SHNEAKO - February 19, 2026LETTER FROM MECCA
Episode Stats
Words per minute
169.29378
Harmful content
Misogyny
2
sentences flagged
Toxicity
4
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Hate speech
5
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Summary
In this episode, I talk about my spiritual awakening in the holy city of Mideast, Mecca, and how I came to realize that God is the only thing that truly works in our lives, and that without God, we are nothing.
Transcript
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The first time I thought I understood God is while reading the autobiography of Malcolm X.
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The first real book my father had given me as a child.
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I had never seen an expression on a face so determined that it was furious.
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It's not often you find a civil rights leader that isn't cringy about it.
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Plus he found a way to change his life in prison and gave himself a cool name.
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After finishing the last chapter, I went to the mall and bought the same glasses from the cover.
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From that day forward, it became my mission to give my words power to.
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To document growth as means of inspiration just like Malcolm did.
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I swore to embrace the uncertainty of change head-on instead of fearing it like everyone else.
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There are three truths from that book that stuck with me for life.
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Number one, a boy must struggle to become a man.
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Two, the greatest threat to corrupted power is positivity.
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the neighboring holy cities of mecca and medina are where islam originated where the prophet was
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born and where he was buried it's the destination muslims globally pray towards as if it's the
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center of the universe but mecca's atmosphere alone will have you believing that mecca is the
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host to so many hilariously different walks of life solely off the collective intention to purify
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the heart visualize the madness of time square on new year's eve but moving at peaceful chaos
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a meditative energy so powerful and contagious upon arrival, it's overwhelming. Witnessing
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hordes of strangers naturally exist as if the passerby on both shoulders was their brother
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and sister. The simplicity of it is frustrating. Such a densely populated city commonly requires
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police ready in eyesight, yet the physical presence of security is nearly invisible.
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Right then, my confusion turned frustration was realized. The only real acting security here
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is God. Never has his presence been so obvious in every thought, every word, and every action
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than in Mecca. It's visible directly on the faces of the pilgrims. The look of calm determination
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and innocence. A combined bliss, sadness, and compassion. I went completely silent for days
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while my soul adjusted from its familiar chaos to unwavering peace. So I could finally lower my guard
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and pray fearlessly next to my brothers from across the world
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so I could walk amongst a crowd of complete strangers
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with the confidence and familiarity of a soldier amongst his army
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so I can look into someone's eyes and see it's a pure soul
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and not that little character created out of fear.
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where the prophet led prayer and where he was buried.
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just to properly hear distant chatter between prayers.
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I listened to scholars and shakeshare wisdom accompanied by coffee and tea.
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Every day at the sound of prayer call, I routinely followed,
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each prayer fixing the noisy static blocking my proper connection to God.
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I stayed silent while ego, depression, and fear desperately clamored for attention,
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each prayer wiping away cobwebs covering my heart.
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I wandered the streets of Medina with both newfound maturity and an infantile carelessness,
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Equipped with the understanding of perfect oneness the creation has with its creator.
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Armed with the realization no amount of drugs and therapy can supplement God.
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Reminded that although prayer in Medina is routine,
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back home it's replaced by weekend's ritualistic drinking.
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I continued walking through the holy city just like the prophet before me,
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These coping mechanisms are mere bandages over the wounds of life.
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and there's nothing man-made that fixes damage done by God's creation.
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With every passing day, it becomes even more evident
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how the struggles of man will never be solved by worldly pleasures.
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only grows the ever-increasing void in the heart.
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Each passing day reveals that the more glamorous the life is paid for by riches and fame,
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Without God, they naturally worship celebrities instead.
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living life completely desensitized because everything is dramatized and sexualized while
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mecca is the place that tells you to be grateful just for being alive the path of the west is
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accepting a mind state of constant outrage and exhaustion of false happiness and confusion
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of course a spiritual awakening among youth is imminent why else can someone who was raised on
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stimulation and made wealthy through fame finally find the truth in mecca a city where women appear
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Nothing in this world is more important than following God
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my surroundings were the closest example of heaven on earth,
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yet I couldn't shake this lingering feeling of despair,
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to the place where prostitutes are celebrated,
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but the modest sisters who cover themselves willingly
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where men become heroes for abandoning their family
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where everyday people are tricked into worshipping the devil
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I have to go back to the West. I should be fully present here while I have the opportunity,
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but Mecca is such an idealistic sanctuary from everything I despise, the comparison robs it of
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some joy. In this world, a place exists away from hatred, from divisiveness, confusion,
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and emptiness, and most people will never realize it. A place exists where the very meaning of life
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is answered collectively five times a day where she's my sister and he's my brother and together
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we're united under our gratitude that God created us. If the world knew the truth of Islam we would
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have peace but we never will. The final day was dedicated towards the Kaaba. It's the first mosque
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ever built. Here walking amongst my people moving circular almost in unison connected and intention
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but separated by design like waves on an ocean it never becomes more clear how no one here is
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better than the other when you finally face god for judgment he does not care what you're wearing
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he does not judge you based on wealth or your fame or anything you seek in this life
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we will only be judged on what we hold in our hearts
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when i finished umrah and looked at my shaved head in the reflection of the mirror it was the
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first time since childhood, I truly saw myself.