In this episode, I talked to Usman Majid. He is also a podcaster and you should check his podcast as well.
Usman’s journey via identity crisis is something we all can learn from.
Hope you will enjoy this talk as much as I did.
Show Notes
Deenspiration
https://deenspiration.com
Interview transcript
Maruf: Assalamu alaikum! This is Maruf. Welcome to the show Muslims On Fire.
Usman: Walaikumassalam! It’s good to be here. Thank you for having me. I was so tempted in a very thick, you know, stereotypical Scottish accent. I thought your viewership doesn’t have the luxury of subtitles. So I’ll have mercy on that.
Maruf: Why don’t we try at least 10/15 seconds? How would it sound like?
Usman: You know, it’s gonna, a little worse. If you are seen like, braveheart or if you watch this sentence, you know, it’s like, he’s like how’s it going, I’m in the podcast with Maruf. But I cannot really get on with it. But I think for the sake of not making myself cringe. I will stick with this.
Maruf: Yeah, that’s nice. You know, we all are from different parts of the world. But we get to know each other. So, Usman, let’s get to know you, my friend. Tell us from the right begging. I know you’re living in Scotland but you’re an original Scaotish. So, tell us about that. You’re born in Scotland, aren’t you?
Usman: Yes. Oh, I’ve been born, raised and an ascetical Glasgow in Scotland to all those who are listening from Scotland who are not from here as the best city in Scotland, a very famous city, Mashaallah, a central essential hub for culture creativity, Music etc.
Yes. Oh my family. Our from the Pakistani backgrounds. So they see as the reticle people call me and I live. And a part of Scotland or in Glasgow, which is quite non-asian. So going around, you know.
We actually do have quite a lot of Muslims in Glasgow in general. We have I think just over 20 different massages, here. So there are parts of Scotland and Glasgow that are here heavily populated with Asians and they’re famous for being like that same as England as well.
But I lived from 10 to 15 minutes away from the main city in the Seburbs, which is quite Posh and you know when my grandparents got here was kind of older. Caucasian people just very kind of market, kind of push people nothing wrong with self course right nice people.
So when I grew up in Scotland here and right kind of the atmosphere get to change because people started to get into things like that things and stuff and obviously the culture and high school and everything was very different which I became very influenced by.
So, being one of the only Muslim entire school year actually and maybe one of the only few and the entire school. Ueah, you know growing up wasn’t very proud of my religion. Fortunately super influenced by those around me music, TV culture and you know when kids used to go home and watch cartoons and watch these programs and like, you know Drake & Josh stuff like that.
I used to sit and watch like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air all day every day. So although my friends were all white Caucasian. My spirit was trying to be and I had popped this and that a lot of my older cousins would influence that it’s well. Yes, that was kind of growing up and high school as well.
Then things kind of see how changed I went to just have this. I went through a phase of playing football for my American friends and that soccer. Yeah, not the fake football, but the real football which is, you know, use your foot to kick the ball and then you put it in the goal.
Yeah. So for always massive from my upbringing see right major support here in Scotland. There’s a couple of teams that are supervised evils. It’s like my daughter just gets very political, very crazy. And it’s just a poor one of those then growing up a chain from that to basketball and you know go through different phases.
And yes, you know something which I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned before anywhere to my kind of friends or Deen operation can audiences that I actually ended up joining a rock band in high school. So, Yeah.
Maruf: That’s gonna get very interesting, now.
Usman: So, you know this guy, so bad. You know, Subhanallah, talking about marketing. I see that some people have like, former punk rock star and became Shake low. We have this like on the posters and that’s really, you know, they sell tickets for events and they share the story and I was like, I used to be in guitar believe I’d be like I was quite good to have to admit.
I was into like 80s rock bands like Constant Roses. And in all these hardcore bands and me, my friend who strangely was an Indian director who was into it as well trying to ban together and we were really popular obviously in school because of that and yeah that was a face for a few years as well and I caught up with it because my grandfather, may Allah bless him, passed away a couple of months ago.
