01/23/1993
IWDM Study Library
Concept of Tawheed 
Oakland CA

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Imam Warith D. Mohammed: [Arabic language] Dear believers, Muslim brothers, and sisters, peace be upon you. We seek Allah for assistance. We turn to him for forgiveness. We believe in Him and trust in Him. We worship none, associate none in worship with Him. We bear witness that Allah alone is G-d has no partner with Him. We bear witness that Muhammad, to whom the Quran was revealed, is Allah's servent and his messenger and we pray the prayers and the peace on him on his descendants, on his companions and descendants, and on all on us be peace. Ameen
I'm happy again to be in California, especially for the occasion here today in this part of the day and the occasion tonight, the evening of elegance which I have attended. I think without any miss or absence, perhaps maybe one year I believe. I might have been absent for one year, but I faithfully attend the occasion, the evening of elegance. For this occasion, I had nothing really prepared until just a few minutes ago. I was told that my presence here was desired and that some comments also were desired from me.
I choose to speak on how Tawheed. First, I want to mention something, and all of it is in the interest of Tawheed. Tawheed is from Wahid one, Tawheed, which is oneness, oneness, oneness, uniformity, consistency under one.
Fundamentalism, is a word that has been used a lot here recently, especially during the Iraq war, Gulf war and in connection with this problem for the United States that the late Imam Khomeini, may G-d forgive him all of his errors his sins and admit him into the paradise. The terrorist act, against, airline and the victimizing of innocent people. It's important that we know the difference between fundamentalism in the language of the media and what should be the meaning of fundamentalism for Muslims.
Usually when you put an ism to a word, it makes it bad. However, that's not the case always, but usually, when the ism added to a word, it becomes a negative thing, like I remember blackness. Now all I hear from our people is blackism. There is a difference. Fundamental to us, to Muslim means what is basic. If Christian society feels the urge to return to what is basic, and we would translate that as Muslims in Arabic or some other language. Maybe we'd be calling them fundamentalists. Then that's what basic means fundamental and that's exactly what Muslims are doing. Muslims are striving to get back to what is the basic in Al-Islam, fundamental. What is basic, what is fundamental?
It has been a long time now since Muslims have been in any situation, to be free of contributions, influences in the religion, or on the religion from Western society. Orientalist but I think even more critical is just the fact that Muslims are dominated by a colonial power, who took control of their institutions and influence how they perceive their own religion, this is a fact of history. We as African Americans, we should know that we and Islam was oppressed by colonial power.
We and the Muslim community of the world were oppressed by colonial power. We were taken away, that is the Muslim that belonged to the African Americans, the descendants of Africa, made slaves in America that belonged to Islam. When they were brought to America, Islam was oppressed. They were denied freedom to continue that religion-- The practice of that religion. We know there are some little evidence of some of the slaves identifying as Muslim.
Even doing some scholarly work, at least I know one who planned a scholarly work, Omar Said a comparison of Quran and Bible, that he never lived to realize, but we know for the most part they had no opportunity to express their interest in Islam. Within some few generations, it was gone. If it was there, it was gone. Frederick Douglass, as you know, he had a master that was not typical of the slave master, who encouraged him to read and because of that good situation Frederick Douglass was an educated man while he was yet a slave, he was educated.
He educated himself and his master helped him educate himself, helped him get that education. Unfortunately, he fell, - maybe, fortunately, it was the divine will, I think was that he did fall to the possession of a bad slave master, and because of that he resisted slave master and came up North where he could be free. Omar Said was fortunate too to have such a master who told him and I read this from a book on him and not-- Correction, it was not on him, it was on the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. I think the author was a German, this is the book that is old, maybe 40 years old or more. 50 maybe years old now.
Anyway, I didn't include these notes. I see this is-- [laughs] Three minutes ago, I decided to do this. Anyway, Omar Said was told by his master. He said, ''I'm going to your country or in the area of your people. I'm making a trip to overseas to Africa. He said, "Is there anything you would like for me to purchase? Bring you back.'' Well, that's a kind master who knew that his slave had a connection with a past in Africa with a particular section of a location in Africa and was thoughtful enough to ask him if he wants him to pick up some object for him, some items for him.
Omar Said told him yes. He said, "Bring me a Quran." His master said, "Okay I'll do that but under the one condition, he said that you also accept from me a gift of the Bible."
That's what brought on the desire in Omar Said, to do a scholarly work making a comparison of Quran and Bible. Should I talk to you now or I continue the-- Okay, thank you.
[laughter]
I just don't want to disrespect anybody and that includes the Iman because you all jumped to the conclusions real quick.
[laughter]
Some of you that I have experienced with.
[laughter]
Yes. Anyway, that's how that worked. That desire to do that scholar work happen. He was given a Quran from his slave master and a Bible from his slave master. Reading the Bible obviously he saw a comparison and he wanted to do a scholarly work comparing the two. Getting back to the concerns that we should be able to identify with fundamentalism and not accept the meaning of that from the critical media.
