah what's your ethnicity just
out of
curiosity Mexican all right cool say
something
Spanish no I'm just
kidding huh no no no but but I grew up
Mexican
long
story short we're almost out of
time so so give us the short version We
we'll do the long version another time
we're almost out of time but tell us
what did it for you you surprised me
today seeing you you've come a long way
it's been years in the process give us
uh the final what did it for you that
you finally ended up accepting
Islam come
everybody see I you know I'm a little
nervous relax you're amongst Brothers
you know I was put in spot
I you know the only time I talk to
everybody is when I'm teaching class
jiujitsu you know that's how uh that's
how I found Islam cuz brother Eddie I I
was his uh student you know and um I've
been learning you know uh Islam for
ever since I started actually you know
just one thing that uh you know what
what I loved about Islam is that you
know me being around them they they
never you know they the their daa is
just the way how they they interact with
people you know I think that's I think
that's what's important like for me as
well like when I'm doing da to my family
yes I talk about Islam to them but then
the most important thing is how we how
we are with our parents you know I took
my shahada last year alhamdulillah you
know and uh and I just surprised brother
Eddie and everybody uh our red vict JSU
Lincoln Square you know I I kept it
super lowkey you know I just I didn't
want to do it in public and for me it's
just one I'm I'm very shy I like you
know just me being up
here you know alhamdulillah you know and
with uh with brother uh with she you
know I I watch uh ofm I think that's one
thing that helped me to you know like
what's you know what am I waiting for I
think that's the question that
everybody's like like for us we have the
we have the belief already is just when
are we taking that step I think for me
is when I when I took my shahad is like
you know I was already a Muslim for two
years but I just never took my uh my
shahada you know but alhamdulillah uh I
think the the one that gave me that push
is uh brother Reggie I don't know if
it's here you know he he took his
shahada in in December of last year and
then um I was like man you know we
trained Jitsu you know what's what's
stopping me you know I think for me it's
just like man let's just do it you know
so alhamdulillah it's been over a year
now you know so I'm still learning you
know but uh inah we'll you know maybe in
the de
show we'll talk the hall when I'm ready
you know you talk about the whole
process of me becoming a
Muslim that's beautiful and uh I think
one thing
also the Philippines and many people may
not realize was a entirely Muslim
Community until the Spanish came and not
through good manners through the source
and through massacres and genocides and
wars and Crusaders they forc Catholic
ISM upon the people of the Philippines
and even till today for example in t
when you say thank you what do you
say you're saying Salam which is an
Arabic word Mana is actually from
Arabic until today if you go to the
Philippines if you go to the South mind
now where the Spanish were not able to
conquer their Muslims and inshallah
Islam is spreading in the Philippines
and we hope that Allah subh Tal without
any wars without
any and Crusaders and swords with good
mannerisms and good and all of
Philippines will come back to
Islam want thank everybody for coming
out let's give a
final and I want to thank you always a
pleasure Hamza good to see you fael
again we want to thank you Allah bless
you a very good friend of mine brother
Eddie from the dean show who I've known
for a number of years from the very
beginning when he started it I was among
his early guests and mashallah our
brother Eddie has been very active in
promoting daah spreading The Message of
Islam and he has now taken everything to
the next level Eddie has now after a
number of years on The Dean show taken
the daup efforts to the next level which
is that of establishing a daa center for
the USA he is about to launch it in its
fullness but it has already started in
Florida and he needs your support this
is an effort which began already some
months back and they need your support
for spreading The Message of Islam in
the USA so my brothers and sisters reach
out to support him we need your support
now
I cannot leave without giving you a gift
if you're not yet Muslim and you're
tuning in to see what these Muslims are
talking about and you like a free copy
of the Quran go ahead and visit theen
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you and if you still have some questions
about Islam call us at 1 1800
66247 52 we'll see you next time until
then peace be with you assalam alaykum