[Music]
the dean show peace be with you I'm your
host welcome to the dean show exciting
exciting it's that time of the week that
you get to put everything off and sit
down and enjoy the dean show another
exciting show my next guest 10 years he
spent investigating researching because
at a young age he started searching for
the truth yes and
he saw the inconsistencies the
contradictions in the way of life that
he was living that he was brought up in
and it just didn't fit didn't make sense
and then he found this Dean and he tried
hard he didn't want to believe that it
was the truth he didn't but now he's
here on the dean show today today
because he found out that it really is
and we really want to benefit from him
story and I'm sure you do too so don't
go anywhere we're going to be right back
with Brent here on the dean show don't
go anywhere this is the dean
the this is the
the this is
the this is the is
the
the this is the
show this is the de this is the de
[Music]
welcome back to the dean show peace be
with you how are you salam alaikum very
well thank you how are you good good
thank God how's everything Brent it's
very good very good good to have you on
the dean show it's pleasure to be here
now uh I I opened up the show and I just
gave them a little bit of a taste test I
talked about you 10 years at a young age
you know many young men they're really
not searching for the truth but you were
what really inspired you at a young age
to really start this
journey well I have been kind of
fascinated with like religion and faith
and like existence and being for like
most of my adult life and just from a
very young age like I just you know I
would read like The Bible read the you
know the gospels or the parts of the New
Testament and it just didn't make sense
with what my grandparents or my parents
were telling me and it just there was
just so many questions I had and not
enough answers and so I spent like the
better part of 10 years or so just you
know researching like you know Buddhism
and you know I would you know read
about you know Confucianism or like
different parts of Christianity or
Catholicism or and I finally stumbled
upon Islam and it just you know I I I
have friends that were Muslim that were
you know Persian and they just you know
would say oh well you know we can
certainly help you in this journey and
they would give me books to read and I
it just kept reading and reading and
reading and reading and it just started
making more and more and more sense and
you know I guess it's just kind of
culminated in you know where I am right
now so I've been you know I guess
unofficially practicing for a few years
now just didn't take shahada until
earlier this year so unofficially but
officially you started to you ended up
taking the shahada you ended up uh
accepting this way of life how long ago
uh in the JY January beginning of
February very recently very recently y
yeah so it's really new to you now still
but but you you have a lot 10 years you
were studying Islam unofficially you you
would consider yourself Muslim
unofficially yeah I mean I like I I
fasted during I've been fasting for
Ramadan for the last like probably five
years I you know dietary restrictions
I've always held those and I've you know
I I I've just I I've greatly admired the
way of life and I greatly admired like
the discipline and the and the you know
the the love and that I feel when like
I'm around other Muslims so it just you
know that last step that I didn't want
to take not even didn't want to I just
didn't feel like I was like emotionally
or you know mature or like like
spiritually mature enough to like take
the next step and finally I just said
you know what I don't think that really
matters at this point it's just kind of
the right thing to do so I just went
ahead and finally took the step did
something in a lifechanging experience a
near-death experience because many
people are just caught up with life and
you know the uh guy's just cruising down
LA with a dog on his lap listening to
Tupac bling bling and he's just you know
he's not thinking about truth searching
for the truth money that's all it's on
the mind right right it's kind of uh
really surprising when you see someone
that's excited about really wanting to
know the purpose of life like you were
seeking to know what did something
happen well the culmination of a couple
of things I was in the military for 10
years well nearly 10 years and uh just
seeing what I saw while employed and
doing you know meeting different people
and just seeing like people under like
you know the most extreme hardships and
like just under you know the this this
tyrannical Rule and and like just
without running water and no food and
like no schools like no basic human
Necessities but they still clung to
their faith you know like very very
strongly clung to their faith and you
know I was it just amazed me I was like
that's incredible like I've never met
anyone like this and it wasn't just like
an isolated incident it wasn't just like
meeting one guy who just happened to be
very Pious it was like categorically
like almost ubiquitous that every person
I would meet would was just like well
you know we don't have running water and
I can't send my kids to school but you
know thank God I have you know like food
to feed my family this evening and or
thank God I have like this small thing
or that small thing and it just it made
me wonder like you know that kind of
Faith Like that's something you know I
want to I want some of that you know I
want to get involved in that and uh
that's kind of what like really made me
sit down and like start questioning like
okay this is something that I really
want to like look into that I really
want to you know think about and then
about two years ago well not about a
year and a half ago I guess um I lost my
son uh to Sid sudden infant death