What I've been doing among you now, for the last maybe 17, 18, years, is trying my best to get us to come to fundamental. What is fundamental for Muslims? To come to what is fundamental for Muslims, because that's our strength, that's our religion, that's our security. The reasons why we have off-brand of Islam, I'm not going to name any of them. We have a lot of off-brand Islam in the world and in this United States and among African Americans.
The reason why we have all these off-brands, not the true brand, that's what I mean by off-brand. Off-brand Islams, it's because the people who wanted to deal with some problem that was serious didn't seek an answer in that, that is fundamental, but just moved emotionally and started doing something and end up way off the path of what is really Islam. I thought that was important to say to you, that we have to return to what is fundamental and don't be afraid of being called fundamentalist.
I'm a fundamentalist. Allah says of the nature of the Quran itself, the nature of the language in Quran. Allah says that the book is of two types, that which is-- That's a term for want of a better word, that which is a resemblance. That which is a language that has a resemblance of something. It gives you a resemblance of something and that which is basic, we say fundamental because that's the translators' word but it's a basic, that which is basic, that which enables you to talk plain, clearly, talk plainly, clearly communicate, plainly with each other and clearly with each other. That which enables you to speak rational and solve problems and address problems with a clear logic. [Arabic language] that's the name for it. So it doesn't exactly mean basic, but it means a little bit more than basic. It means basic and the logic. So who knows the logic in the Yacub's history? What is the logic then we're going to apply on our lives?
[background noise]
Who knows the logic and all these mysteries they talk about? The logic is not there. That kind of stuff is not designed for logic. It designed for effect, not logic. It will violate clear rules of logic for an affected it wants. Now the Quran is not like that. I'm talking about the off-brand, whatever the Quran says, and it's language that serves as a resemblance to something else. If G-d bless you, blesses me, or you, or one of us with the understanding, with the insight, then we'll see that it is addressing something real and something very logical. It is addressing it with language that is for intellects with a certain orientation. The Quran is a complete book, universal book, complete book serving the needs of all human beings. There are some of us who have more of a tendency to appreciate beauty, the Quran is a book of beauty. Some of us tend to appreciate more logic, Quran is a book of logic. Some of us have a tendency to appreciate more mystery, the Quran also has an invitation to the mystic, it's the book satisfying the mystic.
G-d sent Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam to guide people with clear, rational language and to teach people, to educate people in the logic of Al-Islam, the logic of Quran, the logic of how to apply Al-Islam to get rational, real results for real and practical life and situations in the world. What does Allah say? Allah says those who favor the mysterious that that is a resemblance of something and not the real thing, actual thing in his language, if you favor that, you have trouble, a little corruption in your heart. Anybody who look at these off-brands, they will see that those off-brands favor what the translator gives as allegorical and they don't favor the [Arabic language].
If we identify them with what is said in the Quran, we would have to say they have a sickness, a disease, a perversion in their hearts, in their soul because they favor it, the [Arabic language] If you favor that I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable today, I didn't even have you in mind when I came here.
[laughter]
Maybe an angel did this, I had no plan. [laughs] So much for that. It bothers me when I hear Muslims attack, so-called terrorists attack and they call them fundamentalists. They're saying we don't like that religion if it comes straight, but if it comes all confused like some of the people have it, we like it, but we fear, we dread the day that it's going to come straight and plain. Let us attack these fundamentalists right now, let us attack them, let us turn the sympathy of the public against them, let us turn the public against them.
That's the scheme. The media is not bad in itself, but the powerful rich who are enemies of man, and I say enemies of man because there is a Shaitan instrument. They have enough money to buy power and influence everywhere. They have the money to do it, so they buy power and influence in the media and there are many good people in the media, they hate what they have to do. I know because I've learned from them, I have a lot of experience now with people in the media, a lot of experience, over 18 years now. Even before then I had more opportunity to learn what's happening in the media than most people have, even before I became leader, I had more opportunity than most people have because of being the son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, minister once in the nation of Islam, et cetera.
It is the real Satan, the devil himself who works through the people that love this world and not the one that G-d wants, not the hereafter and not the one that G-d wants for us, and they work through them that are in the media, work through them to get them to carry out their will and their will is to deny man his own destiny. When I'm talking about destiny here I don't mean freedom, because freedom has become something very ugly, to deny him his own destiny that Allah designed for him, Allah designed a destiny for us when he created us, he designed our destiny for us.
They want to deny us that destiny which includes a just society. The destiny is for us personally but the destiny is also a just society, [Arabic language] an order, a government order, a decision-making way, shura. They don't want that, with clear guidance the basics of Quran and the application as we see it in the life and tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam. They don't want that. They want to regulate our life according to their needs and that's the difference between those who follow the guidance of G-d and those who yield to the powers of the world.
