[Music]
alhamdulillah Alum greetings of Peace
thank you for tuning in to the dean show
and this month in a Ramadan we're going
to be bringing you some exciting new
episodes on The Dean show and we got a
special treat you know beyond all the
media hype and the sensationalism people
turning on all the different news
reports and you usually have have a lot
of negativity associated with the truth
you know Jesus when he came he preached
the truth didn't he but people spit at
him they mocked him they ridiculed him
was he bringing falsehood or he was
bringing truth he was bringing Islam he
was calling people to the truth and they
drove him out and many people now one of
my guests who are coming out today he
saw beyond the hype and he's here on the
dean show to tell us his story and why
when you got all this negativity
associated with Islam why did he accept
it he's a
African-American Puerto Rican here on
the dean show to tell us his story very
amazing story you don't want to go
anywhere we'll be right back with Keenan
here on the dean
show
the is
the this is the
[Music]
this is the
the
the this is
the this is the
the
thean how are you Keenan on The Dean
show to be here how you been my brother
alhamdulillah been really good I open
the show I mean it seems like you don't
watch too much TV do you I mean back
when you accepted Islam you know today
and yesterday always you know whenever
there's been the truth coming along
there's always opposition to it but
seems like you got past all the
sensationalism all the media hype and
you accepted Islam yeah that's true
that's true um growing
up all you surrounded all I was
surrounded by was negativity um but when
you're surrounded by that your whole
life it seems normal to you you don't
realize um what you should be doing and
what you should not be doing uh so it
was really tough really tough
distinguishing the two you know doing
good as opposed to doing
bad so uh uh growing up uh most I spent
most of my life in Logan Square uh
Chicago Logan Square that's a part of
Chicago born and raised here in Chicago
uh parents separated when I was about uh
3 or four years old I don't really
remember but um I just remember moving
back and forth to my mother to my father
so it was really tough uh seeing my
parents separated
um uh spent most of my life with my
mother uh i' say about half of my life
was with my mother but I still maintain
that relationship with my father
so uh wasn't up up until High School
when things started uh progressing for
the worst as far as um living that life
of uh you
know drinking smoking um girlfriends you
name it
um up until I was about 18 or 19 very
good friend of mine who I grew up
with was a
Muslim and I didn't know anything about
Islam at all I've been to churches uh
all I knew was that Jesus uh peace be
upon
him uh came down died for our sins very
general that that that's what you that
did you that's what you believed as a
Christian or that's what you were taught
that's what I was taught but at the same
time I was a little confused on who I
should pray to uh how to pray and what
was the right way of doing it but I
always prayed that's one thing I did
even though I did it sacredly on my own
in my room
I always prayed asking for forgiveness
protection and I didn't really tell
anything tell anybody about it now who
are you praying to were you praying
because the Christian belief is that
there's uh three in one so Jesus is God
the father is God the Holy Ghost is God
and you said you're confused about this
so which who are you praying to it was
Jesus at times and God at times yeah I
wasn't sure I was not sure at all uh
even though I did go to church I wasn't
really taught um about Christianity so I
didn't really know too much I just know
that there was a higher power out there
that guided us and gave us the things
that we have in our life today yes
so um at the age of 18 uh I found out I
was going to be a
father um right then and there I knew I
had to
change um big responsibility now very
big being young still out there partying
you know it's it's it's uh was that like
a wake up call definitely M definitely
so at this point were you religious at
that time or you were still like clubing
hanging out just I was still hanging out
yeah working a lot you know um very
busy uh so at the age of 18 very close
friend of mine I mean even though I
known him since grammar school I wasn't
really taught about Islam or the way of
life um I just knew
that you had to pray five times s a day
don't eat pork stuffff like that I
wasn't really taught about it
so uh just one day we were hanging out
and he started I was telling him how I
felt uh as far as praying and just the
way we should be living our lives and
how we should treat people and I always
had a good heart he seen that he knew
that so he
just he just ran it by me you should
learn about Islam I was like well I I
don't know anything um
tell me tell me what I should do what
what you know um so he's just telling me
all you know it's just it's very easy
you know but the main thing that started
this was
like I was telling them how how the
media
uh you know brings out you know this
life that we live
now as the way is the way that we should
be living our life forever as far as
drinking partying cars I mean all the
