04/13/1984
IWDM Study Library
IWDM Masjid Malcolm Shabazz Jumuah

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Imam W. Deen Mohammed: ????? ??? ?? ????????. ??????? ? ??????? ? ???? ?? ?? ? ??. ???? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ? ???? ?? ????? ???? ? ?????.
That is praise be to Allah, the Cherisher, the Lord and the Cherisher of all the worlds. We seek Him for assistance. We ask Him for forgiveness. I bear witness that nothing deserves worship except Allah alone. There is nothing like unto Him and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.
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We pray the peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, upon his descendants, his companions, the righteous all and upon us. Be peace, Amin. Allah, Most High says in Quran, the Book of Allah, Allah's book. Allah says, "
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Allah, Most High says, the translation is given here, “O, you children of Adam, we have bestowed clothing upon you to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But, the clothing of righteousness, that is the best."
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Allah, Most High has told us that the best clothing is the clothing of righteousness. We know, again, in Quran, Allah Most High, He says, “And when you go forth, take your provisions and the best of provisions is taqwa.” The best of provisions is to remain conscious of your duty to G-d. That's the best protection for us. Praise be to Allah. Dear beloved Muslims, in this society, especially, it is true for the poor people in this society. In this society, people go out for the things that have little or no meaning and they neglect the things that are the most important. That's true of our presentation of ourselves. How we present ourselves to each other? How we present ourselves to the public?
There are people who care more about the fashion of the day than they care about the principles that uphold good life. They will struggle to get those things that they think give them some kind of status in the eyes of society. Whether they have any substance to support that show or not, doesn't matter very much with them. They only want to be seen as somebody that is up-to-date or has something. We will buy fancy clothes. We will spend too much money. We will buy clothes beyond our means. We'll be looked upon as a person who's well dressed or a person who's into something.
That weakens our foundation because if we are spending money on show and there's nothing real to support it, the money that we're spending on show is taken away from the real foundation of life. At home, the family's weak. The black neighborhood is weak. The black race is weak because we are into this American thing competing with each other to see who can keep up the show the best. We should hear the words of G-d if we are Muslims. If we are Muslims, we should hear the words of G-d. G-d here draws our attention to a clothing that is first, the clothing of taqwa. Be sure that you are conscious of G-d more than you're conscious of your clothing that you buy from these New York clothes [unintelligible 00:12:59].
[laughter]
Be sure that you're conscious of your responsibility to your Lord. That’s taqwa. Be aware that there is the Satan, the Shaitan. Allah has told us in His Quran that the Satan, he wants to take us from what G-d has to offer us. So that we will follow his offer. His offer seemed very attractive but it's always a disappointment. Whereas Allah's offer never fails according to the word of Allah in the Quran. Allah says, “And, do not let Satan cause you to come out of your righteousness as he caused your parents in the garden to come out of the dress that Allah had put them in." The dress that Allah put with them in is the dress of uprightness, the dress of belief in G-d and right doings.
Dear beloved Muslims, let's remember to keep these things first especially, in a society like this where the level of competition is so high that even the poorest person is forced almost by the pressure, social pressure. He's forced or she's forced to take a little few dollars that they have in their hand and spend it on a show so they won't be embarrassed when they go outside. I don't mind being embarrassed in this crazy world. If these are the people that's going to laugh at me then, I don't mind being laughed at because their laugh has no meaning in my life. I think, the intelligent people should be laughing at them for putting all that money in show and nothing in real substance.
Let us not look for-- we're poor people. Majority of us are poor people. I come from Chicago, South Side. Majority of people on Chicago South Side are us and we're poor there. Now, I'm in Harlem and you look poorer than we are in Chicago. We are committing a sin as Muslims when we take the few dollars we got and try to keep up the show so these crazy people who have false values will think we are into something. Don't be afraid to let them see you wearing Sears and Roebuck overalls. But, keep them clean. Wear clean overalls because a Muslim, he is clean. Allah instructed the Prophet to clean his clothing, to clean the place where he lives, to clean the place where he prays. Cleanliness, the Muslim environment must be clean. Prophet Muhammed practice that. The best of cleanliness is the cleanliness internally because the man who works at the slaughterhouse might have to get dirty while he's working. But, he remains clean if he's a good Muslim.
He is clean internally. We know what keeps us clean internally. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wassalam, he asked his companions, he says,'' If a river runs by your home and you wash in that river five times a day, will there be any more defects and uncleanliness on you?'' The companions answered, "No." The Prophet explains to them that the cleaning is the five daily prayers, that the Muslim that makes the five daily prayers, he will not have the stain of the world on him. But, we can't do it absent-minded. We have to do it with our hearts in it. Then, the prayer is the cleansing for us.
G-d says, “And, surely prayer keeps away evil and indecency.” It's a protection against evil and indecency. Praise be to Allah. I hope that we'll continue in our efforts to put first things first. Those things that have less importance, put them behind those things that are of more importance. People have confused values in this world. They put importance on the things that shouldn't be respected and they disregard those things that should be respected. We have to come away from that. We are Muslims. We have to learn the Quran, follow the Quran, and share the Quran with each other. Those who read better, you help those who can't read. This is the teaching of the Prophet. Peace and blessing be upon him. Those who know you give those who don't know.
That's the teachings of the Prophet. Peace and blessing be on him. Let us not be like the people of these big cities that have been abused so much and have their goodness thrown back in their faces so much that they have become hard themselves when they used to be good human beings. Really, their hardness is other than themselves. They carry a hardness that's not really themselves. So, they are going along with hardness of the world and they are being hard but really, their hardness is a burden on them because they would like to be soft. They want to be human. They want to be courteous. They want to greet people with a kind greeting.
They want to extend courtesies to people. But, because of the ignorance and the hardness in the society, they have gone along with it and say, “Why should I do it? It's going to thrown back into my face.” Let us understand that Muslims are not to give in to this kind of situation. That Muslims ought to always practice the best. The best. They are never to allow themselves to become inhuman no matter how inhuman environment becomes. They are to remain human. You are not to spend your goodness out on the people that deserves it the least and neglect those that deserve the most. But, spend that goodness on your good brothers and sisters.
They are good brother and sisters just like you who want to be kind. They want to be human. They want to wish somebody well. They want to say a kind word. They want to extend the courtesy. So, you know them? If you don't know them, find them. Find them. Then, you show your goodness toward them and they show their goodness toward you. Those that you know to be vile inhuman beasts, don't waste your time on them. Why should I greet somebody that I know has nothing for me but hate? Coldness and hatred. Say, “But, if he is a Muslim I have to greet him, don't I?” Yes, if he's a Muslim.
[laughter]
[applause]
Audience: All right.
Imam: But, if he doesn't show in his life that he's a Muslim and only on his lips come Muslim, we know who he is. He's one of the munafiq and we are not supposed to wish the munafiq peace, no. We have been too kind to the hypocrites and ignoring the good believer. Don't carry your kindness to the hypocrite. Carry your kindness to the faithful, worshipper of G-d. The faithful worshipper of G-d that shows in their attitude and in their behavior that they are believers that they love Allah, that they love Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wassalam, that they love this Quran, that they love the religion of Islam, that they love the Muslim life.
