Ali Dawah - March 16, 2022


COUPLE ACCEPT ISLAM BEFORE MARRIAGE - PICCADILLY CIRCUS


Episode Stats


Length

15 minutes

Words per minute

202.63083

Word count

3,086

Sentence count

312

Harmful content

Hate speech

24

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode, I chat to a man who shares his story of how he came to Islam and how it has changed his life. He shares his experience of growing up in a religious household and how he went on to become a Muslim.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 You know what bruv? Open the Qur'an in a random place. Let's see what God's got to say. But before
00:00:05.180 you do, do a little prayer to God, yeah? In your heart, give me a sign, yeah? And open the Qur'an
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00:00:56.600 Oh, yeah. How you doing? How's life? I'm good, I'm good. That's good, man. It's nice meeting
00:01:00.580 you. I get the positive energy, you get me? So I'm charging myself right now. Okay, how
00:01:04.720 old are you? 25. Tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do? So I work in IT, a developer.
00:01:11.460 Yeah, I play tennis, coach a bit as well. Oh, tennis? I like badminton. I'm not bad at
00:01:16.120 badminton. Yeah, yeah. It's still a good sport. I like it. Injury prone, but yeah, so I play
00:01:20.980 tennis regularly and yeah, boxer, ex-boxer. Oh, I like it. I used to do boxing as well.
00:01:25.540 Oh, good, good. Yeah, not professionally, but I liked it for the sport. Oh, I see. Very
00:01:28.360 hard. Yeah. I hated every session, but I still go back. That's good. It is good. Mentality.
00:01:32.800 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can see. I can see. Okay, that's good. So obviously you was going
00:01:36.540 past with wife Timmy and you said basically that I asked you what religion do you adhere
00:01:41.760 to and you said you're thinking of reverting. Yeah. Okay, tell me what's led to that point.
00:01:47.440 So for me, I've always kept religion in a back burner my whole life kind of, you know,
00:01:54.240 as you're young, you go to church, you do the normal things, parents want you to do stuff.
00:01:57.920 I did it all and then came to the country. I moved from Portugal and I was like, I don't
00:02:03.080 know what religion really is. Do I feel anything? Do I understand it? And I kind of just put
00:02:06.760 it in the back burner the whole time. And for the last three years or so, I kind of thought
00:02:12.100 about, oh, I actually need to take my time and go into it fully. And not just logically,
00:02:17.720 that's what I used to be, into more spiritually, think outside of the norm, outside of science
00:02:22.920 and the rest. So, and then when I met my girlfriend and several people, actually my friends and
00:02:29.140 stuff, and I always, I would call it admiration for commitment to a religion. So anyone who did
00:02:35.400 and to me, I always thought people within Islam had something that I wanted to have.
00:02:42.620 What's that?
00:02:43.380 And that's the thing I'm trying to pin and I still don't completely understand it, but
00:02:46.800 there was an aura.
00:02:49.480 I don't know if it was an aura, sort of.
00:02:51.520 Before I came to Islam, I've been a Muslim for about nine years, going into 10. So I had
00:02:55.860 that feeling. I know what you're saying. You know, when you look around, to me it was
00:02:58.400 specifically how the woman used to wear the hijab and the bayah. I really, it caught my
00:03:02.200 attention. Because I used to live a lifestyle of partying and girls and all this kind of
00:03:05.480 stuff. When it comes to a certain point where you're just like, you know, girls that are 0.98
00:03:09.080 dressed half naked, et cetera, you're just desensitized to it now. Do you get what I'm
00:03:11.940 trying to say?
00:03:12.360 So to me, I found it really beautiful. I found it really modest, et cetera. So there was
00:03:15.660 something about them that really attracted me. I don't know if it was a way of life.
00:03:18.740 I don't know if it was something that they live by. Like, I think it's Malcolm X.
00:03:21.920 He said, if you don't stand up for nothing, you'll fall for anything. So it's as if I felt
00:03:25.660 like a lot of religions were falling down the route of going with the norms. But Islam was the only religion 1.00
00:03:30.880 which was like, no, these are principles. We're not letting go of that. That was to me.
00:03:34.420 Obviously, it changes with...
00:03:35.620 I do definitely agree with that. I think there was sort of principles that people led by or
00:03:39.520 they were living with. And it shows. It actually shows. It's as if there was a sort of all
