peace be with you.
How's everybody?
Let's wake everybody up.
All right. Good, good, good.
Alhamdulillah that everybody's here. I'm
very excited. We're trying to share
because we care and that's why we do the
program, the D show which is viewed
internationally all over the globe and
we're here with you guys. We're here
with you guys and I get the benefit
first and foremost because I get to sit
with some of the students of knowledge,
people who have accepted Islam and I get
to soak in this knowledge and then press
record and share with you. Today we're
doing a live show. So for our youth that
are out there struggling, it's difficult
growing up in the west here. Many of the
challenges you have to wake up on time
to make the prayer. You have to stay
away from certain things. So there's a
lot of dos and don'ts. So we want to
give some encouragement
not only to the youth but also the
parents who are here to try to
understand the youth. So what better way
than to get some advice from our
brothers here who also have grown up in
this culture myself included. I was born
and raised here. I'm an American and we
can speak the we speak the veracular
language. So sometimes when your father
and mother are telling you this that and
the other and it goes in from one ear
out the other but when you're talking to
somebody who can relate inshallah it
sinks in a little bit better. So I had
two of our brothers inshallah uh who
have been on the dean show Muslim Gala
Yasha Joshua Evans and inshallah soon to
be uh Omar Reagan. So we're going to
start off by having them introduce
themselves starting from my right to the
left.
Go ahead.
My name is Yusha Evans. Born and raised
in South Carolina. Accepted Islam in
1998. Alhamdulillah.
And have been working since then to
share Islam.
Go ahead. Introduce yourself.
My name is Omar Reah. And um my mother
accepted Islam when I was 5 years old.
So I'm grow grew up Muslims.
[Applause]
My name is Muslim Balo Chin. I was born
and raised in the United Kingdom,
London, South London. I embraced Islam
in 2002
and alhamdulillah the journey continues.
Let's get straight into it. I'm going to
be asking you guys some questions so the
viewers here can get to benefit from the
responses that you guys growing up in
the west, you've also faced some of
those challenges. Alhamdulillah, many of
us are still facing challenges to this
day. It's a struggle. It's a jihad all
the way till we visit that grave. So, we
want to do enough good to please our
creator before we meet our creator. So,
we need that good advice. So, as I
mentioned, sometimes when you're getting
advice from a from an old uncle, we
respect our uncles from, you know, you
guys ain't that old, but uh when we get
people who are more our age bracket or
who've been there, done that, we we kind
of respect a little bit better. So tell
us what were some of the challenges that
you guys faced growing up here and how
did you overcome these things such as
going to the nightclubs things is you
know when people are in the masid you're
out you know partying and hanging out
and the call comes for you know the
prayer but then the friends are calling
you know you to to to be out with them
so that's a dilemma that we're facing.
How did you guys
overcome that?
Let's start with uh let's start we start
let's start with
um
subhan allah for me
I was scared when I first became a
Muslim if I'm honest I was scared of the
rules a brother was giving me da'ah I
told him I'm I'm considering becoming a
Muslim and it's important in the
mannerism in which we give da cuz he
scared me he was telling he decided to
tell me everything is haram and
So it's like he said like this music
that you're doing this is haram you know
you'd have to stop that and also this
going out to clubs etc. You'd have to
stop that. And I said okay we'll go out
but I won't drink alcohol you know just
to have a good time. No no no no going
out all together forget the alcohol. I
said okay what if my friend's birthday?
He said no birthdays as well. Forget
that. So everything seemed haram and
said just the mixing in general these
women and it scared me. You know when
you're young you the world is like a
playground to you and you just you just
see enjoyment in everything cuz you
don't have much responsibilities at a
young age. So you just want to have fun.
And it sounded like everything that was
fun was haram and everything that was
fun and enjoyable I can't do no more. So
what's this life going to be like for me
if I become a Muslim now at 19 years
old? this life's going to be boring and
it's going to be like I wanted to delay
it to a later age in life. I said maybe
I'll become a Muslim when I'm 30 or 40
after I've had all my fun. But we don't
have this contract saying we're going to
live for this long. So basically
it was it was the fear of death when I
spoke to someone else. It was the fear
of dying in that bad state and not
having that time. You know a lot of us
think oh later on in life people born to
think after I get married after
university we delay we don't hasten
towards good and it was the fear of
dying and being raised on that day kyama
when he was the guy was giving me dawa
with more wisdom he was explaining about
being raised as like the winners or the
loser and it was the fear of being
raised as a loser that just made me
think I have to try now so I accepted it
from 19 and the the journey just started
the battle started But believe me, it
wasn't easy and it's still not easy.