Those are the people that should be coming together and should be finding thing among each other. Expression for their life. You can't find expression for your life among the hypocrites. They don't want your expressions. They don't appreciate your expression. They laugh at-- they think you're inferior if you’re good. So, why waste your time with people like that? I’m tired of wasting my time with hypocrites. Dear beloved Muslims, we have to practice righteousness. Righteousness. We cannot claim to be Muslims and practice the sins of the world. We have to practice righteousness.
Now, we know some of us have recently met this religion and just getting acquainted with it. We know that you have a many habits from the world. Prophet Muhammad, the peace and blessing be on him, he didn't make changes in one day. When he found G-d and found the way and then look back at his people and saw their sins, and how far they were from what Allah wanted? He didn't say immediately, “Come, where Allah wants you, right now. Put down all your liquors, put down this, put down gamble, and put down all these.” He didn't do that way.
But, once the knowledge is established then, you can't take too much time. We don't expect as a Muslim hears the right way, he knows the right way, we don't expect him to say, “I’m going to wean myself off of liquors. I'm going to wean myself off of dope. I'm going to wean myself off of pimping or prostitution, or gambling, or any other major sins.” We don't expect that believer will say in this day and time that he has to have a program of gradualism. Why? Because this is not like pagan Arabia. Pagan Arabia believed in sin with a religious support for it. Their religion allowed them that. Whereas, in America, you Christians, you may lie to each other but can't lie to everybody.
[laughter]
You Christians know that you’re not supposed to be a drunkard. You are not supposed to be a dope fiend. You are not supposed to be a pimp. You're not supposed to be a prostitute. You are not supposed to give your life to the way of the world. That's what the church teach? That's what Christianity teach? Most of you come from Christian background so you know. You know you have been following the devil. You don't have to be told that by the Muslim so when a Muslim come a way that is clear, when it comes, you should accept it and on the strength of what you know, what you have known all the time was proper? You knew your behavior was wrong all along. You should just say, “Here is a way that's clear. I don't have to be confused anymore. I'm going to become a Muslim, and right now, I make a decision, never to drink again liquors, never to eat pork again, never to gamble again, never to participate in the criminal activities of the world again." You should make that your decision, right then and there. Trust G-d to strengthen you and protect you. That should be your decision. You will find it very difficult. The believers as long as you see a believer sincerely trying to live a Muslim life, don't cast them out because they are still doing some sinful things. Don't cast them out.
But, when you know that they have given up and their intentions are no good anymore, that they're deceivers and not truly struggling Muslims then, separate yourself from them. Even the brother with sin, we have to be toward him as Allah teaches us in the Quran and as Prophet Muhammad has taught us, sallallahu alaihi wassalam. Prophet Muhammad says, “Help your brother, whether he's in the wrong or the right." When he was asked and they said, the believers, his followers said, “O Prophet, O Messenger of G-d, how is it that you help the one who is in the wrong?” He said, "Help him by keeping him from the wrong.
Help him by holding him back from the wrong." That in itself is an indication is a clear indication, is a proof that Prophet Muhammad didn't expect every Muslim not to commit sin. He expected that if Muslims commit sins, there will be brothers around and sisters around that will be alert and will be helpful enough to call their brother and sister’s attention to their foot slipping in the path of sin say, “ Oh Brother, oh sister, that's not Islamic. That's not Muslim-like. Please, don't bring the displeasure of G-d upon you and this community if we allow such to grow."
We can pull them back from sin. That's what G-d wants. Again, Prophet Muhammad says, "The Muslim is what mirror [Arabic language], is the mirror for his brother." The mirror for his brother. Now, we like to have the glass mirror. I think, the American people especially, ones who live in the heart of the cities, big city, I think they have the greatest mirror addiction in the world. Sometimes, I'm talking to certain fellows and if they can find a mirror, they don't look at me. They look in the mirror while they talk to me. Now, that's the bad mirror. You know what, that mirror, that's the mirror of vanity, the mirror of self-deceit, that spoils your character and rubs you of your mental strength as well as your moral strength. You don't want that.
What we want is the mirror of the brother, the Muslim brother that Prophet Muhammad spoke about. The Muslim brother that reflects in himself what Allah wants in the Muslim person and has the courage to tell us when we are not reflecting the best.
Woman: That's right.
Imam: We have to have more courage if we are going to be a strong people. Look at the trends now and the political trends, not to mention the economic trends, we don't have any economic trends except as consumers. You look at the political trends, now. What is indicated in the political trends that we see in the African American people? What it indicates? It indicates the total absence of moral courage. Total absence of moral courage. Total lack of moral courage.
Sometime, I wonder why the whites like the call us black and them white? Then it came to me. They are speaking to a reality that we would like to ignore or shut our eyes to. That reality is that we lack, we lack the means, supports, etc., to establish our race in America. We are people lacking. Do you know that B.L.A.C.K  is “B lack”. We say black but it's “b lack”, be lacking. We are be lacking in so many ways. Now, that's not our language, that's English. I wonder how come they like to call us blacks? I've been talking to them, and I say, "Why are you calling me black?" I show them something that darker than me. I say, "What color is that? They say, “Dark brown." I say, "How come I'm black and that's dark brown and I'm lighter than that?"
I know what they mean but I like to bother them a little bit like they bother us. Why is it's so important that you call of me black? Why this so important to you that you call me black? They won't say it because most of them don't know themselves. So, psychology that takes all of us. But the masterminds, the Devils, they know, they feed the atmosphere with these charged words and they know the effect on the dummies. Whites and blacks alike. They like to call themselves white like the Hittites and like to call us black like Uncle Remus. Lacking, got a big heart but lacking. My dear beloved Muslims, we have to give up the thinking of the world, give up the thinking of this world. The Muslim, he should get his principles, he should get his ideology from the Quran and from the Sunnah of the Prophet
If the Muslim accepts American democracy, it should be because he finds American democracy not to be in conflict with his idea of democracy so much so that it would require him a rejection that he rejected American democracy. If he finds that he can live with American democracy, that it is in some real way compatible with Islamic democracy then, he should accept American democracy. The Muslim should never accept American democracy as an American. The Muslim should accept American democracy as a Muslim. In other words, it should be sent through the filter of your Islamic understanding. Then, you accept what comes through the filter. What stays on the other side? What wouldn’t come through, you reject.
Now, if you do that, do you think you'll be a true American? Yes. That's what the Jews do but they use Jewish filter. That's what the Irish Catholics do with Irish filter. That's what the Chinese Americans do with Chinese filter. Everybody’s got a filter but the b lack, be lack, be lacking. Everybody’s got a filter but us. We think to be an American is to take America just as they present it. Now, who's presenting it? Someone that had to see America for himself. The Republicans have one idea of American democracy. The Democrats have another idea of American democracy. On the two sides, there are many different ideas of American democracy. When it comes to our race, we just have one idea of American democracy.
