From Medina to Bayan: Dr. Jihad Turk on his road to founding Bayan Islamic Graduate School.

Tariq: 00:00:01

Assalamualaikum, family.

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Welcome to the American Muslim

Podcast presented by Bayan On Demand.

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I'm your host, Imam Tariq El-Amin.

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And since this is our first episode,

allow me a moment to introduce

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myself and to let you know what

you can expect on this podcast.

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So, first of all, I've served

as the Imam of Masjid Al Taqwa

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here in Chicago since 2013.

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I'm the founder of the Chicago

Black Muslim History Tour.

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I'm also the former nightly host

and producer of Radio Islam.

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It was a Sound Vision production

initiated by Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid.

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And I'm also a proud graduate of Bayan

Islamic Graduate School with a Master

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of Divinity and Islamic Chaplaincy.

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And I'm currently pursuing

my Doctorate of Ministry.

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As a Muhammad Ali scholar, I've

experienced firsthand the blessings

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of Bayan's mission, which is to

provide a world class, nonsectarian

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Islamic education that empowers

leaders to serve their communities.

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That said, over 70 percent of Bayan's

students receive support through

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the Muhammad Ali scholarship, which

makes this transformative education,

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accessible, particularly to those

who have already demonstrated their

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commitment to serving their communities.

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Now, here on the American Muslim podcast,

you will hear inspiring stories of

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men and women rising to the challenge

of leadership of service who have

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served their communities in remarkable

ways and continue to serve them.

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And you will also hear insights from some

of the brightest minds teaching at Bayhad.

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Unpacking the implications of

their subject matter of the

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growing Muslim presence in our

rapidly diversifying society.

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Our goal here is for you to leave each

episode inspired, informed, and inshallah,

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with God's permission as a supporter of

the work of Bayan Islamic Graduate School.

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And since this is the

American Muslim podcast.

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I can't think of a more quintessentially

American art form than jazz to serve

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as the introduction to this medley of

contributions, to this confidence, to

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sound, to be, and to think differently.

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Welcome to the American Muslim Podcast.

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All right, family, as we launch the first

episode of the American Muslim Podcast,

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it is only fitting to begin with Dr.

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Jihad Turk, the founding president

of Bayan Islamic Graduate School.

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In this episode, we will explore

the experiences that shaped him,

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his motivations for serving, and

the journey that impactful role.

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So please enjoy the conversation.

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As salamu alaykum, Dr.

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Jahed.

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It is great to have you on to kick

off the American Muslim Podcast

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presented by Bayan On Demand.

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When I think about Bayan Islamic

Graduate School, uh, you being

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the founding president, the most

logical place to start is to get a

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bit of info about the origin story.

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How did you get on this path

to this particular endeavor?

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Where did it all start?

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Jihad: Yeah, well, it

wasn't a straight line.

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I'll tell you that much.

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Uh, you know, I, you know, I

started, you know, my mom's a

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Caucasian American Christian.

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My dad is an immigrant from Jerusalem.

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He immigrated to the States in the 50s

and met my mom, got married, moved to

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Arizona where I was born and raised.

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You know, neither one graduated college.

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And so, you know, I asked my father

what I should study in college.

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I was a good student honor student,

all of that near the top of my class

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in high school and And, uh, I said,

Bob, what should I study in college?

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He said, son, it doesn't matter

what you study in college.

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You're Palestinian.

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You're going to go into business.

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So, uh, you know, he, he wasn't much

help and I was good in math and science.

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So I started out engineering track,

but you know, also he used to take

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me to the mosque growing up and

there wasn't a mosque in Phoenix,

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uh, in the seventies and eighties.

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And so we, he just got together

with a few other families and.

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They ended up purchasing a house and

we would go and use that house as

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the mosque, but, you know, primarily

we go there for for Sunday school.

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And, uh, let's just say that my experience

in Sunday school wasn't quite satisfying

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in terms of giving me as a perspective

on Islam that was meaningful and and

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filled with a sense of purpose and so I.

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I still had questions.

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Uh, it was, you know, the Sunday

school was taught by, you know, one

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of the uncles, none of whom were

trained in Islamic, uh, studies at all.

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And they were sincere and you gotta

appreciate their effort, but they

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just weren't very, um, they weren't

very effective in, in communicating

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the beauty of the, of the faith.

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But nonetheless, one of the things my

father did in addition to, uh, dragging

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me to the mosque every Sunday was,

uh, Every summer he would take me to

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a youth camp, a Muslim youth camp.

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There was one called, uh, appropriately

enough, the Muslim youth camp.

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Uh, we, we affectionately

called it the Qurayshi camp.

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And it was established by one of our

current faculty members parents, uh, Asfa

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Qureshi's parents, Marhoub, uh, uncle

nd Iffat, auntie, uh, back in: 1962

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And my father actually knew that couple

back then and was there at the first, the

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first year's camp, from what I understand.

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And, uh, even though he moved to Arizona

in the, in the late 60s, he kept going

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back to this California based camp.

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And so I, I, I mentioned

that only to say that.

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It was through the incredible people who

attended that camp and then later on.

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High school Mina, which was a

summer, which was a winter leadership

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training camp that my dad sent me

to as well that I met some scholars

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some other youth my age that inspired

me to learn more about the faith.

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And so when I started out engineering

track because I didn't listen to

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my dad about my, my subject major.

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Um, you know, I, I, I tried taking

elective classes about Islam because

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I wanted to fill in that gap and, you

know, was intrigued to learn more.

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But I just wasn't satisfied

with what I found there.

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And long story short, I ended up

meeting somebody who had studied

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abroad at the Islamic University

of Medina, and said, you know, even

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though I didn't grow up speaking

Arabic, I wanted to be able to access.

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The Koran in its original language

and other Islamic sources so that

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I can learn more about what I was

intrigued about with the Islamic faith.

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And so I applied and got the scholarship

right after my freshman year during

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the summer of my sophomore year.

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Two weeks after Saddam Hussein

invaded Kuwait in the run up

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to the first Gulf War, so 1990.

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August of 1990 is when I got

the acceptance letter and so I.

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withdrew from, from, from my, uh,

from my university, uh, at that time,

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Arizona State University, and went

abroad and did a couple of years at

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the Islamic University of Medina.

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Uh, my cousins were in the U.

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S.

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military, were there

on a different mission.

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Uh, I was there on a, on a spiritual

one, and, and I figured out, you know,

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not only did I connect to the Quran

and begin to understand it in its

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original language, but found a beauty,

uh, Um, what I was looking for, and

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so I decided, you know what, I want to

come back and switch majors and become

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an Islamic studies major and become a

professor and offer the courses that

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I wanted to take as an undergraduate.

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Tariq: So how long were you

at the University of Medina?

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I was there

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Jihad: for, you know, two academic years.

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Um, yeah, enough.

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And I went there

intentionally to learn Arabic.

