02/11/2004 
IWDM Study Library
Farleigh University  Madison NJ

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Imam W. Deen Mohammed: Thank you, thank you. Thank you, you can sit. Very special young man. I gathered that after reading one paragraph that he sent me inviting me to come here. Right away I could see in a few words that he is a very special person. Our greetings is peace, Asalaam Aleikum.
Audience: Aleikum Salaam.
IWDM: That is peace be unto you. Excuse me I better get my glasses, I need them. This setting here, I like it. I have a back problem too and it's very comfortable sitting in this chair-
-I've always been comfortable sitting near people. I dont like to stand too far away from you. I like to be close to the people I'm talking to, I'm speaking with. I want to begin by just sharing with you my own experience, personal experience. We're the problem and the problem is getting along with one another, that's the problem.
I was taught as a youngster. In a way I see myself in the same situation that I see the children of racism, clan people and others who've lived in white supremacy or who believed in white supremacy. A lot of them, they converted away from that as we've been converted away from our old beliefs in the superiority of black people over white. Yes, counter to counter was given to us to affect our psychology, the way belief in white supremacy affected the psychology of whites and I'm sure they went through all the experiences or have been through all the experiences that their children went through.
That is a child is innocent. You give a child something that is against his nature, the child will go along with you because the child respects you and this child has faith in you but doesn't mean the child is comfortable with what you've given it and I was not comfortable with many things I was given as a child but I obeyed my parents and I forced myself to ignore things that were bothering me and h keep my mind on the things that were pleasing me. I'm sure many of you have grown up just with the same things to survive the Nation of Islam's trials and tribulations.
I want to share with you my own experience. My religion says and I believe whether you consciously did or not, you actually speak from religious authority, on the authority of the Quran. Quran is the authority and our Holy book. G-d says that; He made us so that we would want to get acquainted with one another. Made us different so that we would want to get acquainted with one another, well be attracted to be interested, "Who is this human being? Looking different from me, to arouse our curiosity and make us want to get acquainted with each other.
If the man who is from China gets acquainted with the man who looks different like a man from Europe or from Canada or someplace else their cultures are different and their history is different and their achievements are different and if they can get to know each other, they get acquainted with each other they can benefit one another and that's what's happening in the world right now. The world is getting too small for us to be away from each other. Were almost forced to be with each other and we're benefiting from knowledge and skills of each other and really from the life of each other.
We benefit from knowing the life of each other. I had that in my mind, I guess it was naturally in my mind. I'm going to put it down a little, I need to hold it. It was in my mind because my nature wanted that. I didn't read a Quran at that time, I was young man. I hadn't studied the Quran like I've studied it now. Anyway, the more I studied the white people, the less I loved them. That was back then, the more I studied them, the less I loved them. It just reinforced my dislike, my rejection of white people as people that I should take an example from until I changed the way I was studying them.
I was studying them as leaders in the world. I was studying them as the people who shape the world for us and I didn't like them and I still don't like them for that; the way they shape the world for us. I still don't like them and if you like them, there's something wrong with your mind or you just don't know enough

But when I began to study them, I tell you I was reading a book and it was a book about the Irish, suffering of the Irish people under the English people, and I was reading that book. That changed the way I started to look -- study white people.
I started to see white folks as victims too. I was studying those who were doing all right, who had everything but I wasn't studying those who were in my situation, poor common folks. All people who were having difficulties trying to establish their lives or live the lives they wanted to live, the life of their choice. When I started studying the white folks that way, then I saw that really the whites are the south are victims. They were victims just like we were victims.
They were victims. Not just victims of the law, they were victims before they came to America. Many victims came from Europe to America. They were victims of their superiors in Europe. When they came here, they had opportunity to start off again, to start life again. Often, the victims become the victimizer, not only in history of mankind but in the history of our family, in the history of our neighborhood. We have black victims, they get some power then they make us their victims. Yes, the victims if he's not right with the situation in his heart, the victim most likely will become a victimizer.
As I began to see the victim situation, I began to identify with it and I can tell you very, very easily with no difficult experiencing no discomfort in my soul or my heart or my mind. I love Southern White folks and I want us to get acquainted with the Southern White folks. I want blacks to work with Southern White folks, good blacks and good white folks and help make each other's life better. I wish we could do that. I wish we could work with them and they could work with us to help make the life of each other better so that we all have a good life.
In the South and in everywhere else, thats what I would love to see because I understand them they were victims. Yes, they were used by the rich who wanted to make plenty of money and have plenty of power and money. They were used as we were used. Racism is not a natural development. Africans and Africa had no problem of racism until they got it from somewhere else, not from Africa.
I'm sure many other people living in different parts of the world didn't have a problem with racism until they get from someplace else. The influencers that can make you racist is even in some scriptures. If you read into it, what your racist wants you to read into it. Scripture is not an easy thing to get through. No it can easily be used against us. To make us read into it, to have us read into it, the superiority of one people or another. One people favored by G-d more than other people favored by G-d. The whites favored by G-d over black. That can be read in the scripture and it was read into the scripture by ignorant people in religion and they thought they were seeing this correctly.
They believed in what they thought they were seeing, that black people cursed. It was a cursed people. We were cursed; black is a curse on us. Our black skin is a curse and it's not limited to America. In Asia, there's a story of a G-d called rama r-a-m-a, rama and the story goes like this that rama was passing. Rama is the sun and it's not pointing to you Christians. This is Christ's son to you. One of his symbols is the son. Not just s-o-n but s-u-n. He said, "As long as I'm in this world, I'm the light of this world."
That's reference to sunlight -- sun. As the sun warms us and feed our growth and everything. He's a symbol too. Goes way back in history in fact in Africa, Osiris the Sun, this is nothing new. The story is in Asia and among the Indians the star Rama, he took the Sun and he made the Sun a disc and he flung the Sun over Africa and flung it too close to the ground and he burnt the Africans black. They werent black all the time. He flung the Sun disc over the hill and he burnt their skins black and shriveled up their hair.
That's how come we're nappy-headed and that's how come our skins are black. See what the mind can read into things.
It didn't start in America, but it's convenient. I'm sure some of the white races perhaps read some about Rama too but see they believe like we do.
Now I have problems with the word humanism too because there's more meaning to humanism than the one that we have chosen. There's a meaning to humanism that we reject humanity but the meaning that the humanism that it means the concern for ourselves as human beings and our values as human beings and our human capacity etc. Our achievements as human beings that identifies us in our excellence, human person in his excellence, that's the humanism that we are accepting and speaking to at this particular time.