He was just like, music is Haram and then like disowned me and so I had stopped and the next phase was doing magic tricks and I got obsessed with like, you know, David Blaine and things like that and I became really good at doing like card tricks and I used to go to parties and you know in the streets and stuff.
So my life was full of lots of different phases like that. It’s what they even growing up as a young person anything which involved skill set which involves some table learning and Mastery and creativity was always something which I was attracted to and I kind of came out of sports and went more towards those things which I could really, you know, impress people with and of course music and doing magic what back then in high school was a big hit with the girls and things like that.
So that was obviously very important to know those things. But yeah, that was kind of the first few years of my life so far.
Maruf: That’s cool. You went all ahead. I just gotta say, you enjoyed it. I know two or three things about it but it also takes a lot of courage right, to admit. Just share those vulnerable stories.
Because not every time but you did that. I’m glad that you did that. Okay. Let’s go back to that when you said you were not part of Islamic person. I just want to understand that you were 10 or 12 around that age at that time.
Usman: No, this is actually a bit older. So in my teens, you know, when being popular is important, peer pressure’s important, you’re starting to be attracted to little girls and stuff. And there’s this whole your school divided into this group. That group and trying to be cool and stuff.
It’s you know, I actually had a big Tangent High School in terms of being cool not because of me but actually because of my father and my grandfather. So we have a local store here in my town and Glasgow. There was just a grocery store family business.
So next to the store, there’s like three or four different schools. So we call them primary school. So like, you know from ages of like 5 to 12 that first page of school and then there’s also two or three high schools as well. So everyone used to come to this part of the town for lunch time and before school and after school.
My grandfather and my father especially our we’ve been here for like 40 years in the store. So we’re very popular here in this town and we are almost like, you know, legendary, can of pop town.
So many people grew up there, their kids grew up there and then they grew old and they had kids well themself and still there, and we’re very friendly and my father’s kind of Law and my grandfather died Lovelace and both very charismatic and very friendly with everyone. So because of that my friends were like, are you his son? Oh my God, that’s so cool. Can you get me some you know some sweets and what not.
So being that kid made me a lot more popular and it helped me to get into some circles that I might not have gotten to the young Brown kid. Yeah. So in terms of not being proud.
Maruf: I just want to understand that you were like 15 or 14. I mean you had to understand Islam in some way, right? So tell us, how does that feel? You know teenagers don’t understand that much.
Usman: Yes. And the reason that I mentioned these stories and I’m not saying these things proudly. Of course, this is the first time I’ve actually mentioned them in public like this, you know for those kids. You know for those who don’t know me listening right now, you know, I’m a guy here with a beard, you know seen as being super religious and what not, also try to be.
But back then, you mentioned I had an understanding of my Deens, so my family growing up it was like, you know my heart for my family is very religious and the other half not so much and I was influenced by both at the same time. So deep down I did know about Allah, I did love Islam. I did pray even if I pray in secret or even if I pray at home. I did have that discipline there.
And my grandfather, he actually used to be very active with his Masjid and Allah bless him. He used to be part of Jamatul Tablek when he was around. So he traveled many different parts of the world and I used to go with him, sometimes three days or 10 days.
So that discipline of Salah of loving a lot of demand was there and Even though I was doing things that weren’t really great. I kind of do that deep down but in terms of not being proud it was more. So I think the identity young Asian Muslim backgrounds that wasn’t cool compared to all these other people who didn’t really understand.
What was it? It was why are you fasting? Why can’t you eat? Why aren’t you drinking with us? Because there came a point where 15, 16 years old all of my friends started. All they cared about was drinking and partying and you know, may Allah protect us, you know, sexual relationships and what not.
And it all they were doing was talking about these things in school and class bragging about how great their party was and I’m like, you know, that’s not me and even though I might have fallen into a number of different things or since I have the one thing that I stayed completely away from what looks like drinking things like drugs and what not, right?
So there was like, in a double identity where I school I’m trying to be cool. I’m trying to fit in and I am going to parties, listening to music, wanting to do concerts and being popular for that. But then at home, I’m like, I’m still like that, but I’m also praying.