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I didn't want to go and I wanted to

study the approach to Islam that was

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predominant, uh, in Saudi Arabia in

general and the Islamic University of

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Medina in particular, but I wanted to

access the sources and understand the

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Arabic language so that I can continue

my journey of learning directly without

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the intermediary of, uh, of somebody,

uh, who could interpret the text for

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me, although, you know, that continues

to be the case with teachers, but

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I didn't want to be dependent, uh,

linguistically on, on someone else.

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Tariq: Um, um.

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So you mentioned that your experience

in the masjid growing up, that it

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wasn't necessarily an engaging one

or one that inspired you, but that

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you did find some sense of meaning in

those social gatherings, the camps.

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Now, was it more curiosity that

was stoked in those gatherings

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or were you beginning to see the

beauty of Islam in those settings?

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Jihad: Um, I'm going to get

a little bit vulnerable here.

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My, my parents, when I was in high

school, uh, began going through a divorce.

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And so even though I was hitting all

cylinders as a high schooler, uh, on a

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roll, you know, the top of my class, I

was, uh, good in sports, uh, you know,

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lettered in, in, in a number of sports.

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Uh, I was a, you know, I, I was

homecoming king of my high of

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my senior year of high school.

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So, you know, life was good, you

know, in terms of, it's all been

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downhill since then, but life was

good, you know, in terms of high

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school, uh, achievements and.

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I found it very empty at the same

time, unfulfilling, because of

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the home environment in which

there was the instability.

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And so instead of turning to drugs or

alcohol or womanizing or, you know, what

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I saw everyone else doing, because there

weren't any, you know, hardly any other

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Muslims around me at that time in Phoenix.

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And, you know, instead of doing the

typical thing that high schoolers do,

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um, it also didn't seem like, they

seemed like they were grasping at straws

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and and trying to have a sense of.

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Significance, but it was

really just an illusion.

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And so I had gone to these camps and I met

some people there, some scholars and some

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people who seem to, to have a connection

to something higher that I wanted.

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And so I thought, okay, there's

there, maybe there's some, there's

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some there, there with this religion

thing and, uh, Islam in particular.

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And so let me, let me look more into that.

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Tariq: You mentioned immersing yourself

in the language as a means of access.

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Uh, a point that would certainly

resonate with many students of knowledge.

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How has your personal journey

influenced your approach to designing

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a system that helps others find

similar answers and make those

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meaningful connections for themselves?

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Jihad: You know, there's an Arabic

saying, you know, knowledge is

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something that you pursue, right?

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You travel to it.

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And, uh, you know, I would

say that there was a, um.

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Uh, building of character through

the rigors of having to study

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abroad and deal with the inefficient

administration of places like

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the Islamic University of Medina.

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And, you know, I'm being generous

by saying just the inefficiencies

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of the administration.

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It was, it was a nightmare to deal with.

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I mean, there was like a 90 plus percent

turnover rate for Western students

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just because it was so inhospitable.

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It For, uh, people coming from the West

in terms of how they organize themselves

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and, you know, acclimated folks to

study there and just the environment.

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It was a very harsh environment, but,

you know, I went there and I got what

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I was aiming to, uh, to, to obtain,

which was the Arabic language, but I,

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you know, I, um, I don't recommend other

people to go and study there because I,

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I saw the indoctrination program for the

particular approach, That was, um, that

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that was the approach of the university

and it, you know, the sort of the Wahhabi

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approach can be very compelling when

you don't have any other perspective.

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And so people who are just coming with,

you know, bright eyed and bushy tailed

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and a sincerity, uh, easily, you know, got

sucked into that way of approaching Islam,

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which I don't believe is the authentic.

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Uh, way that our beloved prophet would,

uh, presented, uh, had presented in the

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past and presented in today's day and age.

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And so, yeah, I, what a part of my

project that I'm in undertaking now is

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to, you know, having been abroad and,

uh, obtain some, some knowledge to

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figure out ways that knowledge can be

disseminated within the cultural context

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of the United States and skipping over it.

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Some of the unnecessary, unnecessary

harshness that one might, um,

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experience in traveling anywhere abroad,

particularly Medina, but it could be

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anywhere, uh, where there's a lot of,

uh, there are a lot of challenges.

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Tariq: So when we think about some

of the challenges associated with

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the pursuit of knowledge, this is a

pursuit that should ideally produce a

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transformation in character and outlook.

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Do you think that the product of

knowledge, which we could label personal

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growth and, and also the purification of

intention, is sometimes overlooked with

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more focus placed on enduring inefficient

bureaucracies and other hurdles?

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Do you see Bayen as offering a

solution by removing such barriers,

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uh, suggesting that These obstacles

are not necessarily required

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components of the educational process.

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Jihad: I, I think the hardship

that one should endure in pursuing

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knowledge, uh, you know, involves,

uh, sleepless nights of, you know,

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reading, uh, long tracks and, you

know, uh, scholarly, uh, Uh, texts.

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Uh, I think it's, you know, the, the

challenge of acquiring Arabic if you don't

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have that as your, uh, native language.

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Uh, I think there are a lot of hardships,

and there is a metaphorical journey

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that you take to the knowledge, even

if not a physical one, through your

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study at a place like Bayan, because

you, you, you do have to forego sort

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of, You know, opportunity costs right

what you could be doing otherwise

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with your time and your family or

earning money or doing other things.

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So I still think that there is a rigor,

there is a hardship, there is a character,

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uh, development, uh, element to pursuing

knowledge at a place like Bayan that

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doesn't require one face, um, a harsh

environment like the Islamic University

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of Medina, where, you know, you I

remember they used to not allow students

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to advocate for one another, right?

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It created this kind of a selfishness, so

it's building the wrong kind of character.

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I remember that, you know, we would

have the Qureta Qur'an and Qureta Dawah

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and all of these different colleges.

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When they got let out on break, all of

the students would crush into the Into

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the snack bar area and start yelling

over each other to, you know, to, to

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the poor guy behind the counter who,

you know, they didn't have lines.

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They weren't, it wasn't orderly.

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So, you know, if you shouted the

loudest, you kind of got your, you

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know, tea with milk and biscuits,

but at the expense of your brother.

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And, you know, it was that kind of, Um,

environment that I don't think built

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good character taught you selfishness.

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And so it was kind of sad to see that at

an Islamic university, that kind of, uh,

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of culture surrounding, um, you know,

how students, uh, interacted with another

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and how they, um, survived in, in, in a.

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In a cutthroat environment and where

it wasn't that everyone was guaranteed

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everything but the one who shouted the

loudest or who stepped on their brother,

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uh, maybe got what they needed in the

other to the, at the expense of the other

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person I remember when I was preparing

for Hajj, the end of my first year.

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This is in 1991.

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One of my classmates pulled

me aside and he said look.

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When you're.

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When you're making Hajj, there's a

possibility of of kissing the Blackstone.

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It's not a requirement, but if

you decide to do it, you will

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either be Abdu or Abdullah.

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You'll either be the servant of God

who was striking out at somebody else

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or being struck by somebody else.

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He said, don't be the,

don't be the former.

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If you are gonna do it.

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Be the be the latter.

