Latest / After Maghrib 🌙 / I can't serve my Imam ANYWHERE 💔 (Ft Dr Ali Abbas Hasham)

Transcript

I can't serve my Imam ANYWHERE 💔 (Ft Dr Ali Abbas Hasham) · After Maghrib 🌙

0:00
Salaamwalekum and welcome back to another episode on the
0:02
aftermath of the podcast where we all hope by now we have
0:05
subscribed to our YouTube channel and following us on all
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our social platforms. Be Instagram, TikTok, Apple,
0:10
Spotify, wherever it is that you listen or watch this podcast.
0:14
Now today's discussion in Charlotte we want to talk about
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you know what the service means to us.
0:18
You know how far can we go. And serving and loving the Hello
0:21
Bates. Ultimately serving a loss of
0:23
final with Tahala. If we are servants of Allah, are
0:25
we grateful to Allah? Do we do enough Shakur?
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Are we thankful for all the blessings we have that He's
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bestowed upon us? And Sharla, before we go into
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the today's discussion, as always, I would like to do a
0:36
deja vu, no pun intended, and welcome my amazing cohost Ahmed
0:41
Abbas Salaamwali. Salaam.
0:53
I don't know how you didn't say that I'm the LA can't complain
0:56
all as well. I'm the LA.
0:57
I have a small break and I'm back to reality.
0:59
Oh, we're welcome. How was it?
1:01
I've had to even ask you La. La.
1:02
How was it? La.
1:03
It was good to disconnect. From the LA fresh, you glowing
1:06
mush. I love La La.
1:06
It was the lights. Yeah, the lights.
1:09
Oh, you were in Turkey, right? I was in Turkey.
1:11
How was How was it? How were the kids?
1:13
Yeah, we had a good time in terms of like.
1:15
Hello McDonald's. Hello McDonald's.
1:18
What else did we do? Climb some mountains.
1:20
And I just saw the beauty of Allah.
1:22
Yeah, that's what I. Can say guys, I just want to
1:26
before we get into the discussion, thank you as well
1:28
for a lot of the activity that's been happening over the last few
1:32
weeks. Hamdala, we've nearly completed
1:34
a month of activity. When it comes to Muharram and
1:38
Hamdala, it's been really, really good, really, really
1:40
busy. In terms of all our platforms,
1:43
we've reached nearly 1,000,000. Impressions on all accounts,
1:47
whether that's views, listens, follows, all of that stuff
1:51
combined. So that's absolutely incredible.
1:52
Hamdula, really good progress as always, this podcast is only
1:57
thriving through your support. So continue to to let us know
2:00
what you want to hear, who you want to hear, what you want to
2:02
see and really how we can improve in Charlotte.
2:05
So today said you've mentioned kind of what we want to get
2:07
into. So we've we actually recorded
2:11
this podcast, interestingly enough.
2:13
Like 3 weeks ago, Yes, and it was God's will.
2:18
But for some reason the technical side of things didn't
2:21
work out. We lost it.
2:23
So for the second time, but for you guys the first time, I'd
2:26
like to welcome Dr. Alia Abbas, Harshimslama Alaikum Dr. Alaikum
2:29
Salaamwar. Welcome back.
2:31
Hamdula, pleasure to be back, to be beside you once again.
2:35
Yeah, yeah. I mean, we had a good discussion
2:37
the first time around. Fortunately, it didn't work out.
2:39
But practice run. Yeah, practice.
2:43
Make no longer say is my first vodka, my second vodka.
2:45
Yes, yes. Yes, yes, Hamdula.
2:47
For those who don't know the doctor, he's a very good friend
2:50
and of course has been involved in the community in the UK for
2:53
15 ish years. 2007. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
2:57
And Hamdula is now a very active member in my local community.
3:01
Community, which is the Stanmore community, northwest London, and
3:03
of course is also an incredible doctor as well.
3:08
For those who kind of don't know you, how would you describe
3:12
yourself or introduce yourself? Who am I?
3:16
Question. How do you summarize 32 years
3:19
now? What can I say by profession?
3:22
I'm a doctor. I'm a GP by profession.
3:26
I love volunteering work generally because I find it very
3:28
fulfilling. And over the years it's probably
3:30
been the biggest driver of my growth.
3:33
Yeah, I grew up in Africa, in Kenya specifically, and when I
3:37
was 16, after my Gcse's, we moved to England.
3:40
Since then, we lived here. And I've done all my studying
3:43
and work here since then. Yeah.
3:45
And I'm looking at a lot of opportunity to get involved in
3:47
my local communities. I got to know you through that
3:50
kind of stuff and I'll say that to hear you.
3:54
But yeah, I think over time we've developed experience and
3:59
you know, been through hardships and I think we're here today
4:03
partly because of that because we felt we had something to add
4:05
and you know, maybe share with the viewers as well.
4:07
Yeah, service and headma is is something we talk about not on
4:10
the podcast. We did a whole conversation on
4:13
it last year at Hamdula. We have the opportunity
4:15
opportunity to talk about it again this year.
4:17
Why do you serve for about the lad Hussein?
4:21
Can I share a story? So there's a brother who's
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helping me with something for the local mosque.
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At the moment, he's taking a lot of man hours on his side and
4:29
he's providing sort of his professional services for free.
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And he called me today, He said, you know, I'm putting so much
4:34
effort into this and it's it's quite hard and facing
4:36
roadblocks, people are making it difficult for different reasons.
4:40
And you know, should I, should I be charging for my time?
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And it's hard one to answer because it's his professional
4:45
services, right? I mean, you can't force someone
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to volunteer. So I said to him, Look, in my
4:49
experience. When you volunteer with that
4:52
Hulu, so that near that, you know I'm doing this for Imam and
4:56
for his centers and for the sake of his community members, it's
5:00
very strange. God looks after the rest of your
5:02
life. You know, you're looking after
5:04
my religion. I'm going to look after.
5:05
You know, I was listening to Sheikh Mansour Lagai once and he
5:08
said if if you if the Quran is the word of God and you memorize
5:14
parts of the Quran, you as an individual are becoming a vessel
5:17
by which the Quran lives on. So if you are taking care of
5:20
God's word, why would he not take care of you?
5:23
And we we have this habit of looking at things very
5:25
transactionally that you know, if I pay £100, I get a phone,
5:27
for example, or if you know I pay for an hour of your time, I
5:31
expect an hour of your time. But with God is a very different
5:33
formula, you know, it's not very black and white.
5:36
And the reality is the return you get, I feel is much higher
5:40
in very intangible ways. You know, for argument's sake,
5:44
you could look after your family or you could look after your
5:46
health. It could give you good friends,
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you know? Or your children may be going
5:50
through difficulties and you may look after them when you can't
5:52
control their environment, for example.
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These are all challenges we face in the West, and being very
5:56
honest, without that mercy and covering from God, then we will
6:00
struggle. And I think an easy way to win
6:02
God's favor is through, you know, volunteering your time,
6:05
your money, wherever you can provide a benefit.
6:09
And doctor, can I ask you know, you being a doctor And shall,
6:13
after the podcast, I have many questions for you to ask As you
6:17
know, in your line of work. You know, when I was young, I
6:22
saw always like told you know, doctors actually help, they help
6:26
people. So I know that ultimately that's
6:29
what you do. NHS question So why I really
6:31
want to ask is in your line of work you know you being a doctor
6:34
Hundalla is do you see that your work you're helping peoples are
6:37
like some sort of service so I lost creation is that fair to
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see it that way. I think like with anything in
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life, you can you can do it for the right reasons and you can
6:48
also do it for the wrong reasons, you know, tell you a
6:51
secret. My mom told me don't become a
6:52
doctor because my my dad was a doctor.
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And she's saying the hardship has gone through like, no, don't
6:56
go through that, you know. But when I was in A levels, I
6:59
did a lot of work experience with different people and in the
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end, it was just medicine that appealed to me.
7:04
Even one day I'll tell you the story how I'm going into medical
7:05
school. That in itself is a miracle of
7:07
Zarta. Sure.