Like there's there was many things that
I was battling with. But for the me as a
rapper, it was when some young Muslims,
sorry to get to the point, some young
Muslims, I was doing it in the mosque
and it was the imam's children and they
came up to me and they recognized me as
a rapper, young Pakistani kids like,
"Oh, you're a rapper. You're a rapper.
Do a rap. Do a rap." I said, "No, I
didn't want to do that. You're
embarrassing me." And I said, "You
recite some Quran." And they was
reciting for me. And I and they said,
"Don't you know it? Um, my little
brother knows it. It's in Jo and he's
five. So, not knowing it, but knowing
all that rap kind of like made me
question like I'm like, "No, I can rap
along to so much rap CDs, etc., but when
the Quran plays, how long can I go on
for? I don't." So, it just made me
question where's my heart at? So, it's
just that
it was that battle basically like where
is your heart at? When the questions
come to you, what did you really love in
this life? Was it? You say we love Allah
and Aden, but our actions are showing
something different.
Talk is cheap.
Yeah, talk is cheap. Yeah.
You have any regrets?
Any regrets?
Yeah.
You're missing any of the parties? Some
of the old friends?
No, no, no, no, no. There's no there's
no enjoyment in it. Like, there's no
enjoyment in it. Not at all.
So, you're happy now?
Alhamdulillah.
Omar, listen. Alhamdulillah.
[Music]
Let's move on to our brother.
How do you We talk about the the
tantalization of this world. You the I
mean you're like right in it all the
Hollywood glitz and glamour and the
movies made and now it's like are you
going to where? To the afterparty. Is
that what it's all about now? the red
carpet and all the, you know, paparazzi
and it's like, you know, everything's
mixed this, mixed that, all sort of
martinis. And how do you not succumb to
that and stay on the right way the way
that's pleasing to the creator?
Subhan Allah. Oh man. Well,
alhamdulillah, it's um it's a big
problem to be honest with everybody. You
really have to
let me tell you I'm going tell you a
short story. You you it becomes a point
where you start seeing yourself and the
environment that you're in and you all
of us have this voice on the right side
of us to remind us like you shouldn't be
here. You should you really shouldn't be
here.
And then you're looking around. I was I
went to this event and alhamdulillah I
was I was with uh oh man um it was Dave
Chappelle, it was uh Wesley Snipes. Um
we was there it was Abdullah Chappelle
was his brother. I was at this event and
we were going we had good intentions. I
mean, youngsters, we wanted to talk to
Prince Fiser was there with the
Hollywood Studios and I wrote the script
and I wanted to talk to him about doing
some Muslim halal movies. That's what I
wanted to do. And he had the money and I
wanted to talk to him say, "Give it the
money."
But I had to go into this to this party
and it was on the Sunset Strip and not
Genuine was there, Lisa Ray was there,
all these other celebrities was there
that you know you brothers had to lower
our gays. Sisters even had to lower
their gays with the genuine guy. We
know.
But it was at this point when I I
realized that I was wasting my time. I
was there and look how I got the
reminder. I'm standing there and I felt
so shamed because it's the time when
Michael Jackson was had passed away and
I was they was playing a Michael Jackson
song and I was
and this woman, she was tall, she she
approached me and was like, "You're the
only one dancing to Michael Jackson."
I was like, "Oh, hold on. Hold on."
Out of all of the people, I'm thinking
like, "I'm Muslim and I'm the one that's
dancing to Michael Jackson." So, then
she's talking to me and I I must I don't
remember what I said cuz I have to be
honest. I don't remember what I said.
And she look she's like, "You Muslim?" I
was like, "Oh, yeah."
and she was very tall and she had this
mini skirt on and she was like she was a
model and she said I'm Muslim too
[Applause]
[Music]
and then I was like she she tall so I
was looking up to her I was like wow
what's going on okay and then she said
and let me tell you may Allah have mercy
on her because I didn't know what that
meant
right and so I was like, "You from
Salato, mother?"