I feel bad sometimes and you know, they were actually at times we are in school where I used to sacrifice my lunch hour. And I used to go to the chemistry department and go to our room and I started praying. I found one or two other Muslims. I was like guys you want to play with me? Okay, cool.
And it was the whole quickly do, will do before someone catches you with your food in the sink and it’s all over your whole reputation is gone, right? So I still had that Taqawa, right and to be honest, as I grew older even though I was still so engrossed in that culture and so engrossed and trying to be somebody for someone else.
I think what my parents, my grandparents taught me. It was still there in the background and I think a lot of people out there, today, they have that. But they choose to ignore it whereas others it’s there and eventually it manifests and to do their characters and for different people that takes different time to come out.
For me it came out like my life went 180 degrees and University, but for others it can take, you know, even into their late 30s 40s, but I do believe that everyone you know, who’s at least from a Muslim background has it and there’s some where the environment has a massive massive recently glyphs. Sure.
Maruf: I see. I’m trying to focus on what you’re saying. So the thing is going on is double which is like, parallel universe, right? You know that well. On the other hand, the society here, almost everybody said the same things. Everybody is doing that.
Cause you cannot pray wrong. It’s like a paradox in your mind. As you mentioned, when you moved to the university. What is going on? You aren’t part of that cool society. Is that correct or something else?
Usman: Yeah, exactly. So I think this is your classic example of environment changes and I think university and general for many people Muslim or not is just a time to break free and discover themselves.
So whether it’s with the religions, whether it’s you know hobbies or career choice or relationships, most of us don’t speak to everyone who went to high school with usually by the time we get to college or university we can change friends or you might keep in touch with a handful of the of the good ones.
But everyone goes their own way, right? So even in university for the first two years of University, my four year degree, I was still religious in the sense where my university is very blessed. We have a big prayer hall there. It’s almost the size of mustard to be honest. So it’s very busy all the time.
So Became almost like my second home. I was up there praying Salat with Juma almost every day. There’s Juma as well. Ramadan, there was a greatest Iftar, are kind of atmosphere but still was kind of falling into those things and still was heavily into the culture was still attached to a few friends was heavily and fullest by music and things like that.
And then slowly but surely because I was away from that culture at high school where there was a double life. And because I was part of an environment where there was more of the good and less of that. I started to become a bit more mature and I had space to, you know, think for myself right?
Like why are people doing this and unique especially a community where everyone is just like? Yeah, let’s just go to class and then get drunk and go to the club. You begin to realize his home. Her rubbish all this and how useless it is and I don’t really know how to explain it.
But there was a time in my life where roughly two years and to UNI. I was still hanging out with people from the opposite sex. I was hanging out people like it should have been with, not doing anything. Hopefully major haram on but still wasn’t supposed to be doing that and something that I felt myself was.
I used to enjoy being with him so much. After dropping them off home on the way home. I had this huge serious guilt in my stomach, right? I used to sometimes cry so literally five minutes ago. I was laughing, joking, seeing you tomorrow and then on the way home, I was like making dua. I was crying a lot. Sorry help me and there was just like, vicious cycle right all do the same you regret it.
You say I’m sorry, and then you fold, I twist right away. So again, I still wasn’t in the wrong environment. I remember it like it was yesterday. Subhanallah, one of my teachers from my Islamic MC youth circle with me. May Allah bless him. Only a few years older than me, but I text him right? I was like, look man.
I’m in this dilemma. I like this person. It was a girl. I have these friends. I’m still doing these things, but I want to change for Allah’s sicks. What do I do? And he was like, bro, you just have to cut this off immediately. Don’t even pretend in your life that it’s okay. I won’t be harmful because he understood the long-term harms, right?
When she gets too deep into something. So I remember like I sent this long text to that person. Basically, they look, we can see each other anymore. It’s not allowed for me. I think we should you know, perhaps cut this out and I was thinking, okay. That feeling in my heart that was there the whole time.
Finally I was able to go a hundred percent that way and the person didn’t understand at all. I think they completely don’t understand, they were like is it because I’m wearing oh my God, how dare you and they got so upset but finally from.
