If you read past the headline, congratulations, you are one of the few individuals who care. I wanted to write about this since I saw the video on Mujahideen Ryder’s blog. These past couple of days, I kept opening WordPress wondering if I should just write about something else — something more people would enjoy reading. I even made a whole other post ready to publish, but something stopped me.

I don’t want to be one of those people who just write for entertainment purposes. I will never write something just to cause controversy. I guess you can say I’m the black sheep of the journalism industry. While everyone else writes what will get more readers and more subscriptions, I’ll write what needs to be said no matter the reaction from the audience or even if there is no audience at all.

I guess you can say I’m a little disgusted with those methods, since I worked at a paper that used them — but then again, which newspaper doesn’t?

The reality is, the media dictates what we should think is important in the world and what we shouldn’t care too much about. You have media gatekeepers, people you don’t know anything about, saying, ‘This is what society should be talking about and this is something that is not really important or interesting to anyone.’

According to gatekeepers, people should care about Donald Trump’s hair or Barack Obama wearing Kenyan clothing.

One of those topics gatekeepers are telling us is not important is Iraq. Iraq won’t bring readers anymore. Iraq is something so, so far away; old news.

As you know, the video I’m posting is not pleasant in nature. It will cause emotional distress for those of you with a heart. And while I’m telling you this, perhaps half of you have already closed the window or have navigated away from this site. For those of you who haven’t, take a look at the video:

I don’t want to be another one of the ones who just turns away from the remembrance, just because it’s not pleasant to think about. I’ve done it before and I’m sure you have too. You see something depressing, you get sad for a couple of moments then block it out as something far and away; something you have very little to do with.

Reading this post is painful and uncomfortable for you. Because you know it’s exactly what you’ve done in the past and you don’t know how to stop from doing it again, today.

For one, we need to make dua for our brothers and sisters in Iraq and ask Allah to ease their hardship soon.

And lastly, for those of you with blogs, in journalism, or those of you who give lectures frequently don’t write with your viewers in mind, but write with your viewers in mind. Don’t write because you know it’s what they want to hear and will bring more fans your way, write because it’s what they need to hear. And leave the rest for Allah.

In a way I guess I, too, am a gatekeeper now. And Iraq, and the state of Muslims around the world is what I think is important and it’s something we should never forget. May Allah ease their hardship and strengthen the Muslimeen. ameen.

wallahu ta’ala alem.

There is MashaAllah a lot of people registered! You seriously don’t want to miss out on it, especially since the class is only going to be conducted once.

This is the last video before the launch of the first webinar on May 31st. Wallahi this is worth it. It’s no secret that I’m big on getting more Muslims in the media. It’s not only because it’s something I’m passionate about — but it’s because I know what potential is out there. This video does a good job of laying out the problem in the beginning with the 3D graphics then tells all about Message Mastery.

Registration will close I believe on June 13th. So whether you are more interested in writing, marketing or film making. Signing up for the first class is crucial because you will get into all the other ones for free. It’s really worth the money. And I hope that Allah ‘az wa jal makes it heavy on the scales of the people that register. ameen.

Remember the first session will be FREE for everyone to tune in and listen to on May 31st. So check it out and tell your Muzzzzlim friends.

Also: There is a post talking about the difficulties when making this video here.

Sheikh Muhammad bin al-Uthaymeen -rahimahullah- said in his sharh of the first of the 40 hadith An-Nawwawiyyah (“innamal ‘amaallu bin-niyyat…”– all deeds are but by intention…):

“The worship of the heedless ones are habits and the habits of the people of awareness are worship”

When we eat, most of the time we do it for enjoyment and it being just a normal part of our day. However, if a person really takes heed and changes his intention he could get rewarded by Allah ‘az wa jal. So when you go to eat, eat because it will give you the energy you need to worship Allah — and that is what will give you good deeds.

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I started my YouTube account a little over a year ago. I made the account so that I could comment on other people’s videos as well as use it to upload videos in the future.

This was around the time I had come across the very well known recitation of Sheikh Fahd Al-Kanderi of surat Al-Qiyyamah. It’s a recitation that made most of our eyes well with tears and shook (and still shakes) us to our very core. A couple of days later, I came across a set of eight Quran recitation videos someone had uploaded by the same sheikh. And I thought to myself, “These are GEMS. I need to upload them unto YouTube for everyone else to benefit from; And perhaps for every person who listens and watches these videos, Allah ‘az wa jal will reward me.”

That was my intention, and may Allah ‘az wa jal keep my intentions purely for His sake. Ameen. I uploaded the videos.

Alhamdulillah, I checked back recently and found that this one video I had uploaded over a year and a half ago has gotten over 450,000 views. Here is the video, I really love his recitations:

It is my hope that Allah ‘az wa jal will reward me — and I humble myself unto Him.

Anyway with that said, most of my YouTube channel is Quran recitations that I’ve uploaded. I go to certain Islamic forums in Arabic that post all sorts of recitations — so I find those videos and I upload them unto YouTube. I really love the khaliji style of recitation. Some of my favorite reciters are Mishary Rashid (of course), Maher Al-Muayqilly, Fahd AlKanderi, Majid al-’Anzi, Yasir Al-Filkawi, Muhammad Al-Luhaydaan, Salman bin al-’utaybi and Salah Al-Hashem.

So here are just a few of my videos and Insha’Allah I hope you contemplate and enjoy the recitations as much as I do:

Majid Al’Anzi: Surat Al-Hujurat

Fahd Al-Kanderi: Surat At-Tahreem

Yasir Al-Filkawi: From Surat Az-Zummar

Oh, and This Really Cute Baby “Khateeb” (not Quran):) :

Lessons:

Make your intentions purely for Allah’s sake and leave the rest for Allah — He will give you success. And continue to KEEP those intentions pure.

Take a break and contemplate the Quran. I’ve provided in the description section — with a lot of my videos — the translation of the verses for those who do not understand Arabic. Follow along. Find a Quran reciter that YOU enjoy listening to and follow along with your mushaf and contemplate.

A lot of us, including myself, spend a lot of time on the computer. Despite how busy we might be, we don’t even need to leave our desks to raise our own iman. Take time away from your busy life to remember Allah — find your special recitation today.

WAllahu ta’ala alem.