2000
IWDM Study Library
IWDM Jumu’ah Harvey Ill center

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Jumah: Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. With Allah's name, the merciful benefactor and the merciful Redeemer. We witness that He is one, and we witness that Muhammad is His servant, and His messenger, an honorable servant and messenger of G-d, the last of the prophets, the seal of prophets, mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, properly named in Quran, the Torah, and Injil.
We know G-d has revealed him to us. G-d says of Muhammad, that he is a mercy to all the worlds, and G-d says of Muhammad, that certainly we have seen him on the foundation of the most excellent character. And Allah says of him, that he is enough for all mankind. With that expression, "enough for all mankind," we can understand the saying of the prophet (peace be upon him) that there is a building being built, and these prophets came and contributed a block to that building. And he was the last to put a block, to finish that building, and he is enough for all mankind, as Allah says, in the holy book, Quran.
Allah said of him, that he has believed in G-d, and so have the believers. Muhammad, the believer in G-d, he is our leader. If we follow him, we follow him in faith. Firstly, believing in G-d, seen and unseen. Even though we can’t see Him with our eyes, the evidence of Him is in His work, and G-d's work is the creation of man, and everything else that exists in this original creation that G-d made; the skies and the earth, and all living things. We see Him in His work. It is plain and clear, the evidence of G-d's existence and presence.
We know G-d invited Moses to see Him. To come up and speak with him, pardon me. And Moses wanted to see Him. Peace be upon Moses, he said, "Let me see you." And G-d told him that, "If you would see me, look to the mountains." The evidence, the creation itself; look to the mountain. And he looked to the mountain, but he couldn't see what he wanted to see. He was thinking he was going to see a man or something I guess. Because his people believed that G-d is a man. They asked him, “Show us G-d in body, in material body.” That's what they asked according the word of G-d in the Quran.
So, they were people who believed they had to see G-d in the material body. And Moses was one of them, so he was really going on a mission for them. So, he said, "Let me see you." And G-d told him what I’ve told you; it’s in the Quran. And when he looked at the mountain he swooned; he fainted. When he regained his consciousness the mountain was there, intact. But when he swooned and passed out, the mountain disappeared, as dust. It went away.
This is Islam. This is the Quran. This is the word of G-d. This is the religion. and this is what clears up our hearts, our souls, and our minds. And anyone who is not following the way that G-d revealed, he is confused, hermon, he is man?r, he is alone. G-d is not with him, the angels are not with him, and the believers are not with him.
Praise be to Allah, who is one alone and needs nothing of this creation. He created everything and He needs nothing of this creation. He created everything by His own will. Simply to order it, “Be”. And according to G-d's word, and it was. Kun Faya kun. Be, and it came to existence. That’s G-d, and there is nothing like G-d.
Allah says in Quran of Himself la yujad mithlih shay', there is nothing at all like Him, not a single thing like Him. And we know that people of the book, they say G-d made us, man, in his own image and likeness. That’s in contradiction to other parts of the Bible, that say, "Make no image of Him." So that's contradiction. Their belief is in contradiction with their own teachings, with their own minds. You know that they call themselves (Jews) the children of G-d. It's a language, it's used lightly, as a metaphor or something to be interpreted. This is not that harmful, for the person who understands it that way.
But, if they mean that G-d really had children, descendants, then Allah answers that in the Quran. It’s not befitting of the Most High G-d to have a consort, a wife, a woman. He never had a wife. In plain simple language, and never did He father a child, and never was He born a child. And never was there anything resembling Him. This is the Quran. This is the religion. Let's stick with it; don’t go back to sleep. 
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Al-Islam is the religion of all Muslims, and the religion of mankind by virtue of their original creation. And in support of that statement Muhammad the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, “Everyone is born Muslim”. And it is the circumstances that he's put in, or she's put into that make them otherwise, a priest or a monk, a Buddhists, a Christian, a Jew - whatever you become; an atheist. It's your circumstances that you're put in that makes you other than Muslim. Muslim is your nature by birth. It is your original self. Muslim is our original self. You say, and what is my own self-unfolded? What is my own self? I’ll quote it. “My own self is a righteous Muslim.” (End quote). I think you know where that came from. [laughter].
The great son of this time who passed some years back, from Pakistan, of the Indian race people. Maulana Maududi he wrote of Islam. He said, "Islam, is an ideology for the reform of the whole world." Now we know that the Christianity started with the Jews, in the Jewish people. But Christ, according to Christian teachings, before he passed away, he instructed all of his disciples, his helpers, to go into all the avenues of human life, the family of man, and take the message to all people. So, Christianity, by their own teachings, is also a method, or an ideology, for the whole world, mankind, all people.
And if you understand the Jewish teachings, the Jews' religion, you understand that they are, too, committed to work for all people, for the whole of mankind. But they made a separation between them, and other people, as to who is authorized by G-d, and who is not. So, if you come into the Jewish people with them, then you come in by adoption. I'm quoting the Bible, I'm quoting their teachings, you come in by adoption, which means you're not a child of G-d, except by adoption. They believe they are the true children of G-d. They are the authentic, (Jews) children of G-d, and anyone else who comes into that religion comes in by adoption. 
