this year I'll hamdulillah a Salam
alaikum peace be unto you welcome to
another episode of the Deen show which
is a way of life we try to put out there
for everyone to see
helping you understand Islam and Muslims
I got a surprise for you today thank you
for coming to the source to learn about
Islam those are you that are already
Muslims
I got a treat for you a very special
guest on the Deen show so we're going to
take a break and bring out dr sheikh
bilal philips sit tight you'd want to go
nowhere
why they come sit down below it's an
honor to have you with us
I'm the Dean show thank you for coming
on and being with us my pleasure
you've been doing some great work and
I'm gonna be so happy to be a part of it
to share in some of the the blessings
that are there for you and getting this
word out to the people thank you very
much
so our primary message is Islam calling
the people to surrender and to submit to
the creator of the heavens and earth and
not his creation and this is one of the
most basic things that the people
procrastinate with finding out who their
Lord is and then even some who've found
out who their Lord is procrastinating on
doing the good that he's invited them to
do we want to talk about the shape what
keeps people from doing and putting off
the majority of people you talk to yeah
they know they got to change they know
they got to do good but they don't do
the good why is this yeah I would say
probably the main reason is laziness you
know the reality of life usually doesn't
sink in until tragedy comes you know
this is when you find people yeah yeah
okay tell me about it yeah that's the
way it usually is isn't it no because
you're busy you've got so many other
things happening you you know you don't
really want to make that effort because
it requires effort you know it just
doesn't come it's not a silver spoon
feeding no you just you have to go out
and make an effort to get this knowledge
so people you know prefer to take it
easy you know just take things as they
go you know until calamity strikes when
that strikes then you find them waking
up and coming around and say okay let me
see that book you know give me something
I need something now realities that they
need it all along you know but there are
too many distractions you know
especially in life in the West North
America you know it's about distractions
isn't it you know that's the whole thing
the the way by which Satan just diverts
people that's basically what happened
with Adam and Eve isn't it you know they
were in a good situation he comes now
distraction you know it's about the tree
of life all I didn't call it that but
that was to catch their minds
get them off thinking about something
else and getting and then forgetting
what was the original message don't eat
from that tree that was the original
message you know so that's what's
happening in the life people are not
conscious of what's going on because
you're so busy and distracted with other
things as allah said in the quran
talking about the compilation of wealth
and how come with the car so people are
just caught up so much and gathering the
wealth of this world they're lost us to
really what the purpose of life is about
you know they don't take that minute out
to stop and think why am i here am i
just like everybody else
the other creatures big cows and capital
sheep just eating procreating and then
dining one day all that life is about so
it's about you know trying to get people
to stop for a minute
and to think you know because once a
person starts thinking then here yeah
really you know they start to wake up
but the world the way things are set up
keeps them too busy how about now you
got somebody paying attention to us now
and he's thinking you know what when I
die I'll deal with it when a calamity
strikes I'll deal with it
what's the dangers about this why should
somebody and what is the first thing
that a person should really concentrate
on well I'd say that of course it's
always easy to say when that happens
I'll deal with it you know but the
reality is that when it happens you
can't deal with it you end up not being
able to cope well sometimes it depends
on what you've been doing in your life
that when that calamity comes you know
God does leave a door open for you
other times hey you know the kind of
life you've been living there isn't any
door there it comes and you see what
happens to people when calamity strikes
they go mad and I'm so mad they've
soaked their their values are so twisted
and warped that they do all kinds of
crazy things I remember reading an
article about a man you know this was
during one of the declines in the stock
market now this guy there was a big drop
in the u.s. the guy had eight million
dollars invested in a matter of hours he
lost like five million dollars that guy
just lost it he went and bought himself
a clashing call went into this dope spot
you know the office and mowed down the
manager and both daughters his dealer
and yeah and then turned the gun on
himself and kill himself and the man had
three million dollars still hey last
five that's a big loss but hey you've
got three million dollars you know so
the whole perspectives are gone
yeah so saying I'll deal with it when it
comes don't be sure you're gonna be able
to deal with it that's that's fooling
yourself
really where did they start now okay
they say well where do I go okay all the
person knows is work relations with you
know his friend's wife or the legitimate
relationship with women having a good
