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IWDM Study Library
Jihaad

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Asalaam Alaikum. That is peace be unto you. I'll read in English our opening prayer. The name of this prayer is Al Fatiha. It's the first chapter of the Holy Book of the Muslims, the Qur'an. Or Koran as western people have called it. Qur'an. it is titled Al Fatiha in Arabic. And in English the Opening. The Opening. it has seven verses and they read in English from one through seven. In the Name of G-d Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to G-d the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds. Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Master of the day of Judgment. Thee do we worship and thine aid we seek. Show us the straight way. The way of those on whom thou has bestowed thy grace. Those whose portion is not wrath and who go not astray. Amen.
Ta'leem, that is, today's study with the reading of the chapter of Qur'an titled The Expansion. In the name of G-d Most Gracious, Most Merciful. First verse. Have we not expanded for thee thy breast? Have we not expanded for you your breast. Sadaraq is chest, means chest, or breast. And removed from thee thy burden and took off from you your load or your burden. The which did weigh you down. That which weighed down your back. The which did gall thy back. This is old English. It's not written by Americans, It's written by people of old country Europe. So we have this old English here and it's difficult for the average person. So we will give it also in the regular language. And raise the high esteem in which you are held. So verily with every difficulty comes relief. And the next verse repeats that same statement meant in a slightly different way. Verily with every difficulty, there is relief. Therefore when you are free from your immediate task, still labor hard. And to thy Lord turn all your attention. Now we will come back to this chapter that we have opened our Ta'leem with. But for now let us look at the meaning of Jihad.
You hear in the news of fighters that call themselves freedom fighters in the Middle East of the Muslims who were fighting Zionist occupation of their land and Zionist takeover of their land. This takeover of the Muslim land by the Zionist started as far back as the middle forties. Now there's a word that is very important for all Muslims. It's called Jihad. This is the word, Jihad. This word is translated by Muslims in various ways. You hear in the news now this meaning of Jihad- Holy war, Holy War. Holy War.
In Arabic. The word for war is Haron, not Jihad. This word means war. This word, this Is war, Haron. Now this is a Muslim studies guidebook by Professor Muhammad Sidiqqi of the Islamic Center, Muslim Student Association, United States and Canada, Indianapolis, Indiana. Perhaps the biggest Islamic studies project by immigrant Muslims going on around here in this area in the Midwest, maybe in most of the United States. I don't know. But I know their project is well known and big. Now here they give the term Jihad in this book. Jihad, meaning of Jihad- Striving within and striving without. Didn't say Holy War yet did it. That's what it means. Striving within and striving without. Jihad. The Arabs have a saying: If you want to succeed, to be successful struggle hard. That doesn't mean then make Holy War. Struggle hard. If you want to be successful, then struggle hard, strive hard. This is the very form of this word Jihad. Jihad is the noun form and is the very form that means strive. You see how local situations can give you meanings to words, especially when you have a powerful media that reports on a local situation. So they're reporting on a local situation and a situation of the times.
Dear Muslims. G-d says Jahadu. From the same word Jihad. That's what G-d tells us in the Qur'an. So if we take the meaning from the atlas, from the air, so If we take it from them that it means Holy War, that's not the case at all. The highest acts of Jihad, the greatest acts of Jihad is to be willing to risk your life for what you know to be right. But that's not the only meaning of Jihad, no. Your Jihad starts with the smallest thing, the smallest thing that requires a strong effort on your part. A thing that requires for you to be strong and exert yourself a little bit. Whether it's to maintain your family in hard times or to maintain your good morals in a bad environment. That is your Jihad, that's your struggle, that's your striving. And that's the principle of our religion. The principle of our religion is subtle. Our religion doesn't teach us to give up in the face of hardship.
Rather it teaches us to meet the demand of hard times and hardship, with strength and the determination not to give up. That's Jihad. So that's the philosophy of Jihad for us, for Muslims. That's the meaning for Muslims, that Muslims are to meet the demand in a situation or in a time, demand on the person for strength and for determination. Persistence, don't give up. Many people give up when hard times come. They throw up their hands, they give up. Not quite the same kind of situation. But I heard on the news about that tragic disaster. It took now over 20,000 lives they say. A natural catastrophe. The volcano erupted and caused much lives to be lost and everything. And buried people, killed a lot of people. And they said that some of the people saying "Why would G-d do this to us?"
I wonder how many ants got destroyed? How many dogs got destroyed by the volcano? How many birds got killed by that volcano? I believe all of them had gone a long time before the lava came down. So what's wrong with the human being? Just stay where he knows it's dangerous. When G-d has already created the nature to give a signal. Let you know this is a dangerous place, get out of here. But they're not any more protected by their nature that G-d gave them. So their attachment to their home, their attachment to their possessions is so strong that they'd rather cling to them in a dangerous spot. G-d says to Muslims if we're stuck with being persecuted under a cruel power of government, say don't think that you'll excuse yourself by saying, "I couldn't be a good Muslim because of those oppressors." So G-d will say to you, "Didn't you know My earth was wide and vast. How come you didn't take advantage of that?" But the same logic can be applied to those who are living by a volcano knowing that it erupts every other so often and just wait there trusting that they're going be all right.
