08/29/1997
IWDM Study Library
Jumu’ah Islamic Convention 
Secaucus New Jersey

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Imam Warith Deen Mohammed: As Salamu-Alaikum. Al-Humdulilah Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala sent Muhammad, the Prophet, the messenger of G-d, The Messenger of Allah, as a mercy to all the world. You have not been sent except to be a mercy to all people, to all the worlds. G-d the most high and glorified also says of Muhammad that he is an unlettered, the unlettered prophet from among the unlettered, from among the Umeyeen. The Ume-ye prophet, from among the Umeyeen. The unlettered prophet from among the unlettered.
We find two explanations for that expression among the leading educated Imams and leaders of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We hear them referring to themselves as the people of the mother community on the mother town, Um Al Qura, the mother town. They give this explanation that the reference to our prophet the Messenger of G-d as Ume-ye means that he is from that town and that they are from that town. We also have a more popular explanation by persons who have written on that topic Muhammad as an unlettered person.
From among the scholars and also translators of Quran into English and other languages giving this explanation, that he is the prophet mentioned in the scriptures of the Jews and the Christians that came before the Quran as one being like Moses, "Musa", upon the prophets be peace. That the reference to him as Ume-ye means that he was not educated. He didn't receive formal education, and therefore, he was unlettered. That doesn't mean that he couldn't write his name or he couldn't write a nice letter. It doesn't mean that he couldn't read ordinary handwriting or ordinary literature or ordinary script is to be understood in the context of scripture.
Being unlettered or unable to read means he was not schooled in religion, and therefore, he was not able to read scripture. He didn't have any scriptures before and the Arabs didn't have scriptures before. Allah mentions that in the Quran that there are people to whom no messenger had come before, meaning that they didn't have scripture or religion proper. Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbi Al-Al Ameen, praise be to G-d the Lord sustainer of the worlds, and the peace and the blessings be upon Muhammad, Ibn Abdullah. The last prophet and Allah subhana Wa Taala speaks of him again in Quran saying that he is the liberator mentioned in the scriptures that came before.
Mention in the Old Testament as one coming to take from the people the heavy yokes of oppression that we did down their back and to break every bond of slavery that he is that one. The liberator promised in the Old Testament. There's a reference in the Bible to the time of illiteracy, a time of illiteracy when people would not be able to read a particular book. The Bible says that this book would come into the hands of someone. That someone would try to read the book and would not be able to read it. That person would take the book to someone to get help, and the Bible has that person taking the book to someone and presented the book they said, "Could you read? Will you read this for me?"
That person replied, "I'm sorry, I can't read. I'm not one of letters." Then the person goes on and finds another person and asks, "Will you read this to me?" The second person replied, "No, I cannot read it, it is sealed. It's locked against me." The meanings a locked against me I’m shut out of the meanings because I don't have the keys for interpretation. There's still another reference, but it would only put more confusion in the air from the Bible so I won't give you that one. I know some of you preachers sitting down there, you aware of another one.
Praise be to Allah. We know that Muhammad the prophet of Arabia who brought the Quran is the prophet promised in the scriptures of the Jews and the Christians, we know that. We know he is the uneducated, untaught man that G-d chose to reveal His word to and to educate him Himself. G-d taught Muhammad. G-d or educated Muhammad, we know that. We are convinced of that without any doubts, whatsoever, we know that. Praise be to Allah. Muhammad the Prophet is referred to as a mortal human person. G-d says, "If the earth had been populated with angels, we would have sent- Yes, G-d would have sent the earth community of humans an angel as a messenger".
This is the word of G-d in Quran, but no. We are a community of mortals. We are a community of human beings, we are not angels. Human beings are not angels, human beings are human beings. G-d says, "I send you a human a mortal as a messenger." G-d says again, "The Muhammad the Prophet the mortal human person just like we are." G-d says, that he is a mortal human person just like you. Meaning that he's not as it was claimed before the Quran that some mortals-- Yes, they were true mortals, but on the other hand, they were also angels. Yes, they were true mortals, but at the same time, they were divine. At the same time, they were gods, or he was a god and a human person at the same time.
To make it very clear, that no such claim is made from Muhammad’s being for his human makeup and identity. G-d says to us very plainly, “Huwa basharoom mithlukum” He is a mortal human person and that's not enough, G-d didn't stop there. He could have stopped there. He could have said he is a model human person that would be enough maybe. No its not enough because some called some claim that certain ones were not only human they had the both nature's, they had the human nature and divine nature, they were human and G-d. All in the same time, all in the same person. All in the same time, all in the same person.
To correct that to do away with it for all times, G-d says of him identifying Muhammad the last prophet, not the last messager I hear sometimes. The last prophet. G-d says that the last prophet Muhammad Sala-Allahu Alaihi Wa Salaam that he is a mortal human person just like you. Mithlukum like you in your image, in your likeness, in your nature, that's what it means. Without that classification for Muhammad, the Blessed prophet, all the prophecy would be wrong concerning the last prophet, concerning that the fulfillment of G-d's promise for human community on this earth or either that last prophet would be himself, a counterfeit, the wrong person.
He is a mortal just like us, and he's not educated in the schools of this world. He was not tutored by the teachers of this world, only by G-d. As a sign and as a proof that G-d who created everything and gave everything is constitution, and its possibilities can teach a human person himself and qualify that human person to be the teacher for all people, for all people for all time. Then, He says of him he is a mercy to all the worlds. He's not one of your sons, he's not one of your sons. S-O-N-S. He's a Messenger of G-d and he has not been sent except to be a mercy to all people, to all worlds, to the Greeks, to the Romans, to the Egyptians, to the Chinese, to all the worlds, to America, to all the worlds, to the world of science, to the world of spirituality, to the world of politics, government.
A messenger to all the worlds. The teacher, the community leader, the teacher and the community leader, praise be to Allah. Such a person created by G-d Himself, made by G-d Himself for his job in this world would have to have a situation for building a model world as a message in a testimony to all the worlds. That yes, this is the one. Look at his history and such person would have to be free from all authorities being over him except G-d. His own town wanted to give him a restricted freedom, a limited freedom, a great amount of freedom, but determined by their interests under their authority.
They offer him the prettiest women in the tribes. They offered him wealth and money without measure, and he gave the reply. If you could put the moon in one of my hands and the Sun and the other, it wouldn't change me. Then, G-d sent the words of him speaking to him. Chapter 90 verse 1. “Anta hilum bi hathal balad” You are a free man in this town. G-d said to him you free. You know we can say you're free, but we determine the meaning of free and the limits of the freedom, but when G-d says you're free, you're really free. You are a free man with this town or in this town, praise be to Allah.
He authorized Muhammad Sala-Allah Alaihi Wa Salaam authorized by G-d, finally, got the situation for establishing the Ummah of Al-Islam in Medina, the city was already there, and the city already inscription. Don't think Medina is not in the Old Testament, the city was already in scripted. Also, Mecca is in the Old Testament, it's called Becca is given the image of a woman Becca. Mecca was called Becca then and still is called Becca. In some rare situations, it is called Becca even today. In fact; it is mentioned as Becca. Yes, to us as Muslims is mention as Becca.
The Bible calls the Becca crying in the wilderness for her children. Yes, praise be to Allah. Yes, he was persecuted as you know by his fellow citizens. He was a legitimate citizen child born in Mecca, legitimate son of Mecca, but the Meccans persecuted him because they were disturbed by the message that G-d had given him. So disturbed that they thought they couldn't tolerate him having freedom so they tried to boycott him to prevent him from being freed to deliverer the message boycotted him and caused the death of his wife, his first wife really the wife of his young years. The wife of his youthful years, he didn't have a wife in his youth for years except lady Khadija may G-d be pleased with her.
Yes, she died because the conditions were too severe for her. She got caught cold and weak and resistance was very so weak. The food was so scarce, they were just on the border of starvation, so he lost, we lost. He lost and we lost lady Khadija. Yes, he surfed suffered persecution and finally among the pilgrims who came to join him and his following that he had attracted to the religion.


