Ali Dawah - October 01, 2021


LEAVE ISLAM OR I'LL KILL MYSELF - NORAS STORY


Episode Stats


Length

38 minutes

Words per minute

188.2419

Word count

7,263

Sentence count

615

Harmful content

Misogyny

8

sentences flagged

Toxicity

7

sentences flagged

Hate speech

34

sentences flagged


Summary

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

In this episode, we talk about the importance of the five daily salats and how the Prophet came to know about them. We also talk about how we can be ambassadors to our families and how we should treat our brothers and sisters.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Not only does it encourage you to read, it tells you how many verses you've read,
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00:00:07.340 Download the Qur'ani app now and have a Ramadan with Allah's book like you've never had before.
00:00:30.000 As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, brothers and sisters and dear friends, hope you guys are well inshaAllah.
00:00:40.720 So today is Wednesday, Wednesday is the day usually we meet with Zeeshan, me, him in hijab, go over some stuff, chill, play a bit of call of duty.
00:00:50.020 Before that we go to the gym now with Zeeshan, you know, but I told him usually with these days we like to chill because, you know,
00:00:56.520 we do a lot of work, dawah, dawah table, studying, so we're just like, we need a day to just detox, mentally detox.
00:01:03.500 But I came across a video somebody sent me. So this video was of the sister who's here.
00:01:09.500 As-salamu alaykum sister.
00:01:11.360 As-salamu alaykum.
00:01:12.560 Thank you for inviting me.
00:01:14.360 It's a pleasure. What's your name?
00:01:16.400 My name is Karen, but you can call me Nora now.
00:01:19.420 Nora. So that's your Muslim name now, yeah? Nora.
00:01:22.200 Yeah.
00:01:23.060 Mashallah. Very nice name, sister.
00:01:24.740 So, yeah, I was telling Zeeshan at the gym and I was like, bro, you know, I came across like this video of the sister.
00:01:32.640 She's a revert to Islam and she has watched, you know, Muhammad Hijab and other people's videos. 0.80
00:01:38.780 And I was really touched by it because I could relate to it.
00:01:43.620 When I watched that video, I saw you crying multiple times and it really, really touched me.
00:01:50.080 And I was like, man, like I really felt for you in a way where, yes, I know some people be like, okay, you know, you feel sorry for her.
00:01:57.680 To me, it was a bit of feeling sorry for the sake of Allah, but also seeing. 0.64
00:02:03.640 It's not like having foresight, like having, like, you know, but it's, I knew that Allah had good plans for you.
00:02:10.680 And I don't, I meant this in a way where something where I've experienced myself.
00:02:13.660 So we know, like, for example, when the Prophet, peace be upon him, went to the heavens, you know, and he, this is where he was told about the five salats of Islam.
00:02:23.880 Yeah, and basically the five daily salats.
00:02:26.020 First, it was 50.
00:02:27.420 And then the Prophet was on his way back down and he came across Musa, alayhi salam. 0.74
00:02:32.100 And when he came across Musa, alayhi salam, Musa, alayhi salam, told him, he said, look, I know I have experience with my people.
00:02:39.580 They're not going to pray 50 times a day.
00:02:41.780 It's not going to happen.
00:02:42.520 Yeah.
00:02:42.900 So he said, go and ask your Lord for mercy, meaning to drop it down.
00:02:46.380 So obviously the Prophet, alayhi salam, went and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, dropped it to five. 0.70
00:02:50.000 But the reward is still 50.
00:02:51.360 If you do it, you know, it depends with the khushu and all this kind of stuff.
00:02:54.440 The reason I mentioned Musa, alayhi salam, and the Prophet, alayhi salam, is the Prophet, alayhi salam, obviously had knowledge.
00:02:58.760 But Musa, alayhi salam, had also hikmah as well, wisdom, because he's had first-hand experience.
00:03:03.240 So when it comes to what I said about yourself is, and I always say this to reverse, yeah.
00:03:08.800 And I had to get this off my chest to you.
00:03:10.640 And I asked you, I said, look, we can do this off camera or on camera.
00:03:13.320 It's totally up to you, yeah.
00:03:14.660 But I had to tell you, this was going to be said to you off camera or on camera, you know.
00:03:18.640 So, because I really felt that you may have wanted to hear this.
00:03:23.060 I believe Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, just as he sends messengers to different nations, yeah.
00:03:28.260 Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says we do not, we will never punish a nation until we send a messenger, yeah.
00:03:32.240 I believe every revert, be it like you, be it like me, be it like many other people, you are, we are ambassadors to Islam, yeah.
00:03:41.520 Allah chooses you to convey that message to your family.
00:03:44.920 Now, when you convey this message to your family, just like the messengers, they got rejected.
00:03:49.800 They were insulted.
00:03:51.420 They were sometimes assaulted.
00:03:53.160 They had to leave their houses.
00:03:54.360 Sometimes they returned back to those houses, like the Prophet ï·º returning back to Mecca with mercy after they persecuted him for him and his companions and killed some and tortured the lot for 23 years. 0.91
00:04:06.220 They came back and the family accepted Islam and the house that now, you know, their progeny is Muslim.
00:04:12.120 So, what I wanted to tell you, Sister Nora, is before we say, I want to hear, everyone wants to hear your story, is that do not lose hope, yeah, and have no doubt Allah has a plan.
00:04:25.240 And before I get into details, this is about you, not me.
00:04:28.500 A lot of people say, Brother Ali, you talk too much, let your guests speak.
00:04:31.580 So, Sister Nora, tell us a bit about yourself.