7:08
Yeah. But I think.
7:12
So growing up in Africa, you see poverty and you see lack of
7:14
access to healthcare, right. So that's a very different kind
7:17
of doctoring that you do. Yeah.
7:19
In the UK we're blessed to have a system where if you need help,
7:22
you can get it. You may take time, but you'll
7:24
get it. But the problem with that is you
7:27
can get lost in the system. So there is a lack of, it's more
7:30
corporate approach and it's a lack of that personal touch.
7:32
You know, there's a lack of sincerity or you can easily get
7:36
isolated in the process. So the way I see it as as the
7:39
clinician. Yes, being very honest, the
7:42
workload is high, there is a lot of pressure.
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But when I'm when you're in my room and you finally got that
7:49
appointment, the way I treat you to me represents my o'clock as a
7:54
Muslim. My o'clock is a Shia of Hussein,
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you know. So in those small interactions
8:00
is when I think. The test is really there, you
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know, because being very honest, the medicine is very easy.
8:05
Even Google these days can tell you what to take.
8:07
Yeah, yeah. But the the manners and the
8:10
connection you can have with the patient, you know, to get them
8:13
to trust you even, for example, that what you're saying is
8:15
accurate or in their best interests can be quite a
8:18
challenge. And I think that's where the the
8:20
growth still lies. You know, I'm not saying it's
8:22
perfect, but we try and make the most of that.
8:25
Yeah. Yeah.
8:25
OK. All right.
8:26
That sounds good. So.
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What I find interesting is we've got obviously a very diverse
8:30
demographic when it comes to listeners on and off the market.
8:33
Now most of our listeners are involved in the community of
8:37
some sort, attend a mosque and so on.
8:39
Some of our listeners are involved with that community.
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So serving Chai, helping plan an event or even just attending
8:47
okay. And then I'd say there are a
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more kind of miniscule percentage of that audience who
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don't attend. Now this is my opinion.
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I think service for Abdullad Hussain Imam Hussein Alaih
8:58
Salaam is a service like none other.
9:02
OK And we even see on the day of Ashwara we see when hazard cast
9:05
in alaih Salaam said you know death for you is sweeter than
9:08
honey and serving giving you all submission in that sense is
9:13
ultimately to alas Pantala through the vessel like you said
9:15
of Amam Hussein Alaih Salaam is sweet, it's beautiful.
9:18
And we know of course there's a hadith from a Mama sadak alai
9:22
Salaam. There are.
9:23
Abu Basir his companion where he says in the laho where you hippa
9:28
Jamil where you hippa Jamal Allah is surely beautiful.
9:34
Surely Allah is beautiful and he loves beauty.
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Allah loves beauty. Now in my opinion service is
9:40
beauty. OK?
9:41
Because when you, like you said your friend who is.
9:44
Doing professional services for the mosque and he should charge,
9:47
but he could charge, but he's doing it for free.
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That is a beautiful action and it purifies himself in the sense
9:52
that he knows he's doing something for you to be La La.
9:55
There's a lot of people who are thinking, I'm frustrated with my
9:58
community. Everyone in the mosque has a
10:00
complaint about the mosque. When it comes to acting at the
10:03
mosque, there's a, you know, minority will get involved.
10:06
Why should people get involved with their local communities,
10:09
either in the centers or even remotely?
10:12
Because obviously that's something you've been doing for
10:14
a while. What is the driving factor there
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and how does it kind of reward? So let's, you know, the bare
10:22
fact is voluntarying can be really hard and really
10:24
challenging. Yeah.
10:26
And sometimes when you're doing things for free, it can very
10:28
easily, You can very easily get offended that you know, I'm
10:30
putting in the effort and I'm still getting, you know, say
10:33
someone doesn't speak to you nicely or has a go at you for
10:36
something that's not going quite well becomes overwhelming as.
10:38
Well can, yeah, you know. But at the same time, that's
10:42
your opportunity to grow, You know, how do you react in that
10:44
situation in terms of why people should get involved, is these
10:48
centers run a lot of goodwill? In my experience, yeah.
10:51
You're never going to have a center that has perfect
10:53
finances, perfect manpower, perfect HR, for example,
10:56
perfect, you know, internal process and where everyone gets
10:59
along perfectly. It just doesn't happen.
11:01
So if you're first of all you as a user, if you're seeing an
11:04
issue with your community. Or even in the way certain
11:07
things are run, it's your responsibility to step up, to
11:10
step up and just explain that. I've noticed this.
11:13
You guys even realize this is a problem.
11:15
Yeah. And you can be very simple
11:16
things. Or.
11:19
And what you'll find is that people who are running centers
11:24
and doing things often don't have the headspace to come and
11:27
say, daddy, can you, can you give me two hours of your time?
11:29
You know, because they're so busy dealing with everything
11:31
that they don't even think about.
11:33
Ahmed possibly has this service to offer to the community.
11:35
So. The easiest thing is if if you
11:37
go up, make an effort, it's awful.
11:40
Even if it's an hour a month, right?
11:42
Or one program. You say, OK, I'll volunteer as a
11:45
car park guy, or I'll volunteer in the kitchen or whatever it
11:47
takes in your community. You'll be amazed how much relief
11:51
you give the existing volunteers or the core team, if you like,
11:54
right? The other thing I say, there's a
11:57
bit of suburb when it comes to volunteering.
11:58
You know, quite often we have this idea that if I sign up to
12:01
something, I should be. Someone should contact me.
12:04
I should be engaged. I should be told what to do.
12:06
The reality is it's much more organic than that.
12:09
It doesn't happen instantly. This is not Amazon Prime, so if
12:14
I may use the podcast as an example.
12:15
When I saw what you guys were doing, I contacted you saying
12:18
yeah, if you ever need a guest, I think I have some value to
12:21
add. And yeah, feel free now.
12:23
It took us six months to sort it out, but 2 occasions.
12:29
And I enjoyed being very honest. Yeah, it it, it taught me a lot
12:31
about myself. But the point is that if I
12:34
hadn't made that effort, you might not have thought of me as
12:36
a guest, for example, or we may not be having this conversation.
12:39
So it's the same in the centre that you know, don't be
12:40
disheartened if someone doesn't immediately involve you and give
12:43
you importance and, you know, tell you that this is your role.
12:46
Sometimes it takes a while. And then after a while, you'll
12:49
notice that people will approach you more and more the more you
12:51
put yourself forward. Say can I ask you a question.
12:53
Yeah because obviously. Well as we always talk about the
12:56
podcast you are kind of Balai as we love to mention.
12:59
So you bro you're any as I always say in your DNA is HIDMA
13:02
especially service time. I'm saying this and I'm
13:04
obviously we're approaching the season of Arbaeen and the most
13:08
generous event in the history of mankind is about to take place.
13:10
That is hosted by your. Hometown your you know your
13:14
community your people your neighbors NW London in in
13:18
Karbala. So like firstly, what's your
13:22
experience like being an Iraqi where of course you of course
13:24
you have that DNA of kidma and service and then of course
13:28
you're you've born being, you know you've grown up here and
13:31
you see what's like the the dynamic and is it similar to
13:34
what we've experienced in our centers?
13:35
Well, to be to be honest, you know you now you're taking me
13:38
back to my childhood. I think from a very, very young
13:41
age when I saw Hussein here, everything was revolved around
13:46
serving. So it wasn't like everyone just
14:01
sitting down looking at each other and things are happening
14:03
automatically? So I apart from you know,
13:48
attending the lecture and like being in the martyr or be a
13:52
celebration where it was everything else, all that and
13:55
these are the most, were doing something to ensure the function
13:58
of the measure list was going. No.
14:04
So everyone had like so much where you said you have to take
14:06
the initiative. You see people getting up, doing
14:08
things, ensure things are done for the, you know, you
14:11
facilitate for the measures to start from beginning to end.
14:15
Everyone goes on to come back and it continues day after day,
14:18
week after week, month after month, year after year.
