09/01/1989
IWDM Study Library
What are the Conditions for Muslim Unity?

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
IWDM: [Arabic language]: “We ask Allah's assistance, we seek him for forgiveness, we believe in him, and we witnessed that there is none divine, none to be worshiped, except Allah alone. There is no partner with him in the rule of the heavens and the earth, and we bear witness that Muhammad and his messenger, the prayers and the peace be upon him, upon his descendants, upon his companions, and what follows of this most excellent salutation or salute to our Prophet Muhammad.
[Arabic language]:
“Our Lord, surely, we have heard our caller to faith, calling us to faith that we should believe in our Lord, and we have believed”.
Dear Muslims, again, I want to direct attention to faith, iman. Allah, most high says- again in the holy book- in his book Qur’an, [Arabic language]: “Those who believe and work righteousness, their Lord will guide them because of their faith." Throughout the Qur’an, the last revealed book, the mentioning of faith and good deeds continue, [Arabic language]: “Those who believe”. [In other words:] those who have faith and good deeds; righteous deeds; sincere and righteous deeds. The word Salih contains not just [the meaning] “good deeds” as we understand it, but [also the meanings] “righteousness, goodness, righteousness, sincerity, [and] purity”. All of those meanings are in the word that we read in the Qur’an- “Salih” and “Saliheen”, the plural. [Arabic language]: “Except for those who believe and they have good works,” [or you can say,] ”righteous works”.
The nature of religion is faith; that's the basis of religion- faith. Our prophet is called a Caller to Faith. When our prophet, peace and blessings be on him, first approach his people of Mecca, to tell them the burden that Allah had placed upon him to declare the Oneness of G-d- that Allah is One alone- and that Muhammad is his Messenger, when he declared that to them, he appealed to their respect for faith… trust.
They had faith in him; they had known him to be trustworthy, a trustworthy person. So he appealed to that condition already in them of faith in him. He said, "If I told you that there was a army approaching us, would you believe it?" They [said], "Yes, yes." And then finally, he put it to them, "There is no G-d but one G-d, and I am the Messenger of G-d,” and “Muhammad is His Messenger." Everything became disturbed. That disturbed everything.
Faith is the nature of religion, faith. That's the character and nature of religion, faith. But faith without good works is no good. Faith without righteousness is no good. It nullifies the faith. If you don't have righteousness after faith, or good deeds after faith, then that absence of that nullifies the faith. On the other hand- or the other way around- is true too: that if you have good works and no faith, your good deeds are rejected. Many of us will do good for ourself, but will we do good for everything that is due, justly due our goodness? And to come into that state of mind, where you will do good wherever good is required, or wherever there's a demand on you to do good- whether it's you, your family, or a stranger, or a call to serve their community, or a call to serve your own home- whatever it is, you will respond to it, when you come to that state of mind, you have already become a Believer. Nobody in that state of mind is a Disbeliever. The people who will serve goodness everywhere, they believe.
You can't have that kind of strength to answer the call of goodness: whether it's going to increase you or decrease you in worth in value, in money, or whatever; whether it's going to make you comfortable or disturb your comfort; or, take you from your home out in the battlefield or leave you at home to enjoy. When you get the mind that you can answer the call- where you answer the call of goodness- no matter whether it's for you or against you, (or) is taken from you, or giving you, or taxing you, then you are already a Believer. People just can't do that; they can't come to that kind of position without being a Believer.
Now, we may differ as to how we explain our belief, but you have to have solid faith to really answer the call of goodness in the way that Allah want us to answer the call of goodness, “…except those who believe and their deeds are righteous deeds”[quoting the Qur’an]. [Arabic language]. We are told by Allah in the Qur’an that- which I'm sure all of you are familiar with… the Muslims are familiar with this short Surah- that the whole humanity, the whole people of the world, they are lost except [Arabic language]: “…except those who have faith”, who believe. [Arabic language]: “…and they have good works”. [Arabic language]: “…and they cooperate for the advancement of truth”. [Arabic language]: “…and they cooperate in the encouraging and supporting, the patience- the need for patience- in us”. So, those are the conditions that are given in that short Surah to put us in a situation where we will not be lost. First is faith. [Arabic language]: first is faith, “those who believe”. And then “good deeds”: [Arabic language]. And then “co-operate for the advancement of truth”: [Arabic language]. And then “co-operate in support of need for patience in us”; encourage patience on the part of your brother and yourself. Let us encourage each other to be patient.
Once I remember, I was visited by a Muslim from Mecca: a Muslim of great stature. And he got acquainted with me in a few minutes. And I could tell by how the conversation went that he had really gotten acquainted with me in just a few minutes. You know, some people are wise and they are quick to see your strong points and your weak ones. So he, as we were parting- he didn't stay very long- he told me, "Usbr". “Usbr,” he said: [meaning] just stick to patience… stick to patience. [Audience laughter].