This is Judaism. And, they identify themselves as the only begotten of G-d. They identify their whole people as the only people begotten of G-d. So, this is quite different from Islam. And it seems to be on the surface, different from Christianity. But I have studied Christianity, and Christianity, the New Testament says the same thing. You just don't understand it. They say, too, that the only begotten is the Jew. This is not to knock the Jews, this is clear up our heads so we can be strong in our faith, and clear in our minds, to do what we have to do, in the path to G-d, here in the United States of America, and other places where we are. 
We should be all over this world, like other people working for G-d, working for the world, world ideas - Global reform. Righteousness, for we are born Muslim, meaning we are born righteous, not sinful. There's no original sin in Islam. We're not born in sin, we are born Muslims. That means born with good nature, without fault, without sin, without corruption. All that comes after we learn it from the world. We don't sin until the world shows us sin. So, we're born into a world of sin, not into a nature that’s sinful. G-d says He created us, and He gave us our Taqwa; that's our righteousness. He gave us our Taqwa, and he gave us our Fuad. 
The Fuad is a hunger for love, understanding, the infinite, and in the soul. It's a hunger for the light. So, He gave us righteousness, obedience in him, Taqwa, and He gave us also an appetite for the light. So, we search for light from the time we're born, we search for light. It's in us, it's inborn into us. This is not my teaching, this is the teachings of the Quran, the teachings of G-d, not my teachings; the Quran’s author. And He gave, not nothing else, before your creation was complete, He gave you your Taqwa and your Fuad. 
It's inborn in us, and when G-d finishes it, it's a Muslim. And as Muhammad the Prophet, peace be upon him has explained, “Circumstances we’re put in may pull us out of that Muslim form.” Today, in this khutbah we want to stress obedience to G-d. In the original nature. The original nature of a baby is not to rebel against G-d. The original nature of a baby is not to rebel against its parents. The original nature of a baby is to obey what G-d has orchestrated; parents, mother, father, family. That's the original nature of every human being. And G-d says to us, He named us Muslims before and in the Quran.
Can you understand that Abraham was the first conscious Muslim? And he was the first of the Muslims; Abraham. The first of the conscious Muslims; but every human being was made a Muslim by nature, but Abraham was first of the conscious Muslims. He taught us how to be Muslim. He taught us how to protect our original nature, and to deliver it to G-d, whole and sound. Abraham taught us that. A learned Imam, I served with him overseas, and he said, "And Abraham was a community." And I recall reading it in the Quran; Allah says Abraham is a community. And He said, "And Muhammad is a community, too."
I know this community that we're in is a community of Muhammad the Prophet. It was Muhammad the Prophet, serving Allah, that established the first community of Muslims. And the whole world now follows in his creation, practicing the religion as they best understand it, from Muhammad the Prophet. Firstly, from the Quran, of course, but then, from Muhammad the Prophet, who demonstrated to the world, how that revelation was to be practiced, put into effect in the life of the individuals and society. Muhammad showed us that. It was Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam (prayers and peace be upon him), it was Muhammad who showed us how to pray.
You read the Quran, you'll not find the way to pray. It's not in the Quran. Allah gave it to Muhammad, the leader, to teach us how to pray. And he is the first of the Imams for us. And he is our teacher, he is our guide, as well as our leader. So, Muslims should know the teacher's sayings. Allah is my G-d. The Quran is my book, and Muhammad is my prophet. Labib, Muhammad, Labib. This is universal. Muslims, whether they're from the continent of Asia, or Africa, or Europe, or America, wherever they are, or in the islands, they all believe in what I'm explaining to you, right now. If you don't know these things, you do, once you study.
And you old ones should blow your brains out. Because you’ve been around here too long to hear the truth and not follow it. So, you should just go look in the mirror and blow your brains out, see yourself killed. You’re a waste of life, a waste of human material. You gone keep wrestling with something that torments you? And the liberating light is plain as day, in your eyes? I’d have to get rid of that hypocrite, that cheap hypocrite. I'd just go and take him out myself. I wouldn't even wait for myself to die. And you'll say, "The Imam told us to go kill ourselves." Are you in here? I didn't know you were in here. I didn't know I was talking to some of you all.
[laughter]
We thank Allah that we opened our eyes, because we wanted to see; we opened our eyes. When the Quran came to show us how to open our eyes, we opened our eyes. Praise be to Allah. Islam is certainly a message to all the world. It is an ideology, as Maulana Maududi said, may G-d give him paradise, it is an ideology for the reform of the whole world. That's what it’s given to us for, to reform the whole world.
