The Blessings Of Becoming A Muslim

The Blessings Of Becoming A Muslim - Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. We thank Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick for this talk. And may Allah rewards him.

Opening Remarks and Q&A Session

InshaAllah, it's the time for the questions and answers. And as Sheikh said, if anyone has a question, inshaAllah, he can direct to the Sheikh, inshaAllah. Or he can write in a piece of paper, inshaAllah.

Do you want a priority for the non-Muslims? Sheikh is saying to the non-Muslims that they have more priority today to address their questions. And you can ask about anything, inshaAllah, and Sheikh will answer you, inshaAllah.

Okay, I want to open up the floor for any questions that anybody has. This is a formal setting, like a lecture. But actually, we're actually very informal. So, if you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask.

Question: Space Travel in Islam

Question: What is the Islamic view on going into space?

Answer: Well, there's no restriction about going into space. Even flying or going up into the atmosphere, there's no restriction. And if it's not for the will of Allah, (إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ - illa bi-idhnillah - except by Allah's permission). If Allah allows for people to go up into the atmosphere, there's nothing wrong with that.

Like airplane travel and what not, there's nothing wrong. Only, the difficulty comes, if people go into space, and because of that, they get a God complex. They start to think that they're God. Because they go up, then this is the problem. But in terms of going into the space, there's nothing wrong with it.

My only problem with Cape Canaveral and what is happening in many of the countries is, they're wasting a lot of money. They just recently lost this ship that they sent out. I think they said 185 million dollars, US. Just for an experiment, because they want to fly a plane 5 times the speed of sound. People are starving to death. And you have the money to play with a little toy. Because you want to fly faster than 5 times. What good is it going to do to you, man? When people are starving to death. This is the only real blame that I would say about doing that. Okay, the floor is open for any other questions anybody has.

Sisters, if you have a question, you can feel free to either ask it or you can write it. It's up to you. Floor is open.

Question: Why Does Allah Use "He" Pronoun?

Question: Why does Allah call himself "He" in the Quran as opposed to "She" or neutral pronoun?

Answer: The usage within languages, many of the languages, because of the predominance of men within the societies, "He" is used, but the "He" when it's being used in Arabic, obviously does not mean masculine or feminine. Because it is clear within the text of the Quran, that Allah is not male or female. And the "He" is only used as a way of language. It's a way within language they were expressing the concept of the Creator through "He".

And to say "It" in Arabic, there is no "It" like in English. Even English, just to call God "It," wouldn't make sense. Because that denotes non-intelligence. So in English they would say "He" with a capital H. So it is understood through the actual Arabic grammar, what it means.

Question: Changing Names Upon Converting to Islam

Question: This is more of a personal question to me. I come from a Christian background and I'm thinking of becoming a Muslim. And I was just wondering if I was to convert, would I have to change my name? Has that got anything to do with it?

Answer: Okay, it's a good question. Sorry, because that would be a really sort of a big problem within the family. Yeah, actually you know, there is nothing in Islam that actually says that you have to change your name.

And the early followers of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم basically maintained their names. If you see the early people of Bilal and Umar and Uthman and Ali, they didn't change their name. There was a case of Abdul Shams, who was a slave of the sun. And so his name was then changed to Abdul Rahman. Okay, so which is a slave of Ar-Rahman, meaning the creator. So therefore, you have to look into your name.

I'll give the example of my close friend Bilal Phillips. I think he was here before. And so we were, when he came into Islam, we were trying to figure out the names. And so he did some research and he found out that his name, it was Dennis. Dennis Phillips. Dennis is from the god Dionysus. Who is the Greek god of sport and play and drinking wine and what not. So he said, I have to change that name. But Phillips is a lover of horses. Phillips. So there's nothing wrong with that. Muslims love horses.

Okay, so therefore, then he changed his name to Bilal Phillips. Okay, so what is happening is that probably the best way to do it, which many of us do, is that you maintain your surname, which is the family name. We look at like a name of a Qabila, like your tribe or your family. But then the given name, your given name can be changed or it can remain. But you know, at first, really when you become a Muslim, you don't have to think about that at first. It's not important at all.

