10/23/1988
IWDM Study Library
IWDM in Philadelphia PA

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
As-Salam Alaykum. The peace be unto you all. We're grateful to be here today in Philadelphia Civic Center, to be blessed, have the opportunity to address you on Muslim concerns that include a respect for the concerns of all the people, especially the people in this audience. I want to express my appreciation for the good and very serious and very valuable support and contributions that come to myself and to all of us, and to the people of this city from our Imam here, our brother, Imam Shamsiddeen.
I congratulate him myself for the great evening we had, the Pioneering in Excellence Banquet last night. The impressive presence of so many very, very important people from this city and the area. I'm very appreciative, too, of the very sincere and good support we have been receiving all along from the Imams from the area, some coming from distant places. That is very much appreciated.
At times, I have to use the glasses. With Allah's name The Merciful, Benefactor, The Merciful Redeemer. Praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds, The One Lord, Unique and Most High, who alone is creator of all things, for whom is worship and the glory. Our prayers and the best salutations for Muhammad, The Last Prophet. On him, be the peace and the blessings of Allah. And all of what follows in our formal salutation. The peace be upon you, honorable people in this Philadelphia gathering, you from the East Coast region, and you that have come here from distant places. Again, As-Salam Alaykum.
It is Allah's favor we seek for this and for all occasions, we give thanks for our being here today. Let us throw off from ourselves, pettiness, petty feelings that hurt our human interests, our human self-interests. To you who work to make this day a true success, a real success. We are grateful. And it should be also acknowledged that the largest Clara Muhammad School is here in Philadelphia. Much is to be said of real achievements belonging to the Muslims of this historical and memorialized city. Among all America's great cities, Philadelphia may yet glimmer as "The city of brotherly love".
In my opinion, the person most worthy of recognition for Muslim advance is here, and who also plays a part in paying new and sincere respect to Philadelphia, a city that I lived in about three years, doing 58 through 59. As you would know, this person I am referring to is Imam Shamsiddeen Ali. Special thanks to him for tireless diligent attention to our Muslim roots in this city.
Lastly but not least, special thanks to our honorable and distinguished guest that grace this gathering. The gathering last night and also this gathering at the Philadelphia Civic Center. I am sure we all enjoyed the banquet and the pioneering spirit of excellence.
Though they are aware of being very appreciative, it is proper to give recognition to the small group of personal aids, who each stand ready to answer the practical needs of my religiously inspired, reformed preachings. Working directly with me to better the outlooks for my ministry, are Imam Edmond Hafiz, Bakeera Karima Mohammed Hafiz, his wife, my daughter. Imam Clyde Rahman, and Imam Abdul-Karim Hasan of Los Angeles, California, who have had death in the family and could not be here today. I wish it to be known that the office of W. Deen Mohammed is plainly an office of a Muslim representative with the hope of serving Muslim-Americans of every community and national origin.
In addition, I wish it known, I belong to the international following of Muhammad The Prophet. And I am truly for only that sacred simplicity, readily grasped by one who sincerely approached the reading and study of Quran, and that accurately preserve lifeworks of Allah's faithful servant and messenger Muhammad, on him be the prayers and the peace. Faithful Muslims will not support a priesthood among Muslims, and will not support a clergy among Muslims. The sky is the roof over the inviolable Masjid, that is Mosque. It is called Masjidul Haram, the inviolable Mosque or Masjid. To which, all Muslims are directed under the obligation of five daily prayers. Among the most powerful elements, and hence, among the most productive ideas for us in religion is the idea of religious freedom in Al-Islam.
Mind you, the freedom referred to here is not the freedom of a free-floating dreamer. It is that historical first and sacred freedom of man, the freedom of human conscience with that nature patterned mind and intellect, which is the same for all people. That is, this creation and this great resource, it's not a property of one people, but a property of all people. Muslims are today gaping for the breath of religious freedom. I believe there is a true hunger for religious freedom in the Muslim society of the world, in Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in the Islands, in America and everywhere. What are we being given to answer this hunger for religious freedom in the Muslim international body? What are we given from self-styled Islamic authorities? A cruel whammy.
In a recent publication which attempts to highlight today's concerns for Muslims, a spokesman, for Saudi based world association of Muslim Youths, appear to want to alarm both Muslims and non-Muslims with his seemingly heretic assertion that Allah's proclamation in His majestic book, the Quran, stating, "The religion with Allah is Al-Islam." And further, "Should anyone choose a religion other than Al-Islam it will not be accepted from Him in judgement." And in addition, "It is Allah who has sent His messenger with the guidance and the true standard of religion that it should gain prominence over all religions." This suspect of hearsay claims to reduce, to establish, from the proclamations of the most high Lord, a belief which labels non-Muslims, "Kafir" which is to say rejector of faith.
With this article, this whammy spokesman targets, "Christians," and "Jews for death under Islamic, under Quranic authority, unless they while facing the execution, the final moments of their life, the non-Muslim recants, retracts the statement of his belief and profess our Islamic creed. Whereas the rebuttal to expose this deceit no doubt may satisfy the many in this audience. I prefer to have the established Islamic scholar clear the air for us.
