Jumah is the best day of the week. The Khateeb, Imam Suleiman, sent a purifying message at the Atlanta Masjid. He talked about the diseases of the heart. The more he spoke, the more I began to feel dirty, and dirtier, until I felt filthy. He said spiritual disease leads to physical disease. I’ve been in search of a cure for far too long. Dhikr is the cure. The remembrance of Allah, having Taqwah, is the cure. I immediately got a copy post-Jumah to make sure I collect all the gems from the Khutbah.

Imam Suleiman said, “Don’t let Eid come and you are the same as you were on the first day of Ramadan.” I let that sink in. I instantly thought to myself, what have I improved on since the beginning of Ramadan? We should constantly try and better ourselves. Never be satisfied with who you are as a person. Not pleased with my current output, I increased it. Realizing my limitations, I focused on what I could do. We are going around talking to the youth of America and giving them advice, but am I practicing what I preach?

Lowering myself and softening my position, I started to accept my own advice. It helped me tremendously. The worst thing is when someone confides in you and you tell them the right things to do, yet you are not practicing those guidelines. A hypocritical characteristic I’d like to rid myself of. The Jumah Khutba was perfect and a reminder I definitelly needed to hear.

We headed to Masjid Al Farooq for Iftar. After meeting some beautiful Muslims we headed out after Taraweeh. We continued to talk about life and how everyone was doing. We talked about everything from who has the best recitation (Qari) to Marriage. A young brother had stress pouring out of his eyes. He was excited he was getting married, at age 27, but, he was forced to take out loans. I asked why. It didn’t make sense to me that you have to jump into debt when you get married. He simply said, “That’s the way it is.” Tens of thousands of dollars in loans for a celebration? That’s good money that can be used towards supporting a healthy lifestyle. There is no reason to “front” (act like you have something when you don’t). Neither he nor his wife wanted the elaborate reception, but this was a requirement if he wanted to marry. May Allah make things easy for them.

We headed back to Hajirah’s house to rest up and give our Salams. Atlanta has plenty to offer and I’m looking forward to returning.

New Orleans, LA holds some pretty painful memories. The last two games I played down here we lost against the New Orleans Saints. One of the games was the NFC Championship. Although we felt we were the best team in the NFL (I still believe we were), the Saints were better that night as they beat us and eventually went on to win the Super Bowl. The biggest Saints fan I know is Shaykh Omar Suleiman.

We became good friends after I attended his Al-Maghrib class. Shaykh Omar has Saints  memorabilia everywhere. So of course he took every chance to remind me we were in New Orleans. He brought a couple brothers with him as we headed for a signature Po Boy. I must say New Orleans did not disappoint. The food was everything I thought it would be and then some. We left for the Masjid to visit the Muslim Community of New Orleans.

As we drive around from city to city the same reoccurring theme continues to show up. There is an epidemic in our Ummah. Nobody is getting married. At every stop there are sisters looking for good men, in search of a husband. Brothers are pre-occupied with a checklist to graduate college, then get a masters, then get a PHD, start a business and THEN get married. And this check-list has been put in place by parents. The brothers who are in search of getting married are being shot down by parents because they don’t possess $100k yet. It’s sickening.

Everyone asks the question, how do we deal with the Fitna of the opposite sex? This is the number one question we are asked. Yet, when you give the solution of marriage they shoot it down. Unfortunately in some communities our youth have boyfriends and girlfriends. The Halal alternative is Marriage. The parents that are blocking this out of pursuit for a high dowry, tradition, culture or anything for that matter, need to read the Qur’an and Hadith. Parents are supposed to encourage the youth to marry young. Help them to succeed in nurturing their relationship. Be the training wheels for them. Teach them about life. Coach them to be successful in their marriage. Help them in guarding their gaze and modesty.

The more we ignore this topic the more people will begin to engage in pre-marital sex. The branding of lust in this country is insane. Beer commercials, Axe body commercials, Go Daddy commercials, to name a few. All branding sex and lust. Music is being pumped into people’s brains about love, boyfriends, girlfriends, sex, and affairs. When this is being sold to you from every angle, every platform, it’s only a matter of time before people start buying into it.

Growing up in America, everything I explained is being sold to us sometimes without us even noticing it. People are starting to buy into that this is “life.” We have to learn how to market and brand Islam.

The Imam of the Masjid, Abdur Rahman, and I held this passionate conversation, at Cafe du Monde, around 2 AM over famous beignets. We later ate Suhoor, rested up and headed out for Houston.

One of the rewarding things about this trip is seeing the true beauty of Islam. Rich or poor, black or white, big or little, it doesn’t matter, Islam prevails. I get excited to see Muslims regardless of ethnicity. I get a little more excited when I see African Americans because I am one.

Stripped of ancestry, culture, identity and belonging through slavery, we as a people seemed lost. It amazes me how people can talk about Islam being in their family for over seven hundred years while its only been in mine for thirty-three. The majority of African Americans went through a mental emancipation during the civil rights movement. The Nation of Islam is not Islam. It is not the way of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). But, it is a vehicle that many, including my parents, have used to find the religion of Allah (SWT). Without having much knowledge we all know the gems that came into the folds of Islam via the Nation. Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Imam Siraj Wihaj. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

This is why I am amazed to see African American Muslims. The Muslims at Masjid Quba in Philadelphia were not Nation based. They were not reverts (with minimal knowledge) teaching reverts. Instead they were being lead by two brothers, Imam Anwar and Imam Anas, two learned men who studied at the prestigious Islamic University of Madinah.  Imam Anwar is widely regarded as the first African American Hafiz of Qur’an in America. I was blown away. Honored to be sitting amongst living history, I couldn’t help but feel amazed by these two men. Not only did they educate themselves, they returned and educated the inhabitants of the area.

