07/16/1988
IWDM Study Library
Quranic Arabic Translation for English People
Oakland California

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Dear believers, As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Audience: Wa Alaykum as-salam.
Bismillahi Al-Rahman Al-Rahim. With Allah's name, The Merciful Benefactor, The Merciful Redeemer. We pray peace and blessings be upon Muhammad the Messenger of G-d, Sallallahu Alayhi wa Salam. We ask Allah's blessings on this occasion. That He reward all of us for our good work and make this result in the betterment of not only those who are participating, but those who we hope will be affected by this meeting here because of your presence here when you go back home or return to those that you are from. 
Let me begin by first saying, it is indeed a pleasure again to see believers here in Oakland that I lived among for about a year or more. And got to know very well some of you, and got to be very attached to some of you. It's very good to see visitors from around the area. Especially, those participants who are here from far distance places. This is very encouraging.
When I learned of such a program being organized, I was very happy about it and very hopeful. Because this is a start for us that I think will improve respect for the religion. It's time that we do this. We have intelligent people, we have studious people, and we have some educated people among us. We have degreed people among us who have received degrees from higher learning and who are good Muslims, who are very good Muslims, they're genuine Muslims. 
And we hope that such programs as we witnessed here today will bring those people out. So many are here today, but they are more. And we hope that these programs will bring them out and make it possible for us to know them and witness their merit in the field of Islamic Studies so that the community can benefit from these people. More so than we are benefiting from them now.
I believe that we have some students, accomplished students in this African-American community of Muslims that will thrill the hearts of Muslims around the world if they could witness their accomplishments. Just to hear them speak so clearly in Arabic with such excellent Arabic pronunciation, diction, et cetera. It will thrill the hearts of Muslims all over the world. 
I have been asked to speak on a project that I have been wanting to really get on and involve myself in it for some time, for years and many years now. I say many years, at least about 15 years or more, and that is the translation of Qur'an in the English. A suggestion has been made that I perhaps give some direction to students of Arabic language and Qur'an that are here today, so that work can begin.
And later as the work is realized step by step. I would say maybe page by page or whatever. That I could then get with the persons who would be undertaking this work and give my comments or do the job of editing what they have done. In hope that the project can get started and we can realize some progress right away. That's a very, very good thought and very exciting plan and idea. I'll make some more comments just in a few minutes on that.
Let me come back to you now. The Muslims who are interested in the study of Arabic and the study of Qur'an, the study of Hadith, because all these are a must. You know you can't separate them. No way to separate Arabic from the Qur'an, no way to separate Qur'an from Hadith, no way to separate any of these. Arabic is a must if you are to understand the Qur'an.
The Qur'an is a must if you are to know your religion. The Hadith is a must if you are to know your religion and understand the Qur'an. All of it is together, it's all together. In fact, authentic Hadith, genuine pure Hadith, it's nothing but a kind of commentary on the Qur'an done by the most abled. That is the Prophet himself, peace and blessings be on him. Who could better give a commentary on the Qur'an than the prophet who received the Qur'an? That's Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah, peace and the blessings be on him, salla Allahu ?alayhi wa-Sallam. 
All of this is a must. We will be benefited greatly by your efforts, your studies, and your works. We hope that soon there'll be more works. You'd be surprised to know that there have been works, in fact, there are works that have been done. I know several who are here today who have themselves come up with good methods for introducing Arabic to non-Arabic speaking people; English speaking people.
Some with very simple methods, very effective methods for teaching elementary Arabic to non-Arabic speaking, English speaking people who are here today. They are here, they're present here. I'm not going to name anyone in particular. I would like to see also, I mentioned this before and I'm going to mention this on this occasion because I think it would be even more important than perhaps what we're doing now because it will excite the genuine people in our community to come together for the purpose of giving attention to the Word of G-d, the Holy Qur'an.
That is, an occasion that will bring us together as they do in most Muslim countries and even here, immigrant Muslims are doing it. Bring us together for a recitation of Qur'an. We should include reading of Qur'an because we are new, we are learning. So, there should be a program that will bring us together for reading and reciting or recitation of Qur'an. To encourage the production of Hafiz, reciters of Qur'an, and to encourage the beautiful language and beautiful speech in our people and to attract those who are interested so we will identify the beautiful voices.
