smelly i hummed in that cell making
greetings of peace if you've been
following along you know that I'm not in
Chicago I'm not at our home base I'm
actually visiting Bosnia and I'm
bringing you some incredible stories
you've been in the streets of Bosnia
you've got to watch those you can go to
our social media pages and check out
from the mountains from the rural areas
to the city and now we're in the studio
like to thank all the brothers help them
make it happen here at Studio 5 in
Sarajevo and I got another exciting
guest
Domon how are you Sonic how'd it go
solid how you been how you doing how
about a karate champion yeah you know
anything about the crowded kid well yeah
yeah yeah rocky right those were those
your humble beginnings first I watched
Karate Kid then I go in there so they
help motivate you of course yeah so
you've been training karate for how long
I'm in karate for 18 years now 15 years
I'm not 20 to start with 10 years yeah
when I was 10 years and you're still
training karate
yeah I'm still Curtis I heard Bosnia had
as one of the strongest teams in Europe
in karate is that true that's true we
had mean maybe two times the second
place in the world yeah yes also and
karate is the the most popular sport in
this country now and you know I'm it's
it's hundreds as satisfied and I
understand now why people not now before
many many years but I understand and the
kids they like karate first we have many
movies about karate and then when they
tried they liked it yeah you like Bruce
Lee I like him why why not yeah
everybody right I hope you like this
king of martial arts yes yes but he's
gone yeah so those Presley so is Anna
Nicole Smith so is uh you know a
countless vorrei of others you know and
that's where the turning point in your
life as you
talking about was the sad incident that
happened with your father
yes my father hey can you talk about
that could you elaborate about what
happened of course so well my father he
passed away 2006 actually I was that 17
years old and it is very hard to talk
for my family because our father he was
number one and he was just working and
all the money's coming from him and and
I had one mother and sisters and two
sisters and when he passed away I
started to think about death and I and I
saw everybody will die because actually
at that time I thought my father he will
never die he's like like my god you know
how did he die in a car accident or acts
but what's interest he was a
professional driver and he was driving
he had a car license for a truck for so
heavy-duty cars so a car it's not
nothing for him
and so Allah take him from this world in
a car accident
mmm so and at that time I just first my
first words I
I told at that time when I hear he he
passed away was alhamdulillah I don't
know how because you just said thank God
thank God just thank God so and then
what what myself nobody told me you
should now pray you should do this just
III start to follow my heart and I start
to read the book about death oh I see
many people are dying and something
should be on the other world and step by
step you know I I was trying to be
honest to God to Allah and I ask him
every day please show me that the right
way and a hundred step by step you know
I feel more comfortable and I didn't
know at that time I didn't know how to
pray nothing I just went to the message
it whereas Juma slaughtered Juma and I
was just looking people you know how
they're praying I'm just following them
and although I
anything about Islam but after that
extent so at that time this was my my
worst point in my life but actually now
I see that was my best something the
best thing what happened in my life well
I mean that's just you know when people
are able to when they're in a situation
they can't see they don't realize the
wisdom or what's going on but you have
reliance on your Creator now when you
look back you can start to slowly you
start to see some of the the reasons why
the wisdom and you see that actually it
was it was good for you whatever you
went through yes now tell me before now
you're an athlete you know you probably
live in life like a normal young man
right and how was life before then like
without Islam during my my my life
during my own father was was alive we
didn't have any contact with Islam so I
lived in a family let's let's say family
everything was open
I am I I was in the national team of
Boston characters we're just traveling
each weekend we were going some
somewhere outside Boston so it's just
party party and all party girls but to
be honest never at that time I feel
comfortable with myself you know this
was just the moments during I I'm doing
the party with my friends I'm with the
girls you know at that time I'm laughing
but when I come home back to be honest I
start to cry because I didn't feel
comfortable
everybody say you know that that's good
what you're doing you know you're like
good guy but actually I didn't feel good
something's missing it's a big missing
you know
so the void void in the yes yes yes as
many people describe it like there's
something as a void there's it's there
yeah yeah so I just and one my father he
when he died I I I just recognized that
I will die yeah and this is not the the
way I should live and I I I feel
I should come back to my loft mm-hm you