Yeah basically and I tried to explain but essentially for me and this is kind of a pattern in my life which is, you know, a few minutes ago the whole I go full scale into sports. I went through school and to the rock band out and full into the magic trick.
I went full hundred percent into Dean because I think he was burning inside me, but I just wanted to finally get rid of all of this baggage. And so after that moment it literally went 180 for me and you know when we hear this phrase, often there’s a famous saying that when you remove something in your life for the sake of Allah, that should be there Allah will replace that thing with something even better, right?
And we hear that a lot, but for me, it didn’t really make sense until it happened and I swear upon a lot like straight away after I made that decision. I cut off that haram relationship, literally months later.l, I joined the Islamic society at University. I took my first ever Islamic Studies course one year long course, but they started to grow everything and I just went.
Maruf: Can I ask you one question? I think I want to understand. I think we could be related. So, you finished school and so what did you study?
Usmam: I specialize in marketing.
Maruf: Okay, go ahead. I’ll come back to the topic letter. So now, you are in a position, now you changed this decision, now you joined with the Islamic circle. Was it part of the study, Islamic course?
Usman: No, the university is called Strathclyde university is in Glasgow. It was an extracurricular eye with University. So in our sense he were very blessed to have a couple of Scholars who were much of a childhood Middle East.
And they came back and they created a curriculum. So it’s like in the evening right about 6:30 until 9:30. So once a week and I noticed that it was getting popular, I wrote something about it. So I joined that yeah.
Maruf: Popularity, hah? It’s interesting. You’re still there, right?
Usman: Yeah, yes. So after joining that and then join in society, which was just the response rate, but in the UK here and I think in America, they call the MSE which is Muslim Student Association here. We had the same idea in the UK and Ireland Wales we have is called Isaac and Isaac is short for Islamic Society at forces here is actually the kind of umbrella organization.
And that’s for the Federation of students islamist societies has been going on for decades. Mashaallah. I believe even Malcolm X spoke at forces even once. So that was like something extra to do. I didn’t know why I was going there.
My friend said hey you want to come I said why not and I think finally having a group of Muslim friends, sounded very attractive. Finally, I could talk about my Dean and talk about other things without having to feel that double life, hiding my identity and finally being able to be proud of it, which is quite good and I was given a role position.
And I was in charge of, you know, taking care of events and these kinds of things but as the years went on I became a bit higher up in that and I became very invested. And so yeah, I just went hard to represent through and to it studied Islam of the site.
Maruf: Here’s the question, is that you came there. What made you choose that path?
Usman: Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to make it out as if it was just like dramatic, movie climax where you know, it’s a big big build-up and yeah and like, you know, I like I woke up in the morning and the light was shining and you know, I heard a voice it’s not like that.
But I think to be honest with you harvest a feeling inside of you and you’re not able to truly express it, you crave the ability to openly and freely do what you want and end University and high school. I actually could essentially I wanted to yes, I lived at home with my family, but I think either it was the guilt of letting them down.
Because eventually they will find out. But to be honest, this is just the truth which is that letting a lot down became more apparent and my nights, my eyes because I was like, what am I going to do this forever? I’m not going to carry on this way or am I finally going to give this the attention that it deserves its one of those moments where up until now your family tell you why you should pray to have Takawa, to do this and that.
But when you decide for yourself, no, I finally understand why Allah’s so important a lot why is you know, being on teams important, so I wanted to try that for myself and make sure that it was my decision and not anybody else is right, and that is what made me kind of go into a bit more.
Maruf: I understand. You studid at school. You took up study marketing. Why marketing? Why not IT? Why not something else? Is that for some kind of your father’s shop or you want to do business? What’s going on?
Usman: To be honest, the last thing I wanted to do was be in a shop for the rest of my life. So I wanted to do complete opposite to my father and my father told me if you ever end up here, I’ll kill you because I think it was like, third generation of the shop and he said, please go and do something.
I’ll be in high school. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was thinking about architecture. I was thinking about other subjects, but the course that I applied to was actually called business technology and how can various systems work?
