무함마드 아사드 인터뷰 1988 YouTube

Muhammad Asad Interview - YouTube

Muhammad Asad Interview

dempseyl

113,398 views  Apr 2, 2016

An interview with Muhammad Asad from 1988.

===

무함마드 아사드 인터뷰 요약

1. 출생과 청년기, 그리고 저널리즘의 시작

무함마드 아사드(본명 레오폴드 바이스)는 과거 오스트리아 영토였던 렘베르크(현재 우크라이나 리비우)에서 태어나 빈에서 유년 시절을 보냈다. 자유주의적 관점을 지닌 변호사 아버지 밑에서 지적 자극을 받으며 자랐고, 빈 대학에서 철학과 예술사, 역사를 공부했다. 19세 무렵 대학을 떠나 베를린으로 이주한 후, 생계를 위해 뉴스 대행사에서 일하며 저널리스트로서의 커리어를 시작했다.

2. 이슬람과의 만남과 개종

정신과 의사였던 외삼촌의 초대로 예루살렘을 방문한 아사드는 시오니즘의 아랍인 억압에 강한 반감을 품게 되었다. 중동 특파원으로 활동하며 아랍인들의 개방적이고 인간적인 면모에 매료되었고, 아프가니스탄 여행 중 한 지역 정치가로부터 "당신은 이미 무슬림인데 본인만 모르고 있다"라는 예언적인 말을 듣기도 했다.

1926년 베를린으로 돌아온 그는 물질적 풍요 속에서도 불행해 보이는 현대인들의 얼굴을 목격했다. 직후 우연히 펼친 <코란> 번역본에서 물질적 탐욕을 경고하고 삶의 의미를 묻는 구절(타카투르 수라)을 읽고 깊은 충격을 받았다. 1,400년 전의 묵시록적 통찰이 현대 사회를 완벽히 설명하고 있다는 사실에서 신성한 계시를 확신한 그는 이튿날 이슬람으로 개종하고 이름을 무함마드 아사드로 바꾸었다.

3. 사우디아라비아에서의 6년과 베두인 문화

그는 첫 부인과 함께 메카로 성지순례(하즈)를 떠났으나 부인이 직후 사망하는 비극을 겪었다. 이후 사우디아라비아의 건국자 압둘아지즈 이븐 사우드 국왕의 배려로 6년간 그곳에 머물며 사막을 여행했다. 아사드는 사막의 절대적 고독 속에서 일신교의 탄생 배경을 영적으로 이해하게 되었다고 고백한다. 아울러 서구의 편견과 달리 베두인들이 즉흥 시를 짓고 암송할 만큼 고도의 문명적 전통을 지닌 이들이라는 점을 발견하며, 이슬람이 아랍 땅에서 발흥할 수밖에 없었던 당위성을 깨달았다.

4. 인도 이주와 코란 번역, 그리고 말년

이후 메카에서 만난 인도 무슬림 친구들의 권유로 인도를 방문했다가, 이슬람 사상가 무함마드 익발을 만나 파키스탄 건국 운동에 투신하게 되었다. 아사드의 학문적 성취, 특히 <코란> 번역과 주석 작업은 그의 미국인 아내의 헌신적인 독려와 협업이 있었기에 가능했다. 노년에 스페인에 거주하던 그는 과거 안달루시아 무슬림들의 몰락 원인을 '정치적 분열과 이슬람 정신의 상실'로 진단하며, 현대 무슬림들이 형식적인 의례에서 벗어나 진정한 형제애와 이슬람의 본질로 돌아가야 한다고 강조했다.

평론: 경계를 넘어선 세계인의 영적 오디세이

무함마드 아사드의 삶은 단순한 종교적 개종의 기록을 넘어, 물질주의로 점철된 서구 근대성에 대한 통렬한 성찰이자 경계를 허문 세계인의 영적 오디세이다. 오스트리아 제국의 유대인 가문에서 태어나 유럽의 지적 중심지인 빈과 베를린을 거친 그가 이슬람이라는 완전히 다른 정신적 영토에 안착한 과정은 철저히 주체적이고 지적인 탐색의 결과물이다.

아사드의 위대함은 당대 유럽을 지배하던 시오니즘의 맹목적 민족주의와 식민주의적 시선을 거부했다는 점에 있다. 예루살렘에서 아랍인들이 겪는 부당함을 직시한 그의 태도는 보편적 정의감에 기반한 것이었다. 나아가 1920년대 중반 바이마르 공화국의 물질적 풍요 속에서 현대인들이 겪는 영적 빈곤과 불행을 포착하고, 이를 <코란>의 고대 구절과 연결해 낸 대목은 그의 문명 비판적 안목이 얼마나 날카로웠는지를 보여준다.

그가 사우디아라비아의 사막에서 발견한 것은 척박함이 아니라, 인간의 보편적 왜소함과 신 앞에서의 평등이었다. 서구 문명이 '야만'으로 치부하던 베두인의 삶에서 찬란한 시적 전통과 문화적 유산을 발견해 내는 대목은 문명 간의 우열을 가르는 제국주의적 오만을 전복한다. 아사드는 유럽인으로서의 정체성이나 특정 국가에 대한 맹목적 충성심에 갇히지 않고, 사막의 베두인과 인도의 무슬림 공동체를 자유롭게 오가며 인류 보편의 진리를 추구했다.

이 인터뷰는 평생을 저널리스트이자 학자, 그리고 실천가로 살았던 한 노학자의 겸손하면서도 확신에 찬 목소리를 담고 있다. 자신의 삶에 부여된 최종적 목적은 오직 신만이 안다며 미래의 자유의지를 강조하는 그의 태도는 운명론에 갇히지 않은 진취적인 신앙인의 면모를 드러낸다. 안달루시아의 몰락을 통해 현대 이슬람 사회의 형식주의와 분열을 경고하는 그의 마지막 고언은, 종교적 교조주의를 넘어 진정한 인간적 연대와 본질의 회복을 갈망하는 모든 세계인에게 여전히 유효한 울림을 준다.

혹시 이번 요약과 평론에서 특별히 더 보완하고 싶으시거나, 아사드의 사상 중 더 깊게 다루고 싶은 부분이 있으신가요?

===

<요약>

이 인터뷰는 1988년 스페인에서 촬영된 무함마드 아사드의 말년 인터뷰다. 그는 1992년에 세상을 떠났으므로, 이 영상은 그의 생애와 신앙을 직접 들을 수 있는 귀중한 증언에 가깝다. 인터뷰의 중심은 한 유럽 유대계 청년 레오폴트 바이스가 어떻게 무함마드 아사드가 되었는가, 그리고 그의 이슬람 이해가 무엇이었는가에 놓여 있다.

아사드는 오스트리아 동부의 렘베르크, 지금의 우크라이나 리비우에서 태어났고, 어린 시절을 빈에서 보냈다. 아버지는 변호사였지만 과학에 깊은 관심을 가진 자유주의적 지식인이었다. 어머니는 따뜻하고 사랑이 많았으나, 지적 자극은 주로 아버지에게서 받았다고 말한다. 그는 빈 대학에서 철학, 미술사, 역사 등을 공부했지만, 대학을 중도에 떠나 베를린으로 갔고, 생활을 위해 통신사에서 일하면서 언론인의 길에 들어섰다.