We have beautiful voices among our people. And the beautiful voices come forth and we hear them recite, we hear them chant the Qur'an and this will thrill the hearts of the believers and draw us together in big numbers I believe. And attract the non-African American Muslims to us. Because they would like to witness the recitation of Qur'an in beautiful voice, tajweed and other basic sounds coming from reciters who are African Americans who were born here and learned everything about the religion and their language right here in this country.
Even though some of you have gone out, but you got your base here. You became excited here and you got started here. You had the courage to get involved here and you already were somewhat accomplished when you went overseas, right? Yes, you see I know these things.
I got my start right here. In fact, I haven’t been away. I got my start right here. I haven't gone overseas yet. I made plans to go over for one month to a year, Inshallah, to some Islamic center to study among people of my make-up. People who have my kind of interest and love for Allah and His word and His prophet. I don't care to go into school situation because it might expose me too much. And I don't know if I can accomplish very much in that kind of situation. So, I prefer a situation where I can study with scholars, and they should think enough of you to make a special program for me.
That is what I have requested and I have gotten okay for that. In fact, they were happy, they welcomed it. They were happy to know that I had an interest in such a program. I'd like to see that happen soon; it shouldn't wait. We should have a day set aside. In fact, it can happen in the regions, in every region. We can just have a season for it. It can start in one region, the next couple of weeks go to the next region, next month go to the next region, until all the regions have had their Qur'an day, Qur'an recitation day.
Maybe it will take more than a day. Maybe it will take a weekend, two or three days, I don't know. But if it can be done in one day, it would be less expensive on persons who would have to participate coming from distances around. This occasion is a very good occasion for me to express to you my desires for the growth of our members in Al-Islam, in Quranic knowledge, in the knowledge of our prophet, his life, peace be upon him and et cetera. We don't want to stop there, but that's where to start.
I know people who they hear the word, Fiqh and it just does something to them. And they want to get into Fiqh. You have to get into the light first, and then you can get into Fiqh and whatever else Muslims should be getting into. But we need to get into the light first, and the way to get into the light is to become familiar with the Qur'an. You have to come more familiar with the Qur'an.
I thank Allah, without a teacher, in fact, I had maybe about four or five years in Chicago under the same teacher that Daniel had. In fact, we were in the same class most of the time, Imam Darnell Karim and myself and others. His sister was in class at that time too. His sister, Zahirah, a nurse in Chicago and who has written a very nice book on Hajj, I hope it will soon be out. Her own experiences and very informative book.
It's a book that will assist the sisters and even brothers and brothers also who haven’t made the Hajj so they will be able to do it and not run into problems that are met by those who did it before. Getting the right, the proper information of what to expect and everything and how to prepare for it. She is putting together a good book which is kind of off the subject and is beside the point but then and again, it is not off the subject, it is right on the point because that's what we want. That's all in the line of Islamic advancement for us.
I was in the class with them and Professor Jamal Diab was our teacher, he was a very good teacher. His English was very good and clear, so we were able to talk to him and question him on the assignments and everything, and a few of us excelled. Imam Darnell Karim is one of those that excelled. There was a brother Isaiah I don't know what happened to him, he excelled and then disappeared. I can name as many that we have here. I can name the same amount that excelled and disappeared.
Really, you say, “well, maybe somebody would have picked one of those that disappeared. That's going to be the one that's going to make a contribution to the community”. But he disappeared and he had the same ability we had. Even my brother Akbar who had perhaps the best ability and overall ability in the language.
Akbar Muhammad, but he went over to Egypt and stayed there for seven years in the Al Azhar University and came back and went to Edinburgh, Scotland. From Edinburgh, Scotland he came to the United States because of other problems. In fact, he had to come out of Egypt because of the war, the six-day war. Then he came and went to Edinburgh, Scotland and attended the university there and then Nashville, Tennessee and he studied there at the university there.
Finally, Binghamton University in upstate of New York where he is now as a professor. He has a doctorate degree as a professor there. Quite an accomplishment for someone whose parents didn't finish elementary school. His mother didn't finish elementary school. She had about seventh-grade elementary education. His father only had three years education in elementary school. Only three years, but his father was able to excite the mind of his son to go and get a doctorate degree, you see.
