 Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem Assalamu alaikum everybody Here with brother mark mark mark Talk a little bit today about his journey with Islam and a little bit of Ramadan in particular So it is it's Ramadan now. So I guess first question. How's your how's your Ramadan going so far? good very good It's my second one and Still learning I'd say it's pretty good As you say just your second one. So your shahada was Just like it was last year. Is there any February 19th last year? Yeah, well, I guess if you just start a little bit about your background like where you where you live now Where where you grew up all that kind of stuff? Okay, well, I lived I lived I've lived in Concord most of my life Lived in San Diego for two to three years My parents were from Quebec, Canada, so they're immigrants My mother was really spiritual Spiritual Catholic But unfortunately she passed away when I was 12. So after that, I Didn't have any interest at all in religion whatsoever Until the present day literally My feeling about God was that he was completely deist Whatever happens is meant to happen Organized religion was a really good thing for me at the time. So things have changed Spiritual but not religious kind of I've heard that Lot of other new Muslims as well. So you have a feeling that there is something greater but not Yeah able to connect it to something you can't understand it and I couldn't really go back to Christianity It was just honestly it was confusing. I Had spent one year in Bible school just right after my mother died It was not the best year One We had moved to San Diego for her treatment and I didn't know anybody didn't have any friends well, I mean They're they're good people they're nice people, but if you don't know somebody personally just didn't get lost in the background It's totally different than Islam like it's the your last year sort of experience you sort of mentioned Talked previously just had kind of a moment. I guess we're gonna share a little bit about like The the sort of epiphany moment if that's the right kind of approach is to What caused caused you to be a seeker and then sort of how that process unfolded Okay, well it began in the mid 90s when I picked up a copy of Malachi Max's autobiography and At the time I was just looking for pointers and how to publicly speak You know forcefully but not overbearingly Yeah, I'd read all his early things and then I started reading His thinking after he made Hajj He completely turned around his thinking about race Because he went to Hajj and he was seeing wetters wetter skin to Muslims from Central Asia and stuff He's like he was stunned Everybody was all the same So Malcolm X came back and He publicly refuted his previous beliefs about race and That was that really stuck in cord with me It was his last recorded speech in February 1965 And he just made a few words about that. I was wrong She never judged somebody just because how they look That was a major epiphany right there one of three maybe the second the second I had a hard problem in 2020 and This actually happened happened at the hospital. So I was lucky there but I was having a stress test for heart function and I collapsed and Luckily they had a surgeon on duty So this was April about a month after COVID it really started So there's nobody there and they they were rushing They were rushing to get me prepped And I started receding a little bit They had not hooked me up or given me any medication but I had this ascension of being pulled out of my body just a little bit and That there was nothing really profound about it except that It was totally unemotional. I didn't even have any fear of having no emotions about it. It was completely neutral and Everything in the rooms lit up just a little bit had a inner glow to it for a few minutes and I'm thinking at the time and you know, I was I don't know if I was near death or anything because they hadn't hooked me up or anything but I Finally figured out that there was something like that happened after you pass away What you do in life will kind of reflect your experience so the way I thought was a If you don't believe in anything, you're not gonna That's I didn't believe in anything. That's what I got. So that was the second one So I was thinking about religions going back to Catholicism Going back to trying going to the Eastern Orthodox. I was on the fence for a little while and then my daughter was born in August She ended up at Mornhead. She was born and That was great and everything But the way I grew up Unfortunately, my dad was not around very much He was a very good very good man But he grew up in a large family where my grandfather had passed away when he was three so there was no male role model in his family to show the Three brothers how to act like fathers And you know, he provided for me He took care of me. He wasn't able to spend time alone with me things like that I Can't remember it want one single instance where he was comfortable doing that You know, it was like that on my life and and so when I had my daughter I was a little underpred I was I was panicked having these feelings of panic What am I gonna do with this? What's best for her she she'd stay with me and should Should I you know talk to my wife and maybe Have them go back to the Philippines my wife is Filipino She has a huge family over there and I'm thinking oh Is this best for my daughter or is