All right. Now racism I've said a few words about racism. If I accept what racism want me to accept as my identity, a white man who's a racist, he wants you to be occupied or preoccupied with your identity as a black person. Well, I just mention earlier that in Africa they don't think of themselves as black, brown or any color. They think of themselves as a tribe, their excellence as a tribe, tribal societies and tribal identity, tribal culture, tribal excellence.
Thats what they're more conscious of. When a family of black, give birth to an albinos as white as any European though he's a little defected. His eyes make his eyes make shape in his hair. It's a pigmentation is lacking in his eyes. His eyes may not look too nice but he is a human being. Some of them have great brains and they achieve and just move up to the society, ahead of a lot of us that are not an albino. A black family will not be surprised at an albino. They take care that by albino that says brother. That's their sister whatever it is they'll love him. No surprise that he's white but I bet you, if a white family gave birth to a black one-
I bet I have to rescue the baby-Because the baby will be left right away.
We accept what nature gives us. We accept what nature gives us and we hope that the nature will give us good stuff.
I'm going to get to really the hard of the matter, real soon, real soon.
Now, our religion says we should know where we came from. We should know where we came from. Africa? Yes, we should know we came from Africa. Every people should know where he came from and there should be natural needs inside you that want to know, make connection with your roots, with your beginning. That's nature- our nature- to want to know. We have childhood and they tell us, "Well, you don't have a mother or you don't have a father. You don't have parents. We raised you." That bothers that child. The child wants to know. The other children know theirs. How come i don't know mine?
Sometimes a child on its own do some seeking, on his own and may eventually one day find it's parents. This is natural for us. We should want to know where it came from. But as a thinker, a thinker like the philosophers, philosophers didn't just think to think just to see how what they could bring up. The philosophers thought to understand. The philosopher's thinking and that's the thinking Islam also all Muslims. Islam wants us to have the thinking of philosophers.
If we study Jesus Christ- peace be on him and all the righteous servants of G-d, if we study him and the gospels of the New Testament, we'll find that Jesus Christ too wanted people to be thinkers and not thinkers just for the sake of thinking-- are enjoying what you bring up. Or think up but thinkers who want to above all get an understanding. Is that Christianity? I think I read that. It's from the Christian language. Above all get an understanding. This is the kind of thinking G-d wants for us. Okay, that kind of thinking comes in to a black man who's already an African.
You don't have to connect with Africa, He's already there. He never been disassociated or separated from his people but he still wants to think about himself. He wants to identify himself. He wants to know, ''what is the better picture of me, when I think about whom I am or what I am, I want to get the better picture, not the worst.'' He looks for a better picture and looking for the better picture, thinking that way and looking for the better picture brought Abraham to earn the title father of all the nations and also a leader of all the nations, leader of all the nations.
I'm on a college campus. I could speak to you both of you all, the college student level and the common person, the ordinary person who just not familiar with language as I'm sure some of you are familiar with, and we are honored to have in our present, teachers, educators etc. and that's an honor. Prophet Mohammed says the educated people, the people who devote themselves to education, love and devote themselves in education, want to have knowledge so they can share it and benefit others, so as to better the life of others.
Those people would be in the heavens, in paradise next to prophets that's what Muhammad says peace be upon him. I just want to know how we value you. We value you very, very highly. We value you. Now continuing -- Abraham is not only a single figure like Adam is not only a single figure. Adam is a plural figure also. Adam represents that type in all people not just in the person Adam but that type in all people. There are the Adam people and there's Adam.
There is Adam singular. There is Adam plural. Both in the Quran if you understand it and in the Bible. The Bible plainly says and He named them, created He, them and named them Adam in the day that He created them, named them Adam, not just one person Adam, named them Adam. I was in Saudi Arabia and I had been invited there by some scholars and after our discussion which they invited me to, I didnt arranged it. After discussions especially the head of  no, no it wasn't he. I'm sorry it was another man. I thought of the head of the Rabita but he was not. I left a call now.
It was one of the scholars. He said Imam Mohammed you know Abraham was a community not there. He sent a community now, not just a person. He said Abraham was a community. I said yes, I understand. He said, "And Muhammad?" and he smiled. He didn't say anything. He just said, "And Muhammad?" and he smiled.
Yes, Muhammad too is a type and we all have this type of in us -- Mohammad said I'm getting at the solution for all this which I think it should be good solution for all of our problems of racism, whatever it is, humanism, racism or humanism can be bad too if it's the wrong definition, if it's the wrong entry.
I read the dictionary. There's an entry one and two. Maybe some dictionaries have more than two. I don't know. Yes, he was saying that and I came to understand that if Abraham is a person but also a type, a human type. Jesus Christ is a person but also a human type. Muhammad is a person but also a human type. In the Quran well, first the Bible because the Bible came before the Quran and the Quran is commentary on the Bible if we don't know that. The Quran is commentary on the Bible. Christianity, New Testament is commentary on the Old Testament, what the Jews had before.
The Quran is commentary on both the Old Testament and New Testament. These men didn't invent nothing, they kept-- the address was already there and they tried to present it in a more, I would say easy, the more package that could be more easily managed and also presented in the light of what was currently happening and what they what they saw coming in the future. You say where G-d is. G-d is always with the good worker. Always, any good work, that's what I believe. G-d is always with any sincere good worker.
When I say a worker I mean someone, I don't mean any worker; some of the worker here is a particular worker. It's a worker that's trying to produce so others will have life better. Not just himself or herself that others will have life that G-d had always with that worker, always. Yes, so in the Bible, Jesus Christ said, "I and the father and the father in me" He was addressing his relationship with G-d. Then he addressed his relationship with his following. He said, "I in you and you in me"
Whatever was in Jesus Christ as a human is also in people, human? He's human like us, that's exactly what he saying. The Quran came and Muhammad said it so that we said plainly and easily understood. He made it even more easily understood. G-d said, "Reveal to him," he said. G-d revealed to him saying, "Muhammad say Qud--" The Arabic word to say is Qud "Say; I and I am , I am human mortal , just like you. That's what G-d told Muhammad. Said, say Muhammad to them, "I am a human mortal just like you" Because he could be a human mortal but different. Couldnt he? 
Abraham was not pleased with his father who was a ruler, a head of his nation. And his father worshiped idols just like all the members of that nation, they were idol worshipers. One day, the story goes like this, so one day Abraham dissatisfied with these idols, he went in and he broke up the idols, all but one. He left the biggest Idol there. Untouched, he broke up all the other idols. His father was told that you have to do something about this boy, he had his problems and now he has destroyed our G-d.
