12/04/2005
IWDM Study Library
FIRST SUNDAY SPEECH 
Pt. 3
By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

00:01 Imam W. Deen Mohammed: To do that, you must exit. [chuckle] Yes, you must exit. You must get out of the mind. You must exit, get your mind and your interest out from under and out of the doors of the castle of your oppressor into a situation of your own. You don't have to travel, you don't have to wear out your shoes, you don't have to get your legs tired, just stand up in your own independent mind! 

00:43 IWDM: And that's what the Qur'an, that message from G-d is for, is to stand Muslims up in Muslim independent mind. Then you'll be free. Yes. So, he said, "We... You," speaking to us, G-d says, "kuntum", you all," "tum" means plural, everybody. "Kuntum khaira ummatin ukhrijat linnas." Now don't hear the first part and miss the second part, the second part is better than the first part. A community evolved or set free, that ain't necessarily too much. Maybe they're set free just to have their own party on the weekend. Or they're set free just to have their own blackness and their own black angers and their own black behavior.

01:41 IWDM: But if they're set free to help all people on this earth, man, now that make 'em big. And G-d says, "Kuntum khaira ummatin." "You are the best of communities evolved for the good of all people." Evolved for the good of all people, that makes you special, special. That makes you big, big. And then, G-d doesn't want you to be arrogant. G-d doesn't want you to get this understanding of your high place that he gives you among the societies or nations of the earth. He doesn't want you to get arrogant. So he tells you that among those people in the book, there are those that have the excellence that he's calling you to. And they are also serving him, working for justice and fair dealings among men. And then, he would piece it and he'd say to you, "Be you a people working for justice and fair dealings among men." Isn't it beautiful? Isn't it beautiful? 

02:55 IWDM: So what are we looking at here? We're looking at a process that is started by G-d himself, and the process didn't start with Muhammad. It started with the first man that G-d himself gave his spirit to. First man that he gave his spirit to. And the first man he gave his spirit to was Adam. He created him of the earth, formed him of the earth, and then he breathed into him of his own spirit. That's G-d speaking and Adam became a living soul. Huh? It means an enlightened soul. He became an enlightened soul. He became a soul with bright vision. Huh? He became a soul with the vision to take his matter where G-d wants it to go. And that's to excellence, externally and internally. An excellent environment, physical environment and an excellent life enjoying it. This is G-d! Praise be to Allah.

04:11 IWDM: Yes. For he says, "You are the best community." You are of the best community evolved for the good of all people. Then he guides Muhammad, after Muhammad showed downheartedness or he showed disappointment, so to speak, following the Qibla of the Jewish people. That Qibla is a message of their political victory. Political victory. Muhammad wasn't pleased at his self, he wasn't a man like that. And we can know him in many, many ways from the language. Muhammad the Prophet says that a way was offered to him when he was given his mission, to travel by the mountains, by way of the mountains, or by way of the plains. And he chose to travel by way of the plains. That means he didn't choose to where we'll all go, or gods. He didn't choose to display wealth and fine jewelry. He didn't choose to show off wisdom. He didn't choose to dictate people's lives. He chose to connect with the common people and set up a democratic republic. Yes! What Muhammad established was the first democratic republic. Republic to republish. Republic to re-people, renew, bring about again.

06:11 IWDM: Democratic means fair where everybody can participate, no one person dictating or bossing everybody, the people participate. It's a consensus. Yes. It's a mutual consensus. It's a mutual decision that they all agree in or accept. It's by Shura Baynahum, this is Qur'an. Shura Baynahum. It's by consultation, consulting one another to come up with the best that each other can offer. And then presenting what the people came up with, what they concluded was the best for them. And establishing that as a decision, the resolution or the order. Now if you tell me, you can... If you're educated... Some of you went to college and graduated. Some of you got two and three doctorate degrees or more. If you tell me you can't understand that being a democratic republic, you're telling me that you don't like your own religion. 'Cause to deny the beauty of your own religion is to show me that you don't like your own religion. Yes? 