But
then she said, "Morocco." And so I was
like, "Wow." And I looked at it and she
said, "Please, this what she honestly
Eddie, she looked at me and her eyes
watered." And she said, "Please say
Fatiha with me."
And I was touched. Like I was like,
"Man, that's messed up." But
I didn't know like I really I started
thinking about all of the shoe youth and
everything like this is this what is
this has got to be if they laugh but
but I was like well I'm messed up and
she's messed up too so we might as well
say fatiha I said fatiha and then she
was like I want to know what a mjid is
and everything and I was like wow what
if that was me I walked away from her
and this this this lady was talking to
me and this guy was black and he was
looking and he she took me to introduce
him me to him and this guy he was the
manager in charge of Erica by doing
everything and he was like you want a
drink off you a drink it's real it's an
honor when I turned the drink down I was
dishonoring him it was like I said no no
I don't drink and everybody just
so I was like you know he was like oh
and then the other lady's like no he's
Muslim and then he was like oh you
Muslim I'm Muslim too by the captives
and he pulled out his Allah chain as if
it was his badge
to be like bam. And he started talking
to me in Arabic
and I was like
him. I don't understand. And the point
that it got to me, I started looking
around. I said, "You know what? that
it's a bunch of Muslims in here
and look at how we look and I don't look
no better. I got to make a decision like
I do not want to just blend in with the
crowd. I want to I want to that that
experience it really bothered me because
I was like man I look just like
everybody else. I don't look like
anybody that's making salah that's a
reminder of Allah that you know what I
mean just just like what I am why like
inspiring American Muslim youth I don't
look like that I'm misrepresenting
everything and it really made me feel
shame and it just stuck with me it's a
little funny but it shook me and it's
very difficult to be in that kind of
environment I mean I've done some films
I don't even tell Muslims which film
that I've done because I'll be like oh I
want to be I'm shame just not even I'm
grateful that I didn't really have any
bad scenes but just because I was there
and then if you saw the movie you'd be
like you was there you know it's just
too much it's really too much and it
comes a point where I don't want to talk
too too long it just come a point where
we have to make a commitment to being
who we really truly are like we don't
really realize that Allah has given us
the light and they they want the light.
The people look for the light. Well, how
am I going to shine the light if I'm in
the midst of all of this? It's they
going to just block the light and then
nobody will be like, "Hey, move out the
way and I'm going to shine." It's not
going to work. It's just not going to
work. So, we just can't be putting our
We got to try our best like like Muslim
said, we got to try our best cuz it's a
constant struggle and be strong.
Thank you. Thank you.
I am not afraid to stand alone.
I am not afraid to stand alone. If Allah
is my side, I am not afraid to stand
alone.
I am not afraid to stand alone. If Allah
is my side, I am not afraid to stand
alone.
I am not afraid to stand alone. If Allah
is my side, I am not afraid to stand
alone.
I started asking deeper questions. The
question I want people to really ask
themselves
is when you come back from a night on
the town, you've been drinking, you've
been boozing, you've been dancing,
you've been hanging out with girls,
guys, whatever. Number one,
did you improve yourself as a human
being?
Number two, did you contribute anything
to the betterment of humanity?
The amazing thing is is that the most
advanced studies in psychology about
human happiness show
that these are the two key factors in
making people profoundly happy. I take
five minutes out of my day
and prayed to the creator and none of
the creations and I feel deep internal
peace
and I still have my normal life
and get the experience from you Evans
you've been on the Dean show before
alhamdulillah people can go to see your
whole story at the deanshow.com so you
also made a transition from living that
lifestyle of chasing your lusts and
desires so in short how did you overcome
that to where you are today? What keeps
you going?
Uh,
you know, 13 years ago, almost 14 years
ago, when I accepted Islam,
I was at a point where I was trying to
get out of that lifestyle. I I I really,
you know, didn't have realized I didn't
have a place here in the first in in the
first place. And I was striving to get
out. And so when I found Islam, it was
like finding home. You know, it was like
I had found where I needed to be and
belong. But 14 years later, after going
through so many different things in in
within being a Muslim, dealing with my
family, the biggest probably tribulation
that came to me was not from
non-Muslims. It wasn't from my family.
It was from the Muslim community.