At least use the animal sense. The animal gets out of there. Now I'm not putting it all on those poor people. Highly technical nations like America and Russia. They should be spending some of the billions and billions of dollars that they're spending on armaments, space investigations. They should be spending it to alert those people way before hand, and send trucks and equipment in there, help get them out of there. They could have known when it was going to erupt. They can tell when there's a fault that's going cause a bad catastrophe. So instead of blaming them, we should blame man. But look at the kind of feelings they put out, the kind of sensitizers they put out over their mass media and the powerful media . They are asking why G-d did this to them. So every nut, every weak minded, half crazed person among the masses of people that heard that, whether you paying attention to it or not, it went into their ears. It touched their heart. And if you were weak it made you weaker. Where is G-d that let that happen. Where are your senses that G-d gave you to wait, sit there and wait for it to happen. I never understand why people live around volcanoes that are known for killing people.
And they just live there saying, It's too much to move. They found a place for refugees from Germany. They put them over there with the Arabs. Hey Arabs, get over, make room for these Jews. European Jews, didn't matter. They weren't Asian, they weren't Palestinians, they were European, but Jews. Put them right in on the Arabs.
Haitians, Koreans, Vietnamese. They find room for them to bring them from a situation that's not good for them. What about the people in the way of the dangerous volcanoes? Can't something be done to take them away from that threat? Wouldn't that be more becoming on a big nationwide media than to tell the people how come G-d let that happen? They didn't actually say this out of their mouth. They say some of the people are asking why would G-d let that happen? But the people not asking us that, we wouldn't have heard those people ask that. That's the media putting that thought into the mind of the rich people. So maybe they're saying, Okay United States of Russia, you the G-d and the people want to know how come G-d let that happen? You know ain't no G-d but you. Do something about it. So the atheist talking. Atheist giving the news.
So this is the meaning of Jihad- Struggle, persistent struggle when it's necessary. Not only when it's necessary. Continuous struggle. Continuous struggle. When there's no cause to struggle, what is the Muslim supposed to do? Find the cause. When there's no cause to struggle you looking to find one. Never accept to be idle or stagnant. The Muslim is supposed to be part of an active, dynamic society. And we go back to the verse that we read now. "Surely with every difficulty comes relief. So verily with every difficulty comes relief. Therefore, when you are free from your immediate task, still labor hard."
So how am I going to labor hard if I'm free from this immediate task? I have to find another one. I have to find another one. The Muslim is not supposed to finish a job or to finish a project and then sit down and wait for another one to present itself. Soon as he finished one, he's supposed to immediately look for another worthy cause, another worthy project, another needed project. And get right back into it again and labor hard at it. If Muslims had followed this Qur'an and Muhammad the Messenger who brought this book as it's supposed to be followed, the Muslims will not be a part of the undeveloped world today. They would be in the forefront of the developing nation.
It's plain as day that they haven't followed the simple guidance of the Qur'an and the life of Muhammad the Prophet. Prophet Muhammad, if he was weak and there was a call to duty, he pulled himself up many times out of his bed, went out to meet the challenge. It is said that when he was dying of his illness, he went out to lead the prayers and he had to be helped. They had to help him. He was too weak to walk by himself. They had to help him, but he went out. And now they got Shariah, the law. And it says conditions for not having to go to the Mosque.
If you fear the weather is such that you may catch a cold, yes, I got it right here in the book. I'll show it to you. If the weather is such that you fear you may catch a cold, that's the reason for you not to go to the Mosque. They got several other reasons why that would exempt you or excuse you from going to the Mosque. Well let those reasons stay, let them have those allowances but understand that those allowances are for the weak and not for the strong. I like the new expression we got. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. That's more in accord with the Qur'anic principle, Islamic teachings. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. That's what I like. Now, here are different expressions of Jihad to ponder over the revelation and to seek to transmit it, to pass it on. This is an expression of Jihad. These are manifestations or ways to express Jihad, to carry out Jihad, to propagate the message, to preach or to teach as we are trying to do now, to patiently persevere, to not to give up and keep going at it and keep continuously striving. That's Jihad. To organize the community of Muslims. To defend the Muslim country, a community from outside attacks. To start the preaching of Al Islam to other groups and other nations. To start it is very difficult.
You start preaching in an area where people don't know nothing about your religion, you get all kinds of reactions. Many times you may even get threats like we got in the early days we were trying to preach. I know we were preaching the wrong thing, but there were many who were preaching the wrong thing and they got threats too.
