What makes Islam unique is that it cares about important things..
This life, Dunya, and Hereafter, the individual and the community
Allah, SWT says : "Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire."
‘Guided through the Qur’an’
‘Living it is the sweetness of life’
‘Longing to the Lord, coming to Him’
‘To Him I submit my soul’
‘It showed me the most beautiful and precious path’
‘And it’s the intercessor, it is the companion’
‘O, heedless, won’t you wake up’
‘And see the way for happiness and salvation’
‘It showed me the most beautiful and precious path’
‘And it’s the intercessor, it is the companion’
‘O, heedless, won’t you wake up’
‘And see the way for happiness and salvation’
Abdullah, from Russia, worked in a food store in Moscow
His Muslim colleague always refused to sell alcohol and pork
Abdullah got influenced by the five prayers a day
and he found out that Islam is the religion of human nature
And it has all the alternatives for everything that's forbidden
Brother Abdullah, where did you work before Islam?
And what did you do?
I worked at different places.. I was a porter then an accountant then I worked for 2 years at the factory
We made concrete at a factory called Master Geriony
until I worked at a shop and other places because I didn't have a degree
because after my ninth grade I played rock and drank alcohol!
Before Islam he was taken by music and sins
but he was never happy and was always depressed
Before Islam, I lived in a world of my imagination..a warm comfortable world
I was a bad guy.. set my life to playing guitar
whenever I felt depressed I drank and some times I went to church because it was God's house
I never asked Jesus or any priest, I only asked God
I've been through very difficult days and I asked God to forgive me and I won't go back to doing any sins.. just don't punish me..
Muslims are about 15% of Russia's population
which is about 20 million Muslims
I always thought of Islam to the Chechen or an Afghani with a weapon! so it was a vey negative image
Then I moved from my town Smolensk to Moscow so I could start a new life
that was my intention at the time
I met 3 or 4 guys from Tajikistan who were about 16 years old
They prayed and one of them never missed a prayer and from him I got to know Islam
The commitment to Islamic teachings from Abdullah's friend
was a direct reason for him to get to know Islam
so the more Muslims practice Islam the better they are as ambassadors for Islam
He prayed at the time of work even though he was threatened to be fired if they found out
the manager used to tell him "this a store not a mosque!"
but he used to insist and say "I must pray!"
the manager told him he could pray at home like his other colleagues
but he refused and said "I fear Allah and I must pray here!"
Sometimes we had to deal with alcohol or pork but he'd refuse and say "I don't do this let someone else do it!"
What's amazing about Abdullah's story is that he tried praying before he became a Muslim
because of his friend at work
He'd say "come pray with me"
I'd say "ok" and I wasn't a Muslim at the time
So we prayed on the praying rug at work
He'd read Surat Al Fateha (the Opening) and Feel (the Elephant)
and he had a small book with the translation of the Qur'an to Russian
so I read it to understand the meanings
I started by memorizing Al Fateha (The Opening), Al Feel (The Elephant) and Al Qare'a (The Calamity)
These Suras were long and hard for me but I memorized them because I liked them and they became my favorites after entering Islam
'The first time my eyes saw it..'
'I was reciting it.. It touched me..'
'As if it's lines were of dawn ..and of fragrance..'
'And life was there..between the pages..'
Praying in Islam is good at any place
And this is a great blessing from Allah, SWT on us
The Prophet, SAW says:
'Earth was made for me a mosque and.. pure'
Brother Abdullah, what are the actions that influenced you from your friend Abdulqudoos?
He was a normal guy and kind to people
He always offered his friends to pray with him but they always found excuses to not pray
The managers used to criticize him because he didn't deal with alcohol or pork
and he was always patient and calm and replies 'my religion doesn't allow me to'
And what I liked most is that he was always patient and humble
I used to think that Muslims had their prophet and we christians had our own prophet
when I was told that Jesus was mentioned in the Qur'an I didn't believe it..and I said: ' show me!'
The Qur'an it mentions all the prophets I knew Mariam, Moses, Abraham and Adam
I didn't know this before and when I did I didn't hesitate to know more about Islam
His journey with Qur'an started when he found out that Jesus, peace be upon him, is mentions in the Book of Allah, SWT
But his heart opened up when he read Surat Al Qare'a (The Calamity)
even though he didn't know Arabic and reading Arabic was difficult for him
"The Striking Calamity -"
"What is the Striking Calamity?"
"And what can make you know what is the Striking Calamity?"
"It is the Day when people will be like moths, dispersed,"
"And the mountains will be like wool, fluffed up."
"Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds],"
"He will be in a pleasant life."
"But as for one whose scales are light,"
"His refuge will be an abyss."
"And what can make you know what that is?"
"It is a Fire, intensely hot."
What did you find in this Sura brother Abdullah?
At our current time..we don't like anything fearful
and we don't like anything about the Day of Judgement
And in this Sura there's something scary
and this is a good thing!
Al Qare'a (The Calamity)
It is a name for the Day of Judgement
which means in Arabic powerful beating
to resemble the beating of the heart and making it jump from its place
I want to say that Islam is the religion of truth and it's the religion of Jesus and Moses
all the Prophets we knew like Solomon, Abraham and Adam were Muslims
at our time, the word Muslim has been abused..and in reality it means the person who accepts God's will
and if you read the translation of Qur'an in your language you'll be certain that it's the words of Allah.
‘Guided through the Qur’an’
Living it is the sweetness of life’
‘Longing to the Lord, coming to Him’
'O, God of the universe..O, great Lord'
'You give generously and from you we have the Noble Qur'an'
'The heart is reciting lines of light'
'Hoping that this would wash clean the big sin'
Before Islam you read a book about the rules of praying
What did you specifically like in this book which made you enter Islam immediately?