And if you study the history of the world, before the time of our Prophet, immediately before the time of our Prophet, and in the time of our Prophet (peace be upon him) and study it after Islam came, you will see that it was grouping in the dark, and not civilized. Though a few of them, the learned, was civilized. But the masses were not educated; the world was not civilized until Islam came. After Islam, we start seeing a change for the better, for the whole world of mankind. All the wars were made, ugly minds, jealousy, and, as Allah says in the Quran, "And never did they differ, until the clear evidence came to them," that's the Quran.
Then they began differing and fighting and killing and jealousy of the Muslims grew in Spain, got together, and got their forces together, and drove the Muslims out of Spain. Now understand that the Muslims in Spain, there they lived beautifully. But in time, they became corrupt. If they had not become corrupt, they would have been in Spain ‘til today. Because the Spanish people were not against them, the Spanish people were faithful to them. The history says that when the Muslims were leaving Spain, turned over to the Christians, Spanish people could be seen crying on the sidelines, as they were watching them leave. Crying! So, this was a power act by the Christians of the world. Led by a few who were devilish and wicked. But Allah is the best knower. 
I believe what they did softened the hearts of many Spanish people for Islam. There are a lot of Muslims now that are Spanish, and they are increasingly coming to Islam, the Spanish people. And also, the non-Spanish people in Europe, it softened their hearts for Islam. I’ve talked to them. They tell me how it softened their hearts. 
Community. 
G-d says you are the best of communities brought up, or translated by the English translator of the Quran, "evolved," evolved for the good of all people.
You are the best of communities brought up for all mankind, evolved for all mankind. Led out of the darkness and into the light, for all mankind. This is the Quran. So, understand this, Muslim brothers and sisters all, and children. Understand this. That no matter what the world says, if you are a Muslim, you should go by what Islam says. No matter what the world says, if you say you are a Muslim, if you wear that name, you should go by what the Quran says, what Allah says in the Quran, and what Muhammad has taught us, the Prophet of Islam(peace be upon him).
If you don't do that then you’re in conflict with your own self. You're in a mess. Now you say, “Why is he angry today?” I'm as peaceful as I've ever been. I'm not angry. I'm happy, I'm in heaven, really. In my soul, I'm in heaven, and G-d knows that. Yes sir. I'm not angry with anybody. I'm in love with you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't talk to you this way. I'd sell you some bull, and get your money, and be rich, sitting up somewhere in the gold coast somewhere. And what? Come to visit you in your little ghetto, in your little sinkhole, taking your money, and going right back to my gold coast called my apartment. That’s what I’d do if I didn’t love you. But I'm not going to do that because love you. Sometimes I think some of you are worth that. But I don't have to be that. They’ve got plenty of them running around here that will give you that. They give you that treatment. They’re ready. 
All right. So, we have to know our own identity. We are Muslim by the definition given to us in the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad. Not by any definition popping up that y’all hear somewhere. We are Muslims by definition established in the Quran, the word of G-d, and the teachings and practice of Muhammad. That's why we are Muslims. And the origins of this concept came from the teacher, Abraham. This is the order of Abraham; the upright in his nature. Praise be to Allah.
And you have to understand your identity as a society. As a society, you are supposed to be one united community - one united community, ummah tal wahidah; under G-d. Following the universal message of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). This is as clear as anything can be. This is Islam. Now, you are obligated to be a Muslim, responsible for your own Muslim nation. And you are obligated to be a Muslim individual, responsible for your own Muslim environment. And you're supposed to be working on your environment to make your environment agree with what Allah has revealed is the ummah tal wahidah. 
So, your environment is going to have Islamic education in it. It has to have Islamic schools. It has to have a place to pray; Musallah. It has to have mosque or masjid. And it has to have halal. Halal means, "Accepted, as G-d wants it." For you. Do you remember the story of the man walking in the hadith (Muslim and Bukhari)? There's a man walking, and he is disappointed. His life is miserable, he's walking like this, he’s looking at the sky and he's saying, "Oh, G-d, oh G-d, (Ya Allah Ya Allah)" praying to Allah, crying. And hadith says that his clothing was not halal, his dress was not halal, and he had been consumed by all that is not halal. So, his whole life was not halal.
And he prayed to G-d, asking G-d to help him. He wondered why would G-d leave him miserable like that? But he had ignored G-d and G-d’s way, and it made his life all haram; not halal. So, we are responsible for our life, to make it right, in accordance with the guidance of Allah and the example of Muhammad the prophet. And we're obligated, as I said before, to take charge of our own environment. A Muslim, whether you got a mansion or one room to sleep in, you want that one room to be your room of worship, worship for Allah.
Yes. And you don't want those objectionable things in your one room, or in your mansion. And when you walk out your door, and you don't see any Islamic structures, none of them done by Muslims, that should make you feel very sad. You shouldn't be happy. Just step outside your house, or your apartment, onto the streets and see nothing that Muslims have done. That should make you very sad. And you should work hard behind any qualified leader who loves the way of G-d, follows the path of Islam, the path of G-d in Islam, and behind the leader Muhammad, the Prophet.