그의 삶을 바꾼 첫 계기는 예루살렘 방문이었다. 정신과 의사였던 외삼촌이 예루살렘에 살고 있었는데, 그는 시온주의에 반대하는 인물이었다. 아사드는 그곳에서 유대인 식민운동이 팔레스타인 아랍인들에게 부당한 일을 하고 있다고 느꼈고, 매우 이른 시기부터 시온주의에 도덕적 거부감을 갖게 되었다고 말한다. 이후 그는 독일 신문 <프랑크푸르터 차이퉁>의 중동 특파원이 되어 시리아, 이라크, 이집트, 이란, 아프가니스탄 등을 여행했다.

그의 글쓰기 관심은 권력정치나 외교적 사건보다 사람들의 삶, 표정, 태도, 세계관에 있었다. 이 점이 중요하다. 아사드가 이슬람에 끌린 것은 먼저 교리적 연구 때문이라기보다, 팔레스타인과 시리아의 아랍인들과 접촉하면서 느낀 인간적 매력, 개방성, 생활세계 때문이었다. 그는 시장과 거리에서 구어 아랍어를 배웠고, 페르시아어도 익혔다. 이슬람은 그에게 추상적 종교가 아니라 살아 있는 사람들의 생활양식 속에서 다가왔다.

회심의 직접적 계기는 두 장면으로 설명된다. 첫째는 아프가니스탄 헤라트에서 카불로 가는 길에 만난 지방 행정관과의 대화다. 아사드는 그에게 “무슬림은 꾸란과 예언자라는 최고의 윤리적 지침을 가지고 있으면서도 왜 그것을 버리고 타락했는가”라고 직설적으로 묻는다. 그러자 그 행정관은 “당신은 무슬림이다. 다만 아직 그것을 모를 뿐이다”라고 말한다. 아사드는 훗날 이 말이 예언적이었다고 회고한다.

둘째는 베를린 지하철에서의 경험이다. 1926년 중부 유럽은 경제적으로 회복기에 있었고, 사람들은 잘 차려입고 잘 먹고 사는 듯 보였다. 그러나 아사드는 그들의 얼굴에서 깊은 불행을 본다. 집으로 돌아온 그는 책상 위에 펼쳐져 있던 독일어 꾸란 번역본에서 “더 많이 가지려는 욕망에 사로잡혀 있다가 무덤에 이른다”는 내용의 수라를 접한다. 그는 이것이 바로 현대인의 상황, 곧 물질적 풍요 속에서도 결핍감에 사로잡힌 삶을 정확히 묘사한다고 느꼈다. 그는 1400년 전의 한 인간이 현대 문명의 내적 공허를 이렇게 정확히 표현할 수는 없다고 생각했고, 꾸란이 계시라는 확신에 이르렀다. 다음 날 베를린의 무슬림 공동체 지도자를 찾아가 샤하다를 고백했고, 레오폴트 바이스는 무함마드 아사드가 되었다.

그 뒤 아사드는 이집트로 갔고, 아내와 함께 이슬람을 받아들였다. 두 사람은 메카 순례를 떠났으나, 아내는 하지 직후 병으로 세상을 떠났다. 이 사건은 그에게 큰 충격을 주었다. 이후 그는 압둘아지즈 이븐 사우드를 만나 사우디아라비아에 머물게 되었고, 약 6년 동안 아라비아반도 곳곳을 여행했다. 그는 자동차로 빠르게 이동하는 대신 낙타를 타고 사막을 가로질러 가기를 원했고, 베두인들과 함께 살며 사막의 삶을 체험했다.

아사드에게 사막은 신을 가까이 느끼게 하는 장소였다. 그는 절대적 고독, 자연 앞에서의 인간의 미소함, 하나의 중심적 힘에 대한 의존감이 일신교의 탄생과 깊이 관련된다고 본다. 고대 히브리인들이 한 분 하나님 사상에 이르고, 이슬람이 아라비아에서 탄생한 것도 사막이라는 환경과 무관하지 않다고 말한다. 또한 그는 베두인을 미개한 야만인으로 보는 서구의 편견을 강하게 반박한다. 베두인들은 고유한 문화와 시적 전통을 가진 사람들이며, 무학의 사람들도 알무타나비 같은 고전 시인을 암송할 수 있었다고 한다. 그는 서구에서 문화가 교육받은 계급에 제한되는 데 반해, 아라비아의 베두인 사회에서는 시와 언어문화가 공동체 전체에 퍼져 있었다고 평가한다.

인터뷰에서 아사드는 이븐 사우드에 대해서도 매우 호의적으로 말한다. 그는 이븐 사우드를 탁월한 인물, 강력한 통치자, 엄격한 무슬림이면서도 유머를 가진 사람으로 묘사한다. 사우디아라비아에 대한 그의 평가는 오늘날의 독자에게는 다소 이상화되어 보일 수 있다. 그는 사우디가 비상한 공공안전을 이룬 나라였고, 여러 왕위 계승의 충격 속에서도 정치 구조가 유지되었다고 높이 평가한다.

카바와 흑석에 대한 설명도 인상적이다. 아사드는 무슬림이 흑석을 숭배하는 것이 아니라고 분명히 말한다. 그것은 예언자 무함마드가 입맞춘 돌이기에 따르는 행위이며, 상징적으로는 과거와 미래의 모든 무슬림 공동체와의 형제애를 확인하는 몸짓이라고 해석한다. 그는 신이 특정 공간에 거주한다고 믿지 않지만, 카바 앞에서 “하나님의 집” 앞에 있다는 영적 성스러움을 깊이 느꼈다고 말한다.

이후 그는 인도로 갔고, 무함마드 이크발을 만나 파키스탄 건국운동과 연결된다. 이크발은 그에게 인도에 남아 파키스탄의 성립을 위해 일하라고 권유했고, 아사드는 그 길을 따랐다. 말년의 아내에 대해서는 매우 감사하게 말한다. 그의 꾸란 번역과 주석 작업은 아내의 권유와 협력 없이는 이루어지기 어려웠다고 한다. 아내는 아랍어 원문을 직접 읽을 정도는 아니었지만, 영어 번역 표현을 함께 다듬고 토론하며 지속적으로 그를 격려했다.

마지막 부분에서 아사드는 이슬람이 자신의 삶에 준 가장 큰 영향은 “중심”이라고 말한다. 이슬람은 그의 사상과 활동 전체에 이념적 중심을 부여했다. 그는 인간이 미래의 운명을 미리 안다고 생각하지 않는다. 과거에 일어난 일은 하나님의 뜻으로 받아들이지만, 미래에 대해서는 인간에게 자유의지와 선택이 주어진다고 본다. 그래서 그는 사후적으로는 섭리를 인정하지만, 미래에 대해서는 책임 있는 선택을 강조한다.

