Shadowing Practice: How Do Muslims Know If They're Doing Enough? | Christian Student Asks - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
139 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
I was just wondering with the five pillars of Islam, how do you know if you're doing enough to basically fulfill your duty as a Muslim?
2
How does that work?
3
Okay, so in Islam you're told what is enough.
4
Remember we were talking about in the sermon?
5
So you're told the basic necessities and you're told the maximum that you should strive for.
6
So if you're fulfilling the basic necessities, you're doing enough.
7
But if you want, like you're told to, you're motivated to actually aim for the stars you'll get the sun by itself so your aim
8
should be something that's higher so you're given both of them
9
and the best model is in the model of the life of the Prophet himself
10
so if we can amel as close as we are to it the better it will be
11
so it's very easy for us because there's one person in history
12
this is not according to me this is according to the agnostics and the atheists and Forbes magazine as well
13
that the person in history who has been recorded the most is Prophet Muhammad.
14
So for us it's very easy in the sense that we know exactly.
15
For example, if I were to ask you, by the way, as Muslims, we have to respect each and every Prophet, right?
16
So the question is, please don't feel offended by it.
17
I'm just trying to kind of make a point.
18
And if you do, then just stop me.
19
So I'll just backtrack and think of another example.
20
if I were to ask you how did Jesus please you upon him go to the bathroom
21
you know would you be able to tell me exactly what
22
his bowel habits like how he would relieve himself etc. would be
23
he was fully man so I would assume just like everyone else okay so for us for Muslims we are told
24
the Prophet he has told us
25
when you go into the bathroom
26
which foot you should keep in the bathroom first like the amount of detail
27
I'm telling you how you should sit in the bathroom, what is better, how long you should sit in the bathroom,
28
what you should not do in the bathroom, and what you should do in the bathroom.
29
And after you're done, don't just dry clean, you know, use water, stuff like that.
30
So all of that stuff we've been told.
31
And when you come out of the bathroom, which food you should step out with?
32
So for us, it's very easy in the sense that we have a lot of detail about everything in life.
33
And this is just about the bathroom.
34
I can tell you about sleeping, I can tell you about, you know, other stuff as well,
35
about wearing your clothes what kind of clothes they should be
36
which color is better everything
37
but those are not necessities they are they're distinctions you know how you can get to 80 you'll pass it
38
what was the passing percentage i guess it differs from every exam right
39
but let's just say if it's 75 you can get to 75
40
but if you want to get to 90 then it's you know a lot more uh effort
41
and to get above 90 then it's like even more than
42
that so you can strive for whatever you can but the basic necessity.
43
75 % is very clear and even the 95 % is clear.
44
So does that answer the question?
45
Yeah, I guess just my confusion is what about the 75 and the 95 is different?
46
Like what makes you 95 compared to 75?
47
Okay, perfect.
48
So we are told that no one will, I'll start with this and then I'll give you the direct answer,
49
that no one will enter paradise with just their actions it will be from the mercy of Allah
50
so mercy of the creator
51
what does that mean? that means you have to try your best
52
but also understand that your best is still not going to be enough of what
53
Allah the creator deserves from you but you still have to try your best so when a person prays
54
he can try to do his best and you will know, no one else can judge you, but what's your name?
55
Mitchell Mitchell.
56
But Mitchell, in your heart, would you not know, okay, this is the best I could do?
57
You would know that, right?
58
So this is between you and him.
59
So he understands, because he's the one who's given you all of the faculties, the capabilities, the strength, the will.
60
He understands Mitchell is trying to do his best.
61
So you'll be rewarded accordingly.
62
So we can never know which person is better.
63
Therefore in Islam, you can never say this person is better than that person in the eyes of Allah.
64
Okay?
65
Because if he has given you let's just say um
66
if he has given your faculties are on a scale of one to ten they are nine and
67
if he has given me three for me to get to three it's going to take a lot of effort
68
but i will be rewarded according to ten now
69
if you although you you're you can easily achieve five
70
because you're you know your max is nine you can easily achieve five
71
but still if you're just achieving five you're wasting a lot of your talent
72
so with power comes responsibility
73
if he's given you the ability then he you are you know uh supposed to achieve even higher than
74
that so if you achieve nine you'll be awarded 100
75
if you achieve eight you're going to be rewarded a little bit less
76
but i can never tell that that's just between you
77
and god so a person himself will know that i'm trying my best
78
and allah will have mercy enough to actually give me 100 of the reward does
79
that answer the question that makes sense okay
80
So even if you know that you're trying your best, is there any like absolute assurance that you would get salvation?
81
Yes, yes.