We had a good time speaking and answering questions. A sister asked, how do Hamza and I get along? I responded to her with words our mother instilled in us: We can argue, we can disagree, we can fight but, when we walk out that door, nobody should know what happened. No family is perfect. In fact, these differences of opinion can and will make a family stronger. As long as you come to a common understanding.

We had a chance to spend some extended time with my brother in Islam Adnan Zulfiqar. He’s well-versed in Islamic studies having studied all over the world. His stories are second to none. As we ate Suhoor in the hotel lobby he gave us humorous and enlightening stories about Islam in America, the Philadelphia area in particular. Islam is so heavily rooted in this city, he said it sometimes reminds him of a Muslim country. I believe there are over eighty Masjids in Philadelphia alone. We were only able to visit one. Insha’allah we can see what others have to offer when we get back.

California is huge. You can drive for eight hours and still be within the boundaries of the state. So, when we passed through the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area I was amazed how close everything was. Not to mention we passed through Delaware as well.

MCA in Santa Clara, CA put the rest of America on notice with their enthusiastic and involved youth group. We have found a challenger to the throne. The ADAMS center in Virginia was on point, well-behaved and well-run. They also had some very knowledgeable youngsters walking around. Almost every other person’s hand I shook was a Hafiz of Qur’an. Or they ONLY had twenty Juz under their belt. I’m talking young too—they weren’t even fifteen! I love seeing Islamically educated youth. They inspire me to get on my Deen. Speaking of Deen, The Native Deen are heavily involved with this community.

Native Deen helped me out on so many different levels. Raised in the greater Los Angeles area, Hip-Hop was a part of life. Unfortunately, we had West Coast gangster rap as the heavy influence. I remember being in College when Hazma said, “You HAVE to check this out!” It was their song “Intentions.” It stayed in heavy rotation in my car. People will argue and debate on whether or not Music is Halal or Haram. This same question was asked to a Shaykh while I was attending an Al-Maghrib class and he simply said, “Just listen to the lyrics.” “Are my intentions alright? Am I doing it for Allah? When I’m looking deep deep down inside, Do I have the right Niyaa?” These are the lyrics in the Native Deen songs. Positive messages infused with the Qur’an and Sunnah. A Halal alternative.

The variety of things they talk about are astonishing. I started listening to them so much it not only helped me weed out the trash I was pouring into my ears, they became a part of my pre-game routine. I would make sure I listened to these three songs to get ready for my football games. “Test,” “M-U-S-L-I-M,” and one of my favorites, “My Faith My Voice.” After listening to their music I not only felt pumped up to play football, I was even more pumped up to be a Muslim.

We sat in a tent filled with chairs and smiling faces. Packed would be an understatement. Want for your brother what you want for yourself. The universal message continued to spread. Purifying your intentions and respecting your parents. The elders and the youth soaked up the talk. One of the best questions was asked during the Q&A: “Is it Haram to play for the Dallas Cowboys?” The crowd roared with laughter and cheers. I had to remember I was amongst Washington Redskin Fans.

As I write these blog entries, I do so with the intention of doing good and the reader getting good out of it. So I make du`a’ that Allah blesses us all with good.

Driving through West Virginia is not pleasant, especially at night. Good thing it was my turn to sleep and not man the wheel. Uphills, downhills, winding roads, deer, speeding diesels and the darkness of the night all posed challenges. As the drive became smoother the sun began to rise. We arrived in Lexington, KY and were ready for an eventful day. At the start of our trip the University of Kentucky was not on our radar. A young brother named Muhammad Saifullah changed that in a hurry.

The beauty of social media is you can talk to whomever you want, whenever you want, however you want. Of course we should always display good manners at all times. I was being consistently contacted by a brother with the twitter handle @TheUKrudy. I was skeptical about responding to Muhammad’s tweets at first simply because I didn’t know him. Slowly but surely I began checking him out from a distance. He wrote good meaningful things, encouraged people around him to be better, and helped me wake up for Fajr a few times. So I started to get excited after he encouraged the MSA (Muslim Student Association) of UK to tweet us and even start a petition for us to visit their school. We knew they were going to put on a big event, we just didn’t know how big.

At 4:30 we headed for the Jacobs Hope Cafeteria. Part of the MSA was already there serving the less fortunate. We hopped right in and served first, then bussed trays and cleaned tables. Good times to say the least. We headed back to the room and freshened up and took off for the nearby High School. I knew it was going to be big when I observed the parking lot. This was a community affair. Everyone was welcome, Muslim and Non-Muslim alike. To my amazement the auditorium was so packed it was standing room only. The talk was very interactive. Typically we allow people to ask us questions but, this time we had some Q&A for the crowd as well. Right answers won a T-shirt. The gathering quickly shifted rooms as the Adhan was called. Iftar, Taraweeh at Masjid Bilal, and some late night hoops with the brothers from the MSA.