In the Minaret, a Muslim publication by a newcomer to America, Dr. Fathi Uthman's article, the meaning of Jihad is featured. The date of this article or this issue of this magazine, The Minaret, is 1988 Spring Edition.
This scholar writes, and I begin now quoting him, "The Quran indicates clearly against whom the Muslims could fight. They are precisely those who fight against you because of your faith and drive you forth from your homelands, or aid others in driving you forth, Quran 60:9." It continues, "Cordial, that is friendly, cordial relations based on kindness and fairness, should be developed with others who are not involved in such aggression whatever their faith maybe."
"The history of Al-Islam shows that the Islamic State, however extensive it might be, has so many non-Muslims among its subjects with different beliefs and temples. They co-existed with the Muslim, and were not forced to embrace Al-Islam." Further, it says, and I'm still quoting this publication and this scholar, Dr. Fathi Uthman, "The Quran never encouraged permanent conflict with any non-Muslim group. On the contrary, during the time of bitter hostility and conflict, the Quran warned the Muslims against any unfair generalization. The people of the book are not alike. Among them, there are upright people who recite G-d's messages throughout the night, and prostrate themselves before Him. They believe in G-d in the last day, and enjoy the doing of what is right, and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie with one another in doing good works, and they are among the righteous. And whatever good, they do they shall never be denied the reward thereof," Quran, Chapter 3.
Further, Dr. Fathi Uthman writes, "The Palestinian people have been facing both killing and oppression for decades. Al-Islam cannot be accused for inspiring a struggle against an Israeli occupation and oppression. Al-Islam will never be against Jews or other non-Muslims as such."
I think that is enough to establish very strongly and clearly that it is hearsay, a crime for any Muslim, and especially one claiming to be knowledgeable in this religion an authority, to tell anyone in privacy not to mention making such public.
That today because of certain revelations from G-d, Christians, Jews, are to be disregarded as Kafir, as rejectors of faith, and are to given the opportunity to accept our religion to declare our creed, La ilaha illallah, Muhammadar Rasulullah, There is but one Allah, a one G-d, and Muhammad is His messenger, and if they refuse, they are to be killed. That is what I just read recently in a publication by one so called Muslim authority claiming to be a spokesman for WAMY, World Association Muslim Youth, WAMY.
I was so heated up inside, when I saw what he had written, I wanted to right then go myself to Saudi Arabia and protest in a very strong way that person having that kind of opportunity and privilege to speak for our religion, and to represent a great Muslim youth organization, worldwide organization, based in Saudi Arabia. These concerns, to me, are more serious than any other. Because we are American, we live in a majority Christian country, and we have been trying to live up to the best image of Muslims, and speak truly what Allah has given us as religion, from the Quran, from the light of the holy prophet himself, the sunnah the prophet, its not easy.
When I began, about 14 years ago now, as the leader for many of you, most of the people believed that that kind of attitude was truly the attitude of Muslims. That the belief that I call heresy, that this author of the article passed on too many readers of that publication, was thought to be the belief of all Muslims by a great majority of the American people.
But after so much hard work and many good immigrants coming into this country from countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, India and many other places, we have been able to get recognition from the major newspapers and magazines for the true projection of the image of Muslims and what we believe in. And for something like this to come out, to me, justify my feeling that he should be brought forth and labeled a Kafir, and if anybody should be killed, it should be him.
In reaching for ideas, we hope will help contribute to us bringing about suitable condition for our destiny of community excellence. That's the destiny of people, community excellence. We have great persons belonging to many of our weak and unestablished communities. I'm not going to name anyone in particular. Among those weak and unestablished communities, we have great persons. I'm not talking about just African American community, but the Hispanic communities and others.
But these weak communities in America are deficient in community conscience. Small communities within larger communities must have a strong community conscience. This doesn't mean that they're going to be nationalistic in a racist way or in a fanatical way. It doesn't mean that they are going to be racist, no. That will only set them back and hurt them as we have witnessed, as we know. But they should have a strong community conscience. It should be a conscience fed supported and fed by an established thought, idea, philosophy, ideology.
This country became strong and established because of great men of great thought, great idea, great vision, and a love for those ideas and for that great vision. And the courage and the strength to represent their ideas and their vision, to promote their ideas and their vision, and to challenge small opposition and great opposition in the defense of their great thoughts, in defense of their great ideas.
In my opinion, the small unestablished, weak and unestablished communities of America, as long as America keep it's same national character, will never become stronger than they are now. Trends in the national light brought on by the trends in the international world make it even less likely that small minorities in this country that are unestablished will be able to grow stronger in the future, unless they develop strong community conscience, strong community conscience.
The men that have left the world with the better ideas, with the better vision for a strong, strong society, have been lovers of freedom. When you look at the world today and identify the weaker communities of the world, and one of the weakest I know is Haiti, you will see that the weaker communities of the world are communities that do not love freedom. Their subjects that are crying for help. They may be lovers of freedom, but the people responsible for the condition of those weak communities, in Africa and Central America, in Asia, wherever they are, those people are not lovers of freedom.
