next you get
[Music]
me my name is brother Bon Muhammad I'm
uh people know me I guess as a spoken
word poet you know SL performance poet
Storyteller um I'm actually you know of
an aromo descent my ancest is the Oromo
people in Ethiopia we actually the
largest ethnic group in all of East
Africa a lot of people don't know that
about us but uh I'm not Somali just in
case you're wondering cuz a lot of
people think that as well and uh
alhamdulillah my parents you know left
Ethiopia as political refugees they were
escaping a civil war that was taking
place in the late '70s and uh they
migrated to Egypt and from Egypt and
went to Canada and so I was actually
born in Canada so alhamdulillah I'm
Canadian uh African Muslim alhamdulillah
but Islam is really the focus of my life
can you tell us a little bit about
yourself before you basically started
practicing Islam that where you're
coming from your background yeah the
area that I grew up in in Toronto wasn't
um you know alhamdulillah it wasn't a
bad bad area but it wasn't an area by
which you know a lot of people had
Direction in their lives I grew up in an
area that was actually very diverse one
of the most diverse areas in Toronto
where I had you know a lot of friends
which were um you know Italians
Portuguese I went to a Jewish Elementary
School populated area a lot of my
friends I grew up down the road from
actually little Jamaica the highest
population of Jamaicans outside of
Jamaica so that was you know my
influence was this you know very
Multicultural diverse background but
unfortunately I didn't grow up with a
lot of Muslims even though I was from a
Muslim family there wasn't a strong
Muslim influence and um for me it was
very easy to identify with you know
other groups because you know when you
come into these places you know even
though I'm I'm a Romo from Ethiopia to
them I was just black that's all it
meant so being black meant that you know
I had to be like the blacks that I knew
which were the Jamaicans and the West
Indians and you know people of that
background who you know UNT we're not
Muslim and so they really shaped my
understanding of life and so I grew up
you know very confused like a lot of
these youth we see nowadays very
confused as to my identity you know was
I African was I black was I Muslim was I
this was I that was I Canadian was I you
know and so I think like many youth I
really found my identity you know
shifted from like day to day you know
this day I was with these people and
then when I played soccer I was with my
Italian friends and then when I went to
parties I was with my white friend and
now I went you know down the road I see
all my Jamaican friends and and I was
alhamdulillah my family did you know I
did go to madrasa I went you know on the
weekends and learned the Quran but just
the weekends wasn't enough you know what
I'm saying the weekend thing it was
wasn't really working for me because I
would be just even more confused as to
who I was so that eventually ended up
you know leading me astray and leading
me to a direction where you know I
completely just forgot about my Islam I
completely forgot about everyone I was
with and the things that you know I
really kind of took as a religion was
like hip-hop you know hip-hop became
like a religion for me and this is a
very sad and scary thing to say that it
is a dean of a lot of people you know
and people say and if you're familiar
with the hip-hop lifestyle you know that
hip-hop you know it's more than a music
it's more than just music it's a culture
you know it shapes the way you dress it
shapes the people you hang out with it
shapes your language it shapes your
culture so in many ways it becomes like
a Dean it becomes like a religion and so
this was the earliest sense of religion
that I had was the street culture
hip-hop you know what I'm saying break
dancing graffiti mcing all that kind of
stuff that was really you know my
introduction to life and that's uh you
know how I lived my life for quite a
while Subhan Allah alhamdulillah my
parents were always big on education so
one thing that you know I never took for
granted was the fact that even though I
was in the streets and I was mingling
with you know people that I shouldn't
have been with I still stayed in school
alhamdulillah I finished my high school
at the top of my grade um I actually was
the valid Victorian of my graduating
class so I was the one who gave you know
the the commencement speech on behalf
after the the graduating class and
people knew me as a joker people knew me
as somebody who you know was fun and I
was loud and I like to you know like to
be on the stage at that point I was
doing a lot of theater and I I just kind
of just barely got into writing and I
started you know performing my raps and
the things that I was you know
accustomed to at that
time I have a
theory I think that if we just taught
kids how to be themselves then we would
have have no need for therapist or
prison cells because you see in school I
was the token black guy and to fit in
ooh I would do whatever it takes but
black history month was the only time
that I could get a
date you see we have a tendency to fear
what we do not know because sometimes
the scariest thing that you can ever
hear in life is no no no you are not
popular and no you are not cool and no
you will not become anything even if you
finish school you know it was wasn't
until you know there was Subhan Allah I
remember in in high school particularly
at the end of my high school years there
was one brother I one Somali brother
masallah who was on Dean and this was
very strange for us because you know a
lot of us even though my last name was
Muhammad you know people didn't really
think of me as a Muslim and remember
