Bayan on Demand offers a growing library of courses taught by highly regarded scholars and practitioners, designed for masjid board members, school administrators, imams, chaplains, youth workers, parents, and more with classes on Islamic theology, adolescent development, non-profit management, and the history of Islam in America and more. Bayan on Demand provides accessible knowledge for just $10 a month. Join our growing community of learners today and support the work of Baan Islamic Graduate School and the Muhammad Ali Scholarship. Go to baan online.org. That's B-A-Y-A-N online.org to get more information. As Salaamu Alaikum, may the peace that only God can give be upon you. Welcome to the American Muslim Podcast. I'm your host, Imam Tariq El-Amin, and it is my pleasure to bring to you yet again another conversation with a different leader willing to share, pieces of their journey, what has helped them to get to where they are, the work that they do. But as we always like to say, it's not just the work, it's the people doing the work. And today, we are blessed to have with us Imam Rashad Mujahid-Deen who serves as the, associate Imam at Masjid Bilal Islamic Center in Los Angeles. He studied Koranic, Arabic tir, Islamic studies and comparative religion under the late Imam w Dein Muhammad and Koran memorization in Senegal. In 2020, he earned an MDiv in Islamic chaplaincy from Ban Islamic graduate school. And he's currently pursuing CPE training expected to complete at Cedar-Sinai in 2025. In 2022, he became LAPD's first commission Muslim chaplain, and he anticipates completing his doctorate in 2026. As Salaamu Alaikum, my brother

Wa Alaikum As Salaam my friend.

Well, I really appreciate you making the time. I know you're on the West Coast, so we got a little bit of a Yes, sir. A difference in time. But, and I don't know if our listeners will be able to hear those beautiful birds in the background or not

I appreciate you reaching out.

So We like to let our guests know that this is a space that they can be as transparent, as vulnerable, as open as they are comfortable being and sharing those slices of life. those memories, those insights that have meaning to you, and the hope that our listeners also will find meaning in them as well. So now that I've set the stage, I want to ask you, what's the first memory or what's the first event, that you can look back at that has had an impact on your trajectory, today?

That's a good question. I think about what I do in the community and as a chaplain. I think about my, relationship with my mother. I was seven years old when she died, and I have a lot of good memories with her Moved here from the South with my father and, she was young. She was 28 years old when she died. So after that, her family in a very big way. her first cousin uprooted her family from Memphis, Tennessee, and brought them here to California, to take care of us, because my mother, knew she was dying and she asked her cousin. You know, 'cause she take care of her two boys when she dies. And she did that. as a matter of fact, she was pregnant and she had a baby on her way from Memphis to California, and she still came. And, her other cousin, you know, we went to Tennessee. My father sent us to Tennessee and her, my mother's first cousin, she took us on the Greyhound bus to Tennessee. And I can remember her teaching us how to read, license plates.

Okay.

So, and my father's sister, she stepped in like a mother. they say your aunties are like, the next thing to your mother. And she really stepped in. those moments really have inspired me, to want to, do religious work because I wanna live a righteous life. And, I remember my auntie telling me, I was young about 16. I was just kind of going through a rough spot. It's getting in a lot of trouble. And she said, boy, you want to live as if your mother's watching you. So that stuck with me.

Wow.

that's still with me today. So I wanna live a life that I know that she would be proud of. And I want to serving people just like my family served me and my brother when we were at a very vulnerable point of our lives. So that's my motivation. and serving God, that's doing God's work. I wanna please Allah, please our Lord. And, all the relationships and friends that I've, made since becoming Muslim also serve, you know, as a big motivation for me as well.

Wow. thank you so much for sharing that. There is so much in that, that I want to go into, but I first want to lift up, you know, in our tradition we say that the highest form of faith is to worship Allah to worship God is if we see him that's the very highest right. Call that Ihsan.

Yes, sir.

And when you said that your aunt is saying that you're acting like your mother can't see you.

No, she said to behave as if your mother sees you.

To behave as if your mother sees you. And that's the first thing that came to mind. I was like, wow. what a, kind of a progression Of consciousness where, you know, we don't wanna displease our mothers and of course we don't want to displease our creator.

Yes, sir.

can you tell me, in your aunt's response to your mother's passing, did you feel like that was something that was rooted in faith? Or did you feel like that was more related to the family bond? The family obligation.