And so, the way that the course works in my university is you enter the business school and first year and you have a taster of all these different business leads subjects. So finance and Hospitality, management and marketing, you know, Behavior, psychology and so eventually, I just realized that the whole idea of marketing and understanding customers and how that all works was more interesting.
And I didn’t really realize that it was a passion until I was able to apply those skills. So for example, the Islamic Society actually gave me a platform to do the marketing, you know for events, for talks and stuff like that social media being people together and creating a brand and all that stuff together, you know helped me realize that this is probably the best influence to do.
Maruf: I see. Is it the moment when you met your co- founder?
Usman: Yes. So Shabazz Michelle. I met him during University actually. Yeah, but it was a bit after so before Ramadan Legacy happened and may Allah blessed my friend Shabazz. Actually, he started a leadership program and it was called the modified initiative and it was a very kind of small private exclusive kind of thing.
And he was very mysterious about moving like he sent me a letter. He’s like, meet me at this hotel at this time. It’s a secret. Don’t tell anybody and I was like what is this, is like you have been chosen and I don’t know why and I went there and sitting there was two three four other people like, huh you here to he’s like, yeah you here as well.
What’s this all about? We had no idea and then he said I was down in a room. And he had a good friend of ours, Noman, who lives in Dubai but he’s from Glasgow. He works with project, Capital, excuse me. And basically he explained to us that he chose us. He saw potential with us because he was watching us for a couple of years and he saw Shabazz primarily, both of them wanted to start something in Scotland in Glasgow.
Tht trained up young leaders to become an entrepreneur or to just become more impactful and the community. It’s a long story short. We spent a year together, country weekly workshops. We met different entrepreneurs, we got ideas from them. Excuse me, we heard their stories.
We did some like, Dragon Den type of you know, pictures and stuff. And then we flew to Dubai to the world Islamic economic forum and that time there. I remember it very clearly, Shabbaz was like Usman come with me and he called one of our other friends as well.
And actually I just before to buy he did mention as the idea of an app about Ramadan, but it wasn’t quite fixed yet. And yeah, but all he knew was that he’s like, I know this I see this guy online. His name is Peter gold up there. Is this other designer Rooh Alam as well and he’s like Yeah.
And he’s like we’re going to go to Dubai. We’re going to spend half the time doing this program leadership program out of understand but secretly on the same you and I and our friends are going to go and hunt them down and Pitch the idea of Ramadan Legacy to them and try to figure out.
So we sat on the rooftop of our hotel and he could share with us that idea and his vision. Mashallah and at that stage, you know, I was so ready to like, take on a project because by that time I had just graduated University.
And actually I was very well-versed in media.
So during University actually taught myself how to do like, DSLR filmmaking. I started a YouTube channel with our Islamic Society. I was involved in different kinds of creative projects when he said it’s Islamic app, Ramadan is going to be amazing.
I was like this panel. Let’s do it. And yes, so it sounds very exciting. We had no idea what’s happening. But he had a very strong vision and I think you should definitely speak to him if you haven’t already on the show. Yeah. It’ll be much more.
And yes, so we just made it our mission to hunt these people done and present them the idea. So we had the presentation ready, you rehearsed it, Dragon’s Den style and through our connections through the month in Muncie sit down in a room in front of Peter gould and front of our friends as well and we pitched the idea and we’re like what do you think you want to join us you want to help us so we got some very good advice from the mashaallah and that was the beginning of the story.
Maruf: You were the one that director of the new year. Some of that training videos there was a trailer I think for lunch good off your waist nice hands. So you what I just want to ask that you were turning guy with your back for.
Usman: Actually we did hire professionals to help us better. But yeah, there was some backgrounds, directing and scriptwriting and again Shabazz had a lot of the direction where you wanted to go, but I’d say we had a bigger team, we had developers, we had designers and everything and so on. We just wanted to use that platform of Lunch Good to help us get started. Yeah, that was good fun.
Maruf: I think we gotta deep dive with Shabbaz. Let me ask you the next question. Let’s talk about your podcast. So, as you can imagine by the time that you know in the interview in Muslims On Fire and you know people like you, life story. People tell us the story that they haven’t told yet. This is what’s our podcast. Tell us about your podcast. What’s the unique part of your podcast? Why should we go to your podcast?
