06/21/1997
IWDM Study Library
Al-Islam: A Religion Of Peace and Worship

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Moderator: ...title Islam, religion of peace and worship, charity, justice and service to all humanity was recorded Saturday, June the 21st, 1997, at the Seattle University, Campton Tower in Seattle Washington. The lecture is Imam W.D. Mohammed, Muslim-American spokesman, and now Imam Mohammed.
Audience: Allah Akbar.
Imam Mohammed: Allah Akbar, G-d is greater. That's what we are saying. We greet as Muslims "peace be unto you, As-Salaam-Alaikum."
Congregation: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Imam Mohammed: We praise G-d, Al-?amdu lil-l?h. Al-?amdu li-ll?hi rabbi l-??lam?n. We praise G-d. Give G-d the thanks and the praise. One who cares for all of us, who created us and cares for us. He is the Lord of all the world, is the English for that. When we also pray prayers and peace upon the last prophet of G-d, the seal of the prophets mentioned in the Torah and in the Gospel, that is in the revealed book of the Jews and the Christians as one who's coming to liberate humanity from all forms of slavery or bondage.
He's the liberator who comes to bring back to the world, the appreciation for man as an intellect, man as a rational creature with a hungry mind, hungry intellect created by G-d to serve G-d with our whole being, with our bodies our intellect, with our spirits or purpose on this Earth. The books that G-d revealed for human beings, I would like to refer to as the 'Revealed Books'. Those books want humans to know man's spiritual inheritance.
G-d created the human being in his best human sensitivities and in his best mind to inherit G-d's purpose for man on this earth, to inherit G-ds purpose for man on this earth, to inherit G-ds will for man on this earth. To inherit the direction from G-d for man on this earth. As followers of Islam, as Muslims and students of Islam, students of this religion. We come to learn from our Quran, and from our first teacher in Islam Muhammad.
The one who was born about 14 centuries ago, 1400 years ago in what was called the Land of the Arab. We learned from the book and from him that nature is also honorable, and nature is to be respected, and nature is sacred. The original nature of everything is honorable, sacred and deserving of our respect. G-d created it. G-d created nature. Man's life is devotional life. G-d created the intellect and the human being and all of his makeup and all of his attributes to be servant for devotional life, to be servant.
The word in our Islamic language is "Abd," means servant. We have a spirit that is the human spirit in us, human spirit. We all have this spirit in common. All people have one human spirit and that is the human spirit given to us from G-d. G-d gave us, our Creator gave us that human spirit. We come into the world as free thinking people, we can think on our own, we can choose for ourselves. So in time we lose that original nature, and we lose that common human spirit, we become our own creations.
We have our own mind we create. We have our own spirits we create, we have our own aims own purposes that we invent or that we create. The great task for the religious workers is to call man back from these deviations, from these errors that we make to the original life and the original direction that our Creator intended for all people. Islam gives us this understanding of the first good nature that we should build upon with the expression of the Qu'ran.
It is the religion of originality. It is the religion of origin. It is the religion of the beginning life for man, his first life. In this first life, we understand too, as the life of the garden where everything was okay before the serpent, before the Satan, before the deceiver seduced us and attracted us out, tempted us to come out of that original good life that G-d intended for us. The life in the Garden of Eden before our father was deceived, that is that first life.
That first good nature, perfect nature, honorable nature, sacred nature, the human being in the form that G-d made us in. Din al-fitrah, Is the expression in the Qu'ran. Din al-fitrah, it is the religion of this first life, the first nature, and the first life. 'Din al-fitrah. [Islam language]. The first life, or the first original form upon which G-d formed all humanity. All humanity is to be formed upon that life, formed upon that life.
This is the religion He gives us to compliment that life to make it possible for us to live this life in its fullness, to live this life in its fullness. This is Islamic language, but this is not something that is the only Islam. This is the Gospel. This is the Torah, and this is the Gospel, and this is Islam. Islam came to make it clear, because it had been lost and it had been hidden. Islam came and Muhammad came to make it clear.
Again so that human beings would have their life again and go forward to the destiny that G-d intended for us on this earth and hereafter. This good nature in its direction that G-d created can also be called the course for human nature or the path for human nature. The intellect its focus in Islam, and the prophet has said something supporting this development or this kind of development that I'm doing now on the topic.