I feel more, it was a family obligation. they wasn't really religious people. They from the South Tennessee. So I assume they had, a religious background, religious upbringing, but I think it was more that was a part of it. But I think it was more just a family, the family bond. You know, I know my mother's mother was religious and I lived with her. We was in church all the time. But my father's side, I don't think they were too religious. so my aunt, it was more of a, she saw it more as a family obligation, you know, to help my father. And from what I understand, her and my mother was, they were very close. And she named her daughter after my mother, you know, so, I think it was more of a family obligation.

Well, I asked because you made a connection between, your childhood experience said you wanted to live a righteous life to help people. and now, all these years later, as a chaplain, did you see that as a moment that kind of connected you to your faith?

I had a patient in my first unit of CPE. And, he died in the hospital. But I saw when I first, my first encounter with him is when he first came into the hospital, he was strong. He was tall, gentleman, maybe 6, 5, 6, 6 strong. he didn't look like someone that was getting ready that was dying. So I saw him progress from a strong diplomatic looking man to, to a feeble human being, dying. And he died. He died while I was visiting him and his son. So that just kind of reminded me, how life is short and how, and you never know when your Lord is going to call you. and so I reflected, that was the beginning, really the reflection on my life of my mother. It was very short, but very memorable.

Mm-hmm.

She expected to die, but she didn't know when, because she caught an illness very early in age and couldn't get it taken care of because, you know, in the south they had no insurance and they, couldn't take care of it. But when she married my father, he had insurance, but it was really too late to cure her. So that experience, got me to just kind of reflecting on life a lot and connecting me, to our Lord and just never know when he will call you back, you know, he can be strong today and we can die tomorrow.

Mm. So you provide chaplaincy services in a number of different spaces from the hospital in a municipal space for the la PD, as the first Muslim chaplain for the LAPD, is that correct?

Yes, sir.

So what was already in you that has assisted you and able to provide spiritual care to people, you know, at various stages of distress or illness? What was already in you and what have you had to refine?

Oh, well I think it was in me just it was always in me as a young boy coming up just by receiving the care that I got for my extended family

mm-hmm.

And the support. But I think I became to recognize it as I began to serve the community as an Imam at the masjid.

Okay.

And, you know, we get approached by all kinds of people's personal problems it didn't seem to faze me. It didn't seem to bother me, to want to help people. sometimes you get overburdened and like, man, why? Why are you coming to me with this? So I never felt that way, you know? So I like, man, this must be something that I was created to do. You know, and I'm kind of quiet, you know, so people feel comfortable coming to me. they assume that I won't judge, I won't display the issues abroad, you know, to other people. So they feel comfortable. And so, and what was your second

part of the question? and what else have you had to refine and to be more specific Oh, yeah. Because you are, uh, in the pursuit of education and further qualification. Yeah. Yeah.

I've had to refine, my, listening skills.

Hmm.

Although I'm quiet, I listen. but sometimes you don't hear everything because you get caught up in the emotion, emotional part of it. and you take that person's, emotion you take them on. You know, so you forget to hear that you are there to listen to that person, take those issues As your own, and you began to, project your ideas onto the patient, onto the other person as opposed to addressing their issue, you know? So I've had to develop that and being in the hospital helped me to do that because we are there. for the patient and to listen to them as opposed to, someone in the public space, you know, you're just getting out of your car and they run up to your car and they have all kinds of issues on you, and you kind of subconsciously block 'em out so working in the hospital has kind of helped me create that balance, so to speak. Yeah. So now I can better serve, be a better servant leader in the community as well. masjid or mosque.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

So looking at those three different areas that you've served in or that you continue to serve in as an imam, as a hospital chaplain, and then as a chaplain for the police department, what immediately comes to mind for me is in the maji or the mosque, there is an expectation, often there's an expectation that we'll provide an answer to whatever question is being presented or whatever the issue is. In the hospital setting, there is an expectation Of presence. and in the police setting, working with a police department, it might be that the expectation is one of helping people to process, emotions or, the way they see certain situations, would you agree that is accurate? And what else might you add to that? in terms of the differences between those spaces?

Yeah, that's very accurate. you have a very keen sense of, understanding. So that's what I like about you. every time I listen to you rather, Imam Tariq, it sharpens me. You know? So I always appreciate being in your presence.

