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the dean show peace be with you asalam
alikum welcome to the dean show we're
here at the mass Ika convention now have
you ever had some doubts creep into your
mind and you can't get them out maybe
you've taken a philosophy class 101
you're at the University and now the
professor has planted a seed and now
it's growing and you got some doubts
about your Dean my next guest is here to
help you because that's what he does he
goes out and he talks to people talks to
the adults the youth to help dispel
those doubts to help you get back
inshallah God willing to be having
firmness on your Dean with my next guest
here on the de show when we come back
don't go anywhere this
the this this is the
the this is
the this is the is
the
the this is
the this is the this is
the this is
the
the the
how are you brother aldah shattering
doubts yes that's what you like to do I
love it it's my passion explain this
when we say shattering doubts what are
you trying what are we trying to achieve
here well you know sometimes when we
talk about Ean about our faith and
belief we act like we're building in a
vacuum like it's just us and if we learn
it it's going to stay there but in
reality a prophet the prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wasallam says that
teaches us that Iman goes up and down he
says it wears out like clothes wear from
use and so shattering the doubts is
about recognizing that we're all part of
the fabric of this Society Multicultural
Society multi-religious and we're being
bombarded with ideas from everywhere
that we we love that and there's a lot
of good we live in that but that also is
a challenge to our faith identity it's
about embracing the fact that we're
going to have questions we're going to
have struggles and we should be ready
with the approaches on how to deal with
that so we can keep our faith identity
intact how do you deal with this you
know the uh Muslim goes out or just the
average human being and he sees she sees
a bus ad and says I don't know if you've
seen this says there's probably no God
so stop worrying about and have a good
time have you seen these bus ads yeah
yeah and now now you know we're
creatures of imitation now you got five
in the bunch you know and you're the
only Muslim and now the other four
people are like hey maybe that's right
let's go to the bar and have a drink
yeah how do you deal with this Subhan
Allah you
know sometimes we deal we react with
that our natural reaction can be one of
fear right that this I'm I'm worried
because that's going to tear up out my
part my faith and I don't like to look
at it like that I like to recognize the
opportunity that you know what Allah
subh says in the
Quran those that that work and struggle
and go out and and try to find Faith try
to be solid Muslims Allah increases them
in faith so for me living with these
challenges is an opportunity to embrace
the fact that you know what I'm not
perfect and I was never meant to be when
I hit with these ideas that's that's a
new opportunity to revisit what am I
about what does it really mean to be
Muslim and what's the foundations of my
faith because you know let me tell you
brother Eddie the person that struggles
and sweats and asks and works hard
there's a way to do that so you got to
do that in a way that doesn't tear your
yourself apart but if you know how to do
that at the end of that struggle you
will taste a sweetness of faith that
somebody that didn't struggle could
never touch because Allah is just if
you're working for it Allah subh
wouldn't give something to someone else
on a silver platter that you worked
really hard to find and I think that's
that's the Forgotten Legacy of our
companions how about when you go into
the land of creat a doubt into some of
the universities right where there is
everything is about you know questioning
now that and God is excluded from
everything and it's really like the
professor's philosophy just you know
debate everything argue everything and
now you get into one of these classroom
and and a doubt is building up right
what do you um what advice do you have
for the University students that are
going through this you know a lot of
people want to have the freedom to
question and ask and explore and I think
to be fair that's a shortcoming on our
part as a Muslim Community we've made it
taboo to question and so I tell people
when you have questions we need to
re-embrace our Legacy that it's okay to
have a doubt to have a question as long
as you pursue that the right way you
know no one would take a kid and throw
him into the ocean if they don't know
how to swim and similar we shouldn't
throw ourselves into the oceans of
philosophy and debate and so if we don't
know what are we built on and how do we
navigate this and how do I question in a
way that doesn't tear my faith apart but
to look down on questioning itself to
look down on that as if a question
itself is going to tear AP out my f i
see no backing for that in the religion
in fact the prophet wasam he was
approached by two men that had some
awful doubt I say awful because you know
in the narration the narrator didn't
tell us what their question was they
said oh messenger of Allah we find in
our hearts that which is too awful to
mention you imagine the guts to have a
question about religion and go to the
messenger of God and say something's not
right like we don't understand something
the prophet wasallam you know if
unfortunately if we stereotype like we
would think a lot of religious people
today would beat up on those Brothers
right Prophet wasam that wasn't his
reaction he
said is this do you really find it he
said yes he
said this is true
faith I wonder about that Hadith I think
part of what the prophet Sall wasallam
praised was that when they had a