00:04:34.900 Tell us a little bit about your journey.
00:04:36.480 Okay, so, my journey really started last year, in the beginning of last year.
00:04:43.700 When I got out of high school, I wanted to get closer to God, but the only way I knew how to get closer to God is to read the Bible, go to church more often, do all that because my family was Christian.
00:04:58.200 My family is on and off with Christianity.
00:05:01.380 We really only go when something happens in the family, when we, like, when we get reminded of God, you know.
00:05:09.640 So, I took it upon myself to buy a Bible, an English Bible, because my family is Hispanic.
00:05:19.100 The Holy Bible in Spanish is really formal, and it's really hard for me to understand.
00:05:24.220 So, I got an English Bible, and so, I started studying, I started taking notes, I downloaded the Bible app.
00:05:32.840 I joined Elevation Church, which is like an organization from North Carolina, and they would broadcast their sessions online.
00:05:42.820 So, I would watch, like, two or three times a week, you know, church.
00:05:47.060 And so, yeah, and that started that.
00:05:51.520 And so, everything was going fine, you know.
00:05:53.980 And I've always, always prayed, and I always asked God to guide me, to always, to make me a better person, to lead me to the right path, right.
00:06:07.500 So, in this video, popped up, it was Christianity and Islam.
00:06:13.340 At the time, I didn't know anything about Islam.
00:06:15.460 I didn't know what a Muslim was.
00:06:18.660 The area I live in, I can count on my fingers how many Muslims I've seen, Muslim women that I've seen.
00:06:26.280 It's not too much.
00:06:27.680 I don't know anything where I live.
00:06:32.000 There's probably, like, nine churches around me just where I live.
00:06:36.860 So, it's a very Christian community.
00:06:40.020 So, when I, yeah, so that's all I knew.
00:06:42.880 So, I was just trying to get back into, you know, finding God and doing what's right.
00:06:49.160 So, this video popped up.
00:06:51.420 It's about Christianity versus Islam. 0.99
00:06:53.800 I think it was the Muhammad Hijab and David Wood debate.
00:06:57.880 Okay.
00:06:59.340 Yeah.
00:06:59.860 Yeah, so, I kept delaying that video for a week, but it just kept on popping up whenever I watch church online.
00:07:08.340 Wow.
00:07:08.820 It just kept on popping up.
00:07:10.460 Yeah.
00:07:10.640 So, I was like, let me just watch this video.
00:07:16.120 And even though it's two hours long, let me just concentrate and watch this video.
00:07:20.600 So, I wasn't really taking sides because I was still learning about Christianity, and I didn't know what Islam was.
00:07:29.880 So, I was just kind of in the middle.
00:07:31.940 I was trying to, you know, humble myself, you know, and listen to, I think it was Muhammad Hijab.
00:07:38.320 So, yeah, and I watched the video, and then after that, it was like, my whole mindset changed.
00:07:45.880 I'm like, Islam, one God, Christianity, Trinity.
00:07:53.220 So, three.
00:07:55.520 But Islam seems so much simpler than Christianity. 0.96
00:07:59.700 Why is that?
00:08:00.640 So, then I started watching more of Muhammad Hijab's videos, and then your videos, and then I just kept learning about Islam for about seven to eight months.
00:08:12.140 Wow.
00:08:12.420 So, yeah, eventually, I kept watching videos about Christianity and Islam compared, and then eventually, I just started watching videos just about Islam.
00:08:22.060 So, once I learned more about Islam, and that I really didn't believe in Christianity anymore.
00:08:32.880 It was just something that I just grew up with.
00:08:36.960 No one really taught me that much.
00:08:39.020 Okay.
00:08:39.420 Even though my family has two pastors, they own a church, but my part of the family, they, we weren't really devoted, like I said.
00:08:47.760 So, you wasn't, you wasn't, you wasn't that, okay, would you say that you was at a point of your life where you was not, was you ever a practicing Christian?
00:08:58.040 No, I don't think so.
00:08:59.000 Okay.
00:08:59.400 So, did you have a moment in your life where you was like, okay, I want to be a practicing Christian?
00:09:04.840 Yes.
00:09:05.560 So, then where, is that when you made the prayer to God, or did that happen after?
00:09:10.960 So, did you say, okay, God, guide me, I want to be a practicing Christian, or did you want to be a practicing Christian, and then ask God for guidance?
00:09:19.980 I, yeah, I wanted to be a practicing Christian, and then ask God for guidance.
00:09:25.480 I think that's how it was.
00:09:26.940 Okay.
00:09:27.380 Yeah, so, yeah, I, it just came a point, I think it was December 28th.
00:09:33.960 It was that night where it was time for me to go to bed, and I wanted to pray, but I no longer wanted to pray, you know, the Christian way.
00:09:46.160 So, I, yeah, so I just got up and went to bed, and then for four hours, I just cried, because I just didn't know how to pray.
00:09:56.800 I just didn't know how to, what to believe in.
00:09:58.880 I didn't know how to please God.
00:10:03.280 I was very, almost confused, but I knew I wanted to be Muslim.
00:10:09.540 Okay, so, you know, when it comes to the Trinity, what confused you?
00:10:14.120 Because what was it that you thought, okay, look, Christianity is not for me?
00:10:17.840 Because when I first looked into religion, like, I didn't believe any religion.
00:10:20.820 I was a bit agnostic.
00:10:22.280 I believed in a higher power.
00:10:24.440 What made you, like, think, you know, okay, Christianity is not for me?
00:10:28.160 Like, personally, for me, was two issues.
00:10:31.260 Number one, that if God Almighty exists, this whole concept of Trinity, Hinduism, any religion, any religion that was, had this, you know, polytheism, you know, polytheism, you know, in the banner of monotheism, but it's really polytheism.
