to my brothers and sisters and all your
listeners whether you're an atheist Jew
or your Christian how can we deny the
Wess of our creator the one that gave us
life he's our sustainer we've read the
old and the New Testament now read the
final Al Quran has been sent to mankind
as a source of healing and guidance
revealed to Muhammad now it is recited
by one and six people across our sphere
start your journey here and if you're
really are sincere you come to conclude
Islam's the only way to go yo let him
know Eddie it's the dean radio show
alhamdulillah alayum peace be unto you
welcome to
another episode another week of the dean
show radio show and this week we're
continuing on talking to DaNell who is
our guest who has a masters in Divinity
who finished Seminary school and then
she took a turn towards Islam she took a
turn towards that way that call to
acquire peace from the owner of Peace
the creator of the heavens and earth and
a Muslim is one who does this action of
calling upon the one Creator alone
without any Partners the same way Jesus
peace be upon him he called on God
Alone he didn't call on anyone else in
that prayer and that's what a Muslim
does so we're talking to DaNell who took
a turn towards this beautiful way of
life the way of life of all the
messengers of of God and we're going to
be talking to her some more it's a
wonderful story assalam alaikum DaNell
alaykum Salam peace be with you thank
you for being with us again we had such
a some we had such a great time speaking
last time and picking your brain and
talking to you about your experiences
are you ready for part two sure I'm I'm
delighted yes I know the listeners are
and I am so let's kind of recap just to
bring people up to speed if you can just
go over for a couple minutes and and let
those who didn't hear part one and if
you want to hear part one you can go to
theed Deans show.com
and you can go to the blog section you
can download it you can play it in your
car on your iPods
iTunes but uh we'll go ahead and recap
quickly uh go ahead D now sure okay so
last last week when I was on The Dean
show I was talking about my experiences
as a Christian a lifelong Christian um
born and raised in the USA I um had a
really good experience as a Christian so
um unlike some people who um have turned
to Islam after having um maybe not not a
good experience in their religion or or
in their church or something I actually
had a really good experience um as a
Christian and so much so that eventually
I decided to pursue an education in
seminary which is um upper level
religious education and um
essentially I met my first Muslim friend
masum and then eventually befriended my
friend naara and um in the process of my
studies and in my friendships and and
learning with with these friends I um
began to learn more about Islam and and
it began to really challenge my theology
it also provided me an opportunity
to um revisit some of the questions I
had I had throughout my life about
Christianity about the Divinity of Jesus
Christ um and also some of the questions
that that surfaced again when I came to
Seminary as I began to learn more in
depth about um this religion about
Christianity and so um I just I turned
my studies in Islam um into something a
little more formal last year um last
summer and then in into the fall um to
the point where I couldn't turn away
from Islam and so um where we left off
last week I was I was discussing how I
had applied some of the um some of the
learnings that I had experienced and and
how I had begun to um explore some of
the practices of Islam still as a
Christian but um but in in a desire to
want to learn more but also because I
found that I I couldn't really turn away
so that was where we left off last week
more or less so yeah we touched upon
some points also I think are very key
that your whole the whole time that you
were a Christian you believed in the
creator of the universe the creator of
all that exists but you had some
doubts is it safe to say about the
Trinity and some of these other beliefs
that things just the more you were
learning in semin are the more you were
seeing that hold on this didn't make
sense we also talked about some of the
earlier Christians at the time way after
Jesus had left that really didn't also
agree with him being God Divine him
dying for the people's sins we discussed
this briefly also people can yes listen
to this on part one of the interview and
you also crying yes you were very
touched yes about the about the woodo
when the person uh the Muslim was making
that
ution has really touched you this was a
very touching part of the
interview and you got to here listen to
part one where we're on part two so we
can't tell you everything in part one
but we're going to start on
now with asking you some more questions
and just for our listeners Seminary
School kind of I'll give a Muslim
perspective that's kind of like someone
going to esar or medina and studying to
be like a she can can can we make that
comparison Donell yes I think that's
that's absolutely you are going to be a
Christian she she is like a learned