Okay, only if a person has a name like Hogg or Savage. Then you may have to think about it. But even then, it's still a family name, right? In most cases though, it's fine. So don't worry about that.

The Core of Islamic Belief

Many of the Muslims tend to put more importance on the name than on Tawheed. But the crucial thing is the

belief in one god. That's the crucial thing. And Risalah. That you accept all the prophets and Muhammad ﷺ as the finality of prophets. Once you accept those, you're in, man. You're in.

And you know, for myself really, what I found is that Islam is really a lifestyle. So if you look at it more as a lifestyle, it's not an official church. Where you sign a document and all that. That's not the important thing. It's a lifestyle. And the basis of that is the belief in one god. That all of our actions go back to the creator of the heavens and the earth. So may Allah make it easy for you inshallah, for this change.

Question: The Origin and Spread of AIDS

Question: We are being taught about evolution at the university. And we are being told that AIDS is spread from green monkeys. What is the best argument against this?

Answer: Okay, there are a number of theories concerning the spread of AIDS. Or the beginning of AIDS. And in South Africa, there was a conference, the Islamic Medical Association. Where leading doctors from around the world came together. And there are a number of theories.

Various Theories About AIDS Origin

One theory, and this just may shock you. But this is a doctor who presented this. One theory is that AIDS came from outer space. It's an alien disease. And aliens brought it to earth and they infected humanity. But that one is a weak argument which couldn't be supported.

The second theory is the theory of AIDS being part of a racial thing. And that it was African people. First, it was a green monkey in Africa who infected an African person. And then it was spread by African people around the world. Now, this is also a very weak argument.

The Reality of AIDS Spread and Racism

Number one, when we look at the spread of AIDS itself. You see, there is a tendency, racism comes into disease. In America, whenever somebody gets a flu, they will say, Hong Kong flu. Taiwan flu. Like all the flu comes from China, man. When the flu probably came from New York City. But they call it Hong Kong flu. You see, that's racism, man. That's racism. So now, as another way to try to put African people down. They connected with the green monkey.

Scientific documentation has showed. When AIDS came out, the highest percentage of AIDS was amongst male homosexuals. In San Francisco. This is where it really spread. And you can see it from San Francisco, even to Haiti. People visiting as tourists. It was basically male homosexuals who had this disease.

Of course now, we know that it is not only a homosexual disease. It is passed through drugs, with the needles. And any fluids, the fluids that are coming from one body to another. Can transfer this disease.

Medical Explanations

Malik Bedri, Dr. Malik Bedri. Wrote a book concerning AIDS. And in this, he showed homosexual practices. That you will see, because of male homosexual practices. That by the taking in of filth into the blood stream. And semen into the blood stream, which is not natural to be taken in. It actually breaks down the immune system. Because AIDS is actually acquired immunity deficiency syndrome. Your immune system is broken down. Right?

Alternative Theory

There is another theory. That AIDS was actually spread by the American military. And there was a woman in America. Her name was Cress, Dr. Cress. And she was traveling from city to city. And she said, she was in the laboratory. And she saw the AIDS virus. She saw the containers. And she saw the antidote. Before it spread in San Francisco.

And so her theory was. That they wanted to inoculate. They wanted to do like a test. And so they said, they will take the most despised part of the population. So they look for male homosexuals in San Francisco. And they would try it on them to see what would happen. Okay, but then it spread. It got, it went wildfire. And so they kept the antidote inside their laboratory. Whether that's true or not, Allah knows. We can't prove that for sure.

The Prophetic Hadith About Immorality and Disease

In a general sense. You can see. In the same way that this fasad, this corruption. And what it brings. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said in a hadith:

"Whenever fahisha (sexual immorality and corruption) spreads amongst a people, it appears, and they do it openly, there will also appear amongst them diseases and famines that they never knew in the previous generations."

And so when the homosexuals started having this disease. They felt insecure. And they went out into the streets. In Toronto. We had a what they call gay pride day. And they had 500,000 homosexuals marching in the streets. And they said, we're queer and we're here. And we're not going away. That's what they said, man. Subhanallah.