00:10:52.340 Oh, we're monotheists, we believe in one, but, you know, there's two or three, or there's one million, but the main God is, all these kind of things.
00:10:57.460 I was like, that doesn't make sense to me.
00:10:59.860 And someone might say, okay, well, just because it doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean it's not real.
00:11:04.220 But we know there's a nature of God, yeah?
00:11:06.940 And the nature of God is that He has to be one.
00:11:09.360 It can't be more than one.
00:11:10.220 Allah says in the Quran, if there was more than one, they would fight each other.
00:11:12.660 They would want power, you know?
00:11:13.900 And if there is two, who created her?
00:11:15.520 Did A create B, or did B create A, you know?
00:11:18.400 So the thing is, there's a lot of, you know, logical, illogical things about it.
00:11:24.940 So for you, what was it where you said, okay, Islam is for you?
00:11:28.680 Like, at what moment where you said, okay, hold on a second, actually?
00:11:31.060 So I looked at the Trinity, and it said, you know, the Holy Spirit is God, Jesus is God, the Holy Spirit is Jesus, you know, all that, and it was three.
00:11:43.380 It just didn't make sense, because there are verses in the Bible where Jesus is praying, but to who is He praying?
00:11:52.980 Is He praying to Himself if He's God?
00:11:55.020 Yeah, exactly.
00:11:55.540 In the mountain of Gethsemane in the Bible, it says Jesus went up to the hill or mountain, and He prayed.
00:12:03.120 So the question is, who did He pray to?
00:12:04.580 Even when He was being crucified, He said, you know, my Lord, my Lord, you know, why have You forsaken me?
00:12:10.160 For example, in another verse in the Bible, it says, He says, hear, O Israel, our Lord God is one.
00:12:18.840 When, in another verse where someone came to Him and said, you know, oh, good master, what must I do to get eternal life?
00:12:23.440 He said, why do you call me good?
00:12:25.040 There's only one good, and that's God alone.
00:12:26.880 And you see this throughout the Bible, where Jesus always refers to the Father.
00:12:30.920 He always refers to the Father, you know, and we do that, you know, the one who always praises God.
00:12:34.820 If someone comes, oh, you are a wonderful man, no, I'm not, God is, God is, God is, well, you're a Muslim. 1.00
00:12:38.540 So, the Trinity was the problem for you, yeah?
00:12:46.000 Yeah, the Trinity, like, for example, a lot of people, a lot of Christians, the Trinity doesn't, that's one of the reasons they leave Christianity.
00:12:52.020 It just doesn't make sense.
00:12:53.700 You know, who are you supposed to pray to?
00:12:54.760 The Holy Spirit, the Father, Jesus, and then some say, no, you pray to the Father in Jesus' name.
00:13:00.580 And, but anyways, yeah, okay, so, you turn to Allah, and Allah says in the Quran, Allah says that we respond to the caller of the caller that calls upon him, like, yeah?
00:13:13.640 So, this can be anyone, and that's what you did.
00:13:15.780 And it's very interesting, Allah works in miraculous ways, you know, and subhanAllah, so, now, coming to the main issue.
00:13:21.500 What happened after?
00:13:24.020 So, you know, you want to be a Muslim, and this is very interesting, because you're in Florida?
00:13:29.760 I'm in South Carolina.
00:13:31.380 The closest mosque to you is, like, half an hour, 40 minutes away?
00:13:34.280 Mm-hmm.
00:13:35.080 Can you?
00:13:35.500 Yeah.
00:13:36.100 To me, that is profound.
00:13:37.560 To me, that, you know, when Allah subhanAllah wants to guide someone, and you ask for guidance, you're in the middle of nowhere.
00:13:44.520 And this video just pops up, and via this video, you are just, you know, guided.
00:13:50.880 To me, that is amazing, you know?
00:13:53.460 So, you said that you was at a point in your video where I watched, you was kind of, you know, upset, crying, and you said that you don't have any Muslims to turn to.
00:14:00.340 You applied for some work, a job.
00:14:02.040 Can you tell that story?
00:14:04.520 Yes.
00:14:04.880 So, when I took my Shahada, I started praying.
00:14:10.940 I didn't have a job, so I had all this time.
00:14:14.520 So, there was no excuse for me to not pray in my five prayers.
00:14:17.880 Yeah.
00:14:18.300 So, I started praying, and every prayer, I asked Allah to give me a job, because at this point, I've been jobless for about three, four months.
00:14:27.780 Yeah.
00:14:28.700 So, I asked Allah to please give me a job, to please let me help out my mom, because she was really struggling with the bills.
00:14:38.500 Yeah.
00:14:38.700 So, I really needed, you know, help with a job.
00:14:42.560 So, I applied for two retail stores.
00:14:46.460 They were the same retail stores, but in different locations.
00:14:49.460 Yeah.
00:14:49.680 And I get the call for the first retail store, and then for an interview.
00:14:55.320 So, I go there.
00:14:56.240 What I noticed first is that the manager doesn't look me in the eye.
00:15:00.580 He's very dismissive.
00:15:03.400 He said, yeah, you should get this position.
00:15:05.980 And then he tells me the hourly pay, which is not really good.
00:15:10.620 It's not what I can do.
00:15:12.240 And he tells me that it's only part-time.
00:15:15.140 Yeah.
00:15:15.440 When I told him, I was looking for full-time.
00:15:17.840 Yeah.
00:15:18.800 So, he almost kept pushing me to get this job.
00:15:23.300 And so, I eventually just got mad.
00:15:27.140 I just didn't want to be there anymore.
00:15:30.000 He was very disrespectful.
00:15:33.620 Yeah.
00:15:34.020 So, I just got up and left.
00:15:36.840 Okay.
00:15:37.300 So, I got up and left.
00:15:39.600 I felt like, to be honest, I felt like really betrayed that Allah wouldn't, you know, allow me to have a job. 0.99
00:15:48.600 You know, because I've been applying and interviewing for a while now.
00:15:52.000 So, for this one to not work, after I took my shahadah, prayed my five prayers, and then gone through that with my whole family, I just felt like, what else could go wrong, you know?