82
When a person tries their best, it's not just the, in Islam we believe this, that every action that you do has a repercussion,
83
not just in the hereafter, but also in the world so when you start doing good actions
84
Allah will show you the blessings in your life so for example we are told not to indulge in interest
85
which is you know living in a secular society it's very difficult because everything has interest
86
but once a person actually forsakes
87
profit from interest for the will of Allah for the pleasure of Allah he will start seeing that
88
the other guys who are indulging in interest will not have
89
that much happiness as much as he will have even though his wealth will be less
90
but the things that are given to him will be more than the other people
91
and he'll feel happier
92
so in islam what we are what i'm trying to tell you basically is
93
that once you start trying to do your best once you look for the truth
94
and you start trying you feel inside as well spiritually
95
you're gifted enough for you to feel like okay you know this is working out
96
but will you have absolute confidence
97
that i will be uh i will achieve salvation no
98
and therefore you have to keep trying to do better
99
if for example right now today somebody was somebody came
100
and told me that somehow god communicated to me
101
and he told me that you have been forgiven even
102
if you commit atrocities from today on
103
or whatever you do it doesn't really matter you've been forgiven will
104
that not actually put a damper on my deeds for example in the for example
105
if a teacher came to you right
106
you're taking a very difficult course let's say you're taking tensor calculus the professor came
107
and said what's your what's your sister's name
108
Oh Alyssa Alyssa they said Alyssa you've been really good in the first couple semesters
109
and you know their last semester I'm gonna give you a hundred percent.
110
Tell me Alyssa like honestly are you gonna study as hard as you studied for the first two?
111
Um wait can you ask that again?
112
Yes, a professor came
113
and told you Alyssa since you have done really well in the first semester
114
I'm going to give you a hundred percent marks in the second semester regardless of how you score.
115
Hmm.
116
Will you study for the second semester as hard as the first
117
semester honestly speaking well like if if I knew
118
that I was gonna get a hundred percent mark regardless even
119
if you left the paper blank um yes you would still study as hard oh no that's one thing
120
so therefore in Islam we are told
121
that you can never be sure of achieving salvation because
122
if you actually do something bad later on you will be punished for it in Islam we are not told
123
Muslims yeah we are not given the guarantee of going into heaven.
124
We will enter heaven eventually.
125
This is the guarantee we've been given, that if you believe in the monotheistic nature of God
126
and you testify that there's one God worthy of worship and that you believe in the prophetic lineage,
127
all of them, then you will eventually get to heaven.
128
However, if you live a bad life, you will have to be punished for those bad deeds.
129
Once you are punished enough and you're purified of their bad effects in hell, then you will enter heaven.
130
So just taking the testimony of faith is enough to get you into heaven but that's going to be your final abode.
131
You will have to go through hell if you don't live a good life.
132
So therefore you have to keep trying to do better and better.
133
So Islam actually asks you to do better every day and achieve the best you can.
134
So if Alyssa has been given, like I said with Mitchell, if your capability is 9,
135
then Islam wants you to actually achieve that potential and not just settle for 5.
136
Does that make sense?
137
Yes.
138
Okay.
139
Maybe...
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C11
114 sentences
The Secret Key of Intelligence In Islam — Ousama Alshurafa
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
291 sentences
The Meaning of the Mass - Blessed Fulton Sheen
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B28
249 sentences
The Jesus Problem
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
160 sentences
UNCENSORED: should the West be suspicious of Islam? Jonathan Sacerdoti, at the Oxford Union
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
117 sentences
What Is Islamic Psychology? Dr Francesca Bocca | Psychology and Islam
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
42 sentences
Jordan Peterson - How To Read And Study More Effectively
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C11
49 sentences
Malcolm X's Letter from Hajj
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
583 sentences
When Allah Tests You With What You Love Most | #3 Stories from the Golden Generations of Islam #AMAU
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
50 sentences
What’s the Command “No Idols” Really Getting At?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
293 sentences
19 Minutes To Make Your Problem Look Stupid
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
67 sentences
You Say You Love Allah (ﷻ)... But Do You Know What It Really Means?. | Shaykh Omar Sulieman
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B29
271 sentences
Learn English Without Netflix, Movies or Music | A Guide for Muslim English Learners
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How Do Muslims Know If They're Doing Enough?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: islam, bathroom, achieve, allah. This video has 139 sentences and 1705 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:16. The speaker talks fast, about 184 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| semester noun | /sɪˈmɛstɚ/ | Half of a school year (US) or academic year such as autumn or spring semester. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| necessity noun | /nɪˈsɛsəti/ | The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite. |
| mercy noun | /ˈmɝsi/ | Relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another. |
| punish verb | /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ | To cause (a child, student, or someone else being looked after, or a suspect or criminal) to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action… |
| salvation noun | /sælˈveɪ.ʃn̩/ | The process of being saved, the state of having been saved (from hell). |
| regardless adverb | /ɹɪˈɡɑɹd.lɪs/ | Without attention to warnings or indications of bad consequences. |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
| faculty noun | /ˈfæk.əl.ti/ | The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff. |
| forgive verb | /fɚˈɡɪv/ | To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against. |
| creator noun | /kɹiːˈeɪ̯təː/ | Something or someone which creates or makes something. |
| capability noun | /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ | The power or ability to generate an outcome. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| fulfill verb | /fʊlˈfɪl/ | To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.). |
| deed noun | /diːd/ | An action or act; something that is done. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if you achieve nine you'll be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been recorded · has told · we've been told |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | has been recorded · are told · we've been told |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 46 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: cloth /klɒθ/, worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/, atheist /ˈeɪ.θi.ɪst/, monotheistic /ˌmɑnəθiˈɪstɪk/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/, salvation /sælˈveɪ.ʃn̩/, worship /ˈwɝ.ʃɪp/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: necessity /nɪˈsɛsəti/, capability /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, testimony /ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like semester, reward, necessity.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.