this was like right after 9/11 so I was
living you know this was like 20 1 2002
was when I was like in my high school
days so I remember at that time you know
people would start saying things like
you know oh these Muslims are like this
and like that and me not knowing
anything really about my own religion I
kind of just remained quiet you know
because I didn't want to be you know I
didn't want to be made fun of I don't
want people to start you know making fun
of me and insulting me so I just became
one of those you know from Muhammad's to
Moes you know I just really became a mo
I became quiet and I really felt you
know that sadness in my heart like even
now to this day when I look back cuz I
remember there was that brother this one
Somali brother Mah who you know was try
and gather the the few Muslims that were
in our school he tried to set up a like
a Jama prayer and uh you know many of us
didn't really take it serious and
unfortunately you know I I really kind
of I found it hard to I felt like at
some points I was too busy trying to
impress my non-muslim friends to you
know Embrace this Muslim brother who was
trying to give me da who was trying to
you know kind of call me back to what
was true and it became you know even
harder for me as I graduated from high
school and I went to University because
in University obviously you're met with
so many different cultures and
Lifestyles and people really at that age
feel like they're free you know this is
the age when you a lot of people leave
their parents house they go live on
campus a lot of people start you know
going to parties and start doing things
that they wouldn't have normally have
done and in that age you know like
Subhan Allah like a lot of kids you know
I felt even more lost when you start
mixing in with the party scene and you
start you know I mean Brothers know what
happens when you you know see girls on
the road and sisters start getting
picked up by guys and and it was you
know a big fitner for me Subhan Allah
and uh I really found myself caught up
in a lot of bad relationships and I made
a lot of bad friends who unfortunately
you know
were part of my Dean that I had you know
developed at that time the religion that
I was following which was like this
hip-hop Lifestyle Street culture kind of
urban thing which unfortunately you know
didn't really do much for me in the in
the long run because a lot of those
brothers and sisters you know they
didn't really have my back in the end
and there's a lot of things that I went
through that really helped me you know
showed me the light these people weren't
my real friends and uh you know that was
kind of that was there a stage in your
life that you started to feel to
yourself that you know what I'm a Muslim
this this lifestyle that I'm living is
not correct did you ever start to feel
like that mhm yeah you know what as I
was growing up and uh again I was
talking about you know what was
happening in in the you know Canada US
post 911 where a lot of people started
attacking Islam and these attacks were
so blatant I remember being in high
school and you know there was a law
class I was taking and there was a
debate and people were talking about you
know whether women should be you know
whether women should be taking off
hijabs and and passport pictures and I
remember you know getting really heated
with people and at that time I really I
knew in my heart that Islam was the
truth I knew in my heart that this there
was only one God and that you know this
was the correct path and I wanted to you
know speak up about Islam so I secretly
you know I started learning and
researching on my own and even though I
wasn't confident enough to come out and
start you know uh battling people or
telling people off like I just needed to
learn enough that I could be basically
in a private conversation explain to
somebody that look this is actually not
what Islam says you know Islam is like
this Islam is like that and I remember I
tell you one story that really I
remember was a big change point of my
life because even though at that point
in my life I started identifying more as
a Muslim post 911 if your last name was
Muhammad you a Muslim it didn't even
matter if you practicing you weren't
practicing right but I remember one time
Subhan Allah I was with some guys they
were some some guys that I used to hang
out with and um you know at that time
you know I'm ashamed to say but like I
used to you know I used to indulge in
certain activities you know whether it
be partying you know the type of
lifestyle that comes with party the type
of things people do extracurricular
stuff people do and I remember I was you
know doing this particular thing and a
and uh you know a guy asked me he's like
you know Muhammad yeah you're a Muslim
and I was like yeah yeah I'm a Muslim
and he's like but Muslims don't do this
he start tell me Muslims don't act like
this and I said to myself well you know
I didn't I was just embarrassed Subhan
Allah I was really embarrassed for a
non-muslim to tell me that you know I
shouldn't be partying and I shouldn't be
out and I shouldn't be doing this it
really was a blow to my ego because you
know I felt like even this person knew
that Islam did not condone my behavior
so you know if this was correct then
what type of person was I and a lot of
times when the truth comes our way you
know as Muslims sometimes we take
offense to it when somebody might give
you advice or somebody might say to you
you know brother you know fear Allah
brother sister you know you shouldn't be
doing this sometimes our own NS our own
egos will take the best of us and we'll
not take that advice sincerely and
instead we'll just take it as a personal
attack and I felt like the Muslims that