14:20
I think that grew inside me and just before I go back to my
14:24
childhood. When I went to Carabala for the
14:25
first time, it wasn't wow to me because now when people go to
14:29
Ara, for example, they're like what this guy wants to like, you
14:34
know, hold my bag or this guy wants to, you know, help me walk
14:38
or cross the street or pay for my taxi fare or ensure I've had
14:41
food like I've never felt. But for me, this was normal.
14:44
Not that I'm saying our arrogance, but this is how we
14:47
were built, so. That hospitality is your
14:48
country. Yeah, yeah.
14:49
Yeah. Initially that's what I think.
14:51
In my opinion is more so your culture than it is ours.
14:54
To be very honest, I don't know if you agree on your bus.
14:56
But I think the volunteering culture in our communities.
14:58
It's fantastic, but I think that I think the lucky side of like
15:02
hospitality. Very much strong within within
15:06
their culture. But I'm not saying that we're
15:08
we're not doing good. Yeah, I think for for their
15:11
community. You know what I'm saying?
15:12
Saying from a young age you guys are taught this is wajid like
15:16
you have to start the Kheema and you have to the kids have to get
15:19
in. Do you know what I mean?
15:20
We've all participated in. Yeah, Yeah.
15:22
I think I'll probably 6-6 years old and I was like, there you
15:25
go. Yeah, not the nature of you want
15:29
you have to solve. Smash it, smash it, smash
15:32
burgers. Yeah.
15:33
But even as a kid, I would, like, do shoes at the mosque or
15:37
oh, I'll I remember wearing high vis vests coming like a dish
15:40
dasher for me as a young guy. Yeah.
15:41
And also, I hope, like the elder men and sort out the car park.
15:45
And after every measures, the most beautiful thing was like
15:47
picking up everyone's plates, hoovering the carpets.
15:50
So this was normal to me. This was absolutely normal.
15:52
Yeah. And for us now it's become
15:54
automatic. Wherever we go, we see something
15:56
that's wrong or something that I need.
15:57
Someone needs an extra hand. We'll just go and say, you don't
15:59
need help. Can I can I help you in doing
16:02
something? And I think that's what makes
16:04
the beauty of service is that it's automatic.
16:07
You don't think of it. It becomes part and parcel of
16:09
your life. Yeah, and being very honest as a
16:12
different community or a culture we envy, you know, this
16:15
automaticness you have with it. Charlotte's on All On the Same.
16:18
Even in alcohol JAMA there there are benefits to it like, you
16:20
know, coaches are well known for being organized, for example,
16:22
sticking to time, that's a side effect of our culture and the
16:25
way we've handled things right. Whereas we feel sometimes Iraqi
16:28
culture is a bit more disorganized but much more
16:30
emotional. So I think there are positives.
16:32
And we know that the world we live in now is so much more
16:35
globalized. And that I think has been
16:37
advanced with the English language.
16:38
The fact that you have podcasts like this and you have youth
16:42
groups like the ones we have locally who will where you have
16:46
four people in the match list and they've got an Iranian,
16:48
Iraqi of Khurja and Pakistani also to each other and all
16:51
mourning the same way and all crying the same way.
16:53
I love that that's bringing people together and that's
16:55
something now, which we see more in the West than we've ever seen
16:58
in the past. But ultimately, there's there's.
17:01
Recognize having these conversations are important
17:03
because we need to recognize where we can grow as a
17:05
community, how we can raise our children to be to learn lessons
17:08
from other people. Because sometimes in our own
17:10
environment, that cocooned and isolated center or community
17:14
we've grown up in, we may not have the exposure.
17:17
I mean, I married out of my culture and I think that was one
17:21
of the biggest bounties of a lost Font Allah.
17:22
So I've now picked up so many things that I never knew
17:25
existed. And my children, Hamdala, my,
17:28
like, I've got two kids, Hamdala and Charlotte.
17:30
They're going to be raised. With the best of both.
17:32
So, you know, that's, that's my DA.
17:34
But you know, as much as I said, it's normal to me that I don't
17:37
know, like, wow, when I go Zara, believe me, there's there's
17:40
always instances in every Zara. I'm like, wow, still hits.
17:43
Yeah, yeah, they still do. They still, that's the beauty of
17:46
Hussein in general, I think people who serve for his
17:48
purpose. I mean, I think just on that
17:51
point about kids, I think children should always be better
17:53
than their parents. You know, imagine if there's a
17:55
generational change where my kid was better than me and his kid
17:58
is better than him. You know, in the long run it
18:00
will be much more true. Very true, especially in the
18:21
project committee. She has much more.
18:04
You know that change will affect the wider community as well.
18:07
But if I can come back to why we volunteer, you know, someone
18:11
told me that he moved to London and he was struggling to make
18:13
friends, he said. There's only two ways, I
18:14
realized, to make friends. One is play sports and two is to
18:17
volunteer and suddenly you make. Yeah, and if you need, you know,
18:23
people talk about cliques and all this stuff.
18:25
I think volunteering is the easiest way to meet people
18:28
you've never met before. Next thing you know, you'll
18:30
probably be married if I'm honest with you.
18:31
But you know, it's a great way to get involved with any
18:34
community because there's always going to be some kind of
18:36
certain. Friends I'm thinking of, well,
18:38
it's very true. You know that point that you
18:40
actually meet people for like serving and stuff because I've
18:42
had this this as well. Like, you know, we feel like
18:44
we're brothers in service. Yeah, although we don't know
18:46
each other, but when it comes to head man, but why do you?
18:48
When I come last time I was saying you.
18:50
Have the same path, right? You're heading the same
18:52
direction. So obviously we know what we're
18:53
doing and then maybe for those who are not volunteering, it
18:56
comes down to why should I volunteer?
18:58
But maybe recognition of the goal and and the the the drive
19:03
and that is like you said, I'm saying that especially when we
19:05
talk about Adebayin and and the walk is like mind blowing.
19:08
I went last year for my my first Adebayan and it was the most
19:13
mind blowing experience I've had in my life.
19:15
Never in my life I've seen anything like that.
19:17
You can you can go to Iraq homeless and penniless and you
19:22
will be taken care of like royalty.
19:25
You will have nine meals a day if you want it.
19:27
You know, you'll have an abundant number of homes to
19:30
sleep in. And I remember saying this to
19:31
you last year said, like I remember we were walking said a
19:35
son and myself from between the Jeff and Karbala.
19:39
Yeah. And there was a lady who was
19:42
saying something to me and her son, four or five years old, I
19:45
like. Hand gestures, shouting at me.
19:48
I was like, said, what's happening?
19:49
I had no idea what was going on, he goes.
19:51
I meant, she's trying to ask if if you, you and I want to stay
19:55
in her house overnight as a guest, thinking so part of law.
19:58
Like this lady is on the side of a road begging Zawad to stay in
20:03
her home so she can get the lab. Obviously we hear so many
20:06
stories elsewhere of people who saved.
20:09
I remember the taxi driver last year who drove us back on the
20:11
day of Adebayan. He told us he saved the whole
20:14
year. His whole year's salary saved up
20:18
so he can open a mole kid and serve this a lot.
20:20
Why do people do that? Like why do people go to extents
20:24
where the rest of the world like these guys are crazy?
20:27
And you know what's humbling? Yeah, a lot of these people,
20:30
they have nothing from here. And if you actually, like, I'm
20:33
not going to say study them. But if you sit down and talk
20:36
with them and say like. You know where you get all of
20:38
this money from to do this? Because a lot of people are
20:40
gonna have money. Let's make it clear.
20:41
But what is it? What?
20:42
Obviously we know it's a Mama Hussein, but why?
20:45
Like, do you know what I mean? Because obviously we're growing
20:47
up in the Western world. Everything is transactional,
20:49
everything is contractual. Do you know what I mean?
20:52
Brothers, there's beauty in the service of Imam Hussein.
20:54
And ultimately we know there's rewards in the hair after.
20:57
And Sharla, that's that's our end goal.
20:58
I mean we we all want to reap those rewards in the hair after.
21:01
And Jenna and Sharla, not, not just the rules.
