"You're such a good brother, but you can't marry my daughter" — prejudice and marriage: the Muslim convert experience perfectly summarized by an African American Shaykh in this lighthearted, humorous, and insightful interview

Are we ready for the day when the aya "and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in throngs" (110:2) comes true?

The Qur'an and Ahlul Bayt (as) are the ark of salvation for all humanity, are we just going to keep it for ourselves in some exclusivistic club?

Yes, vet converts, put them through various smell tests to weed out the bad ones, but if they pass the vetting process, afterwards there must be equality. They must be treated as equals and brothers. Not as superior royalty where they are tokenized and their cheeks pinched like children, nor as inferior second class Muslims who should "know their place" and get the door slammed in their faces for marriage proposals solely due to race (and not due to legitimate issues).

As the Shaykh mentions in this video, the first instance of prejudice/racism was Iblis when he refused to bow to Adam (as).

For many born Muslims, prejudice along racial lines is not intentional, so the more we can be aware of our unintentional shortcomings, the better we can improve ourselves and society, and the more we can get closer to Allah by having an active faith based on understanding rather than passive inheritance.

This is not to be pessimistic but to help us see the reality so we can prepare for what is ahead: the salvation of mankind from tyranny and corruption via Imam Mahdi (aj) and Jesus Christ (a), and all these notions of prejudice will not be a part of their system, both the actual government and the culture they will instill across society.

Watch the full podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk4rHTZqi7g It has many funny and enlightening stories about people who convert to Islam, including this Shaykh's experience among African American converts, such as hiding salah (the Islamic prayer) from parents by praying in the bathroom next to the toilet, as well as real talk about what is needed for Muslims in the west to thrive within a sea of corruption and tyranny.

Our book The Firmest Handle: Converts to Islam Who Became Martyrs is available on our webstore.