Then, and we're having another lecture for Muslims tomorrow. But to give you a hint. They actually included somebody from the Muslim community. And they had a float that they call As-Salam. And people from the Muslim community. Who were turned out and confused. And got involved in that. And they marched in the parade too.

So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said وَمَا ظَهَرَتِ الْفَاحِشَةُ )when it comes out, they do it عَلَانِيَةً )openly then comes the الطَّاعُونُ وَالْأَوْجَاعُ )plagues and diseases). So this ta'un is now coming. This disease is now coming and it's spreading in the land.

Conclusion on AIDS Origin

So you can put it all together. And you know, there may be a number of reasons. I'm not sure which one is actually the theory. But the theory of starting in Africa is racism. That's racism. And through scientific documentation. You will see that in San Francisco amongst male homosexuals. In the first five years or so. They were the main people on earth that had AIDS. And then they say it went to other countries.

Question: Muslims Seeking Judgment from Non-Muslim Judges

Question: As-salamu alaykum Sheikh. Walaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah. My question may be a little bit far away from the main roots of your topic. However, you know something that worthwhile to have an answer for it. And the clarification here. As Muslims who are living in a non-Muslim country. Of course we have our own problems and our own advantages and disadvantages. Now my question is. Should Muslims who are confronted to brothers or any two Muslims. Should they go to judge by a non-Muslim judge. In the absence of official Muslim judge in the society?

Answer: Okay. Well the first thing I want to say. To be very honest with you. Is that we are hoping and praying. For a genuine Islamic society. To evolve and to appear on this earth. But up until now. There is no Islamic state on earth. There are some people who are getting close. And we pray inshallah. We have to make dua. That Allah will help them to complete. So their economy is interest free. Their politics has a Khalifa. Right. Until they are governed by Quran and Sunnah.

The Reality of Muslim Countries

There are some that are moving towards it. Actually now. The so called Muslim countries are all shades of different. British constitutional law. French constitutional law. All types of secular systems rule the Muslim world. And you will find. That there are actually some Islamic practices. That are practiced in the non-Muslim countries more than in Muslim countries. Some of the civil laws. In these societies where you get justice. In the court system. It comes from Islamic courts. It was the Islamic court system that transferred this concept into Europe. And they took the ball and they spread it now.

Living Within Non-Muslim Legal Systems

So therefore if we are living within a country like this. If we have surrendered ourselves. And come here for whatever the reason is. Then to a certain extent. You have to respect the basic laws of the country. As long as it's not making you go outside of your Islam. We have to learn now how to work within the environment that you are in.

Unfortunately. And I say this from experience. Because in Toronto I was the imam of a big mosque. Over a thousand people in the mosque. And we had Muslims from every part of the Muslim world. And when we had marital problems. Many times the brothers especially. They don't respect the imam. The imam tells them. You

can't say talak, talak, talak, talak. Like water coming out of your mouth. But they continue to say it. They don't respect the imam. They beat their wife. Brutally. In the name of Islam. They do all kinds of things.

And they won't respect. Then you say, okay brother. I'm gonna call the police. Okay, mashallah. Now he's gonna be very cooperative now. You see. Because the police are coming. You see. In New York City what brothers used to do is. If there was a marital problem. We had brothers trained. And we would go to the house. And we'll deal with him ourself. We'll deal with the brother. But this is a different situation in New York. This is different than New York.

The Best Solution: Out of Court Settlement

So really we have to learn to respect those institutions that are here. As long as they are not taking us out of our faith. And sometimes you have to go in that situation. The best way. And what is happening in Canada now. It may even be coming here. The court systems are realizing. That in order to save cost in the court. They have an out of court settlement. And so they appoint people who are not major judges. But they are like lawyers. And they sit with the two parties. Agreed parties. And they have an out of court settlement.

