What Every Muslim Wishes Khabib Would Have Said…

For anyone who’s not a combat sports fan, last weekend was an epic battle between the Irishman Conor McGregor and the Dagastani Russian Muslim, Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov.
It was a big deal because Khabib is an undefeated champion at mixed martial arts, but isn’t great at striking (punches and kicks), and Conor McGregor is an excellent striker, but nowhere near as strong at wrestling. (Time and time again, we’ve seen in the UFC, ability to wrestle or do jiujitsu is the #1 success factor… probably why it’s a Sunnah sport: excellent for self-defence, and harmless in training).
But, the was really a big deal because of the racist slurs, anti-Muslim antics, and intimidation Conor was throwing at Khabib before the fight to try and get ‘in his head’, in the hopes that Khabib would make a mistake in the fight and get knocked out.
Well… that didn’t work.
After 4 rounds of basically mauling Conor like an angry bear, and totally dominating him with his wrestling, Khabib choked him out in round 4.
And for pretty much every combat sports fan, it was beautiful to watch. (And yeah, for anti-combat-sports folks, I sound like a barbarian right now…)
Anyway, Khabib made one really big mistake immediately after the fight. In a crowd full of excited Russian and upset Irish fight-fans, Khabib sees one of Conor’s men insulting him from the side-lines… flies over the fence and into the crowd like… well… an “eagle”… and tried to attack him.
Meanwhile, Conor’s men and Khabib’s men were going after each other in the Octagon and security were scrambling to contain the situation, which eventually they did, successfully. However, it was a disaster and an embarrassment for martial arts fans like me, and anyone who believes in the old-school warrior spirit of 2 men testing their skills in a controlled environment.
After the fight Khabib apologised saying ‘it wasn’t my best side’, but then defended his actions by saying that Conor did a lot, lot worse (which is true, but isn’t the point).
I can only wonder how different his reaction would have been if he had a deep understanding of the Inside-Out Paradigm. He probably would’ve kept his cool, knowing that his anger isn’t coming from the racist guy and maybe he could have even said something like this to the public…
So, here’s what I (and I’m guessing a lot of Muslim) wish Khabib would have said instead, after his mistake. (For maximum enjoyment, read in a broken Russian accent…)
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“I start by greeting you with the best of greetings: Assalam Alaikum, which means ‘Peace be with you’. It actually means, I wish no harm to come to any of you.
Earlier today, I was a success, and I was a failure. I was strong and I was weak. All within the space 60 seconds.
I was successful in keeping my promise to the fans, by mauling, defeating and out-fighting Conor. For this success, I say ‘alhamdulillah’, all praise and gratitude is due to Allah, who gave me the ability to win, as a test for me.
However, I was weak, and a failure too.
Because the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him said,
“Strong is not the one who can win a fight, strong is the one who can control his anger.”
And, after all the taunting and threats and abuse over the last few weeks, I had a moment of weakness. I could no longer control my anger, and I let it out in the wrong way. In this, I showed physical strength, but spiritual weakness.
For this, I say “astaghfirullah”. I seek the forgiveness of Allah. Without Allah’s forgiveness, I am nothing, and I deserve nothing.
I apologise to the Nevada Commission for my mistake. I apologise to the fight-fans, who I disappointed. And I apologise to my family and supporters.
When I go back home I will continue to train, not just my body, but my soul as well insha’Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him, taught us that Allah forgives those who are forgiving.
So, I want to say to you, Conor: we had bad blood, but it is over now. I forgive you for what you said. It was wrong, but I forgive you.
In the spirit of Islam, if I punished you more than I needed to, to defeat you in the fight, I ask you to forgive me. If you need any medical assistance, my team is at your service.
Before the fight I said something wrong. I said there is no way I would shake your hand. However, my father spoke to me and told me that this is not the way of Islam. The way of Islam is to always seek to build bridges, and be brothers, not to make war and be enemies.
This fight is not about Russia and the West. It is not about Islam and Christianity. It is not about words and insults. It is about one thing: who is the true Lightweight Champion of the World.
I praise Allah, that I am now the Champion and hold the title. And I ask Allah to make both of us act like true champions, in the true spirit of our sport, like our hero Muhammad Ali.
To Conor and to all of you, I say:
“Assalam Alaikum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuhu.”
May the Peace, Love & Blessings of Allah be with you.
Thank you for your time.
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Ah, well, I guess I’m just dreaming.
Khabib was never going to say these things because he wasn’t trained in the Inside-Out Paradigm, so as awesome and powerful as he is, he didn’t quite have the clarity of mind, resilience and benevolence we hope to see in a true Muslim Warrior.
You, however, can gain that clarity, resilience and benevolence, by coming to The Paradigm Shift, here:
www.mamoonyusaf.com/londonevent