question they didn't post it to 500
Facebook friends none of whom are
specialized in that area none of them
have studied the dean and help them out
they went to somebody that could Empower
them but I think he also praise them for
that struggle the courage to to look in
the mirror and understand you know I
have shortcomings and challenges and I
can face myself and and and ask those
questions mallah you guys having fun yet
we're going to be right back with more
here on the dean show don't go anywhere
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below back here on the D show with
Muhammad and your last name is AB some
people are like okay you know Eddie look
you didn't even tell us who this guy is
he's saying some great stuff tell us a
little about yourself
sure you know I I um I tell people I was
born to Muslim parents but I consider
myself a convert you know alhamdulillah
my family we we prayed we fasted but we
didn't really know what the Deen was
about and when I was a teenager I
started to get really interested in
learning more about religion seeing what
people makes people take and I started
to read the Quran and other Sacred
Scriptures of other religions and
eventually i' start to memorize the
Quran and I loved you know religious
studies but especially studying Islam
and the Quran on the other hand I love
science I remember in third grade I did
an experiment and I was just hooked I
love the scientific method and my whole
life people were were making me feel
like I was going to be torn in two
pieces I remember you know one person
said the only way I keep my religion and
my science straight keep religion on one
half and and science on the other I
remember going to the Masjid and feeling
out of place like people didn't
appreciate my love for academics then I
turn around and go to school and I
remember one teacher he said Muhammad
come back here when you're 18 you're too
smart to believe in God so for him
religion was just a temporary thing
that's the professor now that's what he
said you're too smart to believe in God
told me you're too smart to believe in
God he figured when I grow up get older
come back I'll be an atheist M so you
know for a long time I was trying to
find myself and I think we have to
embrace that you know Scholars say the
worst deception is a deception of a
saint to think you're something special
and you're not we're all just we're
struggling trying to find our way but
alhamdulillah over time you know I
eventually went to MIT did my my
doctorate in engineering continued to
memorize the Quran and study Islam and I
I love being at that line in between
loving my Islam but loving also my
profession I work professionally as an
engineer and and seeing the beauty uh of
each in the other tell us now Muhammad
look when when you have a firm grounding
in the basic fundamentals of Islam right
you know the toed the pure monotheism
right you have a sound belief system
it's it's it's you you know it it's
grounded now and you know what you're
saying in the prayer you know like many
children they grow up let's say their
parents they teach them how to pray they
say allahar and you ask them what does
that mean God is they don't know they
don't know that means it means Allah the
Creator is the greatest right then they
put their heads down on the ground
they've been doing it for 10 15 years
say sub glory be to my Lord the most
high you ask him look when when I say it
I get excited but now maybe the the kid
University student he's been praying he
don't even know what that means let him
know what means let him know the
attributes of Allah now are you setting
yourself up for failure when that
Professor tells you there's no God
you're not even really you're praying
just through the mechanics but the heart
it's really not connected how important
is this you know I can't emphasize
enough brother Eddie what you just said
that's really and you know as Muslims we
have to bring the issue back to Allah
subh like it's become common place that
when somebody gets religious the first
thing is they're drowning in branch
matters of and differences among the
scholars and we forget was that the
compan how the companions built their IM
did they start studying all the
differences and fights and issues they
started with Allah subhana wa tala you
know I'm one of the people that I'm I'm
dying to meet if Allah blesses me to go
to in Jenna I I really want to meet Abu
Bakr and with all respect to Abu Bak one
of the things I love about his story is
you know when he accepted Islam I can
say with confidence he knew less about
Islam than anybody watching this program
I'm not disrespecting him but even much
of the Quran hadn't been revealed but
the prophet wasam says about him you
know his his Ean is like the whole um
it's it's it's heavier but he says Abu
Bakr didn't you know uh proceed you get
better than you by just lots of praying
and and worship but it was something
that settled in his heart so we have to
go back to the basics you know
understand what we're saying in pray
understand who is Allah what are his
attributes how did he describe himself
what does he want from me you know and
we come when we come back to those
Basics we become grounded there's a big
difference when when your Iman when your
faith is built on glass so every
question that passes by can shatter the
whole thing I'm fragile so the next
billboard the next horrible thing that
happens on the news I'm finding my
prayers affected I'm finding my
relationship with Allah affected but
when you have that grounding it's not
that you don't question it's not that
you don't get challenged we all get
challenged but when we challenge we
don't get we don't take a nose dive
because we've got we've got that
grounding you know when we don't have it
it's like we're looking at the world