That is the best possible thing for us in this system. Because then you can get a mufti. Somebody from the Muslim community. Who sits with a lawyer from the court. And then you have the two sides. Right. And then it is an out of court settlement. Right. Where the power of the state is there. To keep the brother in check. Right. But you still have a mufti who is there. Who can enter in the sharia perspective. So the sharia perspective would be there in the decision. That is the best that I have seen within a minority situation.

Unfortunately only in a few parts of the western countries. Do the Muslims respect the imam enough. To actually obey what the imam is saying. Most of the people look at the imam. They lead salat man. Make jumah. After that you are finished man. You have no power over my life. This is what happens. So we try to get the best settlement possible.

Question: Women Wearing Niqab and Nike Clothing

Question: I wanted to ask you two questions. The first one was. Is it haram if a woman does not wear niqab? Like cover her face and her hands. And the second question was that. If we had like a Nike jumper or something. As Nike is a god of sports in Greece. Or something like that. If we had a Nike jumper. Would we have to cover the word Nike?

Answer: Yes. Ok. What I would like to say. Tomorrow we are having another session for the Muslims. So some of the deep questions concerning fiqh and you know what not. I want to discuss this amongst the Muslims. Because some of them. The non-Muslims over here would not be able to follow. You know all the detailed fiqh type questions.

Ruling on Niqab

In terms of the covering. Wearing niqab or gloves or whatever. It is permissible to wear it or not to wear it. You know and there is a discussion amongst the fuqaha. You know concerning it. But if a woman wants to wear that. It is permissible. It is fully permissible. And she is actually following the way of the sahaba. Many of the sahaba were the wives of the Prophet ﷺ. So there is nothing wrong with doing that. Or if a woman shows her face in her hands. There is nothing wrong with that also.

Ruling on Nike and Brand Names

Concerning the Nike is. You know there is a lot of discussions concerning these advertisement companies. And you know Nike Air. It said that on the back of the Nike. They had Allah. Something like that. Allah written on it. It was a symbol. And so I believe they actually took it off. There was a protest made by the Muslims and they took it off. In terms of whether Nike is a god of Greece or not. I am not sure. I am not sure about that. But it is better to avoid as much as possible.

However most of the products. Most of the clothing that comes out of the western countries. It has got a stamp on it. So just about everybody in this room has a name on their body. I don't care how orthodox Muslim you think you are. You got something. I have a Casio watch. So I can't erase Casio on my watch man. So as long as there is no symbol that has a shirk in it. Or something like that. Then you know you can only go.

The Problem with "Just Do It"

One thing I would avoid though. The Nike has got the check and it says, Just do it. Just do it. That one we don't want man. That is the lifestyle of Shaytan. That is Shaytan's lifestyle. Just do it. Bila hudud. No hudud. No limits in your life. Just do it. Do anything you want to do. This is the life of the hayawan. Of the animals. You want to make a comment? The God of victory. Okay. This is a good point. Okay.

Question: Muslims Having Christian Friends

Question: Can a Muslim youth have a Christian as a friend?

Answer: Okay. Again some of these tricky questions we want to say. But you know in terms of Muslim's relationship with the people of the book and what not. There is nothing wrong with having a friend. What the verse is talking about, Awliya. And Awliya are really the protectors. And really the ones you have allegiance to. There is an allegiance or a pledge. It is something deep. But there is nothing wrong with basic relations.

Question: Muslims in Early America

Question: In your book, Deeper Roots, you mentioned the early Americans were Muslims. Can you please tell more about this?

Answer: This is a whole lecture actually in there. But what I wanted to say is, what I will say in brief is that, in the same way that the Arabs, Muslims were the first to do the maps of Australia. There was a point during history, that the historians call the Dark Ages. So the Roman Empire is falling down.

The Islamic Golden Age

So somewhere between 400 B.C. or so, and about the 15th century, no 400 A.D., and about the 15th century A.D., they say the Dark Age, the lights went out. But the lights didn't go out on the Muslims. The lights were shining. It was the Golden Age of Islam. So during that time, Muslims travelled throughout the planet.