time entertainment oh we got their
attention for now where should he start
what should he start doing first well
first and foremost he needs to come to
grips with God that's the starting point
you know do I believe in God of course
you say yeah I believe in God no that's
the norm most people say I believe in
God
the question is do you really believe in
God because if you believe in God then
you would be trying to find your purpose
because the idea and this is a common
misconception which again is an excuse a
way out people say well God made the
world and as well is too simplistic too
small too insignificant for God to be
busy himself with you and I you know
more we like add specks of dust you know
in the universe so why would God bother
himself or not this this is a nice
cop-out right yeah there's a God but
he's not busy it's not bothered about me
in my life well the point is that once
you say there is a God then that God you
must believe is superior to you if you
think he's just like you and I then you
know no point carrying on the
conversation yeah right but if you
understand what God is who God is in a
sense of creator sustainer of this whole
universe then you have to understand
that wisdom is an absolute necessity
when we talk about understanding who God
is then we got to understand that he is
ultimately wise and now you as a human
being right if somebody said to you
listen hey you know this is man who set
up a factory producing certain goods etc
and put an ad in the paper for people to
come work in this factory it only
invites them all down hires them all up
and then he doesn't tell them what to do
in the factory he expects them to just
go in the factory do what they're
supposed to do and the factory runs fine
it's making his profits no they're gonna
go in there told us what to do is go
down to the cafeteria drink some coffee
have a chat with cetera yeah it's not
gonna work
we would have to say that is a dumb
business
that guy was a fool a fool an idiot yeah
you know if we can accept that on a
human plane that wisdom requires that
you must inform those who you hire to do
this job so that they can do it then
surely the Creator this universe didn't
create us and expect us to go find our
way by ourselves without telling us what
are we supposed to be doing in this life
he didn't leave us without informing us
so tell us now what is the purpose of
man's life why have we been what have we
been created for what have we been
created to do
pile up wells have children families
what is our purpose ship well our
purpose in life as stated very clearly
in the Koran is to worship God that's
the fundamental purpose then this
purpose is relative to ourselves first
and foremost because God doesn't need
our worship he is him self is who he is
is creator sustainer universe whether we
all worship on whether don't worship so
the worship thing in terms of purposes
for ourselves that worship enables us to
reach the peak of humanity for which God
created us to be fulfilled in this world
that we utilize all of the abilities
that God has given us in the best way
possible
that we benefit others we benefit
ourselves who benefit the world that
we're in you know we're part of that
beneficial process that's I mean that's
that's where we're supposed to be and
worshiping God is what helps us to get
there now what a person be okay if he
did his daily activities as he's doing
and then you know what he agreed with
you and he said okay I'll do the worship
one day a week or one day a month for
during Ramadan or if you're a Muslim is
this what we're talking about
no I mean that's if it's not doing it as
he has instructed five times a day so
it's not according to my desire if it's
according to my desires and you do in
your own religion that's your own thing
God's thing has been quite clearly
specified this is what he wants you know
Ramadan fasting and again all of these
things he wants from us for our
betterment because he doesn't need it
our fasting doesn't affect him it
doesn't benefit him it benefits
ourselves you know our giving of charity
to the needy the poor it's for us it's
for human beings are making hedge we're
commemorating Abraham's preparedness to
sacrifice his own son at God's command
so for us that's all for us and we
benefit from it so that purpose for
ourselves worshiping God this is in
order that we be the best that we can of
humanity be the best human being we can
fulfilling all of the potential that
Allah has created us with so now for
instance someone agrees with you just
like someone you tell them okay they
need to get fit and you described of how
they need to workout they need to you
know lose a little body weight but they
need a system where is all this that
you're talking about how can someone
achieve this without doing it according
to his own desires well that's what we
said that you know a person has to take
time and effort and investigate look at
the various systems out there see what
they have to offer see the rationale
behind them and I believe you believe
that Islam is the answer
aslam is ready we believe Islam is the
right way not just because we happen to
be Muslims you know and so naturally you
have your own bias for your
but because islam has evidence for what
it asks you to do it makes sense it's
practical
it matches life it's natural there's
some people call it the natural way the
natural and that's it it's natural and
that's what the Prophet said Allah
created every child in that natural way
but it's the environment the parents