this best for me? Am I letting her go just because I don't know what to do or did something else So I figured it was something else So where am I gonna look for for answers? And When I was thinking about this for for two or three weeks, so I was very upset I was crying all the time at work It's probably the worst thing in my life for a few few weeks like that I didn't know what I was gonna do with my daughter and Finally, I thought of thought of the Quran and I was wondering how Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam raised Fatima ladies long and Just like that I figured this out, and I finally I remember I was at work I was outside, and I just took a moment. I said a lot if you're really there You if I asked I'm gonna pray to you for help I'm gonna reach out with a hand He he grabbed he grabbed that hand he grabbed my whole arm. He grabbed my whole body Here's what you're gonna do and all that soft out Just went away. It was such an intense moment Kevin there. I Almost passed out. There are very few times in my life where I've had some folks the feelings of such gratitude Having that answer and you know we were talking in the car. There's certain words. There are certain things We don't have words for but this is one of them and I Yeah, that was that was even worse than being in the hospital not knowing what to do with my daughter so So after that the world just lit up, and I'm not gonna say it's easy or anything being a parent because I work as a public school custodian not a millionaire, right? So we get the little struggles little struggles of life and things and that's fine So I have confidence Alas it's upon what Allah is there for me and I owe him It's even even that word is not sufficient. It's I want to be with him. So One of the first things I really understood about Islam was Never ever doubt Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's capacity for Mercy never never doubt it No matter how deep you are in sin, whatever you've done You can just at any time you can stop what you're doing Turn to Allah with a pure heart and say I'm sorry Allah. Please forgive me You can do this anywhere anytime and I think it's probably unique to Islam But of course we have Salah and it all up all all of our rituals But it's a little really true at any time if you're having a tough time you can stop what you're doing Clear your head a little bit just a lot so how much Allah, please please forgive me for what I'm doing Please forgive me for what I'm thinking Help me He he always does He always does Sometimes it's not noticeable at first as a Muslim in Islam To me and the most important thing is to never doubt Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's capacity for infinite compassion infinite mercy And you use the Creator of the seven heavens and the earth you can do anything And he does not need us He does it doesn't need me. He doesn't need you. He doesn't need this long Nothing takes away from his greatness at all And yet he still loves us He loves you. He loves me. He loves my daughter. He loves everyone here. He loves non non-Muslims I'm laying on a little bit But he created all this and He gave us the as human beings to understand that some day we're gonna die We don't think about it very much Muslims do more so than you know, most other people We know it's going to happen to us. It's the most important thing is to never lose faith that Allah Will give you mercy if you ask for it That's what I truly believe so powerful when I can't I to take a minute because it Maybe we should have talked a little bit before experience I knew Wow, I knew it's heavy, but that's really a lot like in a single year To go through that. I mean out-of-body experience, which you know, so I've heard of I certainly have never had the people Understanding as you said you felt yourself leaving your body and that's like so many people were wrapped up in the dunya in the world They don't understand even that there's a difference between their self and their body, right like the So to have that reality Just so you know in your face, you know and undeniably Kind of put to you Okay, can only imagine how powerful and experienced that must have been and sort of difficult to process this brother. I mean, I just I Felt nothing. I felt no fear. No joy. There was a nothing And there was no fear of feeling nothing. I mean, there's just literally My am I about to die here and no I didn't So I remember that a male nurse came in he cracked a little joke up Let's get this party started guy. There wasn't wheeling me in the surgery. I am laughing because of this guy. It's a little joke I'm laughing at the doctor. He's trying to put the stint in I'm just laughing and laughing and laughing And he's kind of looking at me. What's the matter with you guys? so Yeah, I'm heart surgery is usually a frightening thing, but I didn't have time to get frightened or God, I just went to that hospital just for a test and I Had no idea I had a heart problem. I had no idea all this is going to happen. I Was not prepared to be in the hospital for three days, but it was fine The early days of COVID everything was locked down. There's no visitors or anything like that but I Uphold through that I'm fine Then the thing with my daughter happened and Wow It cinched the deal and I am so profoundly grateful to be leaving this earth as a Muslim You've been from not the best one I am so profoundly