01/21/1990
IWDM Study Library
How We Are To Establish Muslim Life In America 
Phoenix AZ

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
As-Salaam-Alaikum. Peace be unto you. The praise and the thanks are for Allah, Lord of all the worlds, the One Who created us. And He is our Lord, glorified is He highly above what they describe Him to be.
The Prayers and the Peace be on His generous and noble Messenger. And we pray: O Allah, grant success to Muhammad and to the followers of Muhammad, as You granted success to Ibrahim and the followers of Ibrahim (Abraham ). And grant blessings on Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad, as You granted blessings on Ibrahim and the followers of Ibrahim. In all the worlds, You are the Most Praised, You are the Most Renown. And the praise and the thanks are for Allah, Lord of All the worlds. We seek Him for help, and we seek Him for forgiveness. And we ask Him for the acceptable benefits, the good benefits — all of them. Amin.
Again, I am happy and thank Allah for blessing us to be present here in Phoenix for this occasion. We appreciate the sincerity behind the work and the efforts of our staff. And we also appreciate the sincerity behind the work and efforts of those of you in Phoenix who are cooperating with us (the staff) and are cooperating with the Imam of Phoenix for this occasion.
The Imam of Phoenix, Imam Shamsuddin, when I see him, I think of the beautiful atmosphere that I enjoyed while having dinner with him at his home. This was several years ago. He and his wife were so Muslim-like, so hospitable. Whenever I see him. that is the first thing that comes to my mind — how nice and hospitable he and his wife were to me.
We have to also remember that without my supporters, none of this would be happening. By my supporters I mean people who not only say they are Muslims with me, but they say that they support me. They support me with their presence when I travel. They support me with their monies. They support me in every way that should be expected. And I am deeply indebted to them. Really, I am working for them. If there are any people whom I am working for, then I am working for them. All of our works should be for Allah, but how can we work for Allah if we don't work for each other? The only way to work for Allah is to work for each other.
I want you to know that those supporters have financed this occasion. If it were not for them, we could not have even bought the first ticket. We could not have a base (office). They donate to what we call the M.A.C.A. Fund (Muslim American Community Assistance Fund). It is a Fund that takes care of my needs. I have not been employed for some time now, except in this work. So this Fund takes care of myself, my family, my dependents, and also takes care of expenses related to my work. It provides for me an office in Calumet City, Illinois, with a telephone that has never been cut off. The lights have never been cut off. It provides for me also a home. Because of you we pay our bills; our credit is good. M.A.C.A.. Inc., its credit is good.
The purchase of my home was provided for by good Saudi Arabian friends. I went to them and asked for a loan, which I was going to pay back with your money, as I received it in my pay. But they (our Saudi Brothers and friends) told me, "Brother Imam, you are our Imam also. We are supposed to give (you) a home. You cannot pay back this money to us." So they provided the home, and you keep the lights on. The lights, the phone, the gas, the water stay on and have never been cut off, because your support is always coming to those needs. A lot of us will just look over these things.
Do you know how many are doing that? It is just a hand full out of each big city. Sometimes it will only be one or two from a big city. All you have to do is look at the Ansari List in the Muslim Journal, and you will see.
However, this has been enough to enable me to keep functioning and to keep doing what I have to do. We would like to have more than that, for we want to do more. We want to
expand more and invest more. If we bad enough in that Fund, I would invest more and give assistance to more qualifying individuals and institutions. The priority is given to our Sister Clara Mohammed Schools over other charities.
Now, we do not just give money to any person and to any institution. We study the institution or the person, as an applicant or as one we have nominated. We want to make sure they qualify for grants from those Funds. We owe it to you who give your money. We owe it to you to make sure that your money goes where it counts.
It is the same for the schools. We did not just give to a school because it had the name "Warith Deen Mohammed" on it. In fact, the donation was to both schools there in Atlanta — the Elementary School (Sister Clara Mohammed School) and to the High School that wears my name, because they wanted it to be so. I don't want anything to carry my name. Sometimes I don't want my own self to carry my name (humor). Whatever the case may be, I respect the sentiments of the people, especially when those sentiments are sincere.
The Philadelphia Sister Clara Mohammed School was also given a large contribution. A Sister Clara Mohammed School in the New England area was also given a large contribution. The School in Philadelphia now sends money into the M.A.C.A. Fund. I said, "What is this? They will not qualify for a donation next year." If they have money to give to the M.A.C.A. Fund, we have to find another school to receive what may have been secured for Philadelphia. I don't know how they will feel about that, for this is the first time I have said it publicly. They will get the message.
One Masjid in the New England area for its size makes a tremendous contribution. I do not encourage masajid to make a contribution to the M.A.C.A. Fund. It is because there are some Imams who are so weak, that they will raise the money for the M.A.C.A. Fund just to raise money for themselves. I don't encourage it and even feel somewhat nervous about it. But I cannot stop you from doing it.
If you raise money for the M.A.C.A. Fund in your mosque, please do not let me find any of you abusing that right. If you do. I will come out and expose you. If you raise money for the M.A.C.A. Fund, then send it to the M.A.C.A. Fund. Don't pay your "light bill" with it and then send in part of it. Do not do that! And I have evidence that this has happened, and this is why I am calling attention to it.
The people who make it possible for me to come here and for my ministry to keep going are you who make contributions. You are all over the United States, with a very few outside of the United States. There is a sister who has been in Saudi Arabia working there for several years. She faithfully donates. It is in a small amount, but it is appreciated. She sends regularly $20.00 to the M.A.C.A. Fund.
Although I have not worked out the percentage, I do believe that sixty-five percent or more of you have been doing this ever since I announced the M.A.C.A. Fund. That percentage is very, very faithful. I know your names as well as I know my children's names, for your names are always here in the regular mail (contributions).
What I am saying is that we have a certain group of people who are consistent in supporting the M.A.C.A. Fund — and now the Ansari List — and have been doing so ever since this (M.A.C.A.) Fund was established. Those very consistent contributors represent our stable people (our sure support). They are not wavering or coming and going and changing their minds. They saw what they wanted to support, they give their support, and they do not change their minds. That makes for success!
The Imam is right when he says that I do not come here for your money. I do not say “little money,” for your money is bigger than mine most likely. I try to follow the best principles of a Muslim. Those best principles are established and reflected in the life of our Prophet (PBUH). They are established and reflected on the pages of history in the Companions of our Prophet.
Look at the suit I have on here. It is a nice suit. This suit can wrinkle, and I can hang it in the closet and wear it the next day — it presses itself. This is a very nice suit. Do you think I bought it? No. This suit was given to me by the King of Morocco, along with three others. I wore it for Phoenix because Phoenix has money, and I wanted to show them what I could wear!