07:46 IWDM: These nations are not stupid. Before they really began a great work that's going to affect the world, especially their citizens, they consult the best of knowledge and the best of books. They consult the best of leaders that the earth has produced. The most successful, the most clean, the most successful of the leaders. They consult them, the most productive of nations, and the most productive of political orders. They search to find them and they search to see what can we extract or what can we take from the past that proved itself and use it to make ours the best? That's what they did. So don't think they didn't borrow it from Muhammad the Prophet. They borrowed a lot from Muhammad, I'm talking about the founders of this Nation, this great Nation. They borrowed a lot from Prophet Muhammad, they borrowed a lot from the Qur'an. They borrowed a lot from Prophet Muhammad.

09:03 IWDM: I heard one learned scholar say, he passed away, very old man, passed away. He visited my father many years late, almost 25 years late or more. I meet him as the leader of this community and he tells me of his visit to my father in 1967 or '68, I think he said. And he became my friend. I got to know him very well. He lectured in all the great nations of this world. He lectured even in communist countries or nations before it was permissible for us to go to those places, citizens of America to go to those places. He lectured in those countries. He lectured in Japan, China, everywhere. All the great nations. Certainly in Europe and many places. And he lectured at least in America. He came here.

10:05 IWDM: And he said, "When we look at history and where Muhammad the Prophet is taking humanity, we must agree that Muhammad is the present day leader for humanity. 'Cause these great values that we have, they're values that were established in the leadership, under the leadership of Muhammad the Prophet. The great respect we have for freedom and the rights of every person to his own opinions. That was established by Muhammad in his lifetime, said, kullikum raih. "Every one of you, each one of you entitled to your own opinion." I'm quoting him. But you wouldn't know that, you don't study these things. So when you hear them, if you're a Muslim, they should lift your spirit.

11:18 IWDM: I'm not a Muslim because my father taught me Yakub history. I'm not a Muslim because my father told me that black man was G-d. I never could understand it. How he could be G-d and can't do anything. How he could be G-d and can't compete with white people. I couldn't understand it. I didn't argue with my father, I didn't want to hurt his feelings. [chuckle] G-d loves you. I know it because I'm here. I'm here with you still. Now that's some powerful love, I'm telling you. I'm still with you all, 30 years or more.

[applause]

12:23 IWDM: Allahu-akbar, Praises, Allah. Praises Allah. Yes, I know G-d loves you and knowing how much he loves you, I have to love you. I have to love you, I have to love you a lot because G-d makes you very special. He makes you very special. You know, we think we suffer and that we hang around and wait, and wait, and wait, and don't get what we're promised. Now G-d, He doesn't have to wait for somebody to get Him something or promise Him something and wait for them to fulfill. He doesn't have to that, He has all power, He can finish you. He can change you and make you do what He wants you to do, He has that power. So the scripture say, "G-d is long suffering." Now, we know He doesn't really suffer but it means... Just want us to see that you think you suffer and you bearing this for a long time that's bothering you. Think how long G-d have been around? Bearing you all. Not responding to His word.

13:43 IWDM: Yes, so the scripture says He's long suffering. The Qur'an puts it this way, and say, "He's ever ready to forgive, He's merciful, ever ready to forgive, and His mercy extends beyond His wrath." This is what Qur'an says in here. So His punishment is never more lasting or more far reaching than His mercy, than His kindness, His love, His compassion. Yes, so we are the best of communities evolved for the good of mankind. If we study civilization as a student, rational student, academic student, study the history of civilization as an academic student, you'll come to the conclusion that life is supported by the natural environment and it is the natural environment that have motivated, stimulated, and even directed the human spirit and human mind to have a good life, to have a good life. Allah says to us that He has revealed the book and it is a book of ayahs, and ayahs means signs. Then He says to us, that He created and made all the world and all the world is nothing but one great book of signs, a great book of signs; Signs heeding direction, signs pointing the mind and the spirit to the best establishment human beings can have in a natural world.

15:47 IWDM: Yes? So this is a message in Islam. You are the best evolved for the good of all people. Now, you have as your Qibla, not a political victory that you turn back to or that you look at and you don't forget. That continues to aspire you, that if G-d directed you to be victorious and you accomplished that once and you became the most victorious of all the powers, all the nations on earth, you don't have that to turn back to, that bothered Muhammad the Prophet. He was not pleased with that kind of Qibla, with that kind of shrine to turn to in worship of G-d. He was not pleased with that. So G-d says, "Now, turn yourselves, your faces, toward the ancient house in Mecca." Called Becca in the bible. Turn your faces toward that house. He said, "Now, I will turn you to a Qibla that will please you." To an orientation, to assembling a sign of your unity and your precious sacred center, your sacred spirit and soul, the inner, the inner, the temple within. Said, "I'm going to turn you to that and that will please you." And He did. And then what He says of that. What He also says of that, it's a house or in the language of many, a temple, a temple, T-E-M-P-L-E.