He said in the next life, or in the heavens, the scholars will be in positions there next to the prophets. He said the scholars would be in positions there next to the prophets. The highest in heaven is prophets and the next the scholars. It is also said; although, there is a saying too that, it is the people of real faith who best know G-d, but it also said that the scholars best know G-d. As a student myself I've come to understand that as a person of faith, you can know G-d. You can know G-d as G-d is. You can know G-d and know G-d as G-d is, but developing your intellect enables you, enables us to know G-d with our intellect, to know G-d with our rational minds. With our rational minds we can also know G-d. That knowledge of G-d enables us to even do much more work to advance our life on this earth and have a good life for humanity on this earth.
Muhammad the prophet was not an educated person. He was born and raised without institutions, schools and to educate the citizens of Arabia. There were no schools. Arabia had no schools. They had no institutions of learning. The Arab people of the day of Muhammad, time of Muhammad 14 centuries ago, they did not have philosophers. They had no ideologists, idealists, they didn't have people like that. They were not a people turned on to the appetites of the intellect, they were not such people.
Their society at that time is called, The Society of Jahiliyyah. Jahiliyyah simply translated means unlearned, uneducated. Not having appreciation for the nature and appetites of the intellect. This is what they were. This is the kind of people, they're described as such people. Of him it is said that he was a person not able to read. He was not able to read, he was not literate. But, this man from such dark backward times and people, this man was chosen by G-d to be a messenger to bring mercy to all worlds.
To all worlds, not one, to all worlds. I wonder if some of the educated Muslims know what they're reading when they read that expression in the holy book, that he is a mercy to all worlds. I wondered if they think that G-d is talking about to Mars, to Jupiter or something like that. [laughs] I'm not even sure that they know what they're saying. If He says, "Oh, worlds, it means all worlds down here." We don't speak, the scripture doesn't speak of upstairs as worlds, we speak of upstairs as one world.
All of this together makes one world, the upstairs and down here, taken all together make one world. The worlds, plural, referring to the worlds of human life and human activity. He comes as a mercy to all the worlds of human life and human activity. He comes as a teacher not just a preacher calling to faith, that's how he's first to be seen. G-d says in our holy book that He is one seen as a caller to faith. The people of faith they say, "We have heard a caller calling to faith, and we have responded saying we believe we have faith."
We know he is to be seen as a caller to faith but more importantly, after faith, firstly faith is the most important. After faith what is the most important for directing our life and making our life comfortable as our souls require, as our souls want is the prophet as a caller to respect for your intellect. He calls men to respect the human intellect and to use it to make good use of it as G-d intended.
We have been created to learn from our flesh and our flesh taught us to have faith, have faith in mama, have faith in daddy, have faith in the family, have faith in friends, faith in good society. The faith comes to us first from our flesh. It's in the flesh to obey and to trust those that seem to qualify for your trust, to trust them. Not based up on what intellect can support, as when we are young our intellect is not strong enough to give us that kind of support.
G-d has given us that knowledge in our flesh to trust those who appear before our eyes and to our senses to be trustworthy, and that's mama first. Then G-d directs us to learn from our minds, our rational minds, from our intellect. The second, if we are lucky when our intellect runs out and we can't save ourselves or our loved ones, our society, G-d blesses us with a spirit, with another spirit, with another spirit, another spirit, it's the spirit that he speaks of as the spirit that He gives man from Himself, from Himself.
He said to the angels when they were alarmed by the kind of creature that G-d said he is going to put in the earth and give charge in the earth to that creature, a creature that would be able to make decisions on his own, a creature who would have limited free will and intelligence and free will and will be able to make choices independently, choices on his own. The angels were alarmed because they didn't exercise any such freedom.
There wasn't that nature, it wasn't in their nature to exercise that kind of freedom. They were alarmed and they asked G-d, what will this do expect cause bloodshed and trouble in the earth and spilling of blood? G-d said to them, "I know what you know not." G-d asked them say, "If you know, tell me your names." The angels couldn't even tell G-d their own names, then He spoke to the man that He was creating, and He said, "Tell them their names."
That man told the angels their names, and all of them submitted then to G-d's plan except Iblis who became the devil, the Satan, the Shay??n in Arabic teachings, in Islamic teachings the Shay??n. He became the Shay??n, the devil, whereas before he was leader of the angels. This spirit comes from G-d into man putting it as simply as I can put it, G-d inspires the human intellect and the human intellect comes into another orientation, to another orientation.