person but you called it an elder right
yes in my in the various denominations
of Christianity and and sex of
Christianity it can be called under
different names but my particular
denomination um the name for this would
be or an ordained Elder was this is
someone who has received their master of
they've they've waited a probationary
period um under which they've been um
counseled and and have met with
basically the other Elders in the
denomination that have have been
appointed to kind of look over um people
who are coming under um coming into this
kind of leadership so it actually is is
quite a long process but this is this is
the direction I was going yes yeah so
just to hit home with many of people who
aren't amiliar with say Seminary so we
would make that that contrast someone
who's trying to be a Muti someone who's
trying to be a Manana someone who's
trying to be a she a learned person so
some Muslims can get a better idea and
now we want to we want to move along and
ask you what was it like being in
seminary studying about Christianity and
then feeling yourself moving towards
Islam it was challenging
um it was very emotional um but it was
also insightful and
ultimately in retrospect and and towards
the end um when I made the the shift um
and I took my shahada it was actually a
gift um there were many points um when I
was asking Allah I was asking God I was
saying you know I feel myself moving
towards Islam I feel this in my heart I
feel this in my soul and yet I've spent
the last three and a half years in
seminary so what was the point of all of
this you know what was the point of
having this education what was the point
of trying so hard for this one path and
then finding myself here near the
end moving towards a completely I mean
at the time I was thinking completely
different direction um but it was really
really difficult
um I you know my for a while my mind was
just was just racing I was um some of
the moments were really really
fascinating um I mean just in in my
brain like trying to wrestle this
Christian theology while I'm learning
about Islam and um Christian theology
just okay father son Holy Ghost Trinity
and the atonement those are the main
things someone dying for your sins
exactly exactly um so I'm I'm wrestling
with these and I'm at the same time that
I'm learning about Islam and
um you know just making a lot of
comparisons I'm as I had mentioned and I
hope people will listen to the the
previous interview but you know I was
practicing um I was practicing Salah I
was beginning to learn about that that's
the prayer form for Islam and I was um I
had fasted during Ramadan and I was
still read reading the Quran and so
there there was a point where I realized
this was more than about me wanting to
learn that I was actually challenged to
the degree and and beginning to really
love Islam to the degree that I wasn't
going to be able to just turn back I
wasn't going to be able to just shut
things off and continue on um and that
was when it became a real challenge um a
real challenge for me as
in how do I talk to this about how do I
talk to people about this because will
they try to you know change my mind or
will they you know what what will this
ENT
because um it was there was a point a
clear point where I realized that it was
more than just studying for me that it
was something I wasn't going to be able
to just set on the side while I continue
on and become an elder or something that
I really wasn't going to just be able to
leave it
alone and so now where most of the
people in your class I mean were they
aware of this transition where they
starting to see certain signs that you
were undergo going why you learning
about Islam I mean people knew that I
was I was doing Interfaith studies they
knew that I had an interest in learning
about Islam and and I was being more
vocal about that but I was spending a
little less time on campus and I was
spending less time um doing some of the
things that I had typically done of
course I had made the decision that in
my last year Seminary I wasn't going to
um be as overcommitted as I had been in
the past I had had been really active in
in leadership in a lot of ways and I had
made the decision that for my last year
I I would kind of step back on some of
those things anyway and let some of the
younger or or some of the newer students
you know kind of take the Reigns and so
um it was it was a natural sort of
decision for me to do that but at the
same time um you know I since I wasn't
as active um on campus within the
community um you know some of my
acquaintances were less aware of this um
process but my closest friends were Ware
of these things um but one thing that
was really fascinating and and this to
me ultimately was I was a real gift but
I was studying one of my final classes
that I had to take was um centered
specifically on the theology um and the
and the person who really headed up my
denomination which was John Wesley and I
was having to read his sermons from the
you know the SE the 18th century these
18th century sermons and out outline
them and then at the end of the course