And there's documented proof by Muslim writers, al-Mas'udi, al-Idrisi, ibn Quttiya, al-Umari. A number of famous geographers and historians actually wrote, and we have the written proof. I've got a book here that documents the proof for you. Written in Arabic, that talks about journeys made by Muslims across the Atlantic Ocean, and they went into America, they lived with the native people, and they were actually there long before Columbus.

Christopher Columbus

Columbus was lost. He thought he was in India, and he bumped into America. And he said, you're Indians. But the people are not Indians, man. India was like, you know, hundreds and thousands, it's way far away, man. He said, you're Indians. And you see the picture of Columbus. And he's standing at the shore, and he's saying, you know, I conquer you in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella. And the people were just saying like, you know, calm down, man. Have something to drink.

My question is to the historians, how can you discover a place, when the people are standing there looking at you, man? And they've been living there for 20,000 years. And they had pyramids, they had big cities, they had philosophy, they had language, everything. How can you say you discovered the place, man? This is historical cultural imperialism, which is put into our educational system. And we're trying to rewrite the textbooks now.

I work with the Toronto Board of Education, and we try to rewrite these books. Some of them they let us, some they're fighting us, man. Not to rewrite the books. I would say, Christopher Columbus was discovered in 1492. You understand that? He was discovered. Yeah.

Question: Social Justice and the Heart of Islam

Question: I was interested, you know, you elaborated on how, in Islam, we're called to enjoin what is right, and to forbid what is evil. And the original Sahaba were very vigilant in their actions towards injustice and oppression in general. There was this very, very dynamic aspect of Islam that was very social. But, you know, we go to the mosque here in Perth, and people say, nobody touches on this. The people say, you know, make dua, Allah will help you in your studies, and make dua, and Allah will, you know, and all this, and nobody ever touches on these particular issues.

That is the heart of the Quran, Sahih Bukhari, and Sahih Muslim. This is, the heart of Islam is to have a heart that demands and fights. You know, you cannot separate this from Islam, or this is not, but a heart that fights injustice for the restoration of the dignity and unity in the society. But, you know, people talk about they say, oh look, he's kuffar, you know. But actually, the Islam that he's preaching is more concerned with social justice to some extent than what some of the Islam that we get here is.

But why is this, brother? How come we are getting a watered down Islam that is not in the primary, and I go to the mosque and people say, oh, you know, somebody stands up, oh Allah, you know, make dua, and Allah will bless you in your studies and in your, in your business and all this sort of thing. And you think, well, what's that got to do with, well good, you know, that's lovely, but they're missing the heart of, Islam should be fervent, should be worried about, Muslims should be worried about justice and things like that. They shouldn't just be worried about, you know, making money and that. Why is this? What's happening? How come we're not, you know, I can go to a church and hear all this. Brother, I don't need to go to a mosque and hear this. You know, this is something that has to be addressed, brother.

The Cyclical Nature of Islamic History

Answer: Okay, one of the great historians, Sheikh Ibn Khaldun, Rahimahullah, when he looked at Islamic history, he looked at it in a sense, it's like a cycle, cyclical. And there are some points where Muslims are not practicing their faith, they may be just Muslim in name. And that would be a low point. They'll have their names, but they will not have Sultan. They will not have authority in the land. And the more that the Muslims now practice their faith, they start to go up on the circle now. And so we are actually moving up on the circle.

The Awakening Process

We're moving, and that's why you see Muslims all over the place, and it's starting to rise and we're coming up. But you know, it's like a person who's sleeping. When you first get up from your sleep, you're groggy. So, you're sort of staggering and you're not sure which area. So, you see groups say one loves Aqeedah, one loves education, one loves Tabligh, one loves Dua, one loves Tasawwuf, one loves this and that, and all kinds of isms and schisms. Because people are just waking up from the sleep.

And so really, we are moving up towards that pure, you know, Islam that actually gives you that connection with society. And gives you the enthusiasm to change things, to go out into the world. But this is a process that we're going through. And we pray that the next generation can actually see this. But it may take even more than a generation. Allah knows best. But we're actually in a process now of change.