The thing they fear and dread most is the influence of true freedom, and believe me as a community of religious people, if we don't be aware of the great importance of freedom, and work hard to keep ourselves alive to that need, and to pass that and follows on to others, we ourselves will be in great risk of losing the true character of our Islamic life. The true state of our Islamic life also depends upon us having real freedom. Not the freedom of a free-floating dreamer.
You have two extremes when it comes to freedom. In fact, you might have more than two, but I want to give you just two that are opposite each other. You have those who really want the best for the human potential. They want to see the human potential released free because they know that that will bring about the greatest possible society for man, if we can release that great human potential that Allah has given every human creature. Then you have, on the other end, the other extreme, those who think freedom is the freedom to do any and everything. And among them are the real goodies, the real good people, goodies, and the mutants of the human world.
Well, a monster in human form is a mutant, so they are the human monsters, but among them are the real goodies, the real nice people. Oh, don't bother that child. Leave him alone. That's what he wants to, let him do that. That's what he wants. Don't bother him, let him have what he wants. That's their idea of freedom. Don't restrain anybody, not if they really want that, don't restrain them, and everything free is beautiful.
Everything free is beautiful. A free criminal, a free pervert, beautiful because he's free. Oh, he's free, it's beautiful. We don't want any freedom like that. That's not the freedom we're talking about. We are talking about the freedom to live up to what Allah, our Creator, has created us for. It's in us, and we want to live it. It is called the human potential, it is called human destiny, it's called by many beautiful names, but it's only simply what Allah has put into us that He identifies as the creature He made, and its excellence.
For a long time, I found myself struggling for the right direction, clear direction, in mind, perception of what we should be all about. And I came to the conclusion that we were right, that I was right, and you were right, in wanting to see a beautiful community, a healthy community, an industrious community, a community that could sustain itself, a community with its own resources for its essential needs. We were right, but I found out we were going about it in the wrong way. We were working hard, and we were very sincere. I know I was, and I know many others were, but we were never able to get very far.
In fact, we were never able to get ourselves in a situation where we could relax and say, okay, we on solid ground now. We were never able to do that. Why? Because we were going about it in the wrong way. The way that we should go about it, is the way that the best men of thought and vision have gone about it. See, we want something new all the time. We want something different. We don't think it's right for us unless it's the first. Nobody else had had this. It must be all right. But according to the better minds of man in the history of man, when you find the right thing, you recognize that you are not the first one to see it.
And if you understand the Quran, if you understand our Holy book, our Lord, the one and only Allah, Most High, He has given the Quran to Prophet Muhammad, and He says in the book, "This is no new message." It's no new message. What is it saying? That the Allah, the Lord creator, revealed to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus, to the prophets, all of them.
What makes it proper and most suitable for the last day in the development of man's self in society, is that it is universal. Universal. It's universal in its spirit, and it's universal in its letter. It's not only universal in its spirit, but it's universal in its letter. It addressed, in a very clear way that appeals to the intellect to the thinking mind, to the rational mind of men and women. It addressed in a very clear and direct way the universal concerns of struggling, growing society. These concerns that we see as modern and late were addressed 1,400 years ago.
The problems of globalization, a development that makes the world too small for people who want to live on an island by themselves. The issue of race, the problem with amassing great wealth and not being concerned for the common people. We could go on naming them. The demagogue, the person who rises up as great leader because he will satisfy anything, good or bad, smart or ignorant, just to get a great following. All these concerns that really are very important for us today were addressed 1,400 years ago.
So, I have learned with my studies, and thank Allah for my determination to always follow what I recognized to be right. I have learned that we went about it in the wrong way. Instead of addressing the community weaknesses, instead of addressing the deficiencies in the community, we have to address the weaknesses in the individual. The deficiencies in the individual because the community can never be strong. It can never be efficient until we have strong and efficient individuals.
And though we can't see the smaller cause for the big picture, when we look at trouble around us, we see the house in bad shape. But the house is in bad shape because somebody in the house is in bad shape. We see the neighborhood in bad shape. We see the community of the minority in the bad shape. But the cause that doesnt come readily to the eye is not the community the big picture its the individual the small picture.
And I am not giving you anything different from what Allah's messenger, Muhammad, peace be on him, gave us. I'm not giving you anything different from what Allah gives us in the Quran. Allah most high, how often is He addressing us as a nation? How often in the book is He addressing our community, our establishments? How much is said about banking? How much he said about schools? How much is said about hospitals? Very little.
End of pt 1.
Imam Warith Deen Mohammed: He addresses us as Muslims, there's an old Muslim. No, old believers. Why? because you were born a Muslim, but you have to be converted to believe so you end up becoming conscious Muslim. A conscious Muslim. It is beliefs that bring us into consciousness. It's not a [inaudible 00:00:37 ] decently upright life and character improve upon it and make it suitable. Not only in the eyes of man and society, but we want it to be suitable in the eyes of our Lord most high Allah.