know this is the only way and I start
but to be honest when I start to pray
you know my challenge was the fashion
fashion slaughter fecha why because I
couldn't understand how how somebody can
wake up in the middle of the night to
pray you know that you can wrap your
mind right then I couldn't because we do
the prayer I mean as Muslims we pray
obviously five times a day so so Dahmer
is talking about the specific prayer
that before the sunrise you get up and
you pray and you just you're like how
can they do that it's very challenging
to get up and what was my biggest
challenge about about Islam yeah because
during my university days at my friend
he was from our 300 he was the only guy
who played at that time so I was
fascinating with him you know he was so
calm and and he was praying fragile and
I asked him you know how you can pray
fragile okay the other selasa you can
pray it's it's day but Fedya so I start
with a job I challenge myself because
I'm a carrot and I'm a competitor easy
focused I focus on fejoe just Center and
when I establish treasurer I add one
more like like I add ii ii ii and one
time it was two days before ramadan i
completed all five and then i set with
myself and I told myself because this is
what karate is for teach me if you if
you beyond you take one good level you
should stay there not go down yeah so I
told myself I cannot stop more I cannot
go now to pray tomorrow five five times
I must pray five at that time that day
and I'll hum about you until today I'm
praying five times a day and this is the
most important thing now for ya you know
what's interesting that anything that
Allah the Creator that happens in the
earth told us to do
as Muslims ones who have submitted to
the will of God you see that sometimes
you see sometimes you don't but there's
wisdom behind these things right and we
don't do it because of that but we
benefit from those blessings
I've read you know many articles where
these are people who are not practicing
Islam but not Muslim but they talk about
the benefits of starting your day early
and start getting up like there's a
whole there's a saying that the early
bird gets the worm right so for
wellbeing in wellness and even health
benefits getting up around the time we
get up five six in the morning now right
and that's prescribed for us without us
having to figure it out in the salon
yeah in Islam isn't that amazing
that's so now you have you are
implementing Islam you're researching
you're studying but now you talk about
some of the challenges struggles it
wasn't just a a walk in the park was of
course not no so at that time I was to
be honest one of the most important
members in our family our family is a
huge family and when I was a nasty guy
you know when I started to practice
Islam I didn't have a father so I was
living with my mother and two sisters
and the next five or six years I was the
worst guy in the family so nobody you
know the family was giving me some
support like money support you know they
they cut that so you know my mother's
after maybe one year she told me I
cannot look you you're praying or doing
all the Islamic things leave my house
why just because I start to be good just
because I was praying you know but hold
on before you said you're a party guy
you're hanging out the nightclubs going
out did they have any objection to that
nothing changing you know when men going
out you know abusing women not you know
what kids do you know they're not even
thinking about just changing women
nobody's objecting to that no this was
that's a real big disrespect to it
actually but now you want to respect you
don't want to fool around you're getting
serious with life you're not talking
about you know doing some crazy stuff
you just want to please your Creator
there's a problem now yeah that's crazy
isn't it of course and you know at that
time this was the the the most tough
period in my life yeah
but actually from the other side this
was my most beautiful part of the life
because I was never so satisfied with
myself because I I knew I'm close to my
my lord yeah and actually at that time I
was alone nobody was with me not my
friends that's my family my mother I was
walking on the street you know I was
hungry no money to be honest I sleep on
the road you know she kicked you out she
kick now you were kicked out just driven
out of your own just like that so wait
your parents technically they're like of
are they because from the former
Yugoslavia you had many people were
communist so they left release right so
were they have that mindset Same Same
Same Same so they're like atheist yes
like it is yeah okay so they kicked you
out they kicked me out yeah
and you know but I was satisfied so I
was every day I was praying and
continuing my way because I knew this is
the the right way and one day Allah will
change all this because this is what he
what he told us and at that time I was
just reading just reading you know in
Quran and the our authentic books and we
had like one one meeting family meeting
a big family meeting and I was such I
was surprised when they invited me
because I was now kicked out but now
they called you somehow because the
family is getting together yes so you
got an invite yes
okay and maybe the mother is more soft
right she's but she's made missing you