um I had to recap his theology using his
sermons and this actually I mean I
believe this was a gift from Allah
because it was right at the time that I
had also made the decision to accept
Islam and I had accepted it in my heart
but I was able to look I mean like had
it right in front of me clear plain as
day the theology that I had been
learning my whole life um being a United
Methodist and
I didn't I I felt assurance that I was
making the right decision I felt
um I had to outline this theology I had
to look at it Square in the eyes and
when I say this theology I'm talking
about Christian theology um that is god-
centered but also Christ centered and um
I was able to look at it with new eyes I
was able to look at it and say you know
if if I was looking at Jesus as a
prophet all of this would I mean much of
this not the salvific part the atonement
as you mentioned would not be be
applicable but the rest of it would be
and it was right in line with what I was
learning about Islam um I was I was
looking at the core of of all of this
and I was seeing that that that Faith
repentance Good Deeds intention um
belief within the heart is what matters
I mean these were these were also core
at what I was reading in these sermons
but the difference was seeing Jesus
Christ as God which I had come by that
point to believe that Muhammad peace be
upon him was a messenger from Allah so I
had to reexamine all of this and and so
it was challenging but but ultimately I
felt it was a real gift to have to be
faced with that challenge um as I made
this decision so I I want to assuage any
fears that someone might have because
you know there's a lot of hype out there
in the media and people think that Islam
is about negative things Islam is about
terrorism and terrifying people and
degrading the women and this is all
false propaganda Islam is the fastest
growing way of life in the world today
accepted by and practiced by over 1.5
billion people in the world Islam is
about protecting life not killing life
Islam is about peace peace acquired by
submitting to the one God and this is
what you wanted to do and I swear to you
I tell you
that if the people are being sincere
with themselves if they want to get
close to God all you were doing and
wanted to do was God's will not your
desires and in the first episode we went
over the Lord's Prayer thy will be done
so this is Islam Islam is about
submitting to not a man to not a woman
but to the creator of man and woman yes
and it cuts out any confusion about God
God is God the Creator is the Creator
and his creation is creation we don't
worship the creation we only worship the
Creator and that's simple and logical
and that's what you wanted to do and
that's what you're doing now
alhamdulillah alhamdulillah someone
might say you know what I'm doing the
same thing no no no hold on we'll take a
pause we'll have to have people uh re
reevaluate if you're worshiping someone
who was a man who walked the Earth who
slept ate went to the bathroom are you
worshiping God or you worshiping his
creation right if something came into
existence it can't be the Creator so
we're worshiping the one who brought
everything into existence and that's
logical and rational so please continue
on now uh we're GNA move along to
another question so you were you're
going to be a minister you were going to
be a Christian Sheik you're going to be
someone who was out there uh preaching
and teaching Christianity and you had
your graduation in a few months good
prospects for work exactly a great
professional and religious support
system everything is set in place but
you chose another path
why it it pretty much boiled down to
honesty um maybe you could say Integrity
as well but I I really didn't feel it
was being honest to continue down this
path I had a lot of support I had a lot
of people encouraging me I mean you know
really seeing a lot of promise and me um
on this path and but I didn't feel it
was fair to them or to myself to um to
go forward with this when I
knew what I was thinking I mean I was
literally saying to myself okay if I can
just hold out until May that's when I
graduate then I can do this it'll be
easier but even that was really
impossible for me um it boiled down to
wanting to be honest with with people
but also honest with God I had come to
accept Islam in my heart I had come to
believe that this was the right path the
path that I wanted to go down I saw
truth in Islam that I that I had never
experienced before and I was I was
longing to embrace it openly I was
Longing To to be able to uh be free to
choose this path and I didn't want to
deceive anyone
including myself and including God and I
just didn't feel it was being honest um
and I had and and so I I began down the
path of trying to um tell the elders I
was speaking of the committee um who was
over me um beginning to tell these
people you know I have I have been
studying Islam I've been doing this to
the degree where it's challenging my
Theology and I'm not going to be able to
continue with this path now at that
point I had hadn't taken my shahada and
so but I needed them to know that this