To demolish by force any resistance and the structures and also the structures of tyranny. Tyranny mean cruel, cruel domination by government or powerful people. You have to resist that. How do we know we have to resist that? Because the Qur'an tells us this. Allah tells us in the Qur'an. Prophet Muhammad, Peace be Upon him. He says, anyone who agrees or comply in something that a tyrant requires, gives himself to disbelief. Disobedience, to disobedience. So to obey a tyrant is to disobey in this religion. And he says that if anyone sees a thing that it is bad or harmful or wrong, that he should seek to remove it with his hand. Or else by speaking out against it with his tongue. Or else by going against it with the principle of the heart. And he said using the heart is the weakest of faith. So what kind of resistance did he advocate?
Physical resistance, active resistance. That's the kind he advocated. Active resistance. And that is acceptable but doesn't merit the highest honor is to speak out against it. And that merits the lowest is to just act against it with the principle of your heart or to go against it with your feelings. The heart. Like I hear people say, well my heart ain't for that. G-d knows my heart. G-d knows your actions too. And you heard the expression actions speak louder than words. And in our religion we say there is no belief without practice. You can't just believe. Say, do they think that they will be accepted upon saying they believe and not be put to the test. You have to act.
Now it says here, continuing under the meaning of Jihad, the ultimate aim of Jihad is the uplifting of the word of G-d above all other words, within every human soul and within every group of people, not for gain of territory or imperial domination. Now I have to question this last one, this one here. Not the intent of the writer, but I question the language, this choice of language. Allah says in the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad that you cannot and not make them believe.
And also G-d says to us in the Holy Book, "Let whosoever desire to believe, let him believe and whosoever desire not to believe. Let him not believe." This is plainly said in the Qur'an. And in another place it says, "Let there be no compelling or forcing people in religion." And in another place it says "Say to the rejectors of faith, to you is your religion and to me is mine." Does that sound like forcing of making Islam be the religion over everybody? Allah says that He will perfect His light, though the enemies of it desire to put it out with their mouths." He will perfect his light. And it also says of the propagation or the spreading of it says "Whoever He causes to believe is blessed with faith and whoever He leaves to stray will find no one to guide him." So ultimately it's in G-d's hand.
Faith is a blessing from G-d, that you have faith in G-d, that you'll be a Muslim. That's a blessing from G-d and it's in G-d's hand. No Prophet, not to mention us, our little capacity, no Prophet has been given the power to make people believe. So this idea that the Muslims are obligated to struggle and struggle and struggle until the religion of Islam or Al Islam is a dominant religion and everybody is confessing Allah, that's wrong, that is wrong. We are to work and struggle to invite people to this religion. That's the only power we have. The only authority that has been given to us is the authority to insist upon freedom to invite people or to propagate the message by way of invitation.
Prophet Muhammad never fought any war, never fought any nation so that the religion would become the religion of that nation. He fought nations only in defense of people who were pleading to their cruel masters for the freedom to practice a religion. So those cruel imperialist nations who denied their subjects the right to practice a religion, Prophet Muhammad went and fought them in defense of their freedom, not to force the religion on anybody. Now that's the fact of history. And I won't get any contention except from somebody that left that nuthouse down there on Mantina st. somewhere. Those the only ones that are arguing with me.
The strongest language in the Qur'an says this, "Fight them until there is no more oppression and the religion is free for G-d." That's what it says. So what was the fight for? To preach the religion? To get the religion on the people? No, to free the religion so that it could be preached freely. So wherever people said no, you can't have that religion here, the Muslim is obligated to do whatever he can. If he's in a situation where he can fight those people, he should fight them. If that's what you have to do, fight them for your right to have your religion. Now look at this modern nation who took much of its democracy from our religion. Look at this great modern nation America. It says we have the right of assembly, we have the right of freedom of speech, right? And strong American people will fight and die before they allow those freedoms to be taken away from them.
But did you get these freedoms without bloodshed? No. This country fought England to get this freedom. And it had to fight others to keep this freedom. And many times have to fight each other at home to keep this freedom. So the Muslim religion does not teach us anything about fighting to force religion on somebody else. It teach us only to fight in defense of right. And freedom is precious to Muslims just like it is to other freedom loving people. Freedom is precious and we will fight and die, lose our life before we give up our freedom, our freedom to have the religion that G-d has given to us. That was the case then. That's the case now if you are strong Muslims. And G-d know that I would die. I believe I would die a thousand deaths. Die, come back and die, keep dying over and over before I let anybody stop me from practicing this religion. Not just believing it, I insist upon believing it and also practicing it.
Not only that, I insist upon realizing its objectives. And when I get some stronger people behind me, we going to realize its objectives. Or I should say when I get more strong people behind me, we going to realize its objectives. We should have our own halal products. We should have our own markets. We should be supplying our own community with our halal foods. We shouldn't have to go to Non Muslims and get foods that are not halal. The Jew can go to a Jew and get kosher food. Muslims should be able to go to Muslims and get halal foods.
We want our own businesses. We want our own properties and we want our own community. We want our own regulated community. We want our schools, we want our Mosques, we want our businesses. We want our life to be regulated by Islam, by Islamic principles. We want to have employment to the extent that most of our members will not have to ask no Non Muslim boss to get off of Jumu'ah. That should be our objective. We can't settle for less than that. No, not if you're a real Muslim. If you're a real Muslim, you can't settle for less than that. You should be striving to reach that point where you have your community in your control to the extent that you can live your religion without having to depend upon outside circumstances.