00:03:44.420 around it. And I had people close by at work and I could just... I was drawn every single
00:03:49.340 time. And that's why I thought, let me actually look into it. And I've been looking into it
00:03:53.200 further. Try to read a bit. Try to understand where it's coming from. I say a story, but it's
00:03:58.460 more of a... I don't know what to call it. Yeah, that's my...
00:04:01.460 That's beautiful, man. So have you had a connection with God before? Like, have you always had
00:04:05.040 that connection with God? Or has it... You know, it was in the back burner. Was religion
00:04:08.200 in the back burner or was God?
00:04:10.440 So to me, I put anything to do with faith in the back burner. So that went with religion 0.64
00:04:14.620 and everything. So as soon as I allowed myself... I literally had to allow myself to feel.
00:04:19.820 And that's where you kind of start to feel more things. And just things are connecting
00:04:24.000 and it's making sense. So that's why you see me happy because I actually... I can feel
00:04:27.340 it. It's weird.
00:04:27.880 Alhamdulillah. That's right, man. May Allah always keep you happy. So God was always in
00:04:32.160 the picture?
00:04:32.980 Yeah, yeah.
00:04:33.640 Okay, good. I was like that as well. So God was always in the picture, but religion wasn't
00:04:36.560 for me.
00:04:37.160 Yeah.
00:04:37.720 Okay. What's... You said you're on the verge of accepting Islam. What's stopping you?
00:04:43.860 I think it's myself. I think it's taking accountability for the things I do and respecting, I think,
00:04:52.200 others to not my standard, but to a full standard. Okay. And I think that's probably where I'm
00:04:58.680 asking myself.
00:04:59.120 Okay. Now, if you came and said to me, Ali, I'm still not sure if the Prophet Muhammad is
00:05:03.460 the final messenger. I'm not sure if I believe in Allah. I don't know if Quran is the final
00:05:07.360 word of God. I will say to you, you know what? Let me give you some material, look into
00:05:11.280 it. But you're telling me that you believe in Allah. God.
00:05:16.480 Yes.
00:05:17.200 Okay. Do you believe the Prophet Muhammad is the final messenger?
00:05:20.960 Yes.
00:05:21.260 Do you believe the Quran is from God?
00:05:25.180 Yes.
00:05:26.020 Okay. You are technically a Muslim. It's like, what's your favorite food?
00:05:31.960 Lasagna.
00:05:32.700 Lasagna. I had it yesterday. My wife does the best lasagna of her. If you get married, I'm
00:05:37.900 inviting you.
00:05:38.380 Okay. Good.
00:05:38.960 Trust me. You're going to love a lasagna. Okay. Now, when I asked you that question, you
00:05:43.900 said lasagna. What you did is you proclaimed what you already believe inside. So I said to you,
00:05:48.920 what food do you like? You knew inside lasagna and you said to me, I like lasagna. The Shahada
00:05:53.960 is a bit like that. Not compared to lasagna. It's a big, big, it's a big claim. But most
00:06:00.080 of the times what happens and what happened to me is I was looking into Islam about two,
00:06:04.380 three years. For about a good year, I knew Islam was the truth. But because I have bad 1.00
00:06:08.300 habits, I used to think, let me fix them. Then I'll accept Islam. But it actually works 1.00
00:06:12.160 the other way around. You have to accept Islam for it to fix it. It doesn't work the other 1.00
00:06:15.580 way around. Do you get what I'm trying to say? So some people come and say, I'm a bad
00:06:19.040 person. I commit sins. Once I fix them, then I'll start reading the Quran. Once I fix 0.71
00:06:23.400 that, I'll start praying salah. Salah means a fiber. And I say, no, no, no, you got it
00:06:26.760 wrong. You have to pray and you have to read the Quran. And that is what will stop you 1.00
00:06:31.540 sinning. Not the other way around. Do you get what I'm trying to say? Because that's
00:06:35.620 what is God's word. God's word is going to penetrate the heart. When you pray in front
00:06:40.000 to God, that is what's going to cause you to leave the sin. Don't twist it because Satan
00:06:43.960 came to you and says, you know what? Nah, nah, nah, you're still a bad guy. He comes and
00:06:47.340 tricks you. Do you get what I'm trying to say? Obviously, I don't want to keep it too
00:06:49.180 long. I know why. Oh, she's bounced. She's like, forget this guy. So what I would say
00:06:55.800 is, bro, I'm not the type to, I wouldn't say force, but encourage, force people to take
00:07:01.880 their shahadah if they're not sure. But you're telling me you already believe 0.97
00:07:04.340 in Allah. You believe the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. You believe the Quran.