Oh, likewise.

So, you're right there on point with that in the hospital, you not expected to have an answer, you to give your presence and to listen. and really sometimes the best way to help someone is, not to talk. Listen to them.

Hmm.

For example, I had a patient, she asked her how she's feeling and she went and on about her family, you know, her childhood, her time with her father, her mother, her siblings and her community. And, but I didn't say anything she talked for about 15, 20 minutes. So at the end of the, encounter, she said, you know, I really don't know what's wrong with me, but you helped me a lot.

Mm-hmm.

So that was very fulfilling for satisfying for me. You know, she just needed someone to talk to. In the police setting, the pro you write processes, you know, they LAPD going through a lot. It is a big city. It's something always happening. The change of leadership is changing. the older officers are not really adjusting to the change 'cause there's more accountability now, whereas 20 years ago there was no accountability. You know, so they adjusting to that process and because of that, a lot of 'em are going into early retirement. So you got younger officers now coming up, under the new style of leadership. And, they come from very diverse backgrounds. and their experience with the police coming up wasn't always too good. And now, so now there are police officers, it is something for them to deal with, right? And the maji, you are expected to have answers. you are expected to fix every problem. If it's a family problem, if it is, fixing a lock on the bathroom door, IAM is the go-to person. So, you just, get overwhelmed sometimes, but you do it because you love people. You know, and that's the key. You got to love or you got to love people. Yeah. You got to love people to continue to do this kind of work.

Absolutely. I would say outside of Prophet Muhammad, peace and prayers be upon him. Is there a person that you can point to? That you would say is an embodiment of that service rooted in love of the people that they served, that you have used as an inspiration?

Yeah, I would say, Imam W Deen Mohammed, when I first became Muslim, I got attracted to the religion just through, through Malcolm X, like a lot of people. And, what I appreciated about him is his militancy and his keen insight on issues. And, I was getting ready to join the Nation of Islam. I wrote my letter. And they sent it back and told me to go to the nearest temple or nearest mosque, but I never made it. Brother. Start talking about Imam Muhammad and I had a, received a newspaper article. His title was common sense. He wrote about common sense and he just, he was very clear about what the religion was. It was a very common sense religion and it is very spiritually, base. So I, so he be, he, I began very interested in him, in his message and I started to learn about him. And, once I took class with him, I had a chance to kind of get a more close personal relationship with him. And he would talk very candid about how he was feeling about things and, and how he felt about the believers, all of the sacrifices he made, for the community Because he wanted to help the community. He wanted to help the people. And, when I became an Imam in Gary, I invited him to Gary and, he came, it was like almost a foot of snow, and it was in the wintertime, January, 2008, right before he passed, he came and he embraced me. He said, we're together, brother Imam. so that told me a lot about what kind of leader he was.

what did you learn from him? What did you take from his example in terms of service of a community

there's a picture of him serving the elderly, serving the pioneers that picture he serving dinner. So it, that picture right there alone told me that he was a servant for the people and he embodied that. He embodied that throughout his whole time, I had encountered him 1992 as I became Muslim until the time he died. That he was a servant. He loved the people. He was there to serve the people. he was there to nourish and feed the people and to give us what we needed to live a life of a Muslim. yeah. So I can't think of any mean, there's a lot of specifics, but that picture there by itself kind of embodied his whole, his life's work.

We know service is synonymous with leadership. And we know that there are different areas, different ways that people lead. You mentioned servant leadership earlier. Is that your preferred model of leadership? And if so, why?

Servant leadership. I like that model. We've studied that model, and that seemed to be, the best model, at least for me. 'cause they say, you can't be a good leader if you're not a good servant. So if we want to lead people and have people follow us and take advice from us and follow our example, we have to be willing to serve.

Mm-hmm.

we can't ask people to do what we're not willing to do.

Mm-hmm.

There's many examples of the prophet prayers and a peace be upon him where he was In the thick of things, helping to build a mosque. They said they saw him carrying bricks. So we have to be, we have to be those. I want to be that kind of leader is to have people follow my example. Make myself available to their needs and to their concerns. And not just, you know, brow beating people all the time, and you're not doing this, you're not doing that. Just be the example of what we want people to do. And if you're good, people will follow you and they will support you. And sometimes they would be your leader in certain aspects of things. You know, and you had to be willing to accept that.