As fatigue set in around two AM we decided to go for an all-nighter. We sat down and had intimate discussions about life. A non-muslim named Wesley was hanging with us the whole night. He had some very interesting takes on religion. It was agreed upon that everyone should study and know their religion for themselves. Many a time people believe in what they believe in because of what their parents believed or because of the location (land) in which they were born. Using myself as an example, I told him in order to learn Islam, I had to learn about other religions as well. It helped me understand why the Qur’an was revealed.

We headed to the Qureshi household for Suhoor and Umm Qureshi cooked the best suhoor we had this Ramadan. There had to be at least 10-20 of us who came by. With a smile on her face she had scrambled eggs, mixed fruit, bagels & cream cheese, cereal, oatmeal, toast, mango juice and tea waiting for us. May Allah reward her and grant her peace. Abu Qureshi sat with us and said some very kind and inspiring words. May Allah reward him and grant him peace as well. A well put together household from top to bottom. Their son Humza is the president of the MSA; an involved and decorated youngster, Humza is growing into his own. They also have four daughters, all either graduated or currently attending the University of Kentucky. Beautiful family, MashAllah!

“Hello. Oh, I thought you were checked out by now.” This is what we woke up to on a beautiful Thursday afternoon. The housekeeper came in and was ready to do her job. It was one PM. After staying up until seven AM with the brothers in Kentucky we overslept. The alarm clocks set for ten AM blared in our ears, but the exhaustion of our bodies made us deaf. Upon waking up, we quickly gathered our belongings, packed up the van and began to head out. We experienced some heavy rainfall during our drive through Tennessee. Other than that the drive was long but smooth. I listened to the recitation of the Qur’an by Imam Faisal. After praying behind him for Taraweeh in Chicago, I had to get a copy. It shortened the drive tremendously.

Atlanta is the only place on the tour that we decided to explore for two days. A bit of a selfish stop because our sister, Hajirah, lives out here. She has a small family with two young girls Anika (1yr old) & Fajr (3yrs old) and her husband Amir. Excited to see them, we went directly to their house. The little ladies were bouncing off the walls when we arrived. “Uncle Husain, look!” They did cartwheels, made imaginary food, counted numbers, said the alphabet, and ran around us in circles. Being around youth makes you youthful. The energy in the house was amazing. After a delicious home cooked meal from Hajirah, we headed to the Atlanta Masjid  for Taraweeh.

Upon entering the Masjid, a brother named Shaheed Abdul Azeez came up to me and said, “Your Sa’eeda’s son, aren’t you?” I was frozen. Normally people say “Where are you from?” “Are you the NFL players?” “Are you the guys doing the Masjid tour?” This brother went far and above by mentioning my mother’s name. He was part of the same community in Los Angeles, CA that we were in early on in life. His sons actually babysat Abbas, my oldest brother, when he was little. I was probably in diapers or the comfort of my Ummie’s womb back in those days. He talked to us a little about LA and then said, “Word got down here before you did. Welcome to Atlanta.” Southern Hospitality was on display. We prayed the remainder of Taraweeh and headed back to Hajirah’s house to catch up on sleep and prepare ourselves for the remainder of the trip.

If you have an iPhone go grab this free myDuaa app from Ihsaan Fusion.

-Husain Abdullah

For daily updates on our tour, check out our website and see what my brother Hamza has to say. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

As we made our way to Cleveland, OH I kept thinking, why do they call this place ‘the mistake by the Lake’? Cleveland has a very unfortunate history of losing and losing in dramatic fashion in the sporting world. But, for me ‘the mistake by the Lake’ was a reminder of past personal mistakes. In Cleveland lives a former College teammate, Jerome Harrison, whose life was threatened by a surprising Brain Tumor.

Jerome came to Washington State University in 2004. A standout RB on the field, he quickly became accepted by his fellow teammates. Jerome and I formed a good relationship were we hung out off the field a lot. There was a time in my life that I’m not proud about at all. It was back when I was ‘figuring it out.’ Although we are born into Islam, sometimes, we still have to get bit by the Dunya before we can fully submit to Allah in Islam.

There was a particular instance where Jerome had to take care of me, when he saw me at the lowest of the low in my ‘figuring it out’ stage. This happened in 2005. Fast forward to 2012. Jerome had multiple surgeries to remove his brain tumor. He was told he would never walk again, talk again, a vegetable at best, at one point the doctors even told his family to come say their goodbyes. His wife recalled a moment in time where he was “skin and bones.” Normally a muscular 205 lbs. turned into 145 lbs. of paralysis. Half of his memory was pretty much erased from this tumor. Being the fighter that he is, Jerome is talking, walking with a cane, reclaimed his body, he’s determined to get back to normal. Through all of this, when I walked in he started smiling, then laughing and reminiscing about that low point that occurred in 2005.

We joked about it, had a good laugh but, every time it was brought up I would cringe. The juvenile I was in 2005 is not the person I am today. As a Muslim, we never know who is watching us. The one time we are not following our Deen, that weak moment, that low point in our lives, could greatly impact someone else’s views on Muslims and Islam. All I can think about is that if Allah took his soul, and asked him, “Why didn’t you become a Muslim? Why didn’t you take my servant Husain as an example? Why didn’t you use the signs around you?” And Jerome replies, “Oh Allah, I was around Husain for a while and he was not a Muslim. His language, his demeanor, his actions were not of a Muslim. Oh Allah, I never had any righteous signs, I never knew a true Muslim.”

This scared me and still does as I write this blog. All I kept telling him was, “We have to hang out again.” Now I want him to see the man I have become, to see what a Muslim looks like, what a Muslim talks like, how a Muslim should act regardless of the situation around him. This is what I want. A second chance.