Usman: Yeah, I’m thankful for the free promotion here, is very controversial to promote my podcast on your podcast for thank you. Yeah, so deep spiration happened very randomly to honest and it happened of the back of Ramadan. So for me the thing that runs on X you taught me was coming in to the Islamic Market with a more creative angle around Ramadan.
It was fresh. It was very practical way from Muslims to worship. So for me, I remember one day I wanted to change my social media name. It was very boring. And I thought let’s think of something cool and funky and randomly the words the word inspiration came up. So those, don’t know what it means.
It’s the right thing and inspiration join together. Yeah the inspiration and so at first it was just kind of there and then I started to actually get really into listening to podcast as well. I was listening to business and Entrepreneurship podcast, you know, your typical, Your pops Lanes, your entrepreneur on Fires, your Amy, Porterfield. Tony Robbins. All these guys right here, like teaching you marketing and Gary Vee and I thought this is amazing.
I love this platform of podcasting and I go to the website and they have an entire system of I’m going to give you step-by-step what to do. All you have to do is follow this and you’re going to have the results like man like white is this not exist for from Muslims.
I mean, Mashaallah, we have so many really really good inspirational, motivational, uplifting YouTube channels, you know merciful surveying, daily reminder, you know, what’s in the ship in the background and it’s like scary music and it’s like, talkabout Johannam. And all that stuff, right?
This is great and there’s times when that’s needed and obviously you have your move team and you have all these big speakers who are their inspiring to you and that’s something you listen to when you have to have any man booster right but I was like a lot of these speakers may Allah bless them and I benefit greatly from them.
They tell you what you should do, but they don’t tell you how to do it. Right? So I was like you tell them that I have to pray and have social my prayer but you haven’t told me how to do that like so I found ya for a young Muslim living in the west who has all these different environmental and societal pressures.
You know, we are engrossed by YouTube Society, Netflix Society, movie culture. And this world. How do I do what you just told me? You said fear Allah. Okay. How do I fear Allah you said pray on time? Okay. How do I pray on time?
My website entity five times a week. So, how do I do? So I thought okay. What can I do? Using my media skills, using my kind of loud charismatic personality and copy this format is podcast as we’re using on the show and just get a very practical Hands-On solution for Muslims.
So it took different directions and my first or podcast actually were the audio version of a book that I released and the book was called 30 top tips for attending Shoe and prayer and essentially I think he was 2016. I sat down with it.
Yeah. that’s right, you know right now here on the podcast and front of your listeners. I want to say thank you so much because I remember you were one of the only people who sponsored me back then so yeah, and it’s ironic because back then I didn’t have any audience and you sponsored me but know that I had the audience, not many people want to sponsor me, is underground.
So yes, thank you for that. That was amazing support. That went out. I got hundreds and hundreds of downloads. Mashallah and I realized that okay people want, practical way to practice a religion. It’s Ramadan Legacy taught me that as well, you know, the whole giving them a 30 day action plan.
So the whole here’s a step-by-step we healthy folks in your Salah what to do before you begin what to do and the prayer what to do after the prayer and then from there I thought okay, I can’t just keep doing this BuzzFeed Style 10 ways to do this and five ways to do that. So it’s not some to interview different Muslims just like you are but instead of saying inspire me or scared me about Jahannam and more stuff.
Let’s talk practically about how to do staring things. Yeah. So whatever the topic was it’s like the podcast essentially my mission for every single episode is by the time to finish listening you have something to go and do or to practise yeah and last asking of the ethos behind again.
Maruf: So, for those listeners. So the inspiration is in a nutshell. It’s much more like how to get those things for example.
Usman: Oh, you know I don’t want to disappoint my teachers who are going to be cringing at me, but it has different meanings, tranquility, concentration, humility, you know being humble in front of Allah.
Maruf: Yeah. You are right. How do you wanna be more present in your Salah? So, how do you wanna guide step by step? You wanna practise your dean in a better way. This is the podcast that step by step tutorial. Is that right?
