07/04/2004
IWDM Study Library
A HEALTHY PATRIOTISM DAY
Pt. 1
By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

00:18 Imam W. Deen Mohammed: Thank you. We greet you with Muslim's, the greetings of Islam. Peace be unto you. Assalamu alaikum.

[background conversation]

00:30 IWDM: We always thank God. We begin by thanking God for our presence here. For our life, and our presence here on this day. And we trust our Lord the creator. Allah, in the language of our religion, the Quran. The Arabic language of the Quran. We trust him to protect us against straying, making mistakes, or coming from our weaknesses. We trust that he will always protect us, so we do not stray. Do not make errors, to confuse or worse, make worse the life of those who are listening to us. We pray that he protect us so we will always come from our strengths and not from our weaknesses. This is a day we celebrate July the 4th. I don't know how many Muslims take this day to be our day, in a very special way. But I do. And I do because I was taught as a little child, I can recall, before I was eight years old. Sitting in chairs, like you are sitting in, listening to the ministers preach for my father and preach for the Nation of Islam.

02:34 IWDM: And I can recall my father also saying that Mr. Fard, that he said was his savior. And my mother said too, to us he was her savior. And he said to the Nation of Islam, that he, this man, was the savior for the black man. Not just Muslims, but for all black people. That's what he taught. He said that, "That person. Or Mr. WD Fard, or WF Muhammad, different names, came to America on July 4th, 1930. July 4th 1930." This is documented, you know? This has been documented. This is in printed materials. A very special printed material of the Nation of Islam. He came on July 30th... Pardon me, he came on July 4th 1930. July 4th 1930. I've heard my father speak on that. And what he said, I can give it to you in one sentence. He said, "He came on their independence day, so that we will be one day independent." That's what he talked. That's what he talked.

04:17 IWDM: And, well that's not the topic for today. But it is a big part of what I will be presenting to you today. The topic for today is a healthy patriotism. Because this is also patriotism day. I don't know how many of you all know what Patriotism is. Or what a patriarch is. Patriotism is from patriarch. And patriotism is the support. Loyalty and support and sacrifices that the patriarch makes for his country on his fatherland. Note I didn't say motherland. I said fatherland. Fatherland. Although he also has a motherland. His motherland is the whole of the people and Islam. That's his motherland. But his fatherland has even a deeper meaning. Now, have patient with me. I don't like to speak without notes, and I've got them right here in my pocket. So let me pull them out. I never like to speak without notes.

06:04 IWDM: So I wanted to introduce Independence Day to you and patriotism to you but I also want to share with you my experience as an observer of, my itself, my personal experience as an observer of this day as Independence Day for the American people, the people of America. My experience is that this is a fun day. It's a fun day. When I think of this day, I think of families, with their people, parents with their children going out when the weather's good and drinking lemonade and playing games and just having fun, having a good time. That's what I think of it as. Eating roasted weenies and roasted marshmallows and stuff like that. That's what I... Yeah, yeah, I think some of you are here. [laughter] Yeah, it's good to know you're here. Yeah, my friends, some of my real friends are here. I heard their voices, I heard their chuckles. [chuckle]

07:36 IWDM: Yes. So I do think of it as a fun day and I think most of Americans, families, and children, and parents think of this day as a fun day. A fun day. And I guess, when we, I don't know if you do it, but I like to go see the fireworks. I never did like to make the fireworks, myself. But I like to go see those who had the fireworks and watch them and watch their fireworks. I go to the big fireworks. I don't like the little fireworks. I like the big fireworks. Where they shoot them up in the air and they burst open and all those beautiful colors just unfold, come out. Once I saw one of the Imam Mohammad Siddeeq told me, since we've been together for the second day now we've been together. Imam Siddeeq of Indianapolis in Indiana. He was telling me once that he saw them light up the sky with the American flag, I did too. I saw it once. The American Flag came out of the explosion and you saw the American Flag up in the sky. Beautiful, exciting, exciting fireworks. Like the beautiful rainbow all the beautiful colors that come out of the works, the fireworks.

09:05 IWDM: So, that's one way of looking at it, the Fourth of July and that fun picture, having fun, we're having fun, we're having a good time. But we should not forget the real meaning of the Fourth of July, and it's very serious. It's very serious. And a true patriot, his patriotism is formed upon that serious meaning or formed out of that serious meaning of the Fourth of July, the Fourth of July. Now numbers have meaning. Especially in scripture in revelations. I don't mean the Book of Revelations, I mean revelation Quran, any book that God revealed, Bible, Quran, what God revealed. And those books, numbers have meanings.

