04-01-2007
IWDM Study Library
IWDM First Sunday Lecture
Pt 3

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

00:01 Imam W Deen Mohammed: Beautifully for the general membership, mostly adults but our children in high school and college will benefit from it too and we love that they read. And I met him I think years ago. His name is Davis, the last name is Davis. His first name is Aira. A-I-R-A. Aira and he has a nickname, Enigma. And I don't see how it fit in because enigma means something that's hard to understand and his articles are more understandable than mine. [chuckle]

00:44 IWDM: Clear and flowing so beautifully. So anyway, he just won the many that we have, youngsters, males, and females, don't forget we got some females too. Very, very serious about Islamic studies and they're doing a beautiful job of learning and understanding how to communicate this religion to Muslims and to others and to non-Muslims. And by the way, we have to know how to communicate our religion to non-Muslims. When the Prophet started, what Muslim he had to speak to? There was no Muslims to speak to. So the first preachings of Islam was done in the ears of non-Muslims, pagans, idol worshipers, etcetera. And that's where our message should be going now, it should be going to those who have false idols as gods.

01:46 IWDM: Yes. False idols as gods. Don't think they don't have gods, all of them have gods. It's because they don't say a large G-d or the creator's G-d doesn't mean they don't have gods. The one that you give your life to or the thing that you give your life to is a G-d for you. It's a G-d for you. G-d means what rules in your life, what you put over your life, what you give your life to in submission, in obedience.

02:20 IWDM: So if I'm following a certain Hollywood star, and I'm following them so closely my whole spirit and everything is tied up in that, and a lot of us are tied up just like that. If I have a particular rap singer or radio singer or something like that you know or TV star. Whatever I have, Hollywood star. If I give my life to it, if that's more important to me in my life than anything else, that's the strongest influence in my life, that is my deity, that is my false G-d.

02:55 IWDM: Yes, so you should understand that. And those people that Muhammad the Prophet, peace be on him, had to speak to of his own country, of his own country, his countrymen. His countrymen that he had to preach to, they actually knew a stone could not do anything. Those stones represented some influence in their life.

03:21 IWDM: So they were worshipping influences in their life and peoples today and in all times will be worshipping influences in their life. If they don't have the real G-d, the G-d of everybody and over everybody and over everything, if they don't have that G-d in their hearts as their main interest to protect them from other things, then they don't have the real G-d but they do have idol gods, they have idol gods whether they know it or not. They have idol gods. So we don't want to be idol worshippers but we want to call the people from idol worship. We should know how to communicate Islam, our religion, so that we wake up the minds of idol worshipers of this time that we're living in. Don't go after Christians who already know G-d and living a better life than some of you. "Well, I'm going to convert them." Convert them for what? When all these others around here laying dead, lying around dead and all corroded and smelling. Why don't you convert some of them? 

04:33 IWDM: Those that's going crazy behind some rap star or behind some person's styling, show business person. Preaching G-d, and it isn't nothing but a show business figure. Why don't you convert some of them? They need converting. They need converting for if no other reason than to free their slaves. You heard what I said? If for no other reason than to free their slaves. You should be trying to preach to that membership. I do that, I don't forget these people. I preach to them. I don't call them by names but they know I'm reaching them. And their progressing to, many of them, they're making progress. Yes. They're growing to be more beautiful and more beautiful. They don't remember my name, I don't care. I don't preach to them for them to call my name. I preach to them for their life to change. Little poetic isn't it? [chuckle]

05:46 IWDM: Yes, I never forget those that were put in the same mind that I was put in or the community that I came from was put in. The same community they came, nation of Islam people. If you think I'm a leave the nation of Islam people alone, then you don't know a human being. A human being will help his brother who came through the same thing he came through. Yeah. And I preach to them and they hear me. I don't have to call their names, they know I'm reaching them. And I'm pleased to know that they are improving, they're growing more beautiful and more beautiful thank Allah. Yes, yes. And as the Honorable Elijah Mohammad's son, especially raised by my father and mother, and raised to be at my father's side, how can I forget people that he converted? 