18:00 IWDM: He says, of that house, of that temple, he says, "It is Al-Awalluu-baitan, the ancient, the most ancient, the first of the houses, Buniya-lil-Nasi, built for all mankind, for all people. Buniya-lil-Nas built for all people." If you don't accept that Islam like Christianity wants us to identify ourselves, people-wise, with all people on this earth, then you are missing a great truth and a great invitation. For you to identify yourself in the bigger membership, the membership of humanity, the membership of the human family, all human beings. Genesis began with the creation of man and that first man is established as the father and producer of all people. All other people, both male and female, with his wife that was made from his own soul. They were made from one and the same soul. So, what is it saying? It is saying both the Bible and Qur'an is telling us that G-d is not talking about your 230-pound body or your black skin or your white skin or your nappy hair or your straight hair. That's not what He's looking at. But He says he created one parent and from them came all of the children on earth. He is looking at your higher life, your spiritual life and your soul that breathe that life. That's what He's looking at. And that all human beings are one in that life. They are one and the same in that life.

20:43 IWDM: And he wants you to see that reality and connect with each other upon recognition of that reality. Not on recognition of black hair, red hair, yellow hair, white skin, black skin, red skin, yellow skin, nappy hair, straight hair. No, that's foolishness. In the presence of G-d, that's nothing but ignorance. So you are the best community evolved for the good of all mankind if you connect with these realities I'm sharing with you or presenting to you today. If you don't, you're not of the best communities. You are of the cheap community, of the cheapest communities that man have on this planet earth if you don't connect and identify those higher realities, the higher reality. And I know I don't have to preach that to some of you all. You were educated, you were sensitive to such identity and the value of identifying human beings in that way before I started teaching to you or preaching to you. Some of you joined the Honorable. Elijah Muhammad with already a consciousness and awareness of that. So, I'm not talking to all of you, I'm talking to those that come from culturally deprived past of life and they have not been turn on to the higher realities.

22:23 IWDM: And we cannot continue to carry them on our backs if they refuse to wake up. We're going to have to take the best and keep going forward, and pray for them and hope they'll be waking up and coming behind us. But we can't let them hold us back. How are we to do this? Don't waste your time with people that are not awake in the best human life like yourself. You spend your time and work with people that you recognize from this community or anywhere else that are in the best human mind that you respect and that you live with. Work with them, don't waste your time with those that are out of this because it's like wasting your time in the graveyard out there putting flowers on it, and ain't nobody responding. Out there freshening it up, keeping it fresh and ain't nobody were responding. Praying for rain and nothing coming up. Huh? Stop wasting your time. Love the dead but don't die with them, please.

[background conversation]

23:52 IWDM: Allahu Akbar. Yes, we only have about 10 more minutes. Now, also, G-d says to us that ours is the religion of Abraham. And any who consciously rejects the religion of Abraham makes him his own self a fool. Isn't that what G-d said? And this is what religion what you want to look for, other than the religion of Abraham. So, there's something about Abraham that's very special, isn't it? And we know that although the Christians say they have a new Jerusalem and the Christians say that they don't have Abraham anymore. They have Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ replaced Abraham. And there's no more salvation by following the way of Abraham but there's salvation by faith in Christ. This is what they say. And what does our religion say? Any who rejects the religion of Abraham makes himself a fool. No, that's right, I don't talk this on air. I don't speak like this on air. When I'm on air, I got guests. Your ain't supposed insult your guests. You're not opposed to hurt your guests. I got a guest from them. But here, I know what I've got. I got the followers of Moses. And as our brother would say, you try to stare at a guest there and get 'em on to move, they're as slow as molasses in the wintertime.