Those who yield to the powers of the world they are regulated their life and future, their generations, their children, regulated by the Satan and those that he influence. He gives them the four seasons of the year, spring, summer, fall, winter, and then return them to spring again and repeat it over and over again. Are you dreaming? Are you fantasizing? If you're not then you like what I'm saying, but if you're dreaming and fantasizing, I don't know what's happening with you right now.
[laughter]
The concept of Tawheed begins first with la ilaha illa'llah, there is but one G-d. When we say there is but one G-d, we mean that Allah is Creator, Lord, Master, the same, not a son, no son, not a descendant, no descendant from Allah. Allah is G-d, One alone. Creator, Lord and Master, the same One that created us, watches over us, cares for us, from the day we are in existence to the day we go out and also brings about a resurrection for us, and has prepared the heaven, the paradise and the hell, the same. The same will be the judge, he will judge us. That's Tawheed, not a different one, not a descendant, not a friend, not a companion, not a fellow worker, the same One.
The meaning Tawheed begins with la ilaha illa'llah. [Arabic language] Allah says is there not for Him, that One, the real G-d the creation that most people admit, especially religious people. Yes, this is a creation of G-d, the earth, the sun, the moons, the stars and everything. Yes, it's the creation of G-d, life, death, yes it's the creation of G-d, but who's supposed to have jurisdiction over it? This particular person, that particular person, this particular special designed creature, not the G-d. Give the benefit to some creature. That will have the command, that one will be in charge.
Allah says, for Him is the creation that you admit to, we admit that and also the command. We don't believe that Allah the Creator relinquished the office of G-d to some other creature and that that creature now is going to be the commander in chief and followers of that particular one are going to inherit the office from that one and take it upon themselves to be commanders in chief in the lives of nations and in our lives. No, we don't accept that. If you really understood this religion, you would be happy and you'd celebrate and you would be so convinced that you can deal with the world and survive it. Not only survive it, prevail. I'm convinced of that and you see me prevailing don't you? With the blessings of G-d, I am prevailing. My course is going steadily.
Who would've thought that the son of Elijah Muhammad would have been invited to be one of the religious leaders on the inaugural program? But that came to the son of Elijah Muhammad. I also had a special invitation to attend the inauguration, the swearing in, pardon me, of the president and the vice president, but I couldn't attend. You know why? I had a previous engagement in Detroit and they had spent money and I had committed myself to that engagement. What would most of you have done? You would've disappointed the Muslim, the small people and went to the inaugural, went to the swearing in there.
I told them I couldn't do that. I had turned them down weeks earlier because I couldn't do that. They finally called me and told me that they could put me on the morning program and they thought I would have enough time to get to Detroit. I said, well if I can make a flight arrangement, I'll do that. They said can we look for you for flight arrangements? I told them yes.
Time was passing and they hadn't gotten back with me, so I start contacting them to get and answer and know what they had found. They finally told me, yes, we found flight arrangement for you but the persons who are invited, they are expected to pay their own rate. No problem. I didn't donate a penny to the campaign-
[laughter]
-and I didn't even vote for you, so I'm happy I now have an opportunity to pay for my own tickets.
[laughter]
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah. [Arabic language]
Now, when we follow this logic, it's a logic. Tawheed is a logic. It's a focus for the logic, we call Tawheed. If the G-d that created all this, that did everything is One, who has the ownership, the interest, the authority, the destiny of the creation man and everything else included in his control. Never relinquish it to another, then shouldn't that urge us to try to find peace with each other? Because none of us now have any access to this Lord for our selves that's more meaningful than the access anybody else has.
Because my father and mother, if they're good parents and mine were, they let the children know that none of you are more important than the other and if we would act like one of us more important, we would be corrected. I mean they would get angry with us and if we continued to show that, they would put a strap to us. One thing they wanted us to know that we were all their children equally. That's how Allah is by us.
You're white, it doesn't matter, you're black, it doesn't matter. Brown, red, it doesn't matter. We are all equally his creation and equally his dependents. When you fill out your tax form, your report, you file your income report, you put down your dependents, don't you? Well, we are all the dependents of Allah and he regards us all equally as having benefits and deserving benefits from him. Now we know that our actions, our behavior has a lot to do with the kind of treatment we're going to get and that was true for us with momma and daddy, but it was equal.
The worst one got the most whipping.
[laughter]
It was equal.
[laughter]
The best one got the least punishment, so we're still equal. Now some of us we're crazy, we don't know how to run families. We go out well, I like to bring Sarah a new dress. Oh, I can't bring her a new dress, honey. I got to get also, Mary a new dress and you know what the boys will think if we bring Sarah and Mary something, we have to get them something new too. She thought one child but now somethings got to come to every one of them and it's got to be about the same.
