watched the video his whole family gone
in the rebel and he was holding a cat
and all he kept saying was at he recited
some verses from the Quran and then I
just broke down in tears she wanted to
take her shahada right then and there
daddy daddy don't even curse anymore I
said exactly Daddy for my 10th birthday
I want to take my shahada I'm actually
kind of getting a little emotional
talking about her now but she was so
proud to where he job you know the big
misconception about women wearing he
jobs in Islam is like my daughter's N9
years old 10 years old she's like I
can't wait to wear my hijab and then a
month and a half later my 9-year-old no
my 8-year-old took even your wife
accepted Islam your daughter honored to
put the hijab God is Jesus and Jesus Is
God and the Holy Spirit is God or Jesus
it's just confusing even saying it now
alhamdulillah my whole entire house is
Muslim what led me to forgive you
with yeah kind
of that's deep that's that's really deep
wow
yeah
theum Jonathan nice to meet you nice to
meet you as well uh this was not planned
no we just met yesterday yes you ended
up at the Jesus Islamic Center by the
dean Center yes brothers and sisters
we've all had loved ones that passed
away a mother a father a brother sister
a close family member but one of the
mercies of our Dean is that with the
right intention we can go ahead and
continue to do good deeds on our loved
ones behalf and what greater of a
continuous Good Deeds Saria than
investing on their behalf in the deed
Center a mid and Mead Center that will
benefit generations to come inshallah so
click the link below donate right now
may God Almighty Allah reward all of you
never been here before huh no but you're
from Tampa no no where you from I'm from
Brooklyn New York Brooklyn New York yeah
okay what do you think so far of uh your
visit here I like it a lot I mean uh I
haven't started work yet so I had about
two months to just you know take in
Tampa and uh you know you're living here
now now I'm living here yeah yeah yeah
my wife my children yeah yeah we we
moved from uh we moved from North
Carolina yes so I'm originally from
Brooklyn New York and then my wife and I
we moved um to Greensboro North Carolina
yeah and then uh my job just open up
this position and I just said why not
you're about what 20 minutes from the
dean Center 20 minutes yeah so we'll see
be seeing more of you when we open what
do you think so far from what you've
seen I love it it's nice I I I I
appreciate everything that you guys are
doing here this is beautiful like I mean
the mid itself is just you know sleeping
in there last night was just amazing you
slept in the the mid at the de Center
yeah slept last night um and then uh I
seen that you guys have like this Little
Gym back there where you you know
training well inshallah you'll be the
Athletic Facility yeah beautiful
beautiful yes yes yes uh very clean very
nice and and and uh makes you feel very
very comfortable you know like right
before you get into the um prayer area
you have this little section there where
you know the couches and and the Quran
and you know you get to chill and relax
and you know converse with your fellow
brothers and it's it's really nice
really amazing inshallah you can start
coming when we get open we'll have a lot
of the non-muslims not yet Muslims
coming to learn about the most
misunderstood way of life that you
actually accepted and let's take it from
there that you actually were watching
what's
happening inza yes and that is what will
set it all there was a Catalyst for you
accepting Islam is that right yes yes
alhamdulillah alhamdulillah
um so I
watched watched a video of a Muslim
brother who his whole family just gone
in the rebel and um he was holding a cat
and all he kept saying was alhamdulillah
alhamdulillah alhamd his whole family
his whole family was annihilated and
he's holding a cat his cat his cat his
cat survived yeah exactly exactly and uh
so I have an uncle who's a Muslim and he
accepted Islam during 911 M so I just
said you know what let me reach out to
him so you had an uncle who accepted
Islam after 911 yes yeah so you reach
out to him I reached out to him yeah and
he was just he was just like wow finally
another another person in the F Well I'm
not uh I'm the the the besides him I'm
the the second Muslim in my family and
he's like wow another one like this is
this is amazing you know like okay so
you know questions what do you have and
this and this and that and then he
recited some verses from the Quran and
then I just broke down in tears I don't
I didn't even know what he was saying I