00:16:04.520 Yeah.
00:16:05.040 It happens, you know, with me as well.
00:16:07.500 There's a lot of difficulty I've been through.
00:16:09.100 You know, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, you know, do you think you're going to say we believe and not be tested, yeah?
00:16:13.180 And the thing is, Allah will push you to your limits. 0.99
00:16:15.640 It's a test.
00:16:16.980 But at the very end where you, you know, sometimes you despair.
00:16:20.680 It's normal with human beings.
00:16:22.000 And with you, it just, you got your prayers answered.
00:16:25.180 How did it, what happened?
00:16:27.180 Yeah, so, not even a day later, I get a call.
00:16:31.860 It's this lady, and she says, she got my resume.
00:16:36.040 She wants to see me for an interview.
00:16:38.220 So, at this point, I'm still mad.
00:16:40.640 I feel like it's the same retail store, but it's in a different location.
00:16:45.000 But I still feel like they're going to tell me the same thing.
00:16:49.580 And so, I go there.
00:16:51.240 I go there the following day.
00:16:53.420 And immediately, I noticed that she's very nice.
00:16:57.020 And she's very opening up to me.
00:17:00.840 She talks to me about how the job is.
00:17:03.200 And then she, and then she asked me the basic interview questions.
00:17:08.880 And then, after, she looks at me, and she says, do you want to be a supervisor?
00:17:13.680 I was kind of shocked because, at 19 years old, a supervisor who gets a job like that, I don't have much experience.
00:17:24.060 She looked at my resume.
00:17:25.680 I don't know what looks good on that resume to give me that position.
00:17:31.140 But, nonetheless, I say, yes.
00:17:34.500 What are the duties?
00:17:36.560 So, she goes on ahead and tells me about everything, what I have to do.
00:17:42.540 And she's really happy.
00:17:43.840 I'm really happy, too.
00:17:45.400 But everything happens so fast.
00:17:47.740 I give her my ID for a background check, all that stuff.
00:17:50.200 And then, she tells me to come here.
00:17:53.360 Let's go to the back, and she'll introduce me to everyone that I'm supposed to supervise.
00:17:58.440 And so, I look at everyone, and then I notice there's three Muslim women. 0.97
00:18:04.780 I could not stop looking at them.
00:18:06.760 I got so happy, they probably thought I was weird.
00:18:10.920 But I just could not stop looking at them.
00:18:13.280 Three of them, I even prayed for friends, for just a Muslim to be around me. 1.00
00:18:19.280 For me to talk to whenever I'm going through stuff with my family.
00:18:24.480 So, yeah, I look at all of them.
00:18:28.120 I meet them, and they're very nice.
00:18:30.560 They're a lot older than me, but to me, it really doesn't matter.
00:18:35.180 So, yeah, and then I left.
00:18:39.700 I got in my car, and then I started crying again.
00:18:44.080 And I started crying because I felt like I was mad at Allah for not being able to give me a job.
00:18:54.280 But then he gives me a job, plus Muslims around me. 0.98
00:18:59.920 So, he gave me what I was praying for in one day.
00:19:03.800 And, you know, in a place where I could experience that, you know.
00:19:10.260 Are you still in contact with them?
00:19:13.480 I'm in contact with one of them.
00:19:15.740 They left for personal reasons.
00:19:17.660 But, yes, they brought me a lot of comfort.
00:19:20.640 And they helped me a lot with Islam.
00:19:22.740 That's amazing.
00:19:23.660 So, now, that's amazing, subhanAllah. 0.99
00:19:25.920 And when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala answers the du'a, things go really smooth, very fast. 0.97
00:19:30.380 You'll see it's Allah's sunnah. 0.95
00:19:32.100 Like, things go very smooth, very fast.
00:19:35.160 So, now, coming to your mom and dad, yeah.
00:19:39.740 How are they?
00:19:40.660 Like, you know, you did say that, you know, your mom is really, really against.
00:19:45.560 You know, tell us a bit about what you're struggling with.
00:19:48.220 So, I really want to wear hijab.
00:19:53.520 But I feel like my mom, she doesn't like it.
00:19:58.860 I've shown her how I would look if I'm, you know, a hijabi.
00:20:03.120 But she said that, she told me, like, she looked me straight in the eye and said,
00:20:07.740 why are you trying to be a rab so bad? 1.00
00:20:11.460 And I was like, it's not the same thing.
00:20:14.200 Islam is not, you know, a culture. 0.99
00:20:16.660 Islam is a religion.
00:20:17.560 It's not the same thing.
00:20:19.360 There are Muslims who are black, white, Hispanic, you know.
00:20:24.600 So, I was trying to explain to her that she said that I'm beautiful.
00:20:30.740 Why are you trying to cover it up?
00:20:32.720 How are you going to find a boyfriend or husband with all that on?
00:20:38.320 So, yeah.
00:20:40.380 And when I did tell my mom that I was Muslim, she cried.
00:20:45.020 She was very merciful at first.
00:20:49.880 But then I showed her a video of a Hispanic girl who was Muslim. 0.63
00:20:55.860 And she was explaining all the beliefs of a Muslim.
00:20:58.380 And then once she said that Jesus is not God, that we don't believe that Jesus is God, my mom just flipped.
00:21:06.520 Really?
00:21:06.960 My mom, yeah.
00:21:09.220 She started arguing with me.
00:21:12.920 She was really mad.
00:21:14.100 She kept shaking her head and arms crossed and everything.
00:21:17.600 She was just really mad.
00:21:19.020 And so, I just paused the video.
00:21:22.420 I didn't even let her finish the video.
00:21:24.200 And I went upstairs because I didn't want her to be even more, get even more riled up.
00:21:31.400 So, I just went upstairs and that was that.
00:21:34.280 And so.
00:21:35.520 Sorry.
00:21:36.000 So, when it came to my dad, my dad actually walked in on me and my mom arguing.
00:21:43.680 Yeah.
00:21:45.460 Yeah.