They going to figure out the prices and everything. Children going to figure out the prices. It's got to be about the same money spent on each one. Poor Niggas trying to do that too. Can you imagine that? Lord have mercy. So and so, well, we got to get the other children a car too, big teenage and they've grown and poor man, if he got enough he makes them go and just draw it down and commit himself to debt so they get all of them the same thing. It's pitiful.
The way the old parents handled their children the best way. My mother gave me something, that was for me if my mother gave one of my brothers something, - that was for them, I was happy that they got something. They were happy when I got something. That keeps your children individual, children should be individual. They should stay individual. That doesn't mean that you know the children. You know if they're sad and everything and their spirit needs to be lifted. Okay, you bought one a new pair of shoes, the shoes cost $20. For some of you maybe cost $120.
[laughter]
I got children, still got young children that need shoes and I pay for them. I brought my child two pairs of shoes and I mean they look as good as any, the bottoms were good, good leather, $22. Two pairs of shoes. I waited till I found the right store with the right sale, with the right discount and I bought two pairs of nice shoes. Oh, she was just so happy, she was so happy when she got those shoes. Very nice shoes. Two of them $22.
[laughter]
Yes. The cost of one pair of shoes before the discount, it was $18 something without tax. The other one was $27 and something without tax. I got both of them for about $22 with tax.
[laughter]
Oh yes. That's the Tawheed. We have to move from now the focus on G-d and continue to see that Tawheed, that concept, it incorporates everything, it encompasses everything. Man now must be one too. Be one. We descended from one father, we all are the descendants out of one design, and that design is called Surah design. Adam. Adam's design. From Adam design, we all was made.
Just like you go and get a pattern for a particular thing. You want to make a particular thing. You design it, you want to pick a pattern for it, well Surah, that's our pattern. Allah gave us that pattern when he created us. We are all from that one Surah, that one pattern. The Surah is with a heavy “s” not the soft “s”. Sur means a lot of things. It means picture. But design means picture too doesn't it? Because I may look at your design and call it a picture, but a man from your particular field of study will say design. [laughs] I may say let me see that picture, but the man in your profession will say, let me see that design. It's the same way in Arabic language too. Surah is picture Surah is design. Now, the possibilities for all of us are the same, that's the Tawheed. Believe me, I could talk on just this one idea Tawheed, any one of this idea. Any one of these particular points of interest in this subject of Tawheed. We could talk on it for months if we're interested, and if we are enlightened enough to do that.
I don't want to brag, maybe I'd run out in a few hours. I said months. I don't know, maybe months, maybe a few hours.
[laughter]
Now, this concept of the oneness of our design, the oneness of our creation that we all have in common with each other. Believe me, now, I'm no silly romantic, sentimentalist when it comes to the equality of the sexes. Brothers, the sister is equal to you in that Surah. She equal to you. The only difference is that once you're put in the world, the needs of the world required a man to go in one direction and you in another. The direction you go into limits you while increasing his power and significance in the world.
It says that he created you [Arabic language] from one and the same. [foreign language]
That's where most of us, we're not able to understand what's going on in that language. It didn't say [foreign language]. My wife is not [foreign language] My wife is [foreign language]. If I say my wife I have to say [foreign language] If I say [foreign language] somebody's going to look at me, "What hey, I didn't know he was homosexual."
[laughter]
Allah, he loves his creation. You love your baby, we all are babies to Allah. Allah loves his creation. Allah didn't reveal such language that would offend the muscle, the masculinity of men, or be so quick, abruptly, hit him abruptly."
He gave it to him so he hit them slowly. Hit them really slowly because he knows how tender and delicate we are. Even though we have Mike Tyson's muscle if you know--
[pause 00:44:49]
So it hits us very slowly and gradually, and when it really hits us we're already been getting prepared for it for so long until we just get a little knocked down. Knocked down on our knees and right back up.
[laughter]
I have to admit that hit me I went to my left knee, but I got back-- [laughs]
The language of the Quran the Word of G-d is so plain. Says he created us from nothing to [unintelligible 00:46:22] It says out of male came all of us. Out of the male one man one male or one male figure came all of us all the generation. He also says he created us from a male and a female [foreign language]. That he created us from a male and a female that's a flow of treatment too. Respecting the tenderness and delicacy of a man. Finally, he began to understand. G-d created a man now he's saying I'm created from a male and a female.
It took science all this time, social science all this time to accept that man is not only from the children, our children, mankind. Not only from the male sperm but from the ovum. They use to think that everything we got was from the sperm. This is science of a man but now they say no, it comes both from the sperm and from ovum, from both. Look like they should have known that without even being a scientist.
[laughter]
I come here looking like my mother. She didn't know this man before, this is the first child.
[laughter]
It takes a scientist hundreds of years they come up with. Boy, oh boy one thing I've learned is to treat science just like I treat religion. Some of it is bull, some of it is not.
