The American Muslim Podcast · El-Amin Communications

Bro Saeed Purcell: The Muslim Highlander

·1 hr 24 min·5 clips

After converting, Saeed was pulled into teaching 11th and 12th grade classes and the Islam 101 program almost immediately.

1. The American Muslim Podcast episode centers on Brother Saeed Purcell and his long conversion journey to Islam. 2. Imam Tariq Al-Amin hosts Saeed, who is described as a convert, educator, and imam with over 30 years in Islamic teaching and leadership. 3. The episode asks how Saeed's journey shaped the way he teaches, does da'wa, and thinks about leadership. 4. Saeed says his conscious search began in junior year of high school and lasted about eight years. 5. He names stops along the way that include Pentecostal church, no faith, Taoism, Confucianism, Native American spirituality, and music. 6. He says Malcolm X's autobiography became a catalyst for his move toward Islam. 7. Saeed says he picked up the Quran around 1991 and happened to buy Yusuf Ali's translation from a local African American bookstore. 8. He describes reading the Quran regularly and opening it at random when he needed answers during difficult periods. 9. He says the Quranic verse that says, 'And recite what has been revealed to you' helped him treat revelation as primary guidance. 10. He connects that lesson to the contrast between the United Methodist church's story-centered approach and the Pentecostal church's word-of-God emphasis. 11. Saeed says he attended mosque on Friday and church on Sunday for over 12 months before deciding to convert. 12. He says he made the decision in fall 1992 and took shahada on January 1st, 1993, which was a Friday after Jummah prayers. 13. He says the Islamic Center of Minnesota had just changed leadership when he became Muslim. 14. He says that leadership encouraged learning, which led him into study at the American Open University, the Islamic University of North America, Mishka University, Islamic Online University, and the Islamic University of Minnesota. 15. He says he never stopped studying and that his learning curve was shorter because he had already spent time hearing sermons and praying with Muslims before converting. 16. Saeed describes being placed in teaching roles almost immediately, including 11th and 12th grade classes and the Islam 101 program. 17. He also says an older desi Quran teacher would put a topi on his head and send him forward to lead salah in a mostly immigrant masjid. 18. The interview feels conversational and reflective, with Tariq prompting Saeed for concrete examples and Saeed answering in long personal narratives. 19. Listeners interested in conversion stories, da'wa, and Muslim education would likely get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a short, purely doctrinal discussion may skip this one.

As heard by us

A patient conversation about conversion, teaching, and reverent speech.

Brother Saeed Persil's conversation stays close to formation: a convert's path into Islam, more than 30 years in Islamic teaching and leadership, and the day-to-day work of daawa with new Muslims and non-Muslims.

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Why you'd press play

Hear a convert imam and educator trace faith from first questions into decades of teaching.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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