didn't I didn't I didn't have a clue
what he was saying but it just hit me
and
um
um I went home home spoke to my wife you
know um and I said okay let me search
the nearest Mist so back in Greensboro
there's several there's several
different uh Ms there so I went to the
one that was you know somewhat fairly
close um icg uh Islamic Center of
Greensboro and I just went in there to
get information I just want some more
information and I walked out as a Muslim
that was it there was no all the
information I got that was
um the shahada mhm and that was it it
was that that was it I mean for the
people that are hearing shahada for the
first time walk us through what what is
that explanation what what was it the
information that was given to you that
just clicked and made sense um he uh
brother he's he's my mentor I love
him for the sake of Allah and um he just
said you know do you believe in one God
yes do you believe in the prophets yes
he said do you drink no do you smoke no
alhamdulillah come on let's just say
said all right sh and then I I broke
down in tears and um I set it in front
of you know the whole congregation and
they were just so welcoming you know the
hugs and and from there he took me on
his wing now um I can read kran um
within a year's time um just working on
fluency but um shortly after that um
just practicing in the house just
praying in the house and reading in the
house and still going to the mad but uh
it affected my
9-year-old and uh she wanted to take her
shahada right then and there but I said
well let's just wait you know let's just
wait your nine-year-old daughter yeah
why because she's seeing the effects is
having in your life yeah you practicing
praying yes yes yes um and I was just
recently talking talking to the brothers
downstairs and um it this was one of the
things that kind of
um got me a bit it it got me a bit of uh
emotional I should say um cuz I have I
have three daughters and a son um and um
one day I I come in the house and I'm
just you know just talking chitchat with
the kids and they was like you know I I
used to play video games you know I was
I used to play video games and uh he
said oh Dad don't even play video games
no more I said yeah yeah you know Oh
Daddy don't even yell anymore no
no daddy daddy don't even curse anymore
I said exactly so they already seen the
change in me within you know A month's
time two months time and
um my daughter she she's like um daddy
from my 10th birthday I want to take my
shahada so we went to the mosque on her
10th birthday and she took her shahada
her and she was so proud she was so
emotional I'm actually kind of getting a
little emotional talking about her now
but
um yeah she was just like
um
uh she was
just how should I say
um she was just an all you know she was
just an all hysterical crying you know
like when she was finished taking her
jihada she's crying she's hugging and
you know all the sisters and then they
gave her a scholarship to go to weekend
class so now she's with little you know
young sisters yes and then um she was so
proud to wear hijab you know that's one
thing that you know the big
misconception about women wearing hijabs
in Islam it's like my daughter's 9 years
old 10 years old she's like I can't wait
to wear my hijab and go to school wow so
that's what she did she went to school
wore her e job and then a month and a
half later my
9-year-old no my 8-year old
that reminds me of
um Allah talking about you know that
Allah can easily replace us because you
have a lot of Muslims who are fighting
two for nail a lot of times and
sometimes you know they they themselves
um will even make excuses why they won't
pray or why they won't wear hijab or why
they this and that and here you go like
you have yourself you have now even your
wife accepted Islam daughter 10 years
old she's like honored to put the hijab
so you can see like how no Force no
nothing nothing at all um even and hijab
is that mod dress just like Jesus's
mother Mary maram she was mod she wasn't
imitating Kim Kardashian or whoever else
is out there halfway naked and stuff
it's a modest dress exactly yeah yeah
yeah yeah and when she when she got her
first Abaya she's just like walking
around the house just so and now you
know my wife just purchased some more
bias for them and now she's wearing the
ncab yeah and she's like oh look at
Daddy I'm wearing my nikab and I'm like
okay you know this is
not it's it's been it's it's it's been
extremely like a blessing M uh you know
my wife just took her shahada two months
ago your wife now so first your daughter
and now your your wife so my daughter my
