Becoming Muslim Changed My Life For The Better

assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakato my name is Bilal and that's my story I [Music] [Music] come from Italy from place called Monte Granada which is a village villager yes move if the ball is about 13,000 people is pretty small it's not it's not big at all but it's not really small okay but still everyone knows each other you know kind of the place if you sample something going on in everyone knows it yeah nothing just common life obviously there's nothing going on there not much going on no law activity gathering Emily no no basically was into you know into the church stuff you know when I was young I used to help the priesthood when there was the function I like to do the kind of stuff you need addition to that that was of your family oh well is he yeah it's a local thing you know everyone goes to the church so you know kind of feel like helpful doing there you know there's like a community a kamini and I think that's the believe yeah remember my mom she used to she used to ask the priest to come before we sleep to read the prayers for us and stuff later okay because there was a bit naughty okay so so there was the beginning of it that's why I had my knowledge of of Christianity and they used to go to the to the education etc etc then once once I start to go towards the teenagers time that's when you start to change friends and just to have my first mobile you know so start to move far from the from your house and I start to meet some vices therefore you start to try the first cigarette you start to drink alcohol and then from 14 15 16 since I started the the high school which for us start 15 years old up to 19 different ahead different school system your primary the first five years from the age of six basically up to eleven then you move to secondary school which is only three years and then you're going to choose your high school so from 14 till nineteen okay and that's when you know it was in another town so it was more far from the being being controlled you know and you know start to you know I design that stuff here how did your family take what obviously he said when you a young body I was not I was already naughty so you know they they were very harsh on me till one day remember that my dad attended a meeting in a school it was for parents and then I think in that meeting they spoke about how to educate your child and not to beat him you know to use more wisdom rather than just beating your child and then when that's when I noticed they stopped I stopped get physical punishment basically and the they start to be more easy on me but I don't know if it was good because then I became worse basically because they didn't have much control of me so I used to not listen to them being very rude to them and this was my life until I had my education putting you at a nice Italian I study as a geometric protein mashallah mitrice cool when I reach 19 years old I was in the the final exam and I just gave up why what made you give up because basically it was kind of a disaster meaning that there I didn't attend much school I knew that I couldn't make it soon succeed Jackson so I was stressed I'll say you know or you just was it nice to enjoy what you're studying not really know anymore why would you choose when you choose the school so young and then it ends up not being the thing that you like really you see because the only reason I choose the school because I was good in in a technical trolling okay you know that's the only reason but then you start to find you know economical matters and you know math and engineering matters you know the know love the stuff I liked and I didn't like my teachers you know I found them very I didn't like I was about you know a rebel kind of student so I didn't like the system I didn't like that type of teachers which I find them being hypocrite and listener so all of that made me hate the environment so I didn't really care then it was nice to in the same village that you energy delivered every system I still was living with with my parents but the school was in another village the 15-kilometer okay so still in within within the area but that time I was a start to be stuff to drink I was drinking heavily you know because there's nothing there's nothing going on you know I probably met the wrong people during my youth my youth so you know you I used to hang up and run with people which they were always older than me so obviously though I before they were doing different things yeah and then I just used to follow the by as a feeling I was feeling good with them I didn't feel comfortable with people of my the same age as mine so that's why in well that cost me a lot of good things which I could done in the in the past which I just burn out like that I didn't do it yeah and that was it after the after death situation I went to I went to work where were you working and as my town is famous for shoe making I went in a factory making shoes by making she's making shoes so you could have make it easier that's still my occupation I mean I'm a shooter better at the moment but yeah back that time I was just secretary factory so you may end up having your shift eight hours and you do the same stuff the same job again and again for eight hours yeah square you know hard when I start to work you know you see the first money coming in you still living under the roof of your family so you don't have to pay the rent you don't have to worry about and I just enjoy myself just earn money and spend