I knew that were around me were just
like that you know they were Muslims
that would attack you and I remember I
hated going to the Masid because the
Masid that I went to that them times I
used to braid my hair them times I used
to have long hair I you you don't
probably don't believe it now but at
time I used to have long long long hair
and I used to braid my hair and I used
to come to the Masid like for Jam or you
know forid and stuff like that and the
way the uncles used to stare at me the
way everybody used to look at me like
you know look at this brother why does
he look like that he looks like a cat
for and I say yo bun you guys I don't
want to come in this building you know
what I'm saying I don't want to be
around people who are going to treat me
and look at me a certain way and they're
not going to you know give me the
respect as a Muslim and so that was
enough incentive for me to stay away
from the mass to stay away from the
house of Allah and this is the type of
Da people were giving back then and you
still see it to this day you know you
might see a sister walk in the mashid
without a hijab and you say Oh Sister
what is she doing in here how could she
come in here looking like that you think
to yourself Subhan Allah is the m not
the place for the sick people to go to
is the m not the place is is you know
are these not the hubs were people whose
hearts are away from Allah that they
should be getting closer to him and so
you know I really I I identified as a
Muslim but I hated Muslims I loved Islam
but I I really was not fond of the
Muslims themselves alhamdulillah you
know I really took the time out on my
own to try and learn Islam you know free
of cultural interpretations free of
people's own you know understandings and
Mis misinterpretations of the dean and I
tried my best to you know actually read
the Quran a lot of us you know in our
life times I think very few people have
actually read the entire Quran even in
your own language in English from front
to back very few people have actually
read the entire book and so I took it
upon myself you know one year that I
said to myself you know what in this
Ramadan it was in a month of Ramadan it
was the beginning of Ramadan and I I
really said to myself you know what once
one year I'm going to actually you know
learn to pray cuz I mean first of all I
didn't know how to pray as a Muslim You'
be going to the Masid you know you'd be
going for Salah and then you say allahar
you go down and you just just feel like
you're just a robot you don't really
know what you're doing and so I really
had this connection that was lost Subhan
Allah you know this was one thing in my
life that was missing and and you know a
person who prayed and then hasn't prayed
will know this feeling you know because
the Salah becomes something which is
like you know your heartbeat and imagine
I just I felt that need to get closer to
Allah I didn't know how I didn't even
know where to begin I didn't know which
books to read I didn't and and it was
really sad too I know I'm rambling but
you know the brothers that I knew to be
practicing the people that I knew to be
like good Muslims to me they were just
nerds like I couldn't you know what I'm
saying I couldn't really sit with them I
couldn't they didn't look like me they
didn't talk like me they didn't
understand where I was coming from they
didn't see the lifestyle that I lived
before to understand the strug the
struggles that I was going through even
for someone like me to pray or to fast
it was a big deal you know to drop
everything you were doing and that's why
I said like I felt like a Reverb cuz I
really was coming from a very very far
distance from the dean and and the
people around me were not very
supportive and it had a lot to do with
my friends because the people I mean my
non-muslim friends they couldn't care
less they thought it was strange that I
you know didn't want to smoke or I
didn't want to drink or anything they
thought I was there was something wrong
with me and then the Muslim people that
I was trying to connect with you know
they thought I was you know I look
strange because I had braids in my hair
and they thought that you know my pants
were a certain level and my my pants
were too saggy so they couldn't really
check me either and it just became a big
fitner for me but you know alhamdulillah
slowly and surely I started coming
closer in my own way you know one year
in the month of Ramadan I I really try
to commit myself to you know making this
Ramadan the best one possible and for me
that really involved you know first of
all learning how to pray because I
didn't know how to pray correctly and uh
you know it's a shame too because you're
a Muslim your whole life but you don't
know the basics there's a lot of things
that I didn't know I didn't know how to
pray I didn't really know how to fast I
didn't really know you know the basic
fundamental pillars of Islam so that
year remember one of my cousins he sent
around a video just like for people that
you know he thought might needed and it
was just like a guide to pray so so I
said okay alhamd let me watch this video
remember studying it like it was an exam
you know okay he goes up he
says just knowing these things in from
my childhood but just trying to refresh
my memory so alhamdulillah you know I I
tried my best in that month to fast and
you know an actual fast a fast which was
not just a restraining from food but it
was restraining from you know from idle
talk it was restraining from looking at
things I shouldn't be looking at it was
restraining from you know you know doing
all the things which you shouldn't be
doing and I remember remember that month
you know I had an iPod I gave it away
you know you have a girlfriend you dump
