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Saturday, September 22, 2007

Taking a standup comedy class

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

Since I more of the reserved type (keep in mind that when UF started, I was suppose to be behind the camera not in front of it), I recently decided to take a standup class with the hope it will make me more comfortable speaking at events. Alhamdulillah it seems to be working and I have a great teacher (a comedian from Last Comic Standing). Now I'm actually starting to enjoy the class and once in a while I get on stage and do standup. One thing I have learned that many people who are naturally funny aren’t funny on stage and that many people who you may come across dull off stage are actually really funny on stage. It’s weird.

I mentioned in one of my videos that I’m not a comedian and that’s because I wasn’t a fan of how people were doing comedy. I’m trying to stay away from the idea of lying to make people laugh which is the norm for comedians. Sitting in class, I realized that life itself has so many funny and interesting things and you can just use that as your material. Most of the time when I’m on stage, its in front of a non-Muslim audience so its kinda funny when I’m talking about Muslim-related issues. Sometimes they laugh and other times they just look at me like a deer in headlights (which makes me laugh). Anyways, the class has helped me feel much more comfortable speaking at events so it seems to working Alhamdulillah.
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10 Comments:

At September 21, 2007 12:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wa alaykum salam

Interesting how certain things just pop up when least expected. like you said, you never saw urself as a comedian and yet here you find yourself taking stand up classes.

Well I just wanna say congrats and glad to know it's working out 4 ya...
best wishes

 
At September 21, 2007 12:46 PM, Blogger Gem said...

oh one more thing, you mentioned that you're natural and wanna keep your work as real as possible, i.e not lying etc... i'm assuming that's risky sometimes too?! I'm not saying its necessary to lie, but just the thought of having to stay real and down to earth when ppl are constantly up in your business lol... must be a real bummer.

once again, best wishes to you. you do a fantastic job n will surely be rewarded 4 it, ameen

 
At September 23, 2007 2:55 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

YOU ARE AMAZING... I HAVE LOVED ALL I HAVE SEEN FOR YOU SO FAR, AND IT IS SO TRUE-WHICH I REALLY APPRECIATE- AND SO PAINFULLY FUNNY!!!
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MAN, ALL THESE YEARS...
THANK YOU, ON BEHALF OF ALL MUSLIMS, MAY ALLAH BLESS YOU
MONA

 
At September 23, 2007 4:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

salaam,

do you happen to have any more information about the event you will be attending in glasgow as i wish to go but have heard no infrmation about it so far. i live in glasgow.

will be very grateful if you do.

wassalaam.

 
At September 23, 2007 9:10 AM, Blogger Al-Arqam said...

as salamu aleykum

Dear brother in Islam, I hope you will be able to read this knowing that you have so many things on your hands. Bidhnillah, there will be some sort of benefit in my following advice.

When you began this ummahfilms productions, it was amazing and yet not something that resembled kuffar imitation. However, when I came to realize that you did stand up comedy, well that seemed the first step of shaytan to me. Things like `Allah made me funny' are just plain wrong. Honestly, brother, do you think that Abu Bakr and Bilal would do stand up comedy (forget that, would they even allow it)? Brother Ali, I am simply saying this out of concern. Reconsider what you`re doing. Will making people laugh help you on the Day of Judgement? Isnt it true that too mucn laughing kills the heart? wallahu Alem.

Sincerely,
Razzle2dazzle

 
At September 23, 2007 11:09 AM, Blogger Hashmil said...

masaha allah bro!

really cool stand up stuff.. dont you think you get get more similar videos up??

jazakallah.

hashir.

 
At September 24, 2007 3:14 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

The thing is Al-Arqam, in those days, to battle, they needed swords. Then it moved to guns and bombs. Now, the world has changed.

It needs truth and we live in a world where humour is a tool. He is not using music. He is not having women dancing on stage behind him. He is actually doing what Muslims do. Talk to the masses. Most of the talks I went to, DO NOT even discuss issues we face and if they do, it is so boring, so "US AND THEM," and not enough on reflection of our own behaviour.

So to say it is crossing over and might go to the Haraam, I don't see anything like that at all. We have to be very careful to mention that word, "HARAAM" because it is saying, "Prohibited by Allah SWT." It is been said too many times and too often when it is not thought through carefully.

So, until you show what is Haraam in it then your comments will not really be valid but from what I see, what the brother is doing - is what ALL dais wanted to do. Go to the masses of Muslims and Non-Muslims, and TALK at their level.

"Allah made me funny," so, did Allah then make you not funny, boring? No humour, static? You're not human? What that is saying in a clever way, "we're all like you, the same, human beings."

And your comment on that alone, was exactly why it was named that way because they KNEW some Muslims will say that and to show where we are at in a mentality way. Backward and not even come out of our caves to now move forward.

And what is imitation kuffer? How do you know they are not imitating us but took what we do at a larger scale. Too what we were so lazy to do and made it global with technology. In Yemen, comedy was in for years. Since the before TV came out. It was a way to home in messages to people.

We have to be very, very careful to say "Haraam," so easily.

 
At September 25, 2007 1:25 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love the accent. Keep up the good work! Inshallah, ummahfilms will be even better after you train in stand up.

 
At September 25, 2007 12:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

MaashAllah bro just wanted to say well done and insha'Allah this popularity 'clearly from Allah (SWT) will benefit the muslims and help to unite and strengthen the Ummah, removing the divisions and taking our rightfull place on the stage on the global platform as the Deen of Haqq ... ameen

 
At May 16, 2011 1:22 PM, Anonymous kamagra said...

I have not had idea about many lesson to be comedian were possible, I think that this is so cool, the video is impossible to watch, please fix it!

 

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