I am not saying this to get you to look at me as some special person. I don't see myself in that way. I see myself as an ordinary human being just striving to be better. But I am saying this for you to know what kind of person I am, and I have a right to tell you that.
Some people think that an Imam is like any government or public figure. That you have the right to even know what is in his bank account and how he spends his money and where it comes from. I agree with that. So any time you want to know, just write to me and I will let you know. But I am not going to publish it for everybody, because some people may then look down on me. They will say, "He doesn't have any more money than that?" People think I am rich, and that gives me so much trouble.
My son asked me for something which cost too much money. My response was, "What?!" And he said, "Oh, I know you are rich. Even my friends on the street tell me you are rich." That is my son talking. So I said, "Where is that coming from?" He said, "You have the M.A.C.A. Fund." But I better not hear an Imam saying that, that Imam W. Deen Mohammed has the M.A.C.A. Fund. I have the "Trust" for the M.A.C.A. Fund. You gave me the trust for that.
I am sure that you don't say, "All of this money is supposed to be spent on you (W.D. Mohammed) personally. " You (contributors) think you are helping the Cause, the Mission, the Propagation Effort. And we owe it to you to do that with that money and to spend as less of it as we possibly can on ourselves and for our own pleasures. And that is what I try to do.
I borrow from the M.A.C.A. Fund. And I have a big debt. For about the last six months I have been under a strain, but I am not worried. I will pay it back to the M.A.C.A. Fund. I am on a monthly salary and I get a nice salary. Do you want to know…
We have to get up above the unprincipled people; we have to be disciplined, clean, principled, upright, dignified, truthful, honest, well-meaning, and conscious of things that should be respected. Then we address listeners from that position. If the people are down, we are not talking "down" to them, and we are up and not down. That is what I believe in. I believe it more and more that we should be looking to put ourselves higher and higher on the scale of excellent mind and conduct, excellent character and behavior, with significant and rich thoughts and aspirations.
You don't have to be rich to think rich. You don't have to be money to talk money. Just having that mind is going to improve your situation for getting there. And I believe that courage in me is owing much to the great courage of my father, the late leader of the then called "Nation of Islam," Elijah Muhammad.
Elijah Muhammad wag a poor man who never graduated from elementary school. He taught himself. He taught himself how to read and to spell. He educated himself. He never went to school more than three years in Georgia. And what is a third grade education? The Honorable Elijah Muhammad had the courage to tell us to go after business establishments and to work for business establishments, to establish big business. He had the courage to tell us to dignify ourselves for respect in the eyes of dignified society, not only in America but throughout the international world.Mr. Elijah Muhammad was a man inspiring and motivating us to meet the dignified picture of image of the strongest, the best, and most progressive people on this earth. You don't aim for something small; you aim for the biggest you can respect.
Some of you love, remember and value the Honorable Elijah Mohammed because he called the "white man the devil". I think such persons are very poor; I think they are poor in hell. For I am rich in that I have the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his rich contributions. Those who only remember him for cursing out white people, they have poverty. It hurts inside to see people excited over my father's race anger and diatribes and overlooking his main and most valuable contributions. Adding that the anger and diatribes were in order in the face of brutal conditions on us back there. But I am in the desert today and that is why I am talking like this!
Let us understand what we are facing in America when we want to make progress with our life and establish it as Muslims. We are by our racial make-up African Americans. We have a few people among us who are not African Americans. But for the most part our gatherings are African American, and therefore, we have to depend upon an African American association of people for our activities and steps toward progress.
We are not the typical African American in the society of America, We have Al-Islam in our lives, and it makes us different. Some of you are not aware of that. To not be aware of that is to put yourself in a bad situation. Al-Islam should be seen as your distinction. And if you are not different, then something is terribly wrong. An African American Muslim is not to be just typical of African Americans. An African American Muslim should be distinguished among the African American crowds.
Now, to try to distinguish yourself by wearing a fez or the Neru suit or Pakistani dress or the cloaks of the Saudis is not good enough. That will not help you reach the goal line of the "black" race. For anyone can go to Hollywood or to the TV sets and see actors wearing such dress. I wear American dress. However, I also see my brothers who are African Americans and are wearing eastern clothes, and I do not disrespect them. I see them and hope that they do have the distinct Islamic life and are just covered in those clothes. I am hoping that they do have the substance of the Islamic life. But when I see one that is just under covers without religious substance, it hurts.
And also, we do not want to go to extremes and dress ourselves externally and internally to be seen with the looks of American people. For we should want to set an example for our American people. We want to be an influence with our Muslim life and with our behavior to influence American lifestyles. We would like to be a factor for supporting commendable change in America's behavioral identity. We hope that one day there will be more strong Americans who would have grown stronger with their contacts with Muslim life and Muslim contribution to the genuineness and colorfulness of life. Groups gain by being exposed to the excellence of one another.
We are not looking to take on any group's weaknesses. We want to keep our excellence, and if their excellence is compatible with ours, then we appreciate that and love those outside our group even more as citizens of this country and will identify with them even more because of that compatibility. Bui we will never exchange ours (our life) for theirs. To do so would make ourselves fools. If you know your religion, and are a true believer, you will appreciate what I am saying.
Americans, we are supposed to be the most liberal people in the international world, and in a sense we are. We are supposed to be the most human people in the international world. And in a sense we are. We are supposed to be freer than any other people in the international world. And in a sense we are. But we have real serious behavioral problems and "we Americans" know that.
African Americans, look at our history as a people. A little better than one hundred years ago, we were slaves. There are a lot of us who would like to forget that, and a lot of us have forgotten that. Some of our children today don't know that. And that is a shame. You have heard the words of the educator who speaks of people who forget their past and, therefore, are likely to repeat it. So this forgetting is a shame on us, that we do not keep our people or even our own children informed of the history shaping encounters in the life of the group.
It was just a little better than one hundred years ago that this country had us as its slaves. And a little more than about twenty-five years ago the law in this country was for whites and not for us. That was the case in many of the states of this country. Even in the North, where we thought it was good, there were the sentiments of the courts not favoring us, favoring "whites". It was hard to find real justice even in the north.
I am not saying all of that is done away with. But at least the law has changed on the books. At least it is not in the law anymore, and it is not recognized as acceptable anymore for a judge or a court to favor some groups over others and disrespect the obligation to do justice. In the United States, that is not accepted anymore, although it still happens. And we are not the only victims. Other people are victims of racial arrogance.
Certain problems of social immaturity and covert evils are going to continue. That is why we have to always be enlisted in the army of the righteous and respond as we should when we see injustice. We are always to be on the side of those who are fighting for justice.