Did you start out in Gary.

No, I started off in Los Angeles.

Okay.

Yeah. As an imam, I wound up in Gary. Yeah.

Okay.

I moved to Gary in late 2004. we were invested in real estate

Okay.

So we had a couple of properties. And so I wanted to move to Gary to, to, well, well, three reasons. because of the property. I wanted to oversee our projects. Our son, he was living in, Wisconsin, so be closer to him. And then in 1999, Muhammad came to California, and that was right around the time he started his youth. dawa program. So I asked him if I could enroll in his class. He said, yeah, come on. And so it took me five years to get ready.

Mm.

So I went for those reasons, to study with Imam Mohammed to oversee our real estate projects, and to be closer to my son. and while there, they wanted me to be the Imam.

Was this at the Gary Muslim Center?

Yes, sir. Gary Muslim Center.

Okay.

All right. Yeah, from 2005 to 2008, I was there.

Okay.

Yeah.

Alright. I want you to finish a few sentences for me. All right. I'm gonna give you a sentence and I want you to finish it all. Alright. I feel most grounded when,

when I'm in the grind with the people. Or in the mix With the people. 'cause I feel connected not only to the people, but to the work. And that keeps me grounded.

The one lesson I keep learning is

be patient and humble. Well, that's two. So patient and humble.

We'll take 'em. It is a set.

Alright.

Alright. The hardest thing I've had to unlearn is

that it's not about me.

That it's not about you.

It's not about me. I wanna take things personal.

What gives me hope is

Allah gives me hope. And, his prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. But I want to add to that, when I think about my relationship with my daughter in Africa, um, I know you probably just wanted one word.

No, no. Whatever comes to mind for you, however you deliver it.

Oh, okay. Yeah. So my daughter is, my wife's niece and we adopted her. So we took her in and I moved to Africa. We took her in when she was about six months. And she gave us, a lot of hope, you know, that, Allah would give you what you need. and then coincidentally, I don't wanna say coincidentally, but I had a daughter that died, and she was born September 12th, and my adopted daughter was born September 12th.

subhana'Allah

So that gave me a lot of hope that, you know, life goes on. You know, it goes on in different ways, but it goes on.

Did you immediately make the connection between your own upbringing and losing your mother and being raised by your aunt to find yourself all these years later adopting, a baby girl who is. Your wife's niece, her being raised by her aunt.

No, I didn't. I didn't. Now you giving me a whole nother trajectory, brother. So, wow, man. wow. You know, that's something I appreciate that insight.

Well, I appreciate you sharing that with us. so did that experience, did it open or expand the way you see family? Because sometimes people see it as a very insular thing. It's just the people in my house is just my biological parents. It's just those Yeah. People who are My nuclear family.

Yeah.

so that kind of primes you to see family in a much, broader sense.

Yeah, it did. Just one experience. I was with my, one of my brothers and, well, I went to Africa 2014. I'm sorry. Just, I'm sorry. If, if, I'm gonna put a pen in there. I'm gonna come back to that in a second. Tell us. Okay.

So why is your daughter in Africa now?

Well, she's born there. Okay. And so, couple reasons. she wanted to go to Quran school. 'cause all of her sisters and brothers were going. So, her father wanted to send her and she wanted to go. and then she didn't have all her paperwork. they lost whatever they had that proved that she was a actual person, human being. So we just, so that's those are the two reasons. So we had planned to let her finish Qur'an school and bring her here and, at the same time Get her paperwork right. So we got the paperwork started, but we don't know now with this Trump thing, how he's gonna block that. So I think she'll probably be finished with school next year sometime. And then insha'Allah, we'll bring her here. She'll be about 12 or 13 years old then. Okay. Bring her here and home and school. Her

and Shallah

insha'Allah

Now you were saying there was an experience with your brother.