relatives family that diverts the child
from that natural way so Islam brings
people back to the natural way if you
are seeking the truth what are some of
the qualities that you should look for
in one that is to be your Creator
because you have people that are
claiming that this statute is monkey
this cow a man is God what should the
human being and how should he identify
who his Lord is so that he can follow
this plan and purpose that God Almighty
the creator has laid out for him
well of course knowing who God is we we
know intrinsically inside of ourselves
who God is people might have convinced
us that somehow God became these other
things you know and God can be found
within these other things yeah but
reality inside ourselves we know who God
is we know that God isn't born because
if he's born it means that there was a
time when he wasn't and then how does he
get born yeah who brings him into this
life it has to be somebody else there to
cause him to be then that person who
caused him to be or that being that
caused him to be he's greater than E he
wasn't able to bring himself in so
obviously that disappears so therefore
when we talk about
God can't be within the the world of
beings that come into being beings that
were not and then they became they
didn't exist and then they existed those
beings cannot God can't be found among
those beings
he is obviously outside of that whole
process of coming into being God is as
the basic characteristic is the one
before whom there was none there was
nothing before him he's the first the
Alpha and the Omega he's the last
there's nothing after him he is without
beginning without end
he isn't born he doesn't die he doesn't
have needs so once you deal with a human
being he has needs Jesus for example was
circumcised on the seventh eighth day
there's not common sense here then you
know drinking milk
you know this he needs nappies and you
know but of course what happens that
when people are raised in an environment
of that thought well you know you don't
stop to think I mean when you and you
see for example Hindus and their rites
of worship when they worship their gods
right this is a series of rituals that
they do among the rituals is that they
ring a bell wake up the guard in the
morning take him out and give him a bath
set him in his place and pour milk over
his head and you put food in front of
you know people just do it because
that's how it's always been done they
don't stop to think for a minute hey
you're waking up your God I mean he
sleeps he doesn't doesn't know what's
going on here you have to wake him up in
the morning you know it's just the same
thing you take a man as God
thing this man was born and he died you
know he had needs he suffered you know
this is not God these are the creatures
of God so these attributes actually say
out of weakness or deficiencies etc
these are not suitable to be attributed
to God
God is beyond all of that so inside
ourselves we do have an idea what makes
sense relative to God we do have an idea
but people do to how they're raised the
information that they've been fed not
hearing any alternatives
it'll get used to certain practices and
customs and beliefs and ideas and you
find them believing and doing the
weirdest things yeah
you had mentioned Jesus peace be upon
him what do we actually for the
non-muslims who actually heard you say
Jesus and some people would tribute him
being God what do we actually believe is
who is Jesus oh we believe that Jesus
was a Messenger of God and we worship
the God of Jesus you know who Jesus
worshiped I mean if you just stopped and
thought for a minute who was Jesus
worshipping algas is recorded in the
Gospels and once despite all of the
other issues about the Gospels we put
those aside would you say it's mentioned
there that Jesus worshiped God so who
was he worshiping if he and God are one
then who was he worshiping himself yeah
you've got problems here yeah it doesn't
make sense and then the other thing when
it comes to worshiping you know if you
just stop and think for a minute when
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane leaves
his disciples and goes further it says
he fell on his face and prayed you as a
Christian you know you ask yourself you
ever done that you ever fallen on your
face and pray you use the same one is
laughing at Muslims right
nice look at the man is he's got his
behind stuck in the air what kind of
worship is that you know but hey that's
what Jesus did yeah that's how he
worshiped you know the signs are there
if you're looking if you're not looking
if you're just in that you know
automatic mode
you know church is Sunday you slide in
with everybody else you slide out you
know there's no thinking process here
you just slide them in yeah it's always
a feel-good thing you know they sing
some songs and just forget that you feel
the feel the spirit you know what kind
of spirit you feeling is something else
but you know that's it you know you've
not there's no thought process involved
yeah there's no coming to know God and
coming really closer to God this is one
of the things which I know many of the
Americans who would come over to Saudi
Arabia years back when you know I've met
a lot of the troops that come for the
Gulf War and I met up with some of them
and you know showing them around
Saudi Arabia different parts these were
the troops to come and after the thing
before they got processed and sent home
you know I took a number of them into
the mosque you know of course they were