syndrome and the experience of just
being in with him in the hospital and
kind of watching him you know fade away
it just it
really showed me how fragile life is and
how like very precious it is and it just
made me just kind of take a step back
and say like I really need to get myself
straight so yeah how long ago was this
uh October 14th 2013 he passed recently
how old was he two months old two months
old yeah yeah may may God Almighty Allah
U reunite you with your son insh in
Jenna um so tell
us this is amazing because you'll see a
lot of people complain about not having
enough jeans shoes in the closet right
don't have the latest iPhone the gadgets
but you're saying you're seeing people
in the other end of the spectrum the
world and they don't have running water
right but they're saying thank God yeah
thank God that you know I have
like a pair of sandals you know thank
God that like I have something to keep
me out of the Sun and there was one
instance I the unit that I was in was in
charge of detainees and uh some of which
were like you know probably very
dangerous people but others were Persons
of Interest and I ended up having to
guard one said Person of Interest and
the only thing they were allowed to have
was a bottle of water a Quran and uh you
know very basic food and just watching
you know the faith that he maintained
through that like and and knowing that
like that's kind of how you know under
even those extreme conditions that he
could still maintain that level of
commitment and dedication it just it
made me really kind of step back and
question a lot of things we're going to
go back we're going to go back a little
bit then forward to get to where you are
today on this exciting treat of a story
it's Ramadan now officially you were F
but this is like your first for real for
real Ramadan so it's a treat brought to
you here by the dean show don't go
anywhere with this exciting story we'll
be right back there are many
similarities between the historical
reference of Christianity and Islam many
people are amazed to find out that
according to Muslim belief Jesus is one
of the greatest messengers of God one
cannot be a Muslim without believing the
Virgin birth and the many miracles of
Jesus Christ Jesus is also mentioned in
many verses of the Quran and is often
used as an example of good virtue and
character however the main difference
between Christianity and Islam is that
the Muslims do not believe that Jesus
was God please subscribe to the dean
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and Twitter pages in The Links below
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by making a donation in the link
[Music]
below back here on the dean show with
Brett and we're talking about your story
so people out there they can you know
there's a lot of misconceptions you know
people right now some people might be
tuning in maybe they're F lot Islam is
the fast according to the Guinness book
of Ro records is the fastest growing way
of life in the world it makes sense and
people are coming to Islam because
they're investigating it seeing that it
makes sense and when you started to
investigate it did you see past a lot of
the false media hype propaganda and yeah
did it make sense it does um you just
you can't really believe what you hear
in the media it just anything to make a
headline and that I've never really been
invested in you know what's being
spoonfed so I just you know I've always
been kind of the person to research it
myself and you know find out the truth
for myself and that's really what I did
I mean ever since you know the
unfortunate events that happened in 2001
you know Islam unfortunately has been
this Boogeyman where you know that's and
it's portrayed that way in the media and
it just I never really am one to take
things at face value so I you know I
said well let me see what this is all
about let me see what you know is really
going on here like why are people so
afraid why why all this you know concern
and whatever so I you know just
obviously started to read like the Quran
and started to read just you know
different books different like histories
different just different things and um I
just very quickly realized that you know
not only is the media wrong but they're
like completely off the target you know
they're completely off the mark and I
just thought that was you know very
fascinating seeing how completely wrong
everything was and you know slowly but
surely starting to like learn the truth
and learn how it really is and how like
how much just how peaceful the religion
is and how wonderful the community is
and it just it was lifechanging yeah
amazing tell us when we go back you
mentioned you were brought up in a
Protestant family yep and you saw many
of the inconsistencies you had mentioned
the contradictions what do you mean by
that uh well like there's something
about the Trinity especially that always
bothered me like I just
didn't I guess the biggest thing is like
the the like thinking about God thinking
about Allah it's I think it's lost on a
lot of people like what is meant when
you say that it's it's the creator of
the cosmos this is the creator of the
universe and that's that's incredible
that's enormous and that's so much space
you know that's a lot and I feel I just
felt like that was like kind of just
flippant like thrown about like talked
about and without any like reverence or
respect and it's like why would the
creator of the cosmos have a son you
know it just didn't make sense to me or
like why would you know the creator of
the entire world the creator of the
universe like like he's not like there's
only one you know why would there why is
there like you know a father a son and a
Holy Spirit you know there's there's one
God you know that's well to me anyway
and that's you know kind of what I tried
to find out is like why they thought
