 join her and we are navigating the journey. Navigating the journey is dedicated to exploring the options and choices for the end of life care and to assist people talking about their wishes. It's time to transform our culture so we shift from not talking about dying to talking about it. It's time to share the way we want to live at the end of our lives. It's time to communicate about the kind of care we want and don't want for ourselves. We believe that the place for this begins not in the intensive care unit, but together as we explore various paths to life's ending. Together we can make these difficult conversations easier. Together we can make sure that our own wishes and those of our loved ones are expressed and expected. If you're ready to join us we ask, navigate the journey, explore the options and choices at the end of life. This is a conversation that every one of us needs to have yet few are prepared in life. Too many people in our society have no idea how to properly help loved ones at the end of their lives. We don't know what to say, how to act, what needs their loved ones have. Navigating the journey is dedicated to exploring the options and choices for the end of life. Our guest today is Dr. Ishmael, and I'm going to mess up his last name. Isher. Isher. He's the Iman of the Muslim Association of Hawaii. He is also a visiting professor of Islamic studies at Graduate Theological Foundation, Islamic University of Minnesota, Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies, and a Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana. Welcome, welcome, welcome to my new best friend. Thank you. I am so glad to have you. I know absolutely nothing about the Islamic religion, so we start there. Okay. We start there. What is an Iman? Iman, the name of Allah, this is what we should start anything by saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim by the name of Allah. Iman is a Muslim leader that he lead the prayer and answer the question and teach the religion of Islam to Muslims and also to non-Muslims. It's equal to maybe to the priest or rabbi in other religion. I am the Imam here in the Muslim Association of Hawaii since 2003, March 2003. It's about 14 years now. I would graduate from my other university. It's the most oldest and respected Islamic university in the world, more than 1000 years old. In Egypt, Cairo, Egypt. So you're from Egypt. Yes. Is that correct? Yes. Yes. Right. And so why did you decide to come to America to study in Indiana of all places and then away? Our mission when I studied at the other university, originally I started my study in medical school and then I decided to change my direction to study Islamic knowledge and Islamic studies. And I finished my bachelor degree in other university. And my dream is to travel outside Egypt and use my skill and my experience to explain and deliver the idea and the message of Islam to other people especially those people who have no chance to communicate with Muslims. So how old is the Muslim religion? Tell us about the beginning, about Muhammad and the desert, all of those things that we know very little about. Yeah, I thank you for this question. Most people, they only know the word Islam and equal to something bad, which is not right. Islam from its name, it means peace and tranquility and also it means to submit yourself to the willing of God. So Islam started about now 14 centuries, 50 years, almost 15 centuries now in Mecca where Prophet Muhammad was born. He was born in the 7th century and he started his journey from Mecca in Saudi Arabia now. After the age of 40 he received the revelation from heaven and he stayed in Mecca after the prophethood. He stayed 13 years in Mecca and he was forced to leave Mecca to a new city so where he established his empire. He stayed 14 years in the new city, it's called Medina now, which means the city, the city of Prophet Muhammad called Medina north of Mecca. So he started his empire in Medina and within 10 years he was able to make the most powerful empire at that time. Within 50 years after he died the Muslim empire was controlling the whole world, most of the whole world. Now tell me back to beginning because this is the fascinating part that I know very little about and that is what I, because I'm a storyteller, what I know about is that he was in the desert and he saw the moon, the crescent moon and the star and that was somehow a message because that's the symbol on the flag. Can you tell me that story so I can get it right? The next time I tell it. Unfortunately this is not the right story, it's not correct. Of course that's why I'm asking. He saw the angel Jibril coming from the heaven. He used to go to the cave to worship God for 30 days, one month every year. So he saw the angel come from the heaven, asked him to read. He said I cannot read because he was not able, he was not learned. So I cannot read. Then he told him to recite the verses of the Qur'an and the first verse of the whole Qur'an is read by the name of your Lord. He knew that he is a prophet and he was chosen by God to be the messenger and the last messenger. At that time the people of the book, the rabbis and the priests, they were waiting for the last messenger to come because they had their resources and they know that this is the time of the last messenger. So the whole world was waiting for Prophet Muhammad to come, the last messenger. So it was blessed by God to send him at the time that people were in very need to a message from the heaven to correct the way of the humanity. So the crescent moon and the star don't mean anything? No, no. The crossing means the beginning of the month. So we use it as a flag because the Muslim calendar starts by moon. On