[Music]
one more
time much better okay on behalf of Masid
Omar's youth group I like to welcome
everybody too the first night of the 30
for30 Abdullah Brothers Ramadan mid tour
alhamdulillah we have the honor and the
distinction of being the first Masjid of
this tour so alhamdulillah we're very
very honored to uh have with us tonight
Hamza and Hussein Abdullah just a quick
uh bio before I turn over to them uh for
those of you who don't know uh Hamza and
Hussein both uh attended University at
University Washington State University
they're from Pomona California
originally so they're from our our own
neck of the woods alhamdulillah uh went
to Washington State University Hamza
used to play he uh for the the Cardinals
most recently started off with the bucks
then went to the Denver Broncos Hussein
starting safety for the Minnesota
Vikings and the reason why I say used to
because most notably people know Subhan
Allah they actually have put their NFL
careers on hold to attend Hajj this year
Subhan Allah
allahar uh along with that they actually
gained some notoriety uh through ESPN
CNN other networks for uh their fasting
during the NFL season during training
camp that was highlighted uh on those
programs so they've gained noet for that
as well and uh we just welcome to to our
community tonight inshah very happy to
have them here without further
introduction please welcome ham Hussein
Abdullah salamu alaykum can can you guys
hear me can everybody hear me okay okay
Salam alikum I am Hussein
Abdullah I'm excited to be here I'm
actually honored to be here I get
nervous every time I get a mic in front
of me and everybody staring at me uh
makes me feel important I don't feel I
deserve it in all honesty but um I I
really this talk is really geared
towards the
youth is that
better okay okay it feels like I'm about
to do some kind of workout class or
something uh all right but uh this talk
is really geared toward the youth so uh
all of our elders please just bear with
us uh but I I really just want to talk
to you about who you who you keep as
your friends who you have as your as
your inner circle um there was a time
where I thought that I was actually
smarter than my dad who's right here in
the front row and I thought I could
choose my
friends uh for myself and he said there
was there was this one guy in particular
he was like don't hang around him I was
like why not he's a cool guy I've been
knowing him since kindergarten this is
my freshman year in high school he was
like nope I'm telling you just leave him
leave him alone I'm like man I known
this guy since kindergarten we was cool
in middle school and now all of a sudden
I just can't hang around with him no
more like I didn't understand I didn't
understand why at the
time uh come senior year in high school
I'm working to get a division one
scholarship I have a lot of Scouts
coming in and recruiters coming in and
offers coming in here and there and I'm
looking at this other guy and although
he was pretty good on the on the field
as well and he I was I was going to say
in the classroom but that was if he
showed up um he he was he was he was
never in class he's always hanging out
uh running the streets doing things he
shouldn't be doing and he was actually
having a good football
season but his grades made him
ineligible and he couldn't even play the
second half of the of the year and he
actually threw away a division one
scholarship because of his behavior and
that's somebody who used to be in my
inner circle so I I I thank I thank my
father for telling me to to leave him
alone otherwise all the all the
different things that I've done in my
life probably wouldn't have happened so
um really really guard your inner
circle um you have brothers and sisters
and you have a mother and a father uh
you have cousins uncles aunties and
they're put there for a reason start
start off at home make make sure the
ties inside the home are are strong
then then Venture outward and when you
venture outward come to the MOs come to
the MOs they have a lot of good uh youth
programs alhamdulillah um there there's
there's a lot of different things going
on I'm pretty sure you guys have a lot
of basketball stuff going on uh you are
you guys in the
soccer uh yeah football we're we're
Americans uh we play football
uh but uh come but seriously come to the
m there different things they have
different programs different things uh
to keep you from being around negativity
and this is this is Southern California
I'm not overly familiar with this area I
grew up in pona California what was
outside the home wasn't wasn't always a
good thing even if you were going to uh
just shoot basketball there's things
that could find you so if you go to the
mosque alhamd you can go to the mosque
you shoot basketball you hang out with
some friends you make Salah you're good
hang out with people who have the same
goals that you have uh don't don't start
hanging out with people that you have no
idea where they're going in life you
have no
idea about anything outside of what you
see at school so just just make sure
that you guard and protect your and