through a pinhole and when we do have it
the whole world falls into place because
it starts and it ends and it's all
Guided by Allah subhah wa tala amazing
we're going to take another break very
exciting episode of the dean show
because this is something prevalent now
absolutely Shan is working to create
those doubts and if we set ourselves up
for failure not being equipped with the
knowledge and a connection to our
creator we're we're bound to fail so
we're going to be helping you guys to be
firm in with some great advice when we
come back here in the dean show don't go
anywhere please subscribe to the dean
show follow us on our official Facebook
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by making a donation in the link
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below back here on the dean show and
we're shattering the doubts now you see
a individual now let's contrast this
back to what I was saying about not
being grounded in the fundamentals the
basics of Islam and you have let's say
this testimonial of a Christian he was
like a Muslim Imam or whatever and and
you like you you start to be doubtful
you like how could someone leave Islam
you know what I mean and then you're
like you know listening to their story
and okay and you're listening or you're
talking to someone and usually the the
lipus test you I ask the person I say oh
yeah okay uh can you tell me uh you know
the FAA you were supposed to be reciting
it if you were praying can you uh uh
Define it for me what does it mean and
the person a he can't recite the AL fa
and B he doesn't know the meaning right
so right there you'll see that either
this is just you know someone making up
a story or that person never knew Islam
in the first place because you begin
look with the opening chapter of the
Quran for the prayer you don't know what
it means you follow me and that goes
back to what I'm saying what we were
just talking about really knowing what
you're saying knowing why you believe in
what you believe and questioning right
with the with the anti patient to get to
know the answers humbly question not
arrogantly right abut so have you seen
some of these people that are out there
saying that they you know they they've
uh you watch some of these videos or
some people or you maybe you met someone
who now they say they were Muslim and
then they left Islam but then had really
no none of the fundamentals no no no
ground in the fundamentals yeah it's
it's such a challenge today right
because all you have to do is turn turn
on the news right yeah and Islam and
Muslims are going to be painted in a way
that makes them look backwards and awful
I tell you if they were the way that
they're stereotyped to be none of us
would want to be within 100 yards of one
right so it's a challenge
because you know we're constantly
bombarded with these images with these
pictures that make Islam and Muslims
Look Backwards but I made a decision
when I was younger I made a decision
that that my heart my mind my life are
too valuable for me to do the wrong
thing because somebody out there even if
they look religious
even if they if they have that long
beard or this look or whatever that
they're going to define a stand for I
knew that I want to meet Allah subhana
wa tala you know having made a principal
decision myself and I think one of the
big problems we have you know with these
things is that we sit around the coffee
table and we feel powerless because that
that video is out there affecting people
and or or that horrible thing happened
thousands of miles away and look it
hurts our hearts and it's a big issue
but what I'd encourage you know our
viewers and myself and yourself to do is
don't feel powerless go out and and know
that Allah's going to ask you about
yourself and those you touch counter
that narrative in the small ways that
you can right put a good example for
yourself for your family for your
neighbors and leave the rest to Allah
subhana wa tala but if I can't guard my
heart and mind if I can't make decisions
about that fundamentals based on what's
right and wrong but just what other
people are doing that then I'm just
going to be with whatever click whatever
is going on in the moment and that's not
how we should live our tools what what
tools now you know when you go out into
a battle right you have the proper tools
you want to defend yourself you take a
martial art you got the tools equipped
to go ahead and defend yourself and any
life threatening situation nowadays you
know everything is trying to suck the
Iman out of you right Shan there's this
you know invitation to everything that's
immoral promiscuous you know so many bad
things out there how do you Qui what
what advice do you give for people to
equip themselves with the tools to be
able to fight off all of this these
negativities and The Temptations Etc you
know I'll share with you the number one
tool that I've experienced firstand has
help helped a lot of people now I
remember meeting a a wonderful young
brother but he was he was struggling
with a lot of questions and I remember
as we were chatting it it was such a
challenge to even answer them because we
would get partway through one question
and his mind would pull in another one
and then I saw this and then this
happened and that happened over see this
was really overwhelming the brother and
so the tool we brought into that
situation is a tool that I call the
parking lot what he did is open your
favorite program your notes program on
your phone Google doc even a sheet of
paper and embrace that it's okay that I
don't understand everything I I I have
the courage to face myself just just
park what's bothering you what's on your
mind almost like a d just put them all
down and I remember that that brother he
had been spending 8 years on some of