That's something to be very proud of, but where is he now? He's another one who got it and disappeared, right? He got it and disappeared. We who are here, we are precious. We who are here and we really are serious about accomplishing something in Al-Islam especially the study of the religion, we are precious people for now and especially for the future. We haven't finished yet. Some will say, "Well, we've done so much." You've seen so many changes until you perhaps think the world has evolved for its last time, but it's just getting started. It's just getting started.
It was whole lot happened in the dark so we thought it was a lot of days. It was just one night. Now it’s the day, now we got to get started and do something. We have to really get busy now to accomplish things and love each other. And want to share what you have with each other. And want to see your brother and sister have what you want if you want good. Some say, "Love for your brother what you love for yourself". And I know some of you, I don't want you to love for me what you love for yourself.
But if you love good, and with the good that you love for yourself you can love it for your brother and for your sister. And want to see everybody get advanced. You want to see everybody get ahead. If you're ten miles behind and you see somebody going ahead, be happy for them. Don't think about, "I'm ten miles behind." Be happy for the person that is going ahead. Then after you've been happy for them going ahead, then look at yourself and say, "I'm going to try to catch up." Don't look at them and say, "Oh, I hope they don't make it."
Yes, we can't be like that and many of you are innocent that are like that. I know from experience, from personal experience with you. Many of you that don't like to see others of your brothers and sisters excel or go and achieve something without you. You're innocent. All of you are not guilty, that's why I talk to you this way.
I've talked to you personally; I know you're not guilty. You're innocent. You've just been sensitized to feel that way. You feel threatened or something. Insecurity, negro African American, negro black man insecurity. You feel that, and anybody going ahead just makes you feel that you're just that much more insecure. "Well, I ain't got no credit and now he going and getting some more."
We have to overcome that and we can overcome it if we love each other and work together. Love each other and work together. We have to practice love, kindness towards each other, be considerate of each other, ask Allah to purge our souls, clean out our hearts, clean out our minds so that we can love each other, and appreciate each other, and at least be considerate and be concerned for the betterment of each other.
It doesn’t mean you're going to love the person. When a Muslim says, “you should love your brother”, it doesn't mean you're going to love that person. It means you're going to love the brother that Allah created. Now maybe you don't like the person, but you love the brother Allah created. He created a human being Muslim. So, you love that and you want that to live up to what Allah made it, but you don't care for the person. Many times, I don't care for the person.
You'll be surprised how many people that I've had in my immediate friendship, I didn't care for them at all but I saw worth in them. Now don't think it’s this now. I know these people. “You hear what he said? He said his immediate friends they don't mean a thing.”
I want to stop it right now. I'm not talking about him. He's different. But I have had people with ugly personality but they had something to offer and we needed them, so I tolerated them and I thought that they had value. Because if somebody will work; don't you know that if man who get up on time and come to the job five days a week and will be honest and faithful on the job, well he can be ugly in many ways to me and he still look good. Because he's supporting something. He's of value, he's supporting something and that's the way we should look at this community.
We should look at the value of the person to the community, not to us personally. Maybe to me personally, you ain't nothing. I'd rather you be out of my sight. Though I wish I'd never meet you personally, but you've got something to offer this community and we all want to see the community go forward. So, I have to see that value in you. I have found myself, by looking at the value for the community in the person, I have become almost blind to, oblivion to the ugliness that I saw in the person for me, yes.
I'm talking to you, you see. And when I'm talking to you, I think I should talk to you what's best for you. And believe me, this is very important. If we can overcome this personal like and dislike thing that we have, oh we can catch up with the white man and pretty soon catch up with the Asians. Yes, but we've got to get this personal sense or personal thing, "I just don't like you."
Well, that's okay. You don't have to like me. The world is going to spin around still if you don't like me. Let's do this job. Let's promote the cause. Yes, let's advance the good for all of us. I don't care whether you like me or not. I don't like you either. Let's get it all out in the air right quick, right? Yes, I don't like you either. I don't like a thing about you, but what you have to offer this religion.
I think if we can get over that hump, we'll have it made. Yes, we'll have it made. We just like the African Americans, first thing we want to do is look you over. See how we like you personally, "Oh, he looks good. I heard him; he sounds good." Yes, they look good and they sound good. "Yes, I like him. I can support him. I like him." That's not the way, no. First look, see what is the value of the person to the bigger cause. The big cause, the big importance, the big meaning.