And the position for that is already in this country, if I didn't know that with all my heart, I wouldn't be preaching this here. I would be preaching let's get out of America. That's what I would be preaching. I would be preaching let's leave America. Let's get people together, follow the way of life that we want and let's ask them to leave America. I'd be asking the government. "Hey you brought us here find us a place." Yeah, I'd be giving them hell like the Honorable Elijah Muhammad did. But I'm convinced that this country accommodates all decent people and all the established religions. I sat right in the presence of the President of these United States who said to an audience of mixed people, various races and ethnic groups in the audience at the White House and the President said, "We have an obligation, a commitment to recognize the three great religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam." And I read that President Madison is recorded in the history for saying the same thing. He said that he recognized the Muslim people, the religion, Islam and the Muslim people. Only the nuts, the stupid people, the half educated and those dumb and out of touch with history and truth. Only they have this crazy notion that this religion can't prosper in the United States of America. Yes, it can prosper here, but you need the spirit of a real Muslim. You need the spirit to get up and do things. And to not to give up when there's opposition, but to meet opposition with greater strength, to be active and continuously active for the good of your community and for the good of all people.
So I read that again now. The ultimate aim of Jihad is uplifting of the word of G-d above all other words, within every human soul and within every group of people, not for gain of territory or for imperial domination. That's true. We can't do anything for gain of territory or imperial domination because G-d says any who desire that He will not give the hereafter to them. He will deny them the hereafter if they desire such. But at the same time, G-d says, My righteous servants shall inherit. So we shouldn't say, "Oh, I don't want to be in power. I don't want to be at the top of the heap."
That's stupid. Don't desire for yourself. But if the opportunity come and you have an invitation to go to the top, you'll be stupid not to take it because G-d says He's going to bless His devotees, those that obey Him. He blesses those people with inheritance, the inheritance of land, inheritance of land and inheritance of power, authority, rule. So don't be afraid of that. In fact, if you are afraid of it, you put yourself out of it, you've eliminated yourself. Islam is a practical religion and uses practical means. Preaching or fighting if necessary. Jihad is a dynamic response to new challenges. It is not necessarily defense of the homeland of Islam. It is not nationalistic, not even in relation to Muslim nationalism. That is a Muslim nation cannot call its patriotism for its nation, a holy spirit or holy zeal and then go out in the sense of his nation and call that Jihad. No, it cannot be for nationalism. Even though the nation be Muslim. Islam's call is for all people. So our struggle must benefit all people. It must benefit all people. It cannot exalt us or increase our power and influence against the rights or against the common good of all people. It is only justifiable when it is good for all people and just by all people.
Islam regulates the relationship of the Muslim community with non-US communities. Now you can see that even his choice of language hurt his own presentation because what he said above gives those fighting Christians, especially those who have been conditioned by centuries of Crusades, which they're people, Western people, Christian people were fighting Muslim people for control, global control. But here this kind of language, oh yeah, well this fellow is all right. It softened things up again, says Islam regulates the relationship of the Muslim community with non-Muslim communities. That tells us that Islam does not seek the destruction or the elimination of other religious communities, that instead it regulates the relationship. It teaches us to be respectful of them and to work together for the common good of the whole lot of humanity with Christians, Jews or any good people. Establishment of G-d's authority, Allah's authority. Islam is a call for human freedom for all mankind, freedom from fear of death, poverty or lordship, of one over another or persecution. Islam does not permit Muslims to do injustice, nor to suffer injustice. But what you have to understand here is that Muslims are not permitted to do any injustice and we should not allow ourselves to suffer injustice from another people or from others.
The meaning of worship is absolute loyalty and obedience to G-d. We worship none but G-d. Therefore our loyalty is really to G-d and our obedience is really obedience to G-d. Though the person we are respecting over us may be the teacher, school teacher, parents, school teacher, mayor, governor, police, judge. Any number of persons in the capacities, in the offices, or in the respected positions of authority may be giving us the order and we may be obeying or respecting and showing acceptance, acceptance of their order or their authority over us. But actually the believer should understand that his obedience is really obedience to G-d and not to the person. Even when we obey our mother, it's obedience to our mother. But ultimately, and most importantly it's obedience to G-d.
We accept her authority under G-d because after all, G-d created her and created us and created the system, the family system. G-d created the family order. G-d created that we didn't create it. G-d created that. And whatever authority is there, G-d has established it. So you should understand that your obedience is really to G-d. And if you don't understand that, you have to have some authority above that authority to keep your obedience. That's why daddy backs up mama. Sometimes. Not now it's changing. And the law backs up daddy and mama. Well you get too bad for daddy and mama, they can call the police. The law will back up daddy and mama you see, and the bad child who was tempted to disrespect his mother or his father, many times he checks himself and not do the thing that was on his mind because he scared what the police might do, what the courts might do to him, right?