[laughter]
That's right. Just recently I was reading something, that they had discovered in science, a big flaw in science. I can't recall it right now but a big flaw, big mistake on the part of science. Let me tell you something else. We call these ideologies these so-called modern ideologies, we call them ideologies. We call the same thing before this modern age, philosophy, another name. Here's another realization that I've come into. These modern ideologies are nothing but philosophy still. No more than philosophies.
Look what has happened to the great ideology of the communist block. Now it has failed the world it has failed to produce what it claimed it would produce. What is this ideology? What is it science, or guess? Science or speculation? Speculation, guess and speculation, and that's what they want to call philosophy back there, right? To take credit from that age and give it all to modern age. When back there, there was science also. Science, not all philosophy, science and some was speculation, most of it speculation I'm guessing but some was really science that has stood up till now. Still stands up.
Tawheed, that's what we are talking about. All right. After we agree now that man is one creation from G-d and every human being has the design, the original pattern. Every human being has the, the design original pattern. So if I have the design and original pattern, then that tells me that we are really like seed and that's what G-d says. He created us like the plants. We are really like seeds. If I have seeds, these are corn seeds. Then all of these seeds have the same potential, don't they? All the seeds have the same potential unless damaged or something like that. We're not talking about that. We're not talking about the exception, we're talking about the rule. If we have a handful of seeds, all of them have the same potential. My dear African-American black brother, G-d is saying to us we can go as far and as high and become as significant on this earth as any other man. That's what Allah is saying, and sister the same for you. That's what G-d is saying. If we had understood this before we got the Nation of Islam's Shubahaat and Shuba Shuba. I'm not making fun but I want you to see the reality.
We could have done a much better job. Most of us don't want to agree with it but I believed this while I was studying the Hon. Elijah Mohammad's teachings, studying it and studying the Quran. Long before I became the leader. I believed this before I went to prison. I went to prison in 1960 I believe. No October '60. I was released January 10th '63. Not something I like to remember that's not a good time in my life.
All right. I knew before I was in prison and felt in my heart. That if we could have gotten the Quran before we got the Nation of Islam idea we could have done a much better job, realized much more results, accomplished it in a faster and more successful way. Everything is there we need. That's what attracted me from the Nation of Islam's idea. I said wow this is much more powerful. The effects that this is much more powerful on human beings than what we've been given.
A lie is a lie and no matter how much it excites you. A brother goes to the sister, "Hey sister, wow. You are the finest thing I ever seen in my life. You give me a new idea of what beauty is." Most of them they just “oh”, you know they might try to hide it but they love it so much. Really. Do you really think so? Keep on talking man. Don't stop. Most of them after a while they say cut that B.S. out man. A few of them will say right from the start. No I look in the mirror myself, I see myself. You can go somewhere else. You aren't going to make it here fellow.
The more susceptible to that kind of charm is the one that's been called ugly, been called nappy headed, little black kinky, kinky or something. Been picked on in the family. That's the one that's most susceptible for it. The nappy headed. We are the ones that's been called nappy headed and Little Black Sambo and big nose and all that ugly stuff by the white world. We are the ones that's been called that. We are more susceptible for the charm of who comes along and say, “you are the most beautiful nation on earth”. “Oh is that so?” “And what else?”
You are the first and the last. Really. What else? “You're the maker and the owner..” We want to come back to our senses. See the false charmer finds where you are off your senses and comes into that room. If you can imagine your whole life of the house you've got one room in there, the room where you off your senses, you go in that room to be awake in your senses. The charmer who wants to get you to follow him and know your weaknesses and everything.
What is fishing? Fishing is catching somebody with a hook and a hook got a crook and it's covered with what you like. That's how you fish. You take something that's got a crook and a piercing arrow on the end of it and you cover it with what the sea creature likes. The sea creature is not aware of what's under the food, he just smells the food and he sees it. Got you!
I'm not saying this to say fishing in the language of scripture has [unintelligible 00:56:52]. I'm not saying that but fishing means that you're not educated. Anybody that fishes for human beings, they're fishing for the uneducated. If you're educated they wouldn't have to fish. I believe our appeal should have been to the educated, the leaders, the best minds can do more to help us than appealing to the down and out, the worst of the people the worse off, the most deprived. You get all on them on your hand you got something that's going to tie you up for eternity.
I don't know why these pants tend to fall down. I know I lose weight up here that fast. I would like to. I got about 25 lbs I want to get rid of. 
Tawheed, the concept of tawheed. We have to accept that we are all one and the same pattern, one and the same design, one and the same creature with one and the same possibilities for progress, for success, for establishment et cetera. For rule.
We are to be responsible rule. Somebody has to rule. That's something you all even [unintelligible 00:58:23] want that. I don't know why. I want to qualify for whatever anybody else has qualified for. When I say I don't mean me individually. I do, but I know I can't realize all that I'm one person. I say that because I want it as one individual and I think I can really realize it in my children one day.
