# "He Became Muslim While Playing Game!"- Unknown Stories From Kamal Saleh

- Language: en
- Published: 2026-08-26
- Canonical: https://blog.towardseternity.com/en/blog/he-became-muslim-while-playing-game-unknown-stories-from-kamal-saleh
- Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJEpqve85h8
- Channel: Towards Eternity

This is the cleaned transcript of the source video. The speech is unaltered.

---

An American man contacts me on Facebook. And he says "Hey, I'm an American guy, non-Muslim, but I'm interested in Islam." I said "Well, that's awesome! Who directed you to me?" He goes, "Well I play PlayStation. I've been playing online with a guy from Saudi Arabia. He told me that there's a guy in Australia that you should speak to. And he sent me your video." I was in the airport. I said "I can't speak to you now, but I'll speak to you when I land. And by the way, I'm actually going to America." He completely immersed himself in Islam during that conference. There was everyone, there was Hamza Tzortzis, there was all these big names that he got to speak to.

Alhamdulillah, I believe like a few weeks after that he accepted Islam. And I'm like, that one Saudi Arabian brother who's playing Call of Duty, helped bring this guy to Islam. I was like, wow. Assalam alaikum brother Kamal Saleh. We are very happy to have you with us. I want to start with, who is Kamal Saleh? Can you tell us briefly about your life? Wa alaikum assalam rahmatullahi barakatuh. Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be with you guys. I really admire your work. My name is Kamal Saleh. Most people know me from my "Talk Islam", “Spoken word” and my work with One Path Network. We do some videos, reminders, short films.

Alhamdulillah, I've enjoyed being involved in the Islamic creative space now for about 10 years. And I'm currently based out of Sydney, Australia. What prompted you to start a Youtube channel, and how did you come up with the idea of preaching Islam with poetry? My Youtube channel actually began well beyond Talk Islam. I had a Youtube channel where I would just post filmography, things that would be relevant to my passion in film, things that were relevant to my passion in video effects, special effects. The Islamic side, or "Talk Islam" started a little bit later. That's when I actually began to take my religion a bit more seriously when I went into university.

What made you take your religion seriously then? I actually went to university with a passion for just making videos. There's a very funny instance actually. When I walked into the first class of screen production, and the teacher actually asked everyone "Stand up and tell us why you're here." And everyone said "Oh, I wanna make documentaries, I wanna make films, I wanna go to Hollywood, I wanna do this, I wanna do that." I unfortunately got up and said "I wanna make music videos." So I clearly wasn't religious. I wasn't in the right state of mind. I wasn't practicing. And my mindset was very very far away from "Talk Islam". Which was I believe just two years before Talk Islam was born.

But, you know, as the story goes with many people there's no happiness in that kind of lifestyle. There's no tranquility, there's no peace. So I began to take my religion a bit more seriously. What happened next? Why did you move to Islamic content, rather than music content? It's a long story. But I can just give you a few instances. Muslim Students Association, they found out there's a Muslim kid at university who is really good at making content. He's in media production, he's really good at making videos. Let's get him to help us out. And, personally, I enjoyed doing that. I enjoyed helping them out, even though I wasn't the most practicing person.

But I enjoyed it because I felt like I was being made to feel like I was responsible for something. And I found a group of friends that I could belong amongst. And so I happily went ahead and helped them with their videos. And I would still at the same time, unfortunately, have that baggage with me. But at the same time I was still willing to help out the Muslim students on campus. They meant you, these MSA guys? Yeah, they meant me. And I was referred to them, as a guy that knew how to make videos, a guy that was cool with these content creation skills. So that's what happened. So they invited me to come along. I happily contributed, but at the same time I had that baggage.

And there was one funny instance, a funny moment that I can actually share with you guys that you probably would relate to. I came with that baggage to the MSA, right? So I was like heavily addicted to music, I would even drive my car, blasting, like the worst songs, haram songs, like... This is not a matter of "Music is helal or haram", this is like 100% haram songs that I was, like, blasting. And what happened one day was, I was driving past my university. Blasting music, the worst songs. And then I drove past the university musalla. The masjid, the jami of the university. And obviously you're gonna get embarrased, right? So you turn the music down.

And a funny instance occured, that I turned the music down and I kept driving. And then once I, you know, was well clear away from the masjid, I turned the music back up. And I drove all the way out to, like, the exit of the university, and turned the music back up. Chilling in my car, blasting these haram songs. I'm at a red light, just waiting. And then I see a car pull up right next to me on the right. And there's someone, like, looking at me. Like, odd. And then, don't wanna pay too much attention, but in the end I go, "You know what? I might as well just see what... Who is it? Because they're clearly looking at me." I look, and it's the president of Muslim Students Association.

So that was a very embarrasing experience for me. But at the same time I believe it's not a coincidence, you know? There's like, thousands of students on campus. But Allah chose him to be right next to me. And it was kind of like an embarrasing reminder from Allah (swt), "Pick your socks up", you know, "Get your act together." That was a moment when I really had that realization that, "Look Kamal, man, you really need to change." "You really need to just get your act together." "You know, choose what kinda lifestyle you wanna follow." And obviously, I had a friend that would constantly push me towards deen, take me to the masjid, take me to...