He reforms the human intellect by inspiring the human intellect with His will from Himself. That enables man then to reform or remake his community, his life on earth or his community life, his society. This need for direction from G-d when it's lost is given to us originally in our flesh, Muhammad the prophet put it this way in one of his expressions, he says, "Everyone is born a Muslim." So see, my dear friends who are not Muslims, this religion was first given to people who had no name. [laughs]
They didn't have the name Christian, Muslim or anything, they were just people without religion, and the prophet gave the first definition of what a Muslim is. History has given us another definition, and I say really, traditionally, we may be off the right meaning [laughs] for what a Muslim is. The prophet said that everyone is born Muslim, created or born Muslim, and it is the environment that makes that person different, a Jew, a Christian, or whatever becomes different because of environment.
I will also add, I will say that again now as though I'm coming from that time with that knowledge and I'm speaking today. Everyone is born a Muslim, and it is his Christian parent, or his Jewish parent, or his Muslim parent that makes him different. [laughter] 
The spirit from G-d, it brings the intellect to obey G-d's direction for human life, to meet G-d's creation, human creation to see my own creation as G-d created it. To see the direction that G-d put in my human creation for my creation, the spirit that comes from G-d enables the prophets, the messengers of G-d to do that and to bring it to us. Then G-d when we lose the right picture of the messenger, the prophet and messenger and the word of G-d. G-d if we hold to the good life that He's given us, He faith, keep obedience to the greater, obey the bigger or greater. G-d will also give us from Himself the spirit, and enable us to open the eye of our mind, our intellect and see the prophet correctly again, with no help from any teachers down here. To see Allah's word, the Quran his word correctly, with no help from anybody down here. To see the direction for our life on this earth again afresh with no help from teachers down here. Really Muhammad is a sign, a model and a sign to us of what G-d can do for any human being, if you would just be sincere and keep the nature of G-d created him in.
Be sincere and keep to the nature G-d created you in, and G-d will do the same same thing for you that he did to Muhammad the prophet and many others, that he did to Muhammad the prophet. He will inspire you and guide you back to the purity, to the original forms and nature and purpose, He will guide your feet on this earth so that you will walk the people into the great future that G-d planned for man.
Islam then comes to prepare man to live the fullest life G-d intended for him, and to live that life to its fullness you have to become universal in your thinking, universal in your thinking. Racism works against us becoming universal in our thinking, nationalism, fanatic nationalism also hurts us coming into that universal discipline for the mind. Our society is of the west have made unheard of, un-thought of, unthinkable progress in science, in technology, industry, science and technology. It's only until very recently that our country has become set up with racism and fanatic nationalism.
These two things have hurt our country's ability to even come into the fullness of the life envisioned by the founding fathers. It's just now after the civil rights upheavals and after our country rethinking its position toward human beings, towards black people and race and nationalism. America had to free itself from its own fanatical attachment to its own nation, to its own self as a nation. We've lived now to see America freeing itself completely from racism and from fanatic nationalism, or the nationalism of fanatics, maybe I should put it that way.
[laughter]
G-d says of Muhammad that he is a mercy to all the worlds. A mercy to all of the worlds, the Arabic rahmat likuli alealam. He is mercy to all of the worlds, and G-d says of himself that he is the lord of all the worlds, G-d is the Rabb of all the worlds, [Arabic language]. Allah, He's the G-d, He's the lord of all the worlds. Then He makes a human being as a messenger of mercy to all of the worlds, and He said that He and His human model Muhammad, and His human model is enough.
If anyone wants a human model to imitate, to copy, to be like, says that Muhammad in His human model, he is sufficient for all people, all people who believe in G-d, who believe in G-d. We need a certain disposition of mind to get the benefit that G-d wants for us, it doesn't mean he's already a mercy to all people, no he may not be a mercy to all people, they have to have a certain disposition of mind. They have to be constituted in a certain way as human beings living and thinking, to appreciate him as a mercy to all people.
As model to all people and a mercy too. As a model to our people. Says he is sufficient as a human model for all people who believe in G-d, and believe in the last day that is they believe that no matter how confused life looks, no matter contradictory justice seems to be, we have faith that there's a G-d that created us for a great destiny, for a perfect ending if not a perfect in-between.