Freedom requires of us, the making of deposits. Like money you gotta believe to make money. It goes, I gotta get this in the bank. That's a business man. See that's a sensible person but there's another person, he needs money too and he looks at it and says, " I gotta get this outta my hands. He just looks just to get it out of his hands. "hey give me that Rolls Royce." He just got to get it out of his hands, but the other one says, "I got to get this in the bank", because he has a long run program. He has a long run plan. The other fellow has a short run. He just has to get it out of his hands. He's got to short-run with it. It's the long-run plan that makes the difference, between weak societies and strong societies.
Weak individuals and strong individuals. Freedom requires of us the making of deposits of the profits from our common resources. Don't you know the strong people they are the owners of the resources of the weak people? Don't think anybody is not being used. Everybody's being used. I'm not anything, I'm not important, nobody's thinking about me. Hey, you are very important and the more you think like that, the more important you become to the commercial world.
[laughter]
We have to make deposits in the banks of individuals. The individual himself as a bank, and that's my purpose in coming here to Philadelphia. That's why I was in South Carolina, just a couple of weeks ago or so.
That's why you hear me going all these places and telling you to send some money to the Mecca fund. The MACA fund, so I won't be crippled, I'll be able to go to these places. Then what are you [inaudible 00:04:00] one fellow told me, "hey you should get some rest, that's my rest. If I stop there, I'll really, really get tired.
[laughter]
Tired of doing nothing. You know that's what makes you the tiredest doing nothing. That's so tiring! Yes, that's why I do it. That's why I love doing it. I love it more than anything else. I don't know anything that I love more than doing this. I rather do this than do anything else. If I can't do this, life ain't no good for me. That's the truth, I'm telling you the truth.
I heard you been a bad boy brother Imam. Yes, well maybe you did, maybe you've been a bad girl and a bad boy too, but you're not changing your direction, why should I change mine?
[laughter]
I'll never do something so bad with this mind I got, but I'll sit down and say, well I'm not fit to keep going in this direction. I'm fit to keep going in this direction as long as I have a desire to and I pray God I keep the desire to until I'm dead.
[applause]
Hey, what did he do that's so bad? Well I'll tell you one thing, the course of the land, if they knew it, they wouldn't prosecute me.
[laughter]
So that means it wasn't too bad was it? I'm just reminding you that I'm a person that cries out to God just like you, for help, for recovery, to get back on my feet.
That isn't going to stop me from going out every day if I can, in this direction. I can do this every day. Sometimes I wish I could do it day and night because I know the importance.
"Hey, what are you doing materially for the people?" Well look that's another mistake we made. We thought to get make money, you have to go directly at money. Most things that are accessible are bus routes that indirect approach. If you see a real, real handsome man, sister, you're taking the biggest chance of missing him if you go directly and boldly at him. Now some give because there are some men they'll tell you, you didn't even have to try. I was about to go at you.
[laughter]
That really goes for those values and abstract kind of things that we need in our life. The one that's most often defeating us, happiness. So many people so miserable around me in my lifetime on this earth, have been people that have gone directly at happiness. They said to me, "All I want is to be happy." I told them, I said look, stop trying to be happy. That's something that escapes you when you're trying to get it. Try to make somebody else happy and happiness will coming running toward you.
I can't blame them, they get bitter and bitter. More bitter and more bitter because they're going at happiness and happiness keeps on eluding them. After a while, you look at them and face all twisted up, "All I want is to be happy. I never asked for much, all I want is to be happy." Going through victims of drugs, all they want is to be happy and they think they go can directly at it and get it.
The most difficult
assignment most often [unintelligible 00:10:03] indirect approach, indirect action. We have an invitation from Allah, the Most high Lord to follow the Sunnah that is the life example of Muhammad, the last and universal prophet. A study into the life example of Muhammad by anyone who's sincere and looking for something of true value, not to themself alone but to everybody. Having a [unintelligible 00:10:56] principle concerns, the ideological construction for Islamic society. How to construct Islamic society.
In the process of the study, in the process of making such study, we'll find most likely, that we will discover most likely nature supporting tools of democracy. Now, I wish we had an English term that will satisfy, feel more comfortable with than democracy but democracy is the best word I can think of right now. Democracy means a situation that respects all citizens alike. That's one way of putting it. A true democracy is a community situation, a political situation that respects all citizens alike. I can compete just as you can. I can go to the park just as you can if I'm qualified. The laws offer me just as they offer you, and on, and on, and on.
I don't have to tell you those things, you know that language better than I do perhaps. A situation to favor all citizens alike. Should we as Muslims then, and not democracy? We are obligated. The Muslim must work to establish true democracy. Should Muslim be about freedom? The Muslim must acknowledge their religion be about freedom. What was Prophet Muhammad told to say to the people? "I am a free man in this city. I am a free man in this city." The prophet was told to [unintelligible 00:13:45] his right for freedom. To be treated just like any and everybody else in that city. The best of the people, the most important of people in that city.
He was empowered to the same freedom but he was telling them something new because they didn't want a democracy. He was telling them of the revelation of God that your system is wrong and I'm not going to respect your wrong system. I'm going to stand on what is right whether it's established by the law or the creator and is what is supported by the human nature, and that means that I am a free man in this city. You'll be amazed if you get the right interest in Quran and the life of Muhammad and you start to look for idea of the greatest value to the individual and to society.