10:10 IWDM: And it's given to us in the Quran. So we understand that number. It's plainly given to us in the Quran, numbers have meaning. But it says, God gives so much, God created the whole world, in six periods of time or in six days as it is written in days, but remember, it says one day with the Lord is as a 1000 years. So the day is not just a one day, 24 hour day. He says he created the world in six days, they translated six periods, because they understand that this is not six 24 hour days and they don't like to say six days, because the English reader may think it means six days of our date, of our time, of our calculation. So they say six periods of time in the translation.

11:10 IWDM: Yes. So these numbers have meaning and God says his charity, his goodness can be seen in the corn that grows for us in the garden and the stalk may bear seven ears of corn less or more, seven ears of corn. And on each ear a 1000 grains, a 1000 corn, kernels, little kernels of corn. Now, a 100, or pardon me. I think it say a 100 grain.

[background conversation]

11:54 IWDM: Hmm? That's okay. It isn’t that big of a deal. I'm thinking...

[laughter]

11:58 IWDM: That's what I'm doing right now. I'm taking a lot of seriousness out of these numbers. But in another place God said he is the one that gives without counting. Now pay attention to that.

[laughter]

12:13 IWDM: He gives without counting, although he said a parable of his goodness is charity is the corn that grows, and each ear has so many grains of corn. But he says that he gives without counting. Now that's the God I worship, that's my God, that's the God I serve. He isn’t like some of you stingy people, got to count everything you give somebody, got to count it. A real generous person will just reach in his pocket and just get something and put it in your hand, he may not even see what he gave you, you might have to tell him what he gave you. Yeah there are some people just that charitable, just that kind and generous, they reach into their pocket and whatever they get their hand on they get it, and that's it. Mohammed the prophet, he was trusted with the wealth of the people, all of his people, his followers. And when they needed something, he didn't even go in the thing and get it himself, he told them "Go to the treasure and get what you need." And they would go and get what they need, he didn't know how much they were going to get. Said, "Go to the treasure and get what you need." So one fella was walking back from the treasure and he kept falling, it was so heavy he kept falling. So the prophet told him, "Leave some of that there." [laughter] "Take only what you can carry comfortably."

[laughter]

13:45 IWDM: I subscribe to the Southtown Daily and I also get the Sunday Southtown. And on the front-page of the Sunday Southtown today is the meaning of patriotism. Headline. Right on the front-page, big, biggest... What you see first is the flag and... Patriotism. And it gives a definition of patriotism. And on patriotism it says, "Beyond the flag-waving, parades... " Yeah, I forgot to mention the parades, Fourth of July, they parades too. "And fireworks of Independence Day, the spirit is defined by sacrifice, loyalty, service and kindness. And kindness." Also carried in the Tribune, Chicago Tribune, was something on this day also. And if we want to understand what this day means, we have to do some research, 'cause most of us are not in touch with the true history and unfolding of the development of our perception or ideas around patriotism. Or that support patriotism. Most of us are not in touch with that, we just follow the habits, our tradition of our country, our people and our country.

15:44 IWDM: So for us it's just a day to have fireworks, roast weenies and marshmallow and drink lemonade, sour with the sweet in it. And that's about it for us. Thomas Jefferson is credited and remembered for giving us the language, "Liberty... Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Now if Mr. Fard, the teacher of my father who brought the plan for the Nation of Islam left it with my father. If he said he came on this day, July 4th 1930, I'm sure if he didn't see the people at that time responding to him and being curious to study what he was saying... You know most people, they hear something and they've just heard it, that's all, they don't give it any thought. That's in the Quran too, that's in our holy book and Bible. It says there are many clear signs that God gives, they're all around me everywhere. It says "But most of the people go along heedless." Heedless means they pay no attention to it, it never reached their mind.

17:50 IWDM: So I imagine that those who were listening to Mr. WD. Fard or Mr. Fard Muhammad, whatever you want to call him, more of the same. They just heard the words but didn't give those words any serious attention. I did. From the earliest days of my life, I gave everything. Especially that came from my mother and father to me, serious attention. Can't recall a time when I didn't give it serious attention. I want to understand it. Little boy, but I wanted to understand it. Didn't just want to hear it, I wanted to understand it. And I wanted to know and understand it because I wanted to make it a part of my life. I wanted to take it in, as we say. I didn't just want to hear it. I wanted to take it into myself. I felt everything that they were giving me was needed in my life. So, I'm going to include it or incorporate it in my life. I want to understand it, and I want to feel that I know what I'm putting into my life. Not even a few souls born like that into the world. Most of us don't care. We're not serious. We're not that serious about life.