was this was to the point where I wasn't
going to be able to continue in the same
path and they encouraged me to take my
time they encouraged you know they gave
me a lot of room which was which was
really kind of them but again it was
just something that I couldn't I
couldn't deny I I had to um be honest
with myself and with God that this was
the path I wanted to embrace freely and
I didn't want to deceive anyone
and you know what this is very
courageous of you you're a courageous
person because you'll see a lot of
people and in their life God sends them
the Creator sends them signs you know
you you know about Richard prior I'm G
to share something with you and the
audience everyone knows Richard Pryor
the comedian yes this is just one of
those that we can relate I mean he was a
comedian so he makes jokes but we take
this very seriously in one of his he
said he had a dream Richard prior said
he had a dream he was sick for a long
time and his dream he said he saw the
Lord he saw God he saw what people
attribute God being
Jesus which we say he's not God he's a
mighty messenger of God so anyways he
said he saw God and and and Jesus I mean
he saw Jesus on the cross and Jesus said
come here Richard come a little
closer so Richard came a little Clos he
said a littleit a little bit more closer
he came closer and he said can you help
me down from here yeah so this is in a
in a person's time in his life that he
gets to reflect and think if this is God
if this is the creator how can he let
his creation subdue him like this how
can you get humiliated like this we take
strong exception to this and this just
like you had signs in your life where
you had a chance to think but you could
have went on continuing for the dollar
selling out covering the truth but you
didn't choose to cover the truth many
preachers and teachers they do they see
all these facts coming up the
contradictions and they see that the
God's sending them signs but they turn
away and they continue following their
desires they continue following because
of political pressures because of social
pressures and because of maybe money and
other things and they sell out you
didn't sell out this is amazing you
didn't sell out and you say true to your
creator now you're worshiping the one
God alone and we're sharing because we
care and we want all our sincere
Brothers in humanity to really reflect
about this because this is something
rational and logical worship God
Almighty alone not his creation that's
Islam so moving along when did you take
your shahada shahada that Declaration of
faith that there's no God but God and
Muhammad is his slave servant and
messenger and when you take this you
include Jesus peace be upon Him Abraham
Noah Moses and all the messengers that
God has sent when did you take this
declaration of Faith okay so it was I I
had submitted my my last few papers in
early
January and at as again as I mentioned
at that point I was just really eager to
to become a Muslim I mean to the point
where I mean I was really I mean there
were days where I would just cry because
I felt so sad that I that I had to just
wait um I really wanted to do this and
so one one evening I was chatting online
with my friend masum and as I mentioned
he doesn't live near me and so we were
chatting and I I said I I want to be a
Muslim I know this in my heart I feel it
I've you know I've been experiencing
this for a while and of course he and my
friend n were aware of my studies they
were aware of of these transitions I was
going through and and how this was had
been difficult for me and and he he said
well and I said I say my shahad uh you
know every time I do wo every time I go
to pray I say this and he said well it's
one thing to say but you have to believe
it in your heart and if you believe this
in your heart then you're ready and and
I said yes of course I believe it I've
been I've been believing it and so um
but I I thought that in order to do this
I would need to you know go to um go
into a mosque and do this in front of a
a many people which of course I
eventually did but in the moment I was I
was just eager and I was ready and so my
friend invited me said you can say this
at any time you can say it to Allah um
you don't have to be with anyone if if
if it's your time if you're ready and so
I did and that was in the last part of
January 2010 so just very recently and
then um and so I was of course very
happy but it was it it actually it was
at simultaneously
recognition of the path that I had been
longing to take but also the that I had
made a very clear decision to leave my
other path behind so it was like I felt
this sort of kind of split at the same
time but it was instant and I mean that
that split like I felt almost like a
pain of loss because I knew what I was
giving up um as you mentioned I was I
could have continued down the path of
job security Insurance like all these
things but I would have been deceived
receiving myself and everyone else and
Allah and so I left that path behind and
I embraced Islam and I was so happy in
my heart I was of course crying I was um
overjoyed and after this I um of course