You know, even just restaurants, hanging out, looking after me. But at the same time giving me those gentle reminders to pull myself up. And I think that was in, like, 2011, when I had, like, the biggest change of my life. When you decided to change your lifestyle, what did you do to make this happen? In 2011, when I decided to take the journey to Hajj. So I was like 20 years old. And bear in mind, like, I decided to make that journey at a time when I wasn't even that practicing. Yeah, I was passionate about my deen, but I had a lot of baggage. I had a lot of problems but I just, you know, convinced myself that going on this journey the final answer, would be the solution.

Obviously we're gonna still commit sins, we're still gonna be bad, we're still gonna fall and have shortcomings. But I felt like this was gonna be the defining moment where I decide to, like, start taking things a bit more seriously. So that Hajj journey, that experience that I had. I just went, and I said "Ya Allah, everything I've done in the past, I'm not going back to." There was one particular dua that I made that day and that was relevant to my skill set, my passion, which was creative media. Content. Production. On Arafat, I like, literally begged Allah (swt). I said "Ya Allah, use me for your deen, through my skill set." Which was, like, making videos, making content.

And that was in November 2011. Talk Islam Youtube, when did it start? Two months later, January 2012. Right? And that was the first ever viral video. I clearly see a link, you know? Atheists will come and say "Oh it's a coincidence." I don't see any coincidence. I see Allah (swt) facilitating me. Two months, literally, right after I made that dua I felt like that was Allah (swt) just helping me. So how did you feel when this went viral? I felt like that was the answer to my dua. Literally. And it just made so much sense. I'm like, "Two months ago I was in Arafat, asking for this." And then two months later, I'm sitting here and I've literally got it.

And not only have I got it, I got even more. Because I told you before that my dream was what? To make music videos. And there was actually a website that my dream was to get on to this website. Because it had the world's best hiphop music videos. My dream was to one day get on that website. My friend called me the next day. He says "Kamal, go on that website that you always brag on about." I went on it, and he goes "Your video is on the front page of that." And I was like, woah. And like, Ya Allah. You know? People talk, "Coincidence". For me, I don't believe in coincidences.

I believe like, if, you know, Allah knows if I'm sincere or not sincere, but like, if you call up on Allah, “yastajeb”, He answers. How did your family and friends react to your dawah at first? I guess they were a bit hesitant at the beginning. Like, a young boy putting his face out there, Muslim content at a time of heightened Islamophobia. You know, is he gonna get a job? This is not the best idea to put yourself out there. So there was a bit of hesitancy that I did experience. But at the same time, I felt once people started appreciating the content, and the videos were doing, you know, well, and the comments were supportive, I felt like that really helped.

Is there an event in your dawah life that you cannot forget? As I mentioned before, some of the greatest rewards of content, or like the best hasanat, are not necessarily the content creators but those that share the videos. I've reached people, literally people that don't necessarily have the best skills when it comes to production. But they know how to press 'Share'. They know how to recommend a video to their friend. They have someone who's a non-Muslim in their life, and they share the video. I personally believe that these people get the greatest rewards, because the sincerity I have is a lot easier to maintain than the sincerity someone has while he's speaking in front of a camera.

That's the first thing. The story that actually happened was I think about 6 years ago. An American man contacts me on Facebook. And he says "Hey, I'm an American guy, non-Muslim, but I'm interested in Islam." I said "Wow that's awesome! Who directed you to me?" He goes, "Well, I play PlayStation. I've been playing online with a guy from Saudi Arabia. He told me that there's a guy in Australia that you should speak to. And he sent me your video." I'm like, "Oh wow, cool. How can I help you?" He's like, "I want you to teach me about Islam." I was in the airport. I said "I can't speak to you now, but I'll speak to you when I land.

And by the way, I'm actually going to America." He goes "Oh cool, you're going to America. Where are you going?" I said "I'm going to Chicago." I said "Where are you from?" He goes, "Oh, I'm from Chicago." And then he's like, "What are you doing there?" I'm like, "There's an Islamic conference." He goes, "Oh, I'm coming." Then I met him there at the conference. And it was like he completely immersed himself in Islam during that conference. There was everyone, there was Hamza Tzortzis, there was all these big names that he got to speak to. Alhamdulillah, I believe like a few weeks after that he accepted Islam.

And I'm like, that one Saudi Arabian brother who's playing Call of Duty, helped bring this guy to Islam. And I was like, wow. But there is all these stories. And I feel like I'm a rookie. There are much greater people in the dawah that have done so much more, and like, I've done absolutely nothing. I'm just a guy that makes YouTube videos but I ask Allah, you know, to accept. Mashallah. Incredible story. Why do you talk about Islam when you're not a scholar or a teacher? Look, I totally agree with that sentiment. I don't believe everyone should be, you know, speaking about Islam, speaking about every issue under the sun. I agree with that sentiment.