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Even though that was in general for

Hajj, it kind of almost seemed like the.

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cultural environment in, in Medina

at the same time, where you're, you

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know, you're either, uh, um, literally,

you know, uh, metaphorically stepping

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on your brother or being stepped on.

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And, uh, I think that there's a

better environment that we can create

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here of support for students who are

dedicating themselves to not only seeking

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knowledge, but of serving the community.

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Tariq: So, there are a number of

Islamic seminaries and educational

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efforts that are, that are popping up.

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Uh, some accredited, many that aren't.

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But in this educational marketplace,

what do you feel makes the Bayan

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experience and approach unique?

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Jihad: Well, I, I would say that

when, you know, I was serving as an

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Imam, um, of LA's oldest and largest

mosque in, uh, from: 2005

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And it was during that time

that, that we created Bayan.

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Um, and it wasn't by design.

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You asked me how we got there.

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I said, it was a circuitous route.

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It wasn't by, it wasn't by design.

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I mean, I was doing my PhD in Islamic

studies at UCLA, serving as the

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Imam and, you know, married with

a couple of kids, life was busy.

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But good.

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And I was also teaching at

UCLA, teaching Islamic law at

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a law school, teaching at USC.

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And the opportunity came for us

to create a graduate school to

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partner with a Christian seminary,

130 year old Christian seminary at

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the time in Claremont, California.

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And to do so with accreditation

right from the beginning.

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And so.

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In response to that opportunity, I said,

well, the need is there, but what the

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need is, the need is, um, differs from

the, what's, what's being offered abroad.

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Having studied abroad myself as, as I

just, as we just spoke about, one of the

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things that you'll notice from studying

abroad is that the whole approach

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to knowledge is just rote memory.

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Uh, there isn't really, uh, Um, leadership

training, and there isn't really, uh,

289

: 00:19:29

you know, the skill sets that you needed

to lead a community in the West are very

290

: 00:19:33

different than you would need to lead a

community in or to be an imam somewhere

291

: 00:19:39

in the East or in the Middle East.

292

: 00:19:42

Because mosques in the West are 501c3

not for profits for the most part.

293

: 00:19:47

They do fundraising, they put on

programming, they're not just the five

294

: 00:19:51

daily prayers and a Jummah Khutbah.

295

: 00:19:54

So, you know, it's very,

uh, it's very specific.

296

: 00:19:59

And so I said, you know, what we

need is, is an institution that

297

: 00:20:03

does the three things, these

following three things very well.

298

: 00:20:06

Number one is that it provides you with a

grounding in the tradition, the Qur'an and

299

: 00:20:12

the Sunnah, et cetera, and the different

scholar, scholarly traditions within

300

: 00:20:17

Islam, Islamic theology and philosophy and

Arabic and history, et cetera, et cetera.

301

: 00:20:23

Islamic law and the second thing it needs

to offer is a relevant perspective on how

302

: 00:20:31

to understand those traditional subjects.

303

: 00:20:35

Through the lens of the contemporary

world in which we live, because we

304

: 00:20:39

have to be focused on presenting that

knowledge in a way that's meaningful

305

: 00:20:43

and relevant to young people.

306

: 00:20:45

Because if we're not doing

that, then we're not succeeding.

307

: 00:20:48

And in order to do that, the third thing

we need is Is a professionalization

308

: 00:20:55

that comes from people who are doing

this full time at the highest level.

309

: 00:21:00

So we thought we said let's tap into

the cadre of Muslim faculty members who

310

: 00:21:06

who work full time in in in institutions

of higher learning elite institutions

311

: 00:21:12

of higher learning like a Yale or a

Stanford or Berkeley or Duke or Georgetown

312

: 00:21:17

and identify Muslim scholars who are

leading institutions Uh, scholars in

313

: 00:21:21

their fields and have them, uh, teach

the courses, uh, that they're leading

314

: 00:21:26

experts in to this, you know, the next

generation of Muslim leaders and scholars

315

: 00:21:31

so that they can, uh, help, uh, help

those individuals bring their respective

316

: 00:21:38

communities to a position of excellence.

317

: 00:21:40

And, and there's one other thing,

a fourth thing, if you, if I may.

318

: 00:21:43

And that is that we wanted

to be a quintessentially an

319

: 00:21:45

American Muslim institution.

320

: 00:21:47

And so we wanted to make sure that

our student body, our faculty, our

321

: 00:21:50

trustees reflected the diversity

of who we are as a community.

322

: 00:21:55

I didn't want to be focused specifically

on just Arab immigrants or into Pakistani

323

: 00:22:00

immigrants, um, or, you know, just the

African American community, but rather a

324

: 00:22:05

good balance between, between those three

primary communities, plus everybody else.

325

: 00:22:09

And so.

326

: 00:22:10

That's what we've, uh, you know,

we've endeavored to, to, um,

327

: 00:22:14

strive for since our inception.

328

: 00:22:17

Tariq: Hmm.

329

: 00:22:18

Could you share more about how BAYAN

has created access for students and

330

: 00:22:24

community leaders across the country?

331

: 00:22:26

You mentioned bringing in leading

scholars from elite universities to

332

: 00:22:30

join the faculty, but I'd like to dive

a bit deeper into the student body.

333

: 00:22:35

How important was it for you

in taking on this mission?

334

: 00:22:39

To open doors for people who

are already serving or aspiring

335

: 00:22:44

to serve their communities.

336

: 00:22:45

Um, uh, specifically through

the initiative of the

337

: 00:22:50

Muhammad Ali Scholarship.

338

: 00:22:51

Could you talk about the impact of this

scholarship and how it has helped to make

339

: 00:22:56

education more accessible to those who are

committed to serving their communities?

340

: 00:23:01

Jihad: Well, we, we bring on,

as I indicated just a moment

341

: 00:23:05

ago, really top tier faculty.

342

: 00:23:08

And although it is cost effective, um, by

not having to bring on as sort of in house

343

: 00:23:14

scholars, we have a few that are full

time with us, but of the 60 faculty that

344

: 00:23:19

we have, uh, overwhelming majority are

visiting what we call visiting faculty.

345

: 00:23:24

Those are individuals that work.

346

: 00:23:27

Um, as oftentimes tenured, even

chairs of Islamic studies at

347

: 00:23:32

their respective institutions.

348

: 00:23:33

So they have their base

salary there, their benefits.

349

: 00:23:36

That's where they're, that's

where they're, they're set up.

350

: 00:23:39

What we do is we, uh, pay them to

teach what's called an over overload

351

: 00:23:44

where they teach in addition to their

full time load at their university,

352

: 00:23:48

usually two classes every semester.

353

: 00:23:50

We'll have them teach a third class at

Bayan every year or every two years,

354

: 00:23:54

depending on how often they teach with us.

355

: 00:23:56

And, uh, we pay them, uh, well

to come out and teach that class.

356

: 00:24:00

We fly them out, we put them up.

357

: 00:24:02

So it does cost, but it's, uh, it's

not as expensive as it would be.