It is that you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. That's the black people's idea of American democracy. We don't have to do anything. We're free. This is democracy. We don't have to do anything we don't want to do. If I don't want to go to work this morning, I don't have to. I'm free. This is democracy. If I want to snort some coke, I'm free. This is the democracy. Isn't this the black people's idea of American democracy? Most of the ignorant masses in America ride along with us.
They have that crazy idea. But the people who are directing life in America, holding the power, shaping the future, they have an intelligent idea of what American democracy is. The rest of us are their dumb domestic animals, or wild animals. One or the other, domestic animals or game, wild game. If you want to be Muslims, you have to get away from that. If you want to be Muslims, you're going to have to be better than that. You cannot be Muslims and be that naive. A Muslim's supposed to be a civilized, enlightened person. We don't expect every Muslim to be a scholar but we expect every Muslim to have Muslim common sense.
Muslim common sense. Muslim common sense makes you a college graduate in the population center of America. Muslim common sense, I repeat, makes you equal to the college graduate. When it comes to managing your life better than him, it puts you above the college graduate. You don't have to be a scholar. You don't have to have a college degree. No indeed, we want them, we want everybody have it if he can but we know not to expect that. People will go in their separate avenues of interests. Everyone won't be a college graduate or a scholar in the wisdom, in the sciences.
We know that but we do expect that Muslim community will want all of its citizens informed and able to use good Muslim common sense. The failure of the Muslim nations of the world is that they haven't kept that up. Then, we come into the same pattern or accept that same kind of lacks, life of the Muslim. Then, we won't get ourselves up. We are down. We won't see our way up. We will not get up. A few of us will go up the ladder of false achievement but the great majority of us will stay down. In that great majorities stay down, the few that go up have no dignity because wherever they go, they are mocked by the cap of the race.
People say that's one of them. If you got a PhD, it doesn't matter. You can have a hundred PhDs, it doesn't matter. They say that's one of them. Now, we have a way out. We have a way to change this situation. We can read the Quran and become enlightened, educated. We can become strengthened. We can become a people of moral strength, a people of strong faith. Having the strength to survive and to deal with the problems of the world and not be upset to the point that we give up. The real Muslim, I don't care if he's not educated. He has common sense. He has faith in Allah. He has strong faith in G-d.
He follows the Prophet Muhammad, the ideal human person, the model of excellence. He follows him. No matter, how rough life gets for him, he doesn't give up. He doesn’t give up, because the influences in his life says it's beneath you to give up. G-d made you better and bigger than that. He doesn't give up. That's what we need. We need staying power. We've been in America for four hundred years or more and all we've been doing is staying and laying idly, we haven't had staying power. But, if you become a Muslim in the true sense for once, you would have staying power. You put your mind to a constructive thing and you keep at it until it produces.
[applause]
I represent the liberator. I represent Muhammad the Prophet, the liberator. G-d made him the liberator, fulfilling the scriptures. G-d promised the people a liberator one like Moses. That's not only Quran. That's also their scripture. The people of the book, they have the same where G-d promised them a liberator. Prophet Muhammad according to this Quran, in chapter seven, 157th verse of this Quran, Allah tells us that he is the answer. Muhammad is the answer, peace and blessings be upon the Prophet. He is the answer to the promise of that liberator. He answers the promise. He is the one that G-d sent with the light. For what purpose? To relieve misery in the life of people, to take the yokes of slavery off of them, to end cruel persecution.
Muhammad the Prophet, the liberator, one like Moses. He shall raise up from among the brethren one like unto Moses. We know Moses. He was a liberator. Moses fought oppression. Moses fought false belief. He fought oppression and false belief. Allah promised that he would raise one up like Moses. When you study the history of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sallallahu alaihi wassalam, you'll find that he was a liberator. He fought the oppressors. Now, you want an Islam that just says do zikr, make wudu 20 times a day and do 50 prayers a day? Is that the religion you want? Or do you want the religion that is balanced intelligently? So that a man is able to go to work and earn a decent living and honest living and take care of his home responsibility as well as carry out his religious devotions.
Do you want the religion that says, “G-d wants peace” and the peace G-d wants is that no trouble will be in this town but the town is oppressed by troublemakers. So will you be the one to keep the wrong kind of peace or will you be the one to fight trouble for the right kind of peace. I follow Mohammad the liberator, peace and the blessings be upon him. He is a man. He makes me manly when I copy his ways. I don't want no born leader. Praise be to Allah. I wonder if we are ready for Muhammad the Prophet? I wonder if we are ready for the Quran? I wonder if we are ready for the Sunnah of the Prophet?
I wonder if we are ready for Al- Islam? You have to grow up a little bit. If you're still Negro, you have to grow up a little bit to be ready for Al-Islam. No servile, monkey-time black man can be a Muslim until he first kicks that out of himself. He has to first hate that the meaning figure of himself and throw it out, step on it, spit on it. Then, you'll be ready to be a good Muslim. You have to hate what Allah hates. That's what Allah says? That’s what the Prophet told us? You have to hate what Allah hates. If you love, or if you go along with something you know G-d has denounced in strong terms, you're not a believer. You are not a believer. You either still in the grave of ignorance and sin or you are a hypocrite. One or the other. You are not a believer. The believer, when he hears what his Lord say he says he disliked, the believer automatically dislikes it.
Allah says He dislikes that slandering or abusive words against a person be broadcast except in cases when injustice have been done. Except in cases where injustice have been done. Here, this is not a religion for cattle that needs a signal by the pistol to go into the corral. No, this is a religion for people who use their good senses, for intelligent people. Now, you will read where G-d says it's not right to say bad things about a person, to say abusive things about them and you may stop right there. Then, you'll see an oppressor in your midst and you'll say, “What, he is a Muslim?” and “Yes, he's not perfect but who he is? I'm not going to speak out against him.” Then, “No, I'm not going to speak out against him because Allah says He dislikes us saying abusive things or slandering people.”
How can you slander slime? You slander the good. When you say something bad about a good person, you're slandering the person but if you say something bad about slime, how can you slander slime? Anyone who lives an immoral life in our midst and wear the name Muslim, work with the criminals and wear the name Muslim, living an immoral life and wear the name Muslim, any person who does that is an oppressor. Because their conduct in the name of Islam, oppresses Islam in America. It is a bad reflection on Islam all throughout the world. That's an oppressor.
So we don’t fear to speak out against him. We're not slandering him or her. We are speaking out against slime. I know when I talk to any gathering that expected me, I'm talking to two groups. More than two groups but basically, two groups. One group loves this religion and loves me because they believe that I stand for it. Another group that uses this religion and tries to deceive me and you, so they can continue to use it. I know I'm talking to basically, these two groups. Now, nobody invited you here with us. If you don't feel comfortable blame yourself being here. You should have said, "I'm going to stay home so I'll be comfortable today. When Imam W. Deen Mohammed go back home then, I'll come out.” Praise be to Allah.