스페인 무슬림의 몰락에 대해서는 정치적 분열, 사회적 타락, 이슬람적 활력의 상실을 원인으로 든다. 그는 스페인의 사례만 특별한 교훈을 주는 것은 아니며, 모든 무슬림 세계가 같은 문제를 안고 있다고 본다. 그의 결론은 간단하다. 무슬림은 하나의 공동체라는 의식을 지켜야 하며, 의례 몇 가지를 수행하는 것만으로 무슬림이 되었다고 생각해서는 안 된다. 삶 전체에 이슬람적 내용을 부여해야 한다. 그의 마지막 충고는 “이슬람으로 돌아가야 한다”는 것이다.

<평론>

이 인터뷰의 가장 큰 가치는 무함마드 아사드의 회심을 단순한 종교 변경이 아니라 문명비판의 형식으로 보여준다는 점이다. 그는 동양적 신비에 매혹된 낭만주의자가 아니었다. 실제로 그의 초기 저서 제목도 “낭만적이지 않은 동방”이라는 뜻이었다. 그는 중동을 이국적 풍경으로 소비하려 하지 않았고, 사람들의 생활, 언어, 도덕, 공동체 감각을 관찰했다. 그가 이슬람을 받아들인 배경에는 서구 근대의 물질주의와 내면적 공허에 대한 비판이 놓여 있다.

베를린 지하철 장면은 이 인터뷰의 핵심이다. 풍요 속의 불행, 소비와 경쟁의 무한증식, 삶의 목적 상실이라는 현대성의 병리가 꾸란의 한 구절과 맞물리면서 그의 회심이 일어난다. 이 점에서 아사드는 토마스 머튼과 비교할 만하다. 머튼이 <칠층산>에서 현대 미국의 세속적 성공과 영적 공허를 가톨릭 수도원으로 향하는 길로 해석했다면, 아사드는 유럽 문명의 불안과 허무를 이슬람의 계시와 윤리 안에서 해석했다. 두 사람 모두 회심을 개인적 감정의 변화가 아니라 문명 전체에 대한 판단으로 경험했다.

그러나 아사드에게는 머튼과 다른 점도 있다. 머튼이 수도원적 침묵과 관상으로 나아갔다면, 아사드는 여행, 정치, 번역, 국가건설, 이슬람 법과 사상 연구로 나아갔다. 그는 명상가이면서도 행동가였다. 파키스탄 건국운동과 연결되고, 꾸란 번역과 주석을 남겼으며, 이슬람을 현대 세계에 설명하려 했다. 그래서 그의 이슬람은 단순한 내면의 피난처가 아니라 문명 재구성의 원리다.

다만 이 인터뷰에는 분명한 한계도 있다. 첫째, 사우디아라비아와 이븐 사우드에 대한 그의 평가는 지나치게 우호적이다. 그는 공공안전, 정치적 안정, 군주의 인격을 강조하지만, 권력집중, 종교적 엄격주의, 부족정치, 여성과 소수자 문제 등은 거의 다루지 않는다. 물론 그는 자신이 체험한 1920~30년대 아라비아를 회고하고 있었고, 그 시대적 맥락을 감안해야 한다. 그래도 오늘의 독자가 보기에 그의 사우디 평가는 상당히 낭만화되어 있다.

둘째, 베두인 문화에 대한 그의 예찬도 중요한 통찰과 낭만화가 함께 있다. 서구의 “야만인” 편견을 반박하는 점은 정당하다. 베두인 사회의 시적 교양, 환대, 언어문화에 대한 그의 증언은 매우 귀중하다. 그러나 동시에 그는 아라비아를 이슬람 탄생의 “적절한 토양”으로 설명하면서, 사막과 일신교의 관계를 다소 본질주의적으로 말한다. 사막이 일신교적 감각을 강화할 수 있다는 말은 설득력이 있지만, 그것만으로 종교의 발생과 확산을 설명할 수는 없다. 정치경제, 부족연맹, 교역망, 제국의 주변부라는 역사적 조건도 함께 보아야 한다.

셋째, 그의 이슬람 이해는 매우 윤리적이고 보편주의적이지만, 동시에 “진짜 이슬람”과 “타락한 무슬림 현실”을 강하게 구분한다. 이것은 개혁적 종교인의 전형적 태도다. 장점은 현실의 무슬림 사회를 무조건 옹호하지 않고 꾸란과 예언자의 윤리로 비판한다는 데 있다. 하지만 위험도 있다. 현실의 복잡한 사회사적 조건을 “참된 이슬람에서 멀어졌기 때문”으로 단순화할 가능성이 있기 때문이다. 스페인 무슬림 몰락을 정치적 분열과 이슬람적 활력 상실로 설명하는 것도 어느 정도 맞지만, 기독교 왕국들의 군사력, 지중해 정치경제, 내부 계급관계, 국제질서 변화 등을 충분히 설명하지는 못한다.

그럼에도 이 인터뷰는 깊은 감동을 준다. 아사드는 자기 삶을 영웅담으로 과장하지 않는다. “내가 어떤 사명을 위해 태어났는지는 내가 답할 수 없고 하나님만 아신다”고 말하는 대목은 그의 신앙적 겸손을 보여준다. 그는 과거에 대해서는 섭리를 인정하지만, 미래에 대해서는 자유의지와 책임을 말한다. 이것은 운명론이 아니라 신 앞에서의 책임 윤리다.

결국 이 인터뷰의 아사드는 세 가지 얼굴을 가진다. 첫째, 서구 근대의 공허를 꿰뚫어 본 문명비판가다. 둘째, 아랍과 이슬람 세계를 내부에서 살며 이해하려 한 여행자이자 증언자다. 셋째, 꾸란을 현대 언어로 옮기고 이슬람의 윤리적 중심을 회복하려 한 신앙적 지식인이다. 그의 말년 인터뷰는 단순한 회고가 아니라, “종교란 무엇을 삶의 중심에 놓는가”라는 질문을 던지는 텍스트다. 이 점에서 무함마드 아사드는 이슬람권의 토마스 머튼이라기보다, 유럽 근대의 불안을 통과해 이슬람을 하나의 문명적 대안으로 사유한 독특한 회심 지식인이라고 보는 편이 더 정확하다.

===

0:022 seconds[Music]

0:1616 secondsin the name of God most gracious most merciful salamu alaykum welcome to Islam

0:2424 seconds[Music]

0:3030 secondsthe Quran is the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance it views this life as only a test during which we prepare

0:3939 secondsfor the Hereafter and the eternal life to come those who understand its message

0:4646 secondsare thus fully conscious of their responsibility their entire lives and are dedicated to working with

0:5353 secondsfull consciousness of God towards the goal of seeking the truth and sharing it with others

1:011 minute, 1 secondMuhammad Assad who passed away in February of this year 1992 was a scholar whose life best

1:091 minute, 9 secondsexemplified this Mission his life which took him to many distant lands was dedicated entirely to

1:171 minute, 17 secondsthe service of Islam he has left for us an outstanding Legacy of remarkable work on Islam which

1:261 minute, 26 secondswill continue to help many Seekers of Truth through generations to come in

1:341 minute, 34 seconds1988 the Islamic information service traveled to Spain and was fortunate to get the last television interview of his

1:431 minute, 43 secondslife what you're about to see is unedited footage which will give you an