As Muslims we speak for the Ummah and Islam everyday. We must capitalize on these opportunities to exemplify a Muslim. Otherwise, it’ll be another race against the clock to gain that second chance and right your wrongs. Please make du`a’ that Jerome fully recovers from his surgeries and the condition he is in now. Also, please make du`a’ I get a second chance and this time I am successful at being a proper representative of Muslims everywhere and the perfected religion of Islam.

I’ve always wanted to make the visit to Toronto, ON, Canada. When I heard about all the Muslims in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), we had to make this one of our stops. A selfish visit for that and a few other reasons. A brother named George Green reached out to us. A recent Revert who gave up a five-star lifestyle to submit his will to Allah in Islam. I had to hear his story in person. We also wanted to meet Shaykh Shazzad, he heads the Canadian Dawah Association (CDA). He wanted to sit down and speak with us as well.

The drive from Cleveland to Toronto was a breeze, the excitement of leaving the country for only my second time kept me awake, that and the cappuccino I drank with the extra shot of coffee. Oatmeal from McDonalds for Suhoor and the white thread was upon us. Arriving at the hotel we were greeted by our brothers in Islam George, Hany, Luqman and Usman. After exchanging Salams we headed to the room and caught up on rest.

We attended Jumah prayer in Missisuaga at ISNA Canada. Shaykh Shazzad gave a strong khutbah on success. From the linguistic definition, to the ultimate success in Islam. After, he invited us to a conference room to sit and talk. He gave us a quick class on the rights of Hajj. He also showed us the work of the CDA. Many “Stars” and people of status have accepted Islam or have made the pilgrimage to Makkah, KSA and Madinah, KSA because of them.

I applied the khutbah to what I was witnessing. As Muslims sometimes we buy in to what is being sold by the media, Hollywood/Bollywood, Movies, Music, etc. and we think this is our success. Then, I see the ones who have all these things we desire and they want what we have: purpose, integrity, character, certainty, etc. Success in this life (Dunya) versus Success in the Hereafter (Akhira). An easy choice but tough struggle when you think about it. I checked myself and made Du’a that my Akhira is not jeopardized by my pursuits in the Dunya.

We had more down time then we had in the states, so I used my time wisely and held a Skype date with my wife and children. This has been the longest I’ve been away from home so I probably needed it more than them. It was great to see the smiling faces and hear Jalaal’s energetic stories. This Re-charged my battery. Now I am ready for the second half of Ramadan and the tour to continue.

When you add the stop at the border, the drive from Toronto, ON to Boston, MA had to be the longest of them all. The worst thing about the trip was not the duration of the trip, it was the toll roads. The Interstate should not have toll booths and when they do, they should not try and break someone’s pockets. While in New York we exited the freeway and quickly returned because a toll booth stood between us and the bathroom. I payed over $15 at one toll for no apparent reason. Then $3.75 within twenty minutes at another toll. And five minutes after that, the toll booths extorted $1.25 from me. A scenic drive in upstate New York but, a pricey one as well.

Arriving at Malcolm X Blvd, we allowed the street name to sink in. We went into ISBCC for Asr prayer. There were a few uncles hanging out outside the Masjid, it looked like they were going to be chilling until the sun dropped.

Leaving and returning I quickly noticed something, Non-Hijabis, Non-Thobe wearing brothers, Non-Muslims. They were in the Masjid chilling, relaxing as if it was the place to be. They were posted, not being intrusive or interrupting anyone’s space. Imam Suhaib Webb does a great job with that. Typically, as soon as we step through the door of a Masjid, someone is right on top of us telling us how many things we’re doing wrong. Non-Muslims are shunned and so are our Muslim youth. Not here.

Open door policy. As long as you are respectable to the Masjid, the Masjid will respect you. I seen a homeless man sleeping in the corner of the Masjid. I took a moment and thought, “How many other Masjids would allow this?” ISBCC does a great job of getting people to take their Shahada. Not only do they take their Shahada, they remain Muslim and become heavily involved in the community.

I finally had the opportunity to meet Adam Khafif. He’s a young brother heading to college that owns his own clothing company. He’s made some t-shirts that are flat out killing the game. He put his artistic touch on these shirts to promote the #TeamFajr movement. If you have a chance check out his work and help our young brother to succeed. Want for your brother what you want for yourself applies to all your Muslim brothers and sisters worldwide.

We made a quick stop to the Sharon Masjid to give our salams after Taraweeh. A swarm of youth bounced numerous questions off of us. My favorite was a group of young Muslimahs that held a conversation with me. There was soccer players, basketball players, medalist, tall trophy winners, artist and more that filled this crowd. Eventually Tauqeer and Tehreem escorted us to the freeway where we left for New York City.

September 9, 2001: Mrs. Rodriguez asked an intriguing question in our eleventh grade English class. “How many of you feel your an American?” A class of thirty five plus in Pomona, CA at Pomona High School, few hands were raised. If that. Predominantly an African American and Hispanic school, we felt left out. Forgotten about. Hispanics identified with Mexico as their country and the gangs formed in Pomona. African Americans were identifying with Hip Hop and Gangs more then they did the USA.