00:21:46.040 And so, he was like, what are you guys arguing about?
00:21:50.820 And then my mom told him that I want to be Muslim.
00:21:55.180 Yeah.
00:21:55.480 So, my dad, I started explaining to my dad.
00:21:59.860 My dad, I felt like he was more lenient.
00:22:02.780 He would be more lenient to me.
00:22:04.280 Yeah.
00:22:04.640 Being Muslim.
00:22:06.140 But it wasn't the case.
00:22:09.180 He said, he started brushing me off away.
00:22:12.800 He started saying that, I don't want to hear it.
00:22:16.640 You need to stop reading books.
00:22:19.240 Throw that book away or I'll throw it away for you.
00:22:21.920 And he was talking about the Quran while I was talking to him about the Quran.
00:22:26.300 Yeah.
00:22:27.240 And he said, the devil is getting inside of you.
00:22:30.460 You need to stop reading books.
00:22:32.260 All of that.
00:22:33.120 And I just, I really didn't have anything to say when he said that.
00:22:37.980 Because I felt that he would be my savior, I guess.
00:22:42.320 But no, my parents were totally against it.
00:22:45.480 They didn't like it.
00:22:46.300 And yeah, I feel like the day I became Muslim, the day I took my Shahada, that my parents became
00:22:54.440 even more religious.
00:22:55.720 Instead of just going once a week to church, they would go two, three, four times a week.
00:23:02.540 And they would force me, start forcing me to go to church with them.
00:23:06.260 Really?
00:23:06.780 So, since you became a Muslim, your parents became more devoted to Christianity?
00:23:11.520 Yes.
00:23:13.120 It felt like I needed, you know, to be guided to Christianity, that I was falling off. 0.97
00:23:20.400 So, you did say that your mom said, like, if you don't leave Islam, I'll kill myself or 0.97
00:23:27.200 something like that. 0.99
00:23:28.700 Yes.
00:23:29.260 So, after I told her I was Muslim, a few weeks after that, during those weeks, she would just,
00:23:36.380 every time I came home, she would either be mad at me, start arguing with me, or she started 1.00
00:23:41.580 crying.
00:23:43.180 So, this day, she was crying, and she looked very disheveled.
00:23:46.640 She looked very sad.
00:23:47.960 So, I came up to her, and I asked her what was wrong.
00:23:50.740 And she said that she keeps having dreams of me, like, black water seeping into my room.
00:23:58.440 She keeps having bad dreams of me, drowning, stuff like that.
00:24:02.240 And she said, are you still Muslim?
00:24:03.780 She kept asking me, are you still Muslim?
00:24:06.140 And she was crying.
00:24:07.620 She was leaning over this thing, well, because she makes dinner. 1.00
00:24:11.160 But, yeah, and I started crying as well.
00:24:15.740 And she said that yesterday, the day before, she told me all that, that she tried to kill
00:24:25.640 herself.
00:24:26.040 She tried to take her life, because she felt like I was making her stressed. 0.98
00:24:31.980 I was making her depressed.
00:24:35.120 And that was not my intention at all.
00:24:37.680 No, no, of course not.
00:24:38.480 And I told her that.
00:24:39.680 Yeah.
00:24:40.080 And so, I felt like she was blaming me.
00:24:43.920 Sorry.
00:24:44.700 Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.
00:24:45.660 Take it down.
00:24:46.940 You know, SubhanAllah, look, you know, it reminds me of a story.
00:24:50.860 If I'm not mistaken, the Sahaba's name was Musa ibn Umair, radiallahu anhu.
00:24:56.520 And if I'm not mistaken, the correct companion, his mom did very similar things, where said,
00:25:03.940 look, you know, and I think he came from a very wealthy family.
00:25:06.720 He said, look, we're going to cut, you know, everything.
00:25:08.200 Then his mom, even at one point, found not mistaken, said that I'm not going to eat.
00:25:13.500 Like, I'm going to basically starve myself.
00:25:15.240 And, you know, he said, mom, you know, he made a specific statement.
00:25:19.780 I can't remember.
00:25:21.200 But he basically actually said, look, with all respect, mom, whatever you do, I'm not going to leave Islam.
00:25:26.120 I'm just saying that there was companions who went through the same things.
00:25:28.900 And if I'm not mistaken, his mom came to Islam, if I'm not mistaken, I'll double check that. 0.99
00:25:34.260 But the thing is here, look, Ibrahim A.S.'s dad, I can remember a point in my life when I was at home and with my dad as well.
00:25:42.560 Like, for example, you know, and I went through the same thing.
00:25:46.480 Our parents are not evil.
00:25:47.940 Yeah.
00:25:48.160 They can be, like every parent can be, but it's genuinely their care.
00:25:53.880 They hear the story about Islam and stuff like that.
00:25:56.440 They genuinely care.
00:25:57.720 So don't see them as, you know, people who they have bad intentions.
00:26:01.160 You're their child.
00:26:02.700 You know, we're their children and they want the best for us.
00:26:04.500 Like you would have kids as well.
00:26:06.080 We want the best for them.
00:26:07.380 So the thing is, do not see them as coming from a place where they hate you.
00:26:12.020 They don't hate you.
00:26:12.680 They care for you.
00:26:13.360 And because this is alien, they don't know.
00:26:15.500 Believe me.
00:26:15.960 Even the thing that you mentioned that your mom said to you that if you put this hijab on, no one's going to marry you is a sad reality in today's time where, you know, women are made to feel.
00:26:26.600 And this is an issue of Tawheed.
00:26:27.920 Tawheed meaning the oneness of Allah, where your trust is in yourself.
00:26:31.260 And it's not just with you.
00:26:32.620 Sadly, in today's time, we have a lot of, you know, sisters as well who try to dress up in a certain way, etc.
00:26:38.600 Because they believe that to find the right man is in their hands.
00:26:42.220 So, you know, taking my hijab off or showing my hijab or wearing really tight clothing, etc.
00:26:47.540 What they're doing in a nutshell is saying, I, I'm not saying directly saying this, but it's like, okay, I don't have trust.