And it touched me, ‘cause I knew that I have to do that, you see… and sometimes that's all you can do! You've done everything else you could, and now you just have to be patient. He said, "Usbr", and I thanked him for it. [Arabic language], all throughout the Qur’an you hear that, [Arabic language]: “…expect those who have faith and good works”, righteous works. Again, dear Muslims, we have to understand that many people claim faith just like they claim greatness.
Some people claim greatness, but when you see him you say, "Aaaah". [Audience laughter]. so many people claim faith they just came up we are in an environment that encourages them to claim faith. They talk so faithful, sound like the faithful, "Now you have to trust in G-d, you know." When you look at their lifestyle you say, "Hey." There is a completely different picture. Now, we are obligated to live true to our identity as Muslims. What holds for us that identity? The Qur’an? The life of the prophet? certainly.
Even the great stars in the following of the prophet, the early followers of the prophet, his companions, they all who… we look at their lives, we look at them, we see our religion. It’s no doubt that they hold for us the identity of our religion. However, there is more that we're to look at when we want to see our religion. We (are) not only to look at the Qur’an in a broad picture… than the broad picture, or in a total picture, to see the Qur’an as a book and the prophet as the prophet. That’s good, but we are to have some sharp vision. We're to look sharply and pinpoint certain things that distinguish us as Muslim… give us Muslim identity… those things that distinguish us as Muslims.
First of all, we believe in one Allah, one G-d. The Lord of this universe. The Creator and Lord of this universe. The Ruler and Master of this universe of everything that exists is One. And secondly, Muhammad is his Messenger…His servant and His Messenger. Muhammad- to whom the Qur’an was revealed- is his servant and his Messenger. And that also includes a certain clear idea of Muhammad. Just as we have to have a certain clear idea of Allah, that he is not just G-d in anybody's language, but he is the Lord, Creator, Master, Controller of the whole universe- everything- and he's One.
Just like we have to have a certain clear picture of Allah, we have to have a certain clear picture of Muhammad the prophet, also. Muhammad is the last messenger of Allah, and he is the seal of the prophets. He's [Arabic language]: he is the “Seal of the Prophets”. What is meant by “Seal of the Prophets”? This language may be foreign to many of us. We know to seal something, ya know it means to… to fix it so nothing goes [and] nothing comes in, right? I want to seal this letter. I'm through. I put everything in it that I want. So, I want to seal the letter, so nothing goes out and nothing comes in. That's what seal means; and the Prophet Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets. Prophethood is sealed with Prophet Muhammad… sealed. Nothing will go out again and nothing comes in. Another way of saying it- it's concluded. We're to believe in the conclusion of the prophetic progression- that prophetic progression that begins with the first prophet and ends with one. It starts and it must conclude somewhere. So when we say we believe in Prophet Muhammad as the prophet, we are saying that we also believe in the conclusion, the finality of prophethood, and he is the one… that one.
The Prophet himself described his role in concluding it. He said that there is a house that had been built, and the blocks had been put time after time by the Prophets, and just one was missing left to be placed; and he- he said of himself- that he was the mission to put that last block there to complete the house. Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah. And that last block is so important. Just like it finishes it- it seals it, it concludes the work of the prophets- it also gives completeness… universality: universality and completeness to the life that Allah wants for the human beings on this earth.
And in that connection, we have the saying of our religion that it is a ‘comprehensive religion’. I often recall the words of Allah in the Qur’an where he is kinda quoting… giving us a picture of those who are amazed at the broadness, extensiveness of the Qur’an; then they’re [so] amazed [that] they say, "What kind of a revelation is this that leaves out nothing small or great?". And the more you read Qur’an and get familiar with it, and the more you grow in your own intellect, the more you [will] begin to see that reality: that nothing has been overlooked in the Qur’an neither small nor great.
That is important to the life of man in society… and history, yes. So our lifestyle is very important. We have to make our own behavior, [in other words] our own lifestyle, [saying again] our own behavior bear witness that we are Muslims. Not only the tongue saying, "I'm Muslim," but my life- the way I live- should say to people, "I'm Muslim". And the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, he said, addressing this lifestyle: “Whoever follows the lifestyle of the people of the world, they are not of us”. We should have a distinct look. We should have a distinct group behavior. Our group behavior should distinguish us from other people. Getting back to what I said earlier… 
That we are not just left with these broad pictures of ideas of our identity, there are some specifics that we have to pinpoint. Now, we know also that the book Qur’an is the final book- the final revelation, the last. No revelation is to come after that. [Some say,] “Well Allah reveals to me, brother”. [Audience laughter] I've heard it! I’ve heard! Yes, from sisters and brothers. [They go on to say,] “Well, I know but, I just want you to know, Brother Imam, Allah reveals to me”.