358

: 00:24:07

Had we, uh, had to compete with

these institutions that, uh, are

359

: 00:24:12

offering great salary and benefits,

et cetera, as well as the prestige.

360

: 00:24:17

So we, we, we, we nonetheless

have an overhead and.

361

: 00:24:22

Our tuition is not cheap.

362

: 00:24:23

It's about 1, 000, just over 1, 000 a

unit, which is about 25, 000 a year.

363

: 00:24:30

Uh, so if you're getting a two year

master's degree or a three year,

364

: 00:24:34

uh, master's degrees, we have an

MA that's two years and a master's

365

: 00:24:37

of divinity that's three years.

366

: 00:24:40

We're talking between 50, 000 each,

uh, each tuition, and, uh, for someone

367

: 00:24:47

who's making, uh, sometimes 40,

000 a year in serving the community

368

: 00:24:53

and sometimes even less than that.

369

: 00:24:55

Uh, we figured it would be very

challenging for folks to afford that

370

: 00:24:59

tuition, but unlike Zaytuna, which is,

you know, a liberal arts undergraduate,

371

: 00:25:05

um, university, we're, uh, you know, the

graduates of Zaytuna go on to medical

372

: 00:25:11

school or business school, maybe some

small percentage go on to serve busy mams.

373

: 00:25:16

We wanted to almost serve like a

professional degree where we're.

374

: 00:25:19

Where we are producing leaders

that are directly serving full time

375

: 00:25:24

their communities as imams, as youth

directors, as Islamic school teachers

376

: 00:25:28

and principals, as chaplains in

different institutions, as executive

377

: 00:25:32

directors of Islamic not for profits.

378

: 00:25:34

And so we knew that those institutions

are oftentimes struggling.

379

: 00:25:39

That they don't have the visionary

leadership to invest in the professional

380

: 00:25:43

development to the tune of 25, 000 a

year of their teachers and imams and

381

: 00:25:49

youth directors on top of their salary.

382

: 00:25:51

So our, we recognize that the students

are going to need scholarships.

383

: 00:25:55

And so I happen to be blessed to know the

champ, Muhammad Ali, and was asked to be

384

: 00:26:03

a witness on his Islamic will back in.

385

: 00:26:06

Early 2000s, I think 2003 or

: 2004

386

: 00:26:10

And when he, uh, when he passed, I

asked his wife of 30 years, Lani Ali,

387

: 00:26:17

to, uh, to join our advisory board

and to gift us the naming rights to

388

: 00:26:24

establish a scholarship in his honor.

389

: 00:26:26

But don't give us a penny.

390

: 00:26:28

Just give us the naming rights so that

we can Carry on his Islamic legacy and

391

: 00:26:34

our commitment was primarily to raise the

money from communities that were affluent.

392

: 00:26:42

Uh, to, um, pay into a scholarship fund

that could make sure that those who

393

: 00:26:48

are working full time and underserved

communities to make sure that they can,

394

: 00:26:51

uh, they could, uh, afford to attend BAM

with either a full tuition scholarship

395

: 00:26:56

or, you know, um, a large percentage

of their, of their scholar, of their

396

: 00:27:01

tuition being covered by the scholarship.

397

: 00:27:04

And, um, so we launched that in

: 2017

398

: 00:27:10

it in the fall of that year.

399

: 00:27:12

And today we've awarded over four and

a half million dollars in scholarship

400

: 00:27:17

funds to many dozens of students who are

doing incredible work across the country.

401

: 00:27:21

And Lonnie, when, when I did a zoom

meeting with her and just a handful of

402

: 00:27:26

the recipients, it was a very moving,

uh, event that brought her to tears

403

: 00:27:34

at the end and, uh, and many others.

404

: 00:27:37

So it's, uh, it's a beautiful thing

to, to, to just witness and be part of.

405

: 00:27:42

Tariq: Hmm.

406

: 00:27:43

Mashallah.

407

: 00:27:43

Very interesting.

408

: 00:27:45

So, your approach to, uh, and your

utilization of visiting faculty,

409

: 00:27:51

uh, at BAN, it demonstrates a,

a deal of creativity and, and

410

: 00:27:56

outside of the box thinking.

411

: 00:27:58

Uh, what are some of the other innovations

that BAN is currently employing or,

412

: 00:28:04

or plans to implement in the future?

413

: 00:28:06

Jihad: Uh, there are two other,

two other things that come to mind.

414

: 00:28:10

Uh, you know, we're, we're

a quintessentially American

415

: 00:28:13

Muslim institution, and

as my mentor, the late Dr.

416

: 00:28:16

Hassan Hatut and Dr.

417

: 00:28:17

Meher Hatut, they used to tell

me, we would rather be poor and

418

: 00:28:21

independent than enriched and enslaved.

419

: 00:28:23

And so we're not taking

foreign government money.

420

: 00:28:25

Uh, so, you know, in order to

make this work, I'm, I'm hustling.

421

: 00:28:29

I'm going around the country and trying to

raise money for the scholarship funds and

422

: 00:28:34

for, uh, our, our annual just operating

expenses as well as grow the institution.

423

: 00:28:39

And, and so.

424

: 00:28:42

Um, we've had to be creative.

425

: 00:28:44

One was this hybrid intensive format

that you indicated not only allows

426

: 00:28:49

us to bring the best and brightest

faculty, but it did three things

427

: 00:28:53

for us that I think were essential.

428

: 00:28:55

The first one is that it brought

the faculty, but number two, and

429

: 00:28:59

this was, I think, as important,

if not even more important.

430

: 00:29:03

It allowed us to attract students who

were already working full time serving

431

: 00:29:08

their communities across the country.

432

: 00:29:12

It made our program accessible

to them because they didn't have

433

: 00:29:14

to quit their jobs, relocate,

go into debt in order to study.

434

: 00:29:19

Uh, at band and get a credential

to help them do what they're

435

: 00:29:23

already committed to doing.

436

: 00:29:24

And the third and the third thing

is that it allowed us to have the

437

: 00:29:28

highest of standards of faculty.

438

: 00:29:30

I mean, our, our faculty are world class.

439

: 00:29:33

Like we, I would, I would argue that

band has the strongest lineup of faculty

440

: 00:29:38

and Islamic studies in the country

above any one of the elite institutions

441

: 00:29:43

of higher learning that we, you

know, from which we draw our faculty.

442

: 00:29:48

We have, we have them all.

443

: 00:29:49

I mean, you know, the cream of the

crop, the, we've really, uh, cherry

444

: 00:29:53

picked the, the best of the best.

445

: 00:29:54

And, you know, when we came up with

this model, we, we literally identified

446

: 00:30:00

and ranked the Muslim scholars for each

subject we wanted to offer and, uh,

447

: 00:30:04

across the country and in Canada as well.

448

: 00:30:07

And we said, who, who do, who's the number

one ranked person in every subject matter?

449

: 00:30:12

And we had 15 or so different

subject matters our first year.

450

: 00:30:17

Uh, and our subjects the first

year and, uh, the number one

451

: 00:30:22

ranked person across the board.

