05/19/1996
IWDM Study Library 
Excerpt- Islam, Brotherhood, and Race

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Correctly and firstly, firstly. First in importance, but first in history? No. Our idea of brotherhood goes back too to the same idea of brotherhood that is in the great religions. And that idea is this: That G-d is the Creator of all people. G-d made all people and He made all people from one ancestry, all people from one ancestry, from one parent, or parents beginning. He made us all from one. Therefore, we are all distant relatives from one parent, from one parent, and we are brothers in the family of man. First of all, we are brothers in the family of man. Not more important for us now. Brothers in the religion is more important for us now. But before we were brothers in the religion, we were brothers in the family of man, according to G-d's word, according to G-d's word to us.
Now, brothers in the family of man doesn't mean that everyone looking like a human being is my brother in the family of man. He's my potential brother in the family of man, potential brother. Because G-d made him to be a human, he has the potential to be my brother in the family of man. But if he chooses to be a savage that has no humanity, then he's not yet my brother in the family of man, he's not a true son of that first ancestor. He's not. She would not be a true daughter of that first ancestry, ancestry or ancestor. So, it is our true humanity that G-d gave us, that G-d created us for that makes us brothers and sisters in the family of man. So, upon that foundation is built the Islamic idea of brotherhood. Upon that foundation. G-d sends Prophets and Messengers to bring us back to that original creation or that original humanity that He created us for. He brings us back with the Prophets or the Messengers and their scriptures, their books that they come with or that they came with. We are brought back to that humanity again.
It is revived in us. It is with all of us as a property or as the important core of our very life. It is with us. Every human being is born with that humanity as his core, but it needs the right circumstances, the right environment, the right conditions outside to awaken it in that child, baby girl or baby boy. To awaken it so it will be expressed in their minds, with their tongues and in their life habits or life practices. We believe then in the original good state of the human being. That every human being is created on the original good state of Adam and that every human being is created to realize that in their minds and in their life habits or practices. In time, if circumstances permit, we know that in time G-d will enforce His way. That is, G-d will do away with the things that hinder human beings from coming into the state that He wants them to come into. Whether it be on in this life as we understand it or in another life, eventually G-d's way will be established. We do believe that, and we accept that. So, Al Islam then, the religion Islam has a lot to do with the idea of brotherhood in other religions. And I would say in science, science, human sciences, although they don't use the term brotherhood. We know the expression as Muslim, "Al Mu'minuna Ikwan" - The believers are brethren, "Al Mu'minuna Ikwan-The believers are brothers. Or we might say the believers are a brotherhood, are a brotherhood.
G-d says also in the Qur'an, the Holy sacred book for us, G-d says to those who join Muhammad the Prophet from the world of idolatry, et cetera, "You were on the brink of the pit of fire and G-d saved you from it." You were on the brink of the pit of fire and G-d saved you, saved you from it. Now, I'm sure the Arabs won't go back trying to trace their history to find out where was that pit of fire located on the grounds there in that part of the world. The pit of fire here must be a reference to hell fire. You were on the brink of being consumed by hell fire and G-d saved you from it. The pit of hell fire. And further emphasizing the support for the meaning of Al Islam, I'm trying to now show you what is the real meaning of Al Islam. G-d says in the sacred book of Muslims, the Qur'an, says this of all Muslims of our leader, Muhammad the last Prophet. G-d says that Muhammad is a caller who calls the people C-A-L-L-S, who calls the people to quote Faith, faith, F-A-I-T-H, to faith. Therefore, it is established that Al Islam is a religion of faith.
Allah says in Qur'an, by way of revelation of the people who believed, who were attracted to Muhammad, the last Prophet. "We have heard a caller calling to faith and we have responded saying, we believe." This is in the Qur'an. So, Muhammad is pictured in the Qur'an as a caller calling people to faith. Faith in G-d. First of all, faith in G-d, calling the people to faith. And you will notice as you read the Qur'an that we are called believers much more often than we are called Muslim. But in the world we are called Muslims much more often than we are called believers. The term in the Qur'an for believer is Mu'min. Mu'min. The plural is Al Mu'minun. And that's how G-d refers to us most often in His holy scripture, He refers to us as the believers. The believers. Which in my opinion establishes beyond any doubt at all that the most important content of the Muslim life is his faith. The Muslim faith. The Muslim faith is the most important content of his life. Not that part that he sees as science or as logic, but that part that he sees that's too big for his brain to completely analyze or explain.