Protect Your Inner Circle um I I don't
like to sit here and lecture so inshah
it's going to turn uh interactive I I
like the Q&A style better because then I
know what you really want to hear so but
I'll just say if if you take something
make sure you guard you in the circle
and I'll turn over to
ham as my brother said uh my name is
Hamza a seven-year veteran in the NFL I
graduated from Washington State
University in 2004 and alhamdulillah
Allah has blessed me to be on a few
teams and off a few teams and one thing
that I noticed was just the Muslim um
you know I've been a chance I've had a
chance to be in Tampa Bay Cleveland
Denver uh and recently Arizona and you
know some things that are real near and
dear to my heart one of the things is
taking care of your sisters you know
alhamdulillah the brother invited us
today and I sent him an email I said
okay well you know just make sure that
the sisters have exactly what the
brothers have unfortunately that's not
I'm not going to say that's not what
happened but at most masses that's not
what happens you know my wife when we
were in Denver she she had just became
Muslim she had fast of the Year during
Ramadan and then the next Ramadan first
day she says Hamza I want to become
Muslim alhamdulillah but we get to the
Masid the brothers have this 15 course
meal and the sisters have one piece of
pizza to
share so you know today at the at at
Juma the K was talking about taking care
and taking hold of Ramadan and not
letting the month pass you by well how
can we get to that part if we can't even
satisfy the basic structure of
Islam their sisters running away from
Islam because of us this is upon us are
we protecting our sisters they're
sisters they're they're hijabis when
they walk outside the house everyone
knows they're Muslim but for me what do
I have to do I have to take my kfy or I
have to put my kofy on put my jalab on
put my th on you know tell everyone my
name is Hamza Abdullah now everyone
knows I'm Muslim it's easy for us we
will never know what these sisters go
through so because of that we need to
stand up and protect our
sisters
alhamdulillah because I have a bunch of
sisters alhamdulillah a lot of them are
here today I have a wife I have a
daughter and you know Subhan Allah I
wasn't going to bring them today but I
spoke with my cousin ail and he was
bringing his wife so I said I'll bring
my wife
alhamdulillah so this is this is near to
me you know I turn around and you know
there's there's boxes of dates for all
the brothers alhamdulillah the sh comes
in he says have the sisters have you
broke your fast they say
no so you know alhamdulillah you know I
was going to talk about you know taking
care of Ramadan and spending time in the
massit but how can we even get to the
mass if we can't even satisfy our
sister's
needs that's what a man is
about we are the protector We Are The
Shepherd of our
sheep Allah made us stronger Allah made
us this is why we have muscles this is
why we're the head of the household to
protect our sheep but how can we protect
them do you know sister's not fasting of
not wearing hijab of not coming to the
Masid why would I if I was a sister why
would I I can get better treatment
somewhere else so it's upon us I'm
taking this as this is my duty for me
I'm talking to myself first and foremost
I have to be a better brother I have to
be a better son I have to be a better
husband I have to be a better father and
then we can go to then we can go to
taking care of Ramadan you know they had
the movie that the dark night you know
released last night it was either do
that or go to
TWI why is that even an
option what are what what what are our
goals the K said
today that Prophet mam you know was
talking to Allah he he got to talk
directly to Allah
and he said you know ya you know this is
this is me and you has anyone else had
this opportunity just just me and you no
and he was behind 70,000
hijab he said but the son of Adam as
long as they
fast they will meet me on the day of
judgment and he will remove the hijab
inshallah we go to Jenna and we get to
see Allah he will reveal himself to
us that is the goal that is the goal the
goal is not to buy a fancy watch to get
go drive a fancy car to get a fancy
house what would that do for us I've
seen it I've seen a guy spend $100,000
in one sitting I have seen it I have
seen this but that's what we're all
chasing and they throw all these
different distractions on us they make
us
fight against each other they tell us
how to live our life they tell us what
Islam is they tell us when to fast and
when to break our fast they tell us that
oh no you're not a practicing Muslim
Hamza so you can't go here practicing
Muslim what does that mean you're either
Muslim or you're not oh no you can't do
this because you're not practicing oh no
I'm I'm Muslim but I'm not practicing
what does that mean we're a Muslim when
we come to the when we come to the Masid
it should be just big hugs for everybody
mashallah you're my brother in
Islam because inshallah what are we
looking for we're looking for the
pleasure of Allah that's it we were
created to do what to worship Allah