Shia to go in at first because they had
been given strict orders don't come
within 30 meters of a mosque you know
you just pass it by distance don't even
come near it
this is their place of worship of course
we have no issues about come on in take
off the shoes they came in it's nothing
no chairs no you know elaborate this
that of the others very simple and then
they observe worship how muslims worship
you know a number of them said to me no
i said hey you know this is worship what
we're doing back home you know pulling
out the guitar the drums all together
man that worship after party access this
goes yeah you got the spirit you know i
really worship you know the serenity
that
there you know where one really feels in
communion with God and it's the real
worship so I think that if a person just
stops and thinks for a minute you know
that's not the way Jesus worshipped
Jesus and His disciples they were not
doing the things that people do now in
the church you know just stop and think
for a minute yeah why they had song and
dance then you know the Romans and the
Greeks you know they had their song and
dance yeah so why I wasn't why was not
incorporated into worship that's a
man-made thing men added that at a
certain point in history and time to
make you know worship more entertaining
to keep more people coming in putting
money in the plate
keeping the priests you know well taking
care of the minister it's got a good
life you know he's got gotta pay the
bills now yeah right
so keep it entertaining
so it's entertainment yeah but this is
not worship but worship is not
entertainment you don't go to a place of
worship to be entertained you're going
to that place of worship to communicate
with God to be in communion with God to
reflect on the Word of God and have that
word have an impact in your lives guide
you you come out of that worship guided
finding the way not being you know
entertained and and massaged and you
know that's not a couple more points
before we come to the end like to thank
everybody for sitting tight
Charlotte everybody can benefit we want
to ask you Sheikh tell us now we talked
about who Jesus peace be upon him is
true messenger of the creator of the
heavens and earth and that he is not God
never claimed to be God but someone on
the other side says well he's the son of
God what do they mean she how do we
respond to this well you know this a
simple simple way to look at this
if we say that Jesus was the son of God
we know that the son of a dog a puppy is
a little dog yeah son of a cat kitten is
a little cat
then what's the son of a god a little
guard so now you got a big guard a
little God yeah what happened to the one
god what happened to the one God you
know because the son of a god is nothing
but a god got to be a god yeah you know
so you know you have two gods so this is
where you haven't run into problems and
this is where now you have to invent
something called Trinity to explain how
God can have a son and yet that son is
it's still him you know and all the
other mental gymnastics that you have to
go through to deal with this you know
and in the end you just have to say it's
a mystery yeah how it is is really a
mystery so no the idea of son of god
mean this is an ancient pagan idea the
Romans had it the Greeks had it the gods
were like human beings they had sons and
daughters and you know they'd have
relations with human beings and half
half gods and you know that's what
you're talking about here he's not God
God doesn't have a son everything
besides God is his creation he only
tells it be and it is simple example the
person now are the people this is very
simple to understand worship the Creator
not his creation we talked about Jesus
as a mighty messenger he's a creation of
God he worship God as you said and now
this is grasping our very nature at
least for us it is hopefully God willing
is grasping that very nature that's
inside the people who are listening but
they say you know what how could Islam
which simply means surrendering
submission to God alone be a religion or
a way of life from the crater when it's
always associated with things blowing up
it's always associated with terrorism
how do we respond to this well what we
have to say is make a distinction
between the terrorists and what he is
necessarily associated with he and his
act might be involved in an act of
terrorism McVeigh was the question
Timothy was a right yeah blew up the FBI
buildings a lot of people lost their
lives but do we associate that violent
act that he did to his Christianity no
that's not correct the the IRA they were
Catholics struggling against the UK
Britain which was Protestant but we
didn't look at their the the violent
acts that they did blowing up cafes and
railroad stations and pubs and although
we didn't look at their accents violence
as Catholic violence no military
activity which was illegitimate or
legitimate or whatever we don't we don't
associate the two you know Hitler as
Ferrara's yeah what is the criteria of
being a good Christian then do we
associate what he did with Christianity
no so why are we going to associate what
some people do oh well they say well you
know he says it's in the name of Islam
okay so what if any of these other
people said it was in the name of
Christianity does that make it no but
the fact that Muslims because of the
fact that they are more in touch with
their religion and they try to relate
whatever they do back to their religion
you know because religion plays a bigger
role in the lives of Muslims than it
