03/22/2003
IWDM Study Library
Washington DC
(Parts 1-2)
By Imam W. Deen Muhammad

IWDM: Our greeting is peace be unto you, As-Salaam-Alaikum?
Audience: Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.
IWDM: We thank G-d. We thank Allah for this occasion for us and our nation Capital Washington DC and on this prehistoric Campus Howard University. It's a beautiful and fine fashion show we have witnessed today. We thank you and we applaud you again.
It’s a beautiful day here in Washington too. We've had separate two or three rainy days I'm happy to see the sunshine. The weather has been moderate in Chicago too for us, we thank Allah. Chicago can be very cold and windy that the winds blow like something else. For a few moments we want to address the subject ‘Securing our share’. I would like to say securing our share in freedom and I hope you'll understand that is what I mean when I have finished or before I have finished. Securing our share in freedom.
We have freedom here in the United States of America like we don't have anywhere else that I know of, especially in Muslim land. There's not the freedom that we have here, that gives an opportunity for anyone who wants to search themselves and respect the lives and interests of others to progress. There’s the freedom in this country to make great progress if you just are willing to plan your life so that your rights does not deny others their rights. We know we have writers -- American, western writers are called couriers.
Freedom, we had a peculiar system of slavery that took us from our past life as African people and severed that relationship with Africa so thoroughly that it doesn't make any practical sense for any of us to try to continue that history in America. It has done a terrible thing through that severing by cutting ourselves from our past life. But G-d knows best and G-d will not permit any injustice without Him coming to the rescue of the victim and giving them in place of what they lost that that is equal in valued and most of the time that is greater in value.
So, if we will accept that G-d Almighty has been aware of our plight, of our bad circumstances and our struggle to survive and achieve for our soul and our spirit. If we will accept that G-d has been aware of all of that and that G-d has been on our side of the good ones among us, then you should expect that the black experience -- I'm not talking about just simply using the name or wearing the name black.
The black experience that we all share, an experience tied in our humanity, dignity, and respect for our life that G-d created et cetera.
And the effort made by individuals to bring us into a collective mind for the betterment of the whole race for the whole -- Those of the past like Fredick Douglas’s statements, who left his employment to give Him presence on our history and in our lives. For like many others even some before him who were industrial-minded I won't list them all I won't list them takes too much time.
Like, Booker T. Washington, who wanted to re-train the minds of African-American people. By getting students and carry them through special drills.
Giving them an environment of their own, where the buildings the brick buildings, -- big ones too, that house education, that house the school the equipment, the teachers, the students the programs etc. Were built by the students themselves with grown-ups directing them or supervising them, even the bricks were made by them. The bricks were made by them, then the buildings were made by them. I have been there and it's so inspiring to hear them tell the citizens of the history.
We've had him we've had Du Bois and educate intellectuals and educators.
We've had him inspire with his words ‘The race will prosper or progress in the measure that we’re willing to teach our children to think’ the words of W.E.B Du Bois. We've had many others then we've had nationalist those who appeal to African-Americans that never thought that we would ever be dealt fairly by white people in this part of the world. Those who just had given up on hope that we could ever be comfortable in a white man's world and wanted a black nation of their own, Marcus Garvey, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and others.
If we can believe that, that G-d was always with us and that it was His will to give us something for our lost or for our losses that we’d be a people of value or better. He was with Nat Tuner. He was with the white man they called the wild man, John Brown. That He was with Christopher Tuck, that He was with Booker T. Washington and with all of those I have named. That He was with Mr. Fardd, called Fard Muhammad or W. Fard Muhammad or W.D. Fard. That he was with the teacher my father. That he was with my father.
That He was with Malcolm X who helped my father. Who can believe that he was with the Nation Of Islam? Who can believe that He was with W.Deen Mohammed? All those who support him they feel in a great situation to hear the rest of what I'm going to say.
G-d says to us in the Qur’an to seek with what he has made available to us. That means your good nature, yes, first of all, your good human nature. G-d created the human nature. The human nature has possibilities greater than any other nature and any other thing G-d created. No animal he created has our possibilities, for freedom and progress, for freedom and comfort, for freedom and a prosperous life. For dignity among creatures. He created no other creature like he created us human.
Not even the angels were given the dignity and honor to utilize G-d's creation and contribute from their own being. That compliment G-d’s created. Only man was given that, the thinking mind. Man male and female, only we were given that. We have been given a measure of freedom above all creatures. We have been given the freedom to create where he did not give that to other creatures except in very small measure. That we hardly notice to give him any credit for being creative.
G-d is the creator of this world and us and everything. All possibilities are within his own work of creating the world in us. There no possibilities for anything except in the world that G-d created with his help, with his spirit working with us. There're no other possibilities for anything. We couldn’t speak had not G-d made to speak. We wouldn’t even have languages. We wouldn’t have a world giving us science had not G-d made the world to give us science or these sciences and made our brain to engage the world.