nine-year-old on her 10th birthday then
my eight-year-old
and then two months ago um my wife and
my oldest daughter took their Shah now
alhamdulillah my whole entire house is
Muslim my son is 5 years old uh he
recites Al fa already at 5 years old he
prays uh um we haven't we haven't uh we
haven't waken him up about uh with FAA
yet yes but every other prayer he's like
all right come on this D we have four
raats yeah this we have four ra yeah
Daddy is M right it's three raat right
yes okay Daddy you doing your soona
prayer yes so he's just amazing he's
just amazing uh just the other day um we
came back from um you know uh this um
nice Hala Restaurant in town and uh uh
we went to pray uh M and we're praying M
and he you know we get done and he's
like oh daddy that felt good that that
prayer felt good right guys then he
tells his sisters now do your dicka so
it's You Know It
uh Islam has has has been amazing for me
it's been amazing for me uh you know now
I'm just trying
to get my mom to come and and then my
siblings as well so so you take a a
contrast between someone who lost in RZA
who lost it was a catalyst for you to
get to where you are you're watching
someone who lost his whole family and
he's saying alhamdulillah God praising
the Creator still but then you have on
contrary someone who's living in a
lavish
Penthouse has 10 million in the bank
lost 5 million let's say but J jumps out
of a window no contentment no peace you
see the difference MH and now you are
you feeling that in your household now
you're seeing now the F such a blessing
your kids your wife now how is that
compared to before take us back a little
bit uh your life before Islam how was it
how were you living before were you part
of any other religion were you Christian
were you atheist were you just uh Hindu
Buddhist I mean what were you no no no
so um I'm I'm I'm Puerto Rican yeah and
um I can say that my family Puerto
Ricans are more of Catholic right
Christian cathol
yeah so my wife she kind of was she
wasn't necessarily raised Catholic but
you know she you know her first few
years she was you know going to a
Catholic um church and things like that
but um for us we
um we we didn't we never really followed
any belief you know we it just wasn't
connecting with us you know Christianity
wasn't connecting with us um the
hypocrisy and chrisan and Christianity
is just is is it's just ridiculous for
example um you know um anything that
comes to mind yeah just
like um the the the drinking and the
smoking and and and and doing all of
these things and and and just put it on
the JC gold card I call it yeah exactly
and it's like this is not what this is
not if you're a true Christian this is
what you shouldn't be doing your body's
a temple you should be living like a
Muslim exactly yeah yeah what did Jesus
do yeah prostrated himself that's good
when I see this guy uh
may God Almighty Allah guide him one of
them a good example he's very popular
and he's always talking about Jesus Ryan
Garcia I don't know if he's uh he's
hispanic uh bo he's the boxer yeah oh
man he's always like Jesus and but then
he's on the drugs on the cocaine and
whatnot in the nightclubs and you have a
a varet this is this is a good example
of the hypocrisy yeah yeah yeah exactly
and um you can't be bumping and grinding
and just likeing the club bling bling
and then uh yeah Jesus it's hypocrisy
yeah it is it is it is so you know um we
my wife and I we have a lot of history
you know uh we don't necessarily need to
go into that but it's it's it's amazing
like I I knew she was going to be my
wife since the seventh grade so let's
just say that we have history and I'm
you know we've been married like eight
years been together 14 years um but we
were always good people we always I
always wanted to set a good example for
my children you know whether it be you
know feeding the home homeless or you
know
um you know I'm not trying to you know
uh put it out there anything like that
but I I I love to do
things when my children are are with me
yeah you know and obviously I do things
privately as well but you know with my
children so they can see that you know
we are extremely fortunate we're
extremely fortunate you know we have a
house we have a bed we have food you
know I remember a lady come up to me and
she she didn't have nothing her and her
daughter living out of a car and I took
a grocery shopping you know this was
before Islam you know so
um I you know I I told I don't know if I
told this to my wife but I feel like
Allah was already gearing me up to
become a Muslim um and then uh with
everything that just happened in
Palestine and it was just like this was
