1999-September-10

Muslim Journal

A Model Community Based Upon The Higher Reality
(Excerpts from the Charleston, SC address 6-12-1999)

Imam W. Deen Mohammed


Believers, Muslims, As-Salaamu-Alaikum.

We are Muslims after our father Abraham, upon him be peace. Our hope is the hope of Abraham, the upright in nature. We are the community of Muhammed  the Prophet (SAW). G-d says that He made us a community. He made Adam a man; He made a community.

Also, we know that G-d made Prophet Abraham a community. G-d says that in the Qur'an. We are the community of Muhammed the Prophet after the order or hope of Abraham, the "father" to all nations, the leader (Imam) to all the nations.

It's important to know ourselves to see the picture clearly: Muslims are not just a people of faith, Muslims are not just a people belonging to a religion, Muslims are people obligated to live a model community life. G-d says He made us a witness for mankind, a witness for all people. Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) is a witness for us. He's a witness for us, if we are following his way, and a witness against us, if we are not following his way.

Muhammed left a model community in Medinah the Illuminated City. We're only to contribute to that model, so that that model stays on earth and continues to grow. Wherever we live, we should seek to establish a model community life.

Islam is a message to the worlds. Islam is a world mission. Its object is to establish something in the world for the whole world. Islam is a human community model, a model of how people have to live in community, and it’s a model that G-d has given us to invite all the people of the world to look and see if a better model can be found.

So we are offering a human community model to Asia, to Africa, to Europe, to South America, North America, to the whole world. We are offering this to Russians, to Chinese, to Japanese, to Spanish. Allah is offering us a way to live together with each other in community. How can we think small, knowing that G-d has put us in that situation?

We have been without social establishment. The laws were changed, but not without sacrifice by us and others, our friends. And now we have this freedom to have our life established. If we can take advantage of this freedom hour now and answer the call of G-d to establish a model community life of how people should live together on this earth, this will reach more people than Mecca can ever reach.

We could get the world's attention, if we would be successful at establishing model community life. The whole world would look at us again. It would be such a powerful sign from G-d that more people would be coming into Islam because of us than ever could come to Islam because of Mecca. This is what I know in my heart and soul and in my mind, I know this.

So I am devoted 100 percent, 1,000 percent, whatever percent is a complete percent- I am devoted to achieve the establishment of this model Muslim community life in America.

We can have Christians living next door. We want to show them we are good neighbors and we love them. Muslims will concentrate there and be the majority. The effort of the people will be for Islamic community life. Before I leave this earth, I hope we will have several models. I hope to hear the adhan being called and wake up at Fajr time and go out of the house to the mosque and do my prayers there.

I hope to buy what I need from the store down the street, tour a factory, call a cab, Brother Ibrahim's cab service to get me to the airport. It's not satisfying a need in my soul with another man providing my wife with all her needs and my children with all their needs, and I (the race) just punching a clock.

When I was a little boy, people didn't like Prophet Muhammed, and they said his name like they hated him. "Oh, that's a Muham-madan." But that has changed now. That is not the world around us anymore. They use to just think that Muslims were anti-Christ, against Christ Jesus (peace be on him). That has changed.

Now, Allah has opened this land up, this new world up to Islam and the establishment would rather see us be Muslims than to see us be what many of us are now. They would love to see - the intelligent ones and the establishment of the United States of America and anywhere I believe - they would love to see us establish our Muslim life.

And if we are going to have Islamic community, how is this community life going to help our relationship or help bring us together for good causes with Christians and Jews? When people know-that you have a definite goal in mind, they can trust you. But when you don't have any direction for your life, who can trust you? They don't know what's going to happen down the road. They don't know if you will remain loyal.

But if they know you have a permanent model of your life you want to establish, they can trust you. They can tell each other, "We can trust these people, we know where they are going."

Islam wants us to look to the future. Islam says the future is the best. Allah has given us a model life. And if we devote ourselves to that life, we are devoting ourselves to a life that is not a fad, not something that is coming in and going out, not nationalistic ideas for two decades, then it's gone like Communism after 70 years.

No, Islam is not that, Christianity is not that, Judaism is not that, Buddhism is not that. What you get from G-d is based upon the Higher Reality and not upon transient things but upon permanent things. As Allah says: "What is with Us stays, what is with you shall perish," shall go away. What Allah has revealed through Angels and Muhammed the Prophet stays. What Allah has given us as a model for human life stays.

Thank you very much, Peace, As-Salaamu-Alaikum.