His father took him to where the damage had been done. Said, "Did you do this Abraham?" Abraham didn't answer him. "Did you do this Abraham? Abraham said, "Ask the big one"
His father banished him; he put him out of the society. Abraham was banished by his own father, he had to leave that country so he became a traveller and he travelled among many people. One day, he was sitting down and he was just thinking on the vast world of things, the sky and earth and everything. He was looking to see or try to understand it. He wanted to know if there's a G-d where is G-d? What is who is G-d, where is G-d?
He observed the starry night, he started in the night-time and Genesis starts in the night time. And actually, if we understand it, our Genesis started in night time, through the Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Yes, etcetera. Anyway, he observed the stars and he observed the great star I think Saris in the heaven and he states that, great and might star I think to be the brightest one in the sky. He said that must be G-d, maybe that one is G-d. As he kept observing the sky and he saw some stars fall. He said, "Oh, my G-d will not be a G-d to fall"
But he still stayed studying the sky. And the sun starts to rise. He is there all night till dawn. When the Sun showed itself he said that is a splendid one. That must be G-d. But he didn't give up like a scientist. Scientists then come to a conclusion right away, slow to come to a conclusion. He said and he said to himself. And the Sun started to set and he saw the sunset, a beautiful sunset. But once it disappeared and night came, he said, "Oh my G-d is not one to die" He saw that at the death of the Sun come up in myth. The Sun setting is the death. It represents something in us. The Sun setting is death, the Sun rising is the birth.
Every new sunrise is a birth; every new sunset is a death. Yes, these ancient Egyptians believed that the Sun was symbolic of our own life-- that how our life rise up and then it goes out, and it goes back into the earth and is gone. And they believe that it's passes to the underworld up under the ground, through the underworld. And that was hell. And it could be resurrected, it can come up again. That was the ancient Egyptian religion. A myth and religion; Anyway, when the sun's, now he said, no, my G-d is not one to die or to set meaning to die, it meant meaning die. He said, he concluded, "Whatever is behind all this, the cause behind all this, giving this design to everything, that is G-d"
When he came to that conclusion, he came to the right idea of G-d. Not only for Muslims but for all people who believe in a heavenly religion like we do. They believe that G-d reveals himself to man, that's what I mean by that. All religions that believe that G-d reveals himself to man, communicates to man, reveals himself to man, they accept the idea that G-d is the Creator. G-d is the creator of all things, the designer who gave design to matter, all matter, and that includes human life as well, the precious life that He created for us. He earned that by not going upon, any of the knowledge he already had.
I believe African Americans are still far behind his community. Because we are always going on the knowledge we got, we have been going on it for a long time now since freedom. It's time to put that knowledge away and go on what you discover in the real world. Throw all that stuff away and be like Abraham, and observe reality and come up with some understanding. And if you study yourself as a scientist, we're going to change and we are going to be better. Better in terms of what we do with our neighborhood, that's the shame. What we do with our neighborhood is shameful. Yes, we have to change that.
And concluding this, I say the identity that makes man successful on this earth is not his color, not his national identity but it's his human identity. When you understand what you are as a human person and that understanding is for all of our human beings, because we are human equally, we may be black, not equally. In fact, I used to say to my father away child, I didn't like it too much for many reasons. And one of them was that they said black is G-d.
And when I looked at my face standing in the mirror and I looked at my friend, Alfred face standing in the mirror, he had no qualification than I had-
-and I didn't like it. I did not like it. Okay? And other thing I didn't like was that we were told that a black man a 100% black man, a pure black man found some way to create white people by some study of our genes whos the black-- the genes of the back man, he's come up with some way to create a white race, I couldnt understand that as a child I said why would one of us create the white race of devils? my father say they are race of devils well why do we create white race of devil? and what was the answer to test us, that the black man could survive anything.
I thought it was ridiculous, the more I try to make sense out of it the more ridiculous it sounds.
I was greatly relieved when I came to accept human identity in the Quran, when I came to accept human identity in Quran -- the identity that G-d want us look at, that G-d didn't want you look at your African identity, G-d doesn't want you to look at your black identity. G-d wants you to look at your human identity, that's the same for you as this for any other human being.
And when G-d says he made the human being or he made man, G-d is not talking about he made a black man on white man, G-d is talking about he made a human person- male and female. Thats-- again that's Adam, male or female. Adam is both male and female like man in the dictionary includes all people, man -if man is single but man also means all people and it means both sexes, man means male and female, women and men. When G-d say he created man he's not talking about he created what we are looking at-
No G-d is talking about the enlightened person, the enlightened human being. He created every human being in their natural makeup to want enlightenment, to want understanding and G-d assisted that effort at us to get that understanding so we would see ourselves as we really are and see how great future that we can have if we continue to build on that and grow in excellence and human excellence.
G-d says that he wants us to be excellent thats what G-d says, he want us to be excellent and he said he had written excellence into your very lifelineinto your very life. He--when he made you he wrote excellence into your very existence. it is that nature to want to be excellent. Theres an inherent quality to want to be excellent and if we will build on that identity then the other identity will be supported by something strong enough to support them.
A healthy sense of my African identity is supported by my understanding of my human identity, if I don't have this understanding of my human identity; whatever other identity I put upon it is going to be shaky and defective. This is philosopher W D Muhammad speaking-
-and I have said it is a great philosophers from all quarters of this world.
Its easy to direct our lives and have a good life. If this life G-d calls--G-d describes this flesh body youre looking at as clothingthis is scriptures, both scriptures our Holy Quran and also the Holy Bible--both scriptures and Im sure other scripture too describe this what we look at this physical as clothing well, this is a dress too, then what is it dressing up; the true abstract person that's in the clothes, the true abstract person.
Some of my big friends--I call them big friends--I'm a little fellow, I asked long time ago I was at the Princeton University, big meeting there with religious people from around the world and they are my friends-- I had two friends from Pakistan, Professor Hemdani and another-- I can't take his name actually he was more important he was a president of their organization from Pakistan.
They told the big shot that was arranging this big meeting discussion on how can we have peace and come to know each other and live with each other's peace in the world and how can we be more effective in serving that interest, anyway they invited me, I'm the little fellow there, the Archbishop of Canterbury was there, all the big people were there.
And one of them asked me, ''where is your dress that identify your person, your stature, your position, youryou're Imam, right? Where is your dress-? I found somebody and I told him ''put a little rag on my head.''