I don't care what color he is, what nation he comes from, and I'm speaking to these brothers here, none of them Negro. Excuse me, that's the old word. None of the black people, the African-American people, I'm speaking to them, too, let them know where your leader stands. I don't know what you're telling them, but I want them to know where your leader is, and where he stands. You should follow any of them. You don't have to come here. If you're not happy with this place, go behind any true Muslim. That's trying to be upright in Islam. If he's a leader, support him.
This is Islam. Islam is a free religion. It's not racist; it's free for all. And it recognizes all Muslims as brothers and sisters. You don't have to come here to be a brother, you can go anywhere, where there is a decent Muslim environment or a decent Muslim place to pray and to hear the lecture, and the teachings of Islam. And you're a brother there, you're a brother anywhere. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad told us many year ago when the reality is not there to support me, you say it. He said when you register and become a member of the nation of Islam, you automatically – finish it for me brothers. Finish it Hypocrites. He said what? You’re automatically what? We know it. Say it. You're automatically what?
[audience speaking]
I'm not hearing you, you're not loud enough. You're automatically what? -- Yes, but that is not the word he used. He didn't use that word. What word did he use? And you know it. That tells me a lot about you all. What did he say? What did Elijah Muhammad say? When you registered to the nation of Islam, you automatically become what? He said that one, too. You don't recall? You can’t even admit that. Is there anybody who came here in the early '50s? Anybody here from the early '50s? Nobody? I don't believe that. Yes. Can you recall what he said?
Male Speaker: Brother Imam I think he said you become, in the Muslim government, a son.
Imam: You got the idea, that's not what he said. You automatically become a what?
Male Speaker: Citizen.
Imam: Yes, a citizen. He said you automatically become a citizen of every Muslim government. That's what the honorable Elijah Muhammad said. I guess that's why I have such a hard time with you all. You didn't even get the help that came from him. It is really pitiful. We need new people. You leaders that are with me, you need to go out and get some new people. Because these are going to be in the wilderness for another 40 years. 
Islam believes in the innocence of every human being, that's what it’s saying. At birth, all human beings are innocent, not in sin, and that condition, that innocent condition, is called Muslim. Muslim by nature. And if we want to make progress, then we have to continue in that innocence. Don't become guilty, don't become a crooked minded person, stay innocent. You have to stay in that innocence, and you have to work for more purity in your life. Purify your life. In the Quran, Allah says he does not want for us difficulty, isn't that a loving G-d? he says, "I don't want for you to be in difficulty, but I want that you be purified." And you have to have some moral muscle. Spiritual muscle, and moral muscle to purify your life. Certainly, we're facing so much sin and corruption, pornography, child pornography all kinds of freakish, perverted stuff that would make a dog puke. The humiliating stuff.
We've seen it on television, we've seen it in the movies, we're hearing about it in our theaters. You’re bombarded with a lot of corruption that makes you warped, and freakish, and you become an enemy in the human family. So, you have to work for purity. Work for the purifying of your own soul. And G-d says, "Spend on your own soul." And whoever spends on his own soul, spend your time, spend your energy, spend your good thoughts, spend even your money, to put your soul in a better situation, so it can become more beautiful for Allah to take and purify it.
G-d says, "Whoever spends on his own soul, he is certainly prospers." He prospers. He succeeds. And whoever neglects to do that, doesn't care for that, he goes down to the lowest of the low. And remember, we are a people of faith. We don't know everything. Follow the learned. The wise, pious leaders in this religion, who say to G-d, "You know G-d, and we know not." Admit that you know not. Everything you got, you got from somebody else, or from something else. You came in the world knowing nothing. It's only because G-d created you like you are, and created the world like it is, that you are able to know. So, give G-d the credit for everything and say G-d, you are the knower, and we know not. Believe me, there's worlds of knowledge that you don't know. What you know is a speck on this earth, not to speak of in the universe. It's a little speck on this earth. Not to mention what it would look like if it was measured in the context of the whole universe. It would be like non-existent. And G-d says, "Do good." And we have to believe in G-d, and believe in his messenger Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). G-d says, "Believe in G-d, and believe in His messenger."
How are you going to separate them, when G-d has put Muhammad the messenger, right with G-d, as his servant, and his messenger, and you have to believe in him or G-d will not accept your belief. G-d will not accept you just believe in G-d. G-d will only accept your belief if you believe also in Muhammad the prophet. G-d says, Himself, in our holy book, "Believe in G-d, and believe in His messenger." And the messenger is a believer too. It says, and the messenger has believed, “And so have ye believed me.” And G-d says, “And do good.” And G-d says, ‘Taqwa”. It is really the strength of piety; Taqwa. It is really the best power for you to keep in your Taqwa; doing good. 