this way and why they felt this way and
it just it just didn't make sense to me
and you know in Islam it was you know
made very clear that you know there's
there's one God there's nothing equal to
God God has no son no equal and that
just that just made sense to me that
seemed very logical so how about this
part where the belief that someone Jesus
who we love and rever is one of the
greatest Messengers that was sent
calling people not to worship Him
obviously calling people to worship the
Creator God Almighty but now people say
look that he died that he was crucified
out of his love God sent him to die for
your sins this is another basic belief
what did you think about this I just
didn't believe it you know I just I
mean it just it just seemed very
inconsistent with with the rest of the
belief system you know if if you're
going to equate God With Jesus and you
think Jesus Is God but he's also the
Holy Spirit and like a god in three
persons and you know I'm not as eloquent
as most people and I can't explain it as
well as you know other Scholars may be
able to but it just it just didn't make
sense like if if if you're going to tell
me God had a son why would he let that
son die you know and it it just didn't I
just didn't feel like that
was something that An Almighty and all
powerful God ACC you know would do and
you know I just think about like what
Islam teaches about Jesus and you know
how you know he was such a wise man and
a great prophet and like this you know
the the way he taught the through his
the actions that he did the things we
can know about him like historically and
the things that we know about him from
like the Quran and the injil it just
like the complete revolutionary fervor
and like the the amazing person that he
was I just feel like is like completely
lost on mainstream Christianity you know
MH so you really did your homework I
mean 10 years you're so you did go back
to the Protestant also B Baptist you
looked at the different denominations
well I was born as a Baptist and you
know I I you know researched all manner
and form of the Protestant Faith you
know from you know Baptist uh I mean
Unitarian it's not you know necessarily
Baptist but it's still a Protestant
Faith you know and uh just different
kinds of different Manner and form of of
of protestantism or that that branch of
you know Christianity and it just you
know it just it just didn't make any it
just didn't make sense you know it just
so many inconsistencies and so many like
contradictions and you know
just it just didn't speak to me the way
that Islam did like Islam encourages you
to ask questions it encourages you to to
to think and be critical and and not
only does it do that but it also tells
you like okay well that's that's great
let's if you have a question let's talk
about that let's figure it out let's sit
down and think about why you think this
and you know we'll we'll figure it out
and I think that's beautiful I think
that's amazing that like not only is
questions encouraged but it's like you
know that's that's it's a great dialogue
to have let's let's figure it out let's
make things better for everyone you know
instead of like well it's this way
because that's the way it's always been
and that's the way it is you yeah many
people don't know we have actually more
in common and we never try to bash on
Christianity or anything but Islam calls
us to
reason have a dialogue a nice
conversation back and forth and when
people see like you know many people
don't know that we can go to the
Hellfire if we don't believe and love
Jesus right right but he never said he
was God right did you ever see that in
any version of the Bible that you read
that he clearly said I am God worship me
if you don't believe in me you're going
to the Hellfire no you don't find it you
don't find it yeah no but when we ask
Christian we say Do you believe he was
God and many many of them because it's
in their nature now to reject a human
being being his God when you ask him do
you believe he was God or sent by God
they'll say I believe he was sent by God
well that's what we believe he was a
messenger sent by God calling you to
worship God and that's amazing we're
going to be right back with more of this
incredible story here in the dean show
don't go anywhere so say he Allah is one
God is
one the maker of mankind exactly Allah
Allah self-sufficient he doesn't need
food or drink he doesn't need to rest on
the seventh day okay I really had a
problem with that even before I knew
anything about Islam God resting sounds
like a weak god um he begets not he
doesn't have any children nor is he a
child or born of anything or
anyone and there is nothing coal or
comparable unto him at all nobody
nothing IM nobody nobody's comparable to
the Creator nothing yeah and that right
there was in its Essence what I believe
naturally please subscribe to the dean
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show by making a donation in the link
[Music]
below back here on the dean show with
Brett and 10year journey now and finally
you decided what so there was a point
that you didn't want to believe that
Islam was the truth yeah I didn't want
to believe it I guess there was I mean
there was you know I was a rebellious
young man like every young man is and
there was a time in my life where I was
like
you not an atheist but I just I didn't I
just didn't want to believe in anything
you know I I just I got so frustrated
with like trying to find you know
commonality or you know truth or you
know just answers and finally like there
was some point like May 22 23 I just
said you know what I don't believe any
of it like I just don't think any of
this is right and you know there for you
know a couple years that's just kind of
the way I I went about it I just got so
overwhelmed and so frustrated that
like the the atmosphere I was in I
didn't really have people to talk to I