[laughter]
He created us for a perfect ending and we're going to have to account before Him and those who did us wrong, we never saw them in court or we never heard that they were ever brought to justice. They're gone centuries ago, generations and generations they're gone, and seem like they went out smiling. G-d is going to wipe that smile off their face one day. That's the way people of faith believe.
Those who believe in G-d and believe in the last day, and it didn't stop there, and who remember G-d much, who think on G-d, they're thinking on G-d a lot. Their mind is given to remembering G-d a lot, often and a lot. Such people had in Muhammad a sufficient human model, wonderful. G-d is the lord of all the worlds and in our religion, Lord means the one who after creating you, takes you like mama takes you.
Gives you what you can't give yourself, and helps you stand on your feet, help you come to your maturity, helps you so you can walk on your own, manage your life. That's Rabb. That's the meaning of Rabb, G-d as the Rabb, as the Lord, as the Lord. Then G-d also says that in the Ka?bah, we all turn in prayer, Muslim, all turn in prayer toward one cubicle. It's the home, it's called al-Bayt, the home. It's the home.
A home for our human essence and for our human destiny, our human essence and purpose on this earth, it is the home for that. We turn toward that home as a symbol called Ka?bah. G-d says of that, he calls it house, that little cubicle. Empty, used to have false idols in it. Those who came into its possession or became the trustees for that house after the prophet had gone and they had lost the way that he put them on, Abraham, Ibrahim.
They had filled that house, they took the house that's built by the prophet Ibrahim, and his son Ishmail in the Bible, Ibrahim and Ishmail in Islamic terminology Ibrahim and Ismail, they took the house that's built by him to be a house for their pagan gods. And each division of Arab in their rituals, or their worship they had the right to put their god there. Every people could put their god, a little model of their god into that house, for the Arabs.
They had made it a place of pilgrimage. It was a place of pilgrimage before Islam, it was a place of pilgrimage for them. They also put their little gods in that house, and it is said, tradition holds for us that they had 369 gods in that house. Muhammad, as Abraham, was chosen, peace be upon the prophets, to destroy the idols of his time, Muhammad was chosen by G-d to take the idols out of that sacred house and to keep it clean for us for all times. All the idols were removed by Muhammad, he took them all out, so now that little cubicle is empty. There's nothing in there but air. One alien human being who had been converted to Islam but didn't change his alien nature, he wanted to make Hajj, so he went to Hajj, and he was looking for Allah in the house. He actually broke the rules, he went into the Ka?bah, they arrested him. I saw him, he was looking all wild eyed, and he said, "Brother Minister--" It was a long time ago, I was called minister. "Brother minister, I didn't see Allah in there. I didn't see Allah in there." Poor man.
[laughter]
Moses didn't see Allah on the mountain, how do you expect to see Allah in the Ka?bah?
[laughter]
Allah says of that house, that little cubicle, that little house, it is a house built for all people, a house built for all people. (Arabic), built for all humanity. It is a house built for all humanity. Islam is very clearly the religion whose call to man is universal, the call is universal. It serviced us as individuals, yes, it service our spirit as individuals, yes, everything, it service us individually perfectly, but the biggest service is not the service that it gives us individually.
It's the service that it calls us to unite for collectively. The service that it's going to give humanity, the service that it's going to give man as a community on this earth, and community also includes government. Man has to one day give his whole being, whole life and purpose in obedience to the creator. The Quran and Muhammad comes to guide humanity to that great life so we can have the full life that G-d wants for us on this earth.
This religion doesn't come independent of the great scriptural movements of the past. No, it comes as a continuation of the great spiritual movements of the past. It helps us to see what was missed, what was lost and gives it back to us so that this great life can continue uninterrupted until it reaches the destiny intended by G-d for human life in community. As Muslims we can never be satisfied with our government giving man all the credit for what G-d has done.
I'm about to conclude, we look at our achievements as intellects, our achievements as industrialists, our achievements as scientists. We look at all these achievements and we say, "Man give man the credit." Man is nothing but-- that's how come G-d intended that man one day men invent the computer. The computer is here to teach man that you are also a computer.
[laughter]
You are nothing but a computer. You made your computer up on what I gave you and I made you without you giving me anything. Thank you very much, may G-d guide us, have mercy on us and show us the way, amin.
[applause]
Imam: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Congregation: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Imam: The imam has reserved a few minutes to answer questions, if anyone has any question I believe you can come to this mic and ask your question.