[laughter]

26:24 IWDM: But you know, this is a sign, that is a sign. For 30 years, my father, almost 40 years, from 1930 to 1975, that's about 40 years. That's 40 years. 40 years, that's 44 years. About 44 years. 'Cause '31, he joined Mr. Farrakhan, in '31, 1931. So, from '31 to '75 is 44 years, isn't it? 44 years, 44 years! And when he left, he left the same problems that he faced in 1931. People that just listened but won't see and act upon clear vision. Now, I've been with you all for over 30 years. Yeah? 'cause really I started, my father let me back and I started around '72. Late '72 or '73. I think it was late '72, I'm pretty sure. Late '72, so from '72 to 2005, how many years? That's a long time. We've been together so long, I forgot you have problems.

[laughter]

28:02 IWDM: Yeah, anytime you stay around me all day, stay around me all this time, I'm thinking you don't have any problems. But then when I try to communicate with you, I'm getting all these blocks. [laughter] Yeah, so, I say, "Hey, what is this?" But it's a great sign. I say, it's a great sign. It's a great sign that G-d is giving us, that's making us understand, that when you got no burden, you don't have to struggle. And when you don't struggle, you don't accomplish much. Yeah? G-d blessed us, G-d blessed me with all these people weighing on my back, on my poor back. He blessed me. 'Cause that makes me, you know, you got all that pain, it makes you keep going, it makes you keep moving. Yeah? It makes you keep looking for a way to lighten your burden. So, it's a blessing in disguise. Yes, it is. It's a blessing in disguise. But, I think, you know what I think they do, I think you are bribe... You all want to bribe me. Pretend like you don't understand a thing I say. [laughter] Say, "If I act like I don't hear, he'll tell us more." You trying to bribe me. [laughter] You slick niggers, I know you.

29:55 IWDM: Yeah, yeah, you got over on the white bosses like that. [laughter] Well, I'm going to have to close out now, but I'm going to leave with a joke with you, I got to share this with you. This a good one, I thought I told a good one.

30:16 IWDM: And I told one about same type of a person, they, them all whites, it's universal character, you know, but he's really among us. I told this joke and a brother in the restaurant he followed it up with his joke. I told this one, I said, same, same thing... I addressed the same thing. I said, "I knew a fella who lived next door to us, when we were living on 447 Woodlawn, in a mansion." And the owners of the house next door was the owner of another mansion. It's a mansion and they had service, driver... My father had service too, special drivers, special people to take care of his car, his property, and everything. So anyway, and my father would let certain ones drive the car home. And said, "Brother, you just take it home with you and bring back tomorrow or bring it back after the weekend," my father would do that. So anyway, this man had one too and it so happened that I knew him very well now. I knew the driver of this car very well and I happened to be on the street on south side, in the poor area of Chicago, African Americans people's neighborhood. And I come out the store and there he is standing on the sidewalk, the man asked about his car. "Yeah, this car, I bought this car so, so, so, sometime" he said. He said, "Yeah, and I got another one back home but this one here is my favorite one." He talking about the boss's car.

[laughter]

32:10 IWDM: So this brother told me was a little better than that. He said, "It was back then, at the time of the plantation days and the master was getting ready to go on a trip. And he had been in the habit of every weekend, letting this special servant of his take his horse and go to town, ride into town." So this time he told him, he said, "Now, don't take the horse to town." He said, "'Cause he's sick." He said, "Wait until I come back and I hope I can get him well." So this servant... When the master was gone, he took the horse to town and he took the horse and he tied him up outside of the store where he was doing a little buying there, and he went in the store and he was talking to someone in the store and a man walked up and said, "Is that your horse out there?" He said, "Yeah, that's my horse, that's a fine horse." He said, "He's dead."

[laughter]

33:39 IWDM: He said, "Hey, you all! Get that horse and just lift him up on my shoulder, put him on my shoulder!" He said, the man said, "He's dead." He's, "Not right now, he can't die here!" They helped him, got that horse on his shoulder, he got the strap and carried a horse. He got that horse and put him on the stable and laid it down there. So the master came back and found him dead. He didn't have any worries. [laughter] Now that's deep, that tells us just how much we feared the master. That's what that joke was all about, that tells us just how much we used the master, but also how much we feared him. More importantly, how much we feared him. He said, "He ain't dead, he can't die here." [laughter]

34:53 IWDM: My time is up, it's good time. It's good time, I love you all, with all the criticism I love you all very much. Peace to you, As-salamu alaikum.

35:05 S?: Wa-alaikum salaam.

[background conversation]

[applause]