We look at the history of our people and we see what has happened. We have come from slavery to freedom. We have come from separation, segregation and discrimination to be granted equal opportunity and inclusion. Some of you are saying, "We don't have that yet!" But the talk you are talking now has nothing to do with race. There are other people, even "whites", who do not have it. In fact there are many in this country who do not even have what we have. They do not have the opportunity opened to us to rise in the political life. Some others are not even accepted right now in the political life. I will not name any ethnic group, but if you think a little you will identify some unfavored members.
If you do not have education or resources to impress the people with power and big holdings, then you are not wanted among them. Then you are going to have to really get something going for you or else you will have to press real hard to bring a lot of attention to your case in order to go forward. This situation of today is not something aimed only against African American people. It is the attitude of spoiled establishment — to keep all of those who don't have ("have nots") out! That is the situation all over this world. Don't think that it is any different across the waters. In most places across the waters you (have nots) will find it even more difficult.
As Americans we are free now in this country, and an elite among us is very wealthy, but oppressed. So just having the money is not enough. For some of us have plenty. Some of us also have high education. Look at Bill Cosby. He has a doctorate and is also a rich man. But do you think he feels comfortable? Do you think he feels no burden? Some of the most miserable are those with high education and money. It is because they discovered you can be rich and highly educated and people will recognize you in the unfavored group and treat you with disrespect.
They have one picture of you as the achiever, as the one who succeeded. And they have another picture of you as a member of a lot which is a failure. And even though they appreciate you as the achiever, they do not want you hanging around them too long or getting too close to them, because you are a member of a people who are a failure. This is a situation we have to be aware of...
We have to be aware, if we are talking about establishing ourselves in America, that just getting money is not going to do it. To just get an education isn't going to do it. Then what will do it ? We have to work at changing the behavior of the African American people.
It is not what we want that is stigmatizing us. It is what we "are" and what we "continue to be" that's hurting us. We continue to be a people who are just given to "un-thought-out life'' and to influences and circumstances of the environment. We are a people who arc just given to going along with what is popular. We don't care if it hurts the aspirations of our fathers and mothers behind us or not. We just want to be happy.
We complain and complain and complain. And we ask other people to be civil by us, and we then go in our neighborhoods and are not civil by each other. We will go in our houses and not be civil by each other. We will go in our apartments and not be civil by each other. But we will he making charges and complaints and asking people to be civil by us.
We have to change our behavior. And the progress we make at changing our behavior towards each other for the better is progress we will be making towards removing the burden on the race. Our race will always be an oppressed race, a down hearted race, a race with poor spirit, a race with a heavy and bad spirit, until we make up our minds that we are going to work on changing our behavior. We can't be happy with our people just acting silly, following fads, and singing songs.
I am very serious. 1 did not come here with jokes or to make you laugh. You can laugh if you want; it does make me happy sometimes to see you laugh. But that is not why f came here. We are being manipulated. And it did not just start. We have always been worked against. People look at our weaknesses and then go about exploiting our weaknesses. Yet, many of us are not aware of that.
We have educated politicians, educated church leaders, educated community and civil leaders, and educated common people. But we are under a spirit and caught up by a certain spirit that is making us poor and in hell where we never can become established. Here, I am talking about "poor" in a very broad sense, ft is not just about money. We are "poor at heart", poor in the head, and poor in the pocket. This is the reality we have to face.
Because of your support, you have made it possible for me to have association with people who are ''Big Shots". Sol go to the meetings of the "Big Shots". I was at the Inaugural Address of Maynard Jackson, the Mayor of Atlanta. I received an invitation, and Imam Plemon El-Amin of Atlanta was one of three selected to give the Benediction. Can you imagine what makes that happen?
Like you, I watch the meetings of our people on television also when they come together for some serious concern. Jesse Jackson went all the way to Washington, DC supported by his people. He was nominated to he President of these United States by his people. He was qualified by the support he got from his people to be recognized at the Democratic Convention. He addressed the Nation at the Convention. And what did it sound like to me? It sounded like another church meeting. I am just telling you what the problem Is, and this is the problem. We just had another typical church meeting where he talked like a typical preacher, looked like a typical preacher, acted like a typical preacher, and dwelled on the spirit like a typical preacher. He was even puffing wind like a typical preacher filled up with wind.
I am not saying this to take anything away from the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is a very intelligent and skillful leader and politician. But by spirit he is crippled just like all of us who carry this race spirit. So where are we today ? We are still in the pool of regrets and woes. In fact, the morale of our people today is no better than it was fifty years ago. Someone said that it is worse, and many of us do think we as a group are by spirit worse off today.
We are looking everywhere for answers but the right place. Some say the answer is better educational opportunities for our children. But look at the educated man. Do you think he is doing any better? He’s also apt to use crack and may be found risking his image and the image of his people and hurting his job and the chances of his people keeping respect for such jobs. With higher education and his great position, he is charged with using crack. Who am X talking a bout ? It is the Mayor of Washington, DC — Mayor Marion Barry.
So you want to educate your son? But until we look at the real problem, you may be shaping someone up to get no further than Mayor Barry. He has education and government administration opportunities.
Sometimes I wish the Islamic Law was our law. I wish that all African Americans were under Islamic Law. Then I would not have heard about this from the FBI setup. I would have heard that a group of Muslims who were supporting him caught him using drugs and beat him with clubs. And then the next leader we have to get into that office will think, "I had better not do this. I don't want to be seen on television getting my head clubbed."
You may think this outrageous or extreme. But don't you know that no people have established themselves until they first have the courage to protect their group interest, even if it meant someone getting clubbed or killed. Other ethnic groups have had to defend their group's vital interest.
Another one of our problems is we are afraid to take intelligent risks. We are afraid to exercise real moral courage. But that does not mean that we are not risk takers. The African American is the biggest risk taker in the history of this country.
Most of our money is money given to risk situations. Our behavior is a risk- " style behavior. We are the biggest gamblers and risk takers. If you try to get some of our people to invest in a real (logic rooted) investment, the answer will be "No." But you will catch them standing at the Lottery like they are going to meet Jesus there.
You should ask "Is Jesus here?'' May Allah forgive me for using Jesus' name in this, peace be upon the Prophet Jesus. But I am sure you know that I say that because of our exaggerated African American attachment to Jesus. Jesus is the Big Brother, the Big Father, the Big Friend, the Baby, the Mother, and everything to the African American people. He pays the rent and everything.
There are so many things that need to be recognized by us as problems internally that are keeping us from being established in a way that makes us feel good in the head and in the heart. However I am going to address all of our problems with one term, and that is "circumstances".
We are faced with "unfavorable circumstances". Our problem thirty years back was oppressors, the "white man in America''. But that time has changed and it is no more the white man in America directly. It is us and a small minority among the whites in America. They will be found working, studying our weaknesses and setting traps for us and preparing direction for us. And we will not be knowing what is going on.
