The Islamic Pod

Clinical social worker and registered alcohol and drug technician, Ustadh Tabari Zahir, shares his compelling journey from a troubled past on the streets to helping Muslim communities battling addiction. After a near-death confrontation and subsequent incarceration, Tabari sought solace and forgiveness in Islam. Now as a chaplain at UCLA and the founder of the Lamps of Light organization (https://lampsoflight.org/event/) , Ustadh Tabari has become pivotal to the communities in and around San Bernardino and los Angeles.

In this episode, we discuss the inspiring journey of Jesse Maroney, a dedicated community organizer based in Los Angeles. Jesse primarily works in the inner city and has co-founded the organization Link Outside (https://linkoutside.com/), which focuses on prison outreach and re-entry programs. Jesse's impactful work has significantly touched many Muslim communities within the inner city. Having spent time in prison himself, Jesse's experiences have profoundly shaped his life and who he is today.

In this episode we discuss both why and how Saeed and Talha were able to quit listening to music and the changes it brought into their lives.

In this episode we discuss the power of Dua and trusting Allah (SWT) regardless of any outcome that may occur. Throughout the episode we delve into topics such as tawakkul and the importance of incorporating dua into our daily lives as a muslim.

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In this episode we discuss replacing harsh language with softer language. We did an episode on cussing before but in this episode we explore the replacement of hard words with softer kinder ones in a more general perspective.

In this episode we introduce our new co-host! Meet Saeed. A friend of our's who also attends USC and has quickly become on of our closest friends. After a while we thought it would be a great idea to do an episode with him. What we didn't know was after further deliberation, we would bring him on as an official Co-host. We hope you enjoy his story :) and inshaAllah you'll see more of him soon!

In this episode we brought on a friend and guest Muhammed Durukan to talk about his experience growing up in a muslim country but going to college in America.

For this episode we brought on Safa (@safa.aaa) to talk about her experience growing up muslim. We specifically touched on her journey on social media and how she "leveled up" her deen in the last few years.

On this episode we talked about a common problem that has arisen especially in many young people. Sometimes in the modern day we can be on "autopilot" and this causes some dissonance between our mind, actions, and intentions. We talked about how we need to be active player's in our own life instead of taking a backseat.

On this episode we brought on Ayaan and Nehaa Sohail who you guys may have seen before on social media. Both Ayaan and Nehaa are young individuals are very accomplished in the realm of basketball and academia (for what you may know them for), but also have plenty of stories on how they navigated this success, Mashallah, with Islam in mind. In the end we need to learn how to navigate this world including sports with Islam as a priority, and this episode really showed even us how that takes effort and discipline especially at a high level.  Ayaan's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ayaansohaill/?hl=en Nehaa's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nehaasohaill/?hl=en

No description for this one, if you don't know Jad, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxUMJENLmBM

We talked about what it's like to embrace an "Islamic" Identity. What we mean by that isn't about becoming a perfect muslim, but rather fully embracing Islam as a key and integral part of who you are. We talk about how we grew in our Islamic understanding and practices and how that translated to growing in other aspects of our lives.

In this Episode: We talked about the Toll of Doing the Right Thing. Sometimes when faced with decisions we often have a choice. And while many people may talk about how choosing the wrong thing may hurt you, not many talk about how choosing the right thing also has a toll. As a High School or College student you will face many challenges where picking the right thing means you'll have to deal with feelings such as missing out, or a lack of friends. This episode talks about how to deal with those feelings and translate them into positive ones.

In this Video: We talked about how saying "No" and holding to your islamic values can be a difficult thing and lead to a loss of friends. We talked about this in the context of going to a higher level education system and being surrounded by educated individuals who may look at religion as something that is archaic. Last but not least we also talked about how you can even lose muslim friends when holding to your personal islamic values and beliefs.

In this episode we talked about overthinking and having Tawakkul; (trust in Allah swt) as a muslim. We can often get so caught up in our lives and futures we fail to admit that Allah swt is in control of our destiny. We broke down how to instill that trust in Allah swt especially as students who have to face so much and be concerned for our futures almost daily.

In this Video: We talked about the motivating factors behind our actions are Muslims and building intentionality with them. We also talked about how to process the complexity of Islam in a healthy manner without being overwhelmed.

In this Video: We talked about the consequences and connotation of using foul language and cursing. We also talked about our experience with cursing. And lastly we broke down the ways we reduced and almost negated any foul language use in our personal lives.

In this Video: We talked about how it is to feel lost as a muslim. This can mean different things for different people but in general we focused on what it feel like to be disconnected from Allah swt and Islam as a whole. We also talked about what it feels like when you may think you're "too far gone" for islam to be a part of your life.

In this Video: We talked about becoming more grateful in an ugly world. We often get consumed and lost in difficulties and problems and we sometimes believe the way out of them is to simply solve the problem at hand. However we fail to realize that by employing gratefulness on a daily basis, we can improve our and others quality of life without having all our difficulties and problems figured out.

In this Video: We talked about holding grudges. We discussed how this can take a toll on your own mind, body, and soul as well as how to begin the process of letting go of those grudges and forgiving those who make you feel like you need to hold a grudge.

In this Video: We talked about Backbiting. We discussed both being on the receiving end of backbiting as well as being the one who Backbites others. We further discussed how to handle it if things are being said against you but more importantly how to reduce and realize the dangers of backbiting others.

In this Video: We talked about hypocrisy. Within Islam there are two main ways of interpreting this. Hypocrisy of the faith, and hypocrisy of actions. We focused on the latter of actions. Hypocrisy of faith is at its core saying one is a muslim but internally believing otherwise, we’re leaving that topic for another time. We focused on the hypocrisy of actions, which is what the western definition for the word “hypocrisy” means.

In this Video: We talked about how we ourselves balance personal choices. This encompasses topics such as who we choose to hang out with, who we call our friends, what kind of events and places we choose to go to or attend, and the personal choices we make on a daily basis in High school and College.

In this Podcast: We talked about how many we qualify success in this Dunya. We dive into what does it really mean to gain something in this life and define that a positive thing. We also talked about how we can work Ibadah (worship) into daily tasks rather than fully separating religion as merely a part of our lives versus a way to live life.

In this Video: We talked about how many High school and College students face a dilemma when it comes to balancing ambition and the career with religion and faith. And this is something even we are currently figuring out for ourselves. But in this episode we talk about some methods we use to prioritize our Deen over the material world.

We talked about a few different types of Social Media including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Primarily we focused on its effects and how we navigate these apps as Young Muslims in America. Our main takeaway is that while none of us are perfect its, important to stay aware and cognizant of the place Social Media has in our lives.

In this video We talked about drinking, smoking, and drug usage and how that while muslim Highschooler's/college students grow up, they have to inevitably confront these realities of life in societies where it may be the norm.