you haven't tell you she wants to see
you maybe just she told them because you
know yeah I wanted my son be here yes we
don't like him but but he should be with
us and and they don't it's not that they
don't like you because you're a
troublemaker
you stop being a trouble mister and you
just start praying that you just started
can you know being a Muslim I was
sitting one time with them and they just
you know they may have a bit they just
peek about other people on the bed way
yeah and I was not talking with them
yeah just take maybe two hours after two
hours the chairman of our family my
uncle he just jumped stand up and said
this guy's crazy
he don't want even speak bad about
people
because in in you know many people don't
know this aspect it's actually a major
sin and many you know houses would be
saved marriages relationships that
people don't gossip behind each other's
backs and so you weren't jumping in
because usually people have dinner he'll
hang out and instead of talking about
some productive they're talking about he
said she said I'm talking about people
behind people's back and you didn't have
no you didn't wanna have no part of that
so you got in trouble for that huh and
they kick me out oh yeah yeah so anyway
I at that time I came they kicked me
just out now let me ask you this hold on
let me be you know objective here
no actually I'm gonna play play on the
other side and think like hold on
because sometimes when people do accept
Islam they get a little bit some people
are over enthusiastic rigid and they
come at people a little bit rough was
there some of that that maybe you like
scared them off a little bit or maybe
yes when you look back were you a little
bit too tough I was a little bit too
tough yeah maybe because at that time I
saw what's Islam and I just wanted
everybody for my family my friends start
parks noisy people want people to
develop ideas your spiritual time yes
yeah I'm to be honest this was my my
situation I was like that a little bit
tough you know at that time I should be
maybe more soft but you know I was alone
that's why I thought this is the right
way yeah I didn't shout on them I didn't
said bad words just I was you know if I
sit with them if they started to she
said he said I just stopped I didn't
yeah maybe I don't know sometimes you
know but it happened like that I really
people's in experiences and what I
usually the beginning phases are like
that so what happens now so now they
invite you back to the house and what
happens at that time I finished my
course for reading Arabic letters and I
start to to read Quran on the way to
recognize Quran and they invite me so
the reason was because my cousin from
Germany he here at all the Quran you
know and he was younger than me and so
you know they just search for a reason
to make a me
and they invite me and he read the Quran
so everybody was listening him but
actually his reading was like Chinese
you know somebody teaching her that so
but I was just listening him how were
they getting because there they were
more you were mentioning that they
weren't into religion and now they're
there you know are they coming around
how does it work it was at that time
same thing because this cousin was young
and he in Germany some somebody teaching
yeah there some of the friends so I
don't know and they didn't have problem
with that because he's just reading he's
doing nothing no practicing nothing and
when he finished one page everybody kiss
him giving money you know money and then
one guy from the family one member he
told let us hear the mere what he what
he now they want you to recite me yes
yeah and okay
I accepted and I start to read Quran to
page series and you know set for six
years I had all this problems with the
family and I get very emotional and of
course you're reading Quran and I
started crying you know and and Sparra
at that time when I finished I was
reading reading two pages and when I
finished I just started watching the
people around me everybody was crying
and my mother she cried she she come to
me and start to hug me my mother she
didn't hug me maybe for five years you
know and very emotional moment for me
and for all the families and they start
then to shout you told this to me see he
is reading he's a good guy as far enough
at the time although I change the
situation my life I get married again
good job and now 80% of the family they
are there practicing Islam at all and
when I see my family before and now of
course this is Allah open the way for
them but the Quran at that time change
everything and I'll holla now you know
my mother my sister's practicing they
are wearing a job you know so yes
everything is different
mashallah so that situation
it went from that's five six years of
just life being in a total what you
would think is a catastrophe right so
you holding on steadfast and now looking
back they're actually all the majority
practicing right yeah majority was
amazing
Sodom yeah to be honest my mother she's
praying better than me now and I know
the time she's someone she prays she a
hug lined now what if you gave up many
people because Allah tells us in the
Quran has he been nurse a utrecht who a
year cool diamond our home naive to know
do you think that you'll be left alone i
just say i believe and you won't be