told my friend na she had been out of
the country for a while and she had just
come back and and I called her and I
told her this and alhamdulillah of
course she was very happy for me and so
we began discussing
um going to a Masid and and making my
shahad in public and and all of this we
actually went and met with an imom to
ask him um if we should do this and and
when and where and how do I go about
this because at this point I had never
even been into a MOS you know I'm
studying Islam I'm learning about all
this but some some people think that it
might be a bomb making Factor you didn't
find no bombs or anything in there did
you no not at all not at all and so I
went um the it was the second week of
February or so I went to the Masjid um
nearby where I live and I I just went
there one morning like I I seriously had
a burning inside of me on a Friday to go
to Juma prayer and just tell them I want
to make my shahada I didn't make any
kind of formal Arrangements I just
couldn't let it go um I had never even
been to this particular mosque before
and I knew my friend knew where it was
she hadn't actually been there either so
I just called her and said I need to
make my shahada today I don't know why
but it's just like burning inside of me
that I have to do this and so we drove
to this mosque and we went in
alhamdulillah like I didn't even know if
I made it in time for Juma I just
thought well there will be people there
and I can say it in front of the Imam
and whoever else is is still there but
they had two Juma prayers because they
have so many people we made it in time
for second Juma we walked in right
before it started um I just went up to
one of the brothers and who was the
building manager and I said I I want to
take my shahada today if it's all right
and he said of course sister and so um
so I took my shahada that day and it was
alhamdulillah it was just wonderful and
afterwards I was crying and all of the
sisters were just hugging me and
welcoming me to Islam and it was a it
was a wonderful day it was a very joyous
day in my life the shahada for for
non-muslim not yet Muslim
listeners is when someone accepts the
call to a carer Peace by submitting your
will to the owner of Peace the creator
of the heavens and the Earth and DaNell
you know there's something interesting
this is something that if you were
living during the time of Jesus Christ
peace be upon him there is a verse in
the Bible That's attributed to him it
says this is life
eternal the Christians get the Bible out
now and listen to this this is life
eternal that you may know the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent
are you familiar with this verse yes I
can pinpoint exactly where it is but and
this is isn't this the shahada you're
testifying that there's only the one
true God and the messenger that he sent
is the way the truth and the life you
can't bypass this messenger if you were
living during the time of Jesus Moses
Abraham you had to follow them not
worship worship them because they were
teachers teaching you how to get close
to God how to pray to God how to be a
righteous servant of God how to be that
Pious individual then by letting your
faith be manifest in your actions how
you can attain paradise and this is now
what you were doing the same thing so I
want to assuage any fear you weren't
getting doing something that was not
done at the time of Jesus or Moses you
were doing something that all of the
people did during their Messengers time
and the last and final messenger is the
prophet Muhammad so you took that
shahada yes you did something that's in
your very nature is simple so Mo moving
along to uh one more one more
interesting point we we we're almost out
of time what language did Jesus speak
please tell me down he spoke Aramaic
Aramaic yes now how do you say do you
know how do you say God in
Aramaic I believe it's well it's very
close to Allah um there are many
different H you you can probably help me
with this more sorry is it is it is it
just tell me is it
Allah yes I was going to say it's very
similar there there are so many
different variations of the name for God
from from that region of the world but
they're very similar to Allah which of
course as for those people who use the
term Allah for God know that it means
neither male or female it just means god
there's nothing assigned to it it's not
this is the god of the Muslims or this
is the god of of the Jews or this is the
god of Christians or something like this
it's just a name for God that that is
non-descript there's no gender there's
nothing it's just Allah that's go ahead
sorry go ahead no please it's I was just
going to say it's a common it's a common
name and there are many ancient names
for God that are very similar to this
derivatives of this so in this day and
and age I mean when when people hear
this and they um they want to associate
it with just one religion or something
then they really need to do their
homework because it's an ancient name
that has been around for centuries and
it's it's not just something that Islam
picked up and adopted i' like to bring