Yeah. You know, so I went to Africa. when my wife got married, they were in Africa. They had a party for us in Africa. They was on the phone and partying. And so when I went to Africa. The whole family was there to greet me. The grandmother, the sisters and brothers, and all the grandchildren, nieces and everybody, right? big feast, man. I didn't even expect that. So when I came back and, I was with my brother, I said, man, I'm back, man, this ain't out. You know? Oh man, I gotta do something with my wife. I said, well, cool. We should go over there. You know, I could see my, nieces and nephews. Oh man, I, you know, man. This is family day. I'm family and my family. Oh man. You know, my wife. So I told my stepmother, his mother, I said, I'm trying to hang out with him. I haven't seen the guy in two years. I haven't, seen my nieces and nephews. I want to go see him. You know, his family is it is just them. they don't do nothing with nobody. So, it was just a difference how we Muslims or how we view family and how, family is viewed in a western context. Like you said, just the nuclear family, me, my children, my wife, and that's it. Everybody else is, you know, we'll see you when we see you. So I was taken aback and kind of hurt. You know, because I raised that, I raised him. He's 10 years younger than me. I raised him. I used to cook for him every weekend. You know, so I was kind of hurt. But we good now, we good. We good.

It's interesting to hear you articulate that you were hurt in that, that situation what does it mean for you to be aware of your own emotions, your own internal state? In a profession, going back to chaplaincy in particular where you have to. Provide care for others who are in varying states of potential distress. how much does your own awareness of where you are internally impact the way that you show up in those spaces that you have to provide care?

Yeah. Sometimes that's hard to do. 'cause in each encounter, if it's community or hospital, more so than with LAPD, but people would be talking to you more so in the hospital. they'd be talking to you about what they're experiencing and a lot of times they are experiencing what you experience at some point in your life. And you can get emotional about it. You know, I had a patient, his experience with his mother was the same as mine. So I kind of got emotional about it, it brings up a lot of feelings inside. So we have to learn. You have to learn. that's why I said it is not about me. you have to learn that it's not about me. it is about taking care of the other person. And sometimes it's hard to do, when you're in that hospital setting. More so than it is in the community. When you want to, show empathy towards people understanding that they going through some real life situations and, you want to help. But at the same time, you don't want to Take advantage of their vulnerability.

You know, you don't wanna do that. So when you say take advantage of their vulnerability, are you saying that you don't want to be in a care encounter and position yourself as the one who needs care? They're They're sharing a painful story, or they're in their situation and now they're passing you a tissue.

Yeah. So they start talking and you say, well, you know, the same thing happened to me. Right. You start talking about yourself. Right. So you don't want to, you gotta be careful not to do that.

but would you say that. One of the distinctions of chaplaincy in particular, and maybe we can get to how this may also relate to serving the community as imams, but I as chaplains, the kind of the cold detachment that we're sort of used to seeing from medical professionals. Nurses have to, tend to folks all day long. Doctors have to deal with people all day long in varying stages of, distress. And I guess there's a certain kind of a bedside manner or a detachment in particular. Like I said, it can be very cold and clinical from some.

Yeah.

Right. But the chaplain is really expected to. I guess maintain some boundary, but that detachment is something that's not necessarily supposed to be there with the chaplain. The chaplain's supposed to be that person that you feel a connection to.

Yeah. Yeah. that's the main thing because like you said, the chaplain is a part of that care team.

Mm-hmm.

But they in, in a different aspect. You know, doctors and nurses are always in there, you know, they want to poke on a patient and it is just always, you know, from a medical standpoint, but the chaplain is there to, to give confidence solace to the person who's experiencing, some kind of trauma in their life. And not just to the patient, but to the families as well. I had an account on yesterday to see the patient. He wasn't in the room. They took him out to have a procedure done, but the wife was there and she asked me to stay, 'cause she wanted to talk. She was going through a lot of trauma.

Mm-hmm.

You know, and she talked for 30 minutes and, wow. She had a lot on her mind, a lot on her heart. A lot of things were weighing heavy and she wanted to talk. she can't, don't have, the family's not close. and the, you know, the doctors and nurses, they really don't have time. So I was a person that she could talk to. So there's a bond there that you gotta recognize boundaries, but there is a bond and a connection that we, that the chaplain will have, you know, with the patient and their family members. You know.