1:491 minute, 49 secondsinsight into this truly great Scholar's life um in your book The wrote to Mecca

1:561 minute, 56 secondsyou discussed the memories of your life and your childhood and then as you journeyed into Islam for our viewers could you tell us

2:042 minutes, 4 secondswhere were you born I was born in a city called l or Lamberg in German in the

2:122 minutes, 12 secondseastern part of Austria which was then Austria it is no more now and uh I spent

2:212 minutes, 21 secondsmy earliest childhood there and later in Vienna until I left Austria as a grown

2:302 minutes, 30 secondsup young men were you the were you a member of a large family or uh did you have many brothers and sisters I had one

2:372 minutes, 37 secondsbrother and one sister brother elder brother and younger sister I was the middle one and what about your

2:442 minutes, 44 secondsrelationship with your father and and with your parents did uh your father have an influence on your life yes my father was an outstanding person with

2:542 minutes, 54 secondsmany scientific interests he was himself uh Advocate but but he had a great

3:013 minutes, 1 secondinclination towards physical sciences and he had been dreaming in his childhood in his youth of becoming a

3:093 minutes, 9 secondsscientist but that was not possible for economic reasons and he chose law and

3:173 minutes, 17 secondsbecame a lawyer but uh we had often

3:243 minutes, 24 secondsdiscussions with him and he was a man of very Liber views although he felt

3:323 minutes, 32 secondshimself as a Jew he was not uh so deeply interested in Judaism as such he had a

3:403 minutes, 40 secondswider view also did your mother have a big influence in your life at all uh no she was extremely kind and loving but uh

3:503 minutes, 50 secondsmy intellectual stimulation came from my father did he have uh uh dreams for you

3:593 minutes, 59 secondsfor your future and what you would do with your life yes he left it to me to choose what I wanted to do and he was

4:074 minutes, 7 secondsnot very happy when I left University after two years in order to uh become a

4:164 minutes, 16 secondsjournalist but still he accepted it where did you attend University Vienna in Vienna yes I studied philosophy and

4:264 minutes, 26 secondshistory of Art and history in General uh what made you desire what made you want to become a

4:354 minutes, 35 secondsjournalist it did not make me desire you see I when I was uh 19 years old nearly

4:454 minutes, 45 seconds20 I left uh Vienna and went to Berlin on my own I left the

4:534 minutes, 53 secondsuniversity and since I had to fend for myself I started looking for job and got

5:005 minutesa job in a news agency uh this was a semi American

5:085 minutes, 8 secondsagency United Telegraph and uh so my journalism

5:155 minutes, 15 secondsstarted and later on I was invited by an uncle of mine who was living who was a

5:225 minutes, 22 secondspsychiatrist and living in Jerusalem in charge of a mental hospital he was unmarried and alone

5:305 minutes, 30 secondsand we had always a very close relation he was the youngest brother of my mother and he invited me to Jerusalem to stay

5:405 minutes, 40 secondswith him for some time because he felt lonely he was uh he opposed the idea of

5:485 minutes, 48 secondsZionism and he was more or less isolated within his community well I went to Jerusalem and stayed with him for some

5:585 minutes, 58 secondsmonths and and there began my attraction to the Muslim world and through them to Islam what was your political and

6:076 minutes, 7 secondsphilosophical View at the time you came to Jerusalem my political views were nil my philosophical views were uh those of

6:166 minutes, 16 secondsa young inexperienced man and I wouldn't like to boast about them today but uh I

6:236 minutes, 23 secondsfelt from the very first moment that uh the aim of Jewish colonization of

6:316 minutes, 31 secondsPalestine and doing thereby wrong to the Arabs was immoral and I was I became

6:396 minutes, 39 secondsaverse to the idea of Zionism from the very first moment of my contact with

6:456 minutes, 45 secondsit and then I decided to take up my journalistic career which had just

6:526 minutes, 52 secondsstarted in Berlin before I left it I wrote an article made 10 copies of

7:007 minutesit and sent it to 10 newspapers in Europe nine of

7:077 minutes, 7 secondsthem didn't answer and the 10th this was the frankurt atong probably the most

7:147 minutes, 14 secondsimportant news paper at that time in on the continent of Europe accepted it and

7:217 minutes, 21 secondsoffered me the job of uh their special correspondent in the Middle East which I

7:287 minutes, 28 secondsaccepted and began to write for them then I returned after

7:367 minutes, 36 secondsuh yes I went on a farther Journey for the newspaper to Syria to

7:457 minutes, 45 secondsIraq um what were you writing about I was writing mostly about people about my

7:527 minutes, 52 secondsfeeling of uh people the way of they looked upon life and how they lived that

7:597 minutes, 59 secondsinterested me more than political constellations of the moment and

8:078 minutes, 7 secondsum apparently the these articles were well received and very soon I had a name

8:158 minutes, 15 secondsin the German press when I returned to uh Germany after an absence

8:248 minutes, 24 secondsof 2 years I was I wrote a book on those past Journeys in German which

8:328 minutes, 32 secondswas called un romanticist Morgan land it means the non-romantic East there I discussed among other things the idea of

8:418 minutes, 41 secondsZionism and question of Egyptian independence and so

8:478 minutes, 47 secondsforth then after a few months I was sent out on another very long journey which took me

8:558 minutes, 55 secondsyears went again to Egypt Syria Iraq Iran

9:039 minutes, 3 secondsAfghanistan and returned via Central Asia and Russia to

9:119 minutes, 11 secondsEurope excuse me you were coming back from Afghanistan yes but uh during that Journey there developed great uh in me

9:209 minutes, 20 secondsgreat attraction to Islam which came first through my liking the Arabs in

9:289 minutes, 28 secondsPalestine and Syria I found them open and uh Pleasant to deal

9:359 minutes, 35 secondswith and gradually I learned bazari Arabic could talk to some extent with

9:429 minutes, 42 secondsthem and he became interested in what they thought what they imagined and so I

9:499 minutes, 49 secondsCame Upon Islam and started reading about it became more and more interested when you learned Arabic was it the

9:579 minutes, 57 secondslanguage of the people first before you learn classic Arabic of course I learned my Arabic in in the souk in the bazaar

10:0510 minutes, 5 secondsjust picked up as most of my languages were and uh then on my second long trip

10:1510 minutes, 15 secondsto the Muslim Muslim world I was in Afghanistan in herat Western Afghanistan

10:2410 minutes, 24 secondsand I rode in late off botom over the hindukush

10:3110 minutes, 31 secondsmountains to cabul it was a journey of about 20 or 25 days on Horseback very

10:4010 minutes, 40 secondshard journey and uh on one occasion my horse lost shoe so I was

10:5010 minutes, 50 secondsobliged to go off my road to a village nearby and had the shoe replaced by a

10:5810 minutes, 58 secondsSmith it happened so that the governor District Governor there learned of the

11:0711 minutes, 7 secondsvisit of a foreigner and invited me to spend the evening and the night in his

11:1411 minutes, 14 secondshouse he was a very friendly man at that time I spoke Persian fluently after uh

11:2111 minutes, 21 secondsnearly two years in Persia and in Afghanistan so conversation was easy