The point is it cheapens the person to be false to a life that he claims that is so dignified and so great. If you be false to a thing that you claim that is excellent and great, you cheapen yourself. If you would serve your on wellbeing, your own interest, if you would serve your own interest, you would try to be true to what you profess especially, when you profess to be something that is great. In this world a Muslim is great. If I profess to be a Muslim, I’m professing to be something that is great, something of great excellence in the world. Now, if I profess it just to get over on somebody whose G-d-fearing and nice and will go along with me simply because I say, “Assalamu Alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu" Peace and blessings be upon the Prophet. (unclear).
My language can charm them and I can get over. So I pretend to be a Muslim. But look here, I can understand people from the wealthy circles of America, people from the criminal establishment who control the criminal establishment. I can understand them taking on the guise of a Muslim. I can understand the communist taking on the guise of a Muslim. But I can't understand a Harlemite African American taking on the guise of a Muslim to get over on Muslims. I can't understand that. I can't understand that because you have a greater opportunity in accepting to be a good Muslim, a true Muslim than you can ever have in Harlem to get over on Muslims. Yes, If you try to get over on the Muslim, you're not going to get over on anybody but a dumbbell. You're not going to get over on anybody but a weakling.
Tell me, how are you uplifted by your leadership and dominance over those dumbbells and weaklings? But if you become a true Muslim, the brother here from Egypt, the brother from Saudi Arabia, the brother from all over the world, he will look at you, "That is my brother. That's a Muslim man." Yes, then, they will love you. The Muslims who are alert but not always alarming, they will say, "There is a good Muslim. He's all right" Then, you will get a better class of people supporting you. You'll be able to do bigger and better things. Your dignity will rise. Your efforts will bring fruits. But the one who leads our herd of yes man and yes women, they don't bear no fruits.
See, I'm the friend of the liberator. I speak in the name of G-d, in the name of the Quran, in the name of Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, and the name of the liberator. I plead with you to stop cheapening yourself. The opportunity to be a good Muslim is the opportunity to be free. The opportunity to realize a sense of worth and dignity that you never can have being other than Muslim in America. I feel the urge to just beg you to give your decision a second thought. To look at those that you are working for and give your decision a second thought because I am my brother's keeper. I'm not Cain that will see my brother's weakness and will get over on him, hit him in the head when his senses are turned in the wrong direction. I'm a Muslim and I don't value anything more than that identity. I'm black but I'm also Muslim. My Muslim identity runs deeper than my skin blackness. It has more substance, it has made me, me whereas black alone left me looking for me. I want to see you with this because I know it's freedom. I know it's dignity. I know it is value. That's what we want, value. So, give your decision a second thought and either become a true Muslim or a true American. Either one will help your situation.
The true Muslim says, "[foreign language]. Surely my prayers and my sacrifices, my life, and death are for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. [foreign language] Nothing is likened to him, he has no partners. [foreign language]. By this I am commanded, I'm ordered, and I am of the Muslims. The declaration of courage of the true American is this, "Give me liberty or give me death."
So, either be a true Muslim or a true America. Our people need help and we need either courageous Americans in our black community or we need courageous Muslims. Now, the courageous American will do nothing but give us more America. I think our aspirations go beyond what America has to offer but that would be better than keep it all in your way. The way of self-degeneration. That's all it is. You follow your mean, cruel masters. They get you to step down from the plane of human dignity to the level of cheap slime.
They say, Well, one thing you can count on slime, you will always have some slime to eat. Now, Allah hasn't created any human being for that low despicable level of life. Anyone who lets you go on like that and doesn't try to call you back is himself, or herself a devil, or a follower of the devil. A human being cannot stomach seeing his brothers and his sisters serving the death of their people and not the life of their people.
So we thank Allah for the opportunity to come here again to Harlem and to address you here in Malcolm Shabazz mosque, Masjid. We pray that Allah will strengthen us in our religion, keep us united as Muslims and give us the courage to stand up for what is right. Allah says to us, to the believers, "[foreign language]." Be a people standing up for what is right, standing up for justice. Witnesses for G-d. Though it'll be against a near relative,  near one of ours. Though it'll be against the rich or poor. Allah, he demands something of us. So, let us accept that because that's best for us.
What Allah has prescribed for us is dignity, growth, prosperity, strength, meaning. That's what we want. We're not going to settle for anything less than that. No, we are not. Not this select few that's taking up this religion with every power in their heart and soul. We’re not going to settle for less than that. I'm asking this community to have less and less patience with people that profess this religion and live a complete different life right in our faces. No, we're not going to tolerate that.
So, search your souls and then rethink your decision. May Allah bless you to do what is proper and have mercy on us and forgive us for our wrongs. [foreign language].
Dear beloved Muslims, our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be on him. He says, "[foreign language]." That the religion of Islam is structured upon five essentials. We know those essentials are as the prophet has told us and as the Quran teaches us, the Word of G-d. They are to bear witness that there is but one G-d, that Allah is one. He has no father, he has no son. He is not dependent upon any of his creation. He creates and he is not created. This is Allah in the Quran. We know that we are to bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of that Allah. I wonder how many of us are really aware of what we are bearing witness to. When I say that my Lord is Allah, who created everything but himself is not created. He is eternal. Qul huwal laahu ahad Allah hus-samad Allah is one. Allah is the eternal. Lam yalid wa lam yoolad. He never gave birth to any child as a parent and he never was born of a parent. Wa lam yakul-lahu kufuwan ahad. Nothing exists comparable to him. This is Quran surah Ikhlas. The surah that says that it's finished, no more to be said behind it. That's exactly what's indicated in the name Ikhlas. It mean it’s pure and perfect, then say no more. Don't add or take away from that. That's enough. That's clear and plain enough. Praise be to Allah.
Okay. Many of us we don't know what we're saying. If you knew what you were saying, you would be more productive. You would be more consequential. You'd be more significant in this world. Your life would be of more consequence if you really knew what you were saying? When you say that you are worshiping and you pray to and you depend on for your protection as Allah teaches us in the Quran and in the life of the Prophet.
Allah who created everything and himself is not subject to damage, or tax, or defects, or anything like the creation is. When you say you believe in a G-d like that, that has been always existent so nothing is unknown to him. He is all powerful. He's capable of doing whatever he wants as he says in the Quran. If you say you believe in a G-d like that, you should be more important to this society than you are.
It's like a man if I may give you a comparison. It's like a man saying, one man says, "My highest boss is Jesse Jackson." Another man says, "My highest boss is Ronald Reagan." Now, which one of the men's word have power over the other one? Now, if my boss is Allah and you come to me and say, "Well, my boss is Reagan." Whose words do you think has power over the other?
[laughter]
Yes. I say my boss is Allah. That Allah we just describe with the teachings of Qur'an in Islam. I say my boss is Allah and another one say, "My boss is Reagan." Should I be disparaged? Should I be weakened in my heart and my spirit because I was proud of my boss? I say my boss is Allah and he came behind me, that my boss is Reagan. I should be dignified enough to say, "Peace to you, Jahili.
[laughter]
And walk unmoved. Walk along unmoved. Faith hasn't been shaken at all, the spirit hasn't been doubted. A lot of us don't know what we bear witnessing to. If we did, we'd be more productive in our lives. Another powerful thing, another great powerful statement. We say and I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and his messenger. Peace and blessings be upon him.
Now, look at what we're saying? We're saying that this eternal G-d whose power and authority is absolute. Who cannot be resisted. We are saying that he now communicated his direction for humanity through a mortal just like me. Allah says to Muhammad and say, "Muhammad, that you are what? [foreign language]. A mortal being just like they are. That's what Allah says in Quran.
Now, when we say that, that G-d that's not approachable. I didn't approach Allah except as what? Servant? Except as praying person? That's the only way I can approach Allah. He admits this creature into his presence as much as he likes. I can't see the whole room. Just a little part of it or an indication may be of what's there? It's a little bit too much for me, if I saw half of it, the eyes would go out. The ears would become deafened, perhaps, the brain would just burst and run out like melted butter. It'd be too much for me. To know myself is too much. I guess that's why G-d, He doesn’t let us see our whole self until the next world.
[laughter]
In the next world, G-d says he's going to show you everything about yourself there because in this life it would be too much. It will blow your mind. It will blow your mind way, way out. Most of us, we don't want to see half of the truth about ourselves right now.
Running from ourselves and want to see all of G-d. "Better show me all of G-d." I'm one of the believers in the day of Moses, "Show me G-d in physical body." We would ask the poor Jahili say, "Show us yourself in physical body." Here we are. You didn't show me very much but let me show you what Professor Willie Einstein showed us about your body but don't you ever show me your body here. I remember I listened to Professor Willie Einstein.
I'll rather him show me your body because you don't know nothing about your body. (unclear) dumbbells. I'm not trying to make anybody feel cheap. I'm trying to shock us out of that ignorant attitude. Demanding knowledge of G-d when you don't know how to get to Canada? You don't know how to get off that employment role. Bring G-d down here so I can anatomize him. I want to thoroughly digest G-d.
That's another thing we got to do. We got to get those people out from among us. Anybody among us that's still having this attitude that G-d is like matter. The creation, or energy, or expression of matter and that we have to deal with G-d like we do to laboratory materials, analyze him. Give definitions from our own observation. Man, according to the teachings of this religion is to know G-d with his heart and not treat him like created matter. He's not created matter. He is the creator of that.
I wonder if we know what we're saying. I bear witness that there is no G-d, only Allah alone, no partner with him, and that Muhammad is his servant and His Messenger.
We are saying that, that great G-d that's beyond man's power to totally grasp. That G-d has communicated his message for the direction of human life on this earth to a mortal just like me. It wasn't me but it was a mortal like me. Flesh and blood human person. Not a divine being, but Muhammad was not an angel Prophet Muhammad was not a divine. There's only one divine. That's Allah. He was not an angel. He was a mortal being just like us. He had no powers to see into the future. He had no powers force something. No or to penetrate the unknown of his own power. No, he didn't have that. He was just like us.
We have human limitations. Our prophet had those same human limitations. He was wearied, the sins and ignorance of the world was a burden on the spirit in his back. He went seeking seclusion, privacy with his Lord. He turned to G-d and G-d communicated to him. He was not a student of the rabbis. He was not a student of the Christian priests. He was not tutored by any intellectual. He was a man of common world knowledge, one of the ignorant or what we call uneducated, unlettered masses, and G-d communicated to him.
If G-d communicated (unclear), and then raised him up with the Quran to be the leader for all Muslims and for all the world. What does that say of your work as a moral person? It says that this vessel that we abuse, that this life, this human nature, and this human life, this potential for excellence that we disregard. G-d has made it for the destiny, G-d has made it for the achievement that we see in the life of the Prophet. We are to look to him and all of us are to pursue the path of Al-Islam in the light of Quran and in the light of his excellence.
Communism doesn't offer you any path to dignity that [inaudible 01:18:57] that impressive. No. You all if you understand this religion, you will see that it cheapens any of us to listen to someone trying to sell us a philosophy whether it's capitalism or communism. It’s cheapens us to even listen to it after we have had the invitation from the Quran and the prophet. You know what I'm saying, Mister, to people of common sense. I'm speaking of a man. I hope that respects and practice common sense. That’s how I think of myself but you among us who got wisdom, you have to give a show to go up there and see it, it’s so high above our heads. When you read the Quran, you should be more responsive than the common ignorant people. If you're so wise, you know the Greek alphabets. If you're so wise, how come you don't use that wisdom to see that this ideology in the Quran is so superior to communism and capitalism that you shame yourself to walk in the name of capitalism or communism after you have seen and observed what is in Al-Islam.
In fact, if you find things of worth in capitalism and communism, I can find their likeness in the Quran but without their problem. Yes. If it advocates something great for society, whether it's capitalism or communism, I guarantee you we can find the like of whatever you got over there but without the problems that you got over there. When do you think Western democracy was first conceived? Do you think it was just conceived 10 years ago? Do you think it was just conceived when Adam Smith who advocated capitalism, or capitalist doctrine, or Paine with his common sense letters and the other? Do you think this Western democracy was just conceived then? No. They trace the roots and history of this democracy back hundreds and hundreds of years to Greek, to Greece, and other locations in the world in the history of man. But look how long it took them to produce something. 500 years, America. England, Rome, 1,000 years. 1,000 years of stagnation. Is that not a fact? They had Jesus Christ. G-d forgive, peace be upon the Prophet.
They had the New Testament. They had the Old Testament and they have a concept of this democracy they call the Western democracy. If you understand it, this Western democracy has its likeness or I would say, its source in their Bible. When they came to this country, what did they call their new democracy? They called it the new destiny, the New Jerusalem. Now, some of you will sit down because you're weak and you want excuse to deceive yourself. You want some reason, something to use to excuse yourself from responsibility that your own intelligence require. You will say, "If that religion is so great, how come the Jews are dominating the Middle East? How come the Western powers are ruling and dominating the earth? That’s what you will say. You won't have the sense to think intelligently and say, "This power that's now dominating had its ideology too but was stagnant for a thousand years.
Don't judge the Quran by the people that call themselves Muslims, but judge the people that call themselves Muslims by the Quran. If we would judge Christians, listen. If we would judge Christians by the 1,000 years history of Christianity before the Protestant movement, if we would judge Christianity by the 1,000-year history, we would have to say Christianity is a religion of slavery. A religion that denies women the freedom to be educated. We would have to say a religion that denies the public the right to education because that's what it did. It denied the public education, it denied women education. Our prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he proclaimed this messages in his own  life. He didn't only say that male and females that Allah tell us in Quran, they're obligated to get an education.