your girlfriend you know this is the
month where M you're going hard you know
what I'm saying you're trying to put
everything aside for the sake of Allah
and that month you know really did a lot
for my life because I remember that's
the month when I really established my
Salah and I you know HD I don't think to
that from that day till now I've ever
missed a Salah so that was like a big
you know a big big positive for me and
it really helped impact my life and at
after that point you know it became so
much easier subh Allah they always say
that the signs of an accepted Ramadan is
when you can continue the things you
were doing in the month of Ramadan and
for me it was you know a huge changing
point of my life and I almost felt like
this huge burden had been lifted off my
shoulders because at that point I
remember I wasn't I was living on my own
I wasn't living with my parents I was
you know I was just really really
frustrated and and my heart just felt
really really sick and I remember after
that month Subhan Allah during that
month just feeling this sense of relief
slowly feeling as though the pressure
was releasing and slowly feeling as
though I had purpose and direction in my
life and getting an idea of you know who
was and what I wanted to be and really
putting away all the people around me
you know not caring for what people said
my own friends started you know
basically you know they started making
fun of me or they started telling me
that what I was doing was weird and mind
you they were non-muslim so they didn't
really understand anyways and for me it
was important that you know what forget
them forget you I have Allah subhana tal
and Allah is the only one that in my
life really mattered and for me that was
a big turning point in my life because
you know that month of Ramadan
particularly was a time when I decided
to change my my life around and you know
to this day alhamdulillah it's you know
been similarly put on the same path ald
but this world is full of signs from the
moon to the stars and the sky from the
bees and the bugs like a seed in your
blood like a fiend or a drug makes you
need to look up and question what's up
why you deal with this stuff when your
spirits are crushed then you Trek
through the rough but like thunder at
struck said be and it was all the signs
that were sent they finally make sense
you feel the torment so you need to
repent when your heart is cemented heart
is a brick cuz your soul is worth more
than the dollars and cents all the money
in the world couldn't buy you happiness
cuz verily it is in the rembrance of
Allah that Hearts do find rest what is
it like now practicing the dean are you
better now or were you better off before
people don't realize but Islam in itself
is not meant to be you know just a set
of boring rules that you follow and it's
just this tradition and you wear this
thing and you do this and you go like
that and no Islam is actually a it's
guiding principles to help shape a
person's life and it's not like the
rules we know of in our everyday Society
in Western world that were just made by
men and today they like them tomorrow
they don't like them so they change them
no Islam was designed by the one who
designed everything right the creator of
all created Islam as a perfect
methodology for living your life so w
this Dean for me has been just that you
know and I always say the statement
people don't understand me but I'm not a
religious person I'm very rational in my
thinking and for me Islam is the
rational choice because you understand
you know that okay you know we shouldn't
drink uh alcohol because ab and C we
shouldn't eat pork because ABC you know
we shouldn't be doing this because of
that every rule alhamdulillah we can
come up with rule we can come up with
reasons why you shouldn't be doing it
but the real reason why we live the way
we live is because Allah has asked us to
that's it that's what it comes down to
you know the little bit of knowledge
that I have now tells me that I should
be accepting and understanding the
things that I don't understand because I
know that this this this set of rules
this law this lifestyle that I have been
given as a choice is not for my burden
it's not to make my life miserable but
instead it's to help me in so many ways
and W that's exactly what it's done you
know I have clear focus and
understanding and you just think the
problems that you had yesterday if you
look at them through your Islamic eyes
right you look at them through through
the the I guess metaphorically the eyes
of the dean everything becomes clear
whether it's you know poverty whether
it's suffering whether it's pain whether
it's Joy whether it's happiness whether
it's marriage whether it's divorce
whether it's death whether it's life all
these things have a perfect
understanding you know I know the reason
why I'm living the way I'm living I know
the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing
and what I'm not doing what I'm not
doing right this religion for me is more
than just you know a set of rules it's a
lifestyle choice that has been given to
me by the one who knows what's best for
me you know just like as a parent you
would look after your children you would
tell your child you know what you got to
drink your milk and your child might not
understand the child might say I don't
know why I have to drink milk I don't
know why I have to read I don't know why
I have to go to school we are that child
sometimes because we as Muslims or just
as human beings sometimes we don't
understand you know why these things are
put in place but Islam for me has just
really given me a purpose and an
understanding of why I've been put on
this Earth and there's nothing more
beautiful than you know a clear mission