Do we need this person? Can this person give something to us` valuable? Do we need him? We've got another person over there that's beautiful. The features are lovely and the voice is sweet. “This my kind of fellow, but he won't come to work on the time. You give him assignment; he won't complete it. Ask him to go out and invite some guests to the Masjid, he won't even show up himself.” So, we have to put first things first. Look at the bigger picture first.
You know the white man, I’m sure a lot of you know it. They’ll be running multi-million-dollar business and be talking to each other and just working and putting their heads together and, "Yes Sir, you can count on it. You can count on me doing it." And as soon as they're away from the job, not even outside can I tell you the name that they be using to describe what they think about each other. But they don't see each other, they see the purpose. They see the value of each other to the purpose and that's where we have to come. We have to come right there.
Yes, getting now away from that to the program or the project of translating Qur'an into English for the American audience. To my knowledge, no translation has been done yet for the American audience. Most of the translations are done for the English-speaking people, but not for the American audience. Even if the translation is done for America, it doesn't mean necessarily that that translation is done for the American audience.
Now, when you make a translation for the American audience you have to consider more than just translating from Arabic into English or even into American English. You have to consider the sensitivities of the American people. The sensitivities of the audience. Some words may not, though they might be good for a limited number of Americans, certain words might not be good for the majority of Americans.
So, when we know more about the sensitivities of the American people and I'm not talking about toward Al-Islam now but we're talking about for Muslims. For somebody that we hope will respect the Qur'an, love it and respect it. I'm not talking about sensitivities in that connection, not with the religion. I'm talking about just human sensitivities, just basic human sensitivities.
You can choose a word that's maybe two or three words. Sometimes they're 30 words and all these words fit in the translation, all of them. Sometimes all of them will fit in the translation, now you have to pick the word that you want for the translation out of all those words that fit. So, what I'm saying, in considering which words you will select, you also have to consider the sensitivities of the American people. Because one word will send of charges that you don't want though it's a good translation. But because of their certain sensitivities, it will send off charges that you don't want.
You have to pick the word that will have the best reception in the hearts of the people, in their minds and hearts, without losing effectiveness from the power of the language. The language has its powers, its purity and its power. You don't want to lose any effectiveness from the purity and the power of the language but at the same time, you don't want to lose an accommodation in the hearts and minds of the people by choosing the wrong words you see, even though all the words mean the same. So, there are many words that mean the same.
I have given myself in my talks around some translation of certain verses. I think I've even done some small whole chapters, small Surahs, two or three whole Surahs. I've given from myself. I just take the Qur'an and I read it. Allah has blessed me to come from school and not stop studying. Many came from school and they stopped, but I was a person seeking Allah's guidance. I was seeking understanding in the religion. So, I didn't stop. I wanted the Arabic for that purpose so I would better understand the Qur'an. So, I continued studying the Qur'an.
Now you can turn any page in here and I can read it. Any page in here, I can read it. Maybe you might sight two or three words, I have not familiar, I'll be slow. I have to look at it, maybe stumble a little with once but the second time no stumble. There are not many places like that that I'll find. This Qur'an is all in Arabic. Most of the time I have a Qur'an all in Arabic. I don't need a Qur'an in English. Very seldom will I need, I don't need a Qur'an in English. I just need a dictionary.
Yes, I don't need the Qur'an in English. For what? When you know how to read in Arabic, what do you need the Qur'an in English for? You need a dictionary. If you are of good mind, you know. If you are of good mind, then you don't need a Qur'an in English translation. You don't need it if you know the translation already. The best translation is the translation that you have learned. That's the best translation, not the translation you read.
What is different? When I read the translation Imam Darnell Karim begins reciting the second Surah of the Qur'an, Bismillahi Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. Now, this book, there is no doubt in its guidance for the upright or maybe some other translations be given. This book, there is no doubt in its guidance for the upright. If I'm reading that, then I'm reading the translation. But if I myself have learned the translation, then I know “Dhalika” is referring to the book. Al, the. Kitab, book.
But if I was really making a translation and I’m going to leave it like that, now I have to go through the tedious job of selecting one of those words, the one that I think will be the most beneficial, the one that would serve the purpose the best and I selected one of those words. In looking at the word “raiba”, there's need for a commentary. Because the word is such that if you give one meaning and though that word is beautiful for the translation, you say, "No, but still something is missing. I better include in the commentary a fuller description of this word," and that's what's commentary is about too, isn't it?