didn't really have you know friends or
uh acquaintances or you know family that
knew about anything other than you know
like either Christianity or you know
whatever it was they believed so I
didn't have any kind of any kind of
reference point you know so I just got
really kind of down and kind of lost
track of what the purpose of all this
research was for in the first place I
guess mhm but I quickly kind of grew out
of that and decided you know it's
there's much more much much much more to
life than like this nealis kind of you
know there is no purpose sort of
thinking yeah more of a hedonistic just
fulfill your pleasures and desires but
at the end of the day there's still a
void right and was there a void there
with you oh absolutely it's it's nothing
felt fulfilling and I like no matter
what I would do I just there was never
that there was always that emptiness
that you that you felt like just
something in my life was missing
something and I couldn't you know I
guess maybe I didn't want to admit that
it was God that I didn't want to admit
that like that's what my life was
missing and you know I would fill it
with all manner of things you know like
I would drink I would party I would go
out my friends I would you know just
stupid stuff you know materialistic
worldly things and at the end of the day
I'd wake up the next day and I would
just you know I'd feel terrible and like
i' regret it or I just still feel like
that emptiness inside and not just not
being fulfilled and it just seemed like
no matter how much I would read or no
matter who I talk to I just didn't feel
like I was whole until I really started
to dig into Islam I call it the lotto
ticket
syndrome people end up scratching the
lotto ticket because why they think life
then I'll finally have purpose I'll make
it and hit it I'll hit it big and then
I'll finally make it or the people just
experiment and they'll just go ahead and
win championships Nobel Peace Prize or
the person wants a position at work or
get this man get this woman get this car
get this iPhone and finally I I'll be
happy right but it's like scratching a
lot ticket many people when they maybe
they do Hit It One out of a million
their life just gets more flipped upside
down or the person gets to the next
level right and they still find out that
you know what it's not it this is not
where where it is now do you feel where
you're where you need to be in life is
void filled well it is in a lot of ways
but you know it's it's just it's an
ongoing thing you know I mean I feel
like it's you know like it's just
something I I need to work on every day
you know it's not that like okay I
converted I you know pray every day and
I you know fast during Ramadan and I you
know hold the tenants so now I'm
fulfilled and now everything's fantastic
but you know I mean life is what it is
and yes things are hard and you know we
have troubles and you know difficulties
but you know Allah and my belie Bel
gives me strength and gives me hope and
it it leaves me fulfilled it leaves me
feeling like there there is hope that
there is fulfillment that there is you
know something there at the end of the
day when I come home and like it's just
been a terrible day and I just feel
depressed or sad or lonely or whatever
you know just any number of things I I I
can just that feeling to know that like
that's in that Islam is in my life just
recharges my batteries every day you
know and helps me face every new day and
every new challenge that's what it is a
recharge with the prayer the Salat and
all the other things that we do out of
God almighty's Divine wisdom he
prescribed the things that we need to do
to recharge the heart and now we reach
this blessed month of Ramadan it's
really a recharge of our of our Iman for
the whole year but that's the thing what
you just said it's like two people will
be on a ship and they'll go through this
thunderstorm and the waves high but one
has the Creator with them one doesn't
but they're still going through the
trials and tribulations but when you
have the Creator with you at the end
there's light at the end of the tunnel
right it just makes it much easier
to to face life I mean it's this is the
hardest thing you'll ever do this is
categorically the most difficult thing
any of us will ever do and if you I
think Islam you know I look at it like
like it's my tools you know it's you you
wouldn't like I was in the military you
wouldn't go into battle without a weapon
weapon and that's that's my Dean you
know it's going into each day with
arming myself with what I need to you
know face the world as it were yeah and
it's just like um you know anything you
you now you have that blueprint for life
definitely and people can relate to that
it's a constant struggle to be upon a
path of nobility
righteousness uh do you see now how
Islam I've definitely experienced that I
know where I was before and I see how
Islam definitely is that medicine for
the heart it helps to improve your
character relations with your family uh
gives you the reference point you go
back to it when you're making a mistake
to right check yourself get in line do
what's right do you you see that yeah
without without a doubt I mean so many
times I just you know I get caught up in
you know the dayto day and like it's
just it's easy to lose track it's easy
to let your mind wander or like just get
caught up in you know work and you know
your friends and relationships and it's
just I I am categorically a better
person since you know coming to Islam
and and deciding to live this way of
life you know I I'm healthier I'm
happier I have better more fulfilling
relationships it's just it it just makes
me feel more complete and you know when
I do have a bad day or when I do when
something bad does happen or you know I
feel sad or lonely I mean it just it's
it's there you know it's there's always
you know that you know return point and