But at the same time, I would also argue that if we're going to leave dawah to the scholars, that would lead to an extreme void in the dawah. Why? Because a scholar can't go to every single person. Rather, Allah (swt) has made each and every single one of us ambassadors of Islam. We all have a role to play. Even if it's insignificant, even if it's small, it's just up to us to use that role to the best of our abilities. In my situation it was video production, content production. So I felt like, why not? If you had a daughter, how would you explain hijab to her? Look, I'll be honest with you. Wearing the hijab is very hard. I don't have a daughter so I can't speak.

But one thing I can tell you is that it's difficult and it's hard. Like, the pressure is hard. The Prophet (saw) foretold that a time will come that holding onto your deen is like trying to hold onto a burning coal. So I would first acknowledge that it's difficult and that it's hard. But after that, I would remind her that it's harder not to wear the hijab. It's harder to be far away from Allah. It's harder to be distant from Allah (swt). You know, Allah knows your circumstance. Allah knows you're going through a hard time. Allah knows that it's difficult. But at the same time Allah wants yusr for you. Yuridullahu bikumul-yusr. Allah wants ease for you.

He didn't mandate anything for you except that He knows is best for you. I would stress that. This is what Allah wants from you, and don't you want Allah to love you? Also I would start from a young age. I feel like a lot of people make the mistake of delaying it. Like not necessarily, or bringing it up when she's like well into her teens. I feel like that's a bit too late, you need to encourage from a young age. Because the formative years of our lives are in our childhood. Give her great role models as well. Lastly, I would let her know that she looks beautiful in the hijab. How do you keep your enthusiasm active in this field and do you ever sometimes say, "Let someone else do this job"?

I'll be honest with you, all the time. All the time, I ask myself maybe, you know, someone else should do it. But I don't say it through like a pessimistic lens. But rather a hopeful, positive, you know, optimistic lens, that we need the next batch of people. We can't have the same people, the same faces around for the whole time, so we need to get the next batch of people up. We need to train them, we need to prepare them. We need to equip them with the right knowledge, the right skill sets to continue. As we said, you know, the caravan needs to keep moving with or without us. So it's important that we do get the next batch of people. But how do we keep them enthusiastic?

This is a very dangerous field. Why? Because so many times we see highly passionate people. And they're doing dawah, they're doing the best of actions, they're literally making the best videos. They, you know, and not just videos. Anything to do with dawah, you know. Working in the community, working in masajid, working in the MSA. Highly passionate people. But it's so easy to misplace passion for Islam with one's passion for their own nafs and their own ego. And it's sometimes very difficult to distinguish or differentiate when we're doing it for our own ego and when we're doing it for Islam. Why? Because outwardly we're both doing the exact same thing. And that's the scariest thing.

Sometimes we get highly passionate and highly motivated when we're rewarded with dopamine from algorithms that give us likes, shares, and views. And oh, wow, that's rewarding, it’s fulfilling. But are you truly getting fulfilled because the dawah is, you know, reaching people? Or are you getting fulfilled because "Man, that's me." "That's me out there man, that's my nafs. That's me" So that's very dangerous to always... Be passionate, I love passion. I've always said, you know. If I can find a passionate person, please. But at the same time we need to make sure that that passion is channeled. So it's passion for the dawah and not passion for oneself.

Because it's so easy to get that misplaced. The best of us struggle. What is your biggest dream in life? My biggest dream in life is just “husna’l khatimah”. The best death, a good death, a noble death. Just end with La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah on my lips. In a good state. I don't wanna die doing something bad I don't wanna die doing something haram. I don't wanna die in a bad place. I just wanna die in a good place. Die in Medina. Die praying. Die doing something good. That's my biggest dream in life. Because guess what, if you do that, nothing else matters. If you've got that, nothing else matters. What else matters? You've guaranteed your ending was good, you know?

The Prophet (saw) says That actions are judged by their endings. Imagine that the ending of your life was good. What does that say about your whole life? So “husna’l khatimah” is my biggest dream. A good death. Not so people can remember me, but rather so Allah (swt) can be pleased with me and that I meet in a good state. Whoever dies on a thing, he'll be resurrected upon that. So I just wanna be resurrected in a good state. To have that easy, you know, Day of Judgement experience. If you had a chance to talk to all the non-Muslims in the world, what would that be?

That's a difficult question, because وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّـهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً You know if Allah wanted, He could have made us all one people. If Allah wanted, He could've guided all people. If Allah willed, He could've made everyone Muslim. So I don't wanna answer a question as though, like, you know, I have the secret. Because Allah (swt), He is the controller of the hearts. But what would I say to all the non-Muslims? If they could hear one message, it would be the most important question in your life is why are you here? You can convince yourself that you're here because of some reason that you've invented for yourself. But surely, there's something greater.

Surely there's a metanarrative, an over-arching narrative. Surely there's a greater purpose to life than one that you've just made up for yourself. And your purpose of life is with Allah (swt). And your purpose of life can only be determined from truth. And that truth is God, the creator. He tells you what your purpose of life is. So come to your creator. Actively search for your creator. Actively search for the truth. If you're sincere in your search, may Allah give you the truth. Brother Kamal Saleh, thank you for beautiful answers it was very beneficial. And hope to meet you in future projects and in a much better place inshallah. Inshallah.