September 11, 2001 I woke up, went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for school. Turned on Power 106 to listen to Big Boy’s neighborhood, my usual routine. Instead of hearing the “Phone Tap”, I heard reports of a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Didn’t make sense. I threw my clothes on, and started my fifteen minute walk to school. I never felt so weird doing the same thing I had done for years. I get to school and everyone is talking, we crowded around Mr. Nguyen’s class (one of the few teachers with a TV in his room). A second plane hit the buildings. Lost, I wondered if we were under attack similar to Pearl Harbor. “Why? Who did this?” are the questions that raced through my mind. “YOU did this!” This was the answer I received.

Terrorism, a word that rings in all of our ears. Regardless of what the definition is in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means psycho Muslims engaging in Jihad to destroy America. A Muslim sister walks the halls, already alone for concealing her beauty by wearing loose clothing and covering her hair, now becomes even more of a target. My cousins and I was looked at as if people wanted to jump us. But, they’ve known all of us since Kindergarten, why are we the enemy now? The picture became cloudy, dark, no rays of sunshine.

The Koran teaches this, Moslems believe that. The propaganda began to flow. The marketing of the destruction of Islam was in full effect. Sadly, I was buying into it all.

Already possesing weak Iman, this hurt me even more. I was strong on the outside, deflecting all the hate and standing up for Islam. But I was weak on the inside and my beliefs started to slip. A fork in the road presented itself. I remembered what we read in Surat Al Fatiha, “Show us the straight way.”

I found a cure for this nonsense. The Qur’an. A friend sent me a chain email that had some drawn up verses allegedly in the Koran about violent destruction, buildings all happening to the country represented by an eagle. I immediately looked up the Surat and Ayat from the email. Nowhere to be found. I told myself, I would no longer be ignorant in my Deen, my way of life. I emailed my friend back and told him to stop spreading that garbage. Sadly, it had already reached hundreds of thousands of people before it even got to him.

I began working on myself, bettering myself, educating myself. Unless you were an Imam, Shaykh or a Scholar, I wouldn’t listen to you on anything you had to say about Islam. I wanted to learn from learned individuals. Not those who soaked up the media’s version of Islam. This pursuit of knowledge helped shape me and allowed me to grow as a Muslim.

The trip to see New York, where all of this happened, was amazing. It was surreal being in Downtown looking at the memorial and the new construction of the Freedom Towers. I couldn’t even imagine being there on that day, during that week, not even that month. I said a prayer for those who passed away, their family and their friends. September 11, 2001 is something I still don’t fully understand.

During our tour stop, I was honored to meet fellow Muslim Athletes Ibtihaj Muhammad and Sadam Ali. They shared their stories with the youth as well as Hamza and me. Hearing things from a new angle helped me gather more information about life. I am blessed to have this opportunity to sit amongst people of this stature and to share my thoughts with you. As-Salamu `Alaykum.

-Husain Abdullah

For daily updates on our tour, check out our website and see what my brother Hamza has to say. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

Leaving Denver, CO we had nine hours on our hands to talk about life. One of the most rewarding things about this trip is spending time with my older brothers. The two I’ve looked up to since I popped out the womb. They’ve had a great impact on my life whether they know it or not. My role models came from inside the home.

A passionate discussion erupted about attaining knowledge. After going back and forth, we agreed that you have to want change and seek knowledge in order to change yourself and your situation. I used myself as an example.

One year for Eid, my younger brother Shaybah, gifted me a lecture series. I made every excuse in the world NOT to listen to it. I had it in my car, but I would listen to music instead. Or, I’d find a reason to call someone. Or, I’d even ride in silence, citing a ten minute drive as not enough time to learn from the series. Finally, after running out of excuses, I popped in the CDs and benefitted from them greatly. Oh, and this was a year and a half later. I said that to say this: Knowledge is available! We live in the information age; everyone has direct access to the World Wide Web. If you want to know about something bad enough, you can find it. There are Shaykhs, Imams, Ustadhs, Da’ees all over youtube. Traveling institutes like Al-Maghrib, Bayyinah and Qalam. The information, the knowledge, is there. We just have to seek it. I had a wealth of information right under my nose, but I refused it. I didn’t benefit from the resources until I put forth the effort. There are no more excuses. Get up and seek knowledge.

We passed through Omaha in a flash. We arrived for Maghrib and we were gone after Ishaa.  We had the opportunity of sitting with Shaykh Muhammad who studied in Madinah, KSA for seven years. Three of his brothers studied at the same time with him, all in different fields: Fiqh, Hadith, Qur’an, etc. They have Islam covered within the family.

I got to spend extended time with Adam, a very young football player and a wrestler. He was excited to know that we both play the same position, Safety. Adam told me how much he enjoys sports and being active. He asked me to sign his wrestling picture for him, and I agreed on one condition: that he gives me an autographed picture as well. I believe I got the better of the exchange because when Adam makes it big, I’ll have something way more valuable than a Rookie card.

As we recited the Du`a’ of the traveller, I began to get goose bumps. Heading back to Minnesota for the first time since leaving in June. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but this is where I played four years of ball, this is where Kameela was born, this is where I greatly developed as a human being, this is where I was able to reflect.

On draft day, I was down in the dumps. Knowing I had a good chance of being drafted as high as the 4th round I was excited. But there was a chance at being undrafted. The latter prevailed. Minnesota seemed like the best opportunity to make a team. As soon as I signed, I knew it would be three guys fighting for one spot. I figured I should be able to beat out two dudes. Alhamdulillah, I earned a roster spot. I went from playing purely special teams the first two years to being a starter the last two years. I gradually became better as a football player and as a person.