06:46 IWDM: If I know they are not thinking correctly yet, I know they still have problems with their religion. How can I forget them? I can't. And I love them because some of them are better than many of us. In their moral behavior and in their spirit, and their devotion to doing good work. Yes. So, I want you all to know that. The point here is, I'm addressing the preacher who supposed to preach Islam. We accept anyone who wants to help with this responsibility of bringing Islam to people, especially to people in our immediate environment. Our families, our friends who need religion, etcetera.

07:54 IWDM: I support you, I support you even in calling yourself imam, but I have to tell you that if you don't know how to lead congregational prayer at any time for any occasion and if you don't know how to deliver the Jummah Khutbah, and lead the people in Jummah prayer without embarrassing yourself, you are not an imam of the religion. You are not an imam of the religion. To be an imam of Islam, you must know that, you must be able to perform that and perform it without making a lot of embarrassing errors. Yes. And we have several imam's in the area who can help you if you want to become an imam like that, Imam Daniel Kareem can help you. He can help you learn what you have to learn to qualify.

09:16 IWDM: And there are others who can help you here, not just Imam Daniel Kareem, there are others who can help you. But that's his work He devotes himself to that. So get some help to learn how to deliver the Jummah Khutbah and lead the Jummah prayers and the Eid prayers, if you are going to accept to be called an imam. 'Cause I'm informing the community right now, that if you can't qualify by being able to do that, than you are not an imam for Islam. You're an imam but not an imam for Islam.

09:56 IWDM: Now, imam means a leader. Simply it means a leader. But an imam for the Muslims, is more than just a leader. He's a leader qualified by his knowledge and respect and obedience to the Quran and to the life of Mohammad the Prophet, the exemplary life of Mohammad the Prophet. That's what he has to be qualified in, and if he's not, he's not qualified as a religious imam, as a religious imam, detail imam, special events imam, but not Muslim imam. I hope you understand that. And really I'm going very softly with you, because I love you and I know most of you are very sincere, very sincere. But we can't disrespect our religion. If you know you don't qualify, you should tell people, "I don't qualify as an imam. I'm a leader in this area but I'm not a Muslim imam." You should just tell them that.

11:16 IWDM: Now, I know there are many have been called the imams and so we can give them assistance and save them for trouble that they'll have with the tax department, IRS. Well, you qualify as a Christian minister, for some denominations, all you have to do is just say I believe and preach out the side of ya mouth, or the front, or any kind of... Some of them get by with that. So that's okay. I don't have any problem with that. But don't take it outside of the Department of Revenue. Let that claim stay right there with the Department of Revenue and go no further.

12:13 IWDM: Yes, one other thing. I'm known, I don't have to be quiet about it, I'm proud of it. I'm known to be a loyal citizen, loyal citizen of these United States of America. I don't know any way to support anything but wholeheartedly and with truth and be truthful. That's the only way I can support anything. So if I hadn't found the way to understand the beauty of our idea of government as citizens of these United States, to appreciate it and support it wholeheartedly, I would never have told you I support it. I can only support something when my whole spirit and whole heart can be given to it and I don't have problems. I don't have any problems. If you don't know it, most of the good citizens, the loyal, sound citizens of these United States, they're not pleased with everything, they work to keep their government good and they work to make it better.

13:42 IWDM: Our form of government is a growing, a living organism that we believe can grow even bigger, more important, more valuable, and more beautiful. So our government had the founding fathers design the form for our government so that we can always make improvements upon our government. So don't think we accept everything because we say we are loyal citizens of the United States. No, we accept the essential nature and design for our government. We accept the beautiful and wonderful contributions of Americans to our government, beginning with the founding fathers, but there are many others and all of them, we appreciate their contributions and we are loyal members with them. Living, those dead and living, and those that will be born, we are loyal members with them for the beauty and health and life of this government now and for as long as G-d permits the earth to support it.