like especially the you know praying
it's it's so meditative and so like just
peaceful and I just feel like it's it's
just very respectful and
very just calming and it helps like
Center me and like bring me back to
what's really important in my life you
know my you know God and and my faith
and that's that's ultimately the only
thing that really matters and yes it
helps bring me back to that you know
it's ironic I mean you you have a lot of
uh people with strange ideas and the
media is not helping this and then you
also have some Muslims we have to take
accountability who don't have the proper
education in Islam they do things and
now obviously doesn't represent Islam
but the media just loves focusing on
them they love you know it's imagine the
media focusing on a Fring element like
the KKK and that's all the people got to
see but that's what they do now with
these groups like Isis and whoever else
is out there and constantly just
bombarding American people so for the
people who just watched Fox News and
they see you and they say oh man this
guy now he's one of
I'm an American I love my country you're
an American you served your country I
served my country with you know with
honor and I you know to those kind of to
those people that say that or that think
that it's you know I mean the proof is
where it is I mean like I love my
country I love living here I just happen
to be Muslim you know it's I'm a s i was
a soldier I served you know two
different tours in Iraq honorably with
some of the best men and women that I've
ever ever met and I just I you know you
see these portrayals of you know Islam
in the media or not even I don't even
think it's Islam you know you see like
Isis and alqaeda and you know just those
kinds of people and that becomes like a
reference point for people of like the
representation of the whole Faith but of
course that's not it of course not I
mean you you we you don't look at the
KKK and say oh all Christians are like
bigots and you know small-minded of
course not so why would you do that to
Islam you know but it's it's just it's
easy for the media to make it out to be
like this Boogeyman you know yes and you
know it's my I feel like it's like my
responsibility you know especially being
you know a veteran especially being like
new to the faith you know to to to be a
positive you know force to be you know a
positive representation of that to say
like you know Islam is a you know it's a
peaceful religion it's a beautiful
religion it's you know it's a a
wonderful religion and to be part of
that and to to you know bring it
together with like every other aspect of
my life just I think it just shows that
like you know each of these different
things aren't mutually exclusive you
know you can't it's not like you if
you're a veteran you can't be Muslim or
if you're a Muslim you can't be a
veteran or you can't be American and a
Muslim it's it's it's it's part of the
way of life I mean that's the beauty of
America you know yeah well I really
we're out of time I really have enjoyed
talking with you I benefited
tremendously from your story I'm sure
the viewers have also thank you very
much and we started with peace we talked
about loving Jesus as a mighty messenger
uh we talked about and and the peace
that he brought calling people on it was
Islam peacefully submitting to the one
who created you and now you're a Muslim
who's doing that action and we'll also
end with that greeting that Jesus
greeted his followers with peace be with
you and also with
you and there you had it another very
wonderful story with Brett somebody
drives a Toyota Honda you don't call him
a traitor now because he's driving a
good car he switched over from maybe a
Chevy that's his choice so this person
decided to do what Jesus did put his
head on the ground praying to God
Almighty alone Jesus never as he found
out ever called we love Jesus go to the
Hellfire if we don't believe in him but
he never called anyone to worship
himself as a god nor did he ever say
that he was a lit Son of God what does
that
mean cats have kittens dogs have puppies
cows have calves what does God have baby
God come on man you know that just
doesn't make sense and there's no proof
for it but Jesus was a mighty messenger
who called people to submit themselves
to the creator of the heavens and earth
he was a Muslim that's
right and our brother here found this
way of life that just makes Common Sense
worshiping the Creator not the creation
do doing good being good to your
neighbor being the best that you can be
but you go through struggles and it
reminds me of a beautiful Hadith where
the last and final messeng of prophet
Muhammad had said that no
Affliction befalls a Believer except
that is good for him even the prick of a
thorn you get rewarded for it you're
patient and it's good for you so when
good comes to you say thank God
alhamdulillah and when a Calamity
strikes you're patient alhamdulillah and
at the end there's the reward of Jenna
so there's light at the end of the
tunnel and there was someone in conclude
with this that said that I dare someone
to find anything better than driving
through LA with their dog on their lap
listening to Tupac well this person
hasn't figured out life nor the purpose
of life and this brother has because
when you do that's when your heart
becomes alive is charged up and you
finally have that peace in contentment
that money can't buy and you then you
don't need to be scratching those lotto
tickets or having the lotto ticket
syndrome you finally got it you finally
won I hope you enjoyed this week's show
have a blessed Ramadan subscribe if you
haven't already to the dean show call us
if you have any questions criticisms you
want to chat 1800 662 Islam we'll see
you next time until then peace me with
you please subscribe to the dean show
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