Commentary is about giving us a fuller description of what is already given in the text simply because the man who translated didn't fully feel comfortable or trust or feel comfortable with his own translation, so he gives more details in the commentary, or more description in the commentary. If you know la raiba, fi, hi referring to the book. Hudan, guidance. Muttaqeen, now here's another difficult word. Muttaqeen, there's many ways to translate it. “Those people who were heedful. Those people who are respectful of certain values, established values.
Those people who are regardful with a sense of duty to G-d”, you see? We can elaborate on this. Now, if I just read a translation, do you think I'm getting as much as one who has learned the translation?
Congregation: No, sir.
No, so I want to tell you today that I'm not the only one. Imam Darnell Kareem, he has familiarized himself with much of the Arabic of the Quran. Imam Qasim Ahmed, he can recite the Quran until you want a recess.
Where is Imam Qasim Ahmed? I'm happy to see him, I haven't seen you in a long time. Stand up, Imam Qasim Ahmed. See there, he's still young too, he ain't balding like I am.
Yes, he can recite Quran until you say, "Can I have a recess? Give me a recess." Inshallah, one day he'll be a hafith, yes, and not only him, there are others. Don't think I'm slighting anybody because I'm not naming everybody, but there are others. In fact, we have a brother here and this in this city, Abdul Raul, who's a very able person in Islamic studies and Arabic, a very excellent person, you see. We have to appreciate these people and don't be envious or jealous. Be happy because that's you. That's a credit to the religion, right?
Congregation: That's right.
Yes, the brother is a credit to the religion. The sisters, we got sisters too. Don't think we don't have sisters; we have sisters who are very strong in Arabic right here in this town here. They are a credit to the Arabic language. Isn't it impressive to see all these sisters out here?
Congregation: Yes, sir.
Now, this is wonderful and we got some heavyweights out here among these sisters. I ain't going to point to nobody, but we got some degree sisters here. They got those degrees that you respect, that the white man gives you.
Yes, we got some sisters right up here, they got them. They got those degrees and they making a contribution to the advancement of this religion in the African American people in hope that the whole country will benefit, Inshallah, so this is wonderful. There is an article in the latest issue of the Muslim Journal by a European-American woman who was converted to Al-Islam just as we have been converted to it in her life, in her late life, in her adult life, Mary Ali. Her name is Mary Ali and it so happened that one of the stars of the Nation of Islam under The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, she passed, her name is Mary Ali.
A sister that generated a lot of spirit, would get up and go, in hope and faith and endurance for Muslims in the Chicago area. Mary Ali and, in fact, sometime I would like to tell you her story, a terrific sister. She passed, but she was very close to my mother and our family and close to the believers of Chicago. Everybody loved her and knew her. What was her establishment in the world? Nothing. She was a domestic servant. That was her work, a domestic servant. And we have many great stars that in the world they were of no establishment at all, but among us, they were great stars. And they did such great work among us and helped so many of us to brighten up and survive to live to this point, to this day here.
Mary Ali was one of them. Now, this as it comes and contribute an article to our paper, the journal, and her name is Mary Ali and she is terrific. Yes, she is terrific. Most of what she says is true, and I hate to put it that way, but I had to put it like that, most of what she says is true. She says, “the whole world has put the woman down, the woman has been put down and treated inferior all over the world”. That's true, but then let's acknowledged too that there were women queens in ancient times and there are women queens today, so somebody must've recognized some value in them to let them be queen of their country.
You have to acknowledge a little bit of the good too, while getting on the case, don't overlook the credits. In some societies have evolved the woman and not the man as head of their society, primitive societies. There's evidence that even in ancient times, medieval times, these women came right to the top and they were heads of advanced societies, very advanced societies. The one that I learned about when I visited Egypt, her name is Hatshepsut, I never forget it, Hatshepsut. She was a queen who had her own territory or her queendom. Well, you say kingdom. “Why nobody won't say queendom?”
She had it whatever you call it, she had it. Under her monuments were built just like they were built under the other Egyptian rulers. She had her monuments too. And I guess why they don't say too much about her because she had a nappy head brother who was her chief builder. He was the one who build her kingdom up, a nappy head brother. They still got his picture over there engraved in stone with his nappy head.
