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Revert Podcast
Revert Podcast

Revert Podcast

My name’s Matthew Drake (Matt for short). I’m from Wokingham, Berkshire in England and I embraced Islam in 2005 when I was 19 years old. <br /><br />When I look back to when I first became muslim nearly two decades ago, I realize that I made a lot of mistakes along the way. <br /><br />And more often than not, these incidents were a direct result of a lack of Islamic knowledge or a lack of knowing how to apply Islam correctly in my life, either because of my own ignorance of the religion or because of the bad advice I received from other muslims who, despite the good intentions they may have had, were ill-informed themselves or had a lack of understanding. <br /><br />This, in addition to the excessive zeal I had as a new muslim, as well as immaturity and a lack of life experience, all contributed to me going to extremes in aspects of the religion, obligating or prohibiting things in my life that I didn’t have to, getting into arguments and debates with other people, ruining friendships and upsetting family members. <br /><br />Mistakes were made, damage was caused and people were hurt unnecessarily. <br /><br />But as time went on and the more I learned about Islam and lived my life as a muslim and the general life experience I gained, I began to understand the mistakes I made and where and how I went wrong.<br /><br />After graduating from the Islamic University of Madinah back in 2014, I felt a need to give back to muslim communities and contribute to the Islamic call but wasn’t sure what to do. I would often think back to the early days of my Islam, the mistakes I made and how I would have done things differently had I had known then what I know now.<br /><br />So the idea came about for ‘Revert Podcast’ a project aimed at helping new muslims and muslim reverts in general, by educating them more about Islam and how to practice it. By returning back to the Quran, authentic Hadith and works of the great scholars of Islam, I hope to shed some light on key issues that affect reverts, clarify any misunderstandings they may have and teach some of the basics of Islam. <br /><br />I don’t claim to be a scholar or ‘sheikh’ and I don’t give religious verdicts. My goal is simply to convey Islamic knowledge that is most relevant to muslim reverts – within my capacity – and to help them on their journey. <br /><br />I hope this initiative can help serve as a guide to reverts and new muslims, and that by way of it, I can rectify some of the wrongs and help to prevent others from making the mistakes I made.<br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/revert-podcast--4998688/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss">https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/revert-podcast--4998688/support</a>.

Available Episodes 10

What happens when someone becomes muslim whilst they’re in a relationship with someone; such as being married, having a long term partner, or having a boyfriend or girlfriend.

This person could be someone they love very dearly and care for. They may have been with eachother for many years, or even have children together.

Does it mean that because one of them has become muslim and the other hasn’t, that eveything comes to an end?

The relationship’s over and they have to seperate or divorce?

Or can they still be together, living their lives as they did before?

This episode is based on Ibn Qayyim’s words from his work ‘Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma’ as well as religious verdicts of other scholars.

Once someone becomes muslim, what should they do next?

Are there things they should do straight away, such as praying, changing their name or taking a shower or bath?

Should they start dressing up in a certain way or prepare to move to a muslim country?

Are there things that are more important to do than others?

In this episode I speak about what someone should do once they've entered Islam.

What if a non-muslim relative dies, such as a parent, child, sibling, uncle or aunt?

Can a muslim attend their funeral?

What about the funeral procession, the burial, cremation or visiting the grave afterwards?

This episode is specifically regarding the funerals of non-muslim relatives and not other non-muslims (who aren’t relatives).

Following the funeral processions of non-muslim relatives, burying them or attending their burial are all matters that the great scholars of Islam have differed concerning.

This episode presents the evidences of the scholars who hold that it is allowed for a muslim to follow the funeral processions of non-muslim relatives, bury them or attend their burial.

There are also many muslim scholars who hold that all of these things are prohibited because they are all considered to be ‘honoring and revering’ non-muslims (إكرام) and manifestations of having allegiance to non-muslims and showing loyalty to them (موالاة) which Allah the most high has forbidden.

May Allah protect all the scholars of Islam and show mercy to those who have passed away.

Alcohol and other drug addictions, adultery and premarital relations, watching pornography, theft, violence, bad character traits like lying and backbiting as well as sicknesses of the heart like arrogance and envy can all be common practices for people before Islam and become serious demons to fight against when they become muslim.

And many of us may strive to cut these bad habits out of our lives, and are even able to stop doing them for a while, but sooner or later, we end up going back to them.

We know what we’re doing is wrong, but just can’t seem to stop doing it.

In this episode I speak about some of the ways in which we can overcome the bad habits we have and the sins we commit.

In this episode I speak about how and why I became a muslim.

What is Islam’s stance on joking?

Is it allowed?

Can someone be a practicing muslim and still joke around and have a laugh?

What about practical jokes, stand up comedy or other types of humor?

In this episode, I speak about humour and joking from an Islamic perspective.

When a muslim falls into error, whether it’s failing to do something they should do, or doing something they shouldn’t, how do they deal with it?

In this episode, I speak about how muslims can repent from sins they've committed.

Loneliness is something that many, if not all reverts feel at some point in their journey as a muslim.

Without muslim family members or friends around to support them, they can often feel alone and isolated, which can sometimes make practicing their faith that much more of a challenge.

In this episode, I speak about being lonely as a revert during religious festivals such as Ramadan and Eid and some of the ways reverts can deal with it.

What should reverts do about Arabic?

Do they have to learn it or not?

Can someone be a practicing muslim and not know Arabic?

In this episode, I speak about whether or not muslims have to learn Arabic and some of the benefits that learning Arabic can provide for muslims.

Saying the shahada (the declaration of faith) to enter islam and become a muslim is often the easiest part for many reverts.

It’s staying on the path and remaining firm in Islam where many of us struggle.

In this episode, I speak about some of the ways in which muslims can remain firm in their religion and continue to practice their faith.