So though we don't make G-d the authority over the other authorities we accept, G-d has given us the nature that force us to have to recognize bigger authorities backing up lesser authorities or smaller authorities. And the biggest of them all is G-d. And it would be much easier on all us if we just recognize G-d as the authority over all and do what we know pleases G-d, what we know is in accord with G-d's way. That would make life so easy and so nice. If my mother and father could come back here and speak right now I have no fear of the judgment when it comes to facing my mother and father. And in my religion, which I hope is your religion too.
Acts of disrespect toward parents is a serious crime and G-d will punish you for that. Your soul will have to give up that and become right with G-d before you come out of hell. If they could come before me right now, there would be nothing but kindness and respect from both of us, from them to me and from me to them. If they stood here before me right now they would tell you that this boy has never shown disrespect. He has never said ugly things to us. He has never used bad language to us. When we told in something to do, he either did it or he walked away quietly. He never argued with us. If it was something that I couldn't do. I just walked away quietly. I wouldn't argue with them.
So what did they tell you that you couldn't do? Believe Fard was a G-d. When I grew out of that, I couldn't believe it no more and I couldn't accept it anymore. So when they told me you have to accept it, I just walked away quietly. I didn't argue with them. I was arguing you all but not with them because I owed them that respect. They're my parents. They're my parents. Even though I was a grown man then. And right now I'm 52 years old, but if it was possible for them to come here right now, I would respect them just like I did when I was 15 years old or five years old.
Same respect. I respect them the same way because that's what my understanding of my religion has fixed into me, that I'm supposed to give them that respect. And I've seen some of the members of my family arguing with them right in their presence. "Well, I got a mind of my own too." Yes, I know son. I'm not going name them. "Ain't I entitled to my own opinion?" I never talked to my father or mother like that. No indeed. In fact, I threatened to put them all out of the house once myself. Those that speak like that. I said, look, I said I'll get you out of here.
It wasn't my father it was my mother that was being shown disrespect. I told him, I said, I'll get you out of here. You ain't going to do that. I will do something to you quick. That's what I told him. Not going to name anybody, but I've always been that way. I thank Allah, I thank G-d that I was raised like that. My mother raised me to be respectful and she showed me the beautiful and strong side of herself and it won my respect for life. And whatever she taught me, I respected it. She taught me to respect my father. I respected that, I respected him. Taught me to respect everything. I do that. Taught me to respect everybody. Any adult here can say that I mistreat you or talk to you in a disrespectful way. No, no. I talk to every adult here with respect. Yes sir, no sir. They have to tell me don't say yes sir, with the greatest respect. Until they go crazy. Then I still show them respect.
All right, so that gives us an idea of Jihad, the meaning of Jihad. It can go for war, it means war, but it can only be war if the war is just and for G-d's pleasure only. It has to be just, fair. Not seeking to take advantage of anybody, not fought for nation, not fought for possessions, for worldly possessions, but fought only for righteous principle under G-d. And the necessity has become so strong that life is threatened or freedom is denied, then the Muslim can go to war as a nation, go to war. And that war can be called Jihad. But there are heavy qualifications to meet in order for it to be called Jihad.
What's going over there in the Middle East is part Jihad and part confusion, part Jihad and part confusion. There's some good well-meaning people over there who really been misused and they're really fighting in the spirit of obedience to G-d. For them it is Jihad. But there are many others who have taken on the character of the oppressors and those who sacrifice principle or put down principle for worldly gain. They have taken on that character. And once you take on that character, your struggle is not recognized as Jihad. It's no more struggle for G-d. It's a struggle for yourself. To protect the Sacred Mosque, the Sacred Precinct. Surely that's Jihad. That is Jihad. To protect property that belongs to you. That's Jihad. But you have to do it in the right spirit. If you allow just like Allah says in the Qur'an, "Do not allow the hatred for another people to affect you and cause you to do something out of justice." Even though you've been wronged. Do not allow the hatred for people who put you out of your home.
Isn't that the Holy Book? Yes. You were wronged. They put you out of your home. They drove you out of your home. They took your land, they put you out of your land. But G-d say, do not let the hatred for people like that cause you to act out of justice. In fact G-d said "And be just. That is nearer to piety." If you want to get close to G-d, be next to G-d, show reverence for G-d. Then He says practice justice. That's the way to get closer and closer to Taqwa, in obedience to G-d or piety it's translated sometimes. So we must understand Islamic principles. Know the Muslim character. And anything that you do to take you out of that character is wrong. And once you start accepting to get out of the Muslim character, you are on your own. G-d is not your protector. You are on your own. You are headed for big trouble. So we close out this afternoon, this Sunday afternoon, our teaching, our Ta’leem, by focusing again on community. G-d says to us in the Holy Book, "You are the best community brought out for the good of all people. You are the best community brought out for the good of all people."