grateful to a lot subhandler taller for helping me and Yeah, it was really like I said, there's no words for it I can really kind of only imagine. I think every people do have a sense Insha'Allah people will be able to still connect. I I think you've done a pretty good job of conveying it is it is Transcendent, you know, it's a bike soup on a lot. It's It's really all you can say like that the fact that you just so happen to be at the hospital Right at that time. It's like that was A miracle to you know that a lot is the best of planners that think that I mean, I don't think I think we know right like a lot. I wanted you to be here today I want you know to be here with us to be here for your daughter to have that experience and You just had to go The way that you did a lot knows his plan and the wisdom in it, but clearly I want you to be here with us today and And and to go through that experience so that you could get to where you are today So it's It's so amazing and then with the experience with your daughter, you know, we always that was Well, you know being a parent was just at my age, I'm 56 Me it's an enormous blessing, of course Of course, she's a lovely girl. I've pictures and stuff. I'll show you later But I had feelings of inadequacy and that I'm not good enough for her and You know That way She deserves better. I'm a father like what the best for her and then the deepest part of you. I Don't didn't know what was the best at the time, but she was she's not she was she has to be with her dad 20 years from now when I'm not here, you know, well, I might be here 50 years from now, I mean even then so it's a lot but Yeah, like that It's all also that she's she's still here those memories that time is Irreplaceable and that's yeah, yeah Not not a millionaire, but all the same like there's you know, there's there's children of millionaires, you know of right who? I have difficulty adjusting in the world because their parents were out getting those millions of dollars and they didn't have the Experiences with their parents that you know, I've heard people say they would trade all that money to have had Presence of their parents in their life and then have been with your background having you know, your mother died so young Unlimited time with your father as well to to sort of be able to turn the ship so Paul and And be for your daughter so what your what your father wasn't able to be for you as well and to find You said like that father figure question, which can't can loom really large and if you so if you don't have it, how do you? Do it right? Well, what model do you take from it that you that you turn to the Sunna? And that that Lightning strikes sort of even if you didn't have all the answers, right if you had a it's not like you had a What the right word is like understanding or sort of conviction that you could figure it out is it that I Like to think of it this way If you're lost in today's age, you can pull out a little little thing a GPS find out where you are So our GPS is Muslims. It's all the Quran That's it If you want to be close to a loss of part of a Tala, he's made it very clear how to do it Maybe it's human nature to look for shortcuts in certain parts of our life But there are no shortcuts with With the holy Quran. I mean, it's the way Try to innovate a shortcut it's not gonna work and you feel it in your heart, you know How can I get an edge I can get an edge we feel this in so many parts of our lives But it doesn't work when it comes to our our existence And our relationship with our Creator so so being a Muslim of course has its challenges and things but again, you always default that You cannot ask Allah anytime for help and This capacity for learning and for live listening to you and understanding and giving help It's infinite if you can create all this Is it this mercy? If you commit any kind of sin any bad thing you truly feel sorry for it You can turn to Allah with a pure heart say I am sorry Allah And be completely 100% assured that he will forgive you and that's what I believe is a Muslim It is solid as iron you may probably heard the story before but there's the It's the parable of the man who See good prayer The man who loses his camel in the desert like goes to sleep and the camel goes off Yeah, what am I gonna do what I'm gonna do and then the camel kind of miraculously comes back and that gratitude of seeing it again And that's how grateful Allah is every time we return and make Toba and repent for whatever it is that we may have gone through Oh But Yeah, they cannot kind of always stuck with me is that you said that the capacity for mercy that we start Wish me a lot money, you know like To everything because it's it's so essential and especially if you're in this situation like you said the questioning Maybe you yourself your capacities in any way shape or form And that's you know, I say the wish was a shaitan. It's always trying to get you into self-doubt And in that sort of spiral But that's you I mean it's really it's a powerful how Your conviction like your conviction is probably not even you're the certainty almost that you seem It's that I take it. I'm not absolutely certain that there's nothing of Course, you know the thing about idolatry You can't die On that condition I can be forgiven but everything else everything everything else anything a brother a brother in Australia Muhammad hobblos So I started listening to him