452

: 00:30:24

They all said, yeah, they all

said, yes, they said, we're busy.

453

: 00:30:28

We don't have time for this, but

we cannot say no, because we're

454

: 00:30:32

coming out of the ivory tower.

455

: 00:30:34

And this is our chance to help shape the

hearts and minds of the next generation

456

: 00:30:38

of Muslim leaders and scholars.

457

: 00:30:40

And so.

458

: 00:30:41

You know, they and and most of them

have come back year after year after

459

: 00:30:45

year for the last 14, 14 years.

460

: 00:30:49

And, uh, so that so that is one

kind of innovation that came up came

461

: 00:30:55

about just because of the need to

be accessible to the students and to

462

: 00:31:00

have a high quality caliber faculty.

463

: 00:31:04

And the second thing that we that

we've done in order to sort of.

464

: 00:31:10

Um, be a, a value add way, uh, you

know, you know, have an organic way of

465

: 00:31:15

being known is that we said, let's, we

have this stellar lineup of faculty.

466

: 00:31:20

Let's and relevant subjects.

467

: 00:31:22

Let's video record everything and we'll

put it on a learning platform and we'll

468

: 00:31:25

figure out what to do with it later.

469

: 00:31:27

So we've, we've created

this learning platform.

470

: 00:31:30

We call it ban on demand.

471

: 00:31:32

And, you know, each.

472

: 00:31:33

Remember if you're taking

these courses for, for credit.

473

: 00:31:38

It's, it's about 3, 000 per class.

474

: 00:31:41

We have over 30 classes

on this learning platform.

475

: 00:31:44

You can do the math.

476

: 00:31:45

What is that?

477

: 00:31:46

That's 90, 000 for the content you have

access to for a whopping 10 a month.

478

: 00:31:52

You know, it's an all access pass.

479

: 00:31:53

So, you know, for us,

this does three things.

480

: 00:31:57

It allows people who are busy working

professionals to have access to

481

: 00:32:02

the same vetted, curated content

that our students have access to.

482

: 00:32:08

You don't get credit for it,

but you have access to that, so

483

: 00:32:11

it elevates religious literacy.

484

: 00:32:14

Uh, number two is that, you know, uh,

at 10 a month, hopefully it'll, it will,

485

: 00:32:20

uh, if we, if we get 20, 30, 40, 000

subscribers, we're about 3, 000 now, um,

486

: 00:32:26

it'll start to fund these scholarships.

487

: 00:32:28

And, uh, number three is, uh, some

small percentage of people who see

488

: 00:32:33

the, the, the quality of our education

will then enroll in our degree program.

489

: 00:32:38

So, so those are kind of the three

functions of ban on demand, and, and

490

: 00:32:42

we're looking to take that to the next

level, uh, perhaps with your, with

491

: 00:32:46

your insight and wisdom, Imam Tariq.

492

: 00:32:49

And then lastly, we said, uh, You

know, there are a number of people who

493

: 00:32:54

don't know about Bayan who are probably

never going to become students, but

494

: 00:32:59

who could benefit from the high caliber

of our faculty who are diverse and

495

: 00:33:04

have connections across the globe.

496

: 00:33:06

To Muslim heritage lands, why don't

we create a Muslim heritage land tour

497

: 00:33:12

agency where we visit, uh, uh, incredible

places that have a connection to the

498

: 00:33:17

umma and bring our faculty, in addition

to having a local tour guide and create.

499

: 00:33:23

Uh, experiences that are family

friendly and uplifting spiritually

500

: 00:33:29

and, uh, and highlight the beautiful

and rich and dynamic Islamic heritage.

501

: 00:33:36

And so we launched that a few years ago.

502

: 00:33:38

We launched it actually just before

COVID, uh, obviously closed down

503

: 00:33:42

during COVID, but our vice president,

Munir Sheikh, who Uh, we reconnect.

504

: 00:33:48

I've known him since

I was seven years old.

505

: 00:33:50

Uh, he's a couple years older than me.

506

: 00:33:52

We, he was at that Muslim youth camp

that I talked about and he taught

507

: 00:33:55

me how to catch a lizard with a

blade of grass when I was seven.

508

: 00:33:58

So, uh, I've, I've, I've taught many

people that skill set since then.

509

: 00:34:02

But we reconnected in graduate,

graduate school, uh, in our

510

: 00:34:06

doctoral programs at UCLA.

511

: 00:34:08

And, uh, at that time he was studying

the Convivencia, which is the Andalusian,

512

: 00:34:15

uh, period in which Muslims, Jews,

and Christians, uh, lived together

513

: 00:34:20

and, and, uh, studied together.

514

: 00:34:22

And he used to lead tours for UCLA's

history department along with one of his

515

: 00:34:29

professors to Morocco, to Spain, to, um,

you know, other parts of North Africa.

516

: 00:34:37

And so, uh, he had suggested,

uh, before COVID that we lead

517

: 00:34:43

some tours to that region.

518

: 00:34:44

And so we, we started that

before the pandemic and, uh,

519

: 00:34:49

I had led one to Palestine.

520

: 00:34:50

He had led some to, uh, North

Africa, pandemic happened.

521

: 00:34:54

And then when it closed down again, we

started up, but we started up with, uh.

522

: 00:34:59

Over 10 destinations a year.

523

: 00:35:01

So we're going to places like Uzbekistan

and Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand,

524

: 00:35:08

Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South

Africa, Gambia and Senegal, um, to

525

: 00:35:14

Bosnia, Spain, uh, Egypt, Turkey, Umrah.

526

: 00:35:20

So, you know, we're, we're,

we're just to name a few.

527

: 00:35:23

So we, we're, we're putting

on incredible tours and people

528

: 00:35:27

come back time and time again.

529

: 00:35:28

I was the, I just came back from

leading one to Iran last year.

530

: 00:35:32

I led two to Palestine, uh, also,

uh, last year and, uh, people who

531

: 00:35:37

got on the trip, they said, this

is my third time on a Bayan trip.

532

: 00:35:40

This is my fourth time on a Bayan trip.

533

: 00:35:41

This is my fifth time on a Bayan trip.

534

: 00:35:44

So, you know, alhamdulillah, people

are really enjoying that as well.

535

: 00:35:47

And that, you know, also serves.

536

: 00:35:49

Uh, as revenue source to offset some of

the, the tuition, uh, discount that we're

537

: 00:35:55

offering our students, the scholarships

that we're offering our students.

538

: 00:35:58

Tariq: Hmm.

539

: 00:36:00

Casting a lot of nets.

540

: 00:36:02

Jihad: Yeah.

541

: 00:36:02

I mean, you know, my, my

dad may be been right.

542

: 00:36:05

He might, he may have been right

when he told me, it doesn't

543

: 00:36:07

matter what you study in school.

544

: 00:36:08

You're Palestinian.

545

: 00:36:09

You're going to

546

: 00:36:10

Tariq: go into business.

547

: 00:36:10

Well, let me shift

548

: 00:36:14

a bit.