that's it everything else is
secondary and alhamdulillah we had a
brother Brian makes shahada today so
what happens he comes tomorrow oh shoot
he took a shahada yesterday he gets no
hug from me today
is that how it works it can't we're
Muslim we want shade on the day of
judgment right so inshallah we meet a
brother and I love this brother simply
for the sake of Allah inshallah I will
be
shaded that's what we're working for
this other stuff it means nothing so
please take care of our sisters take
care of ourselves we are the men of the
household for a reason I when I was in
college you know I was eight you know it
just was simpler and then you you go
around and you're like dude my name is
Hamza that's not that hard you know you
have some other names you know but
they're pronouncing the entire German
last name but your name is Hamza five
letters and they can't they can't
pronounce your name they have to call
you H oh you have anything for
short so let us be Muslim you know let
us let us take charge you know this
starts now today is our first day
alhamdulillah inshah we'll be going
around the country
and inshah we would love for you guys to
tag along on the trip I know you can't
physically be there but we'll be online
you guys can go to Abdullah bros.com hit
us up on Twitter at Abdullah Bros hit us
up on Facebook uh facebook.com/ Abdullah
Brothers but we would really just love
to meet our brother our brothers and our
sisters and let your let our family
become your family and really you know
really just love you for the sake of
Allah so inshallah with that I would
love to open it up for Q&A inshah
[Music]
Alum prayers during a
game uh well you can't you can't just go
to the 50 yard
line start making some like um
unfortunately I'd say there's there's
not many Muslim Muslims in the NFL to
where there's a there's a huge need
because if there's not a huge need for
it they're not going to have a a room or
a certain place where you can go and you
can pray at so a lot of the time we have
a 12: we have a 12:00 game uh that's
typically what it is a 12:00 game uh so
as soon as the game is over go in there
and shower up makes a lot then I would
say that's uh we're we're not like some
of the soccer clubs over in the Middle
East where it's time for salot
everybody's Muslim they drop and they
make salot um inshallah one one there
will be a time where we we'll get to
that but right now we're not
there yes
brother
alhamdulillah uh you know uh one of my
brothers we call him shik Shabba he
masallah he's been a study a learner
since he was little and he just you know
he informed me he said Hamza you know
just make a small Dua you know and
inshallah Allah will reward you so you
know in my duas I just tried to do a
couple different duas you know so and I
ask Allah you know Allah you know uh
please bless every step that I take to
be in the sake of your name you know for
the sake of you and a step towards good
and a step away from Evil so you know
we're in the middle you know we'll be
out this is exactly how to be uh and I'm
not pretending uh let's say the call was
open me 43 they say open me gash 43
ready
break
and then I'm ready to play and I just
have a few different duas that I go to
and you know and if it's quick Subhan
Allah you know Subhan Allah
alhamdulillah so it's you know so every
single step that we take inshah we want
Baraka for it you know when you get in
the car you know you just got your BMW
wash you want to drop the W or you don't
want to drop the windows you just want
to let the sunroof down and you want to
sit back and you want to ride your car
but I mean are you getting bka from that
no probably not not so what happens you
get in there you know okay let me listen
to suen or something like that you know
this is a long story I have a 20-minute
drive I can listen to suen or I can
listen to sahman or something like that
so it's just about doing those small
steps that you know we were what we were
biting times you know every time there a
stoplight what do we do everybody picks
up their cell phone text text text you
know put put put a c CD on put a n Sheed
on or something like that and inshallah
Allah will make it easy for
us any questions from the sister
no
NF and what when what's your second
question second how you
guys all right on football field yeah
right
right hin has a a story for that so
remind him to tell you okay okay so the
so the first one about uh Temptation I
would say for me my
first uh three years it was easy
actually my first two years it was easy
because I was a special teams player
nobody cares about a special teams
player the media doesn't care nobody I
came went from pman Washington the Eden
prair Minnesota so I'm I'm hanging out
with the guys that are just happy to be
in the NFL so so we're we're at the
bottom of the barrel so you go to work
you go home they invite you to go out
you say no you go to work go home simple
next two years now I'm a starter now I'm
around guys that make 10 $ million a
year that and has been making that for
years and like how Hamza said they they
don't have a uh a value of the dollar