15:03 IWDM: Yes. So I go from there to tell you this. We have the separation of church and state. Okay? Separation of church and state. But is that respected by government people? Government officers? Is it respected by the private citizens? No. My daughter VaKeera, who now lives in Atlanta with her family, she moved there so she could put her children in the Muslim school there. We have a very beautiful, excellent school there, under Imam Plemin and the principal of the school now, Sister Shaheed. She's been there for a long time, I shouldn't say now, she's been there for a long time. She is the backbone of the school, very strong dedicated sister.

16:00 IWDM: Anyway, my daughter VaKeera, she was only about maybe 15 or 16 and she said, "Daddy, I joined the Chicago Police Department." I guess she thought I was going be upset or something. I say, "You did?" She say, "Yes." I say, "How?" She said, "They have junior police." I say, "Oh, you going to be a junior police?" I say, "Very good. They going teach you discipline and whatever. Good." Now, I told you that to tell you, my daughter is almost 40 now. I told you that to tell you that long time ago I favored our children if they wanted to, joining the military, joining the police department, but I don't favor any member that claims me as their leader, secretly joining the government or the police department. If you can't come out in the open and say, "I'm an FBI." If you can't come out in the open and say, "I'm a member of the Chicago Police Department." There's something wrong with that.

17:29 IWDM: Many of us have the wrong idea about our Prophet Mohammad's marriage to Aisha. Peace be on him may G-d be pleased with Aisha. The wife and scholar in the time of Muhammad the wife and scholar in the time of Muhammad the prophet, peace be on him. It was said that he married her when she was 13. And I can't understand how a leader in our community can say, "Yes, our Prophet married Aisha. She was 13." You're not telling the whole truth and that's dangerous to speak that kind of language in the public, that a man of his age married a girl only 13. Some reports say, in fact most reports say, if they say at all, they say that the marriage wasn't consummated until she was 19. And if you knew the culture of those people, a friend can offer or a person who loves another person can offer their daughter to that person at an age before puberty, before body hairs appear, and etcetera.

18:54 IWDM: And he's offering the daughter because he wants that person to take that daughter as a wife. And in those cultures the person can accept that person as a wife but it doesn't mean that he's going to take her to bed. No. He accepts that and he's going to wait for her to mature. And in the meantime the parents of that child is going to working with that child to help that child mature for the position that child is going to be responsible for as the wife of that honorable man who's responsible for many, many things. That's how it goes and most of us don't know that. We know about the Bar Mitzvah of the Jews, how at a certain age, 12 years old, a young boy comes in and he join the men. He join the men to sit in on discussions, to learn the religion from knowledgeable elders.

19:58 IWDM: Joining the men doesn't mean he's joining a team, a secret team that's going to be carrying out something, it's possible for some of the people on this earth in religion. It's possible that he might be joining but that's not what is expected, it's expected that he will be taught the religion, and educated, and brought up in the religion, in their rights and knowing their rights and their culture, their tradition. Let me get to the point. We have a organized... They think they're secret, an organized movement that's been going on for many years by leaders who tell their members what to listen to from Imam W. Deen Mohammed and what not to listen to. And they get your young children and they reach them and organize them, bring them into organization.

21:08 IWDM: And they're training them to be a help for the government system. And the government is not enforcing this on them, the government have not asked them to do this, they volunteered. And I could call some names but I will not. I'm just warning you that if you have a daughter 13 or a son 13 and somebody asks you, tell you that, "We think they'll make good members of here, they can come into this organization." A youth organization and the leader is over 40 and they calling youth 13 to 40, you'll find this in the Muslim Journal, the latest issue I think. They are calling the age range 13 to 40. Who is doing that? Where do we see a pattern like that? Gang members, gang members secretly working with the police department.