I felt they had a problem with me unless I identify myself, unless I had something which identified me. Anyway when they gave me a chance to speak I told them this- I said I believe in the same religion that my friend Hemdani believe in, who make this-- my presence possible here with you all, I said I'm trying to serve the interests of that religion in America just as he is trying to serve it in Pakistan or wherever he goes, I said I am not privileged to know things that you all know and I havent experienced things that you all have experienced in the sky or in the heaven.
I said that I would like for you to know that I am here so that I can learn from you and take back from you information and understanding that will help me build the same thing that my brother Hemdani who is of the sky, who came from the sky of Pakistan, the same thing that he wants to do in the world, I want to do too and I can do it better if I have a chance to become acquainted with you all and listen to you all and benefit from what you know and has experience and have knowledge so I can take it back home.
Not only that I said, but your concerns too, what kind of problems you see for mankind in the world? I said if I understand that better I can better serve my people back home. They loved it, I didnt know they were going to love it so much.
They made me feel like I was a preacher of the sky too.
And ever since then I have been an association with people like that. I'm an international president of one of the biggest and most effective organizations for peace on earth in the world is WCRP- World Conference of Religions for Peace, I'm an international president. They first made me a local president in the United States but along with another person--a woman, a female-- European woman. And then they had a hard time getting them to cast the vote and approve me but they finally got it and they were so happy when the president-- secretary general pardon me, of this organization came back from the from the room-- they did this all the away from meI'm outsideI'm in the public gathering.
They went back in private quarters and they voted and he came back he said to me--he said good afternoon Mr. President? And I knew it wasn't a local president, I knew that they had approved me as international president and its a good feeling to show that if big people know little people who want to support the interests that they have are committed to support, they will embrace you, they will treat you just like they treat one another. And that's what we need if we want to be more successful as Muslims in America we can't do it alone and we have to have someone from among us accepted in the sky, someone from among us has to be welcomed in the skies.
Then we can better serve our needs down here on earth, we need the heavenly help you need that heavenly help. That man sounds like he doesn't believe in G-d, we believe in? Yes I do G-d is the G-d over the heavens and earth. The G-d that we serve is G-d over the heavens and the earth and he says in our religion says in thewhen the end of the world come say he's going to gather those in the earth and also in the heaven. He sayshe said hes going to gather those in heaven, for what? For judgment. that makes us understand that somebody in heaven is not right yet.
The scripture says that a rebel who was leading the angel he rebelled against G-d's wish for mankind on Earth, he wouldn't accept it, he wanted to represent G-d, he was jealous of what G-d was going to do, the favor that G-d was going to give man--was going to bestow upon man. In his jealousy he sought to deceive and corrupt the nature of man and G-d said this is no place for you to do that here, he said get thee down from here-
get to the earth. right? This story is this repeated in the Quran. It's in the Bible firstly, but it's repeated in the Quran. It says that Christians understanding is that when He was taken down, he took a third of the heavens with him. That's the big part of it.
A third. That tells us everybody was in heaven when good and the Quran says they still, some of them they still arent any good.
Concluding this, I hope that some of you here if you have been pre-occupied with yourself as a flesh person, I hope that you'll achieve transparency today and think of yourself in the abstract. Nobody can capture your worth with a camera.
No camera can capture your worth. No camera can really show you to others. You just see a picture. Thank you and I conclude and may G-d always guide us and help us and be our friend Amin or as you say Amen.
I was a welder for Bethlehem Steel and several other big companies. My father cut me off because he couldn't understand why I wouldn't accept his teacher as G-d. I told him, "Daddy I accept that your teacher is your G-d." He said, "He's your G-d too."
You wouldn't have this good life if he hadn't saved your father who had nothing. I said, "I understand that daddy." He kicked me out and I went asking for jobs. Where did you work before? The Temple of Islam; The Nation of Islam. "You need to go back there to get a job."
"We don't know this kind of work that you do. We don't have any job for a person that has your experience." Finally, he felt sorry for me. I said, "I got a wife and a child. I know I have to take care of them.'' I say, I can't continue to wash windows." I was going round asking people, ''let me wash your windows, "Let me scrub your floor, let me do this."
I said, "I need more money." They felt sorry for me. Said, "Are you willing to take a change and in six days you can become a welder. Do you want to do that?" I said, "Yes, sure." I said, "Will I make enough money?" Said, "Yes," "Okay, very good." I became a welder and I weld for a small job shop. I became a very good welder. I passed this welding test. Combination welder, Bethlehem Steel and I'm welding for them now and I did very well but it was very difficult.
Here the prankster, they've been having all work situation some time. I'm welding, you're welding and you can see only your weld but if you see, you ruin your eyes. You got to have blinders on. Heavy, dark glasses and your hood is over your head. You're seen those Im sure most of you. I'm welding and I don't know who's around me and this young man takes a sledge hammer, big, heavy sledge hammer and hit my metal table hard as he could and this ear cannot hear too well. Please speak up everybody when you're asked to ask a question often you speak -- realize that you got somebody here to shout at. Yes, thank you.
Participant: I got a question right here.
IWDM: You got it?
Participant: Yes, why G-d made many females and less men and what's the reality of that if there's anything thats mentioned about that.
IWDM: G-d didn't make but one female.
The rest of us came from that one. The man, it says that. He created two from one single soul and from it He made male and female and he made from them many men and many women. We came from one, all of us come from one. All of these -- all females come from one. Why did he make more women, we did this on our own
multiplying is in our own hands.
IWDM: Yes, He made us so that you can multiply but He made us so you can check your multiplication.
We have to say nature is nature. Nature has produced more females than males and why? What is the answer that they gave? Those who study this? Not only of America but I've talked to educators from the East and from other places too and they say in war times. They've documented that in war times lot of males are killed.
After that, the women started to produce more males, more males. To nature, wants to balance, wants to bring back males, so many males were eliminated. Now if there was no war time, then there's more female. There's not a need for males, more females. Really right now we don't need more males. We got too much waste around here
Is that good enough for you? It ain't. Did not say I want to hear what we had to say about this service. Please talk to us. Tell us.
Participant: I don't know.
Is that good enough for you? It ain't? Did not say I want to hear what we had to say about this subject. Please talk to us. Tell us.
IWDM: At the rioting, we had no female. You women are doing the same bad men is doing
You're abandoning your responsibility at home, yes.
Participant: But you're saying that women are abandoning their responsibility?
IWDM: Yes, it's going to be eliminated too if you continue to abandon your responsibility. That's why you'll be asking me, "How come we can't have more females?" I don't think I'll live that long but you may one day ask, "How come we're not producing more female?" G-d is in all things and He designed the world and nature to punish us and reward us, to bring back the good balance and to destroy the good balance when it's necessary. G-d is the G-d who has designed all that and we accept that He has designed.
