From Serbia to Bosnia: A Slovak Muslim’s Journey To Sarajevo

[00:00:00]Alam alaikum guys. You wouldn't guess where I am. Like I would never imagine I'll be here. Serbia. Serbia. Actual Serbia. Noisat. Going to be here for 2 days and then I'm heading to SO and maybe Subhan Allah. Such a I have my family with me. So it's very important trip for me again because I love Bosnia. I have this negative feeling towards Serbians, right? So, I've been here for what, two days and met like three Serbian people so far and they were really, really, really good and nice. So, many people think Serbia is very dangerous and it couldn't be further from the truth. Serbians are very chill actually. uh had a client who's Serbian and I asked him a couple of questions about Serbia and stuff and he said the biggest problems are the politicians and cost of living and economy like everywhere corruption. No one's thinking of taking over Bosnia or nothing or hating Croatian. So they also don't wear helmets here like in Switzerland but I think they just don't care here. People smoke in Serbia still inside the coffee places. Thing is the language I can read it.

[00:01:16]Let me seeki koutak something like that. The language is different here. And also people's like there's many shops and stuff and people stay on the street. Like in Slovakia there's nothing going on. After 10 p.m. you will find zero people outside. Here people still hang out outside. So that's a bigger difference.

[00:01:35]Yeah. Looks similar to Slovakia just the buses are too old here. Actually, funny enough, in Novisat, it's actually a big Slovak population as well, or like historically, it's a region called Vodina, and many Slovaks left for Vodina, I don't know, 100 years ago. So, there's about 100,000 people who may have Slovak heritage. And so, it's so easy to understand like this is called Mamichka, which is Mamichka in my language as well, like my mom, right?

[00:02:05]And so, the language is so similar and everything. It's uh like Bosnia basically. It's Serbia is like Bosnia.

[00:02:11]Like I have no idea why they had a war.

[00:02:13]They are the same people actually ethnically. Anyways, let's go.

[00:02:23]This is how they live. Just normal life.

[00:02:27]One sport in Serbia, basketball.

[00:02:31]And tomorrow inshallah I'm going to be in Bosnia. Alhamdulillah in Allah.

[00:02:36]First thing I saw when I came to Serbia, the first gas station was a bunch of Muslims. So I guess they're accepted like kind of like you know they're part of the country in Sanjuk in Noazar.

[00:02:51]Cool. Denu park. My wife is waiting somewhere here. Look at these people just chilling.

[00:02:58]normal people said it's not that nice but I just like the authenticity of people and like the place I don't need it to be nice but the park is very nice actually very cool parking grab halal no pazarki kebab discovered this local halal chapi place I love when things are halal that reflect local culture so it's not like kebab in some Slovak place, you know. It's day two in Novisad and I'm leaving to Sai in about 2 hours with my family, which is crazy.

[00:03:38]And it's going to take about 4 or 5 hours to get there. Subhan Allah. My son will see the masjids for the first time with minetses. I mean, he saw the one in Vienna, but you know, he never seen something like that. He was very young in Turkey.

[00:04:01]So clam on the way to SVO. Beautiful viewpoints.

[00:04:07]Alhamdulillah. Let's go. First city in Bosnia after the border with Serbia. And subhan Allah. It's already a minouret and it has a beautiful lake and stuff.

[00:04:20]You can see behind me minouret. And yeah, really cool stuff, man. Like I'm very amazed. Serbia is good people, but the country is not that nice. But immediately here, it's amazing. Check it out. Bosnia. I haven't I haven't been here in one year since Ramadan. Subhan Allah. Wow. And this is what I want.

[00:04:45]Hey, to pray with my son. That's alhamdulillah. Look at the beauty.

[00:04:52]Islamic cemetery. This is a something incredible. Subhan Allah. We got some halal stuff going on. Alhamdulillah.

[00:05:02]>> Amazing.

[00:05:20]>> [singing] >> Subhan Allah.

[00:05:26]I just prayed in the masid behind me.