Usman: That is our main focus. We do have a lifestyle feature and so we still do into it. We talked about their life as well and kind of have that laid-back and informal discussion, but the kind of the main driver behind the website is just like you said, it’s the kind of Hands-On practical, you know, we have a section on the website where you can download a free like a guide or a worksheet or something that you can fill in and do it home and that will help you achieve a particular goal and that aspect.of your Islam is sensually.
Maruf: What do you think of that computation by it could be like us but podcast to anybody? What’s your thoughts on that?
Usman: Competition. Yeah, I think it’s great. It forces you to be more creative and work harder. I’ll tell you something. So and 2016 right? There was barely any kind of Muslim podcasts, right believe it or not. I was looking at the market.
Maybe there was one, maybe there was two or three, it was mainly like social media videos right and YouTube videos and lectures. Nobody was living this kind of format and obviously now and 2020, 2019. It’s like Subhanallah this so many everybody everybody and every college and every Fatima has the podcast about something right every Maruf and every Usman and you know, that’s not a bad thing.
So at first I actually regret not going full-on back then when I was like open market and now I’m like, oh my God. I’m behind, you know, and I’m watching others podcasts. Mashallah like your own and you have great guests, should wait for.
So something of me as I’m a perfectionist and I really fussy about like, high quality. So now I’m watching this other podcasts out there’s got great equipment, amazing studio setup, you know, they’ve got great guest. I’m like, but that’s where I want to be.
So competition is amazing for that. But you have to always remember that this is so important. And is that the brand might be different, the local might be different but the purpose and the mission is the same. It’s all for the same purpose.
Hopefully if that’s your intention, is for Allah said, yeah, so well competition is there and it should drive you and motivate you, you should never forget who you who as that you’re calling towards don’t necessarily call towards your name, your breath, your title, call towards Allah do that. Anyway, you want do that as creatively as you want.
Yes, be competitive, go for the numbers, go for the iTunes charts in the worldwide wherever, do with Assad because Allah loves those who work with Assad, but don’t let the competition make you have any type of hatred or animosity towards other people. That’s when it’s bad.
Maruf: It’s good. I think we need to learn. Look in the end we have to look. We’re all going to the same path, right? At the same time, we are brothers. If even one person of our audience goes to you and learns what to do. That’s the success. There’s many thing that you can do maybe I can’t do and some things that I can do but you can’t do. So we’re doing that. We have to look forward. That what I’m saying.
Usman: Exactly. And you know, Allah has given us all separate skills. You are skilled and certain things and you are doing great work in that and even the prophets (S) you know, he would give the Sahaba the rule and the community according to what they were great at right and when that happened they all Excel.
So you and I would love to podcast so there’s this Our way of helping other people. Allah gifted us with this talent that has long as we’re using Allah has gifted talents to inspire and benefit other people. It’s all good.
Maruf: So, Usman, one of the last question. Do you think the question I should have asked but I didn’t? Just let me know. If there is something in your chest, give it out.
Usman: You know, bro. I don’t have anything top of my head. I think I shared most of my story. I’m one of those guys if you ask me a question, I keep talkingn.
Maruf: As a last note, why don’t you tell us one more time where the listeners can find you? Anything you’d like to follow you.
Usman: Sure, so the podcast at our blog is called Deen Inspiration. So that’s DEEN INSPIRATION to expiration was no I in the middle as some people say.com. The podcast is available on all major platforms. Apple podcast, Google podcast, Spotify. You name it. We are very very active on social media. So if you go to Facebook or Instagram you type Deen Inspiration. You find us there, Inshallah, we regularly post to be creative kind of stuff.
My personal Instagram is At Moments by Usman. I do videography and possibly crazy over-the-top stories there as well. So if you want to have some fun, I think that this guy has lots of spare time on his hands, then you can follow there.
Maruf: Thank you so much for your time. May allah rewards you.
Usman: I mean, thank you so much for having me.
Maruf: Assalamu walaikum!
Usman: Walaikumassalm!