He really he struck a chord with me so in Australia a lot of Muslims fall into the you know the gangster life that they're attracted to it and He has a particular specialty of bringing people back That's this thing so so before I got married and For all this happened during the 80s and 90s I was There was very little I haven't seen a very little I haven't done Muslims wouldn't do and no matter what There was always a feeling of emptiness it never You can never get You can experience something the first time But you never get that experience back Except in this one you always get that same feeling that comes back in that There are no limits with the loss upon what to hold on so so what I'm What I'm talking about here are drugs You can you can get intoxicated on whatever not whatever it is and the first time is usually the best time the most intense time and When you're on on these things you're trying to get that feeling back it never comes back It's never quite the same. You're always trying to chase it and Eventually you just feel empty. What am I doing? Well, what's the point of all this except in Islam? Though there is no ceiling to it at all. It is so powerful. It's there just no words for it sometimes Islam is Islam is the salvation of humanity And of course, we don't nobody can be forced into it Wanted that want to be a Muslim you make that choice That's I appreciate your honesty about the background, you know drugs alcohol is something that very prevalent in this world right now, but also like sort of taboo and Sometimes I have a hard time addressing it you know as a community and like It's good to be able to be open so that people can kind of hear like Identify with that experience and still know like there's there's a way out because you Did drugs once or 100 times or a thousand times whatever it like it's you always can make that return Yeah, and that that it is like the craving, right? It can never be totally satiated, right whereas See what Islam is like there is Salam that that that peace Yeah You really do radiate a sense of Contentment and peace like it's really kind of amazing Here in all I mean 2020 is feels like a lifetime ago, but it's actually not that long ago So far like it's just Wow InshaAllah many of us can like get to the point where you are with that that with being as at peace and as certain of Are in destination as as you seem to be Inspiring for me I mean, it's just heavy heavy stuff Yeah, you seem to be handling it So so so very well Yeah, wouldn't you contact to me brother? I just you know Yeah, I was figuring that yeah for everything that loss upon what Allah is done for me. I just I Had to make the effort to come here Hey, you know, it's My car my personal car to use attention otherwise it would have driven here Because other things in my life. I just haven't been able to come here to MCC in this bay I have to stay close to conquered. I found a masjid just thin walking distance Which was amazing That's the dream sort of a for a lot it's not always often not often achievable in America. Yeah That's very good, but you did you took your Shahada here. Yeah, that's a Brother Mati Sister Edelund she she played a major major part in getting me here, so Allah, so I don't it's all bless her and But I'm in here. I am so grateful for all the Muslims. I've met there's there's such open people There's such giving people genuinely caring How I measure caring and How a person is genuine is if I could leave my daughter with them I know I could leave my daughter with you and she'd say I've known you for what but 30 minutes. I Could leave my daughter with the sister Edelund here. No problem. I wouldn't worry about But brother in there no problem wouldn't worry about that's like coming from background I'm similar I kind of took my shot of very young and Not a great moment for a long time, but it was that autobiography on Malcolm X that really Hit me as well and that's like The I had like the oneness of a lot also being reflected in the the oneness certainly were made from Different tribes have different backgrounds and different life experiences and all that but that that sense of community and oneness That the Malcolm represented so well when he spoke about his harsh experience You know Growing up in this country with the sense of division and you're sort of a culture to think of people as separate And it's like a zero-sum game. We're all fighting each other for limited resources And then that's just just totally other Approach out there that really It's amazing if you haven't experienced it before And So that's where I kind of made the kind of the Congress should you walk in you don't know anybody and Kind of hit the ground running like it's your home, right? Yeah one I had that feeling when I first walked into the masjid and conquered. I didn't know I had no idea it was there. It used to be Union Hall 20 years ago and there's nothing to indicate that it's a Masjid just a tiny little sign as you drive by We went to afternoon prayers yesterday and wow the everybody was there I talked to the director of Of the masjid and he says wow we have 600 people here. We're mostly from Afghanistan most of us came during the 90s and Not so much recently But that there is an influx now of people coming from Afghanistan and Trying to help them out and get them jobs and furniture and their schooling arranged And they are exceptionally friendly people It's very