Don't worry about too many women. You want a husband or something?
Let me share with you something. Let me share something with you my father said and I was a young man, I had just started ministering. I think I was no more than 19 years old and he said, this is how he captured my attention. The older I got the more I appreciate what he said. I found humor in what he said. He said, "I hear, he was talking about all his big top leaders. He's to meet with them right at the dinner table. His house was a capital or something, like the White House. He would insist that the young boys in the family be there especially the ones that showed promise. They had to be there. You weren't supposed to speak.
Don't get into the being to start a big shot but you sit there and observe what's going on. He was a very smart man with nothing but three years formal education from Georgia,very smart man, brilliant man. Anyway, he said, "Brothers and sisters." Some sisters are there too. He said that, "It's written that there is going to come a day when men will be so scared. A woman will be seen carrying a bone and the people will see her carrying this bone of a dead man. And she'll be asked, "Woman why you caring that bone of a dead man?" She'll say, "This is a bone of a good man.""
That time has come, sister. That time is here. It's hard to find a good man.
Participant: I've got a question here. The people that rebelled in heaven, is it because of jealousy or-?
IWDM: Well, there's the first rebel in the heavens was the cause of false pride. Not just pride. We all should have pride. We should have healthy pride. That makes us more productive. False pride, he had false pride and exaggerated sense of his own importance. The word in the Quran says that. In Arabic, it's just exactly what it says. It says that he had false pride and an exaggerated sense of his own importance. His sense of his own importance in the scheme of things that G-d had created, blinded him so much he wasn't even aware that he was arguing with G-d.
He thought he was helping G-d. He didn't think he was arguing with G-d. Thought he was helping G-d. It had hurt him that G-d didn't understand what he was trying to say. He had exaggerated his own self-image so big until now he's talking to G-d and thinking, "G-d has defects. G-d has defects." That's how it started and I believe most of the trouble that we have in the community with each other or in the society as a people, it goes back to that same problem.
When we make ourselves bigger than our interests or bigger than our interests in the community and bigger than our job that we try to do, we lose everything and the result eventually will affect everybody and bring down the society. So what was that--
Participant: There was a second question. Do we have any more questions? Would you describe the term bully as it relates to students who are being intimidated throughout high school?
IWDM: Yes, yes. Most, I would say, objectionable behavior on the part of our youngsters today in this time which has been going on for now maybe it's two decades, is to be explained as the nature of the of the youngster rebelling. The nature's rebellion; Not just a youngster rebelling, but his own nature's rebelling because he has not been given or he has not been able to identify a comfortable authority in his life. Authority that he can put in his life to be confident.
Religion has failed him. I say failed him, I mean that. Religion has failed him. Also, our government has failed him. All he sees is what's happening to youngsters. He sees youngsters being killed by youngsters. He sees youngsters messed up by drugs, et cetera. He sees youngsters left alone to roam the streets and form their own world and their own association. He see youngsters abandoned.
His own nature is just rebelling against that. It will show up as damage to other things outside of himself then some of them turn it in on themselves. They just seek to destroy themselves. They're not consciously destroying themselves. That's their problem in their nature or in their soul causing them to behave that way. That's my explanation.
Now, how would that change? It'll only change when we establish a model, for African-Americans, this obligation is on us to establish some model life in our neighborhood that those youngsters will have hope and faith in. For the Spanish people the same. For any people suffering poor whites are the same. Youngsters are lost in this big world of money, good time, fast-paced life. Too much loss and it's not showing them anything that they can put their faith in. They're just reacting rather than following a definite course. That's the answer.
Participant: This is two questions here. If Muslims goal to embrace everyone accept and educate people as one, how is this going to be reached?
IWDM: How is it going to be reached? Again, there's a saying in Scripture. These people were just in a predicament just like we are today when we look at our neighborhood life, the life of our neighborhood, especially our youngsters. We cant save to them no more. Well, parents are almost on the same boat. The children and the parents are almost in the same boat, are in the same boat.
These people had survived oppression in Egypt. Followers of Moses, they had survived oppression in Egypt. They are out of Egypt now. They cant point to Egypt-- in their case they were Pharaohs is the reason why we are having these problems. They couldn't point the thing at pharaoh anymore. They're out there in the wilderness with at least the freedom and a chance to establish their own life. Their prophet Moses, he was seeking help from heaven from G-d but they were impatient with him many times.
They couldn't wait till G-d give him an answer. They would do a lot of things to be busy. Doing a lot of things. One day, G-d gave them help from heaven. He rained down manna and quail. The quail look very like a pigeon, like a young pigeon. Quail. Some of you don't know what quails are. They eat them, they're delicious for eating also but they're also a bird of peace like the dove. They are a symbol of peace and good situation for life. That's what the symbol of that. We have peace and a good situation. if you put it on flag that's what it'll say for those people. That we have peace and the situation is good for us. Life is good for us.
Anyway, the manna was something that they couldn't leave out. Quail can exist on its own. They repopulate and reproduce themselves but the manna couldn't. The manna could only be eaten if it was eaten before the sunrise. Once the sun rise, it's too late to eat the manna. The word came from G-d to the prophet and said to the people, "Gather the manna. Each person gather what she or he can gather and get the manna into your own house." That's my answer. 
Participant: Another question is racism a vicious cycle?
IWDM: Racism, what? 
Participant: Is it a vicious cycle?
IWDM: Yes, it most certainly is and it destroys the brain cells. Yes, it destroys the human brain cells, racism. You think a racist can be President of the United States? I don't. He will never reach the intelligent people to get enough support to become president of the United States. A racist could never become president of the United States unless we get a situation like the Nazis had where one people are charged with the problems of all the others and there's evidence to support it. They had the finances, the banks, and everything. They had thought everything. They pointed at those people and said, "This is the problem, this is our problem, this our problem." The Jews were made victims.
Only if, I would say, the Indians or Pakistanis are to come over here and they get in control of all the finances, then we can have racism and I'll believe it too. They those dirty Arabs don't want us to have anything but that won't happen in America we got checks and balances.
Participant: How can the Imam's ministry better help you in the ministry?
IWDM: How can Imams help do more to help us in the mi-- help us? Me or? Did you say me?
Participant: Yes.
IWDM: Me. Stay away from me, buddy. Until you get it right stay away from me, that is the way to help me. If you're right, you wouldn't be asking the question. Get it right. Maybe you're not right because you're not doing what you know you should do to keep your brother right. Muhammad the Prophet says that you're obligated to help your brother whether he's in the wrong or in the right. That means when your brother is wrong, you still supposed to see him as your brother and you spoke to help him. Then they say, "Well how do we help a person in the wrong?" Speaking to the messenger of G-d, they say, "Messenger of G-d, how do we help a person in the wrong?" He said, "Help that person by pulling them back from the wrong."