tested many people they get tested and
they don't rely on allah and what
happens then they don't end up seeing
the light at the end of the tunnel even
on me so this story is really you know
amazing and unique that it shows that
when you hold on when you trust in your
crater it's just like you have a good
friend who'll never let you die said
I'll be there right as you trust him you
know and and you don't give up that
trust on a good friend what about the
one who created you or any people just
they forsake Allah they don't trust in
Allah and then what do you expect but
you never gave up never yeah
and now how's life now for you know it's
it's totally different you know at that
time I was alone I nobody no money now
I'm I have three of my company three
companies ax I'm doing the construction
business property wasn't a real estate
you know I have a big family now and
what was down now itself
you know I saw totally so no family
kicked out at the home no place to sleep
but basically you were boycotted yes
you've boycotted and then the situation
just took a 180 turn and totally yeah so
what advice do you give for people I
mean people I mean who are kind of just
going with the flow they Ramadan comes
around and maybe they'll fast a few days
right to call Ramadan Muslims yeah you
know maybe they'll go do some people
might go to Juma
right I had a really good friend here
that is also Muslim he believes he's a
really good person here and you know
he's a genuine you know trying his best
but it's just very difficult for some
reason he won't make the salat you know
to me he says I believe I must some what
now what do you when you connect with
people like what advice do you give them
my device is that advice is that I have
one sense for myself the sentence that
Allah is the most important if I want to
do something which I know Allah is not
satisfied I said just to myself Allah is
the most important and this sense is
everything in my life and Salah is
number one because I'm known business
I'm just working wake up early just what
this is Allah this is my break and five
minutes I'm taking my break and to be
honest it's totally refreshment from for
me you know I'm trying in the solar to
be focus in the Salah and after that
again I am a man and a business sense
and Salah is number one so people who
say I'm Muslim but no Salah they have a
big problem they don't know actually
they don't have that connection with the
Lord and the second most important thing
is that I must be honest with myself
what's my lord I know everybody know
feel that like I feel at that time so I
must be understood me I'm I go tuna or
nuts
so every day we should make a test test
for ourselves what I did or wash what I
should do so yeah this is what I'm
trying to do every day well see it's
amazing when you read some of the
biographies and you listen to some of
the people that people look up to the
Oprah Winfrey's of the world you know
for Winfrey yes many of these she's a
bubble you a billionaire now and other
people who are at that status they look
for things in their life to make them
more complete right
and many of them a great majority they
have a spiritual time where they cut off
from the world and they dedicate 20-30
minutes and maybe they just go in a dark
room they go home right some make up
meditation spirit because they feel the
soul is is yearning for that but we have
then Salah right right we don't need a
billionaire to tell us we don't need
anybody we have that so people are
robbing themselves la don't need the
prayer Allah don't need you know
anything from us but that's for us and
it's it's very sad that people that's
that medicine the food for the soul and
when you neglect that you're neglecting
your heart and soul okay so you kept to
the prayer right
you didn't give it up you didn't give up
hope and a young man what about for the
people who feel like they just feel the
pressure from the culture right they're
scared to go in the Masjid or they're
scared to because they're gonna be
bullied right they're gonna it's I'll do
that many people they say well I'll get
religious some Muslims and I when I'm
when I'm older you know right what I'm
56 70 years old and you know what do you
say to them from my sides yeah I'm just
thinking that maybe I'll be like
tomorrow yeah
death so because my father died and from
that day I I think every day I will die
to be honest and I'm doing my best to to
finish all my obligations at that day
and Al Hamra before two years I went
first time Hajj and again this year and
Hajj with my wife and I'm planning not
stop because of Hamelin oh Allah give me
money you know and I can do this because
in our country it's very hard to go Hajj
because it's very expensive people are
not so big salaries you know there are
some times collecting the money for 20
30 years but now I can do it because I
think always I'll not be able to let the
next touch so this will be my last that
death is number not one for me yeah it's
always always you know scaring me and
I'm trying
to be better yeah and I just want to
tell one advice to talk to our two
people to you who want to practice some
have similar problems like me at that
time I was reading too much you know and
what I did I prepare myself always to
have a good answer