21:03
Listen, Sharla, we'll be able to see the light of Mama Hussein
21:06
being the law. But ultimately, you know
21:08
serving, it's small because you know I think it sort of does
21:14
some, you know, you being you being a doctor, you can correct
21:17
me if I'm wrong here that's it gives you like how can I say it
21:22
comforts the heart, you know certain acts of kindness and
21:26
acts of like humility and stuff. They solve like, I don't know if
21:29
it triggers something. What's the word?
21:31
We mentioned this. Yeah, I don't.
21:33
Want to say the wrong thing here?
21:34
What's the word that the, the, the, the chemical in the brain
21:37
that releases when you do that to charity, medical you?
21:41
Want to say dopamine or dopamine?
21:44
Oxytocin is the loved one. Yeah, when you get a hug or.
21:47
Something I think that someone asked me this question and I
21:49
said this because you're visiting.
21:51
The other Doctor, you know, the spiritual.
21:54
This is not something that we can compare, yeah.
21:56
Yeah, I mean, you know, I think last time we talked a little bit
22:00
about Dua. But, you know, you might say,
22:02
say you're riddled with cancer, you know, God forbid, and
22:05
there's literally nothing we can do for you from a medical point
22:07
of view. All we're going to say, we'll
22:09
pray for you. Yeah.
22:10
And I think Hussein makes it very easy to connect to the
22:13
aphalobeate in that way to get their Vasila to, you know, to
22:15
ask for otherwise. But.
22:18
I think one of the words we haven't said is sacrifice.
22:20
You know, Hussein sacrifice so much.
22:22
Imam Hussein sacrifice so much for us and we are still
22:25
benefiting from it today. But I from my personal
22:28
experience as a volunteer, there's definitely sacrifice
22:31
involved, be it time, be it money, be it you just put up
22:34
with someone else's behavior, for example, be it, you know
22:38
you're the last one to leave the most sometimes.
22:40
So I think that sacrifice is what allows you to grow.
22:43
And that sacrifice is what then gives your heart a bit of
22:45
content that actually I did what I could do.
22:49
But, you know, say somebody was thinking about volunteering.
22:51
Maybe one of your viewers has never volunteered.
22:54
Let's talk about it very selfishly for a moment, right.
22:56
You're saying you want me to give my time and my money?
22:58
And you know, why should I put up with all of these things?
23:01
Do you remember that story? I can't remember his imams in
23:04
Aberdeen, Imam Jarfa Sadiq where he was invited to a wedding and
23:07
he refused to go until the host said I'll recite in Masai
23:11
Babinal saying. And then on the day of the
23:13
wedding, the host could not find the imam anywhere.
23:15
And then when he left the program, he saw that the imam
23:18
was busy arranging people's shoes.
23:19
I said, you know what you're doing, You're the guest of
23:21
honor. You're meant to be inside.
23:23
He said if you only knew the the Saab or the, you know, the bar
23:27
cut that comes from just rearranging the shoes or from
23:29
Majalis, Mccarmahon saying, you know, So what that tells us is
23:33
volunteers. You could not be.
23:35
You may not be a named volunteer or recognized, but you may pick
23:38
up a copy. See on the floor, Teacup.
23:40
Or you know some rubbish maybe you noticed along the way that
23:43
alone is part of volunteering. You know you're you're
23:45
proactively trying to improve that center or that program for
23:49
the sake of above the law. And that niat I think is very
23:51
important. Whatever little you can do and
23:55
you know this then easily translates to maybe somebody
23:57
who's disabled and can't do as much as someone who is, you
24:00
know, more able. So it's about the little acts
24:03
that you can do and the little bits of service you can provide
24:05
that make a big difference. And me personally being very
24:08
selfish, you know? On the Day of Judgment, have you
24:14
heard of that story that there was this man who was raised in
24:17
the family where he was told if you kill the Shia, you go
24:19
straight to heaven. And then when he became of age,
24:22
they told him, OK, they Are these Shia going to Karbala.
24:25
Kill one and you're sorted for life.
24:26
Yeah. He was waiting on the side of
24:28
the road. He fell asleep.
24:30
In his dream, you saw that he was in the Day of Judgment and
24:33
he was sent to the Hellfire. The Hellfire wouldn't touch him.
24:36
So he asked. You know why?
24:38
You know, I, I can see my skills that I'm clearly destined for
24:41
Johanna, but why is the fire not touching?
24:43
He said No, on your skin there is dust of Zoar, of him I'm
24:46
saying, and you know, because of that the fire of hell refused to
24:49
touch him. And then he woke up and he
24:51
realized he had missed the Zoar and they'd gone and he changed
24:54
his whole life. But to me that says, you know,
24:57
it doesn't take much love about the love for that to benefit me
25:01
in the hereafter. I don't know which single action
25:04
of mine might save me later, right?
25:06
And we're quite transactional in this world, but the reality is
25:09
the the way the scales are built in the hereafter is very
25:11
different. So we have to be mindful that
25:14
you know how much are we hedging our actions to serve us better
25:19
once we pass away because after 60, eighty, 9000 years, I can
25:23
maximum promise you 100 years. The way medical care is at the
25:25
moment, you know we will pass away and then it's just us in
25:29
our actions in the grapes. So we need to consider.
25:33
You know, maximizing the opportunities just the way we we
25:35
strive to make money and serve our families.
25:37
We need to also think about that hereafter.
25:39
And this volunteering is a very simple way to do that.
25:41
Yeah. Yeah.
25:43
I mean, what are we doing? We we are.
25:45
We are young, we're capable, Hamdulah.
25:48
We have strength. We have time, we have intellect,
25:51
we have energy, we have resources, we have family, we
25:53
have friends, we have vehicles. Why are we not doing more for
25:56
our communities when there's clearly a need in Western Shia
25:59
communities specifically for more people to step up, to unite
26:03
different communities together and to progress forward, to
26:06
prepare for their way to save your mom and make the other love
26:08
for Josh Sharif? But we're not doing it.
26:11
And there there may come a point.
26:12
There just may come a point where we are fifty, 60-70 years
26:16
old and we're looking back in our 20s and our 30s and thinking
26:20
why? Why did I waste my years or what
26:22
was it really worth it? Or something I was doing which I
26:26
was charging money for which I could have done fees of the not
26:29
charged a penny and maybe had that more in a bit more
26:31
enjoyment of thawab that came out of it.
26:34
So at the end of the day, we don't want to regret those
26:36
things. You know there's a hadith, if
26:38
I'm not mistaken, I'm not Holy Prophet Muhammad's Salah Ali
26:40
while you're Salem I I mentioned this a lot because I really
26:43
respect this hadith. The man came to the Holy Prophet
26:45
and he said to him, yeah, I saw a lot, what is your religion?
26:50
What is Islam? Now if someone was to ask me
26:52
what's Islam, the first thing I do is give a Wikipedia answer 7.
26:56
You know, 7 billion humans. 2 billion Muslims.
26:58
Yeah, the other. But the soul law says something
27:00
quite interesting. He said Islam is to worship the
27:02
Creator and to be of benefit, benefit to the creation.
27:06
And he said the best of people are those who are most
27:08
beneficial to the creation. And you think the panel law that
27:11
summarizes dunya and akhra, you have the dunya.
27:14
When it comes to the people around you have the Akhna in
27:16
terms of your relationship with Allah and you think about how
27:18
these two things intermingle and that there is a relationship.
27:21
When alas Pantala says and I've created you into tribes and
27:25
people so that you may get to know one another male and female
27:28
and so on. That kind of one thought all of
27:31
that stuff when alas saying that is because he there's a reason
27:34
why we're in a community. Otherwise we'd just be put in
27:36
one realm on one dimension as one person in our own thing and
27:41
we're be acting in accord with our own free will like we have
27:43
in our dreams. Like you mentioned, dreams.
27:45
In our dreams we're in our own dimension.
27:48
We're roaming freely and we're doing our own thing, and we feel
27:50
like we're the only people on this planet in our dreams.
27:53
But in real life, we are tested with relationship management and
27:57
that ability to communicate with one another.