this point up because the English
language didn't exist at the time of
Jesus so he didn't call on God by God no
of course not yeah and and in Hebrew I
believe it's El Allah
Allah this is the one creator that we're
talking about not the Sun not the moon
not anything in creation but the one God
the one Creator here o Israel the Lord
thy God is one it's the same message
that's always been not three and one not
five and six none of these is to be
attributed to God one and it stops there
no butts ands ifs after it just stop at
one uniquely one that's the God so tell
us DaNell now what are some of the
reactions of people closest to you when
you begin telling people about this
wonderful experience this wonderful
change in your direction in
life very mixed um the people who have
been closest to me and who have really
walked with me on this journey and when
I say people I'm not just talking about
my my Muslim friends that I've been
closest to but but also my Christian
friends um they were happy for me
actually they um they really embraced me
they those of them who didn't know very
much about Islam are maybe my journey I
mean they've been very open to wanting
to know more um in fact I've had several
people who are acquaintances of mine at
the Seminary um who when I told them I
was Muslim because I've started wearing
my hair covered and so people would ask
me questions and um it's amazing how
many people are like oh I have a family
member who's Muslim and there's a lot of
conflict in my family because people
don't understand and I'd like to learn
more and a lot of my Seminary friends
are are the ones who had the easiest
time with it really because they've
studied they've studied Christianity and
they know they know faith and they know
how difficult it is to know truth I mean
to want the the desire to know truth to
have faith can can you can you can you
can you safely say that some of them are
possibly going through the same
theological struggles Trinity
crucifixion God dying on the cross are
they having some of these issues too yes
of course yeah many of many of them I
would say most most these are people in
the Seminary school that are going that
your colleagues and classmates yes and
most of them struggle um we all struggle
differently um and they may struggle
with just one of those things as opposed
to all three but but yeah I mean it's
impossible not to struggle to struggle
through it I mean that's the one of the
first things they tell us going in is
struggling in fact one of the first
books they asked us to buy um as we went
into class was a class called struggling
with scripture
this is amazing but with God's scripture
with God's revelation the way that God
Almighty sent down I just want to make
this point it's very important we do we
don't disrespect the Bible we believe
that the word of God is in the Bible but
you also have the word of the prophets
word of historians and word of anonymous
authors people we don't even know who
are writing and things that cannot be
attributed to God so these are the
things that people are struggling with
but but when you come to the way that's
been preserved and is authentic and is
not tamper with is tamper proof it can't
be ambiguous it can't be that you're
struggling to figure out what God
Almighty who he is what he wants you to
do the purpose of life it has to be
clear it it has to be that way for me
for every it just got it has to be that
way be that way for everyone I mean it's
just yes I mean it's so confusing and
and when you have that kind of ambiguity
when you have that those questions after
questions it creates a lot of tension it
creates a lot of debate it creates a lot
of division um and so this is these are
other aspects I saw as truth in Islam as
I was reading about it and I was
thinking yeah I mean absolutely when you
when you have people arguing about
atonement when you have people arguing
about salvation when you have people
arguing about Divinity and the
importance all of these things play I
mean within a theology the Christian
theology it is divisive it's very it's
very divisive and it's very confusing
tell tell us now we only have a few more
minutes and we have a few more points we
we have to get in tell us the
blessings of this experience now the way
that you've chosen to live complete
submission to the one Creator not his
creation Islam and the challenges so the
blessings and the challenges please talk
about this quickly well after I accepted
Islam almost immediately it seemed like
doors began to open for me um meaning I
began to to make connections with
Muslims from um from various parts of
the world I began to make connections
with Muslims um you know who had a lot
of influence or at least connections
within the community um and just people
were so receiving so warm hospitable um
I had people you know some of the people
at the Masid who were who would um
provide books for me who would give me
contacts um and and they knew that that
as a as someone who studies um religion
that I was also interested in studying
more about Islam and so I've just been
so blessed to have just