That is going to happen until we ourselves get sophisticated enough in our alert mind and in our alert thoughts to recognize our weaknesses and not invite enemies in on us. We must defend ourselves morally against the most corrupt and most evil elements in this country that are watching us all the time to see what weaknesses they can work on to defeat our honorable advances.
They will find that you have a weakness and work on it. They will send a girl in on you. And if a girl did not help them, they will send a woman in. And if the woman did not help them, they will send a sissy in to get you. If the sissy did not help them, they'll send a dog. And if that doesn't help, they will send a gorilla. They will set you up, but you will not be innocent.
All of us have to be aware of that. And you do not have to be up in high position as is the Mayor of Washington, DC. There will be some evil element in the society — sometimes our own people who are blacker than you are in skin color — they will see a weakness in you and feed that weakness. That is the work of the devil. They will pretend to he your friend and will be feeding weakness in you, hoping that they will destroy you and make you fall to their low moral existence.
I was in a store once, and this old European American man — whom I hate to call white, for the dictionary says white means pure and etc. This old European American looked at me to get my attention, and he took a piece of fruit and put it in his pocket. Then he looked at me with the facial suggestion, "This is what you should do." My mother taught me not to steal. Now, here is a sixty year old or better "white man" who is telling me by gesture to steal.
I am sure that I am not the only African American who has had some European American to bid them to do wrong, to invite them to do wrong. I looked at him and in him I could see the devil. I said, "There is a stinking devil." Now you will go back and say, "Imam Mohammed said he looked in that white man's face and saw the stinking devil." And you should tell them also that I saw one in a black man, but not on the same day.We have to be aware that we are being fought against all of the time. There are people sneaking and conniving and maneuvering just to bring us (African-American Muslims) down. It is not only us, but we have more people at us than any other people in this country or on this earth. They would like to see us stay down and never get established. So we have to be aware of that, we have to work hard to protect our own vulnerability against such people who would take advantage of our weaknesses. If we work at that more, we would be more successful.
When you just relax before the invitation to drink liquor and to go to wild parties, you are building more weaknesses in the race. If you hear people talking about doing crimes, stealing, buying hot goods, selling dope, and you just relax in that environment and atmosphere, then you are helping to keep us (our people) down. If you feel relaxed when what most of our people are talking about on the weekend is a drink, going to a dance, going to a party, or a desire for limited animal pleasures, then you are helping the situation that the enemy loves in us, for us, on us.
We have to see our behavior as serious. Any people have to see group behavior as their vital concern. All of us who have good conscience and want to see some change for the better, whether Muslim or Christian or whatever, we (the conscious few) have to get involved in this duty of watching over the behavior of our people. Make sure the big majority are not a factor for carrying bad behavior to generation after generation. Make sure the numbers are being reduced that are contributing to the bad behavior of the African-American people, to that behavior that makes us fail as a people.
As a rule it is good and bad circumstances that influence the shaping of a people or a society, and act upon them until they come to be established or ruined. If those circumstances remain favorable, in time, they (the people) will become established.
Many times the harshest environment, the harshest circumstances can work to motivate a people towards establishment. Choosing to regard Muslim life above other life options will establish us (African-Americans).
Slavery was an ugly and horrible state or condition on us — slavery in America. But it (slavery) was also a factor influencing us to think ourselves out of our weaknesses, out of our deficiencies, into independence, into production, into resources. Therefore, while that horrible situation was hurting us and holding us back in every way, at the same time, because it was intolerable, it was also forcing us to want to get free.
Slavery was forcing us to want to have an existence above the beast in the Held, to want to be recognized with free and dignified human beings of America, and everywhere.
When a people come from such horrible and intolerable conditions and are able to enjoy a living where they have food, shelter, and existence without daily pain and misery, if they are not loyal to their life purpose, if they forget their higher purpose and accept to enjoy the more laxed conditions — in time they are going to be overcome by that laxed environment. That is what has happened to us as a people in this country. The non-serious environment has overcome us, defeated us.
Before the new environment became our main enemy we were struggling to overcome white rule environment. With the help of sympathetic Americans and the courageous astute leadership of Frederick Douglass and other men and women, we made it through. But now after making it we have relaxed and it is enough now just to know that I don't have to be hungry in the stomach and that I can have fun on the weekend or everyday, if I choose. I can talk tough and bad. I have made it now. That disposition which the many accept shows us to be under the force of the misleading environment. Before this Free time break for us in the laxed environment, we were trying to get out of the clutches of the white rule environment.
Nothing will bring us out of the oppression of the environment except an aim or a purpose that goes beyond the circumstances presented by the environment. We need something that will carry us beyond. We need something that will carry us beyond the limits of the neighborhood and beyond the limits of the city. We need something that will even carry us beyond the borders of the United States.
What is meant by that? If we do not have something that is more precious to us, more valuable to us than even the entire United States, freedom will work against us and we will not be any longer people devoted and progressive. We will begin to be regressive. The people who continue to progress in the United States with freedom and opportunity have an uplifting, raised-high idea, and a spirit and purpose bigger than the entire United States. That is why the attention for those people has changed with the national and international major trends.
Their focus now is not trained on the United States. Their focus is on the international community. Their market now is not looked at as a market for the United States, but it is looked at as a market for a business activity that must recognize the new global economic situation and benefit from it. They are not now only going out hunting in the foreign waters and in foreign lands for goods and products to bring back to America to make America a more powerful nation. They (the business world) are going out now to see how can they establish what will no longer grow in the United States, not for what won't grow in Phoenix, Arizona. They are looking for a situation now that will favor what they want growing since reality in the United States now is not favoring their old patterns. They look for markets and opportunity for investing in developing areas beyond the borders of the United States.
Understand...the United States was not existing when big business came to the New World. What was existing for them was an idea and a vision. It was that idea and that vision that inspired the new comers and drove them to make this United States what it was and what it is. It was their highly focused ideas and vision.
Our African-American people, if you have nothing but church spirit and you do not have the New Testament vision, and you only go to church for your church spirit, then you may as well go to a psychologist and to the nearest liquor store. You can get as drunk and as crazed in the church when you are without the vision and the purpose and the idea of the religion. You can go and listen to some of these preachers, whatever the religion, and it will do more damage to your mind and to your behavior than you will do by drinking bottle after bottle at a liquor store. This is the truth. You have only to go to neighborhoods where preachers are passing out nothing but wine (preaching to excite and mystify). Do you see the condition? Such is found in Chicago, and I am sure you have this in all of these cities — streets clustered with 'happy houses' back to back. I don't know about Phoenix, for there is a small percentage of us poor here.
When you don't have vision, purpose, and direction in your life then any burdensome exaggeration can happen. The wildest and most foolish things can happen.
We do have some very important people here in Phoenix, for we recognized them and we were honored to honor them last night. I know we have some great people here, but they are not typical of the lot of our people.
We have to overcome adverse circumstances. I believe with all of my heart, mind, and soul that it is the Divine Will, Allah's Will — Christians will say G-d's Will, for it is the same G-d, and there is only one G-d (Allah) — I believe it is Divine Will that this religion Al-Islam and the book Qur'an or Koran are destined to be our Savior. This Holy Book demonstrated in the lifestyle of Prophet Mohammed (Muhammad) is destined to be our Savior.
Risk Takers
Another one of our problems is we are afraid to take intelligent risks. We are afraid to exercise real moral courage. But that does not mean that we are not risk takers. The African American is the biggest risk taker in the history of this country. Most of our money is money given to risk situations. Our behavior is a risk-style behavior. We are the biggest gamblers and risk takers.
Influences shaping a people
As a rule it is good and bad circumstances that influence the shaping of a people or a society, and act upon them until they come to be established or ruined. If those circumstances remain favora¬ble, in time, they (the people) will become established.
Many times the harshest environment, the harshest circum¬stances can work to motivate a people towards establishment. Choosing to regard Muslim life above other life options will esta¬blish us (African-Americans).
Slavery was an ugly and horrible state or condition on us —slavery in America. But it (slavery) was also a factor influencing us to think ourselves out of our weaknesses, out of our deficiencies, into independence, into production, into resources. Therefore, while that horrible situation was hurting us and holding us back in every way, at the same time, because it was intolerable, it was also forcing us to want to get free.
We have Al-Islam
We, are not the typical African-American in the society of America. We have Al-Islam in our lives, and it makes us different. Some of you are not aware of that. To not be aware of that is to put yourself in a bad situation. Al-Islam should be seen as your distinction. And if you are not different, then something is terribly wrong. An African American Muslim is not to he just typical of African-Americans. An African American Muslim should he distinguished among the African-American crowds.
Look at our History
African Americans, look at our history as a people. A little better than one hundred years ago, we were slaves. There are a lot of us who would like to forget that, and a lot of us have forgotten that. Some of our children today don't know that. And that is a shame. You have heard the words of the educator who speaks of people who forget their past and, there¬fore, are likely to repeat it. So this forgetting is a shame on us, that we do not keep our people or even our own children informed of the history shaping encounters in the life of the group.
Of course, you can reject anything or everything of what I say, like some of you do. However. I am saying that I believe it is Allah's Will, The Almighty's Will that we be saved by the Qur'an and by the lifestyle of our Prophet Muhammed who is given in our Holy Book (Qur'an) as an excellent model of behavior. I believe firmly that Al-Islam ("Islam") is in America by G-d's (Allah's) Will to save and establish African Americans.
If you have been chosen by Allah for a certain purpose, for a certain service, then know that this situation in the United States will get better as we come into "Islam " with our numbers and good behavior. The church has given us some kind of real uniform life, a lifestyle and a behavior that have kept us in good shape with human sense and human feelings. But the church role in the African American grows weaker and weaker as we become freer and freer. It grows weaker and weaker as an influence to keep good behavior in us.
I am saying that Allah intended that Al-Islam be our salvation. If a child was taken from his parents by a kidnapper, and that parent was hurt and done a terrible injustice, and so was the child; if no help comes to the child, and the parent also is being slandered and mistreated and lied against, then don't you know that if there is a G-d, then G-d should in time do something for that situation?
The mercy and justice would be to bring that child and that parent back together. Even if the parent is dead, if the child is still living, the justice would be to reconcile that child with its parents. But our parents are not .dead; they are still alive. There are African Muslims still in Africa, and history reports that many of us were brought from African Muslim life and were enslaved here in America. Slave traders (buyers) did not go to churches in Africa to get slaves for America.
When I was following my father's teachings, I felt it-strongly. I felt that Allah had plans for us. Keep knocking and bumping heads and falling over and getting bruised up, after a while some will see the problem.
I also believe with time more and more of us are going to realize that we are trying to do the unexpected and the unnatural thing: it is not popular for an African American race to embrace the religion of a White race, when that religion is imaged in a "white man", the "Word "and "G-d". The only way that could happen, we were under them and could not express freedom of choice. Christianity and the church came into our lives after we had already been enslaved in America. We had already been given lies about what was in Africa. We had already been made ignorant of Al-lslam (Islam). We knew only slavery in America. The slaves were not allowed to know more than that.
We had been kept worldly naive, worldly misinformed, completely or totally blind as to what was happening on the international world scene. When we went to the "white man's church", we were somewhat like a primitive people in a land, and then a modern vehicle falls out of the sky. Because we don't know how it was put together, we start worshipping it. History records that some primitive people actually did worship a plane which fell in their area. They thought it was some kind of G-d.
We came from a situation that did not allow us to make free choices. To make a free choice, you have to know something. How can I choose something better than the ''fat back'' and ' 'greens'' and "hog jaws"? How could I choose something better, if I never knew better? I am going to choose what I know, and we did not know better. Conditions under "white rule" made us fearful and suspicious of every thing else. A man could bring a sirloin or porterhouse steak to us and some would have said, "Oh, we don't want that." "Will you just taste a little of it?" "No, I don't have to taste it. I know I don't like it."
I pray to Allah to give me the life of four generations, and I hope to get the fourth generation of these people to like a better food ("Islam"). You have to will the responsibility to your children: "Son, will you keep working on getting us (African Americans) better food?"
I respect the essence (excellence) of Christianity. I respect it very dearly. But I don't respect the stupid behavior of you so-called free African Americans who continue to fight against our religion — Al-Islam. Our own so-called church people are sometimes as devilish as can be. .
They meet us and act as though they are our brothers. They say, "'Eman' Mohammed! I'm happy to meet you. brother. Keep the good work up?" They will get back behind closed doors with their company and say. "\\r have to watch these Muslims, man. They are trying to take the limelight from us. Watch these Muslims. You know they are heathens, man. They don't believe in Christ, you know. They are the Anti-Christ!" Behind our backs they are saying ugly and cruel things about us.
We know these plantation dupes. Don't think you have put one over on us; you have not! We can't ignore that kind of behavior. Many of these people have become educated and have read about the international world and come to know about the glowing and high position that their people had as Muslims in the past life of Africa, about the achievements of their people in Africa, as Muslims, yet they look for something to discredit that.
They (our immoral duped leaders) will find that the African Muslim had a great past, and then look feverishly to find something somewhere to discredit that. They go and dig up "animalism" and show the African believing in animalism. They will say, "The Africans believed in animalism and ancestry worship? There were some great men of medicine who created medicine long before the Muslims." This is done just to discredit our Muslims' pages of glory on the continent of Africa.
No matter what they dig up, it looks small on the scale when we put the achievement of the African Muslim up against it. What is wrong in us to make us not appreciate African Muslim history? We say that we want to appreciate our past, we want to remember Africa, we want "Black" history. So what is wrong with us that the majority do not appreciate that biggest of pages in Black history? Doesn't that tell you that there is something sadly and cruelly wrong with the many of us? There is something sad and pitiful in their thinking. Something is awfully diseased in them to make them want to ignore pages of their glory, a past that was Muslim.
Too many are still saying, "That's not soul food. We don't want that. That i* not the black church. We don't want that!" And a people breaking off from their best and favoring the worst in them and in European Americans deserves punishment from Allah. And I do believe, "blacks" of America, we are under punishment.
This is not the first time 1 said this. I believe our race is under punishment. It is punishment for big crimes; our people lost innocent lives, suffered the worse cruelties and during "white rule" America they (we) were treated worse than animals. Our race was shut out of the human society as an equal member.
Some did not believe that "G-d" intended that horror for our race, and they prayed and struggled and suffered and waited. Finally, better times came. Support came to their side from exceptional white Americans. Long last, freedom and good times came. We forgot the high and noble aspirations of those who suffered slavery and Jim Crow, those who worked for our sake and for our future. We forgot the high principles and great moral and civil aspirations and strayed to have fun on the weekends. We treated the sacrifices and the suffering as though it was for us to have weekends in these big cities of America.
Don't you know a people putting aside the high moral values and obedience to G-d which invited G-d to help, now in their laxed morals invites punishment. There has to be SOMETHING to appeal to the many and invite the many to excellent productive behavior. Al-Islam is here (in America) to lift from us the curse.
As slaves, we were denied the right to own property. In many of these cities of the United States, even after we were freed, we were not allowed to own property. Certainly there were a few exceptions, but why would somebody make one-in-a-million the case? Now look at us as African Americans today. We got free from that situation of slavery and into a situation where we can have property, and many of us abuse property.
At one time we were not allowed to be a part of this business life, the financial life of the United States. We get free and can be a part of it, and cut each other down. Our people will travel twenty-five miles to trade with "a white man". We will deny our own people our support. We are in ugly competition with each other. It appears we hate to see another one of our kind succeed. Many say, "Blacks have no chance in America," and we (many) work to keep it that way.
We like to s«e our own people succeed after death, or it has to be personal. 'That's my son, you know! That's my pastor, you know!" Many have to have some personal attachment to the one who succeeds to appreciate his or her rising. The majority of us are in this sick spiritual state. It is a very sick state for us. Many deserve punishment and are punished.
You want to talk about punishment? You want to talk about really having your nose rubbed into the dirt? Look at the people who are coming up now that we used to laugh at. Do you remember the Mexicans and how many of us thought ourselves better than them? We would laugh at Africans. Do you remember how we would make fun of Africans?
Now look where the African is and where most of us are. The African comes here and is counted among "the haves". Africans are among the wealthy and the investors.
Many underestimated "the boat people" from Haiti. They came to America to establish themselves. Now, Haitians are seen progressing. Most of us want to keep going to "Pharaoh’s House" for our needs. While right in our face other ethnic groups are coming to America and setting records of progress. A curse seems to be on our race. We are cursed for failing the best aspirations of our people. We turned our backs on the best aspirations of our people. We (many) in freedom time use our freedom to promote weekend fun, violence, bigotry, and "black-on-black" crime. We have to recognize what we are faced with and overcome subtle circumstances.
We (the many) are not yet a liberated people. This is my point. A liberated people have to have something in them that is independent of (bigger than) the circumstances. For now we are a people who are just acting out the circumstances. That, we have been doing since "freedom." What happened to our ideas and plans for carrying us out and beyond defeating circumstances? We (for the most) don't have any authority bigger than the authority (the influence) of the circumstances. There is no championing authority in our lives.
All we need in our lives to make us come from this bad situation into a good one for ourselves is a productive idea bigger than the environment. A deciding purpose, a goal for ourselves bigger than the environment. We cannot do that equipped with only blind faith, "leaving it all to Jesus". Peace be on him (Prophet Jesus), we would think Jesus Christ would motivate us to "do for self.
Religion, when it is accepted that way, can only carry a people until they come into contact with a truly free people they have to compete with. To have long lived achievements, the need is a vision that gives us its spirit. A people without vision will be the slave of a people with vision. A people without vision will remain inferior to the people with vision.
As a race, we depend excessively on other people. It is because we (most) are blind-faith Christians, having spirit detached from vision. Most are not Christians of vision. It is not that we have not had intellectuals in Christianity. Some African-American intellectuals in Christianity have found a vision in Christianity. But they have not been able to turn on enough of our people to bring a healthy situation in this country for Christian African-Americans.
I believe the main thing that makes establishment of the "black man" so difficult is that Christianity as an image-centered religion is unnatural for us and counter productive for us. Even if you were to make Jesus black, it would still be unnatural for us.
There are those who hold that Jesus and Mary are "black". But it cannot take them out of their difficulty. Because deep down, whether they face it or not, they know that changing color is patch work convenience, and that in the big wide world Jesus Christ is a "white man". Some people in Detroit and in Chicago changed the "white" Jesus to a "black" Jesus. It did not change their defeating circumstances.
A lost desperate child who is dissatisfied with his real father says, "I hate him!" He brings a picture of a stranger and says, "This is my father." He is not going to get healthy. He has compounded the problem. Ruled by emotional desperation, the child lives to free himself, but grows more lost.
To make Jesus Christ an African American is a lie. To make Jesus an African is a lie. He was not an African, he was not an African American. 'The Bible says Christ Jesus had hair like lambs wool." Most don't know what they are reading. The Bible says he had eyes like "Burning coals." Do you want eyes like that?
Allah (G-d the Creator of all) intends for us to be saved by Al-Islam. He intends for us to rise in dignity not only in America but also in the international world (as Muslims). Allah intends that we overcome our ethnic weaknesses with Al-Islam. That we establish ourselves in a spiritual way, in a moral way, and in a material way with Al-Islam. That is what Allah intends for us. Trying other things is wasting time and makes more problems for our group.
Muslims, be happy. I don't expect the African Americans in mass to come from the Church just by hearing me say these things. I want us to be uplifted. I want you to be stronger in and to your situation. Muslims, know that this is not just your choice: this is Allah's Purpose, this is Allah's Will, this is Allah's Choice. The more we live truthful to the content of our religion, to the reality of our religion, the more Allah is going to lift us up in worth as a group.
Do you think the people are saved by a majority? Study history. Societies have always been saved by a minority (a select few). Understand also, that our religion insists upon certain disciplines that if we bought them, we would be a success even if we don't understand much religious mystery. We don't have to understand all the mysteries in our religion to be raised up. If we would pay the price of disciplines, we would start to be a success overnight.
Some of these disciplines are: you are not supposed to be intoxicated. No liquors. No reefers. No drugs.
Another big problem for us is hypertension, high blood pressure. The principle of (the rule of) wisdom in our religion is that anything harmful to you if taken in relaxed amounts is forbidden in any amounts. Anything taken in the excess is also forbidden. You would not take at one time a cup of salt, a cup of sugar, a cup of oil or grease, a cup of vinegar into your body. I saw someone making a drink and had to ask, "Hey, are you going to drink sugar?" The answer was, "I like it."
Accept that the defeating circumstances in our lives is an enemy. Then be on guard against such circumstances. This should be done at home or wherever. Discipline self to not be overcome by the adverse influences in our environment. With Islamic disciplines we are making progress. It is guaranteed.
Check our appetites. Control our own life. Get the benefit. And isn't that real freedom? Freedom is to feel that my life is mainly in my own hands (control). Slavery is when my life is not in my own control. Our religion instructs us to take charge of our own lives and be responsible for our own personal and individual lives.
The Muslim must control his appetites, control his spirit, and control his thoughts. The Muslim is responsible for his whole life. Allah has given us charge of our own life. He created us and then put our life into our own charge. That is what we are taught as Muslims, to take responsibility for the conduct of our own life. And how can we do that without guidance, without light on the situation?
Muslims, go to the Qur'an, go to the life of the Prophet (on him be the prayers and the peace). Study your religion, so that you will know better how to manage your own personal life. A great sense of dignity comes with knowing that you are doing a good job managing your own life. That is real freedom.
Enemy Devices of Oppression
Be aware of the devices of oppression — liquors, drugs, and weekend wasteful fun. All of such are devices of oppression. Such devices are the enemies that are taking us down, beating us and defeating us and denying us establishment. Wasteful fun is an enemy. The tendency to make everything play and fun is an enemy. Such spirit behind our behavior takes us down and denies us establishment. Artificiality (put-on behavior) is an enemy. Wanting to be something just because it is popular is an enemy. These are devices of oppression.
Another enemy is cowardice. Moral cowardice is an enemy-Intellectual cowardice is an enemy. To see the strength, beauty, excellence, and worth in an idea and yet hold on to something that is very much inferior to that idea is moral cowardice. Because you don't have the discipline or the will to do what is morally or intellectually right for yourself, will false acts to discredit it give relief to you? These are the devices (enemies) we have to overcome.
Al-Islam is the force for a successful revolution in the African American people. Not only for us here in America but also for our race in Africa. Don't you know that they too have been deceived in Africa? They were dominated by the West and misguided by the West. They were manipulated into the weakness of undermining the true rise of Al-Islam on the continent of Africa. Although they call themselves Muslims, many are false. This is because somewhere in previous times their people failed to respect what was their real salvation, their real dignity and true glory. They failed their religion. So when failing to respect our religion, Allah punishes us.
The Chosen
We read the history in the Qur'an of certain people whom Allah chose. Nevertheless, when they started to disrespect and abuse what Allah trusted them with, then Allah started to deny them the benefits and allowed them to be overcome by other people that He did not choose. This is history given to us by Allah in Revelation.
This rejection of them is punishment given by Allah's command for the purpose of returning them to their senses. Punishment might bring them back to remember Allah and what He had chosen them for. The people Allah had chosen to be the light for others have joined the people who work to bring the world under darkness. When such occurs, Allah lets the forces of darkness overcome both guilty parties and another people become trustees in power.
The same can happen to us and has happened to us. We (the many of us' turned our backs on the mercy and grace of Allah and threw off our moral sense and joined the blindness of the world. In conclusion I want to invite you to work at something more; that is, concentrate on identifying not just Muslims but other people who share your basic values. Identify with other people who identify with the same basic values that you want. People who share the same sense of values are strong allies, whether they acknowledge each other or not.
Our Moral Partners
Muslims, we have to appreciate Christians who share our sense of values. If they believe as we believe, that it is wrong to be intoxicated, that liquors and drugs are evil, that to work all the week to party on the weekend is ignorance and wastefulness, then we should identify with them and appreciate them. We must realize that we have powerful allies in those people with whom we identify morally.
If there are Christians or Jews or Buddhists who value property, value family, show respect for father and mother, value their children, we should identify with them at least in that vital and common area. We should appreciate them being our neighbor or being in the same city. Acknowledge them as an ally in the neighborhood, in the city or town, in the country.
To be specific. I am telling you that we need to extend our ties. We need to extend our forces by recognizing other powerful allies that may not be Muslims but share our basic sense of values and are aspiring for the same healthy life of the human being. Realize that they are powerful allies.
At the same time realize also that there is a situation of incompatibility and a situation of compatibility. We have to be alive on their side and fighting them at the same time. Allies fight sometimes. Allies will disagree. Allies will oppose each other. The agreeable ally of the Muslim is the Muslim. But we should have allies beyond the borders of the Muslim community and world. We accept that there are people we need and who need us when we think this way. When we do not think this way, they (other people) only need what we have; support given to others and denied our own.
Value-Package Behavior
Moreover, we should live and behave in a way that says to them, "I recognize you as my ally." We want to spread this message of identifying and recognizing our allies. We are not going to spread it with the mouth, we are going to spread it with our behavior. We are going to present a commendable presence before people with whom we share like principles and values. You have to present yourself with your resources. If you have money, don't you want that known at least for business purposes?
Virtues and principles of civilized decent people are more precious and more convincing for building relationships than money and wealth. When people find that you are really true to principles and values held high by them, they value you as a member of their society, of their nation, or just as a person living on their street. We don't want to hide the Islamic wisdom for building bridges. We want to live and let the world know the values and principles we will defend and die for.
Our Typical Behavior is Muslim
We have to stop going along with the habit of behaving as an American Negro or an American Black or African American. We have to get out of that and fight it. It is trouble for us. Some of us will get a little loose. When you get up to get dressed, your "per son-remake" dress will give you another spirit. Before dressing you would be walking around the house very normal, no exaggerated motions. After getting dressed, that other spirit that comes on you is one that the civil established world does not want as an ally.
A Global Sense
We need to extend our allegiance to be allied with people of different colors of different nationalities and from the different parts of the world. Value people when they represent hope for the future. People who represent hope for the future are our best investment. Shouldn't we be hurt when we see something bad happening to them?