28:00
So Allah's testing us with how we react, how we respond to
28:05
challenges around us. You mentioned sacrifice.
28:07
Ali Abbas, Imam Hussein and Islam was the greatest example
28:12
of sacrifice and the greatest seven of Allah.
28:15
I mean to the point where when when Hazra Ali asks alias Salaam
28:18
was was shot with the arrow and he held him up to the sky, he
28:23
says ya'll take more from me. If you want more I'll give you
28:25
more. Just tell me what to give you.
28:27
I'll give you and you think that I'll Imam Hussein sacrificed
28:30
even to the point where his six month old baby was was martyred
28:34
that he still had more to give or he would have given more had
28:37
him more to give. So ultimately if we want Makam
28:40
in the Akhra then we have to sacrifice on earth.
28:43
I think it's such an important point.
28:44
You've mentioned we can't have it easy like there's people like
28:47
me or others for example who we just want the easy route.
28:51
Do you know what I mean? There's people who want name and
28:54
fame without hard work and grit, want to get paid and become rich
28:58
without working hard along the way.
29:00
It doesn't work like that. If we value wealth in this life,
29:02
there surely we should look for the source of wealth, which is
29:05
the last one to Allah. So we can see those cultures
29:08
coming through, right. And those attitudes coming
29:09
through. I mean, you know, you heard
29:11
things like no pain, no gain, practice makes better.
29:13
Yeah, all of these are realities of life.
29:15
You know, the more more you put yourself in that position to
29:19
serve what, you know, safe arguments.
29:22
Like your life is 70 years and you are given only five
29:25
opportunities to do something worthwhile in that time.
29:29
If you turn down every single opportunity, you will never.
29:32
Get more opportunities, you know, Mulazga is a prominent
29:35
figure in our community and he's famous for saying, I don't look
29:39
at his at a large acceptance of my previous deeds or my previous
29:42
service. Because I know that if I'm given
29:44
another opportunity to serve, I can assume that the previous
29:46
ones were accepted. You know, meaning that he, in my
29:49
opinion, he recognized its truth, that you know, okay,
29:53
there's three of us in this room.
29:55
We can think of people in our community.
29:57
But there are still big portions of community who don't get that
30:00
opportunity to do something for the community, for argument's
30:02
sake. Yeah, yeah.
30:03
Or have ability to have big roles for, you know.
30:06
So there's a blessing and without saying it that you're
30:09
you're given that chance and do you take it or not.
30:11
That's so. And that choice is yours.
30:12
Yeah. Sometimes I've been in positions
30:14
where I'm like, I haven't been blessed.
30:16
I haven't been blessed to serve. On this occasion, for example,
30:19
No. Yeah, yeah.
30:20
Sometimes you feel that. And it's true.
30:22
And you feel like #1, you're missing out on something because
30:24
you know the value of it, right? It's not something simple and
30:27
it's not, you know, you're going and getting paid for it, OK?
30:31
If I was to say that to you, for example, I'm, I don't have the
30:34
opportunity to serve, what would you say to me?
30:37
Because there might be someone at home who's thinking, no, I
30:39
don't have a community. I live in flipping Nebraska or
30:42
some random place around the world.
30:44
You know, I'm in Somalia or some next random place.
30:47
OK, and they want to serve their community, but they say I don't
30:51
have a sheet I sent. I don't have any.
30:53
Money, if I answer this question, go on.
30:54
Yeah. Brothers, you just need to,
30:55
like, subscribe and take the notification bell.
30:58
I can. Yeah, that's your job done, man.
31:00
It's literally that easy these days, man.
31:02
Come on. Literally.
31:03
There are channels on YouTube that I subscribe to.
31:05
Not because I'm going to view the content again.
31:08
Because I want that Channel to grow.
31:10
So I want that Channel to make more content and feel encouraged
31:12
that actually people are listening, people are watching,
31:14
yeah. So I think the World Wide Web
31:17
has made it easy, actually. Yeah, yeah, I've never been to
31:19
Arbaean yet. I've seen all the videos, I've
31:20
seen all the pictures. My wife has been.
31:22
You know what's interesting is where we come back from Urban.
31:24
They can't explain this feeling. Yeah, They say you have to come.
31:27
You have to come. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
31:28
What do you mean? Why can't you explain?
31:29
It to me, you know, I don't understand.
31:31
So in Charlotte, if I get a chance to go, I'll experience
31:33
it. Charlotte.
31:34
But those of us who are left behind and attending our local
31:36
centers, I'll be honest, my local center empties in urbane.
31:39
I don't know where people go, Yes, yes, and how they all fit
31:42
in Karbala, but. You know, you notice a big
31:45
difference between Muharram and and Chelun that you know where
31:48
where all the people gone. Yeah, but this is coming back to
31:52
the question. Yeah, there are people like you
31:54
said who will, who will say I don't have the community to, I
31:58
want to go to the center and pick up a cup on the floor.
32:01
I don't have that. What would you say to?
32:03
Them when you say I don't have that, they don't have, let's say
32:06
they don't have access. They live in a remote area.
32:08
They don't have an opportunity to serve for real.
32:11
The idea is this is so I have two questions.
32:13
Yeah. One is do you have to have a
32:14
hosania or a local center to serve?
32:17
Secondly, how can you serve if you're stuck at home?
32:19
Is there a way to serve a lost creation from my bedroom if I
32:23
want to serve but I'm restricted, for example,
32:26
physically? Let's say I've broken my leg or
32:28
stuck in a while. I'm say, someone with a physical
32:31
impairment which means they can't leave the house.
32:33
What can they do to serve? Do you?
32:35
Want to go for this one? No.
32:38
I think. Obviously if you have a Hussein.
32:39
Yeah, access to. It's the easiest way.
32:42
Right. Because it's a physical act that
32:43
you're doing safe arguments. Take your bedbone for whatever
32:46
reason and you know you don't have the ability to get out.
32:49
I saw a post from I think it's new Islamic education or they
32:52
wanted someone to be a content writer for them or someone to
32:55
create social media posts for them.
32:56
You know these days with YouTube you can learn Canva and stuff so
32:59
easily that you know if you really wanted to, you could you
33:02
could make that effort and. Even if that effort is just
33:05
emailing the organization saying, look, I have few spare
33:08
hours a week, if you can use me anywhere, please let me know.
33:11
You'll be surprised how many people will reply to that and
33:13
say, yeah, okay, can you do this for us, you know?
33:16
I was going to say the same thing, like I think the easiest
33:18
way where you can access serving that will be to him.
33:21
Salaam is by the incident. That's one thing that I think we
33:24
should always consider and something and shallow, all
33:26
blessed with is finances if you can't physically serve.
33:30
You can give me. You can give to us and believe
33:33
me, there is so much reward and butter care and the money that
33:36
you're giving away will lost one with it can come back and cover
33:39
you for the rest of your life. I've had stories that I'm not
33:43
going to share, but I know like first hand instances where
33:47
people also have nothing. They give everything and they
33:50
have everything. Does that make sense?
33:53
How do you make it make sense? Yeah, that's the barrackhead.
33:56
It's very simple. You invest in the way of Allah
33:58
and you. Just want to watch it multiple,
33:59
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I think Shekarwaz
34:01
Jaffer once said that if you're worried about your wealth, give
34:05
in charity. You'll be surprised what God
34:06
does with that. Yeah, you just remind me.
34:09
I know a brother in his 20s is afflicted with the condition and
34:13
he literally cannot get out of bed.
34:14
He sleeps so much that he's only awake like 3-4 or five hours of
34:18
the day. And what's amazed me is that
34:20
he's still active on what's up. No, he's he served himself.
34:24
He's increased his knowledge of Dean so much that, you know, he
34:27
could easily become a scholar in my opinion, but.
34:29
He's used technology in the right way, but he's.
34:33
Imagine you're only awake 4-5 hours a day and you still manage
34:36
to do that. You know, it's about those small
34:37
gains, quality of quality, isn't it?
34:39
Yeah. So I think if you're looking for
34:41
opportunity. Options is usually always there
34:43
and it's usually also you making it a priority.