We never accept to let somebody go doing wrong or not, we're supposed to be the true friend, a brother so be a true friend. When you say your brother or sister in religion you mean you're a true friend, you're not a false one who will smile and laugh with them and know they are going to hell. All right.
Participant: If the human being has come out of his nature, can you please tell us the needed things to help him come back to his own self.
IWDM: Yes, well Diabee asked that question in the New Testament to Christ Jesus, peace be upon Jesus. He says just that-- he is saying that he had done all those things and how could he get back. Then Jesus Christ upon to the gospel said, "You have to be born again." And he said, "How can I go back into my mother and come out again?" Jesus Christ said, "Nevertheless, you must be born again." Muhammad was guided by G-d to tell us to make sajda and don't make it once, make it twice.
Each time you make it, you make it the first time, you make it and you say, "G-d, forgive me and have mercy on me." Then you go again for the second time and you put your forehead and nose on the floor like a baby crawling and he submit, she submits from a crawling situation, he submits. He puts his face and nose on-- the forehead and nose on the floor and he comes back again and he says, "G-d hears who praises him with sincere praise." That's the way.
Just for Jesus Christ told Diabee we tell you and just what Muhammad demonstrated, I'll tell you. You've got to go back into the natural world that G-d created, go back in there and come out right. Go back into the natural world that G-d created and come out right. Don't come out with greedy for the money. Don't come out wanting to get over somebody. Come out beautiful and innocent like a newborn baby.
You never go to the hospital where the babies are in the nursery and look at those babies born, you don't see any Hitlers, you don't see any snakes, cold blood-- I don't know what they call themselves, a killer. You know killer Joe or whatever; you don't see that, you see nothing but the innocent little babies, all of them coming like angels straight from heaven. That's what it meant. You have to return to that innocent nature that G-d gave you when he brought you out of your mama. That's what we have to do. We can do that by obeying G-d. Follow the Word of G-d, obey it. Live the good Muslim life, don't be hypocrites.
Participant: It appears our home life is being undermined because of the laws of our mothers. Do we share the observation that our home life is barely disrupted by the confused social display. Women are receiving an engagement.
IWDM: Yes, that's the trouble. That's beginning to be the problem but the first problem is the absence of a father. We have movements by institutions, not just individuals or preachers, to work on influencing males to stay home, not to be pressured to leave home because the family needs them. They need the family and the family needs them. The chance of us succeeding in society is made worse when we lead men are pressured to leave their home.
My father was pressured to leave his home during the Depression years. He said he was too ashamed to go home because he didn't have a job. He had nothing to give his wife, take care of his children, he couldn't look at his children and his wife suffering and have nothing to give her. What did he do? He drowned his worries with alcohol. He became an alcoholic, my father became an alcoholic. But he didn't make the situation better. Thank G-d my oldest brother Emmanuel, he took on responsibility of my father.
He supported my mother, he went out on a railroad, walked the railroad looking for coal, that's the train that fell off the boxcar. He would collect enough coal and other things to bring my mother some money, to help my mother. Yes. If my father had stayed there and did the same thing, maybe G-d would have given him even more reward in this life than he gave him. It's not just a woman but now, it is beginning to be the woman. Women are starting to take on masculinity.
Now let me say what I mean by taking on masculinity starting to compete with male masculinity, started to compete with male masculinity, males macho. The girls want to talk like the boys, they want to be tough like the boys. The women too, they want to smoke like the men, they want to drink like the men. They are not focused socially anymore. I'm thinking of socially in terms of family interest, interest in family. That's where social consciousness starts, our interest in our families.
They're not focused anymore. They are imitating males, too; smoking, drinking, whatever, birth defects, drugs. One weakness goes invites another. The mother is coming-- She's falling off of her throne behind the man who fell off his throne. What's going to happen to our children? They are going to just be wasted more, left abandoned and wasted more. We have to check these things. Nature has a way of correcting itself. Mother Nature has a way of correcting human neglect. Okay? I don't know what's going to be the end but I know one thing, our G-d is in charge always and He will eliminate these people who're abandoning their responsibilities.
They'll be eliminated and then a dawning of a new mind and a new interest will come in our people. Don't think we're lost, we'll never be lost. G-d is always with us. Yes?
Participant: What advice would you give to students who are seeking their education and skills for entrepreneurship in this?
IWDM: In business?
Participant: Yes.
IWDM: The first question, the first words of that question?
Participant: What advice--
IWDM: What advice? Okay. What advice can I give? We have to do what African-Americans did, what blacks did, because we weren't calling ourselves black American back then. Our Negroes did. We found ourself Negro locality. We have to do what they did to get white America to recognize that that could not continue. Change had to come, government as well as the people. We have to do what they did to get support from the society and from government. We collectively supported our good leaders who were working for a better life for all of us. We collectively supported them and we followed them.
They said G-d was a G-d of justice and G-d was with us. We believed them. That's what has to be done. When you go into business, don't go into business just for yourself so that you have the car, the house or the conveniences that you want for yourself personally. Your condition as a people is too serious for you to be that small-minded. You have to be group spirited like we were to achieve what we have achieved. We have to be group spirited. You don't have to be connected with me or any other Imam or minister. You have to be connected with your own soul, with your own expectations, what you expect from your own self.
See your people, see our neighborhood, see that we are shamed by the condition of our neighborhood. Oprah Winfrey, she got plenty money but do you think she's happy? She cannot be happy because she cannot push out of her mind the neglect of our neighborhood that others come in our neighborhood and make money. Others come in our neighborhood and supply our need but we are not going into their neighborhood supplying them their need. We are not supplying our own neighborhood either where we should start right in our own home, in our own neighborhood.
We're not responsible for our life on this earth. You're responsible for your appetite, you're responsible for your stomach, you're responsible for the little things, the perishable things that come in and out of your hands but you're not responsible for preserving life for your people on this earth like the Polish do, like the Irish do, like the Jews do, like everybody else do, even the Mexicans do. I drive for blocks in their neighborhood and I see mixing on side on the street name after Mexican. I see the store was operated by the Mexican although he got a long way to go too. But that leadership is coming into a mind that only the leaderships came into to get us up from the plantation.