bad things are glorified right exactly
mhm
so um he's like that's because people
are living for this life there's a life
after this if God takes your life today
you will be standing in front of
him so if you're doing all this
Haram how what do you think is going to
happen so the muslim's telling you this
yes he's telling me this and the whole
time I didn't know what to say I was
just listening and I was so amazed by it
it's like it hit me right away I was
like wow you know everything made sense
everything he was saying made sense he
started explaining like the fundamental
beliefs of Islam and everything
everything just made sense to me as
opposed to before you said things
weren't making sense I was confused but
it was just so simple you know of what I
was learning right then and there
uh so that night I went home and I was
just thinking about a lot of things
everything my whole life and what I've
been doing this whole time
um so but then I started thinking about
my family like they don't they don't
know about Islam and what if this what
if that you know I'm only 18 19 years
old I'm you know I started getting a
little
frightened so
um a few months later it was uh New
Year's Eve I was still going to Juma and
I was I was so wait now you you've
accept at this point you AC I accept it
at this time you didn't accept the but
you're going to jum I'm going to Juma my
my he's taking you along with him he's
taking me he's teaching me how to pray M
and I'm I'm loving it I'm I'm I'm
feeling happier but you didn't accept
Islam yet I didn't accept Islam yet so
New Year's Eve um was going to Friday
prayer and a friend of mine was like um
you know are you ready are you ready I'm
like ready I don't know I I barely know
anything you know I I think it's a
little too fast just making up excuses
so you're making excuses up and they're
asking you are you ready ready hold it
right there we got to go to break so
they're asking you they're giving you
the invitation you're going to accept
Islam you're like making all these
excuses up a lot more to the story when
we come back with Kenan here on the dean
show
[Music]
imagine understanding the Quran in its
original Arabic and feeling closer to
Allah
it's something we all want but you've
never had time it doesn't have to be so
daunting half of the quranic words are
just 125 words that occur 40,000 times
in different grammatical forms and
understand Quran Academy can help you
learn these words and More in only 9
hours sign up today at
www.and quran.com
back here on the dean show with Keenan
boriqua I mean Puerto Rican yes all
right all right now so uh people are
excited because they're like okay the
ant anticipation is building up you're
you're you're loving The Message of
Islam Simplicity it makes sense uh
you're going to the Juma the Friday
prayers and they're like okay are you
ready and you're making excuses what
happens next uh I said okay let's let's
do it I'm ready no wait now so now
finally you finally right then and there
I was like okay this I'm I'm ready let's
let's do it after how many
excuses I I don't I don't remember but
uh why were you why why do you think you
were making up excuses now we see a lot
of this a lot of times people know Islam
is the truth but sometimes they're not
courageous enough they hear all the
negative stereotypes associated with
Islam with my family my friends I might
not be the cool kid on the Block anymore
right so you got to build up this
courage so you finally did but how come
before you didn't have the courage what
was it that you why were you making up
all these
excuses I don't know I think it was
because I was just surrounded
by I it just everything came so fast
yeah you know I was looking at my past a
lot yeah and I was just I was just a
little scared you know and and well
apprehensive yes yeah and um so I I
decided to do it and right when I
started uh reciting when I was making
shahada I started crying tears started
falling down my face when you when you
uh entered this there's that
Proclamation that you make M and then
you you did the shahada and you started
crying started crying I didn't know why
that happens to a lot of people a lot of
people when they accept Islam they they
end up uh you just feel like a weight's
been lifted off you yeah absolutely and
I was crying the whole time and and then
all these people were coming forward
people I I don't even know people that
don't even know me and they're recording
me they're taking pictures but I didn't
care about any of that I was just
thinking I just I was just no words can
explain it and were you happy very happy
very
happy um after that I
started meeting all these people
and those that 5 10
minutes I have got the most love and and
and the Embrace than I had than what I
have my whole life growing up from all
the uh the welcoming hugs the welcom
hugs and and the smiles your new family
embracing my new family from your whole
you felt more love that day when you
accepted Islam than in your whole life
yes yes I had a loving family but it was
just it was amazing and um from this day
forward every time I hear somebody
accepting Islam and um saying the
shahada I just I want to cry every time
so but after that uh like you said uh I
felt as if a bunch of weight was taken
off me I felt lighter happier and I knew