Yes, Allah revealed to the animals even, but they are not prophets. We have to understand our concept of prophet, and prophetic office. When we talk about prophets, it's not like the ordinary emotional, spiritual, mystic popping up out there in the street all the time getting the revelation. It's not like that. We're not looking at man in his spiritual makeup, his intuitive powers. We have a spiritual makeup and we have intuitive powers, you know; and we’re going to see things, and sometimes we [spiritually and intuitively] see so much [that] we can't come back home [to our senses]. We just go out and just keep going! [Audience laughter] And we never get back home!
That's not what the real prophetic office is all about. That's not what real prophethood is all about. You see, if we look at man and what he's capable of, that will take us off from the idea of prophet and prophethood. We have to think of Allah's will and plan. Allah's will and plan for the whole humanity. Now, if you are going to come into your spirituality and your, mystic mind and nature, and you're going to have some bursts of intuitive energies, then they should be answering the need in Allah's plan- if you're going to be the real Prophet.
Now, Allah is the Planner of that- not you, not me! We didn't plan the Creation. We didn't plan the human life. We didn't plan the human needs- Allah did that! So Allah- in advance- have already decided: what prophet needs to come to serve this need at this time; which one should follow him; and which one should follow that one; and which one should conclude it, so that My [meaning “Allah’s”] whole plan will be manifest in man.
Now once that’s done, you can't come up and do anything. [Audience laughter] You can't add it… it’s sealed! You can't take anything out. You can't put anything in. Yeah, it’s concluded. So we’re to believe like that. We say- expressing our common way of looking at important matters especially in religion- we say, [Arabic language]: “Allah is our Lord”. ‘Lord’ means cherisher, nourisher, developer, one that cares for me and watches over my growing, my coming up, and provides for me and my needs until I reach maturity and can stand on my own.
And then, He stands ever ready for me, if I wanna call on Him for assistance- even after He's done all that for me. That's my Lord. So we believe Allah is our Lord. We say [Arabic language]: “Our Lord is Allah”. And we say [Arabic language]: “Al-Qur’an is our book”. See now, this is distinguishing us from others, isn’t it? 
[Arabic language]: “Allah is our Lord”. [Some people say,] “Oh well, Allah is the Lord of all people”. Yes, but they add some lords sometimes. [Audience laughter].
And then we say of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and the blessings be on him, we say of him [Arabic language]: “Muhammad is our Prophet”. Ah, now we’re seeing some specifics in our identity, right?
So you say, [Arabic language]. That's in brief. [But then] do you accept what Allah is? That He has no partners? He has no son. He had no father. He created all and is not created Himself. He serves all but needs nothing to serve Him. Is that the idea you have for Allah? Okay [so], just to say “Allah” is not enough, because Allah in Arabic means “G-d”. The Christian Arab says too, “Allah”. What do you think he says? Although we know the term "Allah" has inclusiveness for us. It's all-inclusive and it cannot be corrupt. The name itself cannot be corrupted. We know it is special but [the] Christian will use it too [saying,] “Allah”. But he will add the Lord too, and be referring to someone other than Allah… in Arabic! You see?
Then also we have to understand that when we say the Qur’an is our book, we are saying more than the Qur’an is our Bible. Why? Because Christians say that the Bible is their book.
They say that “My book is the Bible”. They will say that, but many of them feel no obligation to seek guidance for their total life from the Bible. They'll say [in response to the question,] “What is your book?” “The Bible”. But they don't think of the Bible as the book to guide them in their total life.
When we say the Qur’an is our book, we mean it's our all-inclusive book. In other words, it is the book over faith; it is the book over deeds; it is the book over my spirituality; it is the book over my mentality; it is the book over my involvements; it is the book over my establishments; it is the book over the branches of knowledge that we have. It is the all-inclusive book. It is the book that qualifies other books to be acceptable or rejected by Muslims. No matter what description we give those books, or what kind of contents might be in those books, the Qur’an is the book [we use] to either… to say it's [i.e., another book] acceptable or it's not acceptable- all books! Some of us may come up with a good book on faith ourselves. We may write a book on faith. But for us to accept it as Muslims, it must be acceptable in light of what the Qur`an says: what Allah says in Qur’an. We may come up with a good book on politics, on government. In order for that book on politics and government to be accepted by Muslims, it must qualify in light of what the Qur’an has established… what Allah has established in Qur’an. Now, you see the gravity of these things we say? Yeah, we're getting to the gravity of these things that we say so lightly. [For instance, some brothers say,] “Yeah, I’mma Muslim, bro’”. [Audience laughter] The way you say it is wrong! You don’t say, “I’mma Muslim, bro’”. That’s [like] the [worldly] way you say, “I’m going to party. I’m going out tonight, bro’.” [Audience laughter]
You don’t say “I’m a Muslim,” like that. You [are suppose to] say, “I’m a Muslim, brother. Praise be to Allah”. Just the mentioning of the name, or the awareness that that’s your identity, should make you shape up.