So, that the world communicates to our brain or to our mind -- the scientist. G-d said, "seek by the means I have availed to you or made available to you, the afterlife. Actually, the word simply means the latter, the end. It is not saying paradise, it is not saying heavenly. It's simply saying the latter or the end. Some will translate it, the destination or the destiny. G-d then has will or intended for his creation, human creation, when he created them a definite conclusion, definite end, a definite goal for the life of the whole people.
This end is not for any one nation that they're talking about. This end is not for any one race. This end is not for any one religion, no it's not. The day of conclusion is called Yaummi-Deen is not called Yaummi - Islam it's called Yaummi-Deen Why? Because G-d has -- He said if I had wanted you to be one community, I would have made you so. G-d says it was in his power as we know. We believe that people and me believing in G-d.
That's in G-d's power if He had will that he had wanted it that way, he could have made it so that we would not think in any way other than he wanted us, created us to think. He could create us to think only Islam and we would not have been Jews and Buddhist and Hindus and Christians and others. He said, he made us this way and he tells us now vie with one another, travel and compete with one another in all that is good. That's what G-d said.
He created us different so that we would engage each other in a competition for all that is good. We're living in a time now that I call the day of religion. Yaummi – Deen does not only means day of judgment. In fact Deen means debt. Judgment is implied but Deen is religion. Deen-ni-Al-Islam I've just said it's my religion in Arabic. Any Arab that speaks Arabic understood what I said, Although, I'm sure you got some friends from the immigrant community.
Who got something, they're working against us to undermine my credit and hope that you will follow them and their way and forget about what I'm telling you and just remember that I called you the Qur’an and the Sunnah and that's all, I stop there. Then, they take over from there and give you the Qur’an and the Sunnah His whole life, his whole mission was just to bring you to us. Give you the Qur’an and Sunnah. Now you got everything from him he cannot give you any more.
Now you come to us, you are our fruit. Brother do you know what F.O. I. means Fruit Of Islam you fruit of the Islamic world you are our fruit come on brother we will help you now. Take you and educate you. They're waiting, they will teach that are not there, get your own fruit in America they are ours.
We have to realize what G-d has created us for. That G-d has created us for great responsibility and G-d is going to give us in the place of our loss, that of equal value and greater. We have to be prepared to do exactly what G-d is asking us to do, get our share. He says, "Use what I have made available to you to get the hereafter. To get the latter or the destiny, or the end that I have planned for you but don’t forget your share of the material worlds.
Do not forget your share of the material world.
G-d, He says He's speaking to us as one individual, who is he saying this to? He was saying this to a wealthy man. The wealthy man who had great wealth but this wealthy man was not just by those that he rose up upon. He rose up upon the poor and the weak. He got rich upon them. In his wealth was a share for them if he's just. G-d is reminding this individual that in your wealth is a share that belongs to the poor, that belongs to others.
That you have risen up upon, that you have used to get up and they get wealth by. The few by whom you have used to get wealth. G-d is reminding him. G-d is speaking to him as an individual. Is that the end of the explanation of Tafseer or a commentary on that? No. No, indeed it's just the beginning of it. The same figure mentioned in the Bible. The rich man is questioned, and he asked how can I be saved or how can I be accepted? The answer was you have to be born again.
You have to be born again, that's the answer in the Bible. He said how can I return to my mother's womb? The answer was given again, nevertheless, you must be born again. That was the answer given to him. The Qur’an is just the same thing, the same rich man. The Qur’an is the same, reminding him how he can be reborn again. How can he be reborn again? Recognize that the poor that you have built your wealth on should get theirs too, have a share in your wealth.
So, have a charitable heart, be generous and remember those that you were indebted to for your own wealth. That's how you can be born again. G-d speaks to that person in the singular and does not give him any name in the Qur’an pardon me he does have an identity. When G-d speaks to him and says, qa means you, speaking directly to one person. G-d is speaking to all people like him, to all rich people like him but G-d is also speaking to the poor. See how powerful G-d's communication is?
When G-d is speaking to him he's also speaking to the poor. He's using that rich man to tell the poor you have a share of the material world that is yours. I made those material worlds, not just only for these rich people. I made this world for all of you. If you want to let the rich go ahead and use you and rise up upon your back, upon their putting you down. Guess what they do when they don’t inform you that you have this great potential and great power in your own self.
G-d created you just like he created every rich man, with the same intellect, quality with the same inherent potential for great things, for great works. G-d is awakening the poor and the ignorant at the same time he is rebuking or addressing the problem of the rich man by saying, "Yes rich man, in my eye I created you a human and in my presence you have a right to your share." But that makes the rich man wonder though, G-d says my share. When G-d says my share, does my share still stand that I said was my share?