different walking in the masjid than anywhere else because For me, I just feel instantly at peace It's the house of a lot. So I'm a little taller. It's open to anyone any time Not literally, but you know, it's what it's here for It's all in line with the prayer and just Whatever doctors kids, you know, other millionaires Homeless anybody can come in and we're all in that same line. We're all doing the same salat We're all wishing each other salams the same. It's yeah For you know for a lot of viewers probably our Muslim and they're like, yeah, we know this People in this country like that doesn't Does not compute A lot of non-Muslims in our country, they just don't They don't just don't quite understand that Hopefully just by by being a good example as reverts That sort of dawah. I think it's the most effective But just being a good example as a Muslim being the best you can and Most people don't even know I'm Muslim because usually I don't I Don't I don't wear a cookie usually I just Work at the end instead Besides from that, you know, you wouldn't know I'm Muslim. I'm very grateful to be I guess I Do one because it is Ramadan. This is the Ramadan series. I don't want to Forget to just sort of to mention But that's like I'm not having had health issues as well You know, there's there's mercy in it for you if it's not in the best interest of your health, obviously you can Do what you need to do It's kind of interested especially So close removed I guess to your health issues Last year when you took your shahada, what was like that first Ramadan experience like for you were able to do the fast thing and Well, I realized very early on that I cannot go through The daytime without drinking water because I tried and I ended up in the hospital twice Going to the hospital is denying someone else who might be in deeper crisis than me And I'm taking their spot or something I did voluntarily So I do have to drink water I assure you I share the hunger pangs and every other Muslim In a couple hours, I'm gonna be starving just like everybody else and At least I can share that I'm grateful for that Well, and also just be a reinforcement. You're not just taking a space at the hospital. So he needs it We don't watch a lot of not want you to harm yourself. No, right? and none of us, you know do either so Yeah, I appreciate your sincerity with with that as well a lot of people I know like struggle with health issues and then Taboo Whatever it's between you and a law and ultimately your your health is what's important Muslim not a masochist, right? You're not here to harm yourself. That's a lot once these fear I wish I could remember it was just a verse of crime we did Last night about specifically this right there if there's illness then there's Ease it comes with a hardship so I'm glad you're not beating yourself up too bad. It's not like you went through it a little bit like you really Push yourself to the limit to the point. You got a hospitalized and then did it again I mean my Shahada, you know, I got excited and stuff and drama. I was coming up and Of course, I want to participate in it It's not easy But I just found out early on I can't go go without water but any of the hospital That's not cool We need you to be around for your daughter Yeah, well, I I'm taking up the space of somebody else needs to be there. So I appreciate that and just back a little bit It's not like your your your wife and the rest of your family. There's So I know why the muslim you're the only muslim in your family. I'm uh, yes, and how has it been with? Your Shahada with with your family So before my daughter was born about a year after we had gotten married I Was thinking about making Shahada then So I was discussing with my wife a little bit and she's well, you know Look, I married a christian man. She wasn't totally against it at that time, but in the Philippines 10% of the population is muslim 90% isn't The people get along and stuff but Muslims kind of want to be in their own Region of men and now where they're in the majority And we were in the part of the I went over there to see her and she lives in a part where the Muslims are in a minority and I I remember we were going through shopping malls and things and Muslim Filipino women were sort of like huddled together and Kind of they looked a little bright and they looked a little uncomfortable I guess just that's just a cultural thing over there but so anyway on after I had my my health crisis and stuff and Basically I told my wife I'm gonna make Shahada You need to make a decision for yourself This is between a lot of Pamela Tala and myself. I've made my decision She she didn't hesitate at all ago. She's fine with it. That's great. I'm Unfortunately heard a lot of stories where it It is a source of friction and difficulty with her for opening up her heart and Staying together as a family How's your daughter? I'll show you my daughter in a few minutes. She's very precocious so almost three years old She's learning to talk now Unfortunately where we live there's no other kids for her to play with We haven't had that much opportunity with COVID to go go out to go out and things She's been a little isolated The time has come for her to start interacting with other kids That was one of the things I was really really stressing about Staying staying with us where we are Rents are very high. We can't Relocate a neighborhood with a bunch of kids