11:2911 minutes, 29 secondswe were sitting after dinner and talking about various things and naturally we

11:3611 minutes, 36 secondscame to talk about Islam and I spoke quite bluntly to him I told him you

11:4411 minutes, 44 secondsMuslims are a very strange people you have the best ethical guidance possible

11:5211 minutes, 52 secondsin the Quran you had the best guide in your Prophet Muhammad how is it that you have

12:0012 minutesabandoned the ways recommended in the Quran and by the

12:0612 minutes, 6 secondsprophet and have fallen into such a decadence why are you acting in so many

12:1312 minutes, 13 secondsways against the precepts of the Quran and so it went on discussing at the end

12:2012 minutes, 20 secondshe looked at me and he said you are a Muslim I was quite astonished and I said

12:2812 minutes, 28 secondsno it never occurred to me to be a Muslim I am not says oh yes you are a Muslim only you don't know it one day

12:3712 minutes, 37 secondsyou will come to know it and this were prophetic words later on when I returned

12:4412 minutes, 44 secondsfrom that Journey a few months later I really became a Muslim uh could you describe for us the

12:5212 minutes, 52 secondsactual event of your becoming a Muslim and how that took place yes after my return from my second long journey to

13:0113 minutes, 1 secondthe Muslim world I was living in Berlin and started reading the Quran in

13:0813 minutes, 8 secondsTranslation because my Arabic was still insufficient to read it in its original

13:1513 minutes, 15 secondslanguage and uh one day I was I was discussing it of course often with my

13:2413 minutes, 24 secondsfirst wife who was a German older than me and who was equally interested in Islam and one day we were traveling in

13:3313 minutes, 33 secondsthe underground in Berlin and this was in the year

13:3913 minutes, 39 seconds[Music]

13:4013 minutes, 40 seconds1926 it was a year of great prosperity in Central Europe after uh years of

13:4813 minutes, 48 secondsmisery and inflation and all people were well dressed people whom the who were in

13:5413 minutes, 54 secondsthe underground train together with us well dress and wellfed apparently but it

14:0314 minutes, 3 secondsappeared to me that their faces were not happy and I looked from one to the other

14:0914 minutes, 9 secondsand so there is unhappiness in these people you are there

14:1714 minutes, 17 secondsoppressed and I turned to my wife who was by the way a painter and accustomed

14:2414 minutes, 24 secondsto observe faces and I said what do you think of the face of these people and she said they are

14:3314 minutes, 33 secondsunhappy same impression she had when they came home I could not explain to myself why it was because as I said it

14:4214 minutes, 42 secondswas a Prosperity year in Central Europe I

14:5014 minutes, 50 secondshappened to find an open copy of the German translation of the Quran on my desk which I had left before going out

15:0115 minutes, 1 secondand I took it up and the

15:0715 minutes, 7 secondsfirst which my which I my eye Came Upon was

15:1515 minutes, 15 secondsa which in German is you are obsessed by I'm translating it now into English you

15:2315 minutes, 23 secondsare obsessed by striving for more and more until you go down to your grave

15:2915 minutes, 29 secondsGraves oh you would if you would but see it and again if you would

15:3915 minutes, 39 secondssee and then you will see one day that you are in hell and on that day you will

15:4615 minutes, 46 secondsbe asked what did you do with the Boon of life it came to my mind that this is the

15:5715 minutes, 57 secondsillustration of our present Modern Life people are

16:0416 minutes, 4 secondsunsatisfied wanting more and more material goods and get and are unhappy

16:1216 minutes, 12 secondsand they do not see that they are living in hell now and God says in this verse

16:1916 minutes, 19 secondsin this uh Surah one day you will see hell with the eye of certainty and then you will be asked what did you do with

16:2816 minutes, 28 secondsthe Boon of life and I was so struck by it by this

16:3616 minutes, 36 secondsCoincidence of finding this surra as an explanation of what I had seen previously in the underground

16:4516 minutes, 45 secondstrain I told myself how is it possible that a man living 1,400 years ago had

16:5416 minutes, 54 secondscomposed a book describing the situation of

17:0017 minutestoday showing us what people feel now no human being not the greatest

17:0817 minutes, 8 secondsgenius could do such a thing and especially not an Arab who was UNL lettered who did not know anything

17:1717 minutes, 17 secondsbeyond the confines of the Arab world no this book must

17:2517 minutes, 25 secondsbe inspired and inspired by who home it is then it became I became certain that

17:3317 minutes, 33 secondsit was a revealed book next day I went to the head of the Muslim Community in

17:4217 minutes, 42 secondsBerlin whom I had known superficially from before it was an Indian Muslim

17:4917 minutes, 49 secondsGentleman by name Abdul Jabar kyi and I told him I want to become a Muslim what

17:5517 minutes, 55 secondsshall I do he said it's very simple give me your hand and I gave him my hand he said repeat after

18:0418 minutes, 4 secondsme Muhammad which I did say you are a Muslim

18:1018 minutes, 10 secondsnow I said good accept it and then he said wait your name is Leopold Leo

18:2018 minutes, 20 secondslion lion in Arabic it is Assad let your name be Muhammad Assad

18:2918 minutes, 29 secondsit never occurred to me before to change my name but since he suggested it I accepted it I said Let It Be Muhammad

18:3818 minutes, 38 secondsAssad and so I became Muhammad Assad from that day on that was in September

18:4518 minutes, 45 seconds1926 think that you um you knew intuitively that the an Arab could not

18:5118 minutes, 51 secondshave have intellectually in Arab anybody Plato if he had lived at that time could

18:5818 minutes, 58 secondsnot have composed the book describing the situation 2,000 years 1,400 years

19:0719 minutes, 7 secondslater no not the greatest genius Arab or non-arab could do it himself by himself

19:1519 minutes, 15 secondsand later I found in the Quran many such indications of wisdom which could not

19:2219 minutes, 22 secondscome from a human mind you know um at that point did it inspire you to go on to other to other things islamically did

19:3119 minutes, 31 secondsthat then I started then I started uh learning Arabic

19:3719 minutes, 37 secondsand uh some months later I went to Egypt stayed for a time there later on

19:4519 minutes, 45 secondstogether with my wife who became a Muslim together with me and then we went on Hajj to

19:5319 minutes, 53 secondsMecca and my wife fell ill just before the hjj and after the hjj she died there

20:0020 minuteswhich was a great shock to me and I remained uh for

20:0720 minutes, 7 secondssome weeks alone in in a room and didn't want to see anybody and it gradually

20:1520 minutes, 15 secondsdeveloped then I met the king king's son first and then the King Abdul aiz for whom by the way I had a letter of

20:2420 minutes, 24 secondsintroduction from the head of the Muslim Community in Berlin and King invited me to stay in

20:3420 minutes, 34 secondshis realm which I stayed and I stayed for six years without interruption there in Arabia and

20:4220 minutes, 42 secondstraveled all over uh Saudi Arabia and through the deserts and could you tell

20:5120 minutes, 51 secondsus something about those six years yes uh in Mecca when I met the king king

21:0121 minutes, 1 secondabdulaziz he invited me to go with him to Riyad by car they were going by cars