You will be amazed to find that the best script on freedom, the best script on democratic society is the Quran, the holy book Allah revealed to Muhammad the prophet. That book has been reenforced in the world for at least a thousand years. Feeding needs of the free thinker who cannot come out bold and straight and say, "I have gained access to what I wanted in order to advance like I wanted because of this voice." He cannot say it because most of his people are prejudiced to this [unintelligible 00:15:58]. Prejudice against their religion. He can't say it, he's afraid he'll be killed. In those days, and who knows, maybe even today.
If a real influential personality in America's life comes out and admit that the source that inspires him the most is the Quran, shouldn't it be not just something that we should just pass over? There's a secret society that has been in operation for generations who call themselves Tridents, Masons and many of our best leaders in America have acknowledged publicly that they were Masons, Tridents. They say, Allah, they say, Muhammad, they say, Mecca, and they say Medina, that tells me that they have been looking at the Quran.
I'm not going to name any of them because what would be the point? It wouldn't be worthwhile to name a president, so and so was a third-degree sign and the president say, "I want to [unintelligible 00:17:31] a second-degree [unintelligible 00:17:32]. Why? It should make you think. I have done my own study. I have looked at the precious wisdom that makes for the great societies, I have gone to the religious books, and I have found to my surprise that the bible itself has in a very Islamic way the great gems of wisdom, the great potent seeds of wisdom for establishing justice and great democracies. Yes, "Oh brother Imam, how can you stand there and say that of that Christians' book?"
I have found no scripture that is as rich in those gems as the Quran is. I found no scripture that is as plain in its language, as the Quran is. Therefore, I find no book more attractive to me of the level of freedom and true democracy than the Holy Quran revealed to Muhammad, the only man who became the teacher for all of us in the world. I'm telling you. If you're a true Moslem, If you're a true believer, this should make you feel so good. This is my Heroine, this is my crack. All the stuff that we love to get high on. This is [unintelligible 00:19:20] that I know they don't get a better high than I do. That's how I feel when I have [unintelligible 00:19:27]. I know that I can look in their faces and tell them and they're [unintelligible 00:19:32]. I get high and still see [unintelligible 00:19:36]. Allahu Akbar.
Audience: Allahu Akbar.
Imam Warith: Allahu Akbar. We may come to these things for no small-time business. If you were a free thinker, if you were an enlightened person and you're intellect,
you would know we're not coming here for no small-time business. If we stand here and talk to you for 10 minutes we have done more good not only spiritually, intellectually. Not only intellectually and spiritually but mentally, materially. We have done more good than these demagogue talking to you about statistics. How many babies are dying, how many [unintelligible 00:20:33] how many are on warfare and how many don't have jobs, how many arrested in jail.
They talk all that stuff to you so tell me how does it improve in your state of your mind, how does it improve the state of your moral measure. It's burdening you with too many problems that can't be answered and it's depressing you. It is making you unfit for the duty working in our life out of this society. Yes, it's making you unfit. This responsibility is your own for life.
[applause]
As a result, you find yourself, having the problems no matter what type of problems they are, they can be financial, they can be political, they can be education, the more you find yourself doing a better job facing your past and doing something about your condition. Don't tell me we don't make money, we don't go directly at it, but we make money.
The people in our community are in better financial situation now than they've been in my whole life in spite of economics and all other things we hide behind. The members of our community we call them African American Muslim group, are in better shape financially today than they've ever been since I've been living on this earth. That's a fact, but where's our fish program? It's in the hands of these successful people, I'm talking about. Where's our [unintelligible 00:22:10]? In the hands of these successful people, I'm talking about. You don't have that facility anymore, you sure don't. There's a better one in the hands of these people I'm talking about.
[applause]
We're going on and on, getting stronger and stronger and we're not going directly at the things of the world. We're going directly after the things Allah promises us. Directly at the high values that Allah offers us. We're going directly at those things, and as a consequence, we're doing a better job than we ever have done getting those things of the world. If you put Allah first and put the values he held out to us first, you will make more progress than in those things of the world. Allah didn't want us to have those things of the world. Allah says, [Arabic language] He says, "Go after with all he's made possible for you, go after.
Go after the things of the hereafter however do not neglect your soul of this material world. Do not neglect your soul of this material world. That's what Allah tells us. He says, no to put first these things. Allah is before these things that he had created so worship him above all of those things. Put first things first. Mohammed is more important than the baker, Mohammed is more important than the politician, Mohammed is more important than the mayor of this city. Put him first, put first things first. The principals of Islam are more important than the principal of this world's democracy. The principal of Islam are more important to us than the ideas, in this world's ideology. Put that first, that's all he's saying.
Put that first in all that matter will be more accessible to you. Do you agree? Don't go directly at those things but go directly at what Allah wants for you and the other things will be easier to reach. They'll come as a consequence of you directing yourself, positioning yourself properly before your Lord. We have to have the right attitude first before Allah. The right disposition of mind, the right disposition of spirit, the right disposition of moral measure before Allah. We're first. Establish our thoughts correctly before our lord. Isn't that what Abraham did.