Imam, could you talk about. Your experience as you go through this CPE process, this clinical pastoral education process at Cedar St. Sinai? As a Muslim chaplain Yes. Who, like all other chaplains, you have to see everyone. You're there to provide spiritual care for everyone irrespective of faith. Are there situations where there needs to be an alignment of faith where if you have a Catholic patient that it's best to have a Catholic chaplain, a Muslim patient. A Muslim chaplain? And how do you navigate those situations when that alignment is not present?

well, I got hired to be the Muslim to attend to Muslim patients, but during CPE we see everybody, So it's, more interfaith and, just in a straight visit, straight encounter, there's no difference. People want to be heard. People want to talk, they want to express, what they're going through spiritually. it doesn't become different. It only becomes different when there's, end of life situations. Everybody have their own rituals that they do. So that's the only difference. But just a straight visit, I'm just going straight. If I'm visiting a Jewish patient, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, you know, it's just you going in there to listen to the patient and, you try to find when there's a prayer, you try to find, a prayer, that's common. for everybody, So I'll maybe read something from the Koran if I can think of something. from the Bible and If there's a Buddhist, before I go into the room, I'll find, something or pull up something from the, Buddhist tradition, a Jewish tradition, and I'll take you with me just in case they wanted to pray.

Right.

but in general, it's all the same. there's no difference in how we treat a patient spiritually, you know? Okay. I did have a end of, I had a end of life. I had a end of, I was, there's the end of life situation, with a Catholic patient, and I was only chaplain on duty. the supervisor asked me to go in there to give end of life. I said, oh, man, how am I gonna get out of this? I told her. I don't know the end of life. I don't know the ritual. She said, well, we got a book, you can take it with you and read it. So that killed that one. So I said, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go give the, 'cause the family was there. I said, I'm gonna go give the book to the family and let them read it. And I told her, I saw the brother was there. I said, yeah, I'm gonna have, I don't know your tradition, so here's the end of life prayer. You can read it and I'll stand by and listen. And if you want to talk to me, I'm here to, for you to talk. So they did the prayer, so it satisfied him, and then it, you know, I didn't have to, you know, pray to Jesus or whatever. So I satisfied him and it turned out to be a good visit.

Now you have talked about. Varying levels of service. And I know we have a limited amount of time, but I do feel like it's important to ask how do you manage self-care? and this is a particularly important Question and answer, especially for those who are listening who may be aspiring chaplains. and really for anybody in any leadership position, self-care is something that we often overlook. So how do you manage that?

It's been very hard Imam Tariq. 'cause you get caught up in, you just get caught up in doing all this work. You know, it's, you got chaplaincy, Imam, you know, it's, it is time consuming and you gotta find, it is hard to find time to care for self. You have to. You, essentially, you have to change, alter your lifestyle. And sometimes that's hard to do. You gotta find time to go work out, you know, find time to take a walk or go watch a movie or whatever you do. so I, that's one of my struggles But I think the best self care is really, try to find a way to, to detach yourself away from all the work, all the busy stuff. you get invitations to talk somewhere, you know, I, I turn a lot of stuff down, saying no, saying no, and be comfortable with that. stick to what's important and what's essential. And that's to serve your Lord and take care of your family. And the only way you can do that, we had to take care of ourself, And take care of ourself.

Now I'm putting this question to you, but I put it to myself before I even said it. would you agree that most or many people in service related or, leadership positions, community service positions have this unfair or unrealistic belief about their own, essentiality or essentialness? if I don't do it, it won't get done. Yeah. That I'm, you know, I gotta be there.

that is that that is a tendency because we're so, we, so we're so attached to what we do. and that's a part of being a servant leader and a chaplain is to recognize the talents in other people. You know, so I heard, I heard a speaker who, I forgot who he was, no matter of fact, no. Master p. He was talking, he said, if, you had to surround, you surround your people with people of knowledge, and if you are the, if you are the smartest person in the room, why do you need other people? Why am I paying you to do what I know how to do? So we have to, I think we get more done. As leaders, if we can entrust people and empower their skills and their ability to assist us. we can't do everything. Imam Muhammad said there's sometimes there, there are people listening to the coup coupon No more than you know, help can come from everybody and anyone. We have to accept that.

I'll add to that by saying that personally I spend a fair amount of time at the, cemeteries. whether I'm visiting relatives or it's an internment, but I spend a good amount of time there and it's actually one of the places I feel most at peace. And I bring that up to say this for all of us who have this idea that we are essential, that if we don't do it, it won't get done. The cemeteries are full of essential people who at the beginning of their day, were, but they woke up thinking that I need to go do this. I need to go do this, I need to go do that. And if I don't do it, it won't get done. Life will move on without us. We are not as essential as we think we are. So let that be an invitation to take self care more seriously. and I say that to myself first.