21:0821 minutes, 8 secondsalready at that time I asked his permission to

21:1521 minutes, 15 secondsgo a roundabout way over the northern part of Saudi Arabia on riding

21:2421 minutes, 24 secondsdrader because I told him I don't want to mount a car in Mecca and a few days

21:3121 minutes, 31 secondsafterwards land in Riyad without having seen really anything of your country if

21:3821 minutes, 38 secondsyou allow me I will travel on camels back and the King agreed to it and I was

21:5021 minutes, 50 secondsoutfitted I with riding camels and a companion who later became my companion

21:5821 minutes, 58 secondsfor many years for all the six years and I traveled all over the North

22:0622 minutes, 6 secondsand center of Saudi Arabia came to Riad and then afterwards

22:1322 minutes, 13 secondsagain through the South and right and left and spent the six years actually in almost all parts of

22:2222 minutes, 22 secondsthe Kingdom lived with beduins and slept in tents and and in the open air

22:3222 minutes, 32 secondsin the desert and it was a wonderful experience in wonderful time did the dangers or problems that you

22:4022 minutes, 40 secondsencountered during this time there were no particular dangers except one time when I lost my way in the desert and

22:4922 minutes, 49 secondsalmost died of thirst I described that in this book Islam the cross the road to

22:5622 minutes, 56 secondsMecca and uh but otherwise there were no dangers because under the reign of

23:0423 minutes, 4 secondsabdulaziz sa Saudi Arabia was the most peaceful country in the world and it is to this

23:1323 minutes, 13 secondsday did these experiences bring you closer to God in any sense yes living in the desert and traveling through the

23:2123 minutes, 21 secondsdesert brings one closer to God this is one I began to understand while

23:2923 minutes, 29 secondsall monotheistic religions started in the

23:3423 minutes, 34 secondsdesert it was the feeling of absolute

23:4223 minutes, 42 secondsloneliness loneliness facing God and

23:4923 minutes, 49 secondsuh the feeling of insignificance in the midst of Nature and dependence on on one

23:5923 minutes, 59 secondsCentral Power therefore I believe this is the reason

24:0524 minutes, 5 secondswhy the ancient Hebrews came to the concept of one God and why Islam

24:1424 minutes, 14 secondswas born in Arabia and not in more fertile

24:2324 minutes, 23 secondscountries what about your experience with the BNS BNS you see are very often misunderstood in

24:3124 minutes, 31 secondsEurope many westerners regard them as uncultured barbarians which is not tall

24:3924 minutes, 39 secondstrue the beduins had until very recently a very clearcut culture of their own

24:4924 minutes, 49 secondsthere was such a thing as beduin culture which They Carried with them for since

24:5724 minutes, 57 secondscenturies for for instance poetry was a thing living in

25:0325 minutes, 3 secondsthe beduins they not only knew and recited poetry they could compose poetry

25:1025 minutes, 10 secondsonce I happened to be guest of uh the governor of

25:1825 minutes, 18 secondsNorthern uh Saudi Arabia it was by the way the brother-in-law of the

25:2525 minutes, 25 secondsking and we were sitting uh in outside his

25:3325 minutes, 33 secondsPalace and surrounded by many people some of them brought judicial cases

25:4025 minutes, 40 secondsbefore the Amir the governor to decide and he gave his judgment in this case in

25:4925 minutes, 49 secondsthat case to the satisfaction of all parties and one bedin was sitting next to me and he turned to me and said did

25:5825 minutes, 58 secondsyou see that did you hear it and he recited a poem in the praise which I later

26:0726 minutes, 7 secondsLearned was by mutanabbi a great Arab poet in In Praise of s daa and Muslim

26:1626 minutes, 16 secondsruler and in that poet he said he spoke of the greatness of this man who was

26:2426 minutes, 24 secondsable to judge uh between people people and so and it occurred to me where in the west

26:3426 minutes, 34 secondscould you find a company of unlettered people who would quote let us say

26:4126 minutes, 41 secondsShakespeare to you or ger also impossible in Europe in the America

26:5026 minutes, 50 secondsculture is reserved to a particular class of educated people while in Arabia

26:5826 minutes, 58 secondsamong the beduins it was spread throughout the whole nation there is the beduins were

27:0727 minutes, 7 secondsas much connected with pre-islamic poetry as any professor in a university

27:1327 minutes, 13 secondsmight be so this this was an extraordinary experience showing that these people are

27:2227 minutes, 22 secondsnot barbarians but they are inheritors of a very ancient civilization and I

27:2827 minutes, 28 secondsbegan to understand why Islam had to grow up among Arabs in

27:3627 minutes, 36 secondsArabia this was the proper fertile ground for the spread of a religion like

27:4327 minutes, 43 secondsIslam based on the concept of one God of uh uh everything being within his

27:5127 minutes, 51 secondscreation and so for it seems like all of your experience just made that more profound from the

27:5827 minutes, 58 secondsthe dangers of the desert and the loneliness of the desert to the beauty of the bwin Poetry yes of course the these These are

28:0728 minutes, 7 secondsconnected it is uh precisely enjoyment to enter a beding

28:1528 minutes, 15 secondstent and be received hospitally of course hospitality is is part of the bedin character with the I mean is

28:2428 minutes, 24 secondsinseparable from the bedine character and then being addressed in verses by

28:3128 minutes, 31 secondsthe host in verses which were impromptu uh composed suiting the occasion and this

28:4028 minutes, 40 secondshappened very often to me what kind of a person was King Abdul aiz huh what kind of a man was King Abdul he was one of

28:4928 minutes, 49 secondsthe most outstanding men I have known he was he I mean the story of his

28:5828 minutes, 58 secondslife and how he regained the lost kingdom of his ancestors is well known and I have

29:0629 minutes, 6 secondsdiscussed it in this book The Road to Mecca but his personality was uh

29:1429 minutes, 14 secondsabsolutely outstanding he was very tall perhaps 74 or

29:2229 minutes, 22 seconds75 I don't know exactly the exact figure but he was very tall I was taller at that time than I am now because my back

29:3029 minutes, 30 secondswas straight and when I greeted him and in the Arab way kissed him on the tip of

29:3729 minutes, 37 secondshis nose and his forehead I had to stand on my toes while he bent down to

29:4529 minutes, 45 secondsme and uh he was not only a great uh person but a great ruler he established

29:5429 minutes, 54 secondsa kingdom which had never existed before the kingdom in which uh there was and is

30:0230 minutes, 2 secondsto this day absolute public security nowhere else to be found in the

30:1030 minutes, 10 secondsworld and uh it was a kingdom in spite of not having written Constitution a

30:1830 minutes, 18 secondskingdom that survived many shocks when abdulaziz died his eldest son Saud

30:2530 minutes, 25 secondsbecame king and after words he was deposed and died then King Fel the younger son

30:3530 minutes, 35 secondsbecame king and he was murdered and then after him his younger

30:4230 minutes, 42 secondsbrother khed became king and so forth to the present time and all these shocks

30:5030 minutes, 50 secondsdid not change anything in the structure of the political structure of the the

30:5830 minutes, 58 secondscountry and left it undisturbed no other country in the world I think could have survived such