that no matter what I did before was was
was gone yeah and I had to start fresh
and really think hard about the
decisions I make from now forward so um
I knew it had to start
with watching who I hang out with
because you know this Shon comes to you
from your friends and sometimes
family so I knew that if I really wanted
to change I had to really think hard
about the decisions I make so
um because sometimes you have you know
the the friends that you've developed
all these bad habits with the Drinking
Buddies the clubbing buddies and they'll
you know make up every uh excuse to get
you back into the club you say I got no
money they'll be like I'll pay pay for
your way I'll pay the door got uh drinks
I'll buy you all the drink just to get
you back so you got to start like
excommunicating some of the old Drinking
Buddies clubbing buddies cuz you don't
want to fall back into that that bad
trap right exactly and even if they said
that we're not going to do any of that I
knew that's that's all we did yeah so
misery loves company right yeah exactly
so I was just tell them no I I'm I'm
fine I'm hanging in did you try to like
a lot of people you know when they they
realize that this is the truth now they
naturally because you care about people
people you want to share did were any of
them hearing it or most people like look
no I felt like they took it as a phase I
was going through yeah like you know
this this guy this you know I nobody
expected any change from me I can tell I
wasn't wild I wasn't you know I was just
so deep into it that they felt as if
they can never quit those things so they
took it the same way for me you know
like this guy he's he's one of was he's
not going to yeah he's not going to
change we'll see it's the more the yo
the YOLO lifestyle you only live live
once ex exactly yeah yeah but it's
uh but but uh the Islam is telling us no
no you you actually continue living
exactly right you are going to be
accountable and that is what really
triggered you to think when the Muslim
was talking about the reality of people
just living for this life but there's
another life let's talk about that now
now you know Islam connects you to the
Eternal home Paradise accountability and
life and now you're really uh conscious
of your Creator and your actions you
want to do good you want to live a good
wholesome life talk to us about this
um I knew that I started educating
myself first of all in order to
share you have to obviously know what
you're talking about and since it was
still new to me I would still fall weak
to a lot of things but I was more
conscious of my actions um I can
honestly say that
that my fear of of God
grew my Creator I was I just so right
then and there fear you fear the
consequences so
um
I realized that if I want the best for
me I have to make smarter decisions so
um it was a battle I knew I was going to
be tested
and from there on I just
I I I slowly but surely started changing
and have your parents uh have your
family members seen the positive change
in your life your character getting
better you a human being developing
being more responsible being more
productive a productive citizen
productive member of society absolutely
that's that's the main thing I can't be
a hypocrite that's that's the one thing
that I knew that I had to do was not be
a hypocrite yeah cuz you know hypocrisy
puts you in the lowest depths of of
Hellfire so
um I didn't want to be hypocrite I had
to show them
that that I'm I'm not who I thought I
was and living that life is not going to
be the right thing so um they accepted
they accepted my decision right away
they seen the change in me but then
again it was still new to them cuz we
weren't raised or around
anything like that at all yeah
so
um just all about trying it's all about
trying to do good and uh if you try then
things only get better from there they
get better they get better definitely
now you got a road map that you live by
while other people are hipping and
hopping into the club and still not
happy you left the club and you're happy
and so much more to to uh talk about
right back to talk to Kenan and get the
rest of his story here on the dean show
don't go anywhere we'll be right
back to save one life is as though you
have saved all of
humanity show kindness to your parents
just as they cherished you in
childhood give in charity of the good
things you
earn even a smile is Charity explore the
real values of
Islam have you ever wondered what Islam
and Muslims are truly about what do
Muslims believe who was Muhammad do
Muslims believe that Jesus will return
is Islam respectful of other beliefs
what does the Quran say about women
would you like to learn the truth about
Islam would you like to read the Quran
for yourself find the answers for
yourself call toll-free 877 why Islam
back here on the dean show with Keenan
getting his story and interesting story
also inside of your story is that you
also have an older brother who you you
really didn't get along with right
rivalry in in in in your in your family
between you and your brother but come to
know that your brother also accepted
Islam is this right very interesting
tell us about this how how this came
about a few months before I converted um
uh I I see about for about three or four
years my brother and I didn't talk um we