G-d has given us as a discipline for our life prayer. And has united us in this discipline with the center Ka'aba. We all turn toward that one simple house of worship, Ka'aba the holy house in the desert of Arabia. We turn toward that house whether we are natives of Africa or Europe, Asia or South America, China or North America, wherever we are, or in the islands of the Pacific. We all turn toward that simple structure, making one uniform discipline on this planet. Just imagine in your mind a picture, a photograph of that. It's enough to endear you to that practice, to make you love that practice. Seeing humanity, not a race, humanity, not a nation but humanity, global community of man. Going through one ritual or the same ritual and focusing upon a simply structured house. Something very simple, very simple. Not something that's a golden skyscraper, stretching up to the sky.
Not something that's massive and impressive. No something small and very simple and all of us turning toward that one simple structure, the whole global community of man, all the colors, all the nationalities, various languages, we all are turning toward that one center glorifying G-d, not the house. So G-d says, and worship the Lord of this house, not the house. We know who we are worshiping. We are worshiping the G-d of that house, the Lord who ordered Abraham and Ishmael to build that house and keep it pure for His worship only. It's a symbol of the temple within us. It's a symbol of the temple within every man. And G-d has given the same inner makeup to every man no matter what his color, no matter what his national origin, he has given the same essential makeup to every human being. And we have that simple house, a symbol, or a sign of the social life as G-d evolves it. And we turn in our discipline recognizing that G-d has established our social life, He has made us one family, though we have branched out and become different nations.
So we return to that in obedience to Him. And the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, may G-d forgive him his sins and admit him into the paradise. He wrote a rule book on prayer and he said there is no form of prayer better than the prayer of the Muslims. And in his book he described, he made reference, clear reference to prayer as we practice them today. Wasn't established in his day, but it's established now after his day. so we have his words of praise for what we are doing. Isn't that wonderful? Yes, this is wonderful. In spite of what he said, that all white people are born devils and they can't be saved. I know all that is not Islamic and can't be accepted in Islam. In spite of what he said about the black man being G-d and all that. G-d going to destroy the white man, turn America to a hell, a burning fire or burn for centuries, etc., etc. All of that can't erase the truth that he spoke, the good that he did and the help that he gave me and you to come this way.
Alright. So give a man his day in court, but don't take away his evidence that he has in his defense. You got evidence against him but allow him also the evidence he has in his defense. And let G-d be the judge because we ain't big enough to do it. I can't understand why some of our people from the old days are still around here moaning and weeping and fussing and complaining and in a whole lot of confusion. It should be very clear, should be very clear. To pick up your bale and walk as the Christians say.
So we have to understand the nature of this community. Our community is in focus. We have to understand the nature of the community first. It is a community that is based upon inherent value. Inherent value. We believe that G-d created us with the excellence that we need to establish ourselves and prosper. And prosper, on and on and on. We believe that G-d has endowed us with that. He has created us with that. We have inherent personal human and also community values. And all we need to do is give ourselves to G-d and G-d will cause that to flower, to blossom, and the result will be the wonderful life that He intends for us.
We also have to be aware that our community has an aim and it's aim is G-d's pleasure, G-d's pleasure. That keep us from becoming tyrants, that keep us from oppressing each other. As long as we live and struggle and strive and seek G-d's pleasure as our main object, then that will keep out the ugly influences that disfigure us and take away the Islamic character. We must understand too, under the aim of the community is that our community must be of good service to all people, of good service to all people. G-d says that He caused the house to be raised up, the Ka'aba, as a house for all people as He says in our Holy Book. So we can't say, oh the Ka'aba is only for Muslims. Muslims are the ones who recognize it, but it's for all people. And anytime they ready to recognize it, they can turn toward it too and it becomes their house. We can't exclude any of them from it. They all have the right to that house. It's a house that G-d says in our Holy Book that was raised up for all people. It was built up established for all people. And the community that we ourselves are members in as Americans and as blacks or African Americans, indigenous African Americans here. That community, G-d says of that community, it is a community brought out for the good of all people.
How in the world can we talk about building a nation or building a great society against other people? In some kind of competition for dominance or control over other people? You can't do that. You have to include them in your community plans if you got sense. If you going to build a great Muslim society, you have to accommodate the needs of all people around you, in fact on this globe. And not have anything in your plans that would do an injustice to any of them. To the contrary, you should have in your plan something to do a service to them because that's G-d intent, that the Muslim community be of good service to all people.
All we need is somebody to follow this. That's all we need. All we need is somebody with the strength, the good heart and the strength to accept this religion and follow it. And then you'll see big results come on this earth. It happened once. It can happen again. In the days of Muhammad their were empires. There was a Persian empire, there was a Roman empire, there were mighty people. There was a strong grouping right on the peninsula where he was preaching. They outnumbered him. He started out with a company of one, himself and his Lord. I should say two because G-d says wherever three meet G-d is the fourth or if there's a smaller number, a greater number, G-d is there. So I should say he started out a company of two. Just him and his Lord and then G-d blessed him with Khadija. Well, Khadija was with him from the start.