He has a raisin head. Head look just like a raisin, but a beautiful raisin head. And obviously, he was a very wise and skilled builder because she had him chosen. The story is, so the guide told us was that she never married, she never had a man. And they suspected that she was really in love with her chief builder, the nappy head fellow. We know that happens sometimes. And to impress the man so the man wouldn't feel uneasy around her when she was meeting with other heads of state, the story goes that she would wear a mustache, she had a false mustache. She put a false mustache on, a false beard, and they think she even had a false representation in another place.
They said she did it just to make the man comfortable and to jeer them, to aggravate them a little bit. She said, "You think a woman ain't equal, what about now? I'm not equal yet, I got your mustache, I got your beard, and I got your legs here and everything, am I equal yet? I'm running this country and you can't take it over from me, I'm I equal yet?" So, the woman has established herself, but you have to look for it. Women have established their equality, but we have to look for it. In most of the world, the sister’s description is correct, the woman has been treated in a very inferior and ugly way.
It’s been outright ugliness from the part of a man and ignorance, intense ignorance on the part of man in treatment of his woman, that’s his mother, his wife and his mother, and he trusts his children with. Only the devil could have put that into man for man just to discredit his woman and treat her as a vessel to be abused or an animal to be used by him for his pleasure as he sees fit. And then label her with ugly names in literature, and even in the Bible. And that's what sister Mary is talking about, you should get the paper. Be sure and get that paper and read it if you didn't get it yet. It's really worthwhile to read the article that the sister Mary has in this issue of the Muslim Journal.
The translation is not that simple, it's not an easy, simple matter of just getting a dictionary and looking up words and translating from Arabic into English. That's not the way it should be done. First of all, a translator should be an inspired Muslim, an inspired believer. What do I mean by inspired? They should be strongly moved inside to want to serve Allah, and to want it to be accepted by Allah. And to want to help advance Allah's call among men or on earth, among people. They should love that more than they love their own life.
They should love Allah and His cause, His prophets and the religion and His prophet, they should love this above their own life and they should want to make a service to do service that will be accepted by Allah, by G-d for the betterment of this religion in the society of people. We talk about now in our African American people. That should be the strongest motivation. Many people who pick up work like this, the strongest motivation is what we may call academic motivation. To make a contribution as a scholar, to make a scholarly contribution.
Now, many are doing that, they're attempting to make scholarly contributions. But they have not yet produced the translation that they're satisfied with or that we can be satisfied with, although there are some that are very good. I use many of them. And another point I want to make before concluding this is that if you want to do a translation, you should read as many excellent translations that you possibly can that is already done in English. Read as many as you possibly can, not one. Don't read one. The more you read, the more translations you read the better feel you want to get of the meanings of the Quran.
And then do your dictionary study, use your dictionary and study. Don't be satisfied not to know one word. If one word in the context that you don't know, don't be satisfied no to know it. Get the dictionary, look it up till you know that word. Then read the several translations that are already available in English, that are approved excellently translations accepted by most of the scholars in the Islamic world.
Read those English translations and if Rabitah has endorsed the translation, the Islamic Call Society happens to be based in Libya, well, if they have endorsed the translation. If any of those major Islamic institutions for the propagation, and for the care and protection of the religion in the world, if they have endorsed it, then it's an excellent translation. They wouldn't endorse it unless it's excellent. It has to be an excellent translation. They have the persons with master degree, doctor degree in English. And they are masters of Arabic also, so they are excellent judges of whether the translations are good or not.
They approve the translations, then it's a good translation. Already is approved is Abdullah Yusuf translation and Pickthall's translations and there are others that I won't name at this point, but there are others. You can make contact, if you don't know, you can make contact with the Imam here and learn the other excellent translations or with the Imam in your region. Many of you you're out from this area, so you don't have to contact this Imam, there's Imam in your region, the Imam in your area, contact him and inquire a lot of other translations that he will know about. And read the translations.
Reading several translations will make you more sensitive to the accuracy of translation when you begin to make your own private study of the Arabic terms and using the dictionary to make translations. There not only dictionaries, there are also lexicons that have a lot of discussion of certain terms. You can consult the Arabic lexicons and get even detailed, maybe a full page, sometimes several pages are used just discuss one term. So, when you read that, it improves your knowledge, your grasp of the understanding of that particular term. But as I said, you have to first have the motivation right. The motivation should be right.