You know, if you’re like that, you oughta’ [say with dignity], “I am a Muslim, brother. Praise be to Allah”. You ain’t ‘spose to slump down saying it [like], “Yeah, I’mma Muslim, bro’”. [Audience laughter]
The Qur’an is our book. And the Qibla- the house in Mecca- is our Qibla. That's our Qibla. Qibla means ‘direction’. Something that… pardon me [i.e., “excuse me”]… that marks; that serves as a means of directing or orienting. So, it is the center for us- the center for directing and orientating all of us in our prayers, and also for Hajj. We all turn toward that house in prayer, no matter where we are on this earth. And Allah has said of that house, and that duty that we perform, that it is also the support and the kind of assurance for our unity.
He said for wherever you may be, if you turn your faces towards this house… it is this way, ya know [*IWDM pointed in the direction of the Qibla]. If you turn your faces towards this house, wherever you may be scattered, Allah will bring you all together.
So we may be scattered because of migration… migrating into many places- that's the first idea that comes to mind- but we may be scattered because of different interests [that] have pulled me out here in America, and another one that pulled you to France. We just pulled on in different direction by different interests. All these interests are acceptable for Muslims. But they pull us in different directions. We have a central interest that unites us, that unifies us, that brings us together in agreement and harmony and unity with each other. And that is that we recognize the Kaaba as our Qibla. 
We say, [Arabic language]: “The Kaaba is my directional point for my direction”. In prayer, we mean, in worship.
Now, in distinguishing ourselves, we also have to realize that we are a special community too. Allah says of the Ummah… He says, [Arabic language]: “Your community is one United Community”. That's what it means. [Arabic language]: “One and united”. [Arabic language]: “And I am your Lord, one Allah”. One Allah, one community.
[Arabic language]: “Therefore, worship me”. “Worship me” means ‘serve me, obey me’. Obedience comes from the same meaning, same word. It means obedience. Your obedience is to me. We could translate it just like that. It will be an excellent translation. “And I am your Lord, therefore, make your obedience for me”. Yes. Obey is a simple word; but it's plain and it leaves no questions. Obey.
And Allah says that He needed a purpose for which He created us, [and] it’s obedience to Him. That he neither created men nor Jinn except for his worship. So Allah has stated our purpose for existing. Very plain and simple, that we have been created to worship or to serve or to obey Allah, our Lord, and Creator.
So whatever we do in disobedience to Allah hurts our unity, weakens that unity, and makes us liable to be identified [as one who is] outside of the Ummah. Yes! I just can't conduct myself any kind of way and expect to continue to be recognized as a Muslim by intelligent and decent people, no.
What are we talking about today? Our basis for unity. The basis for unity. What are the Muslim basis for unity? That's what we're talking about.
Allah, Most High, says in His book, the Qur`an, [Arabic language]: “Allah will not leave the Believers in the state in which you are now, until he separates the corrupt from the good”.
Now, our identity is the good not the corrupt. Corruption in us hurts the identity, threatens to separate us from the Muslim community. It threatens to separate us from the Muslim identity and from the Ummah. Corruption…[such as] a brother that will sell liquors just for the business money- maybe he never drinks the liquors but he will sell it. He sells the liquors, sell pork. He has taken on corruption. It may not be corruption for non-Muslims, but it's corruption for a Muslim. He has taken on corruption.
And as one saying goes… and I believe it was the great philosopher of Persia, Saadi, who said this, "Corruption begins with just a little bit of bad." It begins with just a little bit of bad. And the higher you are up, the greater the threat is of your little bad. If the ruler does a little bad, then his officers are going to do a bigger one, and the common people are going to do even a bigger one. So it can start with an important person doing a little one, and it is magnified as the news spreads out that the one they looked up to did this little wrong. So now that he has to his charge… because he started that… he has to his charge now the big corruption that's spreading all throughout his society or his dominion. You see? So, we have to be aware of this and all of us are a personality or influence on somebody?
Yes, each one of us- no matter how small and insignificant we may think ourselves to be- all of us have the power to influence somebody. So we have to not only be concerned for ourselves as Muslim, but also be concerned for other Muslims and others who will copy our ways, or take what we do to be something that is sanctioned or something that is okay, simply because such and such a person did it. Meaning that if he did it, it must be okay.
What Allah wants from this community? He want that we promote all that is good, all that is of the best standards in the life of society. He want us to encourage and promote the best standards that we find in the history and life of society. And he want us to work against, to resist, to repel, to protest, to struggle against all that is demeaning; all that is degrading. All that is of corruption- that has the debt of corruption.
He wants us to work against that. [Arabic language]: “The high standards”. And [Arabic language]: the debasing behavior; of debasing things that brings you down and--. Ya know, [Arabic language], it means not only “objectionable”, but [Arabic language] means like “void”. You know, void? That you have something here that's of value and then you do something to void it. And isn't that what ugly and bad and ignorant behavior does, to my good reputation? It voids what was there before, and pretty soon I've done so much until I void my whole good life out- whole good life is made void. 