many many blessings from in in this way
I mean contacts um also you I was
talking earlier about the reactions of
people close to me not everyone reacted
as um as easily accepted this including
some members of my family um I've had
some really hurtful things said to me
about my choice to become a Muslim and
but inshallah I've also had um such
support and um warmth both from within
the Muslim Community but also with some
of the people closest to me and I really
um am just grateful to Allah for for
their love for their compassion but also
just
the well I'm most thankful to Allah and
the blessing that I feel is really in my
heart at accepting Islam and knowing
that no one else may know my story other
than me I mean to the deepest depths but
Allah knows and and so I have that in my
heart I mean I really that to me is the
biggest blessing of all and um I love
Allah for for all that he's done for me
and I'm I just I'm going to Contin
continue to trust and and remember
um what he's done and what he's provided
for me and pray inshah that he will
continue to guide my path absolutely
absolutely May the creator of the
heavens and the Earth Allah this is the
same Allah that Jesus prayed to that
created the heavens and the Earth and
when somebody comes and says I mean it's
going to be tough some people they have
misconceptions and that's why we're
doing this program and we're trying to
clear up those misconceptions so hope
your colleagues and family members
everyone can listen to this and when
someone says did you become a Muslim say
well well well if you mean that I become
one who has submitted to the one God
alone do you have an objection to that
don't you love God I love God too so I
want to worship him alone I don't think
anyone can object to that we just have
to Define some words and we just have to
help people because many people are
ignorant but when they start to listen
and they observe us acting according to
the way of God they see that man you
know what I think I want to become a
Muslim too it just makes sense it's
clear it's rational yes absolutely so in
our last couple minutes tell us now you
mention hijab this is the same if you
look at some of the nuns the best of the
best of the Catholics and Christians
Mother Teresa they're all covered up
nobody has an objection to this no what
they have portrayed of Mary the mother
of Jesus she's got a hijab on too yes
this is a modest way of dressing talk to
us we want to clear any misconception
Mis notion that Islam aess the women
obviously you did your homework we only
got 2 minutes left so just talk to us
briefly about what you believe now and
some of the rituals and some of the
things that go on in your daily life
talk to us
please well in my daily life um I have
chosen to wear hijab um this is
something I um I tried to move into
slowly even though I I wanted to just
put it on like the first day but I knew
that it would take some time for my my
friends and family to adjust and and I
knew that I had Allah's support
um to be able to to take things slowly
and so I I did and um but now I wear
hijab um and I do this because in the
Quran in discussing hijab it's it's
really not about oppressing a woman it's
not saying you know cover up because you
shouldn't be seen by anyone because you
know you were the you know the bottom of
the barrel or something like this it's
it's about protecting a woman it's about
protecting a woman's um to me dignity
it's about um you know we as human
beings are attracted to one another we
as human beings have have things about
us that draw one another to each other
and one of those things is our physical
appearance and so really hijab is a way
of of protecting a woman's Beauty um
it's a way of of giving her um the
freedom to be able to to go and to go
places and it's a clear sign that says
um you know I'm covering I I you know
look at me for me um see me for who I am
see me for my intellect for my
personality but but please don't look at
me as an object and I think in today's
society um this is just as relevant As
It Ever Was and Muhammad peace be upon
him in his time and so um you know all
we have to do is look around us and we
see how women are
objectified um and so I think that this
is a really wonderful gift that Allah
has given women and it's a virtue of a
woman um as I mentioned last time men
have virtues men have things that they
are are
mandated on um this is something that
women are also asked to do um but it's a
woman's choice and it's it's a choice
that I've made for myself um I pray each
day I do Salah um I don't always do it
at the exact time though I try um
whenever possible to do this um I I will
be fasting again of course during
Ramadan I try to attend Juma prayer um
whenever possible even though this is
not
mandated for women to do this in the
Quran um it's certainly not um opposed
that we do this and so I try to go to
jum prayer whenever possible um and so
these are some of the basic things I do
throughout my day and I've just I've
just learned to incorporate especially
with Salah we pray five times a day and
so I have learned to incorporate this
into my life I've I've begun slowly and