00:26:53.420 Allah will find me someone.
00:26:54.660 The one who's created the heavens and the earth and the stars and the moon and the galaxy.
00:26:58.040 He can't find me a husband.
00:26:59.540 I need to take the matters in my hand.
00:27:01.100 And the beauty industry does this, you know, and the society as a whole does this, you know.
00:27:06.920 And I would personally advise you to read a book.
00:27:09.460 It's called Beauty Sick.
00:27:10.620 And I read this a lot.
00:27:11.600 Actually, Muhammad Hijab is here.
00:27:12.660 Yeah.
00:27:13.840 He's here.
00:27:14.460 He'll come.
00:27:14.800 Muhammad Hijab, do you want to come see?
00:27:15.960 You know, she watched a video of David Wood.
00:27:17.560 And that's one of the reasons she accepted Islam.
00:27:19.360 Yeah.
00:27:19.720 Can you come say salam to her just on the camera?
00:27:21.500 Yeah.
00:27:21.740 Because this is, and I sent your video to him.
00:27:24.220 He's here.
00:27:24.860 Come to the camera.
00:27:25.820 Just lean over.
00:27:26.960 That camera.
00:27:27.540 Assalamualaikum.
00:27:28.820 Assalamualaikum.
00:27:29.460 Nice to meet you.
00:27:34.340 You too.
00:27:34.760 She made a dua to Allah, to guidance.
00:27:37.680 And she was watching church videos.
00:27:39.220 Yeah.
00:27:39.760 And your videos keep popping up and she'll keep ignoring it.
00:27:42.020 Keep ignoring it.
00:27:43.020 And then until she watched it, it was two hours.
00:27:44.760 She goes, oh, let me watch it.
00:27:45.600 Yeah.
00:27:45.780 And I thought, yeah.
00:27:47.320 We'll hear from you if you need anything.
00:27:48.800 Yeah, definitely.
00:27:49.300 We're going to get connected with people.
00:27:50.600 Thank you.
00:27:52.000 You're in America, yeah?
00:27:53.380 Yeah, yeah.
00:27:54.340 Yes, I am.
00:27:56.360 It's South Carolina.
00:27:57.700 South Carolina.
00:27:58.060 South Carolina.
00:27:58.580 Oh, is that a red state?
00:28:00.260 Yeah.
00:28:00.700 Is it a hillbilly state?
00:28:01.960 Yeah.
00:28:02.240 Is that one of the states that you can carry the gun out?
00:28:05.700 You don't need to protect the...
00:28:08.260 Yeah, yeah.
00:28:09.060 She's only, there's only a few of them, yeah.
00:28:10.920 It's not a big Muslim community there, no?
00:28:13.000 No, no.
00:28:13.460 No.
00:28:13.900 A couple of hands, man.
00:28:14.700 That's why it's really sad, you know, stuff she's going through.
00:28:17.180 It was Moussa bin Umair, the one whose mum threatened, right?
00:28:20.840 I think so, yeah.
00:28:21.660 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:28:22.160 I was just telling her.
00:28:22.760 So, yeah, like, you know, even...
00:28:24.780 It was a good, it's a good, when I was hearing this, it's a good comparison you're making.
00:28:29.440 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:28:29.820 It's almost a like-for-like.
00:28:31.220 It's like, it's nearly like-for-like because that's what she said as well, you know.
00:28:34.940 But look, like I said, sister, I genuinely believe, wallahi, yeah, not from Barakallahu.
00:28:38.780 What I want to say, sister, is that read this book, yeah?
00:28:41.460 By the way, the reason I mention the book is because they always laugh at me, because I always read it.
00:28:44.220 They're like, is that the only book I read?
00:28:45.500 But the point is, if you read, it's called Beauty Sick, yeah?
00:28:47.640 I'll send you it.
00:28:48.420 He's laughing now.
00:28:50.940 He's laughing now, yeah?
00:28:52.040 So the thing is, but what that does is, because what your mum said is, if you cover yourself, you're not going to find anybody.
00:28:57.040 So what that means is that socially, we've been so conditioned, especially females,
00:29:02.660 that you have to look a certain way and be a certain way in order to get, you know, married or attract opposite gender, you know.
00:29:10.660 And that is a sad reality.
00:29:12.500 And when you come to Islam, you, you know, cover yourself, obviously, you know, for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 0.92
00:29:17.940 But obviously, because you want people to, you're a human being.
00:29:21.220 As a female, you have more to offer than your body parts. 1.00
00:29:23.940 And it's such a sad state of affairs that women think that the only thing that they have to offer is how you look. 1.00
00:29:29.900 And you're a Latino, right?
00:29:31.300 But, yes.
00:29:32.720 And we know the Latinos, they are very, about their looks, you know, they have very, very plastic surgery, you know. 1.00
00:29:37.900 And I heard of a woman who died because of it, you know, sadly.
00:29:41.400 So the thing is here, I personally believe, wallahi, I genuinely believe, inshallah, we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to guide your mum and dad,
00:29:47.780 that one day we will speak to you and look, don't lose hope.
00:29:50.900 You're going to have days, I've had that, yeah, where I'm hopeful.
00:29:53.980 My dad comes to me or says something about God and I'm like, wow.
00:29:56.620 And I'm like, there's a sign, you know, and then there's a day he comes and I'm just like, wow.
00:30:01.060 Like, I don't think he's ever going to accept Islam. 1.00
00:30:03.520 And you're going to have these moments, you know.
00:30:05.500 And I had this moment when once my dad was really, really harsh towards me.
00:30:09.080 I left the house.
00:30:10.280 I went on a train and opened the Quran and he went to a specific verse where it talks about Ibrahim alayhi salam and his dad, how his dad was towards him.
00:30:16.680 Yeah.
00:30:16.760 What time is Isha?
00:30:20.980 Eight?
00:30:21.880 Okay, all right.
00:30:22.520 Okay, 10 minutes.
00:30:23.600 We'll pray.
00:30:24.620 So the thing is here, and when I opened it and I was like, wow.
00:30:28.540 Like, you know, he talks about his dad and how his dad was with him.
00:30:31.160 So the thing is here, look, never lose hope.