Well, we don't want the great standards and values of society that Allah encourages in Muslims and his Prophet encourage in us… to be voided! And in order for it not to be voided, we all have to cooperate in an effort to resist those corruptible things, degrading things, demeaning things, ugly things. To save the fine quality life that Allah wants for us.
[00:43:14] [END OF AUDIO]



Imam Warith Deen Mohammed: Allah calls us to this. Let there rise up a group of you, but that's addressed to the general people too, to all the people, to just the general mass of Muslims, but also a special group is called for out of the general mass of Muslims to be examples of this type, the highest example for the rest. Understand, don't be mistaken that Allah asks of all of us that we collaborate by promoting, and encouraging, and supporting what is of the best standards in the life and history of man as a civilized society, and that we work against all that threatens to make that life void, empty of no effect. That's our duty.
So don't think that the Muslims are passive people. We are passive only before Allah. We are meek, and humble, and non-aggressive before Allah; but before the evils of the world, we are active. We are to be active and aggressive people. We are to be involved in checking the wrongs of society. We are to be involved in checking corruption in society- and we should start right in our own selves. The first thing is to look at self. Then, once you can tolerate yourself, then look at those in your immediate circumstances. Even if it's your dog: even letting the dog wet in the living room. Get him out of the house. Get him out of the house! Yes, because Muslims are not supposed to have dogs in the house.
This is the teachings and the tradition of our prophet. We are not supposed to have dogs in our house. Now [it’s] okay for the dog to be in the yard to watch the yard, or be on the farm. That's okay. But to make him a member of the family? No. [If you do that], now you done changed the Muslim identity!
Praise be to Allah. The basis for us uniting is put so brief and it is clear, but we have to understand what that implies. [Arabic language], Muslims come together on that. If we say there is but one Allah, that Allah is G-d alone, and Muhammad is his Messenger, then that's the basis for our unity.
Now we have come together, we are Muslims. But once you say that, and then after saying that, I find that you said [Arabic language] but you have corrupted that idea. You have a corrupt idea of what you're saying. Now I have to bring that to your attention; and if you still say, "Yeah, brother, no G-d but Allah, but Allah had a son," then I’m to bring to your attention that you have thrown yourself out of the identity of Muslims by corrupting the concept of G-d. And brother, if you've done this unintentionally, let's go back and read the Qur’an, let's see your fault. Let's hear what the prophet say's, let's see your fault.
Let's hear what the learned and best of the Muslims believe in the whole international world for 1,400 years. Let's see your fault. And if you still can't see it, though you say [Arabic language], I say, “Bull”. [Arabic language], brother. [And again I say to your deliberate corruption], “Bull”. Get going, get out of here! That's when I know for sure that you're saying something but you're not really saying it with the right meaning and right knowledge. So, if you don't have the right knowledge, it's my duty to try and bring you the right knowledge. 
But once you get the right knowledge and you still insist upon having that wrong meaning, we should reject you. We got to reject you.
Some of us want unity without conditions. [They say], “Oh brothers, we need to unite”. Yeah, we know; but your base of unity may be too weak for us. We want a strong base of unity and Allah has provided us the strongest base in unity: that we worship none but one G-d, and don't corrupt the idea, and that we follow his prophet. We believe in G-d, we believe in His Prophet. Obey G-d and obey His prophet. And to obey Him, I'm not supposed to sit off on Seventh Hill in Washington Park and wait for a revelation to come down from the tree to me. [Audience laughter]. To obey Allah and His messenger, I'm supposed to go to the Qur’an and to the life of the Prophet.
That's where I go to see the light: how people were guided; how the prophet lived it; how he guided people; how people were guided and how people, in turn, guided others. Read the Qur’an and see. Yes, as simple as that. So the basis for Muslims uniting is proper recognition of Allah and His Messenger. Proper regard for the Lord Creator and proper respect and regard for His prophet. That's the condition. But understand what- that again I must stress- understand what that involves. You have to understand the concept- the meaning of Allah for Muslims- and you have to understand the meaning of Prophet Muhammad, the last prophet for Muslims.
You have to understand the meaning of that. Then you have to understand that Prophet Muhammad came to demonstrate the life that Allah intends for man in His total picture.
And our unity may be broken because somewhere down the line you failed to comply with what is imperative, with what is a must, with what cannot be escaped- meaning that short, brief declaration, “[Arabic language]”. It's short and brief, but it implies so much. It demands so much, it requires so much, it points to so much, it includes so much, it establishes so much; and if you're down the line break with us, we go, “Huah!” Out you go!