Participant: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Participant: I don't if I heard it correctly Imam brother imam, but he said that, Iblis was the leader of the angels.
Imam: Yes.
Participant: That's just my question.
Imam: In Islamic theology if you can put it that way, I don't like the term theology for Islam. I can't find a better term right now. In Islamic theology, the Shay??n was first Iblis, he was Ibl?s before he was Shay??n and Ibl?s was of a different creation than the angels. Ibl?s was a Jinn by creation, his Jinn. There are three communities, two communities, pardon me, rational communities that Islam wants us to recognize.
One is a community of men, rational community, the other one is the community of the Jinns, another rational community. And they're the angels who are obedient servants of G-d and they have no independent agenda, they only have G-d's agenda. They cannot have a separate agenda or an independent agenda for themselves. They can only follow what G-d orders and these are the angels. It is said that Ibl?s was the leader of the angels.
In the Bible, you find it as Lucifer. That doesn't mean that we see these things exactly as Christians see them, that we would define Lucifer as a Christian would define Lucifer. I'm not saying that's the meaning, but the likeness of Ibl?s is Lucifer. Bible says of Lucifer that he rebelled too against G-d's order and he brought a third of the heavens down, the stars, means the angels. A third of the saints down, a third of the stars down, a third of the angels down. This is the same story. I accept educators in the traditions of the scholars in Islam that this Ibl?s was a leader of the angels.
He was a leader of the angels. Actually what G-d reveals to us in Quran concerning that order up there, at that time when he introduced the plan for man, we don't get it that he's a leader of the angels. All we get is that he was among them, and that G-d said to them, "I am creating a ruler in the earth." And they questioned, the angels questioned it. If the angels questioned it, knowing the nature of angels, how could the angels question it if they were true to the angel nature? That was really the Jinn questioning it, and the Jinn was leading the angels. All right? Is it clear now? Thank you.
Moderator: Yes sir, then we'll get to you. Yes sir.
Participant: [inaudible 00:38:29] 
Imam Mohammed: Yes, when I was sitting I think I missed the first part of the question, but I believe I got it. I think I got it. From what you said, what I caught I think I understood everything. Yes, there is the spirit all over the world now among Muslims, especially Muslim thinkers and Muslim people of strong faith. The spirits all over the Muslim world to have the religion back as G-d revealed it and as Muhammad demonstrated it for us to us, and for us.
I know several great thinkers, I wouldn't want to name any of them, but I know several great thinkers. One of them I told him, I met him about recently, very recently. I understood that he had visited us in the United States in Chicago, 1966. He knew of me and he knew of our history, how our community changed and everything, and came into a mainstream Islam and to the world with the international community of Muslims. He told me many things and he's a world traveler. He's been everywhere. He's been to Russia when Russia was communist and spoke there when there were communists. He's a very, very intelligent man. I told him after he spoke to me and shared some of his thoughts with me. I told him that you are my leader and I accept him as my leader. I accept him as a leader for all Muslims of this time. He's not the only one. I know at least three that I have that respect for. I can follow them. I have no problem following them, they're my leaders too.
Do you know what he told me? It may shock you. This man has a very high position in his country, very, very high. As a religious person, you can't have a higher position unless you become president. This man told me, he said, "You are my leader." Great minds are humble. [laughs] Great minds are humble. [laughs] I was very serious in saying that he's my leader and I respect him. I'm going to learn more about him because Allah want us, - suppose that we had a fraternity of the best and best minds in human excellence and in knowledge. Suppose we had a fraternity, fraternal order, not secret order, fraternal order [laughs] of these great human persons and great minds in Islam, in conference with each other, consulting each other for a better life and better future for all of us on this Earth. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Whenever I find one, I want to have access to him. I'm going to see him again, I'm going to talk to him again, I'll find a way to see him again. In fact, I'm invited to his country. We are going to meet again soon. A man of great intellect and his intellect is obedient to Allah.
Now, I'm sorry to go away from the question. We have these minds in Islam. We have these minds in the Muslim community of today. We have such a minds that can guide us successfully in the way to the life that Allah wants to us. These minds, the minds of these gentlemen, will never accept that a government that's not in obedience to Allah is a government that we should tolerate forever, no. We have patience, we are not fanatics, we have patience but we want to contribute to the reform of these governments. We want to reform these governments.
