SHNEAKO - LETTER FROM MECCA

00:00:00.160 The first time I thought I understood God is while reading the autobiography of Malcolm X.

00:00:05.580 The first real book my father had given me as a child.

00:00:08.800 I remember the cover instantly made me shiver.

00:00:11.340 I had never seen an expression on a face so determined that it was furious.

00:00:15.820 I started idolizing Malcolm X.

00:00:17.560 It's not often you find a civil rights leader that isn't cringy about it.

00:00:20.560 Plus he found a way to change his life in prison and gave himself a cool name.

00:00:25.540 After finishing the last chapter, I went to the mall and bought the same glasses from the cover.

00:00:29.360 From that day forward, it became my mission to give my words power to.

00:00:33.540 To document growth as means of inspiration just like Malcolm did.

00:00:36.960 I swore to embrace the uncertainty of change head-on instead of fearing it like everyone else.

00:00:42.960 There are three truths from that book that stuck with me for life.

00:00:46.240 Number one, a boy must struggle to become a man.

00:00:49.600 Two, the greatest threat to corrupted power is positivity.

00:00:53.300 And three, go to Mecca.

00:00:54.720 the neighboring holy cities of mecca and medina are where islam originated where the prophet was

00:01:01.940 born and where he was buried it's the destination muslims globally pray towards as if it's the

00:01:06.840 center of the universe but mecca's atmosphere alone will have you believing that mecca is the

00:01:11.680 host to so many hilariously different walks of life solely off the collective intention to purify

00:01:17.140 the heart visualize the madness of time square on new year's eve but moving at peaceful chaos

00:01:23.900 a meditative energy so powerful and contagious upon arrival, it's overwhelming. Witnessing

00:01:30.120 hordes of strangers naturally exist as if the passerby on both shoulders was their brother

00:01:35.640 and sister. The simplicity of it is frustrating. Such a densely populated city commonly requires

00:01:41.280 police ready in eyesight, yet the physical presence of security is nearly invisible.

00:01:47.140 Right then, my confusion turned frustration was realized. The only real acting security here

00:01:53.300 is God. Never has his presence been so obvious in every thought, every word, and every action

00:01:59.260 than in Mecca. It's visible directly on the faces of the pilgrims. The look of calm determination

00:02:05.200 and innocence. A combined bliss, sadness, and compassion. I went completely silent for days

00:02:12.700 while my soul adjusted from its familiar chaos to unwavering peace. So I could finally lower my guard

00:02:20.280 and pray fearlessly next to my brothers from across the world

00:02:24.300 so I could walk amongst a crowd of complete strangers

00:02:27.080 with the confidence and familiarity of a soldier amongst his army

00:02:31.100 so I can look into someone's eyes and see it's a pure soul

00:02:34.760 and not that little character created out of fear.

00:02:38.680 The pilgrimage began in the city of Medina

00:02:40.760 where the prophet led prayer and where he was buried.

00:02:43.940 For days, I didn't utter a sound

00:02:45.800 just to properly hear distant chatter between prayers.

00:02:49.020 I listened to scholars and shakeshare wisdom accompanied by coffee and tea.

00:02:53.020 Every day at the sound of prayer call, I routinely followed,

00:02:56.060 each prayer fixing the noisy static blocking my proper connection to God.

00:03:00.640 I stayed silent while ego, depression, and fear desperately clamored for attention,

00:03:06.380 each prayer wiping away cobwebs covering my heart.

00:03:10.060 I wandered the streets of Medina with both newfound maturity and an infantile carelessness,

00:03:15.480 Equipped with the understanding of perfect oneness the creation has with its creator.

00:03:20.180 Armed with the realization no amount of drugs and therapy can supplement God.

00:03:25.380 Reminded that although prayer in Medina is routine,

00:03:28.360 back home it's replaced by weekend's ritualistic drinking.

00:03:32.140 I continued walking through the holy city just like the prophet before me,

00:03:35.320 now fully aware of the uncomfortable truth.

00:03:38.780 These coping mechanisms are mere bandages over the wounds of life.

00:03:42.700 and there's nothing man-made that fixes damage done by God's creation.

00:03:48.000 With every passing day, it becomes even more evident

00:03:51.060 how the struggles of man will never be solved by worldly pleasures.

00:03:55.220 How indulging as a means of distraction

00:03:57.200 only grows the ever-increasing void in the heart.

00:04:01.080 Each passing day reveals that the more glamorous the life is paid for by riches and fame,

00:04:05.840 the more broken the soul is.

00:04:07.640 Without God, they naturally worship celebrities instead.

00:04:11.380 living life completely desensitized because everything is dramatized and sexualized while

00:04:17.340 mecca is the place that tells you to be grateful just for being alive the path of the west is

00:04:21.840 accepting a mind state of constant outrage and exhaustion of false happiness and confusion

00:04:28.420 of course a spiritual awakening among youth is imminent why else can someone who was raised on

00:04:33.440 stimulation and made wealthy through fame finally find the truth in mecca a city where women appear

00:04:39.460 like two floating ice slits under a cloak.

00:04:42.440 Over a decade of seeking the next high

00:04:44.700 to forget how meaningless it all is,

00:04:46.920 only to find it wearing a white piece of cloth

00:04:49.900 with my head to the floor.

00:04:51.700 But getting revenge on opposition,

00:04:53.940 naked women at your fingertips,

00:04:55.640 the whispers of temptation

00:04:57.320 had never sounded less appealing.

00:05:00.140 Nothing in this world is more important than following God

00:05:03.060 and Mecca is existing proof.

00:05:05.220 And when it became clear,

00:05:06.240 my surroundings were the closest example of heaven on earth,

00:05:09.100 the waves of guilt came crashing down.

00:05:12.020 I finally found the truth I had been seeking,

00:05:14.940 yet I couldn't shake this lingering feeling of despair,

00:05:18.640 knowing this clarity was temporary.

00:05:21.480 Eventually, I have to return back home

00:05:23.600 to the place where prostitutes are celebrated,

00:05:26.780 but the modest sisters who cover themselves willingly

00:05:29.000 are called victims of oppression,

00:05:30.500 where men become heroes for abandoning their family

00:05:33.180 to dress like girls,

00:05:34.440 where everyday people are tricked into worshipping the devil

00:05:36.900 by worshipping themselves.

00:05:38.360 I have to go back to the West. I should be fully present here while I have the opportunity,

00:05:44.340 but Mecca is such an idealistic sanctuary from everything I despise, the comparison robs it of

00:05:50.460 some joy. In this world, a place exists away from hatred, from divisiveness, confusion,

00:05:56.480 and emptiness, and most people will never realize it. A place exists where the very meaning of life

00:06:02.480 is answered collectively five times a day where she's my sister and he's my brother and together

00:06:08.680 we're united under our gratitude that God created us. If the world knew the truth of Islam we would

00:06:14.160 have peace but we never will. The final day was dedicated towards the Kaaba. It's the first mosque

00:06:24.000 ever built. Here walking amongst my people moving circular almost in unison connected and intention

00:06:29.960 but separated by design like waves on an ocean it never becomes more clear how no one here is

00:06:36.760 better than the other when you finally face god for judgment he does not care what you're wearing

00:06:42.260 he does not judge you based on wealth or your fame or anything you seek in this life

00:06:46.520 we will only be judged on what we hold in our hearts

00:06:49.500 when i finished umrah and looked at my shaved head in the reflection of the mirror it was the

00:06:56.980 first time since childhood, I truly saw myself.

SHNEAKO - February 19, 2026

LETTER FROM MECCA

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