Doesn’t that make all the sense in the world? We know that we see people that believe in doing good. We readily accept that they are good people, and we readily respect whatever they believe in. But if they're doing bad, and claiming that they have faith in some religion, it doesn't touch us. It won't touch us, because their life is in contradiction with what they are saying. It says, “They say they heard a call in the land.” It's in Quran. That's Muhammad, who's calling, calling the people to faith, and those that heard, and they responded, they said, "We believe." Praise be to Allah.
So, let's practice doing good. Let's remember the best teachings we got from our Christian mothers and fathers and families. They taught us to do good. They didn't tell us to be bad. crooks, and liars, and hypocrites, and sneaky people, sneaking around whispering behind my back, discrediting me, trying to pull me down. But you don't have the courage to come to me and do it in my face. So, what are you? A cheap little mouse, or sick. A field rat, yes, that's what you are. You’re in bad shape. Why can't you just say it in my face? You're jealous of how G-d has blessed me? You can't do anything about that but drive yourself nuts and torment your life. Stop pretending.
You ain't fooling nobody but yourself, we see you. We see all of it. You're not fooling anyone but yourself, and those you stay out with. I'm saying this only for your good, not for my good. My good will be just to leave and never come back, go to people that I know are straight. That will be for my good. [pause] We have to become workers not just plain faith. Become workers and let your work say you are Muslim. Let your work say you follow Muhammad the prophet. All through the Quran, work and faith are together. Allahtheena Amanoo, those who have faith, Wa Aamiloo Alssalihati, and their works are righteous works. Wa Aamiloo Alssalihati, and their deeds or their work is righteous work.
So where is your work? Where is your work? You're coming here on and off, weekends, Sundays and Fridays, maybe some other days, too. When you come back, have you increased your good work? If you haven't, you are wasting your life, and you don't have any credit with G-d. You have to be doing good work. What do you think that this is? A cult? A street gang? I'm speaking to all of you. This is not just for you here, in this town. I'm speaking to all of you all throughout the United States, and outside, too, if you have this problem. What do you think this is? A street gang? A fad? Something that you just come here to do for a fashion? You wear it for fashion, and you put it down when you want to, and pick it up when you want to? 
I don't love you like that, brother. If you're doing it in innocence that's one thing. If you're doing it and know you’re doing wrong, I don't love you. And if it wasn't for the laws of this land, I would organize a group to kill it. I'd actually kill it. I know I’d kill it for wearing the name Muslim and being the way you are. Some of you thinking of scaring me. A gunshot would, a fire cracker popping behind me might affect me. It’d scare me but just for a second or two. A gun in my face, it could scare me, but just for a second or two. I rely on Allah and Allah takes good care of me. 
So, you can't scare me. If I was going to be scared, I would be scared in 1973, '74, '75. That's when I would've been scared. Now here come’s a little nut in my face, using language to make me think he's trying to threaten me. You couldn't threaten those guys, I got rid of them. You weren't brave enough to go on their face and turn them around. So what makes you think that you can stand in my face and make me afraid? I was alone. None of you came out to help me fight those guys, but now he’s so tough he can do me in. (smiling)
Won’t get those other guys that really gave him hell. Show me you're brave. That'll show me you're brave. You're not brave, you're a weakling. I heard a Spanish girl, she was a waiter in a restaurant. And some African-Americans were in there acting like apes, and she said, "Negros chicken." Negro is Spanish for "Black. "Negros chicken.” (cluck, cluck, cluck). You're brave, when you think you’ve got one of your own kind. Coward. You think they’re afraid of you; oh you're brave, then. Oh you just beat him up something terrible. Dismember him; you just can really be cruel. You’re nothing but a coward and when you think you might lose you ain’t right; you ain't going to get it right. You’re just gone, hiding somewhere. But that ain't a Muslim.
A Muslim accepts death. We have to accept it. Doing what G-d wants us to do; we accept death. We're not afraid of death. We're not afraid of dying. If I was afraid of dying I wouldn't have lasted two weeks. No, because I got threats, way back then, before 1975. Serious threats. I reported to the FBI, and police department. I tied my camel, and I trusted my G-d, and I'm here. Thank Allah.
Doing good, we have to do good. We have efforts to change this thing, where we don't see any contributions, material contribution of ours, in the streets, in the public. We want to change that. Elijah Muhammad made that his number one aim, to change the material environment for African-American poor people. So, here we are again, we're here. Brother walked into the store where we had a company at that time on 167th St., and he saw me having a meeting. And he was from back then, when I was a teenager, 18 or 19 years old, in the Nation of Islam.
I told him. I said, "You see?" I said, "When you saw me, you saw me working in a restaurant." I said, “I was called minister. I was a minister back then; Minister W. D. Muhammad, Wallace D. Muhammed, W. D. Muhammed.” And I’m glad I worked in those businesses. I said, “You see, I’m back in the same old stomping ground.” This ain't nothing new for me. This is what I started out doing. My father, if you didn't work, you didn't stay around him. He wouldn't accept it. If you wanted to be around him, you had to work. And for me, I loved it. It was my pride, my dignity, my freedom. To be with a job, a lawful income, is freedom. To be without it is one form of slavery. So, I loved it; I still love it. 