I want my children one day to go to the top of financing, to go to the top of Government, to go to top of everything. Don't you want your children one day to ascend to the top of everything that's possible for them in the world, in the United States? I do. So much for the concept of oneness for man, for the humanity. There is much more to be said but [unintelligible 00:59:26]
The natural environment has become really a big problem now for man. There were many inaugurals that the president now attended. He had a very busy day. I believe ours was the first one but he had to go to others. One of them was the environmental inaugural. He had to attend that one. Because the environment is a very major concern now, very heavy concern. A concern of the environmentalist. We have to understand that creation is one, life is one. What we learn from science about the cycle of life is what we are told already in Tawheed. They are not bringing out anything except what G-d has already given us or pointed us to or signaled us to. If it's worth anything. That's all they're doing. They have just latched on to what G-d has already signaled us to. Given us and signaled to us to. This respect for total life. This awareness that we and our own security is also tied to the cycle of life. To the whole life. If you don't treat the plant life like it should be treated it's going the effect the human life.
You don't treat the animal life like it should be treated it's going affect the human life. If you don't treat the physical environment like it should be treated your going to affect the human life. That's what modern science has done. It has gone after achievements for man's glory. A lot of this stuff that science has accomplished was for nothing but the arrogance of man.
That's all it hasn't served us in any no way. It has punished us more than it has served us. How has plastic benefited us that much? Look at the detriment now in plastic. Aluminum is another. How has aluminum helped us that much? When we look at the problem for us now with aluminum wouldn't we have rather said no don't produce aluminum.
If the industrial world had been able to foresee what would be the end of this thing. I'm sure they would say no. Don't mess with aluminum. We don't want that produced in any great amount. They would have said the same thing on plastic. Plastic has replaced almost everything. Paper, wood everything. Get you a whole set of furniture is plastic.
[laughter]
You don't even need paper money anymore. Plastic.
[laughter]
They didn't know that. They thought that was my credit card.
[laughter]
Plastic is the key to the hotel room.
[laughter]
The direction for our lives is also what? What do we mean by that? We mean that you may go in the direction of agriculture. I may go in the direction of art. Another one may go in the direction of finance. Another one in the direction of government. The end for us will all be the same. The end for us will all be the same. Because eventually my achieving that, - say if you can imagine starting off from day one.
My succeeding in any one of these is going to open up another one. Eventually, we're going to have all of those that are essential for our lives. Eventually, that is what it's going to do. No matter which one you start off at the beginning. They're all going to bring us eventually to the one that's most essential for our life. What's the one that is most essential for our lives?
A direction for our intellect. That's the one that is most essential. One man, he gets into this interest, another one gets into that interest. Finally, they will turn on as intellectual. Then they will want to know what is the nature of this special brain we got. What is the nature and purpose of this special mind that we got here? Then they start to philosophy. The urge is to find a concept of life that will satisfy all their aspirations.
Eventually, they come up with the best idea of democracy. Where everybody will have opportunity to realize their capacity. Their potential. The direction is one, the direction for us is one. How does Allah with the Quran and Muhammad prepare us to realize this life, and this orientation, and this fulfillment? That He has made us in honorable pairs. Also, he says that He created man and made him honorable.
For want of a better word I'm saying honorable but the word means honorable. The word means respectable. The word means dignified, the word is rich in meaning. Very rich in meaning. It means that that makes you feel good. Make you feel that you're important. That you have real worth. I know somebody says, "Important? That's the shaitan that feels important." You might hear some of that when I leave.
"Imam, brother he doesn't understand Islam. He doesn't understand Islam brother, no, [unintelligible 00:06:10] important. "The only thing shaitan, he wanted to be important. “[Arabic language]
[laughter]
They will hold you up for eternity. Allah also says that he [Arabic language] G-d inscribed. [Arabic word] Inscribed in everything Ihsan, excellence now if this came for a man who would be a philosophical statement. A profound and a far-reaching philosophical statement but we don't believe it came from a man. We believe it came from Allah to a man.
This explains really what we study in the sciences about life. The progress of life from the simplest form to the most complex form. The progress of life from the most helpless form to the most productive and efficient form. It explains all of that. They say that the species are improved by what selection, adaptation. Selection and adaption. What is this creaature trying to do? It is trying to select something that will enable it to become better.
To improve its worth. That's why it's selects it. So brother when you select be sure you're selecting a wife that you feel will improve your worth and your children. Sister, I don't need to tell you that.
[laughter]
Most of you are still at home. We wouldn't know home if we saw it, sat in it and slept in it. We think we slept outdoors most of us. We are lost from home brothers. 
Now the prophet says that he came to promote good character. The most ignorant person or the most unlearned person, the most culturally deprived person, if that person have had a human situation for himself. You don't have to be educated to have a human situation.