I'm not saying as someone who wants to make an academic contribution and he doesn't feel that he's inspired or he doesn't feel inspired, they just feel like they want to make an academic contribution. I don't think that you should not undertake the work. No, undertake the work because you will make a contribution too. But the best work will come from that person who's motivated, first of all, to please his G-d, to make a contribution that will be accepted by his G-d. And that Allah will love, Allah will be satisfied with, to please Allah, that's the best. When he does it, Allah will be with him and Allah will guide him and protect him from pitfalls that others may have become the victim of in making translations.
I have seen some ugly things in some translation, not directly but indirectly, some ugly things. They let me know that the translator was prejudice against black people.
Now you see why I would like to do a translation? Do you think anybody will be satisfied with translation feeling that though he did a good translation, the key evidence here that the person might have had some kind of racial superiority complex, might have insulted black people who are beneath him and don't have any established worth? You see that's why I say we don't look at each other for what we see, we look at each other for what Allah created.
If a Muslim is an uninformed Muslim, I don't care if he's Pakistani or what his nationality is, if he's an informed Muslim with a good heart, he will never let the attitude come into him that will make him disrespect African American people even though in his eyes, they are not established. He says, "I look at these people they don't have any credit. As a people, what are their credit? They haven't established anything. They're always on the tail end, they're always at the bottom. They can't manage their own affairs and their own life."
If he comes to that kind of conclusion, he still shouldn't look down on us because he's not supposed to look at what he sees.
He's supposed to look at what Allah created. And Allah tells us plainly that He created everybody with the same capacity. There's nobody that He shortchanged. He gave everybody the same capacity. We have equal capacity for learning while performing the tasks of human excellence, whether in the technical field or in the spiritual field. You know He gave us the same. That's our belief, that's the Quran. It says it very clearly that He created all of us the same. “Siwaa”, He made us equal when He created us. He created us and He created us equal.
See, the Constitution of the United States or the amendments of the Constitution of the United States didn't say that first, that was old knowledge when the founding fathers gave it to us in the form of the Declaration of Independence. That was old knowledge. Allah had long ago said it that He created man and He created them equal, Siwaa. He put them all on the basis of equality. So, we are equal in our nature, which means we are equal in our natural resources. We all have the same natural resources. But we understand heredity plays a great factor in connection with the environment, you see?
If my fathers, hundreds of years ago or thousands of years ago were in an environment that wasn't as conducive, it didn't help them advance, whereas another people were in an environment that was conducive to their progress, it helped them advance, encouraged advancement on their path, then we won't be equal in the world scene. They will be advanced over me maybe, but in time, we believe that in time, no matter what circumstances you're put in, in time, the purpose that Allah have for us will make itself seen. It will make itself seen. So, in time no matter what circumstance we're put in, we are going to burst forth.
The potential is going to burst forth. It's going to come out of the oppression, it's going to burst forth and come into the light, and the people will be establishing in time. This has happened and there's evidence that people with the black skin the and nappy hair were at one time on the top, and the people with the straight hair and the white skin were on the bottom crawling on their hands and knees.
Congregation: That's right.
On the animal level. There is evidence of that, that sometime in the same period of time in history, one location on earth would be experiencing savagery and animal existence, and another one would be experiencing advance. That was before the world became so much one community like it is now. Modern transportation has made the world like one community. Before, men would be living in one part of the earth and you would never know what's happening on the other side. There was no way to communicate with the other side. So, on the other side people would be living backwards on an animal level, and on this side, people are advanced in sciences, living on a higher level, on the other side.
This is the world and this is the way things happen. And they find as they go to study the Arabs, the Arab society in that time, keep digging and you'll find where they once had civilization. The Arabs once had a great civilization. There's evidence that the Arabs in the area of Iraq, and Iran, all that area, in ancient time, they had great civilization, greatest advanced civilization, but look at their situation when the Prophet came. They were called the people of the dark. Jahiliyyah, the people of the ignorant age, but they weren't always like that. Evidence has been discovered that prove that they were at one time very advanced and civilized people.
In fact, the word Eden in the Bible, come from one of the places over there, Eden, Adnan. One of the ancestors and also the place name for him, Eden. Yes, that we read about him now. “Well Eden is heaven, Eden is a garden of paradise”, yes, but if we want to say paradise or say ideal place, we can't look up in the sky and get it, we have to get it from down here. Say, "That's the Mecca for those people" or "This is the Mecca for our company." Where Mecca come from? Mecca is over there in the Middle East and Mecca means the best for the Muslim, the holy place, the holy precinct. It's a place that we all looked on so the person will say, "This is the Mecca of our establishment."