00:30:33.100 Yeah.
00:30:33.540 Never lose hope.
00:30:34.240 Make your dua.
00:30:34.700 And I believe Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has chosen you. 0.99
00:30:38.080 And wallahi, do not be surprised.
00:30:40.000 You might be one of the first people that maybe in South Carolina, a big community of Muslims are going to be built.
00:30:44.680 And you are going to be at the forefront of that, you know.
00:30:48.320 So don't ever lose hope.
00:30:49.740 You're going to go through these struggles.
00:30:51.300 You are going to appreciate the struggles later on.
00:30:54.180 You're going to see, wow, Allah put me through this, this and this because of that. 0.71
00:30:57.340 And the more your mom becomes hostile, you need to, with your manners.
00:31:04.860 The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, I came for nothing but to perfect good adab.
00:31:07.560 Yeah.
00:31:07.920 Having good adab starts with Allah.
00:31:10.060 Yeah.
00:31:10.380 What does adab, sorry, but do you know what adab means?
00:31:12.500 Like manners.
00:31:13.460 Yeah.
00:31:14.380 Manners.
00:31:14.960 Yeah, manners.
00:31:15.480 Like having good manners starts with Allah.
00:31:18.100 When you come and say, oh, Allah, your son, you have a son of God.
00:31:22.100 Or Allah, you are free, triune God. 0.92
00:31:24.520 Or the pagan Arabs in Arabia used to say, they used to ascribe female angels as the daughters of God.
00:31:31.960 Something along those lines.
00:31:32.720 Yeah.
00:31:33.100 This is having bad adab of Allah. 0.99
00:31:34.880 You're having bad manners with God.
00:31:36.760 So what you've done is, Sister Nora, is you fix those manners with Allah by saying, oh, Allah, la ilaha illallah.
00:31:41.760 There is nothing worthy of worship except you.
00:31:44.020 You fix that at first.
00:31:44.960 And then what you've said is, and Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is your final messenger. 0.84
00:31:48.320 And you've had manners with Allah.
00:31:49.480 Then you corrected your manners with the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. 0.79
00:31:51.800 And now you're going to correct your manners with yourself, which you have.
00:31:54.020 And as a community at large, like your mom and the following.
00:31:56.980 So do not ever lose hope and be gentle with them.
00:32:00.260 Yeah.
00:32:00.620 Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us, after worshiping him, to be obedient to your parents.
00:32:05.000 Okay. 0.98
00:32:05.500 Some people come and say, oh, Islam, you know, like Islam is the devil's religion. 0.94
00:32:09.500 Before we start reciting the Quran, we say, 0.99
00:32:11.100 We seek refuge in God from the cursed Satan.
00:32:15.220 I mean, what kind of religion is this that curses Satan 24-7?
00:32:17.980 You know, so the thing is, sister, the reason why I wanted to do this video is because I was really touched by a video where I saw you crying multiple times.
00:32:24.440 And I can, you know, resonate with that because I've had moments.
00:32:27.900 Look, I'm a man.
00:32:28.620 I've had moments where I cried as well.
00:32:29.860 Yeah.
00:32:30.040 Where I'm in despair and, you know, things are going.
00:32:32.480 I had, I was kicked out of my house.
00:32:34.140 You know, I was staying in one of my friend's house for about a month.
00:32:36.320 I stayed in his house, et cetera.
00:32:38.000 You know, there was issues in the house.
00:32:39.200 My mom was having an issue with my dad. 0.97
00:32:40.900 You know, what's your problem with him?
00:32:42.360 What's he doing to you?
00:32:43.320 Et cetera. 1.00
00:32:44.080 Oh, he's a traitor.
00:32:44.700 The thing is, these things happen and it really has a toll on you, you know, where you're just like, okay, you know, you feel left out.
00:32:50.760 But in these moments, sometimes you do feel, I don't know if you felt that, where the harder it gets, the, I can't explain it, the sweeter it feels in a way where you're like, okay, I'm going through this for the sake of God.
00:33:02.080 It does feel good of it as well.
00:33:04.040 Yeah, exactly.
00:33:04.640 So, like, even your, like, your situation you're in now is, if I'm not mistaken, when you drive home, like, you had to take two hours so your family doesn't find out.
00:33:12.620 So, yeah, I had to take two hours off work just so I don't have to ask my mom for permission to go out because I know she'll probably, because on Friday, I do want to go to the bashed to take my shahada again and hopefully meet some sisters.
00:33:28.960 And so I want to ask for permission for that.
00:33:31.940 Obviously, disguising it as, you know, going out to a friend's house or something.
00:33:35.340 And if I'm not mistaken, you have to take your hijab off when you go home. 0.99
00:33:38.540 So what are you wearing now?
00:33:39.520 So, yes, I put it on in my car in the driveway and then I go to work with it and then I come back and take it off in the driveway as well.
00:33:51.240 So my parents have seen it.
00:33:52.880 May Allah reward you.
00:33:54.240 Wallahi, it's like the time of the Sahaba, you know, when they had to migrate from Mecca under persecution.
00:33:59.940 You are in a form of obedience.
00:34:01.460 As you are going through the sister, you are in continuous obedience, continuous, like we know the struggles, etc.
00:34:08.400 And Wallahi, you teach us such a big lesson, even for born Muslims. 1.00
00:34:12.200 You know, it's sad that we live here today, that there are sisters and brothers as well.
00:34:16.840 Brothers have their own struggles with, etc.
00:34:19.380 But because you're a sister, I'm referring to that.
00:34:20.980 There's sadly in Muslim families who go in the car and they take the hijab off and go out, you know.
00:34:26.280 And, well, there is, it's a reality, you know, sadly, you know, but, you know, and everyone has their struggles, you know, everyone has their struggles.