That person is conscious of character. Conscious of character and that person wants to establish good character for himself or herself. Good character, that was the motivation in me when I go way back earlier in my life. I didn't really, I didn't see any great idea. Any great vision of man when I was a child. I saw a burden on me to be of good character. We used to use that expression a lot back then. I'm talking about 40 years ago or more.
We used to use it a lot. "You low down. You're the worst character I have ever seen." We used to use it a lot. If you have good character we say, "That guy has good character. Very fine character." Don't use expression like that much now I don't know why but we don't. I guess because character has just about been destroyed. 
Character and interest. Allah created us with this great character. We were born with that, we were given that in our original design. But now interest will either keep us in that and make us more worth or valuable in that, or interests will defile that and we become worse in our character and therefore worse in our interest and worse in what our influence and effect on ourselves and others. Now, what has G-d given us as an influence to keep us in the light and to keep us moving to the great fulfillment? I know the Quran that's true. I know, Prophet Muhammad that’s true. Those are first, but look at the state of the Islamic world. They read Arabic better than I do and they've been reading it for generations. They have known the life and history of Muhammad the Prophet peace and blessing be on him for centuries and we have just known it for now about 20 years, 30 years. Some of us only 20 years or less but look at the state of the Islamic world. Saudi Arabia is an example. Saudi Arabia according to the Saudis was in such bad shape that a revival has had to come about come. Wahhab, Abd al-Wahhab the great reform teacher that brought the change in Saudi Arabia with his counterpart Abdul-Aziz Al Saud whose name is on that peninsula now. We call it Saudi Arabia. Before then it wasn't called that. They say of movement that that movement found the Muslims, the Arabs, the Saudis so regressed Islamically. That they were really doing things that were heathen. Heathenism had come back into Saudi Arabia into that peninsula.
They were saying prayers, praying to dead people, to their dead relatives. Can you imagine one day people identifying with Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, W. Deem Muhammad will be found praying prayers to dead relatives? I can’t imagine it but it can happen. It happened to Saudi Arabia. It certainly can happen to us in America. “If I get the Quran that’s all I need brother. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah” [Arabic language]. He doesn't need any more help from anybody. Now those Arabs over there have been speaking that language all these centuries and everything and look what happened on their peninsula. Now you think we’re going to trust our lives with you and you don’t know how to say anything but [Arabic language]. Inshallah. Inshallah. [Arabic language]. That’s all you could say. It’s all you can say. Inshallah. [Arabic language]. What is the meaning of this? [Arabic language].
[Laughter]
[Arabic language]. I met a brother. They aren't no foreigners. I see a sister. She looks like she’s a different race. Sister, I’m not talking about foreigners. I’m talking about African-American. These black folk. These African-American Negroes I’m talking about. [Arabic language]. They talk like foreigners but they aren't.
[Laughter]
Allah says, The people worthy of us to follow, first of all, is Muhammad the Prophet. He is the one but also those of his companions, those of his companions. Allah says that we should also follow them. How? [Arabic language]. Follow them in their excellence. Follow them in their excellence. If we’re motivated by excellence that's the answer. If we’re motivated by desire to have excellent life and excellent behavior, excellent perception, excellence in everything we do because we are told that we should seek the excellence or the best result no matter what we’re doing. Now if we applied that philosophy, wouldn't we be a great people? The sister bringing in the coffee tonight, if she was conscious that Allah wants her to do that job in the best way, the most excellent way possible. The one greeting the guests that’s coming in if she was conscious or he was conscious then Allah wants to have excellence, perfection, to seek the best results, the best performance no matter what you’re doing. If we applied that philosophy to our life we would excel other people that don’t have that same philosophy. We would excel them. That’s what the Nation of Islam was trying to do with us but it was in the muck mud temple and not in the mosque of Al-Islam. The muck mud temple.
It says follow them [Arabic language]. Follow them [Arabic language]. Some of us are so stupid we will follow a companion of the prophet blindly and will take whatever somebody will say that speak Arabic and don’t look like me, whatever they report on that particular companion you accept it. They say [Arabic language]. You say [Arabic language]. They had to tell you, "Wait a minute brother I want to tell you something else." They done set off a record that’s just caught in one grove. [Arabic language]. Follow them [Arabic language]. We are not just a follower the companions of the prophet, Muhammad the Prophet, no. We are to follow them in the principle of striving for excellence on that principle of striving for excellence. What is the excellence of Abu-Bakr? What is the excellence of Ali? What is the excellence of Usman? What is the excellence of the great leaders that were at that time? What is their excellence? Somebody will say all of it is their excellence. Well how come they had to be corrected sometimes? If all of it is excellence, how come they were corrected sometimes? Not only by people of their station and status but they were corrected by sometimes by people lower than them in the public, called their attention to them doing something wrong, applying something wrongly or understanding something wrongly. Because that person of a lesser station in the society was standing up on solid Islamic authority they being wise men, wanting excellence, they agreed and corrected themselves after being told so by somebody low in the community, lower in stature.
We’re just all blindly follow them, [Arabic language] and don’t even understand what we’re saying. We’re saying, “May Allah be pleased with him.” That mean maybe Allah was not pleased with him in everything, right. [Arabic language].That means, we hope he pleased G-d. So G-d is pleased with him. [Arabic language]. You are the best community and what is best? Best means you sing the best? No. Best means most useful. Same thing [Arabic language]. The prophet said what? He said, “The best of you is the one who’s most useful to mankind, gives the most benefit to the whole humanity.” He says it’s the best of you. [Arabic language] then has to be equated with what? Usefulness, benefit, not to me, to you, to blacks, to whites, to a whole humanity. Then, what else G-d said? He said the prophet is a witness in the judgment for us, and we, if we follow him, we are witness in the judgment for all mankind. We have a Qibla, what is said of that house? It says, [Arabic language] The first house constructed for mankind, for all people, for all people. This is Tawheed. What I'm talking is Tawheed.
These points of focus for the intellect. They are to serve us who are studious-minded, intelligent and studious-minded so that we will be able to answer the needs in our community or in our society. A prayer in the Quran is what? "Oh Allah give us from our wives." Those who have [Arabic language] I don't know how you translate it, but I think it means, "When I look at her eyes, they please me. Is this what I see? This is delightful."
These are believers now. These are the best of the people, the best of the Muslims. If a man looks at the eyes of his wife and he sees what he said that the ideal sight is there in her eyes. Then, she's a virtuous woman, she's a dutiful Muslim woman, sister. She has all that. That's what makes her eyes look like that to him. You see? Give us from our offspring, leaders for us, imams, leaders for us.
In the focus of Tawheed, we have two directions for our life. One is the direction of death, regression, reversal, regression. Reversal of what? Reversal in the line of excellence. Allah wants the line of excellence for our life that brings us into the fulfillment that satisfies. Now, certain dispositions, certain interests in us will reverse that. What is it? Munkar. Look at the term for the better direction, for the right direction.
The term is [Arabic language] coming from Arafa to know. Arafa means to know, to be acquainted with. Arafa. It is not an accident that the most valuable day in the Hajj is a day we spend on mount of Arafat, Arafa, Arafaat. Ma'roof. How has man come into satisfying situations of life that make him feel good about himself, make him feel good about the order that he chose for himself or the society? What has brought that about?
We know the word of G-d. Yes, in the prophet. Yes, that's true, but also, men of knowledge coming from different parts of the world sharing their keys for success with each other, sharing with each other their keys for success, sharing with each other their experiences, their customs. "That is a wonderful custom. It will influence me and I go back home and I might start encouraging something similar to that.
In the long run, the best that all of us can produce has been established as a norm for the intelligent, decent society. When you read Ma'roof, it is saying to us, wa'mir means order. Order, command, order, promote [Arabic language] What is Ma'roof? Abide, the principle of what is Ma'roof )Arabic). If I would tell you that the expression we use establish norms is the same as Ma'roof, the one who speaks like a Pakistani and have never been out of Harlem may tell you I'm wrong. Don't listen to him., “He's against the Quran, he's against the sunnah”.
Again, he's not foreign. He's black. He ain't been nowhere but in Harlem. That's what it's saying. Wouldn't we have a much better behavior on the part of Muslims if we could just accept that G-d is telling us, measure up to the best standards of society? That's what Allah is telling us with Ma'roof, measure up to the best known established standards of society.
That's Tawheed. [Arabic language] Resist, protest the influences that will regress that, that will reverse that and cause our excellent life to be void. That's what munkar means, to make void, to make empty of that excellence. To make empty, empty what was growing as G-d wanted it to grow. Now, you have gotten a new interest. You have given yourself the negative influences, the poisonous things and they void out what G-d wants to make grow until it's fulfilled in you.
The earth was without form and void. That's Christian. The earth was without form and void. That's Christian. I want to say As salaam Alaikum to you right now, but I have some people out there that I love very dearly, like yourself. Like I love you. There's some shit out there, man. We're going to have to work on it until we put it in the earth and let it go, recycle it or something.
[laughter]
They know themselves. That's why you can't go anywhere. We have what we need to carry us past into more and more achievements and excellence. We have it already but we're carrying, trucks, baskets and everything, airplanes, buckets of dung. We have to then concentrate on two things. We have to concentrate on building leadership and concentrate on giving the help from leadership that the masses of people can accept and work with and benefit from.
We don't give them a lecture like we're giving here today. We tell them, "Live up, measure up to the best standards of civilized society." That's what you tell them. [Arabic language]
[01:30:36] [END OF AUDIO]