Even the United States of America is a beautiful government. These great Christian minds who are excellent as human beings and also excellent as religious thinkers, they don't think that this country has reached its destiny yet. It's still on the path toward its great destiny. We're going to join them in America to help America until it fulfills its mandate to or whatever it claims it's going to give man. Thank you very much and I hope I answered your question. It's okay? He said it's okay so thank you.
[laughter]
Imam: Yes, sir.
Speaker 2: [inaudible 00:43:10] so many of G-d's creation though [inaudible 00:43:14]. I was wondering when the position of [inaudible 00:43:20].
Imam: Yes, we joined the Catholic community and also other religious communities of Christians and others in holding that abortion is sin. To abort is a crime, it's murder. That's our position. It's murder. Is there more questions?
Speaker 2: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Speaker 2: When they talk, they spoken to ranking the prophets and messengers [inaudible 00:44:07].
Imam Mohammed: No, prophets and messengers are the thing. It's on one level, prophets and messengers, and then scholars.
Speaker 2: You answered my question.
Imam Mohammed: Yes.
Speaker 2: [inaudible 00:44:16].
Imam Mohammed : Right, yes.
Speaker 2: Angels are [inaudible 00:44:20].
Imam: Yes, and you are a messenger too.
[laughter]
Imam: I've already heard your message.
[laughter]
Speaker 2: [inaudible 00:44:50]. You say what you did then?
Imam: Yes.
Speaker 2: Regarding angels.
Imam: Angels are messengers.
Speaker 2: Are they all [inaudible 00:45:05].
Imam: Yes. According to the teachings of Islam, the Islamic knowledge, angels were created to be messengers and that's what they are, they're G-d's messengers. Yes, sir?
Speaker 3: [inaudible 00:45:19]
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Speaker 3: In my search for Allah's laws and plans I've come to many teachings that conflict my own rationale and my own heart coming teaching that's been [unintelligible 00:45:40] that prayers won't be answered for, I don't know how many days, 90 days and so. [unintelligible 00:45:49] says a woman can't be believer unless she wears a hijab.
[audio cut]
Imam: That G-d want for all people in. You see?
[audio cut]
Speaker 3: Not to mention all the other people.
Imam: Hijab is a veil, right?
Speaker 3: Right. Not to mention all the other people that came to [unintelligible 00:46:42] from the Nation of Islam. My question is, can you be considered a righteous Muslim if you don't subscribe to all of these teachings and theories if you don't honestly and sincerely believe it in your heart?
Imam: Before Muslim life, conscious life begins, the Muslim is to wake up and remember that Allah is greater, "Allahu akbar." When we go through our prayer service, Friday prayer or service, the first thing we would hear there, express, "Allahu akbar," G-d is bigger, G-d is greater, G-d is more significant, G-d is more important. That's what the expression means. G-d is a greater, you see? "Allahu Akbar," that's what it means.
Now, if we applied it as a logic and we should as a student of Islamic knowledge, I believe that expression there is not just to say Allah is greater, it's to give us, it is to hint us or lead us to see a logic. The logic is this, that the more important always comes before the lesser in importance.
In the Christian teaching, it says the people sneeze at a gnat and swallow a camel. The same teaching is in Islam, so before you worry so much about a veil and about whether the soap is halal or the toothpaste is halal, avid shirk one G-d. Accept that there's one G-d and conform your life accordingly. Accept that Muhammad is the Messenger of G-d at a mercy to all the world and let your life conform to that. Read the Quran, love it, and respect it. See Muhammad as a man, a human being, a common human person that was not educated and lifted above humanity, in human excellence to the high position that G-d wants for all people in their character.
See these things, these are more important things. If we put most of our attention on these more important things, these other minor things, will take care of themselves and nature will take care of them.
?Speaker: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
[applause]
Speaker 4: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Speaker 4: I'm somewhat confused a little bit in my faith as far as motherships, UFOs or as stated, destruction of America. Do we have to end up leaving America? Will be lifted up in the twinkling of an eye? It it [unintelligible 00:50:07] that or what?
Imam: It has truth but in its contexts. As the mysterious teaching of mister W.D. Fard, it has truth in that context. Take it out of that context, it has no reality or truth in the world.
[laughter]
Speaker 4: We won't have to worry about leaving United States.
Imam: All you have to worry about is reading the Quran and learning about that religion Islam.
[applause]
Imam: [Arabic language] Okay, sister. Do you have a question?
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:51:02].