does in Christian
it's more intimately interwoven so now
the fact that a person does enact and
then he relates it back to religion is
that what makes that act and active the
religion or is it just his act and
because he's natural for him to
associate things with his religion
that's what he's doing you know if we
want to know what the religion actually
says we have to go and read it we have
to find out we have to find out the
truth
you know when 9/11 happened what did
Bush say Bush was the first one to get
on the television and say this is not an
act of Islam this is an act of a small
band of terrorists you know who are not
acting according to Islam because Islam
means peace that was the president of
the u.s. saying that that's not us
Muslims say no he knew he understood you
know so we say you want to know the
truth and go to the source read the
Koran and see what it says
what is it calling to is it calling to
violent acts or is it calling to
submission to the will of God leading a
life which is guided by God so that each
and everything that you think to do you
question yourself is this pleasing to
God or not and you have a criteria you
have a way of determines might say okay
these to God or not well I don't really
know how do I find out what a messenger
was sent the final messenger who
clarified what is pleasing to God and
what is not in the details the general
principles are there in the Quran but
then the messenger came and lived it as
Jesus lived the Gospels that he taught
he lived it he showed them how they
should live and Moses the toll
and all of the profits they lived in
showed people how they should live a
godly life a life which is pleasing to
God so we have the message intact we're
not saying that there isn't some of the
message there in Christianity and it's
texts etc and in Judaism it's text but
it's not intact
it's been tattered it's been broken up
things have been added taken out and you
know you've got something in the end
which is illegitimate in certain aspects
legitimate in some but for a lot of
people determining what is and what is
very difficult it just Saints you know
it's all from God but really if you stop
and think it can't be these things that
are there you know which called the
corruption you know worshipping other
than God this can't be from God exactly
so any closing comments suggestions for
those who are used to procrastinating a
little bit lazy how to get them
motivated to seek the truth to look for
the truth and to be on the truth well I
would say dear viewers that you have to
stop at some time in your life if you
wait until it's the grave too late
that's a fatal mistake of many people
there is no coming back a second time
we're not in a cycle of rebirth we have
one shot either we do it right or we've
lost it all so if it is the destiny of
God you were flipping through the
channels and you saw us here chatting is
okay what are these guys talking about
let me just stop and listen for a minute
if that's what got you here then thank
God for it and stop and think think
about why we are here why are you here
what is it that God wants from you in
your life you have a mission here it's
not just to accumulate to eat and drink
to procreate and just die no you have a
soul so a soul which goes beyond the
material that we see externally we have
a soul a soul which is created by God to
be a true slave of God to be in tune
with the natural way that God has
created this world but we've been given
a choice they were given me the rights
and the opportunity to be a part of that
natural way or to oppose it to do our
own thing this is the choice that God
has given us so my advice is make the
right choice do the right thing here
stop and think find out the most
important question in your life find out
why you're here
very well-put thank you very much please
tell the people where they can get some
more of you actually have an online
university where they can visit and
attain some of your books yeah I mean of
course they can just go basically to
bilal philips calm bilal philips calm
that's from there you can go through
whatever channels you everything is
there yeah your books yeah books are
there information university courses
free courses that they can go in and you
know increase their knowledge and you
know if you need contacts with
organizations they're there also knowing
what are the good webs
it's to go and you know get more
information more correct information
because of course there's a lot of junk
out there yeah but to get to the right
information we have a whole sort of
rating for the good Islamic website you
can go there find the top ones see
what's good about them and go in and get
additional information and it's about
really getting sufficient information to
make the right choice just Sokolow how
to thank you very much for being with us
and charlotte look forward to having you
again and I'd like to thank everybody
for sitting tight sitting through
another episode of the Dene show you've
learned Islam simply means surrender and
submission to the crater that happens in
earth and not his creation it's a
complete way of life for everybody
slobs not about terrorism or terrorizing
people and again thank you for coming to
the source to learn more about Islam
come here every week at the Deen show
calm if you missed us at the TV station
in Chicago you can view all of our shows
at the Deen show calm th e de and show
until next time assalamu alaikum peace
be unto you
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