Eden Prairie, MN was voted the #1 place to live in 2010. The area is nice, quiet, and there is beautiful scenery. Everyone is family oriented. Crime rate is very low. It really is a place where you can take a deep breath and not have to worry about to many outside influences. I realized that in my adolescent years I picked up very bad habits and this was holding me back from being a good person and being good to my family. Living in Eden Prairie I was able to stop making excuses and justifications for my behavior and start working on myself. Slowly but surely I began to filter the negatives out of my life. I’m not completely clean (none of us are), but I am along way from when I arrived in 2008.

Heading to Masjid Al-Tawba I was excited to see familiar faces. As soon as I saw Jabir, I knew I was in for a rough time. He’s been making life hard for me (joking) ever since I decided to leave the city. As we settled in after the Asr prayer I began to speak about self reflection. Since there are not many distractions going on outside the walls of the Masjid in Eden Prairie, it is a golden opportunity to look at yourself in the mirror and go to work. This is the month of Ramadan, the month where we can’t blame Satan for our shortcomings. Whatever we do is really who we’ve become. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime because, there is no guarantee we’ll see the next one. Even if it’s just one thing we can better ourselves at, this is the month to get over the hump.

We made our way to Dar Al-Farooq in Bloomington, MN. After Maghrib prayer, we scrapped the second talk and opted for basketball instead. I believe that was far more enjoyable for the youth. I love Minnesota. I miss Minnesota. But Allah has a plan and although I do not know what it is, I’ll follow it willingly. Insha’allah.

Regrouping in Chicago, we chilled at the hotel for a little while to gather some energy. My phone rang and before you know it, my friend Ibrahim Bengali was at the room with us. A fiery MSA student from Northwestern University,  Ibrahim has a good heart and a strong family backing. I’ve been fortunate enough to sit with his father and the knowledge he spit in thirty minutes was worthy of a semester’s worth of classes.

The Masjid was huge and the believers accompanying had huge hearts. Two NFL players in Chicago was a big hit. The Bears faithful were in attendance to take every jab they could whenever it was mentioned that I played in Minnesota. Serious talks about backbiting, wanting for your brother what you want for yourself, jokes and laughter followed as we had a ball at the Islamic Foundation.

One thing that’s important to me is family. Family should be at the forefront of everything. Cancer can and will destroy families from the inside out. The cancer I’m referring to is backbiting. When a problem arises its always easiest to talk about someone when they’re not looking. I found myself struggling with a family member. Couldn’t get through for nothing. After I walked away I was ready to start eating my brother’s flesh. I had to restrain myself, bite my lip and wait until I could confront him face to face. That’s how I was raised to communicate. Not saying I’m the best, just constantly working to get better. The bickering back and forth, the destroying of someone’s character based upon suspicion is not the way to go. This was something I was dealing with, so I shared it with the attendees.

For Fajr we visited the Masjid of Hussain and Mubeen Kamani. The brothers also gifted us apparel to wear for the duration of the trip. We had the chance to meet more youth in the morning and answer every football question they could possibly ask.

As we headed for the door we ran into Eddie from “The Deen Show.” After making a quick arrangement we met up with Eddie before we left for Detroit. It was fun to sit and talk on the show.

Chicago is too big to hit all the stops we wanted. We could do a thirty-day trip in Chicago alone. I’m looking forward to coming back and having a blast.

Heading for Detroit, MI I decided to give my brother in Islam Omar Regan a call. A jokester who thrives on Halal comedy, Omar keeps me laughing. The first time I met him he continuously made fun of me at a local event in Minnesota. It was all good fun though. His Halal Michael Jackson gets me every time I hear it. Masjid Al-Haqq is the type of Masjid that has the bare minimum for a Muslim.

The neighborhood surrounding Masjid Al-Haqq was unpleasing to the eye. No streetlights to glow in the dark of the night. Lawnmowers seemed as if they hadn’t been invented yet. Buildings, crumbling apart from the inside, like a person with weak Iman. The Muslims at the Masjid submitted their wills to Allah in Islam. People ask me of temptation and how do I restrain myself. I ask these brothers and sisters, how do they do it? There is prostitution, alcohol, drugs etc. all around them. The ratio of churches to liquor stores per block is three to one. Yet, the Noor is shining from the faces of the believers as if they had the world and everything in it. In a struggle to purify themselves, they have found contentment in what Allah (swt) has provided them. A quality I still yearn to posses.

We took our talk outside because the overflow of capacity. Hamza was fired up to speak and went off. He spoke words that resonated in people’s hearts. “La ilaha ill Allah, Muhamad arrasul Allah,” he echoed, time and time again. With every story, every topic change, every point, every moment, every chance he was given, he enthusiastically repeated “La ilaha ill Allah, Muhamad arrasul Allah.” Urging people to change their situations and not wait for someone else to come and “save them.” Regardless of what I write it will not do that speech justice. Insha’allah it will turn up on youtube sooner or later.

Following Hamza’s rowdy speech I decided to speak from my heart as well. Lead by example. Walk the walk. Respect your elders. Guard your inner circles. These were my messages to the community. Overjoyed with love we interacted with the community on a personal level. Soon, it was time to cut.

Racing to the Islamic Center of Detroit to catch Taraweeh, I kept in contact with Farhan Abdul Azeez. He’s a brother I met in Texas. Farhan changed the way I view salah. He gave one of the most beautiful and engaging khutbahs I’ve ever attended. Luckily for you, he put out a series, Sweetness of Salah and you can watch it on his website. Farhan took us around Dearborn after Salah before heading to Fordson High.