Seeking Knowledge Through Travel

And so, what you need to do is that, you know, there are tapes that are available. There's different lectures available. And also Muslims are actually given encouragement by Allah to travel in the land. So when you travel to different parts of the world, you will see Muslims in a different perspective. If you stay in your own

neighborhood, you'll only get a narrow version of Islam. But if you travel, go to Europe, go to America, you know, go to different parts of the Muslim world, you'll see different shades of Islam. And you'll see people who are much more active in their way.

Addressing Political Questions About the Muslim World

Okay, some of the questions now, highly, like political type questions, concerning the Muslim world. And I would like to reserve these questions till tomorrow. We're having another session. I would prefer to reserve some of the more tense political questions concerning the Muslim world till tomorrow.

The Impact of Colonialism

What I can say, and Allah knows best, and I say this with all respect to the Muslims, is that, the colonial period and the destruction that was wreaked on our societies has actually put us in a state of confusion. And so therefore, in coming out of this, some of the governments and some of the things that are happening in the Muslim countries, are not in line with Islam at this point in time. And that is because of the economic pressure put on them, the political pressure.

Post-Traumatic Syndrome

There's a psychological syndrome called post-traumatic syndrome. And that is that if a person is involved in a trauma, you know, after that trauma is over, they're in a terrible accident, they see somebody they love die, you know, this trauma can come back on you, a year later, it can hit you. And you can actually have like a psychological problem can happen.

And so in many of the countries, they just come out of a war. They've seen their families destroyed. They've been in terribly confusing situations. And so therefore, some of the actions done are extreme. But as long as we know what the source is, as long as we know what Islam is, we're okay. The problem is if we don't know what Islam is, now we're in confusion. But at least, alhamdulillah, we can go back to the Prophet ﷺ and to the early Islam and we know what the base is in this.

Question: Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam

In the case of Minister Farrakhan, you have to understand the dynamics in America itself to be able to understand Minister Farrakhan and the nation of Islam. And he being a student of Malcolm X, and coming out of one of the powerful organizations, which is actually founded by, I would say the real founder of the organization, is a man named Marcus Garvey, who's from Jamaica, the island of Jamaica. He was a black nationalist, civil rights, not civil rights, it's like civil rights type organization. Economic empowerment.

The Positive and the Problem

And so he answers these questions. He speaks boldly about the problems in society. And in that way, he is doing something that is good. The problem is that's happening with his movement, is that he still maintains some of

the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. And this is a problem. When you read his magazine called, The Final Call, you'll see in the back that they still say, we believe that Allah appeared in the person of W.D. Fard Muhammad in 1930, the Mahdi of the Muslims and the Messiah of the Christians. That means they believe that God came in a man. And that's totally against Tawheed. Totally.

And so, that's the problem. Like, he's in a transition, and he's saying that he's coming closer to Islam. Many of his followers are now becoming Muslims. And we pray, inshallah, that Allah would bring them into Islam. Because, you know, he's very outspoken. But we still have to take a stand, when it comes to these teachings. Because when it comes to talking about religion, then he will get you confused. But if you're talking about civil rights, then, he sounds like Malcolm X. He's the student of Malcolm X. If you understand Malcolm X, you'll see one of the greatest revolutionaries of the 20th century. And so, then you'll see why Farrakhan speaks, you know, in this sense.

The Test of This Ummah: Wealth

You have a question, brother? As-salamu alaykum, brother. Walaykum as-salamu alaykum. Um, I'm curious to know... Yeah, what I would say, and I want to talk a little bit more about this tomorrow night, is that the Muslims are being caught up in the Western culture.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Unknown Source)

"Every nation has a test, a trial, a tribulation. And the test and trial of this ummah is wealth, money."

The Influence of Western Culture

And so, the Western powers now, using advertisement, and also this hayat al-dunya, the life of this world, have gotten Muslims caught up in the life of this world. And so, reaching out for this false, you know, money, this false god, this is the confusion that has happened.

Also, using the media, the propaganda now is so heavy, that, you know, with some of these movies, they put fear in your heart, man. I mean, if you see Arnold Schwarzenegger, what he does to you, the crimson jihad, in True Lies, right? You see what he does to them, man. It like terrorizes your heart, man. And this is why they do that. Because they wanted to psych people out, in terms of what, you know, this illusionary power they actually... They have power, there's no doubt about that. But the movie is a false, surrealistic world.