22:31 IWDM: Yes? They volunteered, police department are not going to turn it down. They say, "Well, we have this gang and we'll keep you informed. We're keeping them in check, holding there wild energies so that they don't hurt anybody but themselves." Think about it. You're awful quiet right now.

[background conversation]

23:07 IWDM: You're scared, you're fearful, I'm not. I can tell you what the Quran say but I think most of y'all know what the Bible say more than you know what the Quran say. But the Honorable Elijah Mohammed lead you in the Bible, not the Quran. And the Bible says, "The fearful and non-believing will have their part in the lake of fire. You'll be destroyed with the wicked." So if you are fearful, you've cut yourself out already. I have to say what's right and I have to protect the innocent, and many of our innocent young children will be joining this so-called youth organization that's saying the age range is from 13 to 40. I won't let you have my daughter or my child 13, no indeed. This 13 to 40 and you're doing' something honest and decent and clean. Why don't you do it in the open? Why don't you tell us before you dismiss, "I want to announce the youth organization, we have a program for the children." They never do that, they meet privately.

24:24 IWDM: And I know their boss and he should be ashamed of himself, and he will hear this, he'll get it later. He should be ashamed of himself. You're setting the young children up to be molested, yes you are. And you're setting them up to be treated as potential criminals, that you have to organize so that they don't bother the hair of the establishment, get in the hair of the establishment. That's a cheap, no good job you got and I don't recognize you, I don't recognize your organization.

25:07 IWDM: And I don't want any member claiming to be a follower of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, or under the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed 'cause, after all, I follow the Prophet, we all follow Prophet Mohammed, and we all have the Quran as authority in our life. The word of G-d is over us all. Yes? I don't approve of any member of this community, male, female, young, or old giving your children to some organization that says its members are from 13 to 40. What happened to you all? You want your daughter 13 under somebody, under some person 40? And mixing it up with the males and females, or males separately, females separately. I don't care how it's done but they're mixing up with those that are 40 years old? And calling themselves a group, a team, an organization? Separate from the general membership? How is that decent? It's not decent. It's not decent.

26:20 IWDM: Now I've come out against them very strongly almost 20 years ago. Do I have any witnesses here? 20 years or more ago, I came out against them very strongly. They were trying to get youth, young children, organized under Imam Hafiz. They wanted me to authorize him being over this organization or being head of an organization. So I said, "Well, he can be head of an organization but he has to be at least 40 years old." And then, since he didn't qualify to be... Now not over a youth organization, that's to be qualified over our organization, he had to be at least 40 years old. So I saw that they wanted him a member and wanted to give him qualifications. So I really put the age at 40 to keep him out 'cause I didn't trust him and right now he's not with us. He tried to overthrow me with the Saudi diplomats and failed.

27:36 IWDM: Driving me home, he stopped in front of my house he said, "Be careful." 'Cause I wasn't supporting him in what he wanted to do, and that is push me out before the Saudis and make the Saudis think he's the boss, he wanted the Saudi diplomats to think he was the boss. So since I didn't support him in that he takes me home and he says before I got out of the car, just as he pulled up to my door he said, "Be careful." I've heard it before, I've heard it in his tone. I know what he meant, I knew what he meant. So I said nothing, I didn't reply. I could have told him what I was going to do. No you're not supposed to tell him what you going to do.

28:30 IWDM: So anyway, he said, "And tell Rafa to be careful too." 'Cause Rafa's been like a right arm to me for all of these years, except for twice when I've had to put him out. [laughter] See, see you don't have a court to put anybody out anymore, you just tell him, "You're through man, for five weeks, five months or five years." He's here right now, he's probably laughing too. [laughter]

29:03 IWDM: Yes, I had to put him out twice. And Don Ramadan too, I had to put him out once. Yes, nobody's perfect. Sometime they, as he said "You need to tighten the screws." I'm using his language now. "Sometime you have to tighten those screws." [laughter]