He established himself upright before his lord and he became so successful that he became the leader for all nations. So successful that he's called the one who has the order upon which prophet Mohammed himself established the order of God. [Arabic language] the order of Abraham, that's our order as established for us by Mohammed the prophet peace and blessings be upon him. A rational order, an order of great faith but also rational order. An order of justice, yes but also a universal order. An order that addresses all men the same, all nations the same. One that brings the whole world before us.
It shows us the need in the whole world picture and tell us, "First begin with yourself and present yourself upright before your God and then let your charity [unintelligible 00:26:01] abroad." Yes, take care of your family. Family, responsibilities are a priority in al-Islam. That's not my language. That's the language of our religion. Family responsibility, priority in al-Islam. Families have priority before God. This is [sic] not my words but the words of God. Families have priority before God. I'm not to go out there and buddy up with strangers, buddy up with none relatives and make my success in the world benefit them and I've got relatives at home that are neglected. Even if I don't like them I'm still supposed to help them.
Those are my relatives, you're not supposed to help the one that will abuse the help. Not with the help, you have to help them another way. Sometimes you help by denying them. That person that's going to abuse the help, you help them by denying to help but you've got to explain to him why you're denying them. It's not just denying them and not speaking to them. Just say, "Look, I haven't called you up and I haven't given you anything. I know you're poor, hungry and desperate and I know you're aware that I'm doing fine. I haven't called you up for anything because what you received you haven't respected it, you wasted it and I'm not going to let you waste mine and put me in the state that you're in, so I just want you to know why.
I may not call you up again or see you again for the next year or so but you know why." Now that's Islamic due. Allah says a lesson in the Quran, "Do not give your wealth, your money, your property to those that are weak and feeble-minded." No, because it'll be lost. That goes then for the drunk. It simply means do not give it to those that can't keep it and extend it, make it grow. You give something to somebody, you want to come back and see that they at least have what you gave them or at least respected it. If it's with money the first thing you come back, they'll tell you, "You know that money you left me, I used that money and I invested it and now I've got enough to help somebody else."
That will make you feel so good. That'll really make you feel good, do you see. Just be patient with me here, I'm slowing down to save time. Let us return now to the importance of the mind. Allah in the holy book, he identified the male by alluding if not very directly as thinker. Now to reflect and
to be a male, the same term. One who reflects and one who is male, the same term. [Arabic language], the male is not like the female. [Arabic language], the male is not the female.
This is from Quran, from the story of the blessed Mary, peace be upon her and the son Prophet Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. The male is not like the female. The term for the male is thinker or its Hillary act, the thinker, the thinker, the one who reflects. Does that mean that women are not that too? No, it does not mean that women are not that too. Theres a chapter in the Quran that use the same language for women. It says the men who reflect and the women who reflect. Women have the same nature and the same activity but men are sighted for being typical of that kind of activity, for being representative of that kind of activity.
How many women will be able to run their home if they just sit like the free thinker? Youve seen the model of the free thinker, the sculpture of the free thinker? Hes sitting like this.
Hes thinking, he needs to think because he hit the head and the head is there and hes thinking. How many women can afford to do that in a home? When the house is calling on them all the time, somebody rings the doorbell, the pot may burn, the child may pull something off the shelf, the baby is crying, the bills are coming and the husband doesnt have enough jobs. There isnt enough hours in the day for the jobs that he needs to manage. Shes got things bothering her all the time, she doesnt got time to think.
She doesnt have time to do none of that. Does that mean she is not a thinker? She is a thinker. Allah recognizes that when he says the thinking men and the thinking women. Some women they are different from the regular round of women. They will give themselves to deep thoughts, they become great intellects, great intellects. We can name so many if we would take the time to do so. Returning to the mind, let us look at the body of the human being. I hope Im not boring you, I hold you too long. Im watching the time here, it wont be long. Look at the body of the human being, this body is a sign. Allah tells us in his holy book, everything is a sign. He has put signs in the skies and signs in the earth, and he says, And as well for yourself, signs are also in you.
Im not out of order, dont bring your math hub on me, your school of thought on me. Look at our body now and shear proportion of the body. Look at the signs of the head in weight. Its heavy, the head is heavy but look at its size from person to the whole body, its small. The mass is the body. The head is a small unit when we compare the head with the whole mass, the body. Look, when Im asleep the whole body is in the same situation. The head is no more a leader than any other part of the body, when Im asleep. When I awake every other part of the body becomes subject. Theres one boss. One boss and all of this the bodys subject. We call that boss the head.
Whatevers going on up there is consciousness, thats the boss and all the other are subjects. When we think about society, we should think about society as a body because we know that Prophet Mohammed has told us we should be as the human body. All organs responding quickly to a need thats in the body. We shouldnt expect then for us to have in a body of America, a head bigger than the body. Do you see where Im going? We shouldnt expect in the Muslim community to have a head bigger than the body. We should expect that the body is going to be much much more bigger in mass and volume than the head.