00:07:07.120 Bro, I'm telling you, whatever's stopping you is Satan. I'm telling you because there
00:07:11.960 is nothing. If you came and said to me, I'm not sure if the prophet is a prophet. I would
00:07:17.740 say, you know what? Let's talk about that. I can try to maybe convince you. But you already
00:07:20.920 believe those things, bro. Don't let it stop you because you don't know if you're going
00:07:25.200 to, God forbid, die today or tomorrow. Do you know what I'm trying to say? So I would
00:07:29.260 say, bro, shahadah is a big thing, but don't think it's something where it's like,
00:07:33.760 oh, if I take it now. No, no, no. Bro, it's just the first step. You know what shahadah
00:07:36.980 is? It's a key to the door. You open the door. Your journey begins. All it is, is a journey
00:07:43.280 beginning. You're going to fall short. You think I don't sin? Don't I sin? You think
00:07:47.300 I don't have shortfalls? I have shortfalls. But what Islam, God Almighty is telling you 1.00
00:07:51.620 in the Quran is just know that you have a law that's forgiven. Repent. That's it. You 0.97
00:07:58.760 know what, bro? Open the Quran in a random place. Let's see what God's got to say. But
00:08:03.420 before you do, do a little prayer to God, yeah? In your heart, give me a sign, yeah? And
00:08:08.720 open the Quran wherever you like. And pick a random verse if you want. Whichever verse?
00:08:23.720 Which one? 69, yeah? Okay. This is Surah Naml. Okay. Okay. Say, O Muhammad, proceed, travel 0.66
00:08:33.680 through the land and observe how was the end of the criminals. And give, and give not over
00:08:39.140 them, over them, or be in distress from what they have conspired. And they say, when is the
00:08:45.980 fulfillment, the promise, if you should be truthful? Say, perhaps, it is closed, it is
00:08:51.640 closed behind you, very near. Some of that, some of that for you, which is, which are
00:08:57.640 impatient. And indeed, your Lord is the possessor of the bounty for the people. But most of them
00:09:02.580 are not grateful. And indeed, your Lord knows what, what breasts conceal and what they declare.
00:09:08.940 Okay. That's a deep verse. Because what God Almighty is saying, He knows what's inside you
00:09:13.640 and what you declare. Okay? Because what we're talking about here, what's inside you, which
00:09:17.700 is Islam, and what you declare. And at the beginning, here it's talking about, if we go
00:09:21.400 maybe in context, it's talking about nations before this. Because when Allah talks about 0.97
00:09:26.960 in the Quran, He talks about nations that He destroyed before, yeah? And these are nations
00:09:30.820 that God doesn't destroy. God is not, people make God as if God is this monster that is looking
00:09:36.400 to destroy people. God wants mercy and paradise. Like, that's what He wants. But there's nations
00:09:40.640 who have sent messengers and messengers. So God is saying, reflect upon the nations
00:09:43.700 before. And these nations, you know what they used to say? To the prophets, if you're truthful,
00:09:47.700 let God send this destruction. Let's send, God send this destruction. And God doesn't work
00:09:52.120 on their, like, oh, if you say, I'll do it now. God gives them time. Sends the messengers.
00:09:55.880 Until they keep being arrogant, then God sends the punishment. But what is very interesting
00:10:01.260 here, is what God is saying, is that anything can happen any second, kind of stuff. Do you
00:10:06.200 get what I'm trying to say? For these nations. But what's interesting here is God Almighty is
00:10:10.380 saying, He knows what internally you have and what you declare, yeah? So it's just
00:10:15.100 as if God is saying, look at the previous nations and learn lessons out of it. But that
00:10:19.040 verse, which is very interesting, that says God Almighty knows what you conceal and what
00:10:23.620 you reveal, yeah? Look, God knows inside that you have embraced. Do you get what I'm trying
00:10:27.520 to say? And for you to, from there, then we come to this verse. I think, bro, like for
00:10:32.340 me, personally, I would say, don't let it stop you. You know why? Because it's just a journey,
00:10:36.380 man. Once you take a shahada, it's just a journey. And it might be a reason, bro, that you stop 1.00
00:10:41.100 today. So I'm going to leave that at you, but if you want to take a shahada, bro, there
00:10:45.180 is nothing stopping you and you've got nothing to lose. Tell me one good reason that you can
00:10:49.140 take a shahada. One good reason. 1.00
00:10:51.000 There's no reason. There's no reason to not take it.
00:10:53.940 Okay. If you want, bro, we can do it together. It's totally up to you. I'm not the type to