you'll see $50,000 come and go off a
coin flip and it's it's it's it's weird
I'll just say that and then there
there's stories and different things but
you really you really do just got have
to uh buckle down for the most part and
say what's important like I'm say am am
I am I chasing that or am or am I
chasing uh Jenna so you you really have
to say what's important to me and that
has to uh take over um and then as far
as anger on the football field it's
football first first and
foremost right
right there there's always I mean it's
the nature of the Beast uh when you when
you got guys that are that amped up
things will be safe said uh I mean we
hit people for a
living
um how
you how do I control my tongue you know
what there there was a time where I I'll
say I had a potty mouth but in the then
I said okay I'mma switch it and I'm just
going to be very sarcastic but in then I
read that we can't be
sarcastic so so and then in all honesty
I just I just started playing I just I
just don't say much anymore but there
was there was one one time where I'm
going against a guy on punt I think his
name is George Wilson he's a safety for
the for the uh Buffalo Bills and soon as
the play starts he charges off at me
hits me I hit him I try to slam him on
the ground he's trying to slam me he
hits me under my chain I punch him not
in the face but I punch him to get off
me and no like we're like we like
seriously we're trying to dump each
other on the ground like we're this
close and then the whistle blows and
then we just send up he's like hey man I
seen that ESPN story man I got to say
this is so nice so you know we we hands
it was all cool much love everything was
fine in but in between the whistles he's
my enemy he has on different color
jersey that's that's how we're wired
after the whistle it's all off there's
nothing after that and I'll uh go back
to your question about temptation is one
thing we have to realize is we're not
perfect you know everyone wants to sit
up and say oh man these brothers are
here and this and that and they're just
so perfect where the furthest thing from
perfect and I'll be the first person to
tell you you know we ask a lot for
forgiveness every day I ask a lot to
forgive my past my future and my now my
present and what we have to realize is
you know this is my brother that's why
what our mother taught us and what we
grew up on was want for your brother
what you want for yourself you know no
matter what it is you know you see your
brother oh man he's not doing something
he's supposed to do oh do you go say hey
guess what I did or no or do you go pick
him up you know that's why we have to be
very careful especially being online I'm
a big guy on Twitter I fast from Twitter
during Ramadan but I'm big on Twitter
and you'll see a trending topic and you
say Hey you know for for the older older
gentlemen uh and and sister just bear
with me uh but you know you'll see a
trending topic you say what are they
talking about and you you know you look
and and said they're talking bad about
just that retweet that's spreading the
rumor just that retweet and we don't
want to do that do we want to eat the
Flesh of our brothers back no we do not
so we have to stay away from these
things we have to ask Allah for
forgiveness yet you know what I messed
up let me ask forgiveness from the
person who I've wrong and ask Allah for
forgiveness and that's what we have to
realize we're not perfect there's not a
single per perfect person on this Earth
and we have to realize that and as
Muslims we don't jump on other Muslims
you know we supposed to go to the aid of
our brother whether he is the oppressed
one or he's the oppressor if he's
oppressed we go help him out if he's the
oppressor we go and say hey you're doing
the wrong thing and that's we have to
remember that that we're going to the
aid of our brother because this is Islam
this is universal uh and then as far as
the uh the anger issue yeah that that's
tough
right the same way you give daa to
anyone else is your is your walk is your
walk because we've all seen the person
who every single day tells you how holy
they are and they want to sing their
gospel H
oh you know you see that and then all
but then you're like I know that guy
that's not how and he's trying to no you
need to be doing this you need to be
going to Bible study you need to be
doing that masah the best doubt I got
was from a Christian brother's name is
Jason wri he was a seven-year veteran in
in the NFL he's actually from Diamond
Bar right now he's studying to get his
NBA at uh the University of boo in
Chicago and this
brother he was he was he was on his Dean
he he read his Bible every day on the
team bus on the team plane he was
straight up and down he was clean he
wasn't flashy he drove a Ford tourist
and he just every single day it was just
getting better just getting better he
wasn't oh man I'm so holy look at me
look at me I'm so humble hey I'm so
humble AR aren't I humble I mean that's
not humility that's not humility the
Believers are the ones who are what
they're patient and they walk through
the Earth with humility that's what