it you know so you're not the only one
there was so many people now they're
seeing this is one of the things that
takeaways you see like the the the the
climate is changing now you're seeing
people who are seeing just like you did
seeing these people who are suffering
they are not only their families their
houses everything is gone and they're
just holding on to their Iman to their
faith to their Islam exactly they're not
cursing God exact yeah yeah and so many
have taken shahada because of this like
you explored Now read the Quran picked
it up and say what is driving these
people's Faith yeah yeah and
um uh you know we actually moved here
like right in the the the midst of this
this hurricane that was coming Milton MH
and um uh you know we we didn't have any
light we didn't have any power anything
like that but in my house there's always
there's always something being taught
you know there's always something being
said about you know being being grateful
being thankful even in in this condition
um so you know it's pitch black dark you
know my kids took it so well you know so
well they're so amazing kids like great
great kids but from that from not having
power I told them you guys are still
extremely lucky you know you have a bed
to sleep on you have we still have this
home MH now just imagine you just just
imagine the kids in Gaza right now yeah
it's pitch black dark but they're
getting bombs dropped on them they don't
know if they even get to wake up so be
grateful and be thankful be thankful
thank Allah every single time every
single time we in s Jud every single
time just just throughout the day you
know moisten your mouth with the of
Allah and that's it yeah and uh
hypocrisy I mean there this is a good
good another Point that's come to mind
you know you have people out there be it
be Christian Catholic be be any religion
if your humanity is on you can't be
cheerleading for this how I mean we
heard the slogan never again right but
you're seeing it right here in 4k you're
seeing kids who are just being
annihilated and you're just sitting
there and you've been programmed this is
part of your religion some end times
prophecies and whatnot and this is a
joke man this is not Jesus would he'd be
he'd be on the side of the oppressed
exactly right exactly 100% 100% how
about this uh idea that because a lot of
times people think Muslims are the
Antichrist uh but when you enter Islam
you know that it's a part of our the the
six articles of Faith one of them you
have to believe in the prophets you have
to believe in the prophets Jesus being
one of them was a prophet did you
struggle at any point did you look into
different religions and was
Christianity uh the idea that Jesus is
God Son of God died for your sins no
that don't makes no that that that
doesn't make sense it's like me you know
sacrificing my son for these people wow
why why would I do that he's innocent he
didn't do anything you know why would I
give my my son my only son at that for
for for for what you know and I
explained this to my brother as well
your brother he's he's not Muslim no no
how how does that conversation Go
amazing yeah you know he's always trying
to seek seek information um so what do
you tell him now cuz he's he's a
Catholic Christian no he he's he's he's
neither like he he
um he he strives to to to read the Bible
but then when I when I asked him I said
so do you believe in Jesus as being God
and cuz that's what it comes down to do
you believe in God being Jesus and the
Holy Trinity and the the spirit and and
and you know just the whole craziness
that they speak of he's just like no
what I said yeah so that's Christianity
Jose that's that's Christianity
believing that that God is Jesus and
Jesus Is God and the Holy Spirit is God
or Jes it's just confusing even saying
it now uhhuh so you know it took him
back for a loop and he's just like wow
and he's he's he's mentioned to me so
many times man the mosque is packed He
he'll text me are you at the mosque no
no no I'm not there man it's it's it's
packed I think I think I'm g go in there
but he'll never go he'll get a phone
call yeah and I told him that Shan
pulling you that's Shan pulling you away
come during this past Ramadan he said
come with me just one day just a couple
hours he's he younger older no he's my
older brother older brother yeah yeah
yeah and and
um inshallah he'll uh inshallah cuz we
cuz we speak now we didn't have like you
know the best relationship growing up
but that's my older brother I love him
you know I I know no no matter what I
still love him but this past year it was