No. Like mama in the home, I know you have good mamas like I had. Mama sometimes says you're getting hungry, you're running off the street, you're running to the table, you start grabbing food. She said you get only your share. Your other brother didn’t eat or the rest of the family didn’t eat, get only your share. Sometimes you have to check one . Well, that's what G-d is doing for this rich man he checks him because he's going overboard. So, G-d says you are entitled to your share. Did not say, don’t forget your share. He says to the rich man, yes you're entitled to your share too.
You’re entitled to your share of wealth. So, rich man, a free person in a society or in a world. G-d said you have the freedom to a mass great wealth if you have the power and ability and skills or whatever resources to become a billionaire, become a billionaire, become a trillioneire. But don’t forget your share. Your share is not the trillion or the trillions. Your share is a part of that. Those that you’ve used in the process of getting that big, they have shares too in it.
G-d created all of us and created all of us to have part of the world or share the world that he made. This is what G-d is saying, "Don’t forget your share." G-d is speaking through him as I said before, to every one of us. G-d does not want too speak to us as a community, not when it comes to us being aware of what we have from G-d individually. G-d is speaking to us individually Ka individually. Kum? With the As-Salaam-Alaikum, that means you all, all of you.
If I say As- Salaam-Alaika. It would be very impossible for me to come in here and great you As- Salaam-Alaika who is the Ka I'm speaking to? Where's the individual I'm speaking to? “Kum” means all of you. Ka means just one of you. G-d is saying that I have created every human individual for honor, excellence, dignity and great work. Some will develop the resources of their parents, some won't. Some will be awakened, some will not. Some will be held down and confused and their minds will be overcome.
But the deceit of those that want to exploit their resources and keep them as a company of workers or a company of slaves or our nation or consumer. But I will not tolerate that I'm a just G-d, I will awaken in them an awareness of their great worth. Their equal dignity with all nations and they will begin to rise. One day I on their side will bring them into great wealth great wealth and great prosperity. That's G-d's will for us. That's why I'm here. G-d knows it.
That's why I'm with you. I'm not with you just to treat you how to pray, no indeed. If you don’t want to pray you can’t be with me, that's for sure. Because I know my whole life owes itself to G-d. To G-d blessings and mercy and forgiveness and favor on us. My whole life and yours too, I know that. Certainly, I know the importance of prayer. But, what did Muhammad say peace be upon him? Prayers and peace be upon the wonderful, perfect soul. Why did He say, most generous human being that ever walked the land or earth.
What's he saying? He said one learned person is harder on the Satan, devil than a thousand pious worshipers. He didn’t give credit to people to people who want to pray and fast and do all the rituals. Unless, they're also making a contribution to the improvement of the society, educating the members of the society, putting the society in a position where they can be free and more productive.
Those are the ones that he gave a great credit to. Again he said referring to the same value or to the same balance that we should teach. Praying and work, have faith in work.
He said the ink the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr. The ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr. Meaning that one who will give his mind, give the blood of his mind, give the blood of his knowledge to the people so they become better educated and thereby become a better and more productive society. That one's gift to G-d is more valuable and more precious than a gift of one who just sacrifices himself spill his physical blood. Die for his people. That's what Muhammad said and he's our leader.
If he's not, then you are in the wrong religion. You're not in the right religion, you're in the wrong religion and you're certainly in the wrong company with me here. I've got some other friends here too they will tell you the same. If Muhammad is not your leader prayers and peace be upon him you're in the wrong company. Getting our values correct and accepting and knowing that G-d didn’t create us to have spirit and no body. G-d created us to have spirit and flesh, Spirit and a body. Again addressing this balance Muhammad says to marry is my tradition.
So, those who don’t marry are not of the prophet's tradition, not on Muhammad's tradition. That’s another tradition. Buddhism or something or Monks, Catholicism or something priest they don’t marry. But to be a Muhammad sunnah of Muhammad tradition you have to believe in getting married. This is the balance the community of Muhammad is called in the Qur’an also the mid-way community. It doesn’t go to the extreme that leads us to materialism, to think materialist.
It doesn’t go to the extreme to lead us to spiritualism that would deny us our freedom and performance that G-d intends for us to have in a material existence or a material world. The world is laughing at us, don’t you know that brothers and sisters? When the world accepts that we call ourselves spooks and put Soul Train on television blowing steam Soul, S-O-U-L train. Soul train, the train of soul, that’s spook train. They have wise learned minds among us. One of them wrote spook who sat by the door.
The spook who sat by the door. We have had enlightened ones among us trying to wake us up. You were spooked. You don't have your social life constructed or build up. You don't have your family life build up. We're not talking about family relations. We're not talking about blood relations when I say family life build up. We're talking about support -- family life supporting by G-d, by industry, by wealth, by investment and community.
