1975-October-24

Muhammad Speaks

Master Bilal

W.D. Muhammad

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"For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

"And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

"Thou shalt also be crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God."

Isaiah 62:1-3
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In The Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; Peace and Blessings upon His Servant and His Messenger Muhammad, forever. Amen.

As-Salaam-Alaikum

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Much confusion exists among the black people of America as to what name they should use to refer to themselves. You hear such terms as "colored people," "Negroes," "Blacks," "Black Americans," and "Afro-Americans." You have not settled on any of these names because none of them are names that are good enough for you.
The name "black people" is not good enough for you because you are something whose identity goes deeper than skin color. You do not have to cut your skin too deeply before you lose the surface skin color.

The name "colored people" is a real insult for us. To refer to us as "people of color" would be acceptable because we are a people of many colors. When the American slave masters referred to us as "colored people," they meant that somebody colored us for God.
So-called white people named themselves "Caucasians" after the Caucasus Mountains near the Black Sea because that was the limit of their divine development at that time. Many of them are dissatisfied today with their racial names of "white" and "Caucasian."


Why

Black people's minds in the Western Hemisphere have been burdened and tormented day and night with the questions of why, when, and how did these people come to hate us so and what did we do and what did our parents do to cause these people to hate us so? We would see the racist-type Caucasians carrying their pets very lovingly in their arms and showing warm affection towards their pet cats, pet birds, pet snakes, and even their pet rats and pet hogs.

The same racist who would kiss and hug his animal pets did not think that a so-called black person could come within "smelling distance" of him. An explanation for this kind of thinking and acting was never given to us until the coming of Islam to America.

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1. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn 

2. From the mischief of created things; 

3. From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; 

4. From the mischief of those who practice secret arts; 

5. And from the mischief of the envious one as he practices envy.

Holy Quran; Yusuf Ali translation, sura 113, verses 1  5
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Death Or Slavery For The Black Man

Jealousy is the worst destructive power that can come into the hearts of human beings. When the Caucasians came out of the caves and hillsides of Europe and saw highly civilized black people living in peace and wealth, a deep envy began to grow in their hearts.

Our forefathers, who were riding beautiful black stallions and wearing flowing silk garments, had the smell of precious oils and incense on their bodies. They moved with freedom and dignity in the beautiful climate of a land thriving with life. This heaven-like condition of our people made the Caucasian man jealous. He burst out of the cave with a vicious fury, determined to kill everything black that was in his sight or either to put it under his foot in slavery. Today, much of that jealousy has not gotten out of the hearts of so-called white folks.


You Are Satisfied To Be A Slave

The colleges and universities of America teach you so-called black history, but they make a point of avoiding any connection with Islam. They don't teach you that the strongest governments existing in "Africa" during the time of our fore-parents' captivity were Islamic governments. If our foreparents had an organized religion when they were brought here from so-called Africa, most of the time that religion was Islam, not Christianity.

The confused, mixed-up, adulterated, unnatural religions that you have been taught don't do anything but make you satisfied to be a slave. The only way that black people have been able to come out of slavery in the West and get their freedom is by coming out of the Church.

The strongest container ever made to hold black people was the so-called "Christian Church." The few Churches that were good for our people were so weak in power that their effect on us was of little or no consequence. We are speaking of the general picture that brought on and kept in existence the conditions that are horrible to look at when we reach the history of our brutal enslavement.


We Do Not Want Slave Names

Today, brother and sister, the truth of Divine Mind has given us the power to burst the container that has kept us enslaved (physically and mentally) for these hundreds of years.
We know that the continent called Africa was named by and for Caucasians, so we are not really an "African" people. The name "Africanus" was the last name of two Caucasians, an explorer named Leo Africanus and a conqueror. Scirpio Africanus, who defeated Hannibal in a great battle in what is now called Italy. Black people of America do not want any of the names with which they have been labeled since their coming here as slaves. This is not just the feeling of the Muslims in America, but this is the general feeling throughout the entire Black community of the Western Hemisphere.

Because of the great dissatisfaction and confusion among our people concerning a proper and dignified name for themselves, we are very happy to make the following announcement to all so-called black communities in the West:

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, I CHOOSE TO CALL MYSELF A "BILALIAN," AND I INVITE ALL OF YOU TO TAKE ON THE SAME NAME.

Bilal was a Black Ethiopian slave who was an outstanding man in the history of Islam. He was the first muezzin (Minister) of Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him). He was so sincere and his heart was so pure that Prophet Muhammad and the other leaders of Islam under him addressed this man as "Master Bilal."
The chanting of the Holy Quran and the call to prayer by Bilal were praised and recognized as the best by anyone during his lifetime or since. Because of his sincerity and his purity, he became an outstanding figure in the history of Islam. Bilal is loved by all Muslims all over the world, regardless of color or nationality.

Bilal was a beautiful and well-known man who was an ancestor of our people here in America. He represents the old so-called African people. We have a double connection with Bilal because he was a Muslim and he was also a so-called African.


Womb Of Skin Color

There is no more reason to have doubt or confusion when you are asked to identify your race or your nationality. We are "Bilalians" from this day forward. You might think that we do not have the power or the authority to name ourselves, but our new life given to us by Almighty God gives us that power and authority. Dead people don't do anything but wait for other than their own to do something for them.

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13. O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

Holy Quran; Yusuf Ali translation, sura 49, verse 13
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Brothers and sisters, I would like to see all people of the world call themselves by one name"Muslims." Then the world would not have any problems. But there are still people all over the world who are lost in the dark womb of skin color. So, we have to wait for their deliverance into the light of understanding.

Thank you for honoring us with your time to read these few words.

Your Brother
W.D. Muhammad