Using Technology Without Adopting the Culture

And so, Muslims, because of the technology spreading, are caught up in this wish. And so, until we can separate ourselves from the wish, where we can use the technology, but we don't get involved in the culture. We're not caught up with the culture. We just use the technology. And we maintain as the basis of our culture, should be the sunnah. That's the basis of our culture. So, you know, when we can come out of that, then we would be able

to defeat it. You know, it's sort of a love-hate thing. Sometimes it's love, and sometimes it's hate. So, you'll see both things coming up. But it's really a confusion.

The Reality of America

And those who come from America, as yourself, I believe, understand that, you know, what's in America is totally different than the movie, man. When you're there on the streets, it's a totally different world, than what you see inside this movie, right? Mission Impossible, and all these people running around. You know, right now in America, there are more people in prison than in college. The prison population is larger than university population. Imagine this, man. That's the biggest business in America now.

You want to make money? Sell food to the prisons. You have a captive market. They can't move, man. And they're going to eat three meals a day, man. So, if you're selling them burgers, or something like that, you're suddenly a millionaire, man. You're a millionaire. You see? So, it's all about money-making, and illusion, and trickery, you know. We have to try to come out of that.

Question: Working in the Racing/Gambling Industry

Question: As-Salaam-Alaikum. Wa-Alaikum-Salaam. I have been in the racing industry for a number of years. Unfortunately, the gambling is right into it. I work hard to earn my wages through what I do. I've never been involved in gambling, but I heard from a lot of brothers that me being in the industry is fully haram. And I asked some sheikhs. They said, well, if you encourage the gambling, it's haram. If you don't, it's halal. So, what's your point?

Answer: Well, you know in the Hadith:

(Unknown Source)

(Innama al-a'malu bin-niyat - Actions are based on intentions). Your deeds are based on your intentions. But then, you know, with haram things, really, if a person is involved indirectly in haram, and they're assisting it, and they're building it up, then they are basically involved in the haram itself. And really, we should try to avoid this as much as possible.

The Example of the Casino

Now, to get specifically to your question, you'd have to tell me exactly what you do. Like for instance, we have a thing called, in Cape Town called, this Grand West Casino. Which is a new casino just built in Cape Town now. And it's a huge place. It's also a mall. So, it's got restaurants inside of it, and it's got all types of things. And it's a casino. So, it catches some people because it's a mall. It's got movie houses inside, you see.

So, but really, if a person is inside the casino, and they're not betting, but they're fixing up the roulette table, they're giving out the chips, or whatever it is, I mean, they're involved in this haram in a sense. So, this is like a shubha. At best, it's a doubt.

The Principle: Leave What is Doubtful

So, leave (دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ - Da' ma yaribuka ila ma la yaribuka - Leave what is doubtful to that which is not doubtful). At best, it's doubtful. So, it's better to stay away from it completely.

Because remember, this gambling now, it is described by Allah as

(rijsun min 'amalish-shaytan - a filth from the handiwork of the devil). It is a filth. It's a filth from the handiwork of the devil. So, you really got to try to get away from it, and to get some other better halal way of income. InshaAllah.

Final Invitation to Embrace Islam

Finished? Okay. So, I want to thank you for the questions. And to my friend who has come here tonight, in terms of Islam, I invite you to embrace Islam. Because really, you know, when I was about to make that move, the shaitan comes too. The devil can come to you, right? And try to make it seem difficult for you.

But if you have that feeling in your heart, you're not joining an organization, you know, it's a spiritual change between you and the creator. You don't have to change your name, right? You're still the same person. You have the same mother. You have the same father. You know, you're still the same.

But then, you're tawhid now. You're connected directly with the creator, right? And now, you have the fullness of prophethood. So, I would encourage you strongly to take your shahada tonight. May Allah make it easy for you, and for all those who are interested in Islam.

Closing

(Wa as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh)