07/18/1987
IWDM Study Library
Sacred Life Connections 
Meadowlands NJ

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Dear believers, Muslims, people, brothers and sisters, I give you the greeting of peace, As-sal?mu ?alaykum.
Audience: Wa alaykumu as-salam.
And pray Allah's blessings be on you and upon this gathering and be with us for the good outcome of this occasion. I would also like to acknowledge the good work and sacrifices of those who assisted Imam Ali Muslim and the Newark effort and also express my personal appreciation to the Imams that have joined us here today from around the area, from the region, and also outside of the region.
Also, to the pioneers, the faithful workers who have many years of sincere support, to their credit behind the effort to present our religion in the best way and to see our religion established in the best way. We acknowledge your presence here and your personal sacrifices and contribution and want you to know that we appreciate you very much. I know personally that without you, we would be missing our foundation. Our Lord G-d Most High has many, many names. That is Allah, who has many, many names.
And all of His names are perfect and most excellent. He says to us in the holy book. G-d says to His messenger, Muhammad the prophet, the last and universal messenger of G-d and to us, say, "The corrupted and the good things or the corrupted and the good do not compare. There is no equality between the corrupted and the good, though the abundance that is realized by corruption upon corruption astonish you."
I have reflected on this wording in the Quran, in the holy book of Muslims, and have ascribed it to the effort to understand the situation for many corrupt people and promoters of corruption in this society. This society, as you know, is a society of extraordinary possibilities and extraordinary feats or achievements. On the one hand, we have the testimony of the righteous, and on the other hand, the testimony of the wicked. On the one side, we have freedom for the righteous, and on the other side, we have freedom for the wicked.
On the one side, we have the great contributions of sincere, noble, and upright people, Americans. And on the other side, we have the abundance of corruption from the insincere, the wicked people, who also have the same freedom that the good people have in this country. And sometimes, it appears that they have more freedom than the good people. I don't think so, but it appears that way sometimes. Dear Muslims, I have begun my talk with this reading from Quran to say to you be aware that in the land of opportunity, sometimes, we are deceived.
Even innocent people are deceived into believing that, “the best thing to do now is to get wealth to get over and forget about the religious disciplines or the religious commitments. Just take advantage of opportunity in America to get wealthy or to get over”. I want to caution you. As Muslims, we should accept this kind of invitation. We should be aware of the pitfall. We should avoid it. We should trust G-d, and we should trust goodness. We should trust righteousness. We should have faith that the best life will come only if we strive hard to please Allah, the Lord and creator of everything.
And to live up to the best standards and the best aims of the Muslim life. I now come to another reading of the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims, where G-d promises us a good life for our good intentions and our good works. He also promises us good establishments. We are here in Newark addressing this gathering that have taken time out of their important lives, their important commitments, to gather here and to hear what we have to say.
What I want you to know that I'm not looking at your effort, at your time that you have spent to be here, in no small way. To take time out of your life, out of your home, away from your immediate concern, to come out here is no small thing. And I don't regard it as any small thing. So, maybe some of you might not be listening with an open ear or with two ears. And you may think that what I am saying is just ordinary talk. But I didn't come out here to make ordinary talk.
I came out here to bring you the heaviest concerns that are put upon man. And hope that after I've completed this talk, this address, that you will feel free and capable, able to accept this possibility and carry the concerns and perform in a wonderful way for your own good and for the good of your loved ones, for the good of the whole society. G-d promised to give us good establishments. G-d promises us in His holy book that He will establish us in the earth. And He didn't say, "Oh, I will establish you in the earth as long as there's no great challenge to your life." No. He said, "I will establish you in the earth." Allah, if we believe in Him, He's all-knowing. He knows everything. He knows the past. He knows the future. He knows everything. If we truly believe in Him as Muslims, then we know that Allah, when He says this, He knew exactly what America would be today.
Allah knew, and He revealed this to Muhammad 1,400 years ago. He knew exactly what America would be today. And when He said that He would give us good establishments, He was also talking to this audience today, telling us He will give us good establishments. Have no fear, no doubt. If you embrace sincerely the teachings of the religion of Al-Islam, the Quran, and follow the best example that is established in Muhammad the prophet, the messenger of G-d, you can establish yourself today, yesterday, tomorrow. Anywhere and in any circumstances under any conditions, Muslims can establish themselves, have no doubt.
Now, I know that my methods are different from the methods of black leaders that you've experienced in the past. You sometimes don't even know where I'm coming from. I hear it said, "Where is he coming from?" Maybe I'm not coming from anywhere. Maybe I'm going somewhere. And that's what I'm about. I'm about getting somewhere. And I don't believe the best way is the way we have been used to in the past.
I don't think the best way is to bring the community, the nation, the fish programs, the collective buying programs, the AMMCOP, et cetera. I don't think it's best to bring those combined concerns, those collective efforts before you to convince you that there's a way to establish ourselves. I think the best way, and I'm convinced of this now. In fact, I feel that I have had an awakening. I feel that G-d has blessed me with freedom for the first time to really preach the teachings of religion as it should be preached. That is to not seek to gain our ends or to reach our goals through the opportunity that's made available in collective efforts or in institutions or in mosques or in schools or in the army.
The best way is to gain that, not only for the individual but for the institution, for the army, for the economic efforts, for everything. The best way to gain it, is through the hope of the individual. If we could excite the hope of the individual, if we can bring the assistance that G-d has given for all of us to every individual or to as many of the individuals as we possibly can, through the individual, the society will be made better. I'm convinced of that. And people say, "Well, we don't see you all. You're not visible. Where are your businesses? What is the nation doing?" That time is gone. For us, that time is gone.
We’re not out here to impress people with a show of establishment. We are out here to excite the energy, the hope, the aspirations, the potential of the individual. So, that we can rest at night knowing that we don't have to trust a group of people that we don't know what is their real makeup, whether 50% of them are hypocrites, whether 50% of them are infiltrators, whether 50% of them are devils or not. We don't have to trust our future to a group of individuals that can come from anywhere, out from under any rock, from behind any wall, and say, "Yes, I want to help you make this program."
But we will trust our future with individuals who will go home and live their religion, who will go back to their private lives and live their religion, who will read their holy book for themselves after they have been guided to where it is. They will read their holy book for themselves. They will be inspired in their private quarters. And if G-d has given them possibilities, they will be the factor for bringing about the help, the change we want for Muslims. Not only for Muslims but for well-meaning people in this society. And it's a philosophy that works.
If anyone would make a careful study, a true and careful study of the growth of moral life, the growth of intellect, the growth of business in the following of Muslims since I have been leader, they will see that there's a tremendous jump in progress. Say, "Oh, but you are not there anymore. What are you doing? We don't see you in Chicago." You don't see a lot of things in Chicago that used to be in Chicago. It doesn't mean they're not there anymore.
If you look for an industry that used to be in Chicago, it's not there anymore, you'd have to go down south or to the west. Go out in the Sun Belt to find it. Just as the new changes and new situations and conditions have caused business activity to go from one part of the United States to another, the same thing has happened to Muslims and Christians and everybody in this country. Some people have had to go to different areas because the different areas offer them better opportunities.
In Atlanta, we have a better showing there for the Muslim businessman than we ever had in Atlanta. We've never had a better showing in Atlanta for the Muslim businessman than we have right today. And in Chicago, we're not doing as bad as you think. I think we're doing pretty good. We have a lot of good business people in Chicago. So, G-d says He will establish us. He will give us good establishments. And better than that, He promises also paradise, the garden of paradise.
And we know the best that can be hoped for is to be approved by G-d, is to please your Lord. The believer knows, the best that he can hope for is that he will meet his G-d. He will meet his maker, and his maker will be pleased with him because the greater possibilities are not with us. They're always with G-d. Whether we know it or not, even these small possibilities that we think are within our control are not really in our control.
Before going further, I want it understood that within this theme, the sacred life connections, we will be addressing the need on the part of the individual to be more responsible. The world is becoming more crowded. It demands more of the individual. It's becoming too busy for us to get the help we used to get from mama, from daddy, from relatives, friends, or even from the city, from the federal government. The world is just becoming too busy, too complex, too crowded, too burdened.
And another trend is working against us being too lacks or satisfied in our small thinking with our small minds and small thinking, is this globalizing trend. The globalizing trend that many of you I know are aware of that is reducing the power and influence of any single nation on the global community. There was a time, as you know, when the United States of America had no checks on its production. It encouraged production.
It encouraged production because the world market almost belonged entirely to the United States. But because of the global trends, the trends that we have experienced now a few years and going to experience, I think, for a long, long time. America has to now compete with some small nations that are outdoing it and gaining the world market. Japan and now Korea and other small nations are coming up, and they are cutting out the opportunity or narrowing the opportunity for America to benefit from markets abroad.
That means the citizens of America are not going to be able to produce as much. That means also that the citizens of America cannot hope for as much as they once had. Now, but if we think of the individual, that doesn’t mean the individual should accept this as a negative turn or as a bad turn for him in the world situation. No, not necessarily. There are many people who don’t want anything but the life of a dumb animal.
So, they are not in the competition. And as the burden gets heavier, more people are eliminated who have no real vision, no real purpose, no real idea of themselves and their role or their value in the world scene. They’re being eliminated. Yes, we have a whole lot of people and everything, and production is cut back. But as this globalizing trend continues, and as the population multiplies, and city life becomes more burdensome on individuals, great, great numbers that weren’t eliminated yesterday are being eliminated today.
So, instead of having millions and millions of able, healthy human beings wanting jobs and opportunity, we’ve got millions and millions of dumb animals who know nothing but animal behavior and animal life. So, it’s a good situation for the wide-awake human being. It’s a good situation. The best time for the well-meaning people, for the G-d-fearing people, for the good people is right now. If you would concentrate your efforts on reaching your potential, living the best life you possibly can, exercising all of your energy, your productive energy, enlarging your visions of possibilities for yourself, having the courage to think as big as my father thought in his small situation and circumstances. He thought big.
He said, "The world belongs to us." What’s wrong with that? The world belongs to somebody. So, what’s wrong with that? Nothing's wrong with that. We know, and as Muslims, the earth belongs to Allah. We know He doesn’t need it to sleep on or to rest on or to fish. He's not going to fish these rivers. We know Allah is not going to use it. It belongs to Him, but He has entrusted it to us. He’s not going to get the benefit. He says, “I need nothing from my creation. I call for nothing. I need no food. I need no drinks. I need no rest. I need nothing." He needs nothing.
Then who’s going to benefit? Me. So, it belongs to Allah, but who’s going to benefit? Me. Who should be looking at it as a possession? I should be looking as my rightful possession. And G-d says, He has ordained that His faithful followers, His faithful believers, shall inherit the earth. Now, I’m a Muslim. I don’t care what the circumstances say. The biggest crook in the neighborhood can have control. It doesn’t change me. It doesn’t make me feel any more disappointed. No, it doesn’t disappoint me because the biggest crook in the world has control now.
I believe in what G-d has said. And I know if I concentrate on living up to what G-d expects of me, eventually, I’m going to topple that big crook. I’m going to take them off the throne. I’m going to make him lose control. My righteousness is going to break his control. My positive forward thrust is going to break his control. My efforts to sensitize the conscience of good, well-meaning people is going to break his control. He’s going to lose his spot. He’s going to fall on his butt. I am going to take his position. That’s my belief. That’s my belief. You don’t have to feel that way if you want to.
We've got plenty of room for the animals. That’s the way I feel. I’ve never been afraid of a no-good person; no. I don’t care how much power he has. He can have all the power. I’m never afraid of a bad person because if you’re a bad person, G-d is on my side against him. I’m a good person. Some of us, like the advice that was given in a business letter of a company that sells advice. It sells is business advice. That's its business. That’s the business of this company. It sells good business advice. They list seven problems that people face who have difficulty trying to establish themselves financially.
One of the problems is that they’re afraid to have the courage to go out in the field of business opportunity when the sun is not shinning, on the day of gloom and bad weather, when the economy is in a bad shape. So, they just hold their money and hold onto that little money. And say, “I’m going to hold this and wait until the economy changes. I’m going to wait until the economy changes. I’m going to wait until the time gets better, then I’m going to get me a business." The best time to do something positive is when the thing looks negative.