No I'm wrong. Khadija was with him from the start because before he even recognized what was happening to him, he went to his wife and explained it to her and she had some knowledge of Christianity and his kind of a spiritual experiences and she identified it to him. She said, I think you may be, G-d may be choosing you to be a Messenger. She said, I have an uncle. I'll talk to him. And so the Uncle talked, finally heard about Prophet Muhammad experience and he says, you are the Prophet that our scriptures tell us about that was coming. So before even Prophet Muhammad knew G-d had chosen him, his wife had identified that this experience is this. G-d is choosing you. So she was the first. And him the two of them, two of them, and then added to the two came Ali, Abu Bakr, Umar and others came. And others they began to come. But at first he had only himself and his wife. And many men start out carrying great heavy responsibility and they need help. But they start out with nobody but themselves and their wives. Sometimes even the wife won't help. She look at you, say you crazy, you'll never make it. But some men are strengthened by their wives strength, right? And some men are strengthened by their wives opposition. Some men are of a certain kind that their wife, can really give them a great boost. Then some men, they're different type. They don't need nothing from the wife. The wife will give him all the help it don't mean much. But if she knock him it make him much stronger. I guess that's why the black woman just keep knocking the black man. She said, I'm going to make him stronger. You ought to try something different. It's been 300 years, you've been knocking us for 300 years
Now the oppressors of us all have done that to us. Got our women working against their men blindly, working blindly against their men. And got the man giving up, throwing up his hand, leaving everything to his woman and the white man. Right? No good, no good. The stronger of our people have been preaching against that. But we can't stop. We got to keep preaching against that until it changes. Now lastly in this presentation, in our closing a few remarks on community. The Islamic community is a dynamic community. By dynamic it must be active and progressive at all times. It can't allow itself to become idle or stagnant.
The Prophet was told, as soon as you finish with the task immediately at hand, still Fansab. Fansab means right away, find another project, another task and get into it. Exert yourself and work hard at it. We must be a working community constantly at work. And a determined, persevering community. Determined and persevering community. Persevering means going forward and pushing, pushing, even when all signs say you can't succeed. Even when all the signs say you can't succeed, we have to still be determined and go forward, exert ourselves and push forward with all that we have. Because that's what will deliver us. That's what will bring us to be victorious. In brief, that's the concept of community for the Muslim. Essentially it is a community of inherent values. That's its natural, that's its truest character. It's a community of inherent value. It's a community having as it's object, first of all obedience to G-d and then service to all people.
It's a community that believes in a kind of dynamism that it should never allow itself to be idle or to become stagnant. That it must always engage in profitable and useful work. It must be continuously pushing forward and advancing the good life and the utility that G-d has created for man. That's this religion. If you can find something better, hurry up and get it to me because I'm convinced that this is the best. And I'm convinced that those people who have fostered and who've gone ahead other nations, the progressive and developing nations, I'm convinced that they have heeded more of the essential message of this religion than the so-called Islamic World abroad.
Maybe they haven't followed the religious rituals, they haven't followed the dietary laws, they haven't followed the moral principles. They haven't followed perhaps the universal concept, they haven't put it into practice. But they must have had a lot of that at heart in order to advance their societies as they have advanced their societies. And the evidence is in the societies that have advanced, that they have come in contact with this religion. You can't find a great Western nation that doesn't have also it Shriners, its Masons who practice a secret association with our religion. So wake up black man, stop letting the world beat you black and blue. So Farrakhan says this is your last chance. There's a final call. So if you ain't satisfied here, you go down there to that renovated funeral home. Cause he says there's a final call. And if you see him or can get word back to him, tell him I still invite him to Al Islam. The Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad. And tell him I said $12 trillion from the nations of the world won't improve his condition at all until his heart turns and do what is right, accept what is right. And he follow it up with the proper action. Then he'll be happy with $12.
That's right. Once a great western leader educator. He said, well not educated but great western celebrity. He said, "Wealth is not in possession, but wealth is in the concept of the heart." Yes, I've seen people around me. They thought that once they got some big money they would be alright. All their troubles will be gone. Their money increased and their worries increased. Their misery increased. Then there are some people they can go from day to day not knowing how they're going to eat. And still their character stays good. They don't let that character be stalled by the threats of want.
No. And they can laugh and they can talk and people can enjoy their company and they got nothing. Got nothing. Then there's some, oh they get thousands of dollars, tons of money. But people can't enjoy their company and they can't enjoy anybody's company. They're made for themselves of hell. So don't think money is everything. Money is not everything. Let us get our vision clear and our heart healed and then let us go after money. But not to enrich ourselves, t to secure ourselves. You can't secure yourself. Rich man makes his trillion dollars and die of AIDS.