00:34:33.460 But the thing is, you're here as a revert who is trying to wear the hijab so much so that your family doesn't know. 1.00
00:34:38.980 You know, I've had that, you know, like praying in secret, etc.
00:34:42.220 You know, like my dad just two, three years ago caught me praying.
00:34:44.960 And I can't describe that feeling.
00:34:47.300 I cannot describe that feeling where after five, six years of praying, and then the first time your dad catches you, I cannot describe that feeling of fear, anxiety.
00:34:58.320 And it's indescribable.
00:35:00.580 I can't describe it, but it's, and then at that moment, when you look for mercy, you know, not that I'm saying my dad beat me up.
00:35:07.380 But when you're looking for that mercy where you're thinking, okay, maybe he just saw me praying and something changed from his heart.
00:35:12.520 And then he turns around and says, don't ever do that in my house again.
00:35:16.480 And you're just like, wow.
00:35:17.760 Like, and it's just another, it's like somebody punches you in the nose and then you're thinking he's going to have mercy.
00:35:21.720 And then he punches you in the jaw.
00:35:23.440 So the thing is that once again, look, my dad, like there's things that he's experienced and I make do it for him to this day.
00:35:29.360 We have discussion, etc.
00:35:30.160 It's much better.
00:35:30.860 It's much better than before.
00:35:32.160 But the point is this, you know, don't give up because believe me, and I'll wrap up on this as well.
00:35:38.040 So, um, you know, when I got married to my wife, um, I can remember, you know, he was saying that I'm, I'm not going to come to your wedding.
00:35:47.380 Yeah.
00:35:48.320 And, um, I went through a lot of struggles in my marriage search.
00:35:50.800 And at the last moments, Allah rolled the red carpet out for me.
00:35:54.400 Things went really smooth.
00:35:55.160 Alhamdulillah.
00:35:55.560 Yeah.
00:35:56.040 And I can remember, and I was thinking, I was sad, but he ended up coming to the mosque inside the mosque to do my nikah.
00:36:03.000 He was there with my cousins.
00:36:05.120 So what I'm just saying is sister, for my, for my dad to be in a mosque to me is massive.
00:36:10.880 For my dad to walk in a mosque, it's tremendous.
00:36:14.600 And the one who's created the heavens and the earth, sister, can guide you with mom and dad.
00:36:18.580 It's not hard.
00:36:19.740 I'll wrap up on that.
00:36:20.360 That's it.
00:36:20.640 That's all I wanted to say.
00:36:21.660 May Allah bless you.
00:36:22.200 Inshallah, keep you firm.
00:36:22.960 We're going to get some people in contact with you.
00:36:25.180 Uh, Wallahi, you are an inspiration for us.
00:36:27.600 Um, you are a role model for us.
00:36:29.140 I'll be honest with you because the fact that you're living in the state where there's hillbillies walking with guns.
00:36:33.000 And you're, you're, you're rolling this hijab. 1.00
00:36:35.520 I mean, you're, you're a soldier.
00:36:36.600 We have to salute you here.
00:36:37.520 You know, we, we have to, from London to South Carolina, Carolina, wherever it is.
00:36:42.060 Um, yeah, and it's, it's, it's, it's amazing.
00:36:44.960 It really, really is amazing.
00:36:46.120 And I just wanted to say this to you.
00:36:48.080 Yeah.
00:36:48.340 And I said to you, look, even if it's off camera, on camera, even if you come and say to me, brother Ali, don't put this up.
00:36:53.040 I wanted to say that message to you that no, as your brothers, we're here for you.
00:36:57.180 Anything that you need, we're going to get some sisters in contact with you as well, inshallah.
00:37:00.320 Don't ever feel alone.
00:37:02.000 Anything that happens, you've got my Instagram, you message me, whatever it is, inshallah, we are here for you.
00:37:07.720 Uh, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless you and keep you firm.
00:37:09.820 And don't forget and mark my words, a day will come, inshallah, your mom will accept Islam. 0.93
00:37:15.200 Yeah.
00:37:15.440 Okay.
00:37:15.980 Um, because I see, you know, she's going through difficulties in life, et cetera.
00:37:20.260 Be soft, be patient, make du'a.
00:37:22.900 Du'a, the Prophet ï·º said, is one of the most powerful things for a believer.
00:37:26.100 Yeah.
00:37:26.700 You fix your affairs with Allah. 1.00
00:37:28.460 Do the, do the things that he's told you.
00:37:30.460 Fasting, giving zakah, praying, et cetera.
00:37:33.460 Abstaining from major sins.
00:37:35.020 Your, your du'a is like a rocket.
00:37:38.260 And in today's time, it's like an atomic bomb, you know, that doesn't obviously kill innocent people.
00:37:43.000 But alhamdulillah, you know, that's a wonderful thing, inshallah.
00:37:45.060 Maybe it's a wrong example to use.
00:37:46.100 But the point is this.
00:37:47.200 It's, you will see it.
00:37:48.960 You will see it.
00:37:49.640 Trust me, inshallah.
00:37:50.360 And make lots of du'a.
00:37:51.880 Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guys, your mom, inshallah.
00:37:54.000 Any last words?
00:37:54.840 Anything you want to say?
00:37:56.880 No.
00:37:57.440 I just want to thank you, Ali Dawah, and all of you guys as well.
00:38:02.120 Thank you.
00:38:02.640 It means a lot that you've really watched my video.
00:38:05.500 And I just want to say thank you to everyone else who did go and watch my video.
00:38:11.060 Insha'Allah.
00:38:11.340 I appreciate everyone.
00:38:13.140 You know, it does feel alone, but I have a whole world of Muslims that are behind me.
00:38:18.480 So thank you.
00:38:19.700 Insha'Allah.
00:38:20.180 May Allah bless you, insha'Allah.
00:38:21.180 And your, I'm going to tag your Instagram.
00:38:23.600 So if there's any sisters who would like to message the sister Nora and keep support to
00:38:28.900 and keep in contact, it will be a pleasure, insha'Allah.
00:38:32.080 Till next time.
00:38:33.400 As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.