had our own issues and we just didn't
get along
uh living two different Lifestyles so we
barely talked until one night I'm I'm
pulling up to my house and uh I get a
call from my
brother and he goes hey um are you are
you Muslim and I'm like I'm like no but
I'm you know I'm still learning and I
will be Muslim soon uh he goes man I I
just converted a month ago I'm like
really I was shocked I was
speechless you know I was speechless
because I I mean we didn't even talk let
alone we we seen the light at the same
time so um he's like yeah Mom was
telling me that you don't eat pork
anymore so I was like you know you know
Puerto Ricans they love Pork yeah so we
we ate a lot of pork going up but you
know I want to go since you mentioned
the pork I want to go to this clip
because some Christians or non uh not
yet Muslims they'll hear like pork
what's the big deal pork but we're going
to go to this clip by actually a
Christian Pastor who's telling this
congregation to stay away from pork real
interesting we'll go ahead and let let
them listen to this and then let's talk
a moment about pork ham bacon pepperoni
these are some of the things that the
scripture tells us we should not eat
this has to do with anything that comes
from a pig a hog a swine and I know some
of you love pork chops you love ham and
cheese sandwiches I grew up on all that
I love bacon but for our Health's sake
we have to be willing to make some
changes God knows what's best for us and
back back in the Bible days the pig was
considered unclean it was never
considered a source of food and one of
the main reasons why was the pig will
eat anything a pig eats waste and
garbage this is kind of gross but a pig
will eat its own dead child a pig will
eat other sick and infected animals
they're scavengers and what's
interesting is the pig has one of the
quickest and poorest digestive systems
of any animal takes 4 hours and that's
not good because the digestive system is
so quick and so poor many times the
toxins from the food are not properly
eliminated and they are stored in the
pig's fat that means that pig can eat
all kinds of Filth and garbage it can
eat other infection 4 hours later it's
sent to the slaughter and butchered in a
few days it's on your plate at home
you're having ribs the problem is the
toxins were never properly eliminated
from the the pig that's very interesting
you see Joe Joe ostein is telling his
congregation how many tens of thousand
stay away from pork so if you're
Christian hey you should be following
also Jesus never ate pork or none of the
prophets they also only worship God
didn't worship a trinity or any of these
things and that's what you're doing now
so continue on you know your brother
says that he heard you didn't eat pork
and then what happened uh he's like yeah
I heard you didn't eat pork and I was
like ah no quit you know quit all that
uh he's like wow he's like wow
um it's we were we were speechless we
didn't know what to say but he told me
he's like look man it's it's the right
thing to do it's the right way of life
this is how we should be living and um
wow Subhan Allah you're getting
confirmation now from your brother who
you've been apart from for several years
and IB I didn't know any I had no clue
because we were still doing things we
shouldn't have done he was out doing his
own I didn't know what he was doing but
uh what everybody's doing right people
just chasing par chasing trying to make
a paradise on earth right right chasing
the Dy the material world just
satisfying your desires that's it right
right so right then and there we became
we are not close now than we've ever
been so now you and your brother are
tight yeah we talk closer than ever
closer than ever Allah God is great look
at that amazing um alhamdulillah so we
he would he knew more about Islam than I
did so he would tell me things and I met
the brother that taught him about Islam
and was really really good guy and we're
close now so that's uh so you know it it
was really it was it was a major uh I
knew I had support and I knew I had
somebody by my side um because before
then I knew that okay if I distance
myself from my friends and my family um
so I can do better then I felt like I
was going to be maybe alone yeah but but
you're you're not
alone yeah
so tell us more we're almost out of time
you know Ramadan we're here in Ramadan
and you've gotten to experience it also
you know we know Islam is based on Five
Pillars the one is that what you did the
shahada accepting Islam is to to agree
with what with with what's in your very
nature that there's nothing worthy of
worship except the Creator your maker
the one you're going to return back to
I'm only only going to worship him the
same Gody that Jesus worshiped and
Muhammad is the brother of Jesus Moses
Abraham he's the final messenger you
accept all of them as Messengers not
gods or any part of God or Divinity with
go no just worshiping one God and now
praying five times a day you establish
the prayer five times a day to prayer it
took time was that challenging yes it
took time it took but you finally did it
I finally did it alhamdulillah uh my
first Ramadan was very difficult didn't
only fasted maybe a few times yeah up
until the the third the third my third
Ramadan I I fasted every month and every