549

: 00:36:14

How does joy or gratitude?

550

: 00:36:17

How do these things.

551

: 00:36:19

Impact your desire to provide accessible,

high quality education, um, as a

552

: 00:36:27

service to the UMA and also to humanity.

553

: 00:36:31

How do these things color

your work on a daily basis?

554

: 00:36:36

Jihad: Yeah, I would say that

I am grateful and recognize

555

: 00:36:41

that those, you know, recognize

those who have poured into me.

556

: 00:36:44

You know, my teachers, my mentors,

people who, who just took me under their

557

: 00:36:49

wing and, and provided me with some

support, some guidance, some wisdom,

558

: 00:36:55

some insights, some moral support,

everything throughout the, throughout

559

: 00:36:59

my, my, my youth and early adulthood.

560

: 00:37:03

And so, um, the way to.

561

: 00:37:06

express that gratitude is yes through

worship and prayer and fasting and

562

: 00:37:11

charity and all of that, but also through

uh paying it forward, you know giving

563

: 00:37:16

it to the next generation and so I I

really enjoyed teaching I taught at

564

: 00:37:20

UCLA for 10 years and I uh, I just love

seeing the spark go off in a student's

565

: 00:37:27

eyes when they understand a concept or

um, you know when when they When their

566

: 00:37:34

perception expands and, uh, to seeing

enthusiasm, enthusiasm and excitement

567

: 00:37:40

about a topic, uh, whether it's, um,

religious or linguistic or historical

568

: 00:37:46

or philosophical or theological.

569

: 00:37:48

Uh, I just enjoy the whole process

of, of teaching and learning.

570

: 00:37:52

And, uh, you know, I, I also, um, worked

a lot with the youth group and, uh,

571

: 00:38:01

appreciated the role that others played

in my own spiritual formation and so

572

: 00:38:06

working with youth and, and, and seeing

them connect with something meaningful

573

: 00:38:11

as opposed to getting sucked up into, you

know, the, the glitter and glamour that

574

: 00:38:16

is, you know, presented to them, whether,

whether online or in real life, um, in

575

: 00:38:23

ways that are false, um, to, to have

them connect with something substantial

576

: 00:38:28

and meaningful through the faith.

577

: 00:38:31

To me, that is, uh, very rewarding.

578

: 00:38:34

Tariq: Can you share some of your

perspective and, and experience with

579

: 00:38:38

leadership, uh, and how your own has maybe

changed, developed some of the different

580

: 00:38:45

perspectives that you might have now?

581

: 00:38:47

One of the things about leadership is

that you have to be sure about your own.

582

: 00:38:52

Capability in your own vision.

583

: 00:38:54

Um, was that vision met by anybody

around you with the sense, maybe

584

: 00:38:58

some trepidation, or did you

have any naysayers around you?

585

: 00:39:01

And as a part of your own assessment

of your leadership, how does your

586

: 00:39:06

current approach compare to where

you started or is there a difference?

587

: 00:39:11

Jihad: Yeah.

588

: 00:39:12

Uh, you know, it's, it's funny.

589

: 00:39:15

I don't think anyone ever, um,

You know, said out loud to me.

590

: 00:39:20

They might , they, they probably

thought it , but I don't think anyone

591

: 00:39:24

ever discouraged me from undertaking,

you know, the project of Bayan, in

592

: 00:39:29

part because I was responding to

opportunities that presented themselves.

593

: 00:39:33

So, you know, I was, I was, when I

was the, I mammo the Islamic Center

594

: 00:39:38

of Southern California, it was

actually my mentor, the late Dr.

595

: 00:39:42

Maher hat who said, you know, um.

596

: 00:39:46

And as a bigger project in the Islamic

center as an entire community and you're

597

: 00:39:50

the right person to lead it and it was

very humbling, but he was encouraging of

598

: 00:39:54

me and I just told him you're just trying

to get rid of me as the amount, I get it.

599

: 00:39:58

But, you know, it was it was

it was very humbling and I

600

: 00:40:02

was encouraged and and y Yeah.

601

: 00:40:06

I, no one discouraged me, I have to say.

602

: 00:40:09

Uh, that's awesome.

603

: 00:40:09

And, and people, and people understood

like the need because, you know, I, I've

604

: 00:40:14

talked to a lot, thousands and thousands

of people over the last, uh, 25 years.

605

: 00:40:18

Um, and I think that without question, in

my estimation, the number one challenge

606

: 00:40:26

that our community faces is how to

pass on faith to the next generation.

607

: 00:40:29

And if we're talking about an institution.

608

: 00:40:32

That's preparing leaders to better pass

on the faith to the next generation.

609

: 00:40:36

People are like, not only yes, I get it.

610

: 00:40:38

And this is, this makes perfect sense.

611

: 00:40:40

But where can we, you know, uh, where can

we find one of your graduates to hire?

612

: 00:40:46

Uh, because we need that at our mosque

and our community, uh, across the

613

: 00:40:51

country, every large and small mosque.

614

: 00:40:53

They're all looking for someone who is.

615

: 00:40:58

You know, well qualified, well grounded,

who has a, what I call the three

616

: 00:41:02

C's good character, which, you know,

we can't teach that you either, you

617

: 00:41:06

know, you come at a graduate school

level, you come with character, you

618

: 00:41:09

don't, but, you know, good character.

619

: 00:41:13

Commitment to that community.

620

: 00:41:14

They're not one foot out the

door looking for something,

621

: 00:41:17

you know, bigger and better.

622

: 00:41:19

Uh, so commitment character

and then charisma.

623

: 00:41:22

Which is the ability to inspire

other people, uh, through your words.

624

: 00:41:29

So, again, that's, we do teach a little

bit of public speaking, but it's, uh,

625

: 00:41:33

you know, your ability to, to connect

with other human beings is probably not

626

: 00:41:37

going to start from scratch at Bayan,

you have to come in with some of that.

627

: 00:41:41

Um, and so I say find

someone with those three C's.

628

: 00:41:45

And send them to BAM for on the job

professional development training

629

: 00:41:49

and we'll give them the credential,

but in the network and, you know,

630

: 00:41:53

so many other things, but, um,

the need is definitely there and,

631

: 00:41:58

and, and people get it right away.

632

: 00:42:00

And, and so I've received

nothing but encouragement.

633

: 00:42:03

I've never received any.

634

: 00:42:05

I've never had a conversation where people

thought that this was irrelevant or.

635

: 00:42:10

You know, um, the wrong

direction or anything?

636

: 00:42:13

Tariq: No, not that the effort is

irrelevant, but sometimes the, the

637

: 00:42:18

magnitude of a vision can go far beyond

what others are able to see or imagine.

638

: 00:42:24

And unfortunately, people often

impose their own limitations on

639

: 00:42:28

what they believe is possible.

640

: 00:42:31

So how have you navigated situations

where your vision may have felt larger

641

: 00:42:36

than what others could envision?

642

: 00:42:38

And, and how has having the right

associations or supports helped

643

: 00:42:45

you bring that vision to life?