the moon side. Okay, very good. So okay, I'll get it right the next time I tell you. No, no, no. I'm here too. No, you're doing fine, you're doing fine. Now we had, as we said, we are navigating the journey. We are talking about, to different religions, about their traditions at the end of life when a person has reached the point that they're going to pass into the next world. So what are your traditions? What are your customs? Are they, every religion has a different way of approaching the end of life. So tell us about yours. I know, like I said at the beginning, I know very little about your religion and your traditions as old as it is you would think I'd know more. No, no, it's okay. Just what I told you in the beginning, I'm here to deliver the message and to teach people what Islam is. And this is my duty and this is my enjoyment. I said before the Islam is mean the peace, the peace in this life and peace in the hereafter, after, after life. And Prophet Muhammad came the first, first period that he talked to people about Islam. He talked to them about the hereafter. Yes. So Islam came to give the human being enjoyable life, peaceful life in this, in this world and peaceful life after death. And there are many verses in the Holy Quran said who want to live in peace and in happiness, in this life, he should follow the Holy Quran. Who want to live in peace and enjoyment and inter-paradise in the hereafter, he should follow Quran. So following the Quran and practice the religion of Islam, as we believe, is a way of happiness in this life and the hereafter. So Prophet Muhammad, when he came, he talked directly about the resurrection and the life after death. And it was a challenge because those people, they never believe in the hereafter. They say this is a life and this is the end. There is nothing after. So Prophet Muhammad, he came with the Quran and with logic, dialogue. He said how we will be resurrected after death. So Prophet Muhammad answered, the one who created you from nothing, he is able to resurrect you after death. Look around you. Look the dead land, how it become life when water, when the rain come and the plant grow and the tree become life after death. This is how Allah, the God, will resurrect you again after death. It is easy. It's not difficult. It's not hard. I want to ask you some more questions, but we do have to take a break, a one minute break, and you know, all stations have their one minute break. Then we come back and I want to ask you some more. Thank you. 10 for Hawaii from think tech. I've got the Beagle sisters here with a healthy tip. We encourage you to enjoy the food you eat this holiday season and keep it local and healthy. Yeah, eat the rainbow. Yeah, rainbow. And if you need any produce, come to the red barn on the North Shore. Aloha, this is Kaili Akina with the weekly a Hanukkah go let's work together program on the think tech Hawaii broadcast network Mondays at two o'clock p.m. Movers and shakers and great ideas. Join us. We'll see you then. Aloha. Aloha. I'm Kaui Lucas, host of Hawaii is my mainland every Friday here on think tech Hawaii. I also have a blog of the same day at kauilukas.com where you can see all of my past shows. Join me this Friday and every Friday at three p.m. Aloha. Aloha and we are back and we have the privilege and the honor of talking to the Ishmael Dr. Ishmael. Now I'm gonna screw up their last name. Let's let's try it. It's okay smile yourself. All right. And he is the Imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii. And now tell me as you prepare a person let's assume that this person and not an an act but is terminally ill you know that then you know they're not gonna last any longer or another week or a month or whatever how do you prepare that person to to die to leave to go into the what did you call it the hereafter how do you prepare that person are there traditions are there things that you do as a society as a religion for a person to get prepared yeah first we we have to know that death it doesn't scare Muslim or the believer and some people they face it with with happiness because this is the moment they are waiting for for a long time that they want to go to God and meet him and they they spend all their life in even good deeds efforts to serve God and this is time to get the reward of that so most of the people they feel happy that this is the this day is coming and also some righteous and very special people they know their day really yeah they know the day where they will die and it it inspired them by God to let them prepare themselves and we have many stories in the Muslim history about people they actually they know the moment so they take the shower you wear the white and they are welcome to the angels that they come to take the the soul so you prepare the body or they do it themselves yes and they dress in white garments now and then so they welcome so so there's no trepidation with looking at the end if a person is really like a tumor or cancer or something and they're suffering how do you deal with the suffering yeah as as in Islam and the Quran and the Prophet's teaching any suffering that a Muslim face it will reduce from his sense and will raise his rank in the in the paradise so any suffering any hardship that he face that he find that he experienced in his life it will be in his record so this feeling make the person stronger and feel that anything happened to him it's not wasting it is for him and it will benefit him and Prophet Muhammad himself he was clean he's protected from doing sins he has no sin but even that during his death he was suffering just to give the example Allah God want to give example by making Prophet Muhammad suffer in his death