31:0731 minutes, 7 secondsuh deaths into occurrences without getting out of kilter entirely what kind

31:1531 minutes, 15 secondsof a Muslim was he even sa he was a very strict Muslim of the so-called wahhabi

31:2431 minutes, 24 secondspersuasion which is a misnomer of course because it goes back to a scholar of the

31:3031 minutes, 30 seconds18th century Muhammad Abdul wahab who was very Orthodox scholar following the

31:3831 minutes, 38 secondsschool of Ahmed ABD Ahmed IM humble but

31:4531 minutes, 45 secondsu i mean even sa was a very Orthodox strict Muslim and at the same time he

31:5231 minutes, 52 secondshad a very definite sense of humor which made his uh

32:0132 minutes, 1 secondBehavior not only acceptable but delightful I remember one day we went

32:0832 minutes, 8 secondsout in cars into the desert in Riyad and something

32:1532 minutes, 15 secondshappened uh to the engine of the car in which we were traveling we had to stop and the driver

32:2232 minutes, 22 secondswho was baluchi many years even sa's driver he bent down

32:3132 minutes, 31 secondsto uh look into the engine and while he bent down a packet of cigarettes fell from his pocket on the ground and you

32:4032 minutes, 40 secondsmust know that in this vahabi so-call vahabi uh persuasion tobacco is

32:4932 minutes, 49 secondsabsolutely prohibited so the men became flustered and the King saw it and this driver were

32:5832 minutes, 58 secondsobviously expected an outburst from the king who was standing next to him but the king looked at this and then turned

33:0633 minutes, 6 secondsaway and said Muhammad Assad look at those mountains there you see this mountain

33:1433 minutes, 14 secondsgoes like this like change the subject and the the man picked up his

33:2133 minutes, 21 secondscigarettes and hid them in his pocket and I saw that IB sa had a sense of

33:2833 minutes, 28 secondshumor which will outweigh his severity and his seriousness very often and there

33:3633 minutes, 36 secondswere many such instances which I experienced as I said I spent six years with him not always in his presence but

33:4633 minutes, 46 secondsof and on between my travels in Arabia and very much so they I think it was one of the best

33:5533 minutes, 55 secondsperiods of my life what was your experience when you first uh went to the

34:0534 minutes, 5 secondscabba difficult to describe a had a feeling of awe knowing

34:1134 minutes, 11 secondsthat uh it is the centermost point of Islam towards which all Muslims bow down

34:1934 minutes, 19 secondsbow down in prayer and the in one corner of the Caba is the

34:2734 minutes, 27 secondsblack Black Stone which according to many Europeans is being worshiped by

34:3434 minutes, 34 secondsMuslims which is of course and true this black stone is

34:4134 minutes, 41 secondsuh regarded as the only remnant of the original temple built by Abraham in that

34:4934 minutes, 49 secondsplace Temple to one God and it was kissed by the prophet and

34:5634 minutes, 56 secondsall Muslims who visit Mecca and perform their circum ulation around the Caba

35:0335 minutes, 3 secondskiss the stone also it is not the sign of worship but I

35:1035 minutes, 10 secondsgive an explanation of it in this book The Road to Mecca which I think is acceptable to all

35:1835 minutes, 18 secondsMuslims the prophet knew that all people would uh repeat his actions especially

35:2735 minutes, 27 secondsduring worship in future Generations when he kissed the stone he knew that all Muslims who would

35:3635 minutes, 36 secondscome to Mecca and uh visit the Haram the

35:4335 minutes, 43 secondsthe Holy Temple and circumambulate the Kaaba would kiss the stone also so it is

35:5235 minutes, 52 secondssymbolically he kissed all Muslims who would come after him and and would touch this stone with their lips

36:0136 minutes, 1 secondand every Muslim who kisses it kisses as it where the Prophet and all Muslims who

36:0936 minutes, 9 secondswear before him and all who would be after the him so this symbolic Kiss of

36:1636 minutes, 16 secondsthe Blackstone has an importance stressing the Brotherhood in the imperishable

36:2536 minutes, 25 secondsBrotherhood of the Muslim Community of all Muslims so did you feel that when you were there yes I felt that and I

36:3336 minutes, 33 secondsthink that this is the only explanation possible explanation of the prophets

36:4036 minutes, 40 secondskissing the stone this is is narrated at Omar the second CIF after the death of

36:4836 minutes, 48 secondsthe prophet he led the pilgrimage to Mecca and then he stopped before the Blackstone and

36:5636 minutes, 56 secondsaddressed the loudly so that all people could could hear it you are only a stone neither from

37:0537 minutes, 5 secondsHeaven Nor from hell you are nothing but a lifeless Stone and I would not kiss

37:1337 minutes, 13 secondsyou unless I had seen the prophet kiss you and but as he did it I do it too and

37:2037 minutes, 20 secondshe kissed the stone and that is the habit of all Muslims he understood it perfectly well he knew knew the meaning

37:2837 minutes, 28 secondsof it he said this is a stone nothing but a basal Stone black Basalt remaining

37:3537 minutes, 35 secondsfrom the original Temple narrated uh by tradition as the original temple built by Abraham on this place

37:4437 minutes, 44 secondsyou must have visited the cabba many times was your first visit the most uh profound visit or or were others more so

37:5237 minutes, 52 secondshow do you how do you feel each time you go back you must have visited it there was were differences you see in my time

38:0038 minutesin my early years in Arabia pilgrimage was very much less uh frequented than in

38:0938 minutes, 9 secondsour days now there were no cars no airlanes people were coming by ship to

38:1638 minutes, 16 secondsjeda and then by camel or on donkey or on foot going to meca so there were comparatively much

38:2438 minutes, 24 secondsless pilgrims than now now there are millions always so it happens it did happen at

38:3138 minutes, 31 secondsthat time that when you sat opposite the Caba in the early hours before Dawn say

38:4038 minutes, 40 secondsat 3:00 in the morning or so so there were practically no people there but

38:4838 minutes, 48 secondsthere was never a time never I have seen a time when there was not at least one person going around the Caba

38:5738 minutes, 57 secondsalways there were some people and once or twice I saw one person one man going around the

39:0539 minutes, 5 secondscab and one day I was sitting there just before Dawn waiting for the aan for the

39:1239 minutes, 12 secondscall to prayer for a fuder prayer when I felt really felt myself

39:2039 minutes, 20 secondsopposite the house of God spiritually speaking I know that God does not inhabit any house

39:2839 minutes, 28 secondsGod does not inhabit any space or place because he is unlimited and he is everywhere but one had the feeling of

39:3739 minutes, 37 secondsabsolute positive sanctity of this place and this was the strongest experience I

39:4439 minutes, 44 secondshad you've had so many experiences in your life um after you left Saudi uh are there any other experiences that really

39:5339 minutes, 53 secondsstand out in your mind many but I can't recall them of hand you

40:0040 minutessee what was your next Journey when you left sa next Jour you see I was

40:0640 minutes, 6 secondsin I was persuaded by some Muslim Indian Indian Muslim friends whom I met with

40:1440 minutes, 14 secondswhom I became friends in Mecca to visit India because they said this is one of