Beginning with One G-d, the reality of G-d, the existence of G-d. Which one of us can say what is G-d's reality and satisfy all of our questions. None of us. None of us can tell anyone what is Allah and satisfy all of our questions. There are other concepts too that defeat the effort of the human mind to completely know it. And one of those is belief in afterlife. That when I die and my family is missing me, I'm gone and my children are weeping, that sometimes in the distant future G-d will give me another life. That's the belief of religious people. That's our belief. Muslims belief. But who can explain that to the satisfaction of a rational questioning mind? None of us can completely satisfy all the questions. The great Prophet Abraham, Ibrahim in the Holy Book Qur'an, the book of the Muslims. He himself had a problem with that. His soul wasn't resting too well with that idea. There were too many questions that he needed answers to I guess, that bothered his rational constitution. And he asked G-d, he said, "G-d, not that I doubt or that my faith is weak but tell me so that my soul may be at rest."
How is the dead raised? And G-d gave that rational man of faith or that man of rational faith. G-d gave him, our father Abraham, a parable. And it's in the Holy Book the Qur'an. He told him to take a portions of birds and train them and then put them on four mountains and then call those birds to himself. And he would see that those birds would come to him. Because he took them, gathered them, collected them and trained them and then put them away from him. And when they hear his voice that he had trained them to hear, they will come to him. So that was enough for Abraham. His soul was at rest. His soul was put at ease.
It is established then that Al Islam is a religion of faith, and its brotherhood is a brotherhood of believers, a brotherhood of believers. Believers that are believing in G-d firstly and believing in what G-d has established for us to believe in. Believing in the revelation that He gave to His Prophets and Messengers, believing in His Prophets and Messengers. The Messengers include the angels too, and angels who were before the human beings, before the men. And believing in the Qadar of G-d, the Qadar of G-d, that is believing in the law that G-d has to regulate how we will be affected by our interaction with His creation, each other and matter and everything. Everything you can see, touch or have some sense of, G-d has already made a law that determines how you'll be affected by that relationship. Whether it will be harm or whether it will be benefit. Whether it will be harm or whether it will be benefit. The measurement of harm, good and harm has already been determined by G-d. How it's going to come to us, how it's going to come to us,. It has already been determined by G-d Most High. By Allah, highly glorified is He.
Al Islam also views the human beings in the system of life, in the whole system of life. We believe in the unity of matter, in the unity of creation and the unity of human life. We believe in the system of life created by G-d and the systems that He have created for the different life forms other than human beings. We believe that we are one in also this system of life. One in the matter. Two, the natural earth. The scriptures say, both Christian and Muslim scripture, that G-d formed the man in the earth, of the dust of the earth. One puts it that way. Formed the man of the dust of the earth, of the earth. So, we are born out of this earth, we are formed out of this earth, this ground that we walk on out there like plants and other things, other life that come out there that are growing out there.
We are told by G-d, by scripture that we too came from out of there and G-d says that He have made us like plants, like plants. And if you look at plants, how they differ from animals and things that are not rooted like plants are rooted in the ground, that one of the big differences is this: That they seem to hold their form constantly more constantly than those things that are not rooted in the ground and are moving about. If a tree is like this with branches going up, then that's the way it is. It holds its form, it holds its symmetry, it keeps its symmetry. And so, it's true for all the plants and everything going out there. The wind may blow them a little bit, but they tend to hold their symmetry. They hold their picture. But for the animals they may be in a topsy-turvy picture one day, or I should say in one instance they'll be in a topsy- turvy picture and again, maybe they'll return to their upright position. Yes. Also, we are told in this religion or taught in this religion that we have a connection with G-d as our Creator.
The cause for everything that exists. We have a connection with the creation, the inanimate world and animate world that G-d made. And it is this picture of connectedness or connections that is most important for us. We are believers in G-d. We believe that G-d is first and everything else is because G-d is. This is the way religious people believe. This is the proper belief for religious people. G-d is the first cause. G-d explains everything else and none of us can fully explain G-d. Even Jesus, the one who was a spirit and a word from G-d. Of him, it is said in our Holy book, Upon him be peace, that he will say when the charge is brought in the day of judgment that he made himself a G-d. He will say, "You know what is in me, in myself, but I know not what is in Yourself." And I'm a student also of the gospel. I should say the gospels because there's more than one gospel in the Bible. I'm a student of the gospels and I know that the Bible says that too. The Bible says exactly what the Qur'an says too. That G-d knows what is in Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ does not know what is in G-d.
But that's not for us to address today. I just had to mention it in the line of discussion here. Yes. Now when we see Creator, His works the whole world of the universes, and we see man. And we seek to explain the causal relationship, causal relationship. How the first cause brought about the second, a world from which man could be formed. And then G-d formed the man of the world of the earth that He created. When we see that we'll have help to explain the nature of man. Man is a social creature. Science says this, and the religion said it before science said it. Man is a social creature. How does Islam say this? By hints. But Islam advances the idea of man as a social creature. In the Qur'an man is introduced finally as a community creature, a community creature. And what is a community but a situation for man's social nature to be expressed. It is a situation for man to have his social nature, his social aspirations, his social needs established and expressed. So actually, the destiny, our goal for the social nature of man is community scene. The community scene, the community life. We know that. I'm not teaching you anything. I hope I'm reminding those who have forgotten.
Another term in education or science on the nature of creatures is gregarious, gregarious. Human beings, like certain animals and the scripture give it to us the same way, puts us in a picture with certain animals. And G-d says there is not a moving thing on this earth, a moving thing, not plants, talking about animals.
There's not a moving thing, because animals are not moving about on feet or legs or something you see or on the belly like snake or something. They're not moving about like that. They're anchored, rooted somewhere. Said there's not a moving thing that does not have a community resembling your human community. There are some comparison we can make. There's some resemblance we can find for the community of other living things and our own community. They all have parents, they all come from parents, male and female, and they all tend to group together. They want to be in their own association. And we can go on listing other things. They all have to exist upon the earth. They all have to find their livelihood and they all give a certain amount of protection to each member through their association, through their association with other. So, we could say have much to say about that, but we will go on. That's not the purpose here. So, man is a creature that must answer the call of his own nature, of his own given life. He must answer that call and unite with his fellow man, individual with individual and eventually families with families, neighbors with neighbor, and eventually nations with nations, in order to survive better on this earth.
Upon this reasoning a statement of man's social order and brotherhood forms. Yes, we can see now what is man's social nature and his brotherhood, somewhat. Brotherhood. When we see gangs of youngsters grouping together, what is underlying whatever is working in their minds, what is giving support to the things that's working in their minds? They're not doing these things with no support from a bigger force than them. They're doing this from a bigger support than what they have in their own little teenage or youthful makeup. What they're doing this from is the force in their very creation, the force that wants them to have a sense of safety, a sense of power, a sense of support from an association, from a bigger number than their small individual number or individual number. So, they want to belong to a gang. They want to belong to a gang because that gang gives them somewhat that answer to that urging them to belong to numbers. To belong to numbers. The worst thing you can do for the psychology of any person or group of people, race or whatever, is to banish them from the group. Throw them out of the group. The Nation of Islam under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, its worst punishment to us was just that. When we violated the laws or we was disturbing the peace, they would banish us from the group and would warn us that we were not to be seen having any association with the members of the group.
And believe me, the worst thing that this world have ever done to any of its family members was to banish the African people of America, of the West, from a comfortable association with other people, especially from an acceptant and acceptance in the society where they found themselves, the American society. The society of the United States. At one time, not too far behind us, I experienced this time myself. We were not accepted as welcome members in the society of the American people. And foreigners that would come here and become naturalized citizens, they feared to embrace us. They feared to even let it be seen that they wanted to treat us as any other human being because they feared they might be deported. They feared they might be singled out by the Intelligence department and be deported for interfering with the blacks of America or having some special interest in us. They would be deported. No one would hear about them. They would just be deported or put in a lot of trouble so that they would quit what they were doing, quit approaching us. A lot of them are still afraid. In fact, there's a little trembling back here right now. And we give them some reasons too often.
So, the more educated idea of man as a social creature is man as a community creature. This is where G-d is evolving man. G-d is evolving man to be a community creature and eventually he has to accept that the whole of humankind represent one human community. This is what Islam and the Muslim community is supposed to be a model of. We are a witness to all people. Witnesses for G-d and His Messenger Muhammad. For all people of the life that G-d prefers for His human beings. What is the picture that we have today? It's not good. Because Muslims are divided. Nation against nation. Communities against communities within the International community of Muslims. The one community or the one Ummah of the Muslims. We are divided. We have different ideas, different perceptions of what is obedience to G-d. We are not coming from the Qur'an and the example of Muhammad the Prophet, Peace be upon him, to establish for ourselves what is obedience to G-d. We are coming up with our own ideas. We are pushing aside the Constitution for Muslims, which is the Qur'an, and we are coming up with our own Constitutions. Ba’athism in the Gulf area in Iraq. And other Isms all over separating us.