[00:05:29]Had a surreal feeling with my son that I prayed ass. He was hearing the adan for the first time in his life together with my little baby girl and just all the grandpas came from their houses just connected for assa and then just went home about their day. Something very normal for any Muslim country. To me this is surreal. This is the highest level of my dream. This is something I would give everything to have just to go about my day in my village or in my town or in my country and just pray and just do whatever like and then come back like that's impossible for me. You understand that? That's impossible. I will never have that feeling given that my opinion of Serbs has changed and I don't think they won't do much damage. Now I'm thinking of you know I don't know buying a house somewhere here. It's only five six hours from my home Bosnia. So yab maybe I can make like half hijra here. I don't know. It's just somehow amazing to be here. Like incredible. Completely reversal of Serbia. I love Serbia as well. But this is I feel like I belong here, you know. Yeah.

[00:06:58]combination. We know that truth. We know shak Mag prayer. My son is amazed. Prayer full city praying m like subhan Allah.

[00:07:26]My son is amazed. He's never seen this.

[00:07:28]The whole city is praying. Ya Allah. I feel I belong here. Y guys being alone after Isha in the biggest mosque in Saro outside of the carpet. was still finishing their salah.

[00:07:47]But subhan Allah, the feeling you just have like I'm here alone. You can read the Quran, just be outside. It's night time. and my family's asleep and there's no feeling to I mean I'm getting so many goosebumps just I had this like tranquil moment of like everything's halal and all that and there's still jail and really bad stuff out there like really not everyone's on Dean and maybe 10% if if the best are but the infrastructure and the feeling you get here it's it's crazy it's crazy that's why you Got to be a plan B to make hijra, right? I love this mosque so much. It's like 11:00 after Isa and people are still praying. Subhan Allah. It's a different level if it's on the main square. You know, it's a different level than somewhere hidden, you know.

[00:08:47]Grand bazar. Three little boys are making salah. I don't know what kind of salah that is, but subhan Allah. That's amazing. Alhamdulillah.

[00:08:58]I need to live here. Fish tree in Sa Muslim graves. This one says Understand? It means like you say they're dead, but Allah says no, they're not that they're they're alive and you don't perceive it. Subhan Allah.

[00:09:23]>> Subhan Allah. May Allah allow all of them to enter Jenna.

[00:09:28]Subhan Allah. Many shahit inshallah. They're in a good place. I'm not sure if this is ali.

[00:09:40]Let me see. This is ali. Subhan Allah.

[00:09:44]I've read his book, Islam Between East and West 5 years ago. Had a big impact on me. Subhan Allah. He's here in Barz.

[00:09:53]May Allah have mercy on him.

[00:09:56]Made it to the top. Subhan Allah. Always a great view.

[00:10:03]>> Bunch of Islamic shops for kids as well.

[00:10:06]So, alhamdulillah, I'm going to buy myself a small prayer mat. It's going to have a memory. And then yeah, I love the water that is available in the city. And here this is the crossroads. This is Europe. This is Austria. And this is still Turkey.

[00:10:26][bell] >> There was a moment here when there was church bells at 12. It's 11th of July and everybody's kind of like in memory of that. So people stood up and just kind of stood there and it was very interesting. And then also there's this building and someone is screaming out people's names and numbers. And I thought it's like a government thing like some sort of parliament but actually those are the old people who died burger style.

[00:11:11]Now I have my kids here in the masjid alone.

[00:11:16]So my mosque, first mosque of Saro or I don't know if it was me about Saro and it was all alone. We were all alone there. I remember making dua there four or five years ago. Now I'm there with my two kids like surreal moments. Subhan Allah.

[00:11:32]Allah is the best of planners.

[00:11:41]announcing all the dead. Been reflecting on my trip here. Subhan Allah. Muslim people everywhere. Not all of them, of course. You know, my kids are there swinging with their man. It's a great environment for kids. No alcohol. There are some areas where people drink and are sketchy. Generally speaking, Islam is felt like you can choose jahilia. You can be and that's completely fine here.

[00:12:05]And people are choosing that lifestyle.

[00:12:08]But there's still a huge huge percentage of people who will choose the other way.

[00:12:14]And um you know it just subconsciously it will affect you as a child just to grow up around the masjid around the adan around seeing the minites and just praying there every time you go through it just does something to your brain right you think it's normal and then actually it's not normal it's completely unnormal in my country. I just feel just the environment has so much effect on my kids that I got to come more often. Much more this vibe before market.

[00:12:44]It's like society works well.