My First Teacher

By: Suhaib Webb

When I saw you walking through the market in all that red, talking to girls and acting like you were something, I noticed good in you and I prayed that Allah would guide you.” Sh. Abd al-Rahmān al-Basīr

When I was 17, I used to visit a local flea market in Oklahoma City to sell mix tapes. In those days, it was the number one way to get a tape hot in the streets and make some cash. One day, I was walking with my friends, acting a fool and I noticed a man with a long thobe and a turban. He was in a store that sold incense, but what grabbed me was the cool writing and the cheap perfume. “Yo! Give me that Cool Water for 5!”