Imam: [Arabic language]
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:51:05].
Imam: What is that?
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:51:13] I read your book [inaudible 00:51:30].
Imam: Yes, I recall.
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:51:35]. One question, simply, is to ask you, [inaudible 00:52:09] as in mothers, and sisters, and aunts [inaudible 00:52:15] in Chicago [inaudible 00:52:58] that are not receiving [inaudible 00:52:26] population of black men [inaudible 00:52:38]. My question too is, in Chicago, [inaudible 00:52:58] to urge unbelievers [inaudible 00:53:04].
Imam: Yes, I think I know what you're saying. It has been brought to my attention. I received a fax that there's going to be a workshop conference, with workshops conference of scholars from all over the Islamic world. Okay, I'm familiar with that.
Speaker 5: Were you invited in that?
Imam: Yes. I was invited to chair the workshop on morals, the direction for moral life, but I didn't except the invitation because I wasn't invited to plan the meeting in Chicago. I should have been invited to be with the planners, to plan that meeting. They shouldn't have planned something and then asked me to come in on the tail end of it. They didn't respect my community.
All: Allahu akbar.
[applause]
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:54:09].
Imam: Well, the invitation didn't come from Farrakhan. The invitation came from the scholars from the conference to me. I understand that Minister Farrakhan has been selected by them to host the conference.
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:54:37].
Imam: Okay. That in the final call. Please read it. No, I want to hear this. Please, don't anybody interfere with what's going on right now. It's too good to stop it right now.
[laughter]
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:55:00] ramification of the original meaning [inaudible 00:55:09] entire statement [inaudible 00:55:10] by your father [inaudible 00:55:35].
Imam: I have that desire. I have that desire. I will never give up on all of us coming together one day.
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:55:56].
Imam: I still follow the most important of the teachings that we got. Who is your own self? That's the question. We were given a question from the Hon Elijah Muhammad teacher. The question ask is like a Catholic catechism. It says, "Who is your own self? Answer." Didn't want us to give the answer. The teacher gave the answer. Who is your own self? Answer? Your own self is a righteous Muslim. Your own self is a righteous Muslim. You know the difference between me and Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam now? They talk more about my own self as black, then they talk about my own self as a righteous Muslim. That's the difference.
[applause]
Speaker 5: [inaudible 00:56:52].
Imam: Allah be with you and guide you.
Speaker 6: [inaudible 00:57:08]. May I ask a question please?
Imam: Yes, sure.
Speaker 6: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Speaker 6: It's not really a question, but what I want to say is that in our effort to unite universally, I think it was disrespect to say that the mysterious teachings of W.D. Fard and what he taught is the truth in that respect. Whereas [inaudible 00:57:44]--
Imam: I said truth in the context that he himself formed, his statements are true within the context that he formed. Outside of the context that he formed, those statements can't be recognized by intelligent people.
Speaker 6: I don't [inaudible 00:58:02].
Imam: They can't even be recognized by morally strong people.
Speaker 6: [inaudible 00:58:07].
Imam: Well, that's what the world is. It's about differences and likenesses.
Speaker 6: [inaudible 00:58:13].
Imam: You know who you're talking to?
Speaker 6: I [inaudible 00:58:29].
Imam: You shouldn't try to give me what my father was not able to give me.
[cheers and applause]
Speaker 7: [unintelligible 00:58:41]
Imam: I think we killed all the negative.
Speaker 7: Okay.
Imam: We have to have a positive question behind all those negative ones. Let's see if we can find some kind of positive [laughs].
Speaker 8: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Speaker 8: [inaudible 00:59:13]. I have a question and this is going to [inaudible 00:59:19]. My mother [inaudible 00:59:23] she's been feeling insecure about [inaudible 00:59:27] doing all the [inaudible 00:59:32]. My husband is [inaudible 00:59:35] he makes all decisions for her. People are wondering if he was to pass away, will be be able to bury her in a [inaudible 00:59:47] Muslim because she's not able to make any [inaudible 00:59:50].
Imam: She never converted to Islam though, right?
Speaker 8: No.
Imam: Okay. She's in your care?
Speaker 8: My husband makes all the decisions.
Imam: Legally no one else is next? You should bury her as you know to bury.
Speaker 8: [inaudible 01:00:13].