34:46
And we've been born and brought up in a certain community in a
34:49
certain era for a certain reason, and that's for us to
34:51
figure out like a loss, surely put our rule into our bodies at
34:56
this stage in time for a reason. And maybe that's because we can
34:59
reach our maximum potential given the resources we have
35:02
around us. There's a reason I wasn't born
35:04
1000 years ago in a different part of the world, and that's
35:07
because a lot feels I can reach my maximum potential with these
35:10
ingredients and this formula for my success.
35:13
You know, for us to have the Internet, we can do things
35:16
people years ago wouldn't have even imagined.
35:18
You know, like even writing a comment on on, on after a
35:22
YouTube video. And I'm joking.
35:24
But like for example there's there's people online who ask
35:27
questions, who seek knowledge. Being someone who can share
35:30
information today and and educate someone for tomorrow is
35:34
a is an incredible blessing. We never consider small things.
35:37
You know how many? There are so many of these pages
35:39
on Instagram that will post Islamic art, poetry, Hadith,
35:44
akkam, things like that. I.
35:45
Love these pages, so many of them.
35:46
But Hamdula, they they should keep coming.
35:49
Like you should keep, you know because they they do something.
35:51
They remind people about the other debate, they remind people
35:53
about or on like those are things which is you know, we
35:57
will be rewarded for on the day of Kayam and Sharva.
36:01
So, I mean, can I, can I pick on what you said about quality of a
36:05
quantity? Yeah, we have a habit in the
36:07
West of measuring success by quantity.
36:10
You know, how many people turned up to the center?
36:12
How many samosas did we give? You know, how many car parking
36:15
spaces were taken? But in reality, the quality is
36:17
more important. Yeah.
36:20
So even my my personal motto, after a few years I realized
36:24
that anything I do, I'm not looking to change the world if I
36:28
can impact one person. Yeah, if one person finds what I
36:31
say beneficial, then I've added value and that is my service
36:34
done. Yeah.
36:35
But if I held back that experience and knowledge that I
36:37
had and didn't share it, then I'm almost, you know,
36:40
accountable. For it, yeah.
36:41
Because I'm doing not doing myself a favor nor the people
36:44
who could benefit from it. So if you imagine one person is
36:46
not difficult to impact. Yeah, I could buy you a piece of
36:50
furniture. I could just check up on you
36:52
when you're sick. I could you know those values
36:54
that the profit try to instill in his communities.
36:56
We can all do it. And about the.
36:59
This makes it easy for us because we then have a shared
37:01
vision and we have a shared goal.
37:02
And it's much easier to say that you're Muslim, I'm Muslim, Let's
37:05
do it, You know, even if it's checking up on your neighbors,
37:08
for example, right? But that quality is much more
37:10
important than the quantity. I have a I have a question for
37:13
you, if you don't mind. I know we're coming towards the
37:15
end of the discussion, but a lot of our listeners are under 20
37:18
years old. When I first met you, I think I
37:21
was maybe like 1415. You might have some embarrassing
37:24
memories of me at the time, however.
37:26
Told me after the My first experience was.
37:31
There's a little swagger. There's all that injury.
37:34
I've seen the portals. Yeah.
37:35
My God, embarrassed. My first experience with you
37:38
earlier bus was when you and and my brother were working together
37:41
and and Stammer Jaffreys. OK and and you, the work you did
37:44
for the youth was martial law is incredible.
37:46
So my first impression of you was through Hydma.
37:49
And then I remember you guys pretty much forced me to get
37:52
involved from a young age, dragging me to events.
37:56
My brother, God bless him and and you and a lot of the other
38:00
brothers. And I remember for a good year I
38:03
was so disinterested. I don't want to be here.
38:07
This guy's making me create some spreadsheet and I have to take
38:10
names on. I was.
38:11
I remember doing a lot of admin work.
38:13
It was so boring man, honestly. But now Hamdala, when I look
38:17
back on youth work I've done been able to do, I credit a lot
38:23
of that to you. So I I thank you for that.
38:26
And obviously that's just in my personal experience, you've
38:30
impacted a lot of lives and only God knows what you've done.
38:33
And obviously in your professional life obviously
38:35
you've helped me a lot and you and I both know that in certain
38:38
circumstances with with healthcare and stuff like that.
38:41
So a lot will always reward you, but I want to talk specifically
38:45
about that age group that I was in.
38:48
So those 1415 seventeen 18 year olds who are who know what the
38:54
where the right place to be is. They know they should be at the
38:56
mosque, but they don't have that level of commitment yet.
39:03
They know one day they will be doing that, but they don't want
39:06
to do it now. What do you have to say to them?
39:08
So firstly, that's, you know, it's very, very kind words for
39:11
you to say. It's interesting that there's
39:14
the person on the other end of this.
39:17
On the other side of management, you know, you don't really
39:18
realize the impact you're having till much later.
39:21
And a lot of the time you will not even realize the impact you
39:24
had. So this story, if you hadn't
39:27
shared, I would never know, right.
39:29
And that's the beauty of that God.
39:31
When you act, God just naturally emanates that love.
39:34
You know, I had hospital consultant and told me knowledge
39:36
is like love. You know, you can't share enough
39:38
of it and the more you share, the more people will benefit.
39:41
Yeah, but so. If you ignore the under 20s for
39:46
a moment and say those are established in positions of
39:48
volunteering for argument's sake, I think it's their
39:51
responsibility to allow youngsters in.
39:53
To recognize there is a learning curve and to recognize that
39:56
there is going to be mistakes along the way, right?
39:58
And to teach them what they've learned over the years.
40:00
But to the youngsters I go, it goes back to opportunity that
40:03
you know, you take the time to create that opportunity for
40:05
yourself, as simple as approaching an uncle who you
40:08
know, for example, always serves the Fatih or is always in the
40:11
kitchen making tea and just express an interest.
40:14
Yeah, I've seen it in centers where kids have approached,
40:18
asked the question, being told no at the time.
40:20
But then suddenly six months later, a year later, the
40:23
opportunity arises and they're told, OK, now do you want to
40:26
come and help? So there's a bit of patience
40:27
required, I would say. You know, when you're young, you
40:29
have energy and time, You often don't have money, but you have
40:31
everything else. So use that to your advantage.
40:34
You know, make make yourself available, make the right
40:37
friends. I would say encourage your
40:38
social circles to do it as a group.
40:40
For example, you're born naturally and you'll make
40:43
friends for life. Being very honest with you,
40:44
Yeah, my wife is still in here, she says.
40:47
You know, how do you know so many people in the mosque?
40:48
I don't understand that Literally is literally just
40:51
turning up and volunteering where I can and playing sports
40:54
sometimes, you know? And over time, you just build
40:56
those relationships. They may not be close friends,
40:58
but at least you're connected to your own community.
41:01
Reminds me of my daughter this year.
41:04
Yeah, honey. And she came with me to my Jalis
41:07
for all ten nights this Muharram.
41:10
Your dad, you say, So love to everyone.
41:12
You have so much friends. I'm not sure.
41:13
But this is this is all the Barakat of knowing him.
41:16
Al Hussein, like I'm trying to make understand this.
41:20
So I was going to ask you because I remember something we
41:22
mentioned in the first post class, first time we recorded 3
41:25
weeks ago. Let's come back to me now.
41:26
I remember we talked about instances that we had of service
41:31
that stuck with us. Is there anything that you
41:33
remember from throughout your years, like a moment where you?
41:36
You know, there's like a time you remember like, oh, I helped
41:39
out here. Why I served in this in this
41:42
instance, and it made like an impact on you.
41:44
Any specific instance that you remember?
41:47
OK. I don't have one in particular
41:50
because there's a hundred, There's many.
41:52
Yeah, that's I I think I was being Aftermath and you know,
41:55
being part of Elevate TV. I'll share one that relates to
41:58
Elevate TV. And I think I was possibly 18 or
42:02
19 at the time. It was during my beginning years
42:04
working at the BTVA long time ago.
42:07
And I really wanted to go to Arbine, OK.