That means we shouldnt think we should find any people, capable or competent people just anywhere, this is a big body. I've got to look for the head. Body that big, I got to look for the head, I have a head. I shouldnt just go to the head and say, Hey, this must be a competent person right here. Must be a qualified leader right here. Maybe youre taking a big chance though because the man is almost bigger than the head. We need to do something about our condition. Lets find the head. The head is much smaller than the body. Lets work with that small head and see every detail about this big body. We only need a few very qualified people and we can do the job for the man.
Thats what Im saying. If the head and the body is going to be qualified, everybody will be qualified. Allah said that most of the people are unbelievers and most of the people are unfit. Thats going to be the case for all of us. We need the small unit, the small number of people that are qualified to stand up and have the parents to take care of the needs of the others but not to take care of their needs by overpampering them, making them weak with so much help, no. If you want to see somebody thats got a problem, look at that person that just spend a hour on their head.
Theyre [unintelligible 00:37:44] , saying, Hey, you see my hair, isnt it pretty? Oh, my skin pretty? You see I got my finger and now I look good, dont I look good? You find out how much time they spend [unintelligible 00:37:54] to get it like that you say, Hell no it dont look good. Look crazy in hell to me. It's not worth it. Better you had that hair cut off and put that bow tie on some other part of the body.
[laughter]
If my hair was holding me up like that Id cut that damn hair down, Excuse me please.
[laughter]
Id cut that hair off and would still at that time do out the whole body so the whole body will be in better shape. Talk to you about their eyes, See my eyes? It took me a long time to get it like that. I bought me some blue contacts. Black skin, I bought me some blue contacts and I spent like $400 on this kit I got for my eyes. Makeup kit just for the eyes. Theyd be better off just cutting that eye out and distributing that attention equally over the whole body. What I mean by that over the better body inside. Need to give the body inside attention.
Im going to try to summarize what I have remaining here. In order to have the kind of leadership we need, we have to have the right approach to our needs. That is to address the individual to awaken the conscience of the individual to his own responsibility and to her own responsibility in society.
We have to awaken that consciousness or that conscience in a way to keep the attention of that person. If we go out in the wrong way, we'll lose the person all together because this world has conditioned the person to be extremely, unduly sensitive. If we're not very careful of how we approach a person even to tell them to be conscious, we lose them before we can even explain what we mean. We have to approach them in the right way. The right way is to tell them what the world is not telling them about their own value as an individual creature Allah made. To tell them that you are created in the best statue.
Ain't nobody going to be turned off to that but somebody that need to go to the clinic for help. I mean somebody clinically sick. If they are not really in batman shape, they will be turned off to that. The most irritated person, the most disappointed person will listen to you if you address them like that. Tell them Allah said, God said, holy scripture said, "You, yourself, you, individually, you, no matter what color your skin, no matter where you were born on this earth, you have been created in the best statue." You represent the best statue Allah has given creatures that he created. He said that he had made your form and has made it excellent. Made it excellent.
The word used is 'sura'. Sura means what comes to my eyes when I look at you. That's sura, picture, design, pattern. That's what comes to my eyes when I look at you. If I really accept this as a believer, I may have childish emotions when this knowledge reaches me but as I go to respect this knowledge and appreciate this knowledge, this knowledge is going to burn out of me. The ignorant sensitivities, the ignorant sentiments is going to correct my attitude as well. It's going to make me appreciate that knowledge.
As I go to appreciate that knowledge, I'll be able to look at the human being that I thought yesterday was ugly, more than ugly, hideous, and not see any ugliness because Allah said he made your design, he made your features and he made them beautiful, excellent. That's what Allah says. He's not speaking for any particular race, he's talking about all the human being he made, all the people he made. That he made that form and he made those forms attractive, beautiful. I have done it. Among people that you think to be representative of the most ugliest human beings on earth. Go on, stay among them, make friends with them and live among them. You're going to find some that are beautiful inside and pretty soon you're going to see beauty in them outwardly. I almost fell in love with a girl who looks just like a shaved orangutan.
[laughter]
I'm not joking. I had to restrain myself.
[laughter]
I just didn't want to face other people but I was ready to get tied up. She has wonders. She still looks so good to me. And it's because of what she had inside. Then I found the most attractive girl outward, outside. I got to know her and she began to look ugly to me. Pretty soon, she got so ugly to me I couldn't stand her. My friend is telling me was, "Man, you fool, man. That girl crazy about you, that girl's fine." I said, "I don't see her fine to me." I said, "You should get to know her." Allah is right.
How am I now judging this particular girl with this orangutang thing? I'm judging her by the standards Allah has given me. I go to her original land somewhere in the bush of Africa. I find her tribe of her people there, all of them look like that. Boy, her boyfriend is running after her [unintelligible 00:45:53] and you show him somebody looking like Liz Taylor, "Yes, she ugly, ugly, ugly."