When everything is looking negative to you, that’s the best time to do something positive. And it is the same way for the Muslim life. "Oh, ain’t no opportunity in this country." Some people, they break down under pressure. "Ain’t no opportunity in this country for us to establish no Muslim life. We have to wait until things change. Times have to change. These are just bad times. Your people won’t listen to you. Your own children won’t listen to you”. You don’t have enough faith. Or maybe you just looked at bad things so long until you think there’s nothing but bad.
No, you have to get out of that and believe that G-d is as He was and will always be. If He had the power to deliver prophets at times gone by, and established them against great odds, overwhelming odds, and advanced the good life for the righteous against overwhelming odds yesterday, He’s the same G-d today. You change, but Allah does not change. His power has not changed. He’s the same. If you will have the faith, you will see. You can do greater things now than you could do when times were better in this country. You can do greater things now. It’s a good time, a good season.
Don’t be afraid to trust what you put your faith in or what you base your life upon. If you say you’re a Muslim, you put your faith in that, you base your life upon that, then have the courage to trust it. Sometimes, you have to take great risks. The business world that is strong and powerful and sustaining is a business world that has the courage to take great risk. Now, you have to be the same way in your religion and in your private life. You have to have the courage to take great risk.
Some of us are afraid to say a straight word, an open, frank, sincere word to a member in our household. We're afraid upon our judgment of them. We're afraid that they won't pay any attention to it; they would hate you for saying it. Look, if you're a Muslim and you're supposed to say it, then you have to be willing to accept the risk. In the situation of family, with close associates, dear ones, the best friend is a friend who'd accept the risk of losing his friend to guide his friend rightly, that's the best friend.
And a Muslim, or any sincere person in religion should be obligated to be straight, to do what is binding on them morally, even if it means risking the loss of your dear friend, the loss of your son, the loss of your daughter, the loss of your mother, the loss of your father, the loss of any close relative or friend. You have to be prepared to take that great risk. When you see them going into hellfire, when you see them going into self-destruction, you have to be able to take that risk.
Do you love them really? Would you rather keep them as a friend and have them go to hell and have them face self-destruction? Or would you rather risk losing them as a friend, and know you did your best to turn them around or pull them away from the direction that they were going in? Yes, we have to have this kind of courage. This principle should be applied in the whole of our life, not just for family concerns or friendships but for business and everything. You have to be prepared to take the great risk. We think that the people who have advanced economics, advanced business, and material wealth in this country, we think that those people were crooks.
I know what the common man thinks because I'm a common man. I walk the streets. I used to hang out in the corners. I went into the barbershop. I went into other places too, sometimes. I've been around the common folks, and I know what the common folks think. They think that you can't get rich unless you are corrupt. That's a false conception. That's a false conception. The wealth of this country is owing to good-minded people. People who had charity in their hearts, people who were benevolent, people who wanted to do some good for more than themselves, for more than their relatives, for more than their friends, but people who wanted to extend the opportunities. Carry the charity, the opportunity for work, and the opportunity for a better life to millions and millions of people.
There are people who worked hard for wealth in this country. I'm not going to name any of them today. There are people who worked hard for wealth in this country, but they weren't working only for the American citizens. They were thinking of people in the third world, what we call the third world now. They were thinking of opportunity eventually reaching depressed areas outside of the United States. They had those people in their concerns too. And that is why they were able to build such great wealth, because G-d was with them. I don't care whether they were Christian, Jew, or even atheist. G-d rewards good efforts. G-d rewards good efforts.
The situation for your religion with G-d would be taken care of in the judgment if it's not taken care of here. But while you're here, G-d must reward good efforts. Do you think the honorable Elijah Muhammad because he didn't conceive the teachings of the Quran correctly and mixed up the teachings of the Quran with black nationalism and other things? Do you think he won't be rewarded for the good intentions and for the good work that he did with the hope of bettering the lives of his people, black people, and other people? Yes, he will be rewarded. He was rewarded while he was living, and I'm sure he'll be rewarded after.
Yes. Allah is not us. Allah is not us. Allah is so much bigger than us. Somebody will tell me, "Oh, you've really messed up now. You really messed up now." I said, "I'm glad I don't have to face you in the judgment. You're not going to be my judge."
It doesn't bother me, doesn't bother me at all. I have come to the point where I know for sure that G-d is not a human being.
If G-d was a human being, I'd stop worshiping him right now because I'm a human being. 