42:13
You know, I was trying to get some days off with Haji Amir and
42:17
he was like, it's impossible. We need you here.
42:19
You know, there's no technician, you know, the cameraman all gone
42:22
like half the channel was like, missing.
42:24
So it was impossible for the other half to leave, though
42:26
wouldn't function. I was really upset.
42:29
And in my head I'm like, you know what, You know, why am I
42:33
working here if I can't go all day And you're being part of
42:36
hidden, if we can call it this, And you actually want to go to
42:38
where people serve everyone. And it's there was a true
42:41
yearning and and I'll give a story about why was a true
42:44
yearning a bit later to that. And I was upset Two days, three
42:49
days, four days. Our wine came out here in
42:51
London, downstairs, you know, vision, mixing, sign up the show
42:55
and everything. And then someone called into the
42:57
live show. I think it was either of the
43:00
jaffer presenting from the mistaken ARJ and he was like,
43:04
you know on a thank and A/B TV for you know the service they
43:08
do. And on my head, I still remember
43:11
on my head I was like, well, we got service.
43:12
I'm trying to go and you're thanking, thanking us for the
43:15
work that we do. He was like, you have made the
43:17
hosseinia in our village and how listen to this, he was like and
43:24
we we have like in our village there's like, I think he said
43:27
like 20 homes. You, you, you'll figure out what
43:30
kind of homes we're talking about here.
43:32
And he was like, we don't have a place where we can all be
43:34
together. So what we did is that one of
43:37
the elders in the village, he decided to make his entire house
43:41
black. Yeah, covered in black loft.
43:43
We had a TV and it was beaming. Elevate TV and whatever was on
43:47
the channel, that was our Hussein.
43:49
That was our member. And that made me understand.
43:53
That the service we do, you don't know where it reaches, and
43:56
it's crazy. And since that day, I've never
43:58
questioned a single thing I ever do.
43:59
I had a similar experience when I went to the USI had a sister
44:03
come up to me. I remember so vividly, she said
44:05
to me. We've been watching the channel
44:09
since 2009. This is in 2018, she says.
44:13
Every year we have two she, our families, my whole seat us and
44:16
one other family. Are there they?
44:18
Or there's a river family and an Iranian family.
44:21
So we found each other by chance.
44:23
Every year we look for others. No one to do Makhtanu with, no
44:26
one to do Ashura with, no one to do Majalis with.
44:28
So what do we do every other night?
44:30
We go to each other's house and we will put on a BTV.
44:32
It's watching a little bitty. It just makes me think like the
44:35
work that Shia Media does is sublime.
44:38
Well, the reach is big, yeah. I don't think we understand the
44:40
true value of it. Think about it in COVID, like if
44:42
the people who resided let me has on items or, you know, if
44:46
they hadn't put their content online, that's true.
44:48
We would all have suffered, right?
44:50
We were spoiled for choice because there was so much
44:52
available. Actually to the extent that
44:54
people came back to the centers, they're like, well, we can just
44:56
switch on the TV and watch anyone we want, you know?
45:00
But you're right. The reach is crazy.
45:02
I think we said this in the unrecorded podcast that when
45:05
Imam close, Imam close you. So remember there was a speaker
45:09
who really wanted to go for Arbine and he just for some
45:12
reason the other couldn't go. And then he got a phone call
45:14
from some random place, I think it was either in America or
45:16
Madagascar. And he was told, can you please
45:19
come lecture for us? We don't have the speaker.
45:21
So he went and he said he was the best connection and
45:24
experience he's ever had in in sort of Muharram.
45:27
And suffer, right. Yeah.
45:29
Is it. Sometimes we want to go to Imam,
45:31
but Imam says, actually I need you somewhere else.
45:33
You know, I need your service somewhere else because if
45:35
everybody left for karbola, who would run?
45:37
What is happening here in London?
45:39
We're spoiled for choice. There's so many centers, but
45:41
like you said, in rural communities, they strum.
45:43
There's a word in Iraqi Arabic I wish I remember I heard it like
45:47
2 days ago I learned it. It's there's a the verb.
45:50
There's a verb in Iraqi Arabic which is the the act of Imam
45:54
Hussein writing a list. I don't know, maybe say to you
45:58
if you know or not, you hear a lot and knocked me out and
45:59
stuff. Okay, you, said Julismac.
46:01
Then say again. You said Julismac.
46:03
Yeah, yeah, you said Julismac. Yeah, that's why I had it.
46:08
You said Jinni Mulabasim. That's why I had it.
46:11
Okay. So that whole not me.
46:14
Like write me down as yourself. Right, you know, you said I
46:20
asked my wife. Yeah, I heard that.
46:23
I've been hearing this for like. 10 years.
46:29
And I asked my wife, Yes, I was like, we've been hearing this
46:30
for like 10 years. What does it mean?
46:32
OK, I don't know, I. Just realized now, and she said
46:35
it means to It's asking about the law.
46:37
Write me down as one of your visitors and that you you have
46:41
to be invited. You have to be called.
46:43
You're not. You can't just.
46:44
Although we can literally book and go, it happens.
46:48
It happens. If if we're, if we're invited,
46:50
if we're wanted, we'll be there. Abdullah wants pure souls to
46:53
enter his vicinity. You know, when we talk about
46:56
being in the aqram, being in gender, being amongst the alibi
46:59
to the Muslim you can't enter gender if you're impure.
47:02
If you're not pure, you're not purified.
47:05
You know, but when you when you enter Jenna, you are already
47:07
purified. So by that concept and by that,
47:09
you know theory, entering Karbala means a last point to
47:13
Allah wants you there and the imam wants you there.
47:16
So if you're meant to be there, you're meant to be there.
47:17
And if you're not then it's Charlotte.
47:19
There will come a day. Just really quickly.
47:20
I want to mention a story which I remember I mentioned last time
47:23
when I was 14 or something. We went to Sham and it was
47:27
around the time of major conflict in Syria and.
47:33
I remember we were going back and forth and back and forth to
47:37
the to the shrine of say, the Zainab Salaam Alaia.
47:42
And one day my dad woke me up early morning 6:00 AM something
47:46
he said come with me, I was fine.
47:48
Went with him to the shrine. And there's these guys behind
47:52
the tables. They give out the tokens and
47:54
they take your shoes and they file it away, put it away,
47:56
remember. Yes.
47:58
So if my dad basically grabbed my hand, he's speaking to the
48:00
guys in Arabic and he basically. Put me behind the counter and I
48:04
said, well, what's, what's happening?
48:05
You're going to be doing this. So for a whole day, amazing.
48:09
I was giving out tokens, taking shoes.
48:11
I was thinking, I remember at the time stuffing a lot.
48:13
I was thinking, like, this shoe's sweating, this shoe's
48:17
broken, this shoe's dirty. And at the time I was, I was an
48:20
ungrateful young boy. Eventually I remember the head
48:24
of the shrine spoke to me after he said to you great job, you
48:28
did well. He fully thanked me.
48:29
I think, wow, I didn't really do anything.
48:31
What happened Hamdulla through that small act, which I found as
48:35
a valuable service, we then had like backstage access, you could
48:40
call it into the shrine. I had the opportunity to sit in
48:42
front alone and the whole shrine.
48:44
The shrine doors were shut for some because there was conflict
48:46
at the time. I I sat with the shrine and say
48:49
by myself, I was able to recycle my set.
48:52
I felt like that was the greatest honor I've probably had
48:55
in my life, something small. But I just wanted to share that,
49:00
you know, sometimes these things come back immediately and
49:03
apparently and sometimes they don't.
49:05
Sometimes you won't know what the reward for your kidma is
49:07
until many years later, if not even until after your death.
49:11
So in Charlotte we can be amongst those who are are named
49:15
as servants of the Babdullah Hussein and there is Salaam and
49:18
all the Shahadar Karbala and of Sham And we should say thank you
49:22
for your parents. You know those who have guided
49:24
us along this path to show the service.