It was a small book by Aseem Osal talking about how to pray
the rules of praying and how to perform ablution
and it contained short Suras from the Qur'an and their translation
I read it and memorized some of them after I became Muslim..
and there's an unforgettable moment in your life
and it is the moment of saying the words of monotheism
talk to me in detail about that moment
I said it in the Mosque and I was scared that the people would kill me!
because they might think that I'm mocking them and say 'here comes the Russian to mock us!'
at first I wanted to runaway! but I said to myself "I can't do that with all those people looking at me! how could I escape?!"
so I prayed with them then we separated and everything was back to normal
He's a great kind man
good and pious..he's very careful and dedicated in learning and teaching religious teachings..
like in the Hadith "the best of you is he who learns the Qur'an and teaches it!"
And he is careful to follow this Hadith
Brother Abdullah, what was the reaction of your parents, friends and those close to you?
My parents are divorced
My father doesn't like to talk to me much
and my mother is a good woman she says 'you don't drink Vodka..good for you!'
That's what she says!
When I entered Islam I felt like a pure clean child with lightness in my soul
and this is a feeling that can't be described unless it was felt!
like if someone goes to the moon and was asked how did you feel on the moon?
you don't understand his description unless you were there with him!
It's hard to describe! I felt like a baby!
‘O, Allah, Who descended the Qur’an’
‘As brightness upon Ahmad’
‘I felt peacefulness when the clarity began’
‘O, Allah, keep me steadfast on the righteous path’
‘ Because what I fear most’
After entering Islam I went to Egypt twice..the first time was after being Muslim for a year and I was alone so I just visited the cities
there I saw the people fasting Ramadan and praying Tahajud and I performed I'tikaf at a mosque in Mansoora called Al Towhead
and there I prayed Qiyam in Ramadan
and the second time was after marriage and I went with my wife and we visited a lot of cities
those Egyptian Muslims are very kind and simple
My favorite city was Marsa Matrooh and its people people were kind and friendly like all the other places I visited in Egypt
I was living thinking I'm free.. but I've always felt like something was missing
There was emptiness inside and I must fill it with something and I couldn't find it
so I filled it with Music and alcohol like a person who fills his car with milk! it won't go!
But if you fill it with the right thing it will go!
Like when I filled this emptiness with faith everything became good!
before Islam I was always worried for no reason..and I always thought 'why?'
and that was because of the emptiness in my heart!
Hearts are tanks..fill them with Qur'an!
and never fill it with anything else!
great words by the companion of the Prophet Abdullah Bin Mas'ood, PBUH
How did you convince your wife to enter Islam?
I met her in 2010 and she was christian while I've been a Muslim for a year
So I told her "I'd like to be with you but we must get married!"
She was surprised and asked me 'is that necessary?!'
I replied, 'Yes, because without marriage I cannot look at you, meet you, or go out with you! and this is difficult!' so she accepted and became Muslim a year later!
I don't know the real reason but I always told her about Islam and never pushed her into it
one day we were on a bus in one of the streets in Moscow
and there was a drunk guy on the ground so I decided to help him
so I took him home and he asked me "Who are you?" and I said "I'm Muslim!"
So he said 'Muslim?!! I know I know!' so I replied, 'yes'
and I asked him 'would you like me to help you to your apartment?' he said: 'no, I'll go up on my own!'
and my action affected my wife and she said: 'I want to be a Muslim!'
I'd like to talk to you Non-muslims so hear me out because I was like you one day
I used to think that Islam was the religion of violence but in fact it is the religion of justice
and if you read the biography of the Prophet, SAW, you'll find that he wasn't violent or unjust!
and if you say that 'Islam is the religion of violence!' I'll say: 'the Prophet, SAW, did not do this!'
and you will find that he didn't do this!
‘The grace of guidance blessed my heart’
‘It is the start of my joy and of my life’
‘So, I decided to depend on the Entirely Merciful’
‘And followed the footsteps of Taha’
‘Oh whiff of the Qur’an, spread your scent'
‘The fragrance over my heart and my soul’
‘you are the cure for what hurts me’
‘If not for the guidance, I wouldn’t had enough’
when a person owns a valuable tool it is wise from him to read the instructions of the maker of this tool!
And Allah, SWT is the greatest example!
"And this [Qur'an] is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it and fear Allah that you may receive mercy."
'Pardon me.. My hands are heavy..'
'I am a sinner..and my soul is thirsty'
'Pardon me.. My hands are heavy..'
'I am a sinner..and my soul is thirsty'
'I came reciting with silent tears'
'Hoping that He would forgive the big sin'
Qur'an is a Book from Allah, SWT, and it is the words of Allah and a reason for blessings and mercy!
I believe that when I read the Qur;an my life becomes easy and I find in it things that make my life easier
meaning that Allah controls my fate and changes it to the better!
'I was far from it.. But when I came close..'
'I was guided by it.. right away..'
'You have known it.. for a long time.. from childhood..'
'Why some people have dead hearts?'
'My criticism, ummah of Qur'an.. is full of love'
'because it is a sin to desert Qur'an'
'Tomorrow, the prophet will blame us.. is that acceptable?'
'Tomorrow, what are we going to say? what's our excuse?'
'My criticism, ummah of Qur'an.. is full of love'
'because it is a sin to desert Qur'an'
'Tomorrow, the prophet will blame us.. is that acceptable?'
'Tomorrow, what are we going to say? what's our excuse?'