Because when I first accepted Islam,
this was before 9/11. And there wasn't,
you know, people weren't entering Islam
in droves because Islam was in the
media. No, I was just some weird white
guy, you know, in in in the masjid, the
only white guy in the masjid. And it was
somewhat hard for me to find my place,
you know. It was almost like I was still
an outsider. I had left my whole way of
life and become an outsider to everyone
else. And then I was still an outsider
in the Islamic community. And everybody
was giving me everything. Read this,
read that, study this, you need to know
this, you need to know that. I didn't
know where to start, where where A, B,
the C, D went, anything. So, 14 years
later,
what I think really keeps me going in
being able to go and try to bring other
people out of that darkness, um, is one
day I was sitting on a plane, half
asleep. And this is something that I
that I think all of us, especially
really quickly, show of hands, how many
people here born Muslim? born and raised
in Islam.
So, how many people
came to Islam? Reverts.
Very small number in the room. So, I'm
speaking to all of you born and raised
in Islam. I was sitting on a plane one
day half asleep. And for some reason was
remembering I was preparing for a
lecture and I was thinking about the the
hadith of the prophetat wasam about
allahel having written everything in a
book that is only with him 50,000 years
before he initiated creation everything
that would happen as we know the
prophetatam said the first thing Allah
created was the pin and then he told the
pen to write the pin said write what he
said write everything everything and
then I thought to myself
you know what somewhere in that book
Allah wrote that you would be guided.
Somewhere in that book, Allah wrote and
had written that you would be guided,
that you would come out from that
darkness and into the light of Islam and
be where you are right now. And that
kind of overwhelmed me because now
having really understood who my creator
is, really understanding Allah that
Allah would consider guiding someone
like me out of all of humanity is is
really a favor and a that I I didn't do
anything to deserve. I don't do anything
to continue to deserve it. But yet that
guidance is still there. And so now it
becomes more of an issue to me not to
struggle to stay inside of Islam
anymore, but to struggle each and every
day to repay a debt that I can never
repay to Allah because he's given me
something that's priceless, which is
guidance. And there is nothing I can do
in a myriad of lifetimes to repay that
debt. So every morning I wake up now
with the consideration that what am I
going to do today to try to repay that
gift that was given to me before I was
even thought of before the creation was
thought of where Allah had written down
in a book that is only with him that I
would be guided and for all of you here
in this room Allah wrote your name in
that book too that name your name was
written in that book too so Allah put in
consideration to bring you to Islam And
I don't know what any of you have done
to deserve it, but if you are like I am,
we didn't do anything to deserve it. It
is truly a gift. It is truly a that was
given to us. And every single day that
we wake up and we're able to
sayahillahill, it's another gift. And
and that's really the beautiful
treasure of Islam that we try to share
with the world that it is a gift and it
was given to me 14 years ago and I try
to give it to as many people as I can.
that that's the only thing that keeps me
going. If not, I don't even know what I
would be doing right now.
Mallah Mallah
[Applause]
[Music]
I don't want to have all the fun. So,
we're going to try to take a couple
questions. We have a few minutes left on
the topic to learn from their
experiences. Do we have any sisters?
We'll start with the sisters. Any
sisters? A sister wants to ask a
question maybe for a friend who's being
challenged by today's time. Is maybe she
her friend just barely got her here and
all the other friends were trying to
have her at that party but she's here.
So some advice from the brothers that
aren't saved. Anybody raise your hand
sister over here. Okay.
Go ahead ask your question.
Thank you so much. Um, I always struggle
with that gift. I was born a Muslim and
I'm so thankful that I'm a Muslim. But
why are we blessed to be Muslim and some
that had the same exposure as we all
did, but their hearts are blinded? Why?
Why was I so lucky to be a Muslim? And
some people that have tried to share my
luckiness with them, they don't see it.
Beautiful
question. Go ahead. Uh if you both all
three of you can maybe hit it for one
minute each before we take another
question. Go ahead.
Subhan Allah. Um
I don't think I fully understood the
question. Why are we so lucky to be
guided? She wants to share it with
you know guidance hay is from Allah.
like all we can do is convey a message.
The guidance is from Allah. So we have
to do our duty. It's not really our duty
to change the world and to get
frustrated or angry at the rest of the
world etc. We can just convey a message
in the best manner manners we have
possible
and hope that Allah guides them. And the
way I say is to to change ourselves by
having beautiful characters and by
having the best of manners and then
inshallah it will attract them to want
to join us or to be interested in what
it is that we have.