40:2140 minutes, 21 secondsthe largest Muslim communities in the world and you must come to know it so I decided to go for a few

40:2940 minutes, 29 secondsmonths uh visit to India and I went there and out of the few months became

40:3740 minutes, 37 secondsmany many years and I stayed there you because I met uh a an outstanding Muslim

40:4640 minutes, 46 secondsthinker and philosopher Muhammad ibal with whom I became friends and who

40:5340 minutes, 53 secondspersuaded me to remain in India and to work for the establishment of

41:0141 minutes, 1 secondPakistan and he was the father of this idea actually what influence has your wife had on your

41:0841 minutes, 8 secondsjourney on my journey mhm through life journey through life yes uh she was the

41:1541 minutes, 15 secondsbest companion I can imagine entirely understanding what I was aiming at what I am aiming at and

41:2541 minutes, 25 secondshelping me in many innumerable ways actually when I was started before I

41:3341 minutes, 33 secondsstarted on translating and comment the Quran and commenting upon it it was her suggestion that I should

41:4141 minutes, 41 secondsdo this work and while I was doing it we were discussing every verse which I

41:5141 minutes, 51 secondstranslated she doesn't know Arabic enough to read it in original but we were discussing in a translation and

41:5941 minutes, 59 secondstrying to polish it up to the best of our ability and she was collaborating

42:0642 minutes, 6 secondswith me without interruption the whole time without her I would probably never

42:1342 minutes, 13 secondshave done this work so this is one aspect of influence and in general I must confess

42:2342 minutes, 23 secondsthat I am a somewhat lazy person and uh many times I wanted to

42:2942 minutes, 29 secondsgive up a work on which I was engaged and it was her urging that kept

42:3642 minutes, 36 secondsme to continue and continuing it and I am grateful to her and always will be grateful to her although she will

42:4542 minutes, 45 secondsherself out of modesty probably denying what I am saying but without her I would

42:5142 minutes, 51 secondsnot have done a quarter of what I was she born a Muslim no she became a Muslim before just a few

43:0043 minutesmonths before we met in New York she was reading herself she was not

43:0943 minutes, 9 secondssatisfied with her Catholic background and uh at the age from the

43:1743 minutes, 17 secondsage of uh 14 15 she started reading about various other

43:2343 minutes, 23 secondsreligions and finally she started started reading about Islam it always comes in the west last because there is

43:3243 minutes, 32 secondsa prejudice against it and found it in some ways immediately

43:4143 minutes, 41 secondsattractive and since she was uh she was at that time in the uh state

43:5043 minutes, 50 secondsdepartment and uh she was a part of the

43:5743 minutes, 57 secondsuh American us uh delegation to the United Nations in charge of the Secretariat the Secretariat of the

44:0644 minutes, 6 secondsmission and in the United Nations she met many Muslims especially Muslims from

44:1344 minutes, 13 secondsPakistan who with whom she could share thoughts in

44:2044 minutes, 20 secondsEnglish and she became gradually convinced that Islam is her way and she

44:2744 minutes, 27 secondsbecame a Muslim just a short time before we met and we met as a matter of fact in

44:3544 minutes, 35 secondsPakistan house in New York if you had to say what what impact has Islam had on you in a spiritual

44:4344 minutes, 43 secondssense how has it changed your life this is very difficult to

44:5044 minutes, 50 secondssay it is given a center of uh an

44:5644 minutes, 56 secondsideological Center to my life and that is I suppose the main thing which it

45:0445 minutes, 4 secondsdid it it has colored all my uh thoughts and my Endeavors whatever they are worth

45:1545 minutes, 15 secondsfor and has made me spend years of my life on working on Islamic

45:2445 minutes, 24 secondsproblems if you had to say that your life had a purpose that you were born with a destiny of a purpose in this life

45:3245 minutes, 32 secondswhat would you consider that Destiny and purpose to have been I would say the destiny is that that has passed and is

45:4145 minutes, 41 secondsknown to us this is precisely the point we don't know the future we don't know

45:4745 minutes, 47 secondswhat Destiny may bring to us but we know as Muslims that whatever happened to us

45:5445 minutes, 54 secondsin the past had to happen and could not have been otherwise because obviously it

46:0346 minutes, 3 secondswas God wi and since it was godwit it could not have taken another course we

46:1046 minutes, 10 secondsare uh believing in predestination backward what has happened in the past

46:1746 minutes, 17 secondswe don't believe in predestination as regards the future because we are offered Free Will and choice so we are

46:2746 minutes, 27 secondstrying accordance in accordance with our best knowledge and understanding to do the right thing if we try to do the

46:3646 minutes, 36 secondsright thing were you born into this life to accomplish a task and if so what was

46:4446 minutes, 44 secondsthat TK I didn't know that that is that is not for me to answer whether I was

46:5046 minutes, 50 secondsborn to accomplish a task or not this is for God to decide I have tried in my

46:5846 minutes, 58 secondslife to do certain things some of them were satisfying to

47:0547 minutes, 5 secondsme about others I am unsatisfied or not fully satisfied but the purpose of my

47:1447 minutes, 14 secondslife what the final purpose of my life was and is God alone

47:2247 minutes, 22 secondsknows you're living in Spain now and what lessons can Muslims draw from the fate of their Arab Brothers in Spain

47:3147 minutes, 31 secondswhat in your opinion was the cause of the downfall of Muslims in Spain the cause of the downfall was the

47:3947 minutes, 39 secondsfirst of all the political disunity among the various groups in Spain split up into

47:4847 minutes, 48 secondsStates the decadence of uh uh social life loss of uh real Islamic impetus

47:5947 minutes, 59 secondsgradually as in all over the Muslim world but

48:0748 minutes, 7 secondsmainly it was uh the political disunity and rivalry between the various uh

48:1648 minutes, 16 secondsStates or statelets there in Muslim Spain had this not been the case whole

48:2548 minutes, 25 secondsSpain would have remained Muslim to this day so what would your advice be then what would be your um

48:3448 minutes, 34 secondsum what can we learn from what happened in Spain as Muslims as Muslims we

48:4348 minutes, 43 secondsshould I don't think that Spain has a particular lesson which other parts of the Muslim world don't offer but I

48:5248 minutes, 52 secondsbelieve that first of all we should safeguards the consciousness of one

49:0149 minutes, 1 secondMuslim Community Brotherhood of Muslims secondly we should try to live up to

49:1049 minutes, 10 secondswhat Islam teaches us and not be only nominally Muslims not think that the observation

49:2049 minutes, 20 secondsof a few rituals makes us Muslims alone without

49:2749 minutes, 27 secondswe must have give our life Islamic contents and that is different in every

49:3449 minutes, 34 secondsperson in every group of persons in every community in every part different part of the

49:4249 minutes, 42 secondsworld in short we must go back to Islam we have estrange ourselves to some

49:5149 minutes, 51 secondsextent from it thank you so much Mr Assad for sharing your life with us in this way uh we appreciate this very much

49:5949 minutes, 59 secondsyou're having us in your home it was a pleasure for me and more than a pleasure a duty which I hope I have absolved in

50:0750 minutes, 7 secondssome way