Their leadership now is coming into that mind that they just can't work for themselves and separately, they have to work together to improve the power and quality of Mexican life, of the Spanish people lives. They cant have this church stuff anymore where we go in makes us feel happy for a few hours and hope it'll last until the next charge, till we can put the battery on the next charge, next Sunday or Friday. Jumah, our Holly day. No, we can't do that anymore. We got to see the whole people and we have to have a Moses but not as an individual, A Moses as a vision. First to follow that vision until we put life in our neighborhood, our own lives in our own neighborhood.
Business buddy. Business is what we need. If we accept our responsibility to build business life for African-American neighborhoods, we will get dope out of our neighborhoods; we will bring quality life to our neighborhood. I am Imam and I don't have enough money to run my office. You think I'll just sit there and pray to G-d, "Oh G-d, if I don't get some money for this phone bills please drop me down 50 or 500 that Saturday. Drop me 500 dollars from the sky." No, it won't be done that way. G-d will look at me and say, "You stupid fool, you. I made you with a brain, same brain that other man got over and he is taking care of his office. How can you not taking care of yours?"
He will tell the angels saying, "Hey, you angel, what you doing here?" Don't have pity on him. Leave him by himself until he wakes up. Yes. In Islam, in our religion, everything is sacred that G-d made. In Christianity, the same. G-d says he made this on this day, this on that day until he made everything seven days. He said He saw that it all was good. That means trees, farming, everything is good but it's your attitude, the way your approach it that may make it bad but it's good. Money is good. It's only a token of what you have accumulated from the natural world, that's all it is, right?
Yes, ain't that a little piece of paper that represent what you achieve or what you gain from the natural world G-d made? If you ain't got no land, if G-d take the land away, who would have money? Nobody would have money. All money comes from the land. All benefits come from the earth except the one G-d revealed from heaven and that is spiritual. G-d said he made the earth to supply us and fulfill all of our aspirations, this is religion. Revealed religion, made the earth to support us and supply all of our appetite and all of our human aspirations.
You know the story of the man who was walking and he was poor and he was complaining to heaven? This is the story of what Muhammad said. It is called the writings and teachings of Muhammad the Prophet, what occurred in his life. This is from one of his talk to the people. This man saying with his hands rose up to the sky, "Oh G-d, why you do me like this? Why do you leave me poor, ragged? These clothes are poor clothes. I'm hungry. Why do you leave me like this?" The Prophet said that his eating was not halal, his clothing was not halal, meaning that he was breaking the law.
He didn't follow Muslim diet, the way Muslim eats. He did not follow the way Muslims dress. He did not accept any responsibility for his relationship with his G-d for the life he claims. So G-d left him, did not answer him, did not even respond to him. That's the state of many of us now, that we see our lives in bad conditions but we want to say, "G-d know-". I heard somebody say it. "G-d knows I got no money" I'll never accept to be out of a job. As long as I can stand up on my feet and move my hands, I'll use my hands. I will never accept to be out of a job. I'll find somebody that needs something I can do, I will make some money.
There's never an excuse brothers for being out of a job, never an excuse for being out of a job. Many years ago on Stony Island when I was a resident Imam there, a ministry called me chief minister. I told the brothers I said, "Look, I'm tired of looking at him come in. No job and wives getting welfare fair" I was just tired of it .I said, "Look, I see your own manhood is demanding that you not be without a job. I'll see if you would listen to your own manhood." I say, "Rather than be out of a job if you can't find somebody to pay you for work, you should go find somebody in your neighborhood that needs what you can do for them and do it for charity. Do it for charity. Doing it for charity will give you a chance to exercise the needs in your soul to be a man."
I say, "Go and find your neighbor-- one of your neighbors who needs a house painted if you can paint. Say, "I'll paint your house for you." "So what are you asking for it?" "Nothing, I just need some work and I'll do it just to be working."" I told him that, I preached it. You may enter, some of them actually did this I said, "G-d in the neighborhood by cleaning up your neighborhood." I say, "You know you put down too much trash. The trash man can't come as often as your street needs it to come."
I say, "So, organize some of your brothers that don't have jobs, go through your neighborhood, pick up the trash, and get the trash off the street." I traveled to China and saw the Chinese early in the morning sweeping their streets like we used to do it in our neighborhood. Isn't that right? Long time ago, black women and the old people, sometimes children too, be seen out sweeping the streets, sweeping the sidewalk, doing things like that. We used to have natural life, we lost that natural life. The love for better life and the need, the spirit to actually do the work to make things happen, we lost that.
They formed an organization called The BAP, B-A-P, and it meant Blight, B-A-P, Blight Arrest Patrol. Yes, that teaching I was giving him had the brothers formed an organization called Blight Arrest Patrol and they got a good reputation and respect and the neighborhoods appreciated them, going through the neighborhood volunteering and doing these things and nobody paying them anything. But then they came home that night, they looked better to their wife.
They didn't bring a paycheck home but just being a man exercise his masculinity, his manhood and his responsibility as a male, he comes home with a different spirit, he looks better. He looks sexy to the woman. Really! What makes a man look more sexy? Pretty soon those brothers got jobs making money and some of those people they did work for paid them. So they didnt ask for pay. It was helpful, very helpful. Yes, the next one.
Participant: May you speak on the ethics in today's industry?
IWDM: The what?
Participant: The ethics
IWDM: The ethics in todays industry? Well, thats the governments responsibility. I want to talk about the ethics in most of our life. In our life, ethics in our businesses, that's a big responsibility there and the industry. We expect our government will watch industry. We have advocate political servants who should stay in touch with what's happening. But they should be in touch with what's happening on the block that we live on firstly, and see if our businesses are ethical.
We should hold our businesses responsible and maybe they'll stay with us longer. Thats another thing. If we want business life to grow in our neighborhood, we have to have a bond between consumer, our customer and store, a bond. This big job we got man it needs organizations like Moses gave his people, to get them out into their own life and establish their own life for themselves. We need a bond between the customer and the business owner. Well, you tell him now, "Well, I come here all the time." Jews do this, other people do this. They don't just get up and leave because they are not satisfied and just leave that business and don't come back there. Oh I know so, I don't have to take this treatment.
Do you leave your mama because you have a problem with mama, or daddy because you have a problem with daddy, or daddy leaves his children because he's having problem with them? No, he stays there. We have to stay with each other in the neighborhood. You don't leave the store onwer. He's your people, he's your folk, and he should be there to make your neighborhood healthy and proper looking. He should stay there; you have to help keep him there. Hes not giving you process, none.