49:26
Sometimes, you know, we underestimate the role they've
49:28
had in our lives and sometimes it can be just from watching
49:31
them and sometimes it can be through them forcing us to do
49:34
certain things when we we thought we didn't need them.
49:36
Right. But yeah, the the role of
49:39
parents I think in general to train the next generation is
49:42
quite crucial. Right.
49:44
And if you're if you're that 20 something year old at the
49:48
moment, eventually you'll get married, you'll have kids,
49:50
you'll have your own family. You need to start thinking from
49:52
now if you, you know, is that classic thing that don't tell
49:55
your child, do something. If you don't do yourself, if you
49:57
don't pray. So how do you expect your child?
49:59
So from now you need to begin to act like the parent you want to
50:02
be so that your children will become better versions of that.
50:05
And I can, you know, we don't have time, but I can share
50:08
similar stories where the burka that comes out of service is
50:11
much greater than, you know, the service.
50:14
And we're undeserving sometimes, but still we're given access to
50:17
those things. The The only thing I say is if
50:20
you're not invited to Carbala, there's still a lot you can do
50:23
in in wherever you are based, wherever in the world, there's
50:26
always. Something, maybe a lot.
50:27
Maybe our mom needs you. Somewhere else, somewhere else.
50:30
I'll be honest, I've only been to Carbala once in my lifetime
50:32
and I went in 2019 for 15 Shaban and I was actually embarrassed
50:36
that you know that for I think I was 2829 at the time.
50:39
So like for 29 years I haven't visited, you know, the place
50:43
where all Shias go. And then when I go to the
50:47
shrine, I was still really embarrassed.
50:49
You know, why am I coming after so many years?
50:51
You know, it feels like I should have been here early and maybe
50:53
5-10 years ago, you know, every. Because then at that point I was
50:56
talking to you like, yeah, it's really easy.
50:57
It's a few £100, you can easily fly and this and that.
51:01
And then I remember I met someone and he told me that I
51:04
have waited my whole life to come to Karbala.
51:06
Well, I can't remember how old he was.
51:08
He was quite an elderly gentleman and he said I've had
51:11
the opportunity, I've had the means, I've just never been
51:13
invited. Right.
51:15
So he said, you know, the opportunities will come.
51:18
You decide when you take them. And when I reflected in my life,
51:21
I realized that my personal finances, my personal situation,
51:24
I had to look after my family, similar to you, my father
51:27
pastor, when I was young. So there's different
51:28
responsibilities. I generally come in trouble, you
51:31
know. So when you do things for the
51:34
right reasons, it's not again, about quantity.
51:37
Yeah, I know people have been to Arvai in every single year and
51:40
they come back and sometimes you think this AFLAQ is not Husseini
51:43
at all. Yeah.
51:44
And there are others have been once or twice.
51:45
But you can see the change it it causes in them.
51:48
So wherever you are, you have to maximize that opportunity.
51:50
Yeah. But yeah, as much as you get to
51:53
go, just go. Yeah, definitely.
51:54
Don't you guys always say book your tickets?
51:57
Yeah. OK, now are you going to book
51:58
Kinshala? Pray for us.
52:01
We're invited. Let's say yes.
52:02
I believe. Yeah.
52:03
Depends whether your mom needs us Charlotte brothers.
52:05
If you see them on the world, make sure you say Salam to them
52:07
and. They come to Sala and Charlotte
52:10
and Charlotte and I, I, I, I hope we get the opportunity this
52:13
year. Charlie, Charlotte yourself as
52:15
well and everyone listening and watching because where else
52:17
would you want to be. It kind of allows home, and home
52:20
is by Hussein's no and the Charlotte lifetime of service
52:25
for all of us, for those of you who have never served.
52:29
You still miss out on this opportunity because once you
52:31
serve, that's it. And you understand where you
52:36
have to be a servant of a lot. That's how I see it.
52:38
And if we want to know what the meaning of Abdullah is, serve
52:42
him up. We can't explain it, right?
52:44
You have to experience it. Yeah, it's one of the.
52:47
One of the zeros. Some experience I'm looking
52:49
forward. To it?
52:50
Yeah, sure, sure, Yeah. Can I just say it's been an
52:53
absolute honor being a guest? I think, I said in the
52:55
unrecorded one. But.
52:56
No, I guess my brother, my brother.
52:58
But very honored to be here. I've listened to almost every
53:01
episode now, and it generally feels like I know you guys so
53:04
well. What's been your best episode?
53:06
Good question. I like that.
53:09
I like that. Just don't ask us because I have
53:12
to say, being very honest, every month it changes, yeah.
53:16
Everybody really enjoyed the one who said mother.
53:21
I really enjoyed the one we talked about, the father I left
53:23
normally and you recited some beautiful poetry.
53:27
It really touched my heart. But being very honest, if you
53:30
look at my Google podcast, there's only after Margaret and
53:32
this is not a book club. There's nothing else.
53:34
Great podcast. So you know you're feeling a
53:37
void that clearly exists. And again, if you have not taken
53:40
the opportunity, we will still have a void in the space.
53:43
So imagine if everybody contributed that little bit.
53:46
Suddenly all these voids would go away and shout.
53:48
Everyone would benefit. From it with your daughter.
53:52
Thanks for coming on. Before we end, I just, I really
53:54
wanted to echo one thing you said earlier about parents.
53:57
Shout out to all our mothers, fathers, grandmothers,
54:00
grandfathers. Bless them all.
54:02
Reward them. Our seniors, our teachers in the
54:03
community. I I I realized the other day.
54:08
You know, like when when you read the Quran, you think
54:11
Spanala like a law's giving me the ability and the knowledge to
54:14
read this, this Quran. How do I learn that?
54:16
Who taught me the Makar Mart and who taught me all the rules and
54:20
the tajiweed? And someone taught that sauce.
54:23
In my case, it was my specifically my grandmother, my
54:27
mother Now like give them long lives.
54:29
And also I had teachers Hamdillah, I had a Quran teacher
54:32
who thought to my auntie who Marshallah.
54:37
Messaged me a few days ago she had.
54:38
She got my number from somewhere to ask me about something and I
54:41
haven't spoken to her in years, like 15 years.
54:44
She messaged me about something I said look, first month before
54:47
we before I answer your question, I'm sorry.
54:49
I'm sorry for everything. All the trouble I gave you, all
54:52
the times I messed around. And I wanted to thank you
54:55
because many years later we realized what service they've
54:58
done for us. The hours and the patience they
55:00
put up with us. All the mischief we gave them
55:02
and. You know, a lot only knows what
55:05
benefit that is because now I'm at an age where I'm teaching my
55:08
son Quran and I owe it to those elders, family and teachers and
55:14
friends who brought that blessing to us.
55:17
So I'm sorry I I kind of went on a tangent, but I believe if you
55:21
if you couldn't and you were the first one in your family to
55:24
teach yourself, your child would be your version basically
55:27
because you would be even better.
55:29
Yeah, he would know more to do than no more calm and his
55:31
understanding would be greater than yours.
55:33
So I think that generational thing we have to plan almost
55:36
very important that you focus on the things that are important
55:40
and not spend your life at working each other.
55:42
Say that again, not spend your life at work like me.
55:46
Yeah, past a few of us. All right, guys.
55:48
Thank you. As always.
55:49
Thank you, Doctor Ali Abbas Hashem for coming on.
55:51
Hopefully in that time we'll see you as well.
55:54
And guys, if you're still not subscribed, make sure you smash
55:58
that like button, smash the subscribe button wherever you're
56:00
listening. Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
56:02
anywhere else. We are approaching the season of
56:05
Adebayin fast approaching now and this is really a time where
56:09
we begin to understand our communal roles and our
56:13
individual reformation. We're going to talk about that
56:16
and that is going to be a topic of.
56:17
Discussion in the next week or two, so stay tuned.
56:21
And as always, if you have anything to share with us, get
56:24
in touch. Anything dad say before we wrap
56:26
up? Just to our Co Ahmed book your
56:28
Zyara tickets and subscribe. And Shala, take care guys.
56:32
Have a good week and we will see you next week or so.
56:34
Are they coming up to live workout?