Now in concluding this, let me tell you this. You cannot stay united with Muslims if you don't accept to treat all people fairly. That's a condition also. Why? Because Allah say's you are the best community brought out, evolved for the people. Now if you're going to go against the people, if you're going to become an enemy of some race or some ethnic group, then we have to bring your attention to the problem you are creating, and once we bring the knowledge from the sources, Qur’an and the life of our prophets, from the best traditions and you reject it, then we have to reject you. Reject you because you insist upon hating some races and loving others.
So you want to know what the basis of our unity, huh? When we hear the call to prayer five times daily, “Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar”. What is it saying? That one Allah we've been talking about.
He is bigger. Bigger than what? Whatever you got on your mind. What else are we saying? “Allahu Akbar”, we're saying that G-d is more important. More important than what? Whatever you got on your mind. Allahu Akbar.
Now, if you're going to forget that and start raising some other things up, qualifying some other things to be more important on me as obligation- than my recognition of Allah and my duty to Allah- I have to set you straight or part with you. Because that belief in Allah is what saves us from slavery. That belief in Allah saves us from being stupid. It deny would-be masters us as slaves. Yes! What man can be a slave to any man or anything that truly accepts our concept of Allah? No man. No man that really accepts our concept of G-d can be a slave to any other creature or any other thing. No, that's the end of slavery.
Oh, [I know] I said that I was concluding on that point. Yes, but it's hard to get off of it. Very difficult to leave it go. Let me return to the nature and character of religion. First of all, we are people of faith, and right faith will bring about the condition for right conduct. Yes. Do you want to understand how come some people believe real strongly, but their lives are still corrupt and bad? You want to come to understand it? They are believing strongly, but their faith is wrong faith. See, you can believe strongly, it doesn't mean that you're believing rightly.
Once you believe rightly in accordance with Allah… the designer of the creation, the creator and designer… in accordance with what he has established, once you believe that way, your behavior begins to reflect that excellence in your faith. The excellence in the content of faith is reflected in deeds and actions. Yes, and we have beautiful behavior because of right faith, and not weak behavior, strong behavior because of right faith. Courage. Don't you know there's no people with more courage, more courageous than the true Muslim? No people can be more courageous than the true Muslim. No people can be more effective in doing good, in fighting enemies than the true Muslim.
No, no people. You might say, “Well, what accounts for the state of the world?” We have lost the basis for our unity. We have confused, and corrupt, and played cheap the basis for our unity. We just want to have an association with somebody. So, we’ll let them come in and identify with us and [say], "Yeah okay, you're a member, brother," and you know good and well he is full of it. Ignorance, corruption, vulgarity and whatever you want to call it… he's full of it. But you [still say to him], "Yeah, brother. You're a Muslim, brother. Okay, you a Muslim now, brother." You have to tell him??? I've heard them doing this! The [corrupt] brother come in [and they say], "Hey, brother, you a Muslim now."
Why you ought to tell him? He should be telling you. You gon’ tell him he's a Muslim now. And he got reefers in his pocket, he can't wait to get out of there. He wanna hurry up and get out of the meeting, to get back with the reefers. And you gon’ tell him just because he made two rakahs [i.e., units of prayer] with you, "You're a Muslim now, brother." Present the religion straight, and then don't pressure people into saying… declaring themselves [muslim]. Invite them and wait till they declare themselves. It's okay if you see a sign that the brother wants to [be a muslim], but he needs a little help, needs a little encouragement- it's okay to encourage him.
[You] say, "Brother. Well, it looks like you're denying yourself what you really want." [You] say, "Sometimes you just have to go on and be strong and do what you have to do." So it's nice: we’re supposed to do that. We're supposed to encourage, praying for each other. We are supposed to do that. But you see a brother [who] you know good and well he didn't understand that [what you were saying]. In fact, you weren't interested in him. All that you're interested in him doing is saying that he's a Muslim, so you can have four people in your Masjid rather than three. [Audience laughter]. Saying, "We got a new fish today. Brother, we got four." [Audience laughter]. We are one community of Muslims, understand that. We are an international community.
There's no such thing as the community of the West, like we used to say. [Calling ourselves] Community of the West and community somewhere else. We are one community. Allah says, “You are one united community, and I am your Lord”. One ruler over us. All of us under the same ruler, and our obedience is to Him. Our service, our worship is for him. That's what we have to understand. We are an international community. Understand that. Though we're meeting here today on Jummah day, and tomorrow and Sunday, inshallah, we'll have a much bigger affair. We hope, inshallah.
Not that it will be more important- the most important is Jummah, But it will be a more bigger affair and more people I'm sure will be here by then. And we expect to have a wonderful time as Muslims and as decent human beings. But understand also, dear Believers, that though we meeting and we see mostly our faces, African American faces, understand that no matter whether we meet and we're solid African American or mixed, we are always an international community-always an international community. And The Hajj is the best focus for showing us the beautiful, powerful, international community of Muslims spreading all over this globe. Encompassing the globe; from Europe to many parts.