I bought bananas here. I come here all the time but I've been here twice now and you still keep the look brown nasty bananas here? John or whatever name is. Robert or Shabazz whatever name is. Say, "Shabazz, if you have the same ugly bananas here when I come tomorrow, I have no good talk for you. Now, do you want to keep our business because I'll start up demonstration against you? If you want to keep our business, you better get some better-looking bananas. You throw these things away, boy." Thats the way I told him. "Yes, you throw those things away, boy."
Thats how we used to do. Thats how Black folks used to be a long time ago. That's what we have to do, we have to be a family. Neighborhood people should be a family. community should be a family. We have to be a family and we stay by each other. Support your African American business. From Muhammad again, it applies right now. Help your brother whether hes in the wrong or in the right. How do you help from the wrong? Pull him back from doing wrong. If we live like that, we will strengthen our business man.
"Hey. How come you charged me two dollars? For this thing is right up the street there you can go out of this neighborhood and get it for dollar and half." "Well, you know how it is now, you're black you have to pay more." Say, "Well, look, we going to have a neighborhood meeting. We have to meet with you and we don't have to find out how to keep you in family mode." Solve your neighborhood problems. Solve the problem of the business person in your neighborhood. Meet together.
It's a family thing, it's a neighborhood thing, it's a block thing. Meet together and solve the problem. Thats the answer, that's the solution. Support only you're good people and punish your bad people by denying them your support until they say no. That's what we have to do.
Participant: We have heard this from school for many years and I have noticed that many children pick on others in the lower grades--
IWDM: Yes, thats the bully. Were back to the bully.
Participant: They want to know if the situation will ever change.
IWDM: Yes. Sure, it'll change. Everything is temporary except G-d. Yes, it will change but I dont know if you want to wait that long. We are going to do something about it. You see these movies? Some of these movies are very good. They don't just show you a problem. if you listen, if you're looking for answers, the movies also gives you the answers for the youth problems a lot of times. I see movies that a bully is taking advantage of people. They show the bully eventually coming to a bad end. The victim of the bully getting friends to muscle up and resist the bully. Help the weak one deal with that bully. Well, there's many ways to help.
I thank G-d I lived in a neighborhood-- It was a bad neighbor. Again, I was out of Nation of Islam. I don't want you to think that I would live in that way if in was good with my father. My father took care of us nicely when he could afford it. There was a time when he couldn't. He was in prison, he couldn't, he wasn't there at all. Anyway, not for crime of the type that most of us go to prison, he was there for not obeying a Selective Service order going to war. He was imprisoned.
Anyway, bullies have always been around. I remember fellows coming to my rescue. Rescuing me from bully because they knew I was a decent person. I was a-- Here's another thing, their children. Tell your children, don't make unnecessary enemies. Dont be so quick to reject a person. When I was little, if I saw good-- I look for good in you first when I was a boy. I look for good in you. I saw some good in you, I wouldnt see the bad in you bigger than the good. I would see the good in you bigger than the bad. I had many guys came up to me dranked. They got a beer can, they weren't supposed to be doing that and I was taught against that. But if they came to me as a friend, I accept them as a friend.
They smoking, I didn't smoke. My mother wouldn't permit us does that, I didn't want to do it because I was raised differently. They come to me smoking, I would say, "Hey, you got to stop that smoking if you want to be my friend." Nothing bad that you ain't worth no more than the cigarette is more important than you? I never thought that way. The cigarette was not more important than you, I can put up with your smoking a cigarette. I didn't condemn my friend and I didn't see bad in people so quickly, I look to see good in them. The tough guys were my friends. Nobody would mess with me. They know I had a lot of tough guys that would fight for me because they love me. They know what kind of person I was.
Now, you all might not be like this, but even homosexual. I have a couple friends that are homosexual. I didn't reject them because they are homosexual. I accept them when I saw good, I saw a friend. He didnt come to me like he's going to rape me. Youre not threatening me and youre nice and kind, return kindness. Thats what I'm saying return kindness, return friendship. Dont be so quick to condemn. Youll be surprised when judgments come, that day come, G-d may reveal something in you bigoted. Look for good and build on good. That will give you help against the bully and may even convince the bully to be your friend.
IWDM: dont even hate the bully. He needs help, too. A guy once was threatening me, big old tough looking guy. He looked like Mike Tyson stacked up on top of each other.
IWDM: He was very unpleasant looking in the face, wasnt a pleasant looking face at all. One day my mind told me, "This guy, he got problem, you cant avoid him. I looked at him and said, "If I was a female, I might be interested in you.
IWDM: I'd feel that something that's really strong and I'll attractive it in your face.
IWDM: That guy became my best friend.
IWDM: But I don't think that works for all of them now. You see, I got him by himself. Nobody else just him and me and he liked it. If I had said that to him around his buddy now, he probably would've responded differently. Don't condemn, that's the key. Don't be quick to condemn, look for something good to appreciate in all people, in every person. Look for something good to see and you'll have all the peace-loving creatures in the world on your side, angels in everything. All right, I will just getting ready to ask . You give him an offer of a thousand dollar honorarium, they don't ask as much. Jessie Jackson comes to town and gets $15,000 and $20,000, yes. He can't do it here. Well, I feel better. Okay, the last question.
Participant: How can you call someone back on the wrong when they don't want to be called back?
IWDM: Yes. Well, He didn't say force them to. No one should force a person to do anything if he's religious. You don't force people do things, you just persuade them, try to persuade them, try to win them over. You don't give up. The same person I'm sure that has a girlfriend or boyfriend they wanted real bad and I'm pretty convinced that the first no didn't make them give up. Them be tells no over and over again. Sometimes we accept no so many times, make ourself look cheap and bad. Have that kind of patience when you're trying to bring a person from wrong behavior, be patient. The first time they resist you, don't give up. Maybe they want to know if you really care.
Thank you. I've enjoyed being here with you all and I see most of your faces. I know you by face. You all keep up the good work, be supporters of each other in good works as Allah has taught us through Muhammad the Messenger of G-d, peace be upon him in the service of G-d. Seek G-d's help beyond your ability. Know that G-d is there to help us when our ability runs out, and He will answer. Have faith and He will answer.
Speaker 2: Just want to close with a prayer but first I wanted to also thank the Dean of Students, Dane Jackson office, the residents like Bob Brown throughout of Montgomery, Imam Ali Muslim for helping me with this Masjid Muhammad of North Farleigh Dickinson University, my parents, the wonderful guest speakers, the Imam W Deen Mohammed. We're going to offer a short closing prayer. Our Lord give us good and excellence in this world. Good and excellence in the hereafter. Deliver us from the torment of the fire. Amen.
[01:33:43] [END 