That's a good reminder.

Oh, I encourage it. Yeah. I tell people all the time, you know. so you are on track as I am, we are fellow cohort members in Bayan Islamic graduate schools. inaugural doctoral cohort. but you've also done as, I have, you've also done the masters, the MDiv.

Yes, sir.

What has the Bayan experience, meant for you, in terms of this stage of your, development?

Well, Bayan general has really opened my eyes up to a world of possibilities. I never thought, you know, with my background, I never thought my life would be on this track to see, you know, having an opportunity to pursue higher education. it really gave me an opportunity to see, what's possible. And, each professor, I mean, they're good when you meet 'em, when you're encountering them. So I would say the one that, we took, Studying leadership styles. I think that was what emailed Jihad. Yeah. So that one there, it really helped me to see what type, what type of person I am or what type of leader I am or should aspire to be. So that really impacted the way, I view myself, how I lead people, how I participate in the community, how I work with my Imam, you know. so I think reflecting on that, has really helped us to better our relationship so that we can really serve the community the way it needs to be served. So going through some times, and I just kind of reflected on how to prophet dealt with issues and. With his companions. And so I reflect on that class and this class we're taking now Islamic psychology, it got me to see the importance, of processes, And policies. And not doing things just ad hoc or making it up as we go, you know? just like we said before, you, the do all person, so people know, if there's policies and processes in place, people know who to go to. You don't go to the Imam to change the lock. we have a maintenance man, you know? We have a maintenance man that can do that. Let the Imam, be the Imam, you know. I think processes and, leadership styles. Those two classes, Islam Psychology and Islamic leadership stuck out to me the most.

is there anything that our listeners should be looking out for from you or maybe even in the spaces that you serve?

Well, I'll be finishing my, CPE unit May 23rd, and then insha'Allah, we'll be beginning to build our community center in masjid Bilal Islamic Center. And that center is going to be a big service to the community, community hall, classrooms, technology center. commercial kitchen and cafeteria, media center, communications room, office space, banquet hall. So it's gonna be a place where Muslim and non Muslims can go and be in a peaceful environment, enjoy themselves, you know, so we are looking forward to that. So look forward to that in the coming year or so, and we'll invite you to the grand opening. And we're gonna invite you, uh, get Imam Tariq your host, our host, to do the Juma Khutbah one day.

Oh, I would be honored. Hey, Imam Rushdan. We thank you for taking the time to come on and share a bit of your experience and your insight. and the inspiration that's come from them,

Alhamdulillah.

Thank you. All right. We thank our guest, Imam Rushan Mujahideen for taking the time out to have this conversation. As we mentioned, he is the Los Angeles Police Department's first commissioned Muslim chaplain, and it's been a pleasure having the conversation with them. And if you have found value in this conversation and the other conversations that we've had prior to this, we ask that you do three things. First thing is make sure that you are subscribed. So wherever you get your podcast at, wherever you are streaming, subscribe and share. Second thing, go to bayan online.org. You're hearing from a lot of different leaders who are serving in many different capacities, but what you may not know if this is your first time listening. That over 70% of Bayan Islamic graduate school students are scholarship recipients. If you go to bayan online.org, you can contribute to this effort to make our communities stronger by supporting those who are already working in the community. So bayan online.org, find that tab that says the Muhammad Ali Scholarship and make a donation. We encourage you to, we invite you to. And last thing, join our community of learners. We always like to highlight the Bayan experience and hopefully you see the value in it. Now, here's the great thing. For just $10 a month, you get access to over 30 classes taught by some of the most sought after and respected scholars and practitioners in the nation. You get to study at your own pace, right? You get to have this graduate level experience, and it's in. Your pocket, your purse on your table, wherever you keep your cell phone. So you can access it through your phone, through the app, or you can use your laptop, your desktop, whatever you're using. and like I said, $10 a month. So it is a great benefit. Join our community of learners. Support the work that we're doing here, and hopefully we will see you again next week. You can keep up with me on social media @ImamTariqElAmin, that's on Facebook and Instagram. And now I'm going to leave you as I greeted you, As Salaamu Alaikum, may the peace that only God can give be upon you.