Yeah, they're growing fast in England and different places. Then Asia now; even the Russians are allowed now to be more freer to practice their religion. And we are meeting Russians in the Hajj. Russian delegates from Russia: coming to the Hajj; representing, speaking for and telling us about the Muslims in Russia. And, [there are Muslims] coming from Africa, many parts of Africa, Philippines, the Irelands, and the United States of America, everywhere, Muslims. You know, you look at the Kaaba and you say this place is called home- bayt. You know that’s it's name. Al-bayt al'awal, the first house. It's called bayt.
And when you see the beautiful picture of Hajj, the multitudes coming from all corners of the world and from all racial descriptions and national descriptions, you see them all coming there, and you look and you say, "Hey, this really is home." Look, let me say this in a few minutes I hope. When you belong to a family and you love your family, and in time members go out in different places, and you lose family contact with them, but you were at first a beautiful and loving family, and you recalled the early days in your soul. Yes, you say, "We were once a beautiful family."
Allah tells us in the holy book, you were once one community, but you dispersed and you became separated because of differences in extent, but you were once one community. Then we come back and we see the relatives, [and] say "Hey, aren’t these my relatives?" They all come back into one place there. You say, "Oh, boy, I got that home feeling again." Yes, because what make the home feeling is not the walls of the house, is not the physical walls of the house, it's the members of the family. When you have good relationship with those members, and they all come back, they've been waiting so long, they all get back, and you're all happy with each other.
Oh, boy, that is really a great home feeling. That's the home feeling that Allah gives us when we accept the international family. We cannot stay, I repeat, we cannot stay on the basis of our unity if we are going to insist upon writing some races or some ethnic groups, some nationalities off. That can't be accepted. No way it can be accepted. Now, some of you might say, "Imam, his father taught us separate from that white man, and his son, he just going to the other extreme. He always want to remind us that we can't look at the white man as the devil anymore."
No, you're wrong this time. I didn't have that on my mind at all. I have on my mind the way some of you treat immigrant Muslims. You look for an excuse to write them off, and that's ugly, that is real ugly. We are no better than the other weaklings in our African-American group here in America, that ain't strong enough to meet the challenge of living in America, so they hate every new comer that come in and show them up on the block. Somebody come in and run the store successfully, somebody come in and do something and progress in the same physical environment that you couldn't progress in, then you hate them simply because they showing up your bad record.
That same thing is motivating some of us to say, "Brother don’t trust those ole’ Arabs." Look, we have to be the mirror for our brother. Isn't that what our Prophet said? The Muslim is the mirror. [Arabic language]: “He is the mirror for his brother”. All right, so if that Arab is that bad, try to reach him, and remind him of his Muslim life. Go and try to help him.
The prophet said, "If you see your brother doing wrong, help him." It was asked, "How do we help someone that's doing wrong, oh Messenger of G-d? How do we help someone that's doing wrong?" He said, "Help them by holding them back from wrong." We're supposed to be brothers by each other.
You see, and it has nothing to do with the color of our skin; for we are told plainly by Allah in the Qur’an, "Allah looks not to our faces but to our hearts." The Prophet told us there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or black over white, or white over a black or a black over a whitey, we use it both ways. And I see quotes now for the West, for America, they just give part of it. The prophet said, "There's no superiority a white or over a black." I guess they say, well, it's meaningless to tell the people that there's no superiority of a black or over a white.
No, it's not meaningless because there are some of us with our small resources that are thinking ourselves to be superior over whites. And you can claim superiority, whether you have it or not? The first people that established white supremacy, they were inferior to even their slaves. Certainly they were; the rejects from Europe prisons that got land in the south because it was open to them, and then got us as slaves and their behavior and civilization was more absent in them than it was in many of their slaves, but they had white supremacy.Who knows? Maybe a group of you thugs can get together and you have a little black supremacy, and your subjects will be superior to you, but you have your black supremacy.
We should report all of it. We should tell it all. Put it the way the prophet said it, yes. Praise be to Allah. We hope that we have helped clear the air, removed the confusion from how we should perceive basis for our unity. We hope that this has been a helpful khutbah, a helpful lecture on how we should perceive or how we should view the basis for our unity. We ask Allah forgiveness for our sins, and our faults, and our mistakes. We pray that he guide us always to the guidance, forgive us and have mercy on us, and unite us as Muslims living up to the best standards for Muslims.
That we obey Allah and obey His messenger, and that we strengthen our bonds by improving the content of our Muslim life by living more up to the real content of Muslim life. Because that's what's hurting our unity now is the false life we live. If we strengthen the content of our Muslim life, then unity of Muslim will definitely improve. We'll have greater unity and better unity. Allah is not going to unite us upon corrupt basis, he will only unite us upon the true basis for Muslim. Let us accept that and we pray prayers and blessings on our prophet, Amin.