Meaning that this is a place that we take pride in above all other places and this is the place we turn to in admiration. That's what they mean. So, Eden came into the Bible as paradise, but it had to first come into the human language, and it came into the human language because it must have been a wonderful place on earth. And who was there? Black people. This is no superstition. I've read history and I have seen the proof, black people. The people in Iraq were black people.
The people came from Yemen into Iraq, and they say they don't know where it came from before they came in Yemen. But they came into Iraq from Yemen from that side and they populated Arabia, the area of the Euphrates and Tigris area, they were black. I have my professor, Jamil Di’ab, that I was meeting earlier, he told me he introduced a man to me from Arabia and the man was nappy haired just like Akbar my brother, just tall and darker. He was speaking such good Arab, so we were astonished that he was speaking such perfect Arabic. Jamil Di’ab he is the original Arab.
Now it took me 15 years before I read in books that the original Arab came into Arabia long before the present-day Arab. They came into Arabia, and they came into Yemen, and populated that area, and finally into the area of Iraq and the vicinity there and they were black people. You look at Arabs now, you think maybe their resemblance to us is because of racial mixing. Yes, that's one factor, but the other factor is because the original people that came there were black themselves, and what happened to them? They moved, the history, say, they moved from that area in time and they went into Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.
They moved from that area and went to Ethiopia and other parts of Africa. The people called Habashi were from these same people. Bilal, the mu’aththin were from these same people. Now, this is documented by scholars of history.
Congregation: Takbir.
Congregation: Allahu Akbar.
If we say we were the original Arabs, they say, "They're coming from old racist thing." But the white man can say he's the original Adam and Eve. He is the original angel and everything else and we don't ask him to prove a thing. We swallow his stuff all down in one package. And here history got evidence for us and we won't even build on it. The white man has not found evidence for some of the things that he wanted to claim it for his own glory, so he created a myth. In other words, he made a story. A story of what happened in the past like Yaqub's history.
Yes, he made a story like Musa trimming the monkey's tail and stuff like that. He made a story and got his people to accept it. They don't call it fact; they call it myth. But myth is second religion in the tradition of most people, am I right or wrong?
Congregation: You're right.
It's second religion and the tradition of most people. They value that myth like you value the Bible almost.
See I want to go home and home is where my native dignity will be comfortable. I want to go home and I'm going to experiment with high explosion if I have to, I'm going to get home.
You say, "Well, he's using black powder, he's going to throw up a mountain that is a mile high." They building garbage hills in south of me in Chicago, nothing but garbage hills. Sometimes it’s best to close the window in the car to get past them. What I'm saying, somebody is doing what they have to do and I want to see our side doing what we have to do. Don't wait till everything gets perfect. You've got to do what you have to do and be as honest and as well-meaning as good in your intentions as possible. But don't sacrifice the legs that your brother who has no legs needs to use in order to walk because you see one little defect in it.
“Sure, he can walk on these legs, but this ain't no perfect legs, there's a scar on the material. Well, get it out. I can't get it out. Man, put the legs on the cripple man, let him walk. Let the man have some legs, forget about it. Just put some knee pads on it to cover that scar”. Yes. No, we need to get ahead and we’re not going to get ahead, waiting until we're perfect. Even at the translation of the Quran, there are no perfect translations. That's what the scholars say, there is no perfect translation.
Okay, so we wait for translation from these old guys that wants it perfect, we'll never have a translation. Because you ain't going to do nothing but come up with another imperfect translation. But we hope your imperfect one will be better than those we have for the American speaking people. So, I’m going to conclude this now. I didn't mean to talk this long. So, I encourage you to go into all avenues of Islamic excellence, however, you're motivated. If it’s called Islamic excellence pursue it. Go into it, do it.
Do what your spirit is moving you to do and have faith that Allah will reward you and you'll be successful. But as for us working together on the translation, I think you have to wait until I actually start the work and make some progress for us in the work, and then I will know what assistance I'll need that I can use. But for someone to go ahead and start a translation and I come back and try to edit it, it won't work, that won't work. Thank you very much, As-salamu Alaykum.