kind of tough for him and I um we
actually worked together yeah so um you
know it was some things happening uh
that he may have been going through a
feeling uh since a child and you know it
it kind of erupt um and it you know me
and him got into like really really bad
uh not physical fights but like just
he's just he said some really evil mean
things and um some things from childhood
came up just like sibling rivalry yeah
yeah and um the reason I'm I'm saying
this and disclosing this is
because what made me forgive him because
you know the things that he said it was
really really hurt like it hurt a lot
you know my older brother saying this to
me it really hurt saying this about my
kids it really hurt my wife it it it
really hurt but sud Yousef
another chapter in the
Quran Islam now teaching you to have
mercy to forgive Allah yeah yeah kind
of that's deep that's that's really deep
wow yeah so your your relationship now
is
coming we
speak if not every day we you know how
long did that last it wasn't it wasn't
what like the the the Shayan coming now
and that's how Shayan Works through
family members trying to divide create
divisions and set traps and it was brief
it was brief it was like you know I mean
there was it was it was building up to
what to to to the whole you know then
out of nowhere yeah usually these are
things internal issues that human beings
are are going through and then they got
to find Shayan points them in this
direction and they project and then now
you're the enemy all of a sudden they
start coming up with all sorts of things
from from history and this that and
magnify you
it's magnifying to an extent that now as
a musl you're just like a lot of these
big like the guy who the brother holding
a cat and you want to talk about your
issues he just lost his whole family his
entire family yeah and you're coming
with this this from Shayan man exactly
exactly yeah so I told him I said you
know um I forgive you mhm I forgive you
and what led me to forgive you was s
Yousef and um I told him the the um the
chapter of the Quran actually he
actually had a copy of the Quran I
believe I gave it to him at that time so
I was in hopes of him reading that
chapter so he can understand where I was
coming from and I don't know if he ever
did or not but uh that's that's already
back then I forgive him I love him
that's my brother and um you know it's
been good it's been really good so
what's his name Jose Jose we're going to
give Jose and the audience out there who
are also searching for the purpose of
life
they are empty inside they want to know
why they've been created they're tuning
in they like your story they're
benefiting if you can go ahead and
recite and this is how you get guided
this is a Surah the opening chapter of
the Quran Surah Al
FAA that now every Muslim when they're
praying they recite this we'll put the
subtitles in English and you can
actually say this in English asking the
Creator alone for guidance would you
bless us with reciting the and now
remember I'm not Arab he's not Arab but
this is the setic language if you're
living during the time of Jesus he spoke
Aramaic sister language to that is
Arabic so we have it preserve the Quran
is one of the Miracles memorized by
millions living today and everybody's
inspired to memorize as they live more
and more the Quran go ahead
[Music]
mashallah alhamdulillah this is Jonathan
our new brother accepting the dean
sharing his story here on the dean show
look out for it alhamdulillah so this is
um translating this is uh praising the
most high the creator of the heavens and
earth the most gracious the most
merciful you alone is the key point you
alone we worship you alone we seek help
we seek help this is the guidance Now
guide us to the straight path straight
path you want to be guided to the
straight path who do you want to ask the
creator of the heavens and earth this is
very simple start asking the one who
created you for guidance and Jose and uh
Mike and Mark and whoever else is out
there uh this is the key the key to
success is the guidance and you've been
given the formula how to get it by
asking the creator of heavens and earth
I want to thank you very much one more
thing my son is 5 years old and he
recites F so if he can do it anybody can
do it ABS I'm very very uh very happy to
hear this and may Allah guide your
brother soon Jose Salam alikum
thank thank you thank you and if you'd
like a free copy of the Quran go to the
Deen show.com we'll get you one for free
and if you still have any
questions call US 1 800
662 Islam 1800 662 4752 we'll see you
next time peace be with you assalam
alaykum