I got a brother, Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad will paint this building, he will wash this floor, he will shovel coal, he will do anything. He will take out the garbage, and never feel that he had to lower his pride. He was just as proud of doing that as he was being a commander over hundreds of first officers and captains in the Nation of Islam, before I became the leader. He's just as happy to do this little thing as he is to do that big thing you would have him do. That's my brother, and I mean it. That's my blood brother, we got the same spirit.
It's a blessing to be like Elijah because some of my own brothers and sisters don't have it. So, it's a blessing that we have that. So, we have established an organization called "Electric Purchasing Concepts." It's a distributor itself, really. It’s a limited liability company. But it is mainly a tool for all of us. It makes purchases, big purchases, with dollars, from many of us, money from many of us. So, money from many of us piles up like it did for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. When Elijah Muhammad passed, there was over three million dollars, cash, in the bank, downtown. He didn't leave us actually broke. No, he did not. He left us situation in properties and things when the government came in and they set it up; they set us up it for.
So that's what wrecked us. It was not that Elijah Muhammad didn't have money. He had money. He had money for you all, over three million dollars in the account. Now, Allah has blessed us to have your support; for me. And we did have a few million dollars, cash. That's a little power there. With that kind of money, we can go and buy from the manufacturers in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, wherever. Thailand, Hong Kong, wherever. We can go and buy. And after this from America, from the US, Canada, Mexico. We can buy. So, we are not hopeless.
We're in a position to go farther with our material lives, for the first time since the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's death. And actually, his effort was an effort doomed to die, because he had no life that was compatible with the life of this society, of this government, this world. You cannot build an independent government inside this government, that is enemy to this government. Common sense will tell you they ain’t gone stand for that. So, they let you do it, but they'll plan for you, down the road. They say, "Well he’s building but we’re gone get all this." And that's what they did. They took it all through the probate courts. 
So, you have to understand these things to keep, and go with me, and not burden me. You have to understand these things. This address I am giving you, bringing these serious concerns to you, I have planned for other locations. But I didn’t find anyplace suitable ‘til now. So, I’m doing it here, and it’s going out to the whole community. Now, we were asked to support the hajj. Big delegation to go to hajj, in this coming year, 2001. If you have to leave, leave please, no problem. Don't feel embarrassed. 2001.
We didn't have enough months to really build up, I, myself, you all got me living pretty comfortably financially; but I didn't have time. I don't have enough time to give them over $2000.00. I didn't have it right now. Well, if I had information about 2002, I think, "For sure, I'll have it. I'll have that money by that time." And it's wrong for you to make hajj on my money. That's not right. Suppose you don't pay the hajj agency back. What happens to my money? This is Islam I am teaching you. Don’t think this is not Islam.
This is about Islam. This is proper for khutbah. We have to strengthen the Muslim community, and that's what I am doing. I'm working to strengthen this community. Now, the spirit was put into the community, to make hajj in big numbers; 2,000 persons. With me, it would have been 2,001 for the year 2001. So, a lot of people who had planned to make hajj were given the spirit to do it, to go on this big number, with Imam W.D. Mohammed.
Now, we don't have enough to go. Not nearly; not nearly enough. I want to postpone until 2002. So-called leaders, they say I’m their imam. They say, "W.D. Mohammed is my Imam." They tell the people that. But they are working, to now, go and take as many as they can, in 2001. So, if they’re ignorant, I want to show them their ignorance. If you’re working to get big numbers for 2001, you are working against your Imam, because you are taking numbers away from 2002. And you are doing it on the back of your Imam, because it’s your Imam that invited the people and excited their enthusiasm.
That's just another case of you working against me and undermining my efforts. Your CPC would never be in existence if it weren't for a few believers supporting me. Working with me here, and a few outside. The great many of Imams, they were waiting for this effort to die. And they only came in when they saw it was right in their backyard. Then they came, and said they want to make an investment; when they couldn't help. That's when they said they want to make an investment.
We can have big numbers of people with us, if we didn't have these leaders before the people, as the image of us. If they remain before the people as an image of us, they're turning good people, good, sincere, hardworking people away. They only want people who have been victims of crime life, and who accept that they are the crime boss, to keep them in order for the establishment. They have made prisoners of you all. They've made you prisoners. Now this has to stop. I am here to announce today that I'm the one who gave this community the name, M.A.S., Muslim American Society.
I'm the one who gave that name. And I can show you right now, it's in the records that I registered an organization, almost worded exactly like that, long before I became your leader. I registered that organization because I thought the Nation of Islam just might be lost. And if it was lost, then I was going to leave that organization. I wasn’t gone give up; I never give up. I thank Allah. So, I’m not going to give them this name. You're the one who's not supporting this name. You go. And I don't care if all the support, but one percent, I'd rather have one percent, straight people, than to have 100% hypocrites.