19:28 IWDM: Yes. I'm sure Mr. Fard was thinking of our being deprived of liberty. When he came, we were discriminated in the South. We were treated like [inaudible] unwanted animal-level people. That's how we were treated. I'm not talking about slavery, I'm talking about 1930. The law wasn't changed until 1960 or after. So we had no liberty guaranteed to us when Mr. Fard came. He saw a people and a country that claimed to be a country of democracy for all, and freedom and liberty and justice for all. But he saw that there was certain race that had been excluded from that, wasn't even recognized as a human being on the level to qualify for that. You say, "Oh, but that was the South." I'm not talking about in the time of the 13 colonies. I'm talking about 1930 in the time of the United States. The President was the President of all the states in the South and the North, and he couldn't be President unless he got the votes of the South and the North. But he tolerated the South treating us like we were animal-level people and not qualified for the rights of the majority of the citizens of the country. The President tolerated that.

21:45 IWDM: And by the way, it was a Republican President. I'm not saying anything to encourage you to vote for President Bush, I want you to know that. It's just a coincidence that President Bush is also a Republican. It was a Republican President, a general, a great soldier, a great person, a great man, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who came out as a soldier to defend our rights to be included as human beings on the level with everybody else. Yes, that's something we forget, too. Something we forget. We shouldn't forget those things. And our leaders who know those things should make it a point to keep their constituency aware of these important things. I belong to neither party. I don't belong to the black peoples' Jesus Christ party you call the Democrats. I don't belong to that party, and I don't belong to the Republican Party. I'm a free man in this country, and I support what I believe to be deserving of my support. I don't care if whether it's Republican or Democrat, or Democrat or Republican. I'm looking for the right person.

23:19 IWDM: You think about the parties. The symbol of one is the donkey. A dumb ass. I'm speaking from the dictionary now. I'm just playing, you know. I don't want you to misunderstand it. I want you to get the full meaning, I want to be sure you got the full meaning. I can speak your language, too. And the other one's symbol is an elephant. A big, massive creature. Huge, massive creature whose nose is very unique. Can't find any living creature with a nose like that. He can give himself a shower with his nose. He can eat something as small as a little peanut, pick it up with his nose and put it in his mouth, and he can take that nose and tighten the muscles up in it, push down the wall of a building like a bull dozer. That nose is something. The only thing that I find that seems to warrant the attention and admiration like that nose, is his equilibrium, all that massive weight. He can walk across something no more than two inches or an inch wide if it's strong enough to hold it. He can get up on it and walk a little small edge, and not only can he walk it, he can balance himself on one foot.

25:25 IWDM: Raise all that huge thousands of pounds of weight raising up and stand on one foot. Now I'm telling you, a sight like that make you forget about Bruce Lee. Just washed out his name completely, and that's the symbol of the Republican party, big massive creature. I can't identify with either one. I don't have enough money to buy an elephant, and I don't want a donkey. Getting back to the Fourth of July, Fourth of July. You know that, you know the clan KKK? Some of you remember. Don't think they weren't... They weren't patriarchs. Their patriots. White citizens council... Patriots. Now these are the enemies of our rights, right? The enemies of our coming into our rights as citizens of this country, but they are patriots too.

27:00 IWDM: So how your patriotism was formed depends on your perception of the land itself. If you perceive the land as the land that was opened up for whites only, then your patriotism going to look quite different from, Thomas Jefferson and others, who perceived this land as the land for all people, and wrote descriptions of beliefs and principles that they held, put it in writing. Documents that lived for as long as we lived in this country. Language that was designed to accommodate not only Christians but other people who would be coming to this land of freedom and opportunity. Wise men with good hearts and foresight, planning this nation, planning the building of this political edifice of government in the United States, so that one day it will not be an offense to any good person, any good and well meaning person.

28:38 IWDM: That it will welcome the Buddhist, it welcome the Muslim, it will welcome the Hindu, it will welcome the Jew, it welcome the everybody that come with good intentions and well meaning, and certainly every nation every color. Nothing in that language to exclude any that should be accepted. We hold these truths to be self evident that all men, literally are one, are created equal and are endowed by their creator, recognizing a creator over all of us. Therefore they are religious, they made it clear that they believed in God, and they did not take authority that belonged to God. So they say these rights are inseparable from the people, they are... They can't be taken from the people. These rights are inalienable or unalienable. They cannot be taken from the people. The people cannot be alienated from those rights, or taken from those rights, separated from those rights by government or by any other power, because those right have been given to them by virtue of their creation, their nature, by their creator, God.

30:08 IWDM: Yeah. So their language didn't exclude anybody. So the idea that the South imposed upon the whole country and made us suffer under it was really unconstitutional from the very beginning. They shouldn't have needed to amend to anything. The amending is done so that history will be continuous and not lost. That's the only reason why it's necessary to make amendments. They said they did it to have law, yes. Well the body, the constitution itself is like an organism.
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