644

: 00:42:47

Jihad: I was, I was just in terms of, you

asked about leadership earlier, I was, um,

645

: 00:42:52

you know, there's a, in Silicon Valley,

one of our early board members, uh,

646

: 00:42:56

Matthew Mengerink is a, is a executive,

uh, from the Silicon Valley culture.

647

: 00:43:03

You know, he would always cite the

famous quote, um, about how, uh,

648

: 00:43:07

people oftentimes overestimate what

they can accomplish in one year, but

649

: 00:43:11

they're dramatically over, uh, rather,

rather, they dramatically underestimate

650

: 00:43:16

what they can achieve in 10 years.

651

: 00:43:18

Tariq: And

652

: 00:43:18

Jihad: so, you know, he always suggested

that we have a culture in which we

653

: 00:43:22

aim to have a big audacious hairy goal

as the, as the, as the saying goes.

654

: 00:43:28

And so, you know, we, we actually have

year vision retreat in: 2017

655

: 00:43:34

and we brought together stakeholders

from across the country, and we

656

: 00:43:37

talked about what, you know, explore

what we could look like in 50 years.

657

: 00:43:41

And so we actually started talking

about having our own law school, our own

658

: 00:43:45

business school, our own medical school.

659

: 00:43:48

And, uh, you know, if we're going to,

if we're going to go in that direction,

660

: 00:43:52

we have to leave the groundwork now.

661

: 00:43:54

But, um, but yeah, that's, that's the

kind of big vision that we need, even

662

: 00:44:00

though that we started with three

students, and then eight students, and

663

: 00:44:05

then 16 students, and then 32 students.

664

: 00:44:08

So at first we were doubling every year.

665

: 00:44:11

But, you know, we've

grown on average, 33, 34.

666

: 00:44:14

4 percent year on year, and, you

know, that's reasonable growth.

667

: 00:44:20

It's, it's accelerated growth,

but it's reasonable growth.

668

: 00:44:23

It's not like we went

from zero to 150 students.

669

: 00:44:27

Right.

670

: 00:44:28

Within the first year so it's, um, I've

always, you know, not been daunted by

671

: 00:44:34

the idea of building something with

a, with a long term big objective.

672

: 00:44:40

Knowing that there are small milestones,

uh, on the, on the, uh, you know,

673

: 00:44:45

daily that you try and, uh, aim for.

674

: 00:44:48

And so, yeah, I don't, I guess I've,

I've never even had a conversation

675

: 00:44:52

with anyone today as to like, Oh,

is this too much or is this too big?

676

: 00:44:56

It's that's never even never

occurred since we, since we

677

: 00:44:59

started, since we started.

678

: 00:45:01

Tariq: Hmm.

679

: 00:45:02

So you served as the Imam of a

masjid with a sizable community.

680

: 00:45:07

Do you see differences between

your leadership as the imam of

681

: 00:45:12

a masjid in comparison to your

leadership as the president of,

682

: 00:45:17

uh, Bayan Islamic Graduate School?

683

: 00:45:19

Are there appreciable markers of, of

development that you can recognize

684

: 00:45:24

in your own trajectory of leadership?

685

: 00:45:25

Jihad: Um, yeah, I would

say that actually before.

686

: 00:45:33

I even became imam at the Islamic

Center of Southern California.

687

: 00:45:37

I had started a number of

different organizations.

688

: 00:45:41

They weren't sort of, sort of as

structured and as large as BAN,

689

: 00:45:46

in a sense, but some of them were

bigger at the same time in terms of

690

: 00:45:50

actual numbers of people involved.

691

: 00:45:53

And Um, this was like in 1990.

692

: 00:45:57

I was still like 20 years old.

693

: 00:45:59

We had started an organization in the Bay

Area when, you know, I went to, I ended up

694

: 00:46:04

transferring to UC Berkeley and getting my

degree in Arabic and Islamic history from

695

: 00:46:08

there, but While I was an undergrad, um,

I started an organization with a couple

696

: 00:46:14

of, of friends called American Muslims

Intent on Learning and Activism, AMILA.

697

: 00:46:21

And, and we, we used to

Have a weekly halakha.

698

: 00:46:26

We had a monthly potluck.

699

: 00:46:28

We used to, uh, interface with media

and speak to seventh and ninth grade

700

: 00:46:33

classrooms about their Islam chapter.

701

: 00:46:36

Um, you know, we, we put on retreats

and we did all kinds of things.

702

: 00:46:41

We'd bring scholars out and engage with,

with, with young professionals primarily.

703

: 00:46:46

And, uh, people who were post college

in Silicon Valley, a lot of tech people.

704

: 00:46:51

And, um, you know, the group got pretty

active and dynamic and, you know, large

705

: 00:46:56

scale and, and I remember meeting with,

at that time, I was also politically

706

: 00:47:03

active and we were, I was lobbying in DC.

707

: 00:47:06

I went with, um, the, the woman who

had started the Muslim youth camp.

708

: 00:47:11

If at Quraishi.

709

: 00:47:13

She had started a, an organization

to, to help the youth.

710

: 00:47:17

Uh, give relief to the Bosnians who were,

who were facing persecution at that time,

711

: 00:47:21

and they had an arms embargo against them.

712

: 00:47:23

So we went to lobby D.

713

: 00:47:25

C.

714

: 00:47:25

to get the U.

715

: 00:47:26

S.

716

: 00:47:26

to, to help bring them relief.

717

: 00:47:30

And I was in D.

718

: 00:47:32

C.

719

: 00:47:32

with her and a group of other Muslim,

Muslim young people, Muslim professionals

720

: 00:47:38

who were there to try and have our voices

heard, uh, on behalf of the Bosnians.

721

: 00:47:43

And Um, we, we, we got into the elevator

with some, you know, older Caucasian

722

: 00:47:51

gentlemen who she introduced me to as

a, you know, lifelong friend as someone

723

: 00:47:56

who was a, a high power consultant, uh,

for, uh, corporations and, and, and such.

724

: 00:48:04

And she said, Jihad, you're leading

a, uh, a group in the Bay Area.

725

: 00:48:10

You get one free question.

726

: 00:48:12

What do you want to ask this guy?

727

: 00:48:14

So I said, well, give me advice as someone

who started an organization as leading it.

728

: 00:48:20

And he said, this was great advice.

729

: 00:48:23

Like I was at this before I hadn't

even gotten my bachelor's degree.

730

: 00:48:26

And, you know, Um, I was still,

these are early days in my life.

731

: 00:48:31

And so he said, uh, great, you

know, really with great insight.

732

: 00:48:36

He said, Your role as a leader of a

group, whether that's a corporation

733

: 00:48:42

and not for profit, whatever it is,

is to manage the energy of the group.

734

: 00:48:48

And you do that by Articulating a vision

that's bigger than any one person.

735

: 00:48:57

In other words, you paint the picture

through your words as to where it is

736

: 00:49:01

that you collectively are trying to go.