money yeah there was for about four five years and in the same time I always liked music will you have any involved in music so I was involved in music I started with the drum kit when I was teenager then one of my friend in the high school hit the gym where you know today drums is a African West African drum the hand run yeah so put the sticks side and start to fill up the hand drums because the sound was warmer and I liked it more then when I started slowly slowly start to attend a few few courses of African drumming which was difficult for me we would have to traverse to Rome or to city far away from me because just for attend a class obviously the teachers they don't come to my area was nothing there and that's how I start till I found my my master which he lived near Bologna and they used to I used to make her every week and take my drum and go there and spend time with him trying to learn something more and there was my my really love my passion so I didn't care much about work or studying or career or nothing I just wanted to doing that from time I just love my music year there was the my hobby boards my first lover what I love to do till when I was 25 I plan a trip in Guinea Conakry Guinea Africa yeah yeah rest of em that ship didn't work so that trip was was looking into it because was my first time I've been studying the the culture and the music for for a long time do you want evolve is a not the first time are going to go there I was so excited and you know I'm going with my master is going back home but what happened in within less than a month time it happened the president of the country died there was a coup so the military took over the country was unstable was in it was dangerous to go sometime yeah the week before I had to go I had the high fever like I never had in my life I feel higher than 40 degree very very high fever probably due to the amount of vaccine I did before I don't know why but I had such a high fever so and and also the factory that I quit they didn't pay me my my bonuses and the stuff didn't pay your money no they tried to play smart saying trying to delay so therefore all this reason together made it impossible I had to cancel I cancelled and then I stuck I didn't have a job there was January beginning of January and then 2009 and then you know I was just you know trying to try and find some some job some here and there which was very hard because at the time there was a recession time yeah so the old factory starts to close down to find the job it was very hard in the same time my sister she was in in London she's younger than me she's 44 years younger than me and she was here for a foreign experience you know when you are young you wanna go out on broad you want to learn English you wanna see another country etc and when she came in holiday in the summer she said to me why don't you don't you come to London myself I said no way and come is dead until he was to freeze myself it's too cold you know and then I was thinking and then I said to myself oh why not why shall I be negative or in the end oh I'm not going to lose her on a good day a couple of months she was my was for trying you know it's not bad as I didn't travel much my life I say okay that's good I made the ticket I had kind of a 90-pound money the pocket no more the lesson and there was in the first in the first month I was sleeping in her room basically I wasn't on the floor that's the beginning so in the first week was kind of panicking you know you are in London in a massive city just you know I see one Junction and then with the five minutes ago I lost myself I don't know where I am kind of jungle is very far the money is and it was unbelievable the impact was I kind of a the start to go a bit funny like I didn't want to go out of the house cause when they get lost to me you know there was the beginning but after we realized okay I start to enjoy the fact that you know you you make effort you start to speak another language I find a job I found the job as a wrestler as a commuter in Italian restaurant after week with no experience um quick I never done it never done I told him you can ever done using jobs okay come tomorrow eight o'clock and I just put myself in that's how I started it so once you get into it basically you don't want to come back who's down there there's nothing to do so moreover after a month or two I met an Italian which he was playing was busking playing these drums in Piccadilly Circus my sister Clarissa I found someone playing the drum there you come and meet them so I made my way to Piccadilly Circus and we met so this guy was already here I spoke good English which lately I moved to live with him to share the same same house with him and it was with him he helped me to find my environment guarana you know it told me he helped me with the English he had to me with the taught me how to cook but I never cook before you know when you have to live by yourself it told me it was a good friend really everything is in my heart his name is Angelo so okay after that after day I met a group of African people which there are professionals and they they do African traditional African drumming in London so once we met it's like you know for me was this like land back in violation that's the best way what do you want more I find the group so you know I can learn I can improve myself we can play together I have a job and forget back home and that's it and so there was it basically I didn't go back now I'm living here seven years you know so then tell us what started happening