Yep.
That's right. No, I agree. He said
everything. I mean, alhamdulillah, he
said everything.
Be grateful. And then if you're
grateful, then you're happy. and you're
happy and you're smiling. And I think
what happens to a lot of people is they
get turned off from Islam because they
don't they don't see Muslims smiling,
you know. So I think that we have to
smile more and show that we are really
truly excited and grateful to Allah for
him even making us Muslim and that you
know that we know because this is
natural to want to party to want to
drink to want to have fun to want to
have do haram all of the time is not who
we are as human beings it's not who
Allah created as man that's things that
like In where Allah says that we seek
refuge in Allah from
the whispers from that go into the heart
that feeling or that emotion is not
real. It's whispered into us. So being
Muslim is natural.
We got to we're going to pass it to you
Evans
Nasha. Um as far as the question why are
we the lucky ones? That's a question
that we we can't really answer. I can't
even tell you why I am on guidance. So,
um, but when it comes to us sharing the
message of Islam with people, even our
Muslim family members that are not
practicing, friends that are not
practicing, you know, they are exposed
to the same things we're exposed to, but
yet they are not coming on board. You
know, this is a question that plagued
our beloved messenger sallallahu alaihi
wasallam as well. And allahel revealed
to him, will you destroy yourselves over
their footsteps? Will you destroy
yourself over their footsteps? Their
comingings and goings and they're
running away from you. Allah told him,
you cannot guide whomever you wish. It
is I who guide whomever I wish. And I
know best who is guided and I know who
is best astray. One thing I try to share
with everyone, and this is maybe
something you can take home with you
tonight. When I meet people and give
them dawa, I tell them something very
simple that look when it comes to your
relationship with your creator, it is
personal relationship. It is personal.
It doesn't have anything to do with me.
It doesn't have anything to do with your
father, your brother, your sister, your
mother. This is a relationship between
you and the one who created you. So I
implore you to do something. If you
really want to know the truth about your
life and your existence, then go to the
one who created you. simply humbly ask
him to guide you to the truth. And
whosoever asks that with sincerity and
they are willing to follow that path
wherever it may lead, it will lead to
guidance because Allah says we guide
those who walk a right. So that is
simply and humbly those who wish to
follow the path of Allah then Allah
gives them
the effort to be able to go on that
path.
We're taking one question from one of
the brothers. Let me get a hand. You
have a question? Anybody have a question
from this side? Go ahead. Okay.
Go ahead, young brother.
So, so we can talk to non-Muslims and uh
co-workers and friends, but it's
sometimes hard to not offend trying to
uh offend them. You know, you don't want
to I mean, we know that God is one and
he tries to send that message. How do we
send a message without offending them?
And also sometimes they agree with the
message but they don't it's the identity
because the pop star was an Arab or you
know most Muslims are associated with
that. So how do they how do we fight
that identity battle and how do we speak
to them without offending them um
because of what we know.
Who wants to pick that up? We got 30
seconds to answer the question.
You shall start off a few then we go to
to your right. 30 seconds.
Uh one one problem we have had here in
in in the west a lot with dawa is to
learn how to make Islam universal
because Islam is a universal religion
for everyone. Not content to any time or
place. It's not constricted to any time
or place. It's not an Arab religion.
It's not a Pakistani religion. But when
it comes to sharing the message without
being overbearing, Allahel has given us
that key very simply when he commanded
us.
The first command was call to the way of
your lord with wisdom. And wisdom is
according to the best definition we give
in the English language. Wisdom is to
use knowledge at the right place at the
right time with due discretion. So we
have to know how to share Islam with our
brothers and sisters in humanity. And I
finish with this last statement that we
do need to be trained in dawa. Dawa is
something that needs to be learned. It
is a technique. It is a skill. It is a
proficiency. But lastly, I want to
explain to you the last hadith is that
the prophetat wasam said as you all know
you do not love for your brother what
you do not have true belief until you
love for your brother what you love for
yourself.
When interpreting this hadith, he said
brotherhood in this sense meant general
that you do not have true iman until you
love for your fellow human being what
you love for yourself and what we love
for oursel is Jenna. So we should love
that for them too and show them
sincerity that we have care and concern
for you.
