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[upbeat funk plays]
I got your message.
Sorry my phone's been off.
For three days?
I needed some space.
So what did the doctor say?
[sniffles]
He had a minor stroke.
I feel like I'm reliving his mental breakdown...
all over again.
Mental breakdown? I thought that was just the media smearing his name.
Yeah, that too, but
The mental breakdown was real. We just kept it away from you and Karima.
[sniffles]
All he do is lay on that couch.
He's not even talking to me.
[crying] He even stopped praying.
I have no idea what to do, Faith.
I don't know what Allah wants from us.
I can't take of this family without him.
I can barely take care of myself.
Why couldn't they just fulfill the stupid contract?
They could have at least pretended to care about a has been Black man who gave up everything to convert.
You can't blame them. We been struggling for years.
Then who do we blame?
He gave up everything...
for some one brotherhood fairy tale that they sold him.
Well...
I hope he'll talk to you, at least.
The only thing he said to me was how he ruined the family's life.
But what he really meant, was how he ruined yours.
He cannot forgive himself.
[upbeat hip hop music plays]
[knocks]
Salaamu alaikum.
Wa alaikum Salaam
We wanted to ask you and mama, if me and Khadijah could come back home?
Well, she's not here right now. She's at work.
Can we just talk to you?
[upbeat jazz funk plays]
[♪♪]
I was sober for sixteen years...
until last week.
My son walked out on us.
And then I found out, my husband...
helped a boy ruin some poor girl's life
by manipulating her into silence
And I uh,
I-
It was just too much.
Thank you for sharing, Miriam.
Would anyone else like to share?
Oh hi! Welcome.
Please, join us.
Would you like to introduce yourself to everyone?
Yeah, sure.
Um...
My name is Troy.
And uh, I never really considered myself to have an alcohol problem.
[dramatic music plays]
[cries out]
[bangs the counter]
[sniffles]
[♪]
[sobbing]
[yells out]
[continues crying]
[♪]
[pill bottle rattles]
Dad?
Faith?
Hi.
I thought for sure we lost you this time.
No. Uh,
[inhales deeply]
I'm sorry I was just busy...
with school and everything.
I'm so sorry about the documentary.
It's not your fault, it's okay.
I'm sorry for hurting you.
This thing-
Well I thought I was doing the right thing.
Turns out I was pushing you farther and farther away from Islam.
You didn't push me away from Islam.
A boy named Jamal did.
Jamal?
Who's Jamal?
[somber piano music plays]
[Voice message plays on the phone]
"As salaamu alaikum, Faith. This is Imam Ab- This is Abdullah, Omar's father.
[♪]
Look, I just wanted to apologize to you for violating your trust when you were a student at the SPIA.
[♪]
I don't know exactly what Jamal did to you but,
[♪]
I think I have a pretty good idea.
I mean, I should have never pressured you into remaining silent.
Convincing you that Islam required you to forgive him.
[♪]
And so I humbly beg for your forgiveness.
I don't blame you if you can't forgive me.
[♪]
And look, I know I'll have to face Allah for what I have done.
[♪]
I realized that it was my own pride that
convinced me that I was doing the Islamic thing.
When really, I was just doing the cowardly thing.
[♪]
The truth is, even though they call me Imam,
[♪]
I'm a flawed and broken human being just like everyone else.
[♪]
After Omar confronted me, I realized that I passed on some of that brokenness to you.
And like I said, I don't blame you if you can't forgive me. I don't even know if I can forgive myself.
But I couldn't sleep the other night without letting you know,
how terribly sorry I am.
Let me know if there's anything that I can do to support your healing.
If healing is even possible.
I really do pray that you can forgive me one day.
[♪♪]
May Allah always be with you Faith. You're in my heart and my prayers forever.
Salaamu alaikum."
[heavy breathing]
I should kill him!
No.
You should pray Isha.
Pray?
For what?!
Because if you don't, then I can't pray behind you.
I don't even remember how to do it on my own.
You wanna pray?
After everything that's happened, I've just felt so helpless.
And angry.
All I could think to do is make sajdah.
[soft reflective music]
And pray for Allah to save our family.
So much has happened, Faith.
[♪]
We lost the project.
We might even lose this house.
Then we lose the house,
as long as we don't lose each other.
[♪]
And maybe, when you get better we can revive Rhythms of Faith ourselves.
Faith, I don't know if I can face Allah right now.
[♪]
I feel so empty.
And confused.
[♪]
Believe it or not, the only thing that's been getting me through is,
listening to my old music.
Then maybe that means that you should start performing again.
It can be something that we do with Rhythms of Faith together.
[♪]
Faith, why are you pushing this?
You don't even believe in all of this religious stuff.
When I made sajdah,
I made a promise to Allah that if you opened up yourself to me,
I would open up and and talk to Him again too.
[♪]
I just can't stand to see you lose your faith like this.
Without it, I wouldn't even know who you were. I wouldn't even know who I was.
It's the only thing that we argue about.
[music changes to soft upbeat score]
[laughs] Yeah...
That's true.
[♪]
After everything that's happened,
I realized that all this anger wasn't towards Islam.
It was towards Jamal,
and Imam Abdullah.
Everybody.
But now,
I just want my father back.
My Muslim father.
[♪]
[deep inhale]
Let's get my baby girl her father back.
[sobs]
[upbeat music plays]
[♪]
Allahu Akbar.
[mouths] Allahu Akbar
[Phone vibrates]
[Text from Jamal]
"WTF Faith! You trying to ruin me now? You got Imam Abdullah thinking you a victim now.
You wanted it as much as I did."
[♪♪]
This DEEN TV video was made possible in part by:
Islamic Relief USA
Working together for a better world
and by:
Recycle processes Incorporated