737

: 00:49:04

You're not there now, but this is

where you're aiming to, to, uh, aiming

738

: 00:49:08

to, um, uh, arrive at it someday.

739

: 00:49:12

And, um, you grow the energy of

the group by achieving success.

740

: 00:49:19

Uh, which are milestones along

that pathway towards that goal.

741

: 00:49:24

And he said, the thing that you want

to look out for, uh, are Chi vampire.

742

: 00:49:29

So Chi in Chinese means, uh, energy.

743

: 00:49:33

And so he goes, you want to grow the

energy, the group through success, and

744

: 00:49:36

you want to avoid, uh, the energy being

sapped by individuals internally who

745

: 00:49:42

are, you know, through infighting or.

746

: 00:49:45

whatever that are sucking up

all the energy of the group.

747

: 00:49:48

So he said, you have to be vigilant

to, you know, to protect the group from

748

: 00:49:51

internal and external chi vampires and,

uh, maintain a focus on that goal that

749

: 00:49:57

unites everybody and build the energy

and the enthusiasm of the group by

750

: 00:50:02

achieving those milestones along the way.

751

: 00:50:05

So that's kind of been a very

foundational approach that

752

: 00:50:10

I've taken in terms of leading.

753

: 00:50:12

Uh, whatever group I'm part

of and, um, I've kind of bring

754

: 00:50:16

it with me to Bayon as well.

755

: 00:50:19

Tariq: Good stuff.

756

: 00:50:19

Good stuff.

757

: 00:50:20

Thank you for that.

758

: 00:50:22

Uh, I want to close out by

asking you a two part question.

759

: 00:50:26

Number one, what advice would

you give to prospective students?

760

: 00:50:32

And number two, what advice would

you give to current leaders?

761

: 00:50:38

Jihad: Yeah, I would say

I'll start with the latter.

762

: 00:50:41

If you're a leader, uh, it's super

important for you to continue to

763

: 00:50:45

grow and to learn and to identify,

uh, both mentors and sponsors.

764

: 00:50:53

And a mentor, the difference

between the two is a mentor is

765

: 00:50:55

someone who gives you advice.

766

: 00:50:57

And that's very valuable and find

people who are where you want to be

767

: 00:51:01

in the future and solicit their advice

and their input and their guidance.

768

: 00:51:07

And if you're blessed to find a

sponsor even better and the sponsor

769

: 00:51:12

is someone who's also ahead of you

in your career trajectory and is

770

: 00:51:20

willing to reach down and pull you

up, provide opportunities and make

771

: 00:51:26

introductions and pave the way for you.

772

: 00:51:28

That's different than just giving

advice and giving advice is

773

: 00:51:31

valuable and so don't get me wrong,

you know, it's great to have.

774

: 00:51:34

Uh, you know, people who are

mentoring you, but even better

775

: 00:51:38

if you find some sponsors.

776

: 00:51:40

And so, uh, look out for both.

777

: 00:51:43

Um, it'll, it'll help you as a person

and within your career as well.

778

: 00:51:49

It'll, it'll help you

achieve great, great success.

779

: 00:51:52

With regards to students, um, you

know, Muslim, uh, wisdom is the

780

: 00:52:00

lost property of the believer.

781

: 00:52:01

You, you acquire it wherever you find it.

782

: 00:52:04

And so, you know, there is this kind of

lore of studying abroad and one of the

783

: 00:52:11

things that, um, we've tried to do it

Byan, is to demystify Islamic knowledge

784

: 00:52:17

to make it accessible and to make it, um.

785

: 00:52:23

you know, presented in a way where

it's not about the, the garb that

786

: 00:52:28

you wear and the, the facade that you

present, but rather about the substance.

787

: 00:52:34

And, um, so yeah, look, look to

the substance and not to the, not

788

: 00:52:41

to the, to the outer trappings,

um, when pursuing knowledge.

789

: 00:52:46

Um, and, uh, hopefully you'll.

790

: 00:52:49

Your journey will bring you inner peace

and provide you with the foundation that

791

: 00:52:57

you can build the rest of your life on in

preparation for that day in which we're

792

: 00:53:02

all expecting to stand in judgment before

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, but hopefully

793

: 00:53:06

we'll do it not having earned God's grace

and mercy, but rather Maybe being more,

794

: 00:53:13

uh, deserving, having given it our best,

having given it our best, uh, effort.

795

: 00:53:18

So, um, yeah, don't be dissuaded

or distracted by, by fluff.

796

: 00:53:24

Go right to the substance and, uh,

pursue it and, uh, and ask God to

797

: 00:53:30

guide you and be, be open to wherever

that may take you, even if it's

798

: 00:53:34

not, if it's not what you planned.

799

: 00:53:36

Uh, that's really be, be in tune.

800

: 00:53:39

You know, you might have a vision

of where you're going, but Allah

801

: 00:53:42

might have a different plan for you.

802

: 00:53:44

Don't fight it.

803

: 00:53:45

Look for it.

804

: 00:53:45

Be open to those signs that

they come, that come your way.

805

: 00:53:48

And, uh, and when, when, when Allah

opens the door for you, uh, walk

806

: 00:53:54

through it and, uh, trust in Allah.

807

: 00:53:56

Tariq: Well, I am grateful that you

walked through that door, uh, Dr.

808

: 00:54:02

Jihad.

809

: 00:54:03

And we pray that Allah continues

to increase you and this

810

: 00:54:06

institution in his service.

811

: 00:54:09

Now, to our listening family, this is an

important effort that provides access and

812

: 00:54:14

support to those who are supporting our

communities on the ground in real time.

813

: 00:54:20

Uh, we're talking about.

814

: 00:54:22

An institution that provides a high

quality education and access through the

815

: 00:54:26

Muhammad Ali Scholarship, which you can

support in one of two ways or both ways.

816

: 00:54:33

First, by subscribing to Bayan On Demand.

817

: 00:54:35

We've already talked about what it is.

818

: 00:54:37

We've talked about the

breadth of the coursework.

819

: 00:54:41

We've talked about the value

and that it's only 10 a month.

820

: 00:54:46

So.

821

: 00:54:47

You can start by subscribing to Bayan

On Demand, get a subscription for your

822

: 00:54:51

loved ones, for a friend, uh, even for

somebody who may not like you, right?

823

: 00:54:55

This may be the turning point right there.

824

: 00:54:57

Get them that subscription

to Bayan On Demand.

825

: 00:55:00

And second is you can donate directly

to the Muhammad Ali Scholarship Fund.

826

: 00:55:05

And I'm going to stop my

pitch right there, okay?

827

: 00:55:07

Uh, I will simply direct

you to bayanonline.

828

: 00:55:12

org.

829

: 00:55:13

That's bayanonline.

830

: 00:55:14

org.

831

: 00:55:15

Get more information there.

832

: 00:55:16

Keep us in your du'a and

we will keep you in ours.

833

: 00:55:20

Until the next time, assalamualaikum.

834

: 00:55:22

May the peace that only

God can give be upon

835

: 00:55:25

you.