we're supposed to be we're supposed to
be humble and we're just supposed to
lead lead by example just just do that
so for Tempo it's not like I would just
go to him and say hey you need to read
the Quran hey you need to do this nope
you just do you because people start to
take notice I a short a short story
about that is on Fridays alhamdulillah
Friday in the NFL is a very short day uh
we get out about 12:00 12:30 so
alhamdulillah I get I get a chance to
make
Juma but this with our new new uh
defensive coordinator our new defensive
coach Ray Horton he wanted us to meet
every Friday every Friday every it was
mandatory every single defensive player
met so they looked at me like man what's
hamon gonna do do what I always do I'mma
go for Juma and hamul so you know you're
getting dressed everyone else you know
you wear shorts and t-shirts to work
they see you every Friday just you know
getting dressed and say oh you know are
you going to the defensive meeting you
know oh I'm oh he has to go for prayer
it got to a point to where people
wouldn't even ask me or if someone asked
someone else would say oh he's going for
his Friday prayer so it's just about the
walk that you have it's not that you're
going around saying this is what I'm
doing no that's not the way Islam is
that's not the way a Muslim is we have
to lead by example just by doing our DU
doing our DU doing our DU every day
inshallah the sister asked how do you
balance fasting with games and practice
we were just talking about that it was
so easy to fast today W it was so easy
all we did was sit we played on the
computer we went for Juma we drove out
here it was so easy but uh you know it's
all about preparation you know everyone
has heard this you know when you fail a
plan you plan to fail uh last night
alhamdulillah you know they're saying
hey you know it's going to be the first
day of Ramadan you know we knew Ramadan
was coming so you have to start that
preparation now right now you know it's
it's the night time we're going to go in
for TWI this is when you start to
hydrate you know you see me I have my
three cups of water this is this is just
what I do I just sip sip sip that's what
I do throughout the night then when you
wake up in the middle of the night you
drink some more you drink some more and
it's all about preparation because I
have to prepare you know physically and
then mentally first thing we do is give
it to Allah say Allah Allah please make
it easy for us that's the first thing we
do the second thing is is is is we take
action uh brother ran he's a a
nutritionist I think he's here today but
you know we and we just talk and we just
exchange you know different different
different things that you know we would
do and protein and all that stuff you
know he can get into all that so if you
guys have a chance talk to brother ran I
believe he's still here but right there
there he is right there but it's it's
just about it's just about preparation
you know and knowing your limits you
know if we fast more often we'll know we
can do because sometimes you get into
Ramadan and it's it's day 20 then you
realize okay now I can now I'm fit now I
can fast you know so we've wasted those
first 20 days so it's all about
preparation you know we know we're going
for TWI hydrate yourself still exercise
but don't try to exercise at lightning
speed you know don't try to do what
brother hin does you know inshallah he
can show you after maybe a light workout
but you know we just have to prepare
prepare
yes
well as far as me I've actually had four
of them yeah but it it's I mean it's the
nature of the Beast what what other
sport do you have a guy of my stature
205 pounds running full speed to hit a
guy that's 260 lbs it just sometimes it
just doesn't sound right but when you're
out there you just you just do it but
um it it it is something to watch and
something to look into um you see a lot
of the people from the past from the 70s
80s 90s that they're starting to have
problems there was there was a lot of
things that they didn't tell the players
back then it was just you got your bell
rung this is football toughen up all of
that jazz um so it is I me personally uh
for personal reason I keep a close close
watch on and a close on it I've talked
to the the guys who are supposed like
the top specialist in the country out in
Pittsburgh and they said everything
should be good everything should be
clear but at the same time I I will say
the it it's not it's not a finished book
it's still open ended because we're
still playing the game we still don't
know exactly what happened there's been
I think there's what over 16 or 1,800
players to a team there's 1,800 players
and the the turn in the NFL is high in
and out in and out so who knows how many
NFL players there has been since the
start of professional football and then
the kids in college which is even more
and then the kids in high school which
is way more
so I I think uh in 10 years we we'll
know a lot more I think right now it's
kind of the hot button issue and it's
getting a lot of press but I think we're
we're a ways away from actually knowing
what these hits do