Education is an obligation on both male and female but he also with the Quran, he gave an incentive to men. He said, "Any man that will educate two daughters will have the paradise." It wasn't just the declaration of their right, there was work, and promotion of their right. So does it go for the freeing of slaves and everything else. When we look at the content of Christianity and look at the content of their ideology, we still see slavery though the people are doing something different. The West is doing something different but their language, the Bible I read it is full of slavery. It rejects woman. Yes, it does. It raises up Mary, the Blessed Mary. It raises her up, but it demeans woman, it discredits woman. This Western civilization, it speaks so highly of woman's freedom but it abuses the woman. It excites the insane sexual lusts, the subhuman lusts in the ignorant male public, and expose our wives and our daughters to their mad sexual rage.
So, why do you come here? Did you come here to join us in bearing witness to the superiority of El-Islam? If you didn't, you came here to be disgraced. You came here to be disgraced. Because the truth of the world, the truth of Al-Islam, the truth of Christianity, the truth of democracy, the truth of communism, right now, they got socialism in France, but what's happening in France? Unemployment, chaos.
I thought socialism, I thought communism guaranteed jobs. The biggest problem France has right now is unemployment, socialist program. Look what the socialist program has done for you and me. Made of satisfied sissies or brutal apes preying on the weak in the ghetto. Lay up and wait for your wife to get a check. Some of us are so bold we go and ask for a check ourselves. I ain't got no job, give me a welfare check. You want to go on welfare? Okay, sign the papers. You'll go on welfare, not for your wife, not for your children. You'll go on welfare for you and you are a strong able man, right? Yes.
"Well, what are we going to do and there no jobs?" Do what the Haitians who got off the boat did. Do what the Korean did that came over here. Do what the Indians do that come over here. Do what the Chinese do that come over here. Do what the Cubans do that come over here. Do what the Arabs do that come over here. Do what these other ethnic groups do that come over here. They come over here and they don't go to Illinois State employment office. They don't go to the local employment office here in Harlem in New York. They go to America's resources and they make a life for themselves but we have been pampered by the Democrats. The Democrats have made us worth-less as a race economically and politically speaking.
Yes, I blame the Democrats because they have used us to advance socialism, to open the country up for communism. They have used us. What do we have to show for what we have given them? Ritualistic support. That's what we've given the Democrats, ritualistic support. We do what they say like it's a religious ritual.
I went to vote in Chicago and the lady asked me, one of our women ladies. She asked me, she said as she did everybody else. Said, "What are you? Democrat or a Republican?" I said, "Do I have to say it?" She says, "Yes." I said, "That’s un-American. I came to vote for a candidate for the presidency. I didn't come here to have to tell you what party I belong to? I shouldn't have to." I said, "That’s un-American." She say it wasn't un- America. She said, "Well, there's nothing we can do. See, you have to do that. I'm sorry, you have to do it." I said, "Well, tell me what party most of the people that I see of my community here. What party are they involved with?" She said, "The Democrat." I said, "For their sake, make me Democrat today but we've going to work on it tomorrow."
If I had my choice, say, here's one party. They say they know how to take good care of a donkey and another partner say they know how to take good care of the elephant. I either reject both or I think I'd pick the party that can take good care of the elephant because the elephant is a bigger and more valuable animal. Takes a little more resources and little more sense to take care of an elephant. As an American Muslim, I don't have to be an elephant needing care and I don't have to be donkey needing care. I can be a Muslim and I can use these two parties to my advantage as an American. That's when you become a strong ethnic group, when you start having that kind of intelligence and that kind of courage as an American. But if you don't have that kind of American courage, you're just slaves. You’re the slaves of America. People just not wanted for anything but to be used.
I hope I haven't presented myself in an unbecoming way. Don't think I'm arrogant. I have no arrogance in me. When I say things against you and say things in favor of the Muslims, I'm not bragging. I'm trying to get you to come out of your stupor so your brains will work well because I know it's not our fault that we think the way we do. Our minds have been the subject of the most sold tricks of the highest psychology perhaps, on earth. We have been conditioned and manipulated into this thinking we have. We have to plead with each other because in this religion, we are our brother's friend, we are our brother's brother, we should be the mirror for our brother. We should hold him back from wrong if we can especially, when you profess to be Muslim. You profess to be Muslim and we are Muslim. I'm Muslim, we have to stand by each other. We have to help each other in the right and work together for the good of the whole Muslim community and in the spirit of G-d's call to man, the Muslim man, let there rise up a community calling to all that is good and forbidding all that is wrong. G-d again, He says, “Loving him and not fearing the embarrassment that come from the words of the criticizers or that comes with the words of the criticizer.
Some of us we can be embarrassed right out of our position of strength and dignity by the majority. Peer pressure in an adult world. Isn’t that a shame. I know peer pressure. Peer pressure in grad school. Peer pressure on the corner of the teenagers but now we got peer pressure in the grown-up circles. Peer pressure. You know what's right? You know what's dignified? But you won't do it because there are 50 scums to one dignified person. You are afraid of the pressure that will come from the 50 scums. We are Muslims, we have to understand that and come out of that thinking. Don't bow down to no pressure but la ilaha illallah muhammadur rasulullah, praise be to Allah. Dear beloved Muslims, when I come here to Harlem, I look at a sad situation, it looks like Jamaica.
I went to Jamaica and I thought Jamaica was the land of the blacks. I got to Jamaica and I saw the Jamaicans doing the domestic servants work and entertaining in the nightclubs. I saw the white man and the Asians and others owning the resources and wealth and power of Jamaica though they had a black man in the Prime Minister's office, the office of the Prime Minister. Then, when I come to Harlem, I see the same thing. I see people look like they don't have nothing to do today, nowhere to go today, look like they're just lost. Walking around out in the street like they're lost.
Look like their spirit has been broken and they can be bought now for two cents. That’s the way most of them look that I saw when we're driving over here. That’s pitiful. Every now and then, depending on what day it is but I come here on Sunday sometime. You see them dressed up in their Sunday best. A small group of the Harlemites going to church. The preacher, you may see him looking like a businessman that goes down to the business office Monday morning or he may look like a cowboy, city cowboy, city slick cowboy with a big old hat looking proud. White man's appointed slave master, one of the ward keepers.
That's a shame to know how long we have hungered for dignity, and how important Harlem has been in the black man's demand for self-respect and for respect from others? Harlem has been very significant. We have a great history here of struggle for uplift of the African-American person. We come here and we see you more dejected, more idle, of less consequence than we see in the brother perhaps, in Chicago, or Los Angeles, or other places. What does that tell us? That picture says something terrible. It says something that's depressing but at the same time, it reveals something that's relieving.
What does it say? It says this, "That the Harlem black man has been exposed too much to the need to respect self and elevate self, to give up that hope." The reason why he looks so dejected here in Harlem is because he can't give up that hope. If the hope wasn't given up in Chicago, you would see the same despair look in them walking the streets of Chicago. You would see the same broken backs walking in Los Angeles but the man here, he had been looking all the time into the destiny that says black man will overcome, black man will be black and established.