00:11:00.820 pressure, but genuinely, I'm looking for a reason. I can't find one, bro. I don't think
00:11:06.280 there's a reason not to at all, yeah. Do you want to take it with me? Like, should
00:11:10.220 we do it together? It's up to you.
00:11:14.680 Should I take another one?
00:11:16.560 Your wife here, if you want.
00:11:18.680 Sister, don't worry. I was just talking to him, yeah? So I'm just trying to convince
00:11:23.320 him, but I'm not someone that pushes people to the shahada, yeah? Because what I usually 0.96
00:11:27.460 do is, I try to assess. So I spoke to him, I said, do you believe in Allah?
00:11:30.820 He says, yes, I do. I said, okay, do you believe in the Prophet Muhammad? He said,
00:11:34.820 yes, I do. Do you believe the Quran is the final word? Yes, I do. Internally, he's a 0.93
00:11:38.640 Muslim. He opened the verse, I told him, make a prayer and open the Quran in a random 1.00
00:11:42.580 place. He opened the verse where it talks about God, how he destroyed nations, but
00:11:47.480 then there's a verse where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, indeed, God knows what you
00:11:51.000 conceal and what you declare, yeah? So all I'm just saying is, sister, there's nothing
00:11:55.600 stopping him. Do you know anything that will stop him taking the shahada? There is 0.99
00:11:59.200 nothing. So I'm saying you can maybe ask the wife his permission, yeah? But maybe take
00:12:03.660 a shahada, like with us, because it's just a journey. I took my shahada nine and a half
00:12:07.460 years ago, yeah? And I know how it feels where you have this moment where you're like, oh,
00:12:11.520 I'm still sinning or maybe I'm not perfect. Allah doesn't want you to be perfect. What
00:12:15.800 God wants you is to acknowledge you have a Lord and repent to him. And it's just a
00:12:20.260 journey, bro. Do you think I'm perfect? None of us are perfect. God doesn't want us
00:12:23.440 to be perfect. So there's nothing stopping him from taking the shahada. What do you say? 0.95
00:12:28.240 I think it's up to him when he feels ready. But yeah. You do feel ready? You talk to
00:12:36.960 me. Forget us. Forget us. I think, I do definitely, I think, no one, I guess no one's perfect. I
00:12:44.340 definitely, it's something that I, I see no reason not to do. I just keep kind of stalling
00:12:49.440 myself to do something. As your brother, your brother in humanity, and I want to be
00:12:54.840 a brother in faith as well, yeah? I have to give that little push. You know why? Because
00:12:58.580 you, you believe internally. I told him, I said, what's your favourite food? He goes,
00:13:01.360 lasagna. I said, tell me you love lasagna. He said, I love lasagna. I said, the shahada's 1.00
00:13:04.940 a bit like that. You internally believe it and like it. It's just declaring it. So it's up
00:13:09.020 to you. You can repeat after me. I think it's, I think you've actually, I feel like
00:13:16.400 you've, you're, you're showing me a good direction to go to. And that is something
00:13:20.760 that I, even in the right now, I'm thinking, yeah, like there's no reason not to. Okay.
00:13:24.800 Repeat after me. Okay. Just repeat after me. Yeah. Don't worry. Could this be off camera?
00:13:31.060 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. If, if, if you want, it can be off camera.
00:13:41.960 This is what makes our day here at Salaam, guys. You know, it's very amazing that, you
00:13:45.920 know, I've been trying to hear, trying to stop people, trying to stop people to like
00:13:48.540 talk. Nobody wanted to talk to me, you know. Hi there. Would you like a free Quran?
00:13:52.040 No. Okay. No problem. So it's very interesting. You know, they, they, they, you know, he's,
00:13:57.200 he was not a Muslim. His, his, his, his wife to be is a Muslim, but he came here and I genuinely
00:14:02.960 asked him, what is stopping you? And there was nothing stopping him. And because of that,
00:14:07.040 I did give him that little push because we know shaitan comes here and there. He accepted
00:14:09.980 Islam. Inshallah, they're going to get married soon. And with our new Salah project, Salah Plus, 1.00
00:14:13.820 where we teach new Reavers and born Muslims, how to reconnect back to their Lord via Salah.
00:14:19.860 Inshallah, we invited him to that, Inshallah. May Allah bless every single one of you guys
00:14:22.940 that are watching and supporting Salaam. And yeah, may Allah keep him firm. And Inshallah,
00:14:26.860 they're righteous children. That will be their Sadaqa Jari, Inshallah. Till next time, 0.96
00:14:30.720 from Salaam Corner at Pikidiri Circus. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
00:14:43.820 And inshallah.