around So but on the other hand, you know, I work for the school district and I can bring her that work with me if I want to And I get along with staff pretty pretty well, so I Can sort of like shoe shoe horn occur into Around other kids just ready the crazy things of COVID like the isolation difficult for adults right to handle it Imagine the frame of reference right, but it's not She's she's able to get that soon when you haven't asked So Yeah, also taking Shahada in the middle of COVID We've also kind of been locked down as well and a little more isolation and there there otherwise Would have been what has that experience been like? I mean, it's not like you've actually done pretty well finding the moshin concord and Being able to come out here a little bit as well, but They get you probably didn't haven't got to have like the big community if Tars and Kind of any point until I guess maybe this year or not yet. That's the way I like it. Not quite yet There's one other thing in Islam and Muslims health mental health It's okay to go to a doctor Get treatment. It's okay if you're So depressed And you're doing Salah and everything and it's just if you need medication for you get medication for these people are professionals there and I hear that this drugs on you or I try to bring you away from from Islam that they In these things that allow you to function So I do have major I do have major depression I've been taking medication for it for a long time So if you're feeling this way, don't there's no reason to suffer through it It's fine. Just go to doctor and it's okay So it's okay to understand It's okay to say to yourself that you know, I have a mental problem It's just like a physical disease. There's really no difference Yeah, if you have a broken leg, you need to put it in a cast Because it's only gonna get worse if you don't right It'll heal the body the self wants to heal But you have to yeah to do and the medication just treats your Just treats your problems. It doesn't take you take you away like other drugs Very targeted, so Not gonna most people don't get really heavy side effects from these things The other forms of therapy like I was talking Brother Kevin, I'm usually not gregarious like this. I'm a very quiet reserved guy But aside from Islam, I'm not quite a guy. I don't know what you're for, you know, that's as you said, there's no There's such bounty and a lot of capability And we don't forget like the right words here, but it's just So to remind him like and so all the people that watch this video all the benefit any benefit that any of them take throughout Maybe the years, you know, you put something on the internet Who knows where it'll go or whatever else? but you know was when we warned you for Whatever benefit people take away because of you take an effort to come here today like the multi-hour commute that you did short notice and being so open and vulnerable and truthful I think that'll it's very Beneficial for a lot of people to be able to get I can only imagine from various different spectrums of all the things that you touched on gone through Yeah, it's a lot of it People will you will be rewarded for all of that benefit and it won't take away from You know, I can inspire somebody to go out and do a good deed. They get the full reward But then also you do and it's it's it's like the Because a lot of it is infinite and he can do that So I really appreciate you coming out today and for being so open so many so many ways I Guess if we just conclude if there's anything that you would want to share with any new Muslims out there Considering Islam or whatever else I have to put you on the spot. But I any any particular Jewels or gyms that stuff with you have been particularly important to you To 256 there's an out compulsion in Islam, but nobody can force you into this You're here by choice, but I Became a Muslim by my own free will being shown the way about loss of Hanoi Tala Nobody is forcing me to stay I stayed because it's right and It's you if you fall off your Eman Things happen you end up committing a lot of sin You don't do your prayers. You don't do you don't follow what you're supposed to do But if you at least continue to recognize the loss of Hanoi Tala is your creator. He has no equal Nothing like him at all you You can stop what you're doing at any time turn to him with pure heart Pray just ask A loss of Hanoi Tala, please please forgive me. I made a mistake You can do this anytime outside of Salah Rest assured He will hear you He will grant you that mercy. I truly believe that That's the for all you ask for forgiveness 70 times a day The problem hominids to ask for forgiveness 70 times a day What about us? So no shame at doing it. It's definitely a very important thing Yeah, our prophet Salah, he saw leave us all. What a remarkable guy Wouldn't we all like to meet him the way he raised Fatima alay salam? That just answered all my questions as far as raising it gave me the You have the best role model. Yeah. Yeah, but you could could possibly be and then and then with that the confidence that you can do this too So beautiful heard so many sooner stories and you know come in my life. I Mean that that's like a new one that somebody I mean, I certainly was like prophetic parenting You know, we've heard a lot about that but that powerful that that's what drew you into the Dean with really Super all that's a message on the power of