12:30 AM and a voluntary conditioning session is underway. The tractors of Fordson practice at night because 95% of the students are Muslim who observe fasting during Ramadan. Impressed, I had to go and see it with my own eyes. It was all smiles when I saw coach Fouad. Our last encounter was at the White House for Iftar last year in Ramadan. We quickly caught up before I had the opportunity to address the team.

In short, there wasn’t enough time in the day. I have to get back to Detroit. ASAP.

-Husain Abdullah

For daily updates on our tour, check out our website and see what my brother Hamza has to say. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

The following video is from Day 1 of the Ramadan Masjid Tour, when Hamza and Husain Abdullah spoke at IIOC.

Pullman, WA: a special place in the hearts of everyone who’s ever been there. My experience started in 2003 when I went on a recruiting visit. I saw the love everyone had for the school, the town, and each other. I committed and couldn’t wait to be a member of the Washington State University Football team.

I don’t get many opportunities to get back but, when I do, it’s emotional. I found my wife and we got married as sophomores. Jalaal was born at the campus hospital. I made countless lifetime friends here. I have some of the best and worst memories from my five years of schooling.

The drive from Seattle is boring, yet exciting; boring because it’s filled with rolling wheat fields, exciting because you’re going home. We pulled up with an hour to spare before sunset. We immediately noticed the new improvements on the Football stadium. After snapping a few pictures and reminiscing, we headed for the Masjid.

One of the first eighty Masjids in the country, Al-Farouq is one of those Masjids that get better with age. The Masjid was empty, yet full. Empty because school is not in session so there are not many people in town. Yet full because the few who were there were full of life.

A scrappy bunch of youngsters—Anzar, Mustafa and twins Wasee and Sayum—were bouncing around the place. The twins explained to me the game of Cricket and how much they loved to play it. Mustafa said he plays football without a ball, so he calls it “Foot.”  They were excited to be breaking fast, even though they didn’t fast. The eldest was ten. It always amazes me how a child feels like those last ten minutes they had to wait, to eat a date, was harder than your whole day of fasting. It’s funny actually.

The next day we were working on our blogs at the coffee shop when Hamza overheard a girl say she was fasting. He told me as we walked out. We went to the car, grabbed a T-shirt and went back in to ask her if this was true. Brittany was sitting in a setting with about seven other people including her teacher. We politely interrupted them and asked her if she was fasting. She said she has a Muslim friend and she fasted for two days with her. Hamza and I were filled with excitement as we introduced ourselves to the gathering, told them who we are, and what we are currently doing. The group was amazed. We gifted Miss Brittany the T-shirt and headed out. Inshallah she gets a reward when she meets Allah for fasting and prior to that, He guides her to Islam. But, for now, an Abdullah Brothers 30for30 tour shirt will have to do.

It’s never fun leaving Pullman. That’s why I’m trying to get back already. Homecoming is September 22nd against the Colorado Buffaloes. I want to see the stadium upgrades completed and a good ol’ fashion Cougar butt-whipping of the Buffs. #GOCOUGS

If you haven’t done it yet, I strongly advise you to drive from Pullman, WA to Boise, ID. The scenery is beyond belief: lush trees, beautiful lakes, inviting rivers, you name it. We couldn’t take enough pictures of the beautiful sights. The one thing we saw that blew us away most is how Allah creates what He wills.

As we are driving downhill on a winding road we noticed there are rivers flowing uphill. Doesn’t make sense. How can water go against the grain? Not only was it flowing uphill, some parts were rapidly crashing on the rocks and shores around it. Sometimes we read about the world from books, imagine it, close the book, and the imagination fades. When you see the structure of the Earth with your own two eyes, it moves something within you and you become very appreciative.

We have to fire the person in charge of logistics (that’d be me). Whoever he is didn’t take into account that Idaho is on Mountain time and not Pacific time. We lost an hour going through the mountains and now, it’s a race to get out before the sun drops. It’s not fun to be in unfamiliar territory, especially after dark.

We made it just in time to the Islamic Center of Boise to break fast. As of now, this is the most diverse Masjid in the U.S. No person stood next to someone of the same ethnicity. Mexican, Somali, African-American, Russian, Korean, Caucasian, Senegalese, Arab etc. That’s how rows were formed. Reminded me of Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, KSA. This one is a small Masjid, so everyone knew the next man as if he were his brother. This is Islam. From my limited knowledge, I believe there shouldn’t be a such thing as ‘My Masjid,’ ‘Your Masjid,’ or ‘African-American Masjid,’ ‘Arab Masjid,’ ‘Somali Masjid,’ ‘Desi Masjid,’ etc. This is the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, and he squashed that beef over 1400 years ago.

Everyone cut after Maghrib, save a few. Yusuf (Somali), Dax (Caucasian), and Dax’s two sons Amir and Malik stayed and talked with Abbas, Hamza, and myself. Interesting to know Dax found Islam after having a crush on a Muslim sister, read the Qur’an for himself to see why she carried herself with such dignity, and Allah placed Islam within his heart. They are now married. Alhamdulillah. Yusuf was the chef: sambusak, mohogo, mandazi, dates, coffee and juice; the man knew what he was doing. He told us about his restaurant and the Halal food he serves. I need to get him on Sameer’s watchlist. After joking around for a while, Taraweeh prayer was upon us. At its commencement we were spotted and introduced to the Boise community.