a short answer but a good answer and now
after 10 years people my uncle or some
people from my family they told me when
he told me that answer I just start to
think about your answer this is not for
my from for myself I read it somebody
told but I I just want to copy this yeah
and maybe five people told me that from
that moment you told this sentence I was
just thinking about that and that
changed my life
yeah so that means we should we master
it we must improve our knowledge there
was a well most out of time but what use
we started off with what is the story of
you know may Allah open all of our
hearts to really reflect on that the
reality of death and the last and final
messenger sentiment kind of problem
Hamid peace and blessings be upon him he
talked about think often of the
destroyer of pleasures and people are
indulging so many of the pleasures but
the smart person he reflects of hey I
can die tomorrow right and that's what
you the advice you're given is don't
think you you if you're gonna make it
until tomorrow you follow me and that's
not saying to forsake this world right
have it in your hand not in your heart
but be prepared for the alternate
reality the Deaf can come at any time so
you don't just turn to dust yeah you're
gonna be accountable for everything you
did in this life yes how is life now for
you as far as the Dead void right the
void in your heart that was there is
that gone do you feel now that you you
you've accomplished the greatest thing
that finding your purpose living purpose
you know how is that now of course now I
have everything
my life the most more the most important
thing is that Islam and my family is
number one my mother I'm living with my
mother my sisters say they get married
and I will never ever leave my mother
alone I told my wife at that time when I
was want to married her
well we will live with what my mother
because in Islam the mother is number
one for the man and I told her if my
mother asked me something and you asked
me something first
I will go to my mother then I will come
to you and never ever you will be in
front of my mother and so I'm doing my
best that my family is satisfied and to
be honest now I have money and money is
coming but I'm satisfied with the small
things because we're praying my family
is there I must have time for my family
and that's the the religion and family
that's it so I to be honest I don't
anything a little bit traveling that's
it so now it's and family you were
everything is great oh yeah one last
piece of advice for the not yet Muslims
because I always say that everyone has
the potential to submit their will to
God they hear a lot of the
misconceptions they hear about Muslim
terrorism all this stuff this is the
kind of stuff we deal back with back
home you know the oppression of women
all that what do you what advice do you
give for those people who turn it into
the Deen show and they're hearing about
Islam for the first I already watched
some episodes and they like the message
of pure monotheism and prayer and all
the good things that we do you know but
they're a little bit timid scared what
advice do you give for them my advice
don't because I believe I was not a
Muslim because I if you're honest
yourself you will see that you're not
you're not satisfied something Yunus
what Islam you'll get everything maybe
two will happen good things bad things
but you will always be satisfied and
this is the most important thing he will
not need anything just your needs your
Lord and He will give it everything so
what Islam everything what happened to
you is great and you feel good because
you have a answer of all things happen
to you and that's that feeling that
you're satisfied that feel calm that's
the most important and nobody can tell
me there's money it's number one I have
no money I see money's nothing you know
just just this feeling this this Islam
and five times praying and be what your
Lord that that's it I cannot of course
explain this feeling but as you try yeah
they should try you got you got the
whole world and everything to gain and
nothing to lose thank you so much
okay whatever being with us just luck
aloha yak and i want to thank you guys
for tuning in helping you connect with
different people from different ways of
life and then finding this way of life
that brings that solace that brings that
peace and like we talked about the
reality of death should wake the hearts
up to know that we're gonna die and
you're gonna leave everything behind you
can't take the fancy houses and the
fancy cars and all that money at the end
is gonna be worthless for what you did
in this life how you live this life did
you connect one who created you did it
did you live it according to the
blueprint that he sent to all the
messengers that deliver the same message
worship the Creator not the creation and
that's all summed up in one word islam
it's all there so much to gain and so
much to lose because you're gonna
eventually leave this dunya this world
behind and then what did you prepare for
the next life and if you like what we
had to talk about on this week's show
continue to tune in i'm in bosnia here
and meeting bringing some wonderful
stories continue to tune in subscribe if
you haven't already we'll see you next
time until that peace be with you
islamic