prophetic parenting for people who might Need that reminder I guess I leave it at that really great Folks out here find find their beneficial See you see you some of these community if sorry sometime get that that car fixed and so Yeah, hopefully this this revision will continue to be Benefit to you and you continue to be able to kind of takes the sweetness of it So so one thing brother Kevin me before we stop So far in my journey in Islam, I don't really understand the concept of personal reward and doing something kind of coming here today just It felt right to me. I Didn't have anything particularly planned for today, but you know, I want to get back to my Go out and stuff, but I don't understand the reward system right now in Islam It exists for a reason. I'm sure but that's not what motivated me to come here. It's just That's where you get the reward. It's somebody somebody gets something out of this. I mean This is not excessive piety, but it's almost I want the reward to go to them not to me. I Have their word. I've found a loss of how much I'm a Muslim. That's the reward Until I understand more of this This thing in it of our religion Hey, I you know, it's enough This is enough to be Muslim and to know to know why you're here and who brought you here And one more time a lot Subhanahu wa ta'ala Fall into sin His capacity for For forgiveness for forgiveness is as great as Universes he's created the seven heavens and the earth you create all of this you can certainly And reward you have a loopy name in this life or the next or both The the main thing is in the next So you're you're well aware we're all heading there. Yeah, we don't know when but we're all gonna get there and When that day comes the Your good deeds and the benefit that comes from them will be there for you It's like a treasure chest like a retirement fund You know every good deed that you do between now and then it's gonna be there for you Like everybody else I'm gonna I'm gonna beg Allah's forgiveness for not worshiping enough him and the angels they spend billions of years Worshiping a lot. They feel the same way But the day of judgment they will ask him to please forgive us we didn't worship a lot Subhanahu wa ta'ala property, please forget it and they spent their whole existence You know in prayer, it's the great equalizer You can't you can't get there by stuffing $100 bills in the collection box Thank you again See those pictures your daughter Okay, the camera And I was kind of that a loss of how to raise her And it just occurred to me one day to Find out how the prophet Muhammad he see upon him They said How he interacted with the demon he see upon her and it really stuck in cord with me and That was my answer so You know every brother and sister here who's a parent if you have no idea how to raise a child properly I mean it's a terrible dilemma and Allah Allah Allah open my heart to this you show me the way and I believe it And that's the way I'm gonna do things and that's that's why I come here today I want to become a Muslim or and I'm not good The media portrays Islam a certain way and I don't believe anything I hear from them I have to see this from my soul So brothers and sisters this is the first time I've ever seen Muslims pray with my own eyes and This This is right. This is correct for me Now I'm so happy to be here I'm looking forward to learning how to do this properly at the Salaf That's why I was sitting there and not really participating just watching but I'm ready for this This is going to It's gonna really help raise my daughter correctly in the way I watch her to look at life There's no compulsion in Islam. She is free to pursue her own destiny as God wants it and That's that's fine, but she should have some exposure to Islam So at some point as she gets older I'll bring her here so she can watch If that's okay And this is fine with my wife she's my wife is from the Philippines and Christian and She's okay with it So everything I've learned about Islam so far People are welcome and people care about you and care about your brothers and care about your sisters And other religions do it too, but there's no really words. I can say this There's just a feeling in my heart in my head Islam has this one is the way for me Yeah, excuse me brothers and sisters, I never see publicly like this, but I feel all his presence here right now Am I in my heart? So I'm comfortable right now. I I've peace in my heart right now. I'm so I'm so grateful to be here Beautiful, thank you We're gonna see this you have a three times in Arabic, inshallah One time in English. Yeah, that should have been the sermon Thank you for touching our hearts What You Last time Annah, Muhammadan, Rasulullah, Rasulullah, I bear witness that there is no God except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammadan is the Messenger of Allah, Allah wa Iqbar Allah wa Iqbar, Allah wa Iqbar, La ilaha illallah Congratulations, brother Mark, congratulations. Thank you so much. He wrote this morning, brother Mark wrote, in these 54 years I've been in my sin and today these 54 years of sin will be wiped out. Takbir. This is a big moment. The angels are witnessing, God is witnessing and we invite no hugs. We invite elbow bumps. Elbow bumps to brother Mark, to show our love. To say, Mark, you're part of this community, inshallah. You might get some elbow bumps, man. Mark, you're part of this community, inshallah.