Ibrahim is a Mexican from Mexico. The only Muslim in his family, he took his shahada three years ago. He said after pursuing the Dunyah, the Qur’an fell into his lap. He soaked it up and submitted his will to Allah. Now he keeps his family in his Du`a’s that Allah guides them along As-Sirat Al Mustaqeem. Please keep them in your Du`a’s as well. Off to Salt Lake City, UT.

Salt Lake City, UT: a place that I have a strong distaste for. Let me explain. Everytime (no exaggeration) I have a connecting flight in Salt Lake, something goes wrong. I get delayed 95% of the time, 4% of the time the flight gets cancelled, and the last 1% I miss my flight. When you have those experiences coloring your impression, of course you wouldn’t be fond of this place. Oh, and the Utah Jazz play there. They always try and give the Lakers problems. Kind of like the fly that just won’t leave you alone.

The drive was long and tiring; it was the first time we had a driving rotation. We made it about an hour before Jumah, grabbed a hotel room, showered up, and headed for prayer. The khateeb spoke of Ramadan and self-reflection. He expressed that if one wanted to change him/herself that this was the month to do it. One of the Gems I took from this Jumah was when he said: Before you ask someone what can you improve on, Allah will already make known your flaw that you need to work on. We have to accept our flaws the moment they are made known to us and work on them from there.

After Jumah we were able to catch up on some much needed rest before we headed back to Masjid Khadeeja to break fast. A warm reception from the brothers at the Masjid and an invite we couldn’t refuse from the Mohammad family. As we walked into their home, there was a nice Desi style gathering. We sat amongst our elders and they had countless enlightening stories and jokes they shared with us.

Brother Mohammad explained to us how he comes from a people who have been Muslim since the time of Prophet Ibrahim (`alayhi as-salaam). I was in awe of the history lesson we attended. Shaykh Ali knew more about the History of African Americans than we did. He gave an inspiring talk of our Ancestry. At the end, with a big smile on his face he said, “I told this to an African-American once and he got so fired up he said ‘Hallelujha!’ ” We laughed so hard, Hamza almost spat his drink out.

After Fajr prayer we spoke to the youth who were there reciting and learning Qur’an. Shaykh asked us to give a few pointers on working out. So, we gave them some tips to stay fit. Then we talked about other issues, snapped a few photos and headed out for Denver, Co.

I didn’t know what to expect from this trip. I still don’t, but I will say, this is all from Allah, and I am enjoying every moment of it.

Salt Lake City to Denver, CO is a familiar drive. My wife and I once took the trip after our flight was cancelled due to one of the worst snowstorms to hit Denver, CO. We took the overnight journey to watch Hamza play back in 2006. Although it’s familiar it was still long.

We arrived later than scheduled and met an old friend, Karl Paymah, from Washington State University. He played with Hamza in Denver for three years. After catching up a little we left for the Denver Rescue Mission. I remember growing up and my father taking us to downtown Pomona, CA. He cooked a huge thanksgiving feast for the homeless. It was one of the most rewarding things I did in my early years.

Hamza would always frequent the Denver Rescue Mission (DRM) during the month of Ramadan while he played for the Broncos. It was his favorite form of community service. So returning to a place he once called home, he set up a visit to the DRM. We helped bus trays, clean tables, serve water, clean floors, and have fun with the attendees.

I enjoyed my time there. A lot of times we get so caught up in what we’re doing and how our life is going that we don’t take the time to truly appreciate how blessed we are. We see pictures and videos on the internet and we tear up, but do we make that extra effort to go and see first hand? I am the farthest thing from perfect, so please don’t paint that mental picture. I’m just fired up to serve those who have been cast out by society. Excited to have a meal, excited to have a place to stay, these people didn’t ask for much. They were great conversationalists, happy to have someone treat them with respect and dignity, to call them “Sir” or “Ma’am.” A good time it was indeed.

We’ve been at it for nine days now and we’ve visited twelve Masjids. All have been great experiences. I wanted to see the state of the Muslims in America first hand. If I may, we have a lot to be excited about. What is reported in the media versus what’s inside the Masjids are completely different. Don’t allow the media to tell you what you believe.

As I write this blog there is no limit to what I will put in or take out. The best way for me to know what the reader wants is feedback. The more responses I get, the better. Peace.

-Husain Abdullah

For daily updates on our tour, check out our website and see what my brother Hamza has to say. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

This post is the second in a series of updates from Hamza and Husain Abdullah in their Ramadan Masjid Tour. Check out the first post here.

Assalamu `alaykum,

Los Angeles, CA where I was born and somewhat raised: sunny skies, palm trees and traffic. That’s the life we live out here on the West Coast. Best weather in America, worst traffic in America. We had three Masjids in our sites: Masjid Bilal, Masjid Omar and Masjid Abu Bakhr. Masjid Bilal is where my mother took her shahada; Masjid Omar is where I started a business; and Masjid Abu Bakhr is where I was able to lend a helping hand in putting the place together.

It started for me at Sister Clara Muhammad School. Isn’t that crazy—an entire school built on Nation Of Islam principles completely shifted when they heard the beautiful words of the Qur’an. The second generation (my generation) was brought up according to the Qur’an and Sunnah . Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to visit Masjid Bilal, but I am thankful for the guidance of my elders.