I'm announcing here, from this place, from this Masjid, under Imam Darnell Karim, here in this city, I'm announcing today that you who have been lying to yourself and us, you're not included in my eyes anymore. In my eyes, you're not included. You're not with us. We don't expect anything from you, and I will not be coming to your Masjids anymore. The leader goes with this beautiful Christian Focolare people, from Rome. I commit myself and us to join them for respecting each other’s religion, and cooperation as decent human persons, in the way of G-d.
And I don't get the leaders of this community to support me. They thought I was going to get embarrassed and the Focolare people were never going to want to see me again. But Allah brought Christ in there. Allah blessed them to have Christ sitting where they should have been sitting. They said, “It’s filled up with white folks. Where are my people? They're hoping that they have embarrassed me, again, to defeat my purpose, my aim. That's what they were hoping for, but it didn't work. But it wasn’t an embarrassment. I looked at the audience and the followers were white. Beautiful people, they're just like my brothers and sisters. That's how supportive they were, of the call for faith communities together.
They became friends, even though we were there for the first time. They saw us, they liked us, so G-d gave us many more friends, from them. And many of them, big people with establishments. That means something to us. And I'm looking in the side bleachers, and that's where we were. I guess that was a sign for those people to see, we're sitting on the sidelines. We were speckled in the side bleachers. Some claimed that they were going to send buses. But there were no buses. 
If they would tell the truth, we could go around to all these centers and mosques and masjids and ask them, "Were you encouraged to go to Washington?” I bet they would say, "No." They were not encouraged to go. And I believe a good number of them said things to discourage them and tried hard to keep the information from reaching them – that the Imam wanted them to go to Washington. If we had come, there wouldn’t have been standing room, we would have been all outside the building. It would have been on the news and a great trust for us in promoting wat we are about. It would have been a great trust for us.
It disappointed me; It disappointed you. But you're on your own, buddy. I won't be trying to help you out anymore. Won't be holding you up anymore. Trying to save you, and you fighting me all the time. I’ve heard the stories of a drowning person. A person is trying to save him and he’s just kicking him, beating him up, and drowning – because they panic; making it almost impossible for the person trying to save them to save them and take him to shore.
And we’re living, in my understanding, the last days. I believe the last days come and go, at a certain time in the history of human beings on this earth, the last days come. And G-d gives them, the deserving ones, a new chance. And then He brings the world back again. But in time the wicked has to be weeded out and done away with. So, we see the end of time again. I believe this is the end of time. But this is not the end of time for Muslim life. This is a good time for Muslim life; the best days for Muslim life. It's not the end of time for the righteous, it's the best season for the righteous.
The signs of the end of time as given by our Prophet(peace and blessings be on him). One of the signs, in fact, all the signs, to me, are clear today. I can see them clearly right now. One of the signs says that servant people, the servant people, people who have been in slavery time, will be competing with the established people in the building of skyscrapers. This is a saying of Prophet Muhammad, recorded by Bukhari and Muslim. Competing with the established, the big people, in the construction of high buildings, this is how it's put. I believe that time is right now.
And we should be far more in this competition, for our religion conditions us to not live spiritually in one side, and then the materially on the other side, and think that one side is against the other side. It unites us, it reconciles our aspirations for establishment in this world. With the sayings of G-d in the Quran, "Seek with means that G-d has given you”, that you asked Him. And G-d says, "But don't neglect your share of this material world. Wala Tansa Naseebaka Mina Alddunya, and don't neglect your share in this material world.” And G-d says, "Who hath said that this is not for my servants?” He said, “This is for them in this life.”; the material world. 
And only exclusively for them in the hereafter. That's what G-d says. Salihat, exclusive for them in the hereafter. So, we should be in the forefront and don't we know most of our people are looking for us to be in the forefront? G-d, and Elijah Muhammad, and the Nation of Islam's true followers made such an impression on Christian African-Americans, blacks, that they are disappointed when they see us not producing. And they are waiting on us to get our spirit back.
They believe that we're the ones to lead them in material accomplishment., I know because I've heard from the best and most popular of their leaders. So, what are you going to do? You gone follow these other guys that call themselves Imams, and the Masjids in the different cities? You gone follow them? Disappointing me, show up half stepping, just to pretend? Or are you going to follow me, in quality, like you're supposed to? Well if you do, those who have the spirit to do that, G-d promises us success. The believers must be successful, G-d says. They must win through. G-d promises us success.
So, I close out that part of the khutbah with that appeal to you. I pray to G-d, (Dua made). Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameen… Dear believers, with that traditional introduction to this last part of the Khutbah, I want to say to you that we are working to get charge of, and in front of our material environment all around us, where we have no representation, as achievers, or owners, or managers, or controllers. We're working to get into that position. Not because I want money. If I wanted money there are quick ways to get it. I know really quick ways to get money. Not because I want money, it's because we need material strength to support our life.