Yeah, you can't secure yourself. Doesn't have to get it from a homosexual. He can go in, get a blood transfusion. Look at one of those Rockefellers. He used to feed his dog from his own sandwiches. He'd take a bite and give his dog a bite. He died with cancer of the throat. All that money couldn't stop that cancer from eating up his throat and sending him to his grave. And G-d says in our Holy Book. And they amass wealth, thinking it will prolong their days. But it will not." I have to talk to our folks this way because we deserve some mercy still. White man brought us over here and made us a slave, a slave labor force. Then a few of us came to the factories up north. We thought we were going to have good. Still almost in the same situation.
Ain't no people like us on the face of this earth. No, let me tell you what I'm talking about now, what I'm thinking about now. Where past conditions have given all of you big appetites. So you go to other nations and you won't find the masses of people with no big appetites like you all got. The masses of other people only want the common things of life. The masses of other people. They just want to have a wife and a family and pay their bills or have a family home And they don't mind struggling. They don't have to have to have no Cadillac car, no fancy car. They don't have to have no color television. no cell phone, satellite phone. They don't have to have all that. But our first condition, slavery and then the way we treated after slavery, it has given all of us a big appetite.
And this way of life in the West haven't helped it at all. Makes people think everybody supposed to have luxury. Everybody supposed to be rich and have luxury. That's stupid. Majority people will never be able to support that kind of thing. Majority of the people gonna have to work a thousand jobs. Let's do something about this in the light of what G-d has revealed in this Holy Book and the life of Muhammad the Prophet. Let us do something about this. Don't give up. Keep working on our problem. We have a lot of serious problems that hold our people down. They start right here in the heart, then to go to the brain, then they go to our behavior. Then they go to our family relationships, how we treat each other at home and they just go out and out. Now the whole race is in a whole lot of trouble simply because we won't start at home and correct our heart, then correct our thinking.
I am going conclude this, but I have to say this at this point. In looking into these things that hurt us, hinder our progress, not just us as Muslims. I'm talking about the masses of people now that are not established in anything strong and key and solid. And most of those who have not inherited that from others, they don't have it. Even the whites. You know that? Even the whites that haven't inherited that, inherited that from their white fortunate parents and relatives, they don't have it either. And I came to the conclusion that we are miserable because of our outlook.
If your outlook is unreal, you can't have much real in your life. You can't produce much real with your efforts if your outlook is unreal. And believe me, the thing that makes it almost impossible, and I know I'm going to hurt a lot of the good Christian people when I say this, but I can't help it. What makes it almost impossible for people of dark skin and typical African features to have the right or real, correct or real natural outlook on life is the belief that G-d's son is Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ is G-d and their personal savior. You have some who will get money, but what can they do for their race. Nothing. I was looking at television at Reverend Ike. He's got a powerful philosophy and he knows the trouble that Jesus Christ present. So he doesn't harp too much on Jesus Christ. But he had to admit that Jesus Christ is the son of G-d and that Jesus Christ is his personal savior. He had to admit that because he believes in Christianity, he believes in Christianity. But hurts him Is that he is a preacher of Christianity. And since he's a preacher of Christianity, it kind narrows him down so much that his philosophy can't go out and reach the masses of his people to heal his people. If they would give me the kind of opportunity to come on television, to talk to the people of this country, no way our race can stay down. No way. The little exposure that I've gotten with the help of you people, the little exposure that I've gotten has changed many people out there in the street. Many, many have changed in the street. They meet me, they don't come here.
They meet me and they greet me and they so happy. They see me and they tell me of how they have changed and how they listen to the radio. They don't come here, they listen to the radio. And we are not reaching no great many houses. The radio audience is very small, weak station. Look what we could do if we had the opportunity to come on mass media like Reverend Ike. Look what we could do. We could bring life, productive life to the African-American people. Health, sense of well being, vision, and a solid movement on the part of our people. They know that. That's why they won't allow us to come on there.
Should we tolerate that situation? We may get old and gray headed and baldhead, but we should never give up trying to think our way out of this and work our way out of this. And there's a way. We get enough numbers and we get enough money, we can do what the Jew did. What other small people do. You have rights in this country. You have the right to buy. You can buy the media, you can buy the network. Yes, if you got enough money. And then they can't do nothing about it. No, they can't do nothing about it. And they can't say they won't sell it to you. You go to court, take them to court. And you prove they prove that they're discriminating, the court have to rule in your favor. So we could either force this country to say we are big liars when it comes to blacks and Muslims we are nothing but a big liar. Or we could force them to give us equal share. One or the other. We either would drive them back to the wall and make them confess they're nothing but hypocrites and big liars. That freedom is a lie here. Democracy is a big lie here. And when it comes to blacks and Muslims we're out, or we force them to give us our share of the power. And I'm not going to give up. I'm going to die with this spirit in me. And you should teach it to your children. You don't see my children, they don''t hardly come down here, but don't think they're not being reached. I see them at home. But if I can't even talk to them, I'll do something that'll make them hear Islam. And I'm not talking about whip them, I just come down and pray while they got the thing blasting, television, blasting the radio. Blasting the record player. Thank you very much. Well let us go home and be happy. Cause Allah has blessed us and He's going to bless us more. Let us have du'a with Al Fatiha now.