[Arabic language], I witness that there is but one G-d, Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger. Pray peace and blessings be upon him. [Arabic language], our Lord, forgive us our sins, blood out from us our sins and iniquities and take us to thy self into the company of the righteous. Dear Believers that is a prayer of the best of the people. That is the prayer of the best of the Believers: to always realize that we are not perfect; that we are subject to error; we are subject to do wrong, subject to commit sin, but at the same time, we have faith in our Lord that he has all power to forgive our sins, and we turn to Him and ask Him for our forgiveness.
We should have it as I always to be identified with the righteous and not with the wicked people of the world. Our prayer should be that Allah heir us in among the righteous people. That he count us with the righteous people. Believe me, dear people, this religion is perfect. Nothing can be improved upon it. Take it from Qur’an and from the life of the Prophet as it has been established and given, and you will be successful. You will be successful all the way around. You will be successful internally, you will be successful outwardly. You will be successful with yourself, with your family, with your associates.
You'll be successful with your endeavors, you'll be successful with everything. You may say, "Well, that's not so; he's promising too much." No, I'm not. Even myself- and I don't consider myself to be no special person, I don't deserve any great page in the books that would be written in the future. Not in my own opinion. If I do it’s because of favorable circumstance for me. It's because of opportunities that I have had that others haven’t had, you see. I don't see no great place for me in the pages of history that will be written. No, I see an ordinary page. Yes. But me, just ole’ ordinary me, I look back at my effort to please Allah five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years back, 30 years back, 40, 50. I'm going back at 40 and 50 years and I have been successful. I bought a car and it finally broke down, I had to get another one. That doesn't mean I wasn't successful. I got some other things too and they finally broke down and I had to get some other ones, but it doesn't mean I wasn't successful. You aren't successful when you stop getting them. Praise be to Allah. When you feel this, you just want everybody…you want everybody that you like to have it. I'm telling you a Believer, he loves Believers. The Believer loves Believers.
Yes, and that's not my teaching, that's the teaching of the prophets, especially our prophet, Muhammad, peace, and blessings be on him. The best of the Believers is the Prophet himself, and Allah requires of us that we love him more than we love ourselves and our near relatives. Yes, Allah requires that of us. When we understand it, it was so beautiful. Certainly. Look how many of us send our best looking sons, best sons to war for the government. Now doesn't that mean that you have to love your nation more than you love your own child? When we tell you all to love Muhammad, Muhammad is better than all the nations combined. He is the cause for the nations having life, if you understand.
He is the cause for the nations of today having the real life. Those that have it and in the degree that they have it. Not that they have it in full degree, but they wouldn’t be surviving and progressing if they didn't have a portion of it. Yes, believe me. Dear Muslims, with these points and emphases, I conclude the khutbah and we pray that our Allah bless our gathering here today, the intent, and all of our efforts for the three days that we’ll be here and after. We pray that he will save us from hardship and difficulty, misery and bad spirits, especially bad spirit.
We know how easy it is in America to give somebody bad spirits. Let us remember the Prophet's teaching to us that the Believers are as soft as milk and they're dealing with Believers. Yes, we're not supposed to be harsh, and ugly, and hostile toward Believers. Let us practice love, the love of the Ummah, the love of each other. Let that spirit dominate in us, and don't take out our hostilities and bad feelings that we brought with us from another situation, on somebody we find here that looks like a sheep. I look like a sheep a lot of time, but you take your hostility out on me, you might see something else pop up out of there.
[laughter]
And when I want to straighten things out, I'm telling you, I just can't stop until I break things up. If they won't strengthen out, I'll be don’ broken it up. If it won't get straight, I'm gon’ break it. 
I done got a little old now, so I can have more patience. A little age and little weakness in the back make me have much more patience now, so I can take a lot of abuse; but I have a breaking point, and when I reach that breaking point, lookout because if you ain't ready, you are out. Even if you're ready, you might be out.
[laughter]
Yes, because it seems like just good luck is always with the innocent, with the justified against the guilty. You go and if he pull out a stick and he swings the stick and miss, and you're trying to hit him with your right hand and the right hand wasn't in place, you hit him with the left and knock him out cold.
[laughter]
Then you look at him there and you wonder, "How that happen? Jeez." The Lord was on your side. Yes, now, we don't want that. We want good treatment by each other. We want us to live up to the best Muslim behavior. Understand this, in my concluding here, that Muslims, we think of behavior as moral behavior. But more important for Muslims is to think a behavior as intelligent behavior because moral behavior graduates. Doesn’t it? When you just know good and bad, beautiful and ugly, hot and cold, that's kinda on the baby level of morality. But as we graduate, we come up into what we call ethics. Moral rules for the intellect.
Moral rules for the total behavior, for the general and total behavior. Moral rules, so we graduate from moral sentiment and moral feelings to an understanding of the moral logic. Understand that Muslims are to try to present the most intelligent behavior at all times.
[00:41:50] [END OF AUDIO]