We'll always have a weak life if we have weak or no material accomplishments. We need that. I'm not a hermit, I'm not a ghost, I'm not going to be one. I'm a flesh and blood man, like Muhammad was. Allah says Muhammad was a flesh and blood man like you. So, I have to have the material to house my spirit, and my soul. I have to have the material, and the material has to be good. Not a ghetto, not a rat hole. It has to be good. We're working for that, and we have the blessings of our efforts before, and the blessings of the light in Islam today. How could we fail, if you sincerely support what I am doing today? How can we fail? No way, and G-d is with us?
The people that operate that facility we got for processing meat, I didn't know how I was gone get people to help me do that. I didn't have any help. I asked certain places for help, they didn't respond. Soon as they found out I got help, now they want to come help me. They don't want to come and help me, they want to come defeat the effort that you raised to help. I have the general system manager that I'm going to introduce to you today, can you stand up so the people can see you? [Applause] He has worked for Jewels for many years. He has had his own delicatessen that he had for three years, or two or three years, or more, in New Jersey when he was living in Jersey. 
He has experience, and he's a very intelligent, informed, and educated person. I thank Allah for his help. We don't intend to fail, we intend to succeed. Failure isn't in our spirit, isn't in our blood. There's no failure in us. Allah has blessed us with Yusuf, who slaughters lambs every week, in large numbers, right here in the city of Chicago. He blessed us with him, as a brother, and as a friend. We could buy lamb from him. I think you already bought the lamb for him. You can buy land from him and there’s a mini-mart. And there is another big company that really is very popular in the Muslim community of America, Society of America, for his cold cuts, a very excellent and beautiful quality product. So Inshaa Allah we’ll be working with him and buying from him. 
Also, we've gotten in touch with a big, big supplier of chicken, and they have accepted little us. And the last word I heard from the big man was, "Mr. Mohammed, we'll be getting back with you, soon." That means the price is going to be competitive for us. We'll able to compete with (stores named). Whatever they're selling their products for, I mean, we'll be able to sell halal for the same prices they're selling their non-halal. That's G-d. You think you can change that? Defeating some of our adversaries.
Do you think when Almighty G-d gives us something, do you think you can take it away from us, if Almighty G-d gave it to us? Impossible. Impossible. The only way it goes from us, we have to do something to lose it. Found an African-American farmer, got some of the most beautiful cows I’ve ever seen. He raised some hogs too. That's his right to do that. I didn't see a hog among the cows. Not a single pig among the cows. So, if we support him, wouldn't that be building better relations with our African-American sisters and brothers? 
We can't have everybody charting our future, and planning, strategies for us to go ahead. You've got to have a leader. And if you don't believe in him, then leave him. If you got better, you're supposed to present that better person to your leader. You're not supposed to work behind the back of your leader. If you've got better, you're supposed to bring that better person to your leader. That's the way the companions of our prophet was. Peace and blessings be upon the prophet and G-d be pleased with his companions. If they found somebody that could help, that was outstanding, they presented that person to the prophet.
You don't work behind the back of the leader, saying, “Aww this one should really be the leader.” That's wrong. That's terrible. When you go into business, go into business for Allah's sake. Go into business to have business, help your life be better, and more impressive for Islam, under G-d. That's the way you go in. And don't fear. Have the courage to compete with the biggest on this earth. Maybe you can't show yourself today, but work, that one day they'll see you in a position to compete with the biggest on this earth. That's not the lifetime of one generation. That comes in a lifetime of many generations, so let us plan for our life down the road, in the year 3000.
Let us plan to be as big as any business man on this earth, and I think we can do it maybe, in just a couple hundred years. We might have wealth as much as any rich man, or group, on this earth. Let's work for it. Work for it in the name of G-d, to better our Muslim life, and to finance our own Islamic needs. We can't have solid food if we don't have money. Let us pray. Muslims pray. Find time to pray. Take out time to pray. Clean yourself and pray. If you can't clean yourself, look at how easy this religion is, with these hands, you can find clean earth and rub your hands. Dust it off, and wipe your face, and pray. Unless you've had intercourse or something, then you have a full bath. You know that.
Isn't it easy? When you're in your car. I'm giving you permission to do this. I don't care what people say. They can talk about me. If I make no mistake they talk about me. If I do a little something, they talk about me, but I don't care what they say. Tell them Imam W.D. Mohammed said, that when I am going to pray, if it’s not convenient for me to go and find water, he said that wipe my hand on a clean stone, or clean brick, or something. A clean stone, wipe my hands, and wipe my face, and pray. Say Imam Warith D. Mohammed said, "I can be driving my car and do my prayers." Make my intentions in the car and do my prayer, driving in the car. That's what I do. I ain’t telling you nothing that I ain’t doing. That's what I do.
All right, Allah be with you. I love you; even you that’s even working against me. I love you, but I'm cutting you off, buddy. Can't take your foot dragging and undermining what we're doing now. Can’t take it. It’s too serious to take that kind of treatment from you. G-d be with you and let's make Dua.

