1980-July-25

Bilalian News

On Moral Consciousness: Part 5

Imam W. Deen Muhammad


With the Name Allah, the Gracious, the Compassionate

(Editor's note: Following are excerpts from Imam Warith Deen Muhammad's Feb. 17, 1980 Sunday address at Masjid Honorable Elijah Muhammad Chicago, Ill. Continued from the last four weeks.)

A few week before the Honorable Elijah Muhammad passed. I was getting ready to go to New York, I think, to speak to the people in New York I was going around the country at that time, and I asked him, "Daddy, what would you like for me to talk about? Is there any particular thing you would like for me to talk about?"

He thought, and he said, "Well, Son, it's best to let the next man go for himself." I think Sultan was there - weren't you out there in Mexico? Yes  Mexico it was. He told me he didn't want to interfere, knowing that something he might have suggested might have burdened me to go in that direction, and maybe that wasn't the direction I should go in.

What he was saying was this, that "I'm the leader for my time, I can't see into your time. You have to lead. I can't lead for you." That's what he was saying.
"Well, if you were the man to lead, how come you asked him that?"

Because I'm a human being, and I respect my father. This was his house, and I wanted to get his wishes. I respected his wisdom; I thought perhaps he could come up with something that would help me. He showed me his wisdom by telling me, "My time is my time, your time is your time." I didn't ask him for that, but that's what he gave me.

AII praise is due to Allah. Now, Sister Clara Muhammad, my mother, told me to go on and lead the people, because she knew that that was the plan. That was the plan from the very beginning, that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad  should lead and when he stopped leading, I should lead. Thats how she knew the people would accept me  she said, "Son, they'll accept you." She knew because she knew the people. She was one of them; she knew the people. Those who wouldn't accept, she knew they wouldn't matter.

How many of you used to come here between 1965 and 1973, raise your hands? Quite a number of you. You remember seeing me come back to an almost empty temple and building it back up? Yes, even in those days Allah blessed me to be able to reach the people. I would come here and the place would look like it had almost gone down in nothing  very few people here. In fact, they were teaching downstairs  not even up here. Even then, before Allah blessed me with the insight that I have now, He had blessed me with understanding to reach thy people.

It's a sign that this here was decided, not by us, but by the Lord of the worlds. It could have been otherwise. I'm no genius. What do I have? I'm not 6-feet tall, I'm not handsome. No genius  don't have charisma. But nobody can un-seat me. That tells you that some power has done this, yes  some power has done this. All praise is due to Allah.

This 50 years is a wonderful 50 years. Oh yes, July 4th will be the end of the 60 years from July 4th, 1930 to July 4th, 1980. Were in the 50th year now; the end of it will be July 4th. No more double-talk, no more two Islams. All praise is due to Allah.

Now let me tell you a little something here that means nothing to the average person. But if you had the wisdom, you would get a great, great, great lift from it.
My mother bought me a double-breasted suit once, it was what she called blue serge. I'm sure you know "blue serge." The older people know. Not "Smokey Joes," not Smokey Joes customers; Smokey Joe's customers wouldn't know blue serge, I don't think.

She bought me a blue serge, double-breasted. At that time, I didn't know it, in fact, just recently the understanding came  in the light of new understanding, the light of new knowledge  why she made so much over that suit. When she bought it, she was so proud. Like this was some king's robe or something she was putting on her son.

I guess I was between 6 and 8-years-old. I don't know, but somewhere in there.
Anyway, whenever she would see me and I didn't look quite like she would like to see me, she would say, "When I bought you that double-breasted suit, that blue suit, you really looked good. I really liked you in that double-breasted suit. One of these days, I would like to buy you another suit like that." Although she never did.

Just before she passed, I got a double-breasted suit so she would know that I knew she liked the double-breasted suit. She was so happy that I had a double-breasted suit. I'm sure that somebody told her to buy me a double-breasted suit. I'm sure now, because I know what the meaning is, I know the meaning of the double-breasted. I grew to manage and wear the Temple of Islam's double mind secrets.

She went on a special trip to get a picture of me and her sitting in a chain I sat on the arm of the chair with her. She made a special trip for that. That had to be done  like somebody had given her a duty; she had to do it. She bought that suit in the same way.

Now I understand what double-breasted suit means. To my knowledge. I'm the only one who wore a double-breasted suit. I don't know of anyone being bought a double-breasted suit.

"Now what are you talking shout, Brother Minister. Brother Imam? What are you talking about?"

Well, "single-breasted" and "double-breasted"  you've got two breasts, not one. But this world only gives you one, you wear the single-breasted. The popular suit for the man in this world is the single-breasted  very few double-breasted suits. You see one once in a while. In fact, you have to request it  "Do you have a double-breasted suit?" The first suit they show you is a single-breasted  they don't show you any double-breasted suits.