your life and now how did you come to find Islam because you you know you just come from your hometown now you come to England all the things that you were doing before you continue doing it so that is your journey continue from that about Islam I didn't have a clue about Islam never heard of it before I didn't have a clue about what Islam is all I knew is I knew Muslims the common work required big community of Moroccans which obviously you know that they fast is a month which they fast you know that they got their traditional bursts you know the you know you know what you can see but they don't open up did I'll tell you about a believes no one tells you either even Muslim Moroccan friends a lot of them but they all were not practicing obviously and you don't hear nothing about praying you don't see them you know you just sang that anger and with then they drink they they do everything so for you is just a friend yeah it doesn't give you any anything of because probably they feel shy you know they they they making or you will never understand Islam so they don't bother even that's how is when I came here same thing lately I was living in East London and rented the room there was the Somalian lady she rented a room in her flat and you know in this house a lot of this friends over and you know they used to come and chill out in the in the living room and they used to be there and you know sometimes talking it may come out the argument or you know we are Muslim you know we say bismillah before doing is the left man don't use the right hand what you're doing this sort of stuff you know very funny stuff but sometime we go into the discussion you know the Quran Islam is good even they are not practicing the still is in the heart so they trying we do they tell you something about at least they tried see the Muslim that they don't practice is the one who actually on the that giving me a bit of Dawa on Allah and sign notice it until until I had this Quran this Quran in my mind since since back home you know it's a holy book but you don't really know how much what does he say you have a clue and you know when you debate with people always I always repeat myself as a clever person not stupid so I said I always say to them look when I read it I tell you you know if we use the useless Eden when I tell me this and I don't listen to you I listen to myself when I read it then I will judge myself it was in this book was even more amazing of this book notice that before that anyway when you live by yourself you know my life is start to be because without Islam obviously we know that there is no happiness therefore I was going into a routine of smoking and partying and playing the music which was the only thing that made me feel a bit better you know the fact that you are alone you don't ever even have a wife you don't have a family your life is quite empty therefore I used to start I started to question like what's all about I mean what am I doing here it's all about eating having fun go to sleep wake up go to work it I mean oh it can't be like that because you you start to witness things you know you witness how amazing is this world and how things happens and I used to believe even before that nothing moves who happens by chance no no you know I believe in the in the destiny the predestination even before because obviously observing around you and seeing things you come to a logical point that there's something sorting rules everything but I didn't know what for the must be entity or something but there was my thoughts but I never knew about Allegiance suffered I used to I come from the side of religions are man-made etc yeah because obviously you know you don't know much about it it's just you're able that makes up things and it feels comfortable with it that's it until one day coming from work I was in East London and I went something clicked my mind say you know let me go and buy this book man I always tell myself I would do I will do this and I never do nothing let me just go and get this book it came in my mind so I went to a ceramic book shop I go copy of Koran in English and I went home and opened the book I read basically was Fatih had the first chapter I just read the translation I said well this is more or less like a Bible then you know I just put it back on the Shelf then few weeks pass then I said to myself oh man I bought the book and still and I didn't even start reading I need to step up to do something let's let's try and really I always say myself read reading then I never do it so I started it when I really was committed and I started it there was the beginning there was the opening so I started from the first chapter and didn't take long really and the the impact that this book had to me it's like my Creator is talking to me straight and everywhere every chapter there was reading it was it was overwhelming I couldn't stop I need to go I need to read the next one oh this one was amazing what about the next and then reading the next one it was amazing the the level of you know the way the the Allah speaks through the Quran to the human being is is something amazing even if he is not the real language is not Arabic even through the translation you can feel it so what point did it make make you feel like you wanted to take cash or other to the to the point when even I wasn't able to catch the meaning fully because he's a very high English so I had to find the Italian I download the PDF from the Italian translation till the point after a month so very short time you know reading