Let me finish that. We're almost out of
time. Let's wrap it up with this
question. For the male or female that
been down and out, they feel like they
hit rock bottom. She's been used and
abused by the man. She shouldn't have
been there. And now she just got out of
a bad relationship. And you know what?
She's trying to get her act straight.
And he's also manipulated with the
women. And he's been to all the parties.
And now he's like, you know what? I I
just don't want to do it no more. And
he's feeling this guilt inside. She's
feeling this guilt inside. But they they
feel like, you know what? Is there hope
for me? Is there hope? They want to
know. You've been there. you've done
that. Give some advice. Let's wrap up
with this.
Uh to be fast, I'd say like
after hardship comes ease. And sometimes
the hardships of this life should be
what drives us to want to work harder
for the next life cuz we know what Allah
has prepared. So read about Janna and
paradise on what's prepared for you. And
when you suffer in this life and you're
going through all that hardship, that
should make you want to work harder to
get to Janna. So the first thing is to
start with the prayer. If the prayer is
good, then everything else will be good.
Inshallah. If the prayer is bad, then
everything else will go bad.
Never give up.
Never give up. Never give up. Do that
action. Turn to Allah. I know so many
people have come to me and said they sin
and they feel so bad that they feel
they're too bad to even pray. Look, this
deed is for the sake of Allah and it's
in accordance with the sunnah. Go make
woo and pray. Allah will can accept it
from you. Inshallah.
We're wrapping up. wrapping up. Go
ahead. Pray, pray, pray. And and you
know what, brother? Cuz he got the Omar
Regan shirt on. Um
when you find that you're upsetting
them, the people that you're talking to,
stop.
Tell them, "Oh, I don't mean to offend
you. I don't mean to upset you. That's
not I'm I'm sorry. I apologize." When
they see that you're so passionate about
something that you want to control
yourself
from getting into continued arguing,
that's da in itself. And then people
don't stop. Keep on praying cuz there's
hope for all of us. I feel like I done
so much dirt. If Allahh saved me, he can
save everybody. I promise you.
Just pray.
And let's close out with you. Is there
hope? They did everything under the sun
and now they're feeling like they're
falling in despair. Is there hope? Is
there still hope? I'm going to quote one
of my dearest friends who will be with
us here inshallah. One of my dear
beloved friends, Imam S.
There's always hope because if Allahel
wished to create a creation that did not
sin, he had already done that. He had
already done that with his angels. And
when Allah said, "I will create and make
a khalif on earth," the angels didn't
understand. They said, "Why will you com
create one that will commit mischief?"
Allah's simple response was, "I know
what you do not know." Because Allahel
can be known through his greatness with
his creation of the hemas and the earth
and the angels. He can be known through
many of his beautiful attributes. But
one of his greatest attributes only
becomes perfected through this creation
of the ensan and jin. And that is his
attribute of mercy. The ability to
forgive the ability to turn to those who
turn to him and repent. If Allah did not
create people who would sin, no one
would ever Allah's mercy. No one would
ever understand Allah's forgiveness. So
if you commit sin, no, you are doing
that which is part of your nature, but
it does not become part of your identity
until you return to Allahel and seek his
forgiveness and repentance. And lastly,
the prophetat wasam said if the son of
Adam did not commit sin, Allah would
just just get rid of that creation and
replace them with people who would
commit sin so that they would turn to
him and repent to him because indeed in
our repentance we show the great need
that we have for Allah and we allow
Allahel to show the greatness of his
mercy.
[Music]
I want to thank our guests. Thank you
very much. May Allah, the creator of the
heavens and earth you. Thank you so
much. I'd like to thank all of you guys
for sitting attentively and let's take
the advice. Let's work to please our
creator before we meet our creator by
doing all the wonderful things, the
beautiful things as he's told us to do
so we can be in Jenna. So we can be in
Jenna because this life is short and it
will all end very soon. So let's not get
hypnotized by the tantalization and the
delights of this world. Let's get
hypnotized by Jenna and strive to be the
best, the best in character, the best in
deeds and actions before that angel of
death comes to snatch our soul out of
our body. Thank you very much. May Allah
reward you. Peace. Asalamikum.
[Applause]