Whether you know all the values of a people or not, if you just know they love freedom and hate oppression and dictators and tyrants, and that they will shed their blood and sacrifice their lives to throw off such oppression, then you must extend your sense of allegiance to connect with them also. Appreciate them. Feel a strong allegiance with those people. Feel hurt when they are losing. Feel happy when they are winning, whether they be of your color (racial, ethnic, or religious group) or not.
It makes me feel so good to know that Europe is throwing off dictatorships and tyrants. In some of those European countries there are good populations of Muslims. But I am not just thinking of the Muslims, I think of all of those people. What I am thinking of really is that those people are so courageous and tired of cruel dictators. They are willing to shed blood and lose lives in the thousands. Thank Allah, they have been successful in throwing cruel tyrants and dictators off their backs. They are coming into a freedom that is satisfying.
You should be happy brothers. Why? Because that vibration or sensitivity was not to our knowledge in the atmosphere of America or in the world when your Imam was here battling a tendency in "blacks" to give blind support to oppressors from among us. We should throw tyrants off our backs. We should put down dictators, oppressive ideas and people who would defend and protect oppressive ideas.
Those who oppress other people and live on other people and will exploit weaknesses and rule as though they are masters and others are servants, slaves, are the enemy. We have to grow up to realize that we don't lose our lives pushing dope and sticking up old and weak people on the street, robbing stores, breaking into homes. That is not the way to risk life. Risk life to bring the criminal down.
Wasteful Risks
We will go and risk our lives to sell dope. Our people will join a group of criminals to push dope and brave the risk of being killed by one of them or by law enforcement.
We (too many of us) are risking our lives all the time out there in the world of crime. You brave criminals should come out of that crazy spirit you are in. A lot of you are not really bad. You are victims of an environment. It is that you don't see any hope in anything else. If some of you could see the light, you would change your life and bring that strength and courage to the life and to the goals of Muslims. Some of our best citizens were public offenders when they were not Muslims.
Another thing we have to realize is that in this confused environment of the West, you cannot write everyone off who are involved in crime, abusing themselves and others. I am not saying to excuse them completely. Certainly they have sin on them. But what I am saying is that their peculiar circumstances if studied carefully would justify giving them a chance.
BUSINESS OF OPPRESSIONS
The business of oppressions is designed to siphon off our strength. When profiteering establishments come to us they work to weaken and undermine what they will not control directly. Families devoted to family promotion do not invite exploiters. Teenagers who make constructive decent use of their time do not invite exploiters to exploit them.
What is defeating is that the defeating circumstances are forcing the most courageous of our race, the youthful and energetic of our race, some of the best minds of our race, to go to crime, to self abuse, to music and sports for security (establishment). The result is the family need and multi-area achievement for our race never materialize for us.
BURDEN DUE TO DESIGN
I will say that this burden on us is mostly due to the work of a design. The heartless exploiters are heavily controlling the circumstances so that the circumstances seem impossible for us. Some are defeated to the extent they accept that there is no way open to them but to go wrong.
So let us have faith and work on this as though we are enlisted in an army for social and mental reform. We must work on our personal behavior. If some of us still have respect in and from our family, let us work on keeping good behavior in the family. Work with the wife. Wives and husbands, let us work together and work hard to keep good behavior in ourselves and in our children.
PROFITABLE BEHAVIOR
When I say "good behavior" I am speaking of intelligent profitable behavior. It is to behave in a certain way to favor a good future and a prosperous outlook. I am emphasizing intelligent behavior and profitable behavior.
To start afresh, working to establish race behavior, let us not go home and give a child a beating the child "asked for" a year ago. The more serious area of behavior is caused by the way we think. Go and stand by the strength of somebody. Everyone has a good side, a good sensitivity or something good. Look for that. Look for the good and don't give up, keep looking. I know some of us may have to look for a long time.
THINK!
Once a good credit is found or observed, think. "How can I stand by him or her in this particular situation? How can I show him or her that I respect them for this particular merit? How can I show them that I appreciate them for this? How can I join them behind this interest? And sometimes it will be nothing more than the person can fry an egg nicely.
Muslims are guided to have a special way of checking wrong. The Muslim is supposed to look for something to build on before looking for something to tear down. This is the teaching strategy of the Prophet Muhammed and this is the spirit of our religion. We are supposed to look for something to build upon before looking for something to tear down.
More importantly, we should remember and practice that wisdom. When having to confront each other as family, or as brothers and sisters, or as friends or strangers, remember this: Look for something to build upon before looking for something to tear down. That helps a lot.
EXPLOITERS USE CIRCUMSTANCES
Now, I would like to go over the most important points of this talk. First of all, we have to realize that circumstances are often very tricky and are not operating on their own all the time. Enemies (exploiters) are using circumstances against us. We have to realize that if we don't have an overriding authority, an interest bigger than the circumstances, then we cannot for long survive the circumstances.
KEEP THE BIGGER PICTURE
Allah is Bigger. The Qur'an is broader and the more lasting. The Prophet's Life is bigger than the life of any national. No American's life is bigger than the Prophet's life. No Russian's life is bigger than the Prophet's life. No African's life is bigger than the Prophet's life: On him the prayers and the peace.
We are to keep the bigger picture, the bigger hopes and the bigger goals before us, and we will then outlive bad circumstances to become the producers for the shapers of the circumstances about us. We want to become people who produce circumstances for ourselves, for our future.
ALLAH'S PUNISHMENT
The second point, Allah punishes a people who turn their backs on Allah's help and who turn their backs on their suffering ancestors who paid a big price for a better life.
Our fore-parents on this historic land did not intend that their suffering and sometimes horrible deaths be accepted as pay for party time lifestyles of their more fortunate generation of children. Our behavior is spit on their graves. And we (the race) are punished.
AL-ISLAM OUR SAVIOR
Another point, Allah has intended for us AJ-Islam as our Savior, as our Salvation. This religion in the Holy Book, in this Qur'an, is our Savior, our Salvation.
AN OPPRESSIVE ENVIRONMENT
Another point is that those vices as liquors, vulgar and destructive behavior are devices of oppression. And as those things too belong to the overall circumstances, also know that those circumstances are not always acting by themselves. The hidden enemies and the open enemies will use those devices against us. They will be working through our weaknesses.
Of necessity, we have to take charge of our own life and realize that we are constantly at war with the bad circumstances in our environment and with the people who would manipulate our circumstances, take advantage of our weaknesses and create a more oppressive set of circumstances to form an oppressive environment for us.
MAKE ALLIANCES
Lastly, we should look for allies. Allah says, "Struggle and make alliances." So with that awareness, we have to recognize that Allah wants us to make alliances, not only with Muslims but also with people with whom we share the same essential values and aspirations.
Thank you very much. As-Salaam-Alaikum.