this book I was I was really and asking some of the people next to my area but Tony about more about Islam they explained me something about the who was the Prophet Mohammed Salim and who was about his life the Serie I start to learn added under stuff as well so I knew how this book came about and everything I really really had a shock you know I was upset no one told me this before I really start to have the strongly akin strong sir standing in the truthfulness of this book up to the point which up to the point which I I had to face my own my own ego and say to myself look now I know I know this message if I don't follow it I'm just a hypocrite and I'm just fooling myself like even now if from now on I'm going to ignore this that came to me now I feel like like and I'm not consistent and no you know therefore that that's when I was decided say I don't matter reach a point when I ponder and then I said you know what I don't I don't care what people say I don't care what what I'm going to do we have to pray let's pray you have to fast let's fast there's no important the important is is the reality this is this is what this is what we human being we meant to be meant to follow this message it's not about the action is about the you know the end of this life not worry about the action about this ice therefore that's when Shaitaan that time tried to delay my Shahada because I wanted to take Shahada but then those people saying to me oh you know why don't you wait for the Friday you take a nice shower you know you went to the mosque said to myself yeah well let's pass one week two weeks and then it didn't happen until it was a Thursday night I came out of the Stratfor station and there was a dour table so few guys that they were doing that table and they stopped talking to them like hi guys you know and I'm looking to Islam you know and I really believe that you know you are my brothers I was very excited you know and then they said to me oh so you didn't take the shadows well no yet I was going to plan it bro what you're waiting for you may cross the road car hit you and you know and you end up your life in a bad way I say you know he made me think really with this sentence you're right let's do it now and in the jihad oh yeah I Stratfor stationed outside the station and there was the the best thing and one of the best feelings of my life because they've been added very good feelings so bro after you taking a Shahada Stratford tell us how Islam impacted your life okay from the from the very beginning the first bus was the the first time I prayed Fajr in the mosque it was like I won the lottery so I came out the mosque I couldn't explain why I feel so happy I went to work therefore I'm crazy maybe I found a girlfriend or something what's going on you know there was the the beginning the player the player is what will change you actually helps you to get rid of your habit I stopped smoking stop basically pretty much every everything 15 and the same time I lost my job because they didn't allow me for prayer so I had the handle I had more time to learn the basics to you know learn a principle of the belief Ikeda learn about both basics of how to to do my worship and there was the you know the best times because you meet a lot of grow you feel the Brotherhood you have the best feelings you feel once you play you feel happiness you know where you won you are the you have the contact with Allah you feel the happiness which you don't reach with any of the worldly things yeah no money no NASA does nothing that gives you that that's the best thing that after six months I married and I'm unhappily married about three years now we have one daughter and there's another another thing that I never planned to do in my life before and you know it's all about if it's really positive you know and and this is a journey which you you know you don't just keep your prayers and then and then you still doing the scene and then you're still wasting your time when you're looking at woman's you have to try to improve improve you get closer to to God basically that's the journey them going through and so far and is the best thing you happened to me and I'm very thankful under them and I hope there anyone with looking into Islam the work was my advice is don't look at the Muslim because obviously no one is perfect don't look at the media because they talking a lot of rubbish there's a clear is clearly there's a propaganda against Islam for political reasons and just just asking your heart to the your Lord to guide you to the to the truth and you'll be guided if you are sincere to yourself and I'll guide you if you are if you look into a thing to find its mistake and to find something it's because you're trying to to please your own ego basically we will never find through therefore this my advice to the halacha and thank you for sharing your story [Music]

Channel: Digital Mimbar

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Keywords: islam, muslim, muslims, islamic, quran, koran, allah, muhammad, mohammed, mohamed, prophet, hadith, sunnah, shaykh, imam, lecture, khutbah, khutba, ramadan, bilal philips, sufi, salafi, hanafi, hijab, nasheed, nashid, almaghrib, dars, halaqa, bayan, convert, revert, shahada, dawah, da'wah, maher zain, sami yusuf, atheism, science, atheist, qur'an, recitation, surah, afasy, religion, religious, deen, madhhab, shia, sunni, Becoming Muslim, Brother Billal, roadside2Islam

Id: YMUuDK5Y-VY

Length: 28min 26sec (1706 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 22 2017