Not white and established, black man will be black and established. He sees that but he doesn't see any sign that he's making progress so it weighs on his back. It depresses him consciously or not. The others in Chicago and Los Angeles, those niggas think they're free. Excuse me for calling them niggas but that's their mentality. They’re still are back in the days when we called each other's niggas and the white man called us nigga. They still back in that frame of mind. They don't want anything for the people. They want something for themselves. They don't care what they have to do to get it. If that means being a traitor to the whole race, there will be a traitor to the whole race.
It means selling their ancestor's hopes down the drain. They'll sell their ancestor’s hopes down the drain. They don't want to remember mommy and daddy, they don't want to remember no responsibility except to building me up, making me look like I got over, like I made it. Well, blacks that still have that mind, they can walk around in a Harlem situation and show no depression. "Hey, what's happening baby. Come on, man, let's go." They got energetic, they're ready to move, they're energetic but they're moving against the life of their people and feeding the strength of other races in this country to the detriment of their own lot. But a Harlemite, he doesn’t want to give nobody nothing because he realizes that he hasn’t got his yet. He don't even want to get a white man much.
What are we going to do? We might move to Harlem. Yes, one day we might have to move to Harlem and demonstrate that lost courage of the Harlemites, the black Harlem man. What is that courage? To go out there when this meeting is over and stand out there on the corner and say, "Look, brother something is happening here. You've got to come away from that life. Get on the job of calling your brothers and sisters away from death, away from hopelessness, back to life. Look at all this energy to organize them behind Jesse Jackson, knowing that this is not nothing but a one season thing and a short season at that. I mean all of us know that.
No one doesn't know that. I mean he's completely out of it. In fact, he's got somebody with him. He didn't even let him and he can't go around the street by himself. So we all know this. You know it's nothing but a temporary thing, a one season thing. In fact, the wise among us, they know that it hurts us because we're given, we're showing America and the world that our sense of black identity is very, very shallow. That we would give all of our support to any black man just to demonstrate our grievances. We’re not demonstrating our hopes. If we were demonstrating our hope, we would have long ago, have said, “Look, Jesse, you're good man but you worked better with the corporate America.
Keep working with the corporate America to get a better position than that in corporate America but look, we need a man like the past mayor of Atlanta. We need a man with an image like that and a background like that. We don't want to be laughed at. This is too precious. This great step to put one of us in the presidency is too precious. We don't want to look like fools. We don't want to make them think we half did our work. We don't want to make them think that we will just snatch anything black up carry it through to Washington.
We don't want them to think that we're that desperate. Yes, we don't want them to think that we are that desperate, that we are desperate people, dominated by emotions, driven by an emotional-base rather than an intelligent-base. That we will just take a black man, any black man and say, "Yes, we want him for president." I know what some of you will say? "Jesse Jackson has great credentials." Great credentials where? He has great credentials as a neighborhood negotiator for the poor people with Washington and the Corporate America.
That's where his credentials are but does he have credentials that will sell in America? To the Spanish voter, to the Irish voter, to the other voters. Well, they say, "That's the image I would like to see over us." But America puts a man in the White House, he becomes like Papa. Father for America. Is he the kind of man that the "good Christian" wants to be the Father for their children? Has his public image, has his public display of his principles indicated that he can be the leader for all the high class families of America. We should get our best.
We should get our best. The presidency is for the best. The presidency is for a man who has an honorable life. For a man, who doesn't display common decor, antics, and mannerisms. We don't want to send a man to the White House that says, "Hey. Yes, baby. Hey, what's happening, my man? What's happening, my man?" We don't want that kind of fellow to go to the White House, not with all of our backing. It says that all of us support that kind of middle maker. It should be a man that has not giving himself to the shameful mannerisms of the ignorant masses.
It shouldn't be a man that will come up and try to get a girl to go with him right out in the public and he's married. It shouldn't be a man that kisses young women on the mouth and they take his picture and put it in Jet magazine. It shouldn't be a man that profess Christianity, Christian principles, and Christian theology but have Farakhan introduce him to the black masses. If he is that unfaithful to his Christian principles than how can we expect for him to be faithful to what he claims when he goes into the White House? So we are people in a bad situation for making wise judgments.
We are people who have allowed hurt and mistreatment to dominate our senses. What we're seeing in our support for Jesse Jackson, Reverend Jesse Jackson, what we're seeing in our support for Reverend  Jesse Jackson is not a political campaign? We are seeing a grievance campaign. That's all it is. Blacks using Jesse Jackson and the idea of putting a black in the White House to demonstrate their grievances. When blacks say, "I'm for Jesse Jackson." What do those blacks say? They're saying, "I'm hurt because you don't recognize blacks. I will make this a demonstration for support for blacks to let you know that I have hurt. I have grievances."
But that doesn’t payoff brother, not in such serious matters. No, because you leave on record a happening that speaks very poorly for the intellect of the black race. Say would they not have the good sense to at least bring a man that was presentable to all Americans on all levels of society? Did they not give enough thought to what they were doing? To select a man that would not be laughed at. In fact, Jesse Jackson is laughing himself. Look at him closely. When he talks about the President, he's almost laughing. Talking about him going into the White House, he's almost laughing. He's saying, "All right, don't take this serious."
He knows what it is? It's a grievance vote, a grievance vote. That's all it is but look whose benefiting from it? It's dividing forces that could be of consequence. It's creating an image, it's creating a precedence that black people will ignore principles, ignore the interest of whole America just to have any black in the White House. They say, "How can we depend on the black race to help us shoulder the burden of America?" When any time the thing gets crucial, they may leave all of us and the whole responsibility for America, just to demonstrate that they are black.
Your leaders are leading you to disgrace after disgrace, upon disgrace upon disgrace. That's what they're doing. Some sister in the community, poor sister, she writes me, "I can't understand. I admire you. I can't understand why you haven't come out for Reverend Jesse Jackson?" She's hurt and she can't understand. I don't know. She’s a  Muslim. I don’t want to be on record for supporting the clumsy choice of desperate black America. I will wait to get their heads together and we will make a wise choice and then, I will be there. I'm not going to be in this number. Praise be to Allah.
Let me tell you something. We hate to carry the jumah services this long like this but let me tell you something. When Reverend Jesse Jackson goes to bargain with the Democrats with his black supporters. He is going to find that the Democrats chance in the White House is nil. He is going to have nothing to bargain with because the Democrats will not be able to get in the White House. Now, what's going to keep, - what's going to be the main factor in their not winning, not getting into the White House? The blacks, the overwhelming black support for Jesse Jackson. That's the mark against the Democrats, not only against the blacks but a mark against the Democrats.
More needs to be said but we don't have the time to burden you anymore. Look. Again, intelligent white, clear-headed Italians, Americans, Chinese people, Indian, all of them, they look too. They have concerns, they have interests. All of these ethnic communities, they got their own special interests. They say now, "How will the democrats serve our interest if they have to bargain with Jesse Jackson?" The whites that have made great sacrifices and blacks, too to turn this thing around from an emotional demonstration of the aspirations of American people to a thoughtful effort to gain some strength in this country and some dignity for all the people in this country. How do you think the intelligent, the informed ones, the educated ones, they're going to say, look-.  See with intelligent people, they look at ahead.