to raise more of his rank in the hereafter so this feeling make the sick person or the ill person feel that everything that will will not go away and he face it was very strong will do you give them any medication for pain sure yes yeah we must take all the anesthetic healing education medication and everything that it should be done and we give him all what he wants if he like he want to see his family we call his family he want to visit somewhere we take him anything that he wants we should do our best to make it happen so do they at home i mean this person dying at home are they at home not in the hospital anywhere if he wish that he die at home and it's possible to take home we do that yes and so you're giving them medication and whatever they ask for yes to so that they are at peace exactly so is there a group do you as a muslim aim on do you visit with him does the family visit at the end how does that work or is there a the person he should feel that he's not alone yes and his family and friends around him all the time but he should not feel that he's by himself and as i was i was told from some technicians and doctors in the hospitals that they know is if he's muslim in the hospital from the traffic the amount of people in it yes so but now do you sing do you pray do you chant at the with the with the patient even at home or in the hospital yeah it's not it's not chanting it is a citation of the holy quran there are some sewers or sceptres who recite to make him feel comfortable and the quran itself it brings the peace and tranquility to the heart and i was taught from one one friend that he was sick but he remembered his mother advice he was like suffering and he cannot sleep and because he's he's afraid that if he sleep he die so he cannot sleep then he remembered his mother passed away but he remembered her advice she told him when you get in situation like this recite quran and listen to quran so he will start to listen to the whole quran from the tape and then he told me it was amazing i feel relaxed and i slept and it was peaceful and since that i i never miss the holy quran listening every night he cannot sleep without listening to the holy quran so listen to the holy quran listen to the quran by nice by nice voice it drink the tranquility and the peace to the heart and make the body feel relaxed wonderful so that's so that you're what you're saying is that you're relieving the suffering and not not going through any anguish for those people that know that this is the end not some somebody that was hit by a car or something but people who are you know really cancer or or heart disease or whatever so those people you as as a religion comfort at the end to get them strong and and that peace is that what you're telling me we still give them hope and make them feel strong until the last second great and so the and the afterlife is that so they look forward to the afterlife yes because we make if if if somebody say i was bad i did a lot of mistakes and this is the time i i faced my punishment we give him hope to we say and this is fact you just not we're not lying to anyone we see the facts that god is forgivable he will forgive you if you have sincerity and if you have the the willing to repent repent now and god will accept your repentance god will not benefit from punishment you will when he punish you he will not benefit anything just so as long as he has a soul in the not leaving the body he has a chance to repent and he has chance to gain the forgiveness of god so the the gates of repentance always opened until the soul reach the thought yeah i i just want to really in my own mind get clear that you do give all the medication that that is prescribed i mean the person doesn't have to suffer is what i'm just saying they don't have to uh live with all of this turmoil that that this whatever is creating in their body is going on you know all the medication is needed yeah all the treatment needed it we we must give him but in Islam it's not allowed to give the what's called send him to rest or to give him fatal uh medication to to stop in and to kill him you know why no we're not talking about yeah we're talking about what how you care for the person we give all the care all kind of cares and whatever they want if they say they say well i would like this and i don't want that and i want to do this and i don't want to do that if it is lawful right islamically and legal and legal yeah according to their your tradition yes anything we we can do we have to do it yeah anything that's in our hands we we we can make it done we'll make it for him now i only have a minute left you pray to mecca to that direction yes three times a day five times a day five times a day so wherever you are yes you stop and say your prayer exactly and the mecca is only direction we're not praying and the god is not mecca of course yeah we just the mecca is the sample uh to unite all the muslim around the world okay just for you for unity and how many i know it's the largest religion in the world have about how many people are muslim in the world uh now it's about 1.7 billion and there's different are there different types of muslims yeah we we have muslim we have sunni shei and this is i mean two groups okay before we are out of time but so i don't want to start talking because i could go on and on there's so much you know what you say 15 000 years of history so we could talk forever but you will come back won't you and when we can talk some more about yeah sure uh the the time go fast it does yes so we can talk some more because sure so interesting and i know so little thank you so much you will come anytime thank you so much for joining us and we will see you next week aloha