[laughter]
He doesn't want anybody looking like Liz Taylor, he's chasing that orangutan. She's fine. See, really, you cannot know the whole picture. Only Allah knows the whole picture. When Allah educate us through his servants and especially the last one, Muhammad, the educator of the world, when he educates us, then we come into new kinds of feelings, new kinds of attitudes, we find the happiness that makes us feel so special and so blessed, it's so wonderful. I'm not joking. It's so wonderful to be a open-minded, conscious Muslim. Accepting all that Allah had said to us in the Quran and has given us in the life of Muhammad, his prophet. Yes, it's so wonderful, but you have-
[00:47:07] [END OF AUDIO]
Begin pt 3
This consciousness has to be a consciousness with established controls. When we say a person lives a conscious life, we mean that person lives a disciplined life. A person who does not live a disciplined life, is thought of as not living a conscious life. So, consciousness, in the better sense of the word, consciousness means a life of discipline.
How can we live conscious lives as Americans if we don't have some knowledge, some education on the life that America requires to be a strong society, to be a strong nation, to be a strong government? It requires a certain life.
Now how can we be conscious Americans if we're not conscious of that life? We are weak Americans, because we are not disciplined Americans. We're not disciplined Americans because we are not informed Americans on the disciplines that Americans should have in this idea of society to make it strong. I hope Im clear.
Now, likewise for our religion Al-Islam and for the Muslim community, the Muslim Society of America and in the world. If we are not conscious of the disciplines in our religion that account for the great society that Muhammad built, that Muhammad led us to realize. Then we cannot be real factors for the strength or the establishment of the Islamic society.
In other words, the best thing that a nation can give its people is the thing that scripture focuses for the people, and that is learning, knowledge. Prophet Muhammad began his great mission, the universal mission, he began it by doing what? Teaching and obligating all to teach who acquired some knowledge. There was a mass movement to teach people who didn't have knowledge.
Dont think because we have all these advancements in America, that we are not an illiterate nation. If we are non-functional when it comes to the task of living a civilized, progressive, productive life, that tells me that we are also illiterate. Maybe you can read very well the letters of a book, a computer can read the letters of a book very well. But a computer doesn't understand anything its reading. So, you can be an excellent reader and read letters very well.
In fact, I know a woman, she bragged about how she had taught her child to read. And it was wonderful to see that that child could read like a computer, like a machine. But when I asked a question, the child couldnt answer it. They told me that she wasn't understanding a thing, she was just reading.
Like many of you who study Arabic, and you pick up Arabic and you can read it. "Yes, that's sound beautiful. What does that say?" "Well, brother, brother, brother, I'm just learning how to read it right now." You are not reading. Youre making sounds. Reading is getting the message, getting the knowledge, getting the information, that's reading.
Okay, so we have many literate people in America who can read, they can read newspaper and everything. But how much of that newspaper do they grasp? How much of the article they read that they really grasp? If they were doing that, America would be in a much better shape. Yes. They listen to the words on the television, but how much of the real essence, how much of the meat in the news they're getting? No. Illiterate.
Now, we know there's a real problem with literacy in this, I mean real literacy in this country. We don't have that most of us. Illinois have a wonderful program to fight illiteracy in the State of Illinois. I hope that I am a factor for combating illiteracy in this country. I know many times I'm preaching and I'm hoping that the mind would be excited.
If you excite the mind to be productive, to be hungry for something, you are going to fight illiteracy, because a hungry mind will start to read with the purpose of feeding its appetite and not just reading. And that's the kind of mind that brings about true literacy.
Prophet Muhammad gave everyone knowledge, a piece of reading, a piece of information, a piece of education, and then obligated that person, once he learned it to pass it on to another one without it. We need such mass movement today. How come we can't have inside our Masjids community, a program for increasing the literacy of the members of that community?
I think some of the Masjids have them. How come we can't have a program in our Masjid for increasing the ability to read and understand. I mean truly read Islamic education, Islamic education, to bring up the education, Islamic education of all the members of that community?
Now we know all of them are not going to be excited about that kind of program. But if we just bring one hundredth of them to be excited about such program, we will be making great headway when we think of the problems we have in this country and how much it is needed, how much true intelligence and true appetite in the intellect is needed in this country, and especially in the unestablished weak communities.
And we represent one of those unestablished weak communities. We are making great strides, but we are still an unestablished weak community, dependent too much on the situation outside of our borders for our own survival. We don't want that to continue.
So, there are many things that I hope to bring, that I hope for another occasion. The Imam has told me that he would like to see me here once a year. And I told him that it'd be very fine with me. I love to come to Philadelphia once a year. It's been several years now, several years.
Inshallah, before another year has elapsed, I'll be back. And next time I hope to be in better shape. Every time, I look at myself, I say, "Well, I could've done that better." I hope to be in better shape and I hope to be able to serve our needs as Muslim and as people better the next time I see you.
So, we pray for Allahs blessing, that He accepts our work, and that He show us the way to live the life He intend for us. And that we follow not the lifestyles of the world, for Prophet Muhammad, with his words have warned us against that.
That we follow the life example of Muhammad, the prophet so we will have consistent life. Not a contradictory Muslim life, but a consistent Muslim life, so that will keep the form that Allah has chosen for us and enjoy the great reward in this life and qualify for the rewards of the hereafter. I thank you. Peace be unto you. As-salamu alaykum.


