The Islamic Bulletin Volume X X No. 26 Page 6 I came to the United States from the Middle East in the 70’s. I already had two of my brothers living in America so naturally I wanted to join them and live ‘the good life.” I remember being so excited that I would have a chance to make it rich; unlike the simple, poor life that I had been accustomed to. I come from a large family and although there was much love and happiness in the home, I was young and wanted the wealth to buy material things. So, I came to Denver, Colorado and worked hard and saved my money. I eventually opened a big night club in Denver called Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. I was on top of the world with my new business. I excitedly remodeled my nightclub, spending a great deal of money to include a huge dance floor, a stage for belly dancing, a bar, and a restaurant. Business was doing very well and my nightclub attracted many people from the Middle East. Once, a very wealthy Middle Eastern was organizing a private party and requested that Nagwa Fouad, a popular Egyptian singer, be brought over to perform for him. I told him he must be crazy; that would take a lot of money to do that. He told me that money was no object and that he would pay to see this singer perform live. Sure enough she, along with her entire group which consisted of 12 dancers, 35 musicians and singers, a choreographer, a costume designer, and a makeup stylist/hairdresser were brought from Egypt for this one grand party. To be perfectly honest, I was quite happy with my lavish lifestyle. I was married, happy, and making a very good living. I was not thinking about my Islamic responsibilities, nor was I thinking about what I should be doing to gain Allah’s pleasure. So, I was going about my busy life preparing for another evening at my nightclub. To my shock, a group of men, who were all dressed in long, Islamic-styled clothing, came into my nightclub. Even though they didn’t look like the kind who would come to a nightclub, I told them that the club wasn’t opened yet and to come back later. They told me that they did not want to come to the nightclub but instead were here to see and talk to me. I couldn’t imagine what they had wanted to speak to me about; there was nothing I wanted to talk to them about. Who told them about me or how they came to know of me was anyone’s guess. Anyway, they came to my night club and I was literally shocked. It was the first time I had encountered men dressed in long, white flowing robes. I mean, this was America, not the Middle East. The way they were dressed was overwhelming. And they came with a strong message. Of course they spoke to me about Islam, a Muslim’s duties to Islam, the importance of prayer, etc. Although all of the Brothers were so inviting and kind, I really did not feel comfortable talking to them. I mean, I knew what they wanted to talk to me about and I really did not want to listen. I remember one brother, Sheikh Mabruk, Allah Yarhamhu (May Allah have mercy on his soul), who did most of the talking. Anyways, he could tell that I was a bit uncomfortable so he invited me to go to the masjid with them. I said fine, that after closing tonight, I would meet them there. Frankly, I really didn’t want them hanging around the nightclub because I thought it wouldn’t be very good for customers to see these guys hanging around the place. I didn’t want these guys ruining my business. After closing the nightclub at 3 or 3:30 am, like I had promised, I went straight to the masjid, which was not a masjid but a small house. I didn’t think anyone would be awake. When I walked in the room, I remember seeing Sheikh Mabruk reading a book. When I said “Assalamu Alaikum,” he got scared and dropped his book. Sheikh Mabruk was so happy to see me; he hugged me. He made tea for me and we proceeded to drink tea and talk about many things. Soon it was time for Fajr salah. He did not ask me to join the salah, but instead told me to finish drinking my tea and that he would come back to join me after salah. Sheikh Mabruk led the prayer and about 20 people came to pray. I still remember the first ayah which was read many years ago: “Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Ouran 25:70) I had never experienced anything like it before. In front of me, I saw a restroom and made wudu. I then joined the prayer. In the second rakat, the ayah was so powerful: Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Quran 39:53) When the Sheikh finished his salah, he saw that I had prayed. A big smile came across his face. I too felt very good inside. After so many years, this was the first time I prayed. As I was driving home, I was pondering over what had happened. Tears began streaming down my face. I went home and tried to go to sleep but I was still thinking. This experience left a huge imprint on my life. My passion for my business had begun to diminish. I no longer was feeling the same drive that I had once felt and I had begun to lose interest. I felt heaviness in my heart and a nagging feeling of different emotions, like sadness, guilt, and anxiety. My wife saw me in this distressing condition and she thought I was sick. Probably the most shocking was that I no longer was interested in ways on how to boost my business. For example, I used to have a Happy Hour in my nightclub, typically in the late afternoon between 4 PM and 7 PM; I no longer wanted to go. I had also been the one who was always in charge of everything at the nightclub. From making sure the speakers were working, the lighting was all set, the stage was looking good, the music was ready, the dancers well versed, I was the one who made sure that everything was running on schedule. I no longer enjoyed my work, nor did I feel in the mood to even show up at work. About two weeks after that visit to the mosque, I was in my nightclub staring out the window. The restaurant was slow that afternoon and there were only a few who were dining on lunch. Suddenly, I see 20 police cars surrounding my place. They rushed in and what seemed like a matter of seconds, the police officers handcuff two the men, arrest them, and take their briefcases. I was in shock as to what was happening before my MUSLIMS FINDING ISLAM IN AMERICA
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