All religions suffer this, not just Muslims. Jews are divided. They are divided when it comes to how they believe, how they perceive their religion. They're divided. Christians are divided into many, many groups. Many, many groups. So, all the great religions are divided, but we are the last of those great religions and we are a continuation of the message of G-d to the great nations behind us. That mean we are the continuation of whatever G-d brought to Jews through their Prophets. Whatever G-d brought the people of Christianity through Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace. Upon them be the peace. Whatever he brought, we are according to our Holy Book, the continuation of that. We are the continuation of that and the completion of that. The continuation of that and the completion of that. So, if G-d have been marshaling or influencing with revelation with the great leaders, man to come more and more into one family, one human family, then the Muslims should have more emphasis on that than the people who receive Prophets before us. We should have more emphasis on that. And we do. In the Qur'an, you'll find much more emphasis on this recognition of human beings as one community, one human family than you'll find in scriptures that came before the Qur'an.
So, what is wrong with the Muslim community of the world that we don't have true brotherhood? In America, if you look at television, you'll think Muslims are racist. You'll hear more racist connotations than you'll hear message of humanity if you watch television. Because the television is looking for the odd fellow, not the regular guy. Television thrives on oddity, the unusual. They have the term controversial. Controversial. And as far as you can be from the norm, the quicker you'll be on television. Primetime news. So, we can't look at television and get the true picture of Muslims. You have to find that by going first of all to their book that holds them accountable. And the life of the Prophet through whom the book was revealed to us. For us as well as for him. We have to go to his life model in order to know what is the real identity of Muslims.
Because the world is messed up. Even the Muslim world is messed up. I felt wonderful in belonging to a society when I was a young boy, and a young man called the Lost Found Nation of Islam in America. I felt wonderful. It gave me a sense of belonging to a group that I felt accepted me fully and would protect my interests and promote my interests. The first group that we feel comfortable like that with according to science and also religion is our family, our family. We feel that at home first with mom, with dad. I hope he's there. With mom and dad and the sisters and the brothers in our immediate family. We feel that with our close relative, we feel that.
We feel that we are in a group that cares about us, cares about our good interests, and will help us realize our good interests. Nothing hurts the parent more than having a child that wants something good in their life, something that will be useful and beneficial and they can't help them get it. That hurts the parents very much. I just wish I could afford this for that child or I wish I could afford to send this child to this school or to that school. I wish I could afford to put him in a situation so he can have this kind of help from society so he can rise to that position he wants. Yes. Now just imagine if the whole community of Muslims felt that way about each other. G-d wants no less than that from us. G-d wants no less than that from us. G-d want us to feel that way about all of our brothers and sisters. And we should be hurt if they are not in a situation to realize they're lawful aspirations. But instead, we get caught up in the spirit of the world, the divided world, the divisive world. We get caught up in that spirit and we are actually looking at them hoping they don't make another step toward that goal. Many of us are like this. Envious, jealous, resentful.
Your spirit is tormented by the success of another one in your community. You're diseased. Really. I'm not here to hurt you. You're diseased. You are in bad conditions and you need much help to get back to the right understanding of your religion. When I was a young boy, brothers and sisters cared about each other. They didn't even have the religion straight, but they cared about each other. It hurt them when a member was out of doors. It hurt them when a members heat was turned off or the lights was turned off. It hurt them when that member didn't have transportation or didn't have anybody to help them get where they had to go or didn't have money to get public transportation. It hurt them. It hurt them when Celebration day came and they didn't have nothing to celebrate with. So, they would offer the member- "Come to my house." Yes, they would do that. "I have plenty come to my house and share what I have." And some of them wouldn't even say, come to my house. They knew you were there. They would come to your house with something and give you something. They didn't have to have it come through the Secretary's department. We didn't have secretaries back then that were turf bosses.
No. They would give through the secretary and they would also go to your house and give to you. And when the secretary learned of it, he would mention your name and so that you would be recognized by all the members of the congregation. Say, this sister, this brother went to this brother. But our secretaries now say, "Don't you know there's an office for that? That's not your responsibility. All monies have to come through here." You got turf bosses like that now. But we didn't have them back then. I remember celebrating what we called Savior Day.