They say, "Now, okay, you've got this power. Now when you come to bargain with this power, what are going to be the ramifications? What can possibly happen? What will Jesse Jackson ask for? Will we want that to be given? Jesse Jackson is going to ask for some more of what we had under Carter. Jesse Jackson will ask for some more of what we had under Lyndon Baines Johnson. That's what he’s going to ask for. Do you think the majority of the voting people in this country are ready for some more of that? No, indeed. You may say, "Well, that's what we have to have?" No, you haven't learned your lesson from that experience.
If you've learned your lesson from that experience, you would say, "We don't want that anymore." We don't want to be that heavenly supported and defended from Washington DC. Anti-Washington DC gives that much preferential treatment to one ethnic group and the worst group, the most risky group, it can give that kind of preference to are the blacks. It stands a chance of provoking other races to war especially, in hard times like we have now in America. With America having not the freedom in the international world to sell her goods and explore and exploit.
Serious time we're living in so the day the situation has changed. The circumstances are not the same anymore. America doesn’t have the resources it once had. For 25 million or 30 million African-Americans to become that heavily dependent upon Washington DC will set off a reaction that will be very, very unhealthy for this country and in this particular time. All right. If he goes, there will all those votes and bargains and he comes out with nothing, but some more what we getting, then, what was all this black effort and all this black support for behind a man like Jesse Jackson for the presidency. Was it worth it? You would say, "No."
Well, we have to give forethought to these things before getting involved. I mean the leaders and the leading people cause leadership, not only in leaders is in leading people. The leading people of our lot we have to get fore-thought to these things and we have to see down the road the possible consequences or the possible developments and make our decisions after we have wisely assessed the probabilities. Then, we make our decision and if we do that, we will look out for our people. We'll look out for us and we will protect our reputation by building more dignity upon dignity and not disgracing ourselves by just going drunkenly behind a man because he's black.
There’s a terrible serious lack of moral courage in the African-American people because white house subsidies have kept you and prostituted you and spoiled you. Terrible lack of moral courage in African-American man today. Because of this terrible lack of moral courage in the African-American man today when time to support anything black, anything goes. I don't care what you represent? What do you represent? I represent that blacks are baboons. I represent that blacks are baboons, and we should all go out and get apples and make sure that Washington gives us enough apples and whatever, for the baboons. Where we need everybody. This is unity time. We need everybody to support a black man for the presidency.
It’s okay. We have a black man here. He's going to bring people to the polls. He's never voted before. He's going to help our candidacy. He never voted before. So what does he represent? He says, "Well, he says all blacks are baboons." They're entitled to apples and he wants us to demand that Washington give us enough apples for all of our baboons. That’s okay, brother. We’re all black. This is black, brother. Black man united today for the first time. Everybody behind Jesse Jackson. Look, when we went, I didn't go, (when I say we, I’m talking about  my people) to Washington D. C., the march on Washington that last time. That was a terrible disgrace.
The African American people marched on Washington once and they were together. The people that joined them were joining their demonstration but then, just to get numbers, they felt they couldn't get enough numbers of blacks to march on Washington so, "Look, everybody, this is a homosexual demonstration. This is a women right's demonstration. This is a Hari Krishna." I think that’s Hari Krishna. Hari Krishna demonstration, whatever you got. Whatever little private thing you've got that you want to demonstrate it, demonstrate all of us are going to march on Washington.
What was that? A concoction of all the rejects, of all the failures, of all the widows. There the black man, he's supposed to be representing something great and dignified. He’s called all that stuff in so he can impress Washington with number. Anytime our leadership falls that low that they would drag anything in to make an impressive show because they don't have enough numbers from people of substance. Whenever they fall that low, that’s time for the masses to reject your leaders. Any of you who belong to the American Muslim community, you should reject these leaders.
If you belong to the Muslim, to the American Muslim, you should reject these leaders. You should reject all black leaders from now on that's doing this kind of silly thing. Just trying to make a show. They don't care what they have to do to make it. If they have no principles, if they're not men of integrity, you should reject them and support our men in government, men in politics, men in civics or whatever in the business. Support those men and women who are men and women of moral courage, of integrity. Support them, then, turn your back on the rest of them and be courageous enough to tell them that, "I'm not going to vote for you."
Don’t be ashamed. Don't let the peer pressure, the peer pressure of the disgraceful lot make you ashamed to say what is your mind. Tell them. Say, "No." Say, “Do you want a Jesse Jackson button?" Say,” No, I don’t want a Jesse Jackson button." Say, "I want a Muhammad’s button. Until you can come up with something from the Christian side better than Jesse Jackson, I want a Muhammad button."
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If we can get our way, we'll keep a Muhammad’s button. If they come up with something looking right, well, say, "Okay. Sure. I'll take that button." It should be men of integrity because this is the time when nothing is more critical for the black man, for the Africa-American person in this country. Nothing is more critical for him than the demonstration of moral courage. That's right. This whole emotional desperation won't do nothing but disgrace us more and more. We trust that we will hear good sense and act upon good sense but if you lack moral courage, we can't expect much from you. The worst thing that is happening to us right now is this, mushrooming thing we call Black Consciousness. That's the thing that's hurting us most. Why? Because it has left the meaning of race and it ain't nothing now but a high. That's all it is. Ain't nothing but a high so it robs us of our good senses. Deprives us of the ability to make intelligent decisions and go in the right direction. I said a long time ago and I repeat it. Accepting the white man's classification of Americans white and black, we put ourselves in a position to be manipulated by the races and kept out of the dignity that G-d wants us in, in this country.
It is possible. In this country, it is possible. Don't give up hope of having the dignified image of race that we want in this country. We can have it in this country. 
Time to tell you to give up on the people of the ghetto, give up on the people of Harlem and make you think that you are one of the special people. Literally, in private quarters, behind your back, they may lump you in right along with those people they told you to give up on. They make you think you're special with them. Then, you give up on your brothers and sisters and say, "Well, we can't get them." They'll never be intelligent. They will never be constructive in their lives. They'll never be productive. They'll never be civilized. They're fit for narcotics and fit for liquors, fit for wine and fit for petty crimes so what we should do is just control it.
When you accept that, you join the company of the keepers for Hell. You become one of the keepers for Hell. You're partner with the devil. That's what you are. Think about yourself as I said earlier. Rethink your decision and have the courage to do what some of you have done? That is break with their cruel devilish slave masters and then, don't look back. Say threaten us with whatever you want to threaten us with. I'd rather be dead, and burnt many times over then live in the hell and deformed image that I was in before I heard the enlightening truth about Islam. You have to have the courage to do the same. 
Thank you very much.
[02:10:05] [END OF AUDIO]