statement everything you know can get
people's lives can get very blurry and
you can sometimes forget you know the
reason why you're being tested or the
reason why you've been given this wealth
or the reason why you know you haven't
been given this spouse or whatever it
may be but as Muslims alhamdulillah we
say in the bad we say alhamdulillah in
the good we say alhamdulillah everything
is alhamdulillah because allaha is the
one who loves us more than we love
ourselves more than our parents love us
more than our mother loves us Allah subh
loves us any trial I've gone through in
my life now as a practicing Muslim it
makes sense you know any good that's
come to me as a practicing Muslim makes
sense I know how to do it I know how to
deal with it and this was not what my
life was like before things would happen
to you and you just you lose your mind
you know things would happen that would
be bad and you would not know how to
take it things would happen that would
be good and you would just think so good
of yourself and it just extremes you
know Islam is the middle Islam tells you
to understand that look you know if
something good happens to you then you
should thank Allah T and you should have
you know you should basically take that
Shar and you should act upon it and if
something bad happens to you you should
say you know alhamdulillah you should
turn back to Allah you should have
suffered with what Allah patience with
Allah has given you so this to me was
like the the polar opposite of what I
knew from before and it really you know
I I can't stress that fact enough it
gave me direction and it gave me a
purpose to my life which you know I
didn't really have before back in the
day they say that I came from
slaves as though being a slave is
something that that would make me
ashamed touche
H you would actually be amazed to know
that we are all
slaves but in what kind of
way I mean some people submit to
cigarettes smoking five times a day and
some people worship money only to see it
go
away a couple people put their faith in
whatever the weatherman say and some
people even pray to the son but I wonder
who created the sun
anyways you know the prophet he taught
us that you were on the religion of your
friends you know you were on this
lifestyle of your friends and I think
that this advice you know the prophet
gave us is so pertinent in our times
because many of us choose our friends
like we choose you know basically cereal
at the grocery store with really not
much choice just whatever looks
appealing at the time but imag imagine
that you know the person who wants to
get married you know when you're looking
for the right wife or husband you know
you're going to start inquiring about
this person's background you want to
know about their family you want to know
about their religion you want to know
about their wealth you want to know
about everything about them and this is
the person who you know you're going to
be spending the rest of your life with
but when we're looking for friends you
know we don't really care you know I've
known this guy since I was two I've
known this person since I was 10 or this
person's known me since then and so that
becomes a reason why you're friends with
this person but you know to be honest I
think that we have to start choosing our
friends like we choose our spouses you
know your friends should be of topnotch
quality your friend should be a or a
pluses only you know because if you're
with somebody who is not going to make
you a better person then that person
unfortunately is not a friend that you
should be taking we need to learn to
have friends who don't want to just be
friends in this D but they want to be
your next door neighbors in Jenna how
many friends do you have like that
friends are going to remind you brother
sister fear Allah brother sister let's
establish the Salah how many friends are
you going to have that are going to tell
you brother and sister that what you're
doing is wrong I don't think that's a
good action
you know unfortunately many of our
friends have just become people that we
know and when I started practicing and I
I I don't want it to sound like you know
an arrogant thing or whatever but I have
to cut a lot of people off and you
really have to sometimes you know you
got to figure out what is your priority
why are you on this Earth and what are
you doing and how long are you going to
be here for that you can have time to
mess around with people who don't have
your same AG agenda and priority in mind
and so brothers and sisters my advice to
you is to pick your friends wisely and
make sure the people you're surrounding
yourselves are people who are going to
to remind you of Allah subhana wa tala
in good times and in bad and ultimately
you know these people who you're with
are going to shape your identity and if
there's some brother some brother or
sister who you think is not really doing
that well then you know it's okay inshah
be that support system for them but
don't allow your core group don't allow
the majority of your friends to be
people who you constantly have to give
da to no be amongst the people who will
give da to you as well insh and you can
grow as people so brothers and sisters
inshallah I hope that this advice you
know sincerely works and it penetrates
your hearts and you know inshallah you
will be my friend in this world and you
will benefit me I will be your friend in
this world inshallah and we'll be the
best and friends in the Hereafter in J
inshallah I'd like to give a big a big
thank you and shout out to roadside to
Islam for all the amazing work they're
doing and may Allah make this act heavy
on all of our scales of Good Deeds
inshallah this is your brother Bon
Muhammed signing
off