That's how you make a family strong. They have been trying to awaken us. I got to keep watching this one over here. Time is running out on me. It's time that we realize that we are short of reaching our destination. In spite of Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby and many others now, very successful in the corporate world.
Speaker 1: Charitable African-Americans we have. Fine examples of professional people gaining wealth and sharing it. In spite of that, the race is still a race of poor people. The race is still a race of consumers. What do we produce? We consume. We're not producers. We are consumers. There isn't a small production not even to be registered, not even to be recorded our production as the people.
There's not even enough to even record our economic or our material or our business production. No, not enough to be recorded as a people but what stands out? What are we? Consumers. You shop at the grocery store. How many grocery stores do you shop at that's yours? You are providing the food. You brought in the food. You rented or built the facility. How many are existing?
This is a teaching provided by Elijah Muhammad. This is time for the teaching of Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Never was there a time better than right now for the teaching of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. There used to be a time when we were fearing to invest because we said the White man claims the whole America for himself, he will take from us anytime they want to and give us no excuse. That's the truth. He would do that. The law was not there to protect you but the law is there to protect us now.
The law protects us as it protects every other citizen. We don't have to accept that anymore. This is time for you to believe that economic empowerment is possible for the African-American community. This is time for you to believe in that. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad struggled to get us just to feel a sense of equal value with white people, feel the sense of equal power with other people, to motivate us to want to do something for ourselves and to take charge of own circumstances and make life better for ourselves, in our hands, in our brains. Honorable Elijah Muhammad wanted us to do that. The time had never been better than it is right now for us to do that.
We don't have to worry. We got friends on our side but we don't need too many friends. The African American people have grown out of fear of the white man. The white man can not spook us anymore. No, we don't see him as divine or our G-d anymore. The government will be protecting us but the KKK would get an ass whooping if they come out openly and try the things they used to do.
They know they can't defeat us. They can only defeat us if the United States government people backed them up, if the police department will come and arrest us and let them go free but in a one man on man -- one-to-one or a group of us against a group of them, they know chicken's feathers will be picked.
All right? They would go home naked.
It's the time we wake up ourselves to our history and believe that G-d has been overseeing it all. When they brought us from Africa, G-d was overseeing it all. G-d was saying, "Some of these souls are good and they're going to remember me in bad times and good times. I'm going to always be with them. When this old land has earned nothing but a deaf ear from me, I won't be with them anymore I’m talking about Africa. I'm going to be with these that they all victimized." G-d's presence is with us. G-d's will is on our side. What ever your Imam .Deen wants to do you please follow him. G-d is with him.
Thank you. I want all of you to hear this and I hope that you would help make others hear it. I have nothing but appreciation for our pre-enterprised system and our market that promotes fair competition. I have nothing but the highest praise and highest respect for it. We don't want to go into a business and sell you something and claim that you're supposed to buy because you are our black brother even though it's higher than the same product that you can buy at another store or from others.
We don't want to ride that way. We don't want any special condition for us in business. We want business to be the same for us as it is with anybody else. We have to stop being so greedy and we have to start trusting one another. We have to start supporting those that qualify for our support and denying our support to those that don't qualify for our support. Let us punish bad business. Let us punish bad business people. Let us reward good business and reward good business people.
That's how we rise business and business in the United States of America. Do it any other way, you would be a loser while others are doing the same crooked thing you're doing and they'll succeed. Well, explain that for me Imam W. Deen Mohammed. I said G-d has selected us to make us a model and a witness that he is G-d - present all the time and that he has been on the side of the victim and is with the victim. It is G-d that's bringing the victim to their salvation.
Now, if you belong into this group, doing the crooked the things and trying to rise and prosper the crooked way others do, G-d is going to knock you down much faster than you would knock down one of them. Why? Because he didn't select them for his cause. He selected you for his cause. You are the loss. You are those cut off from your past history. You are those that were denied your human life, his freedom, his dignity and his vision for your future.
You're the one that was robbed of your humanity, of your properties that G-d created you with. You are the ones that G-d has selected for his purpose to show his presence that he is a just G-d.
How can G-d make His presence known on Earth anymore plainer to the world and the nations of the world than by taking us and choosing us and being with us until we stand equal with others, until we have a neighborhood, a community with the dignity of the best neighborhoods in the communities in the United States? How better can G-d make His presence known as a G-d on the side of justice than helping us to get there, in that good place? Are you following me?
Audience: Yes.
In the nations of families of America, one member group can contribute to the freedom of the other member by upgrading it's value to the whole or to the nation. When one member upgrades its idea of human value, that member contributes to the safeguarding of freedom and makes the whole stronger for all. The greater the number in our population that breathes the breath of human dignity, the smaller the chance of freedom for all members Will be downgraded as