Speaker 9: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
Speaker 9: My question is hoping for the benefit of the Muslim community I'm in. We Muslims, in the community, in the different areas have problems of coming together in a unified manner to establish Islam, in particular area. What is your advice on the best method for Muslims to come together to solve the differences in a particular area?
Imam: Yes. Follow the instructions of G-d to us in the Quran and the life and teachings of Muhammad the Prophet. If we have difference we are to consult the word of G-d, the Quran, and the life example of Muhammad the Prophet. Before you begin your meeting, you should bring that to the attention of people, open with Al Fatiha and bring that to the attention of all the people that Muslims are to be one united people, a community of people united and serving Allah.
No other masters. Allah is our Lord and master. Muhammad is the messenger of G-d. We are to bring all of our differences to the table and apply the teachings of Quran and the teachings of our Prophet to the problem so that we come to some kind of understanding and agreement. If you need me, I'll come too.
Speaker 9: [unintelligible 01:01:57] Allahu Akbar.
Imam: Yes.
Speaker 10: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam. Peace be on you.
Speaker 10: I want to thank you for your ministry. I've two reasons for thanking you. Both are concerning [unintelligible 01:02:11]. The first being the potential for World War in the future between Islamic nations and nations in the West, I'm convinced that the presence of the Islamic people in this country will be a primary factor in preventing that from happening.
I'd like to hear you talk about what your community can be doing and how we, who are Christians, can help in this struggle to help overcome this prejudiced distortion of what Islam really is in other-- [unintelligible 01:02:42] country. Secondly, I'm very concerned about the established religion in this country, which, for lack of an other name I'll call it Americanism.
There are many doctrines, which I believe Islam and Christianity share with Americanism, but there are many distortions in that established religion. One that's troubling me the most right now is the teaching that a human being must justify his or her life by how productive they are in the economic system. That we are not entitled to bread, our housing, our clothing, apart from what we do in work. It would help me to hear you talk about the teaching of Islam, about our life to the benefits of life quite apart from what role we're playing on the economic system. I thank you.
Imam: Yes, thank you. For the first question, I do believe that G-d has blessed us to come from a very strange history as religious people, to come into the light of Islam with the international community of Muslims. I do believe that this experience has prepared us to have a real role in presenting Islam correctly in this country and showing the similarities, the likeness, the resemblance, that these two religions have for each other.
Christianity resembles Islam in many respect. Islam resembles Christianity in many respect. Both have a purity that G-d revealed. Those who are informed correctly among their religious leaders of the world. With Christianity and Islam, we can recognize the same purity that we have in these religions coming from G-d by way of the Prophets to us so we can work together as brothers and sisters.
We are working together as brothers and sisters. The more we get together and know each other better, and cooperate for the good future of mankind on this earth, the better the world is going to be. The people who don't fear G-d and want to obey G-d's direction for human life, they are not going to be able to stop these great wars that can happen. It's got to be the religious community.
I think the world leadership is recognizing that now. The president William Clinton, he has Muslims along with the Christians and Jews and others on a commission to advise the State Department and him. I'm one of the persons recently selected. I'm on that commission.
Yes. That's not enough. We need to meet with each other. On your grounds, at your church or at our mosque, we need to be meeting with each other. Before you leave here, I hope you will leave with one of the officers here. Please leave me a card or something. I'll get in touch with you later because I want to benefit from what you have to say, what you have to offer, that way we strengthen each other. We can do a better job on this earth.
For the second question, the last part of the question, G-d gives us for our balance in this world, a material force and spiritual force. The two forces, the material and the spiritual. He gives us guidance for balance. G-d says "Seek with the means that I have made possible for you. Seek the life after." The latter destiny, the destiny to come. G-d says, "But do not forget or neglect your share of this material world." If we leave this material world to the materialists, we will always be under them, overpowered by them, not recognized by them. They will squeeze our life out.
We want good people of faith who are strong enough-- they have faith and will power for G-d's sake, strong enough to carry Jupiter. That's a heavy planet. Let us not fear to engage the material world. Let us get our share. We can't leave it to the people who will oppress humanity. Then we don't have to worry about the material consequences if we, who fear G-d and obey him become the bankers and the moneylenders, et cetera.
Thank you very much. I'm going to ask your permission to leave now. My back is not the strong-- I injured my back so I'm trying to get off my feet with your permission.
Speaker 11: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Imam: Thank you. As-Salaam-Alaikum. Peace.
[01:07:50] [END OF AUDIO]