these questions he asked the big imams
the YouTube personalities 8 years there
were no questions that came off that
list only more that came on
alhamdulillah by the mercy of Allah
alone after he put down that parking lot
he parked 46 questions on that list but
what changed the questions didn't change
but something alhamdulillah changed in
his heart and mind he went from being
led around by his questions to him being
in control all right how am I going to
build my IM how am I going to go about
this and he had just one rule he said I
only deal with one question at a time
that's what I told him brother that most
important one put it at the top
everything else it'll be waiting for you
when you come back well brother Eddie
you know incredibly humbling experience
in 2 weeks he had knocked off a third of
his questions and he hadn't been able to
do that for8 years before so I'd really
share with myself with all of us you
know use that parking lot but when then
you go after that question you have to
go after it with with with sound
Scholars with people that that talk the
talk and walk the walk people that
really um you know show Islam and its
true colors and can help you navigate
those Waters as you build and develop
your email how important would you say
is it is the sincerity in the question
because you can be asking questions and
the creater knows what's in your heart
if if you're now playing games or you
sincerely want to know and now you're
humbly coming to ask with the intention
that now you want to learn more about
your creator you're not just looking for
a loophole in the law to go ahead and
maybe have this you know uh be a means
for you to go ahead and go out and
follow your desires so now you you find
something that doesn't fit with you
right you're not sincere and then you
know Allah let you go to wherever you
want to go because now the intention
wasn't right so how how important is
this you know without sincerity um we
can ask but that asking is not going to
take us a good place we believe as
Muslims that that sincerity is so
important and you know I'm reminded of a
verse in the Quran and it talks about
you know that some things are clear and
other things have differences upon but
it's Allah speaking right so he says
something incredible because Allah knows
our intentions right we just judge
actions but Allah speaks about what's in
the heart he
says those that literally it means in
their hearts
they know they should go this one but
they want to go around that's the
linguistic meaning it's like a lack of
sincerity it
says it says they go
after issues of difference confusing
things issues where there's multiple
opinions but he says why looking for FNA
looking for problems and looking for
far-fetched interpretations that's what
I'm talking about see so Allah tells you
you a you can fool me you can fool the
sh but you can't fool Allah and he
says None that know its true meaning
except Allah but then Allah continues
about what we should do that we should
you know seek with sincerity and by the
way we don't question for fun in Islam
we question to change ourselves
understand that when we question we take
a responsibility on ourselves that when
I get that answer when I get closer I'm
not questioning for fun I'm questioning
because I want to be a better person cuz
I know at the end of the day I'm going
to answer for what I did before Allah so
in Islam it's not we got a few minutes
left so it's right that in Islam you
know there's no problem with asking
questions sincerely it's not just about
blindly you know uh people really love
Islam because there's evidence there's
proof to back up why we believe that
this Quran is from the Creator why the
prophet Muhammad is indeed a messenger
from God so we don't shy away from from
these questions right absolutely not you
know I love the verse in the
Quran has the the foundation and Allah
says fa go work to know that this is
true you see imen for us is not a magic
trick it takes investment it takes hard
work and then Allah subhana T blesses
you but you got to start you got to want
it and so absolutely it's okay to
question but question within within you
know with a system knowing that
ultimately this is taking a and and one
you know quick piece of advice that I
would just share is that I think one of
the the worst things for ouren today is
is a website crazy.com look it's not a
real website but it's a phenomenon right
that people are discrediting the dean
because you know we post questions and
then anybody posts anything on the
internet to discredit it like you know
this is just a Haj this is nothing so
when when we question we really look to
those of of understanding of education
and of character of character because
that sincerity is so important questions
don't go away by Wishful things
they don't go away by Magic they go away
by learning by discipline by intention
and by hard work thank you very much
it's a pleasure being with us pleasure
having you wonderful to be with you and
wonderful to be with our audience peace
and thank you for tuning in to the dean
show and I hope you got to benefit
sincerity the right intention and
sincerely asking the one who created you
to guide you and any time that you have
some doubts he right there stop and drop
as a Muslim you know that now you have
this direct dialup connection with the
one who made you that's right and then
obviously ask those questions sincerely
and inshallah God willing Allah will
facilitate a way that those doubts can
be erased subscribe if you haven't
already and tune in every week to the
dean show until then peace be with you
please subscribe to the dean show follow
us on our official Facebook and Twitter
pages in The Links below please also
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donation in the link below