and I've just tried to think plan ahead
when I'm at work or when I'm going
somewhere to think okay if I can't pray
at this time when will I pray what do I
need to take with me it's really simple
adjustments and I think Muslims and and
maybe those people considering Islam
need to remember that you know Allah
wants us to try if Our intention is
always to continue to improve ourselves
always to try and try and try then as
long as we are trying to attain this if
we're not perfect you know Allah's still
going to to love us I mean that's not a
condition of of love for us from our
creator thanks be to God and so I just
really want to encourage people out
there who might be listening that you
know if maybe if you're not praying now
or or something like this or maybe
you're not wearing hijab or or maybe as
a man um you know there are some things
that you have felt lack on that you know
you could improve I mean just take it
one thing at a time and and just keep
trying to improve those aspects of
yourself and and the reward will be
great just remember that inshallah tell
us for the audience now we just just a
couple more things Allah you mentioned
love did you find that Allah is the most
loving and the most merciful I always
knew Allah was the most loving and most
merciful and I never stopped believing
this I never stopped believing this
repentance when you make a mistake how
do you repent now what do you
do I ask for Allah's Mercy I ask for
Allah's forgiveness in my life and and
help because when we repent for sins um
you know sometimes it's Moment by moment
but sometimes it's something that maybe
we have done um most of our life and so
you know repentance is not just about I
mean it is about in the moment it is
asking for Allah's Mercy but it's also
asking for Allah's help so that we're
always striving to improve we're always
striving to change you can take the
person who has the most Golden Heart who
has the most quote Flawless life when it
comes to sin but that person is still
still
subject to sin I mean all of us can
stray all of us can be led away and so
so with repentance to Allah it's it's a
way of of asking God you know I need you
I need your help in my life I know that
I am not a perfect human being so please
forgive me you know please grant me your
mercy but help me as I continue to to
better myself and help me not to sin in
this way again or or help me change this
part of my life so Allah is there for us
it's the repentance component is when we
are turning to Allah and we're saying I
know I need your help with this so
please help me and Allah loves us and
Allah is always there it's just in
Repentance returning to Allah and saying
I need you and no no middle persons now
you don't have to go through anybody
just God Almighty Allah alone no one in
the middle right that's that's beautiful
tell us what are your future goals and
plans and ambition
now that's a good
question well you know I I love religion
I love um obviously I love studying um
about Allah I love studying about God
our creator of the heavens and the Earth
and I really care and love people and so
you know as a pastor I had I had planned
to work as a leader in the um and in a
church working with people um I also did
a lot of organizing and Leadership um
you know of a variety of things and so
essentially you know when I left that
path to to go down the path of Islam I
also left this vocational path behind
and so in a sense I I am a baby in Islam
I'm learning about this religion but I'm
also beginning again in many ways
including my vocation so at this point
I'm I'm looking for work I'm looking for
a job I'm I'm praying to Allah you know
show me um the path that you would have
me go you know help me
um help me share my Dean but also help
me um you know find a new career find a
new career path so that's that's one of
my biggest challenges right now and I
trust Allah um to help me with this and
and I pray inshallah that that some
opportunities will come along that will
also help me pay my bills so if any of
the the organizations or anybody would
like to call you out to discuss uh or or
they have some ideas for for job
prospects you wouldn't mind if they they
contacted us and we can pass along the
information to you oh I that would be
absolutely wonderful alhamdulillah I
would I would appreciate that very much
and I'm very open for suggestions so
yeah let's hear the suggestions if
anybody has some go ahead and contact us
we can pass it along to our sister
Donell but most importantly let's make
Dua for our sister that the creator of
the heavens and earth strengthen her
strengthen her and the dean and continue
to bless her and her with his mercy and
with that said thank you very much
sister we will look forward to inshallah
calling you back so we can talk about
some other topics here on the dean show
if you don't mind inshah I would it
would be my pleasure I would love to do
that thank you great great God willing
we'll see you next time here on the dean
show until then peace be unto you
assalam alaikum wum Salam peace be unto
you as well
FR holy
[Music]
FR feel holy peace