day that went by of me fasting you got
you finally got a hang of it finally got
you got into the to the spirit of it not
only that I felt so much better yeah I
felt so much better and I was happier
and this is something I can share with
people because I
knew me as a Muslim I had this is
something I have to do and I just felt
excited that I can be able to tell other
people that I have accomplished that
because some people are like oh you you
can't even that's you know it's that's
crazy but I explained to them why
and and it's just something I can share
and be very proud of and would help me
from from there on there's nothing that
we do in Islam that goes against
humanity as a whole that that is harmful
for you no negative side effects
everything we do produces good results
but everything we were doing back in
jalah the days of ignorance the
everything that we were doing Mo most
all of it produces bad result the
drinking with the drugs with whoever was
doing that and and left that you you
usually don't want you don't want to go
back to that right you you're scared you
Fe Allah subhana and you're scared you
don't want to do that you don't want
to you don't want to face the
consequences that's all it is and people
don't want to make these changes because
they want to be free and they don't want
to have rule live by any rules or
anything like that so it's it's still
something something that uh you have to
practice and realize that there's
nothing but benefits from when you uh
worship and you live for your creator
there's nothing but benefits from there
on so you're living the purpose of life
now I am you're happy now I'm happy what
advice do you have for those people out
there who are still hopping and hipping
to the clubs or you know what it's all
about the party it's all about just
showing off and the bling bling or what
whatever lifestyle they're following and
they just not happy and now they're
tuning into the dean show and they're
liking what you have to say what do you
what advice do you have for them first
surround yourself by positive
people if you have any
questions Reach Out find those answers
don't feel afraid you want to know about
Islam talk to a
Muslim start praying if you don't know
how try to find out how it's all about
trying to do good so uh it's all about
putting that effort in
and living for God not living for
today so beautiful thank you so much for
being with us you for God willing people
can benefit from your story and we uh
wish you all the best this Ramadan and
hopefully inshah uh ease the way to
Jenna so we can be in jna and Paradise
together by living a good god conscious
life and trying to develop ourselves to
be the best human beings possible
inshallah God will thank you thank you
very much and that was Keenan here on
the dean show enjoy this Ramadan get the
most out of this Ramadan learn about
Ramadan if you are not yet Muslim learn
about Islam you see you know Kenan
looked beyond all that hype and you see
he was living for just the material
world that you only live once mentality
the 55 cent mentality and the Jay-Z
mentality but you know what that don't
get you anywhere you know a lot of pain
comes with living that lifestyle and a
lot of painkillers
but when you live Islam the way of life
of all the messengers of God you have
that peace that Tranquility you live
with that love for your Creator and you
live satisfying not just the flesh but
you satisfy the soul and until you give
your heart back to the one who created
the heart you'll never be happy you'll
never truly have peace contentment and
satisfaction in life so when you see one
of the amazing proofs is about Islam
when you have a whole world up against
it and it's still continuing to Blossom
no one can suppress it because it is
indeed the truth from the one who
created you with a simple believable
message and all the proof to back it up
there's only one Creator and your maker
who made you that's the one who you're
going to have to return back to and then
it's either the Hellfire or Paradise
you're going to be accountable for what
you did in this life and all the Creator
is asking us to do is to appreciate the
blessings the accountable blessings that
he's given you be thankful and grateful
and start by asking him for guidance and
if you're sincere he will definitely
facilitate a way or you can just go
ahead and do the alternative keep
following your lust and desires and see
what happens when you die because death
is approaching very very soon we'll be
in the grave and then what you had
ignored all the signs and even this Dean
show it just came to you you were tuning
in so be wise enough be bright enough to
really look into this Dean this way of
life that brings peace prosperity and
peace contentment like no other call us
at 1800 662 Islam
follow us on the Twitter on the Facebook
subscribe right now to the dean show
help pitch in help us take the dean show
to the next level contribute and keep us
in your duas we'll see you next time
until then peace be with you inshallah
we can get to Jenna by doing what our
creator told us to do and supporting the
daah so support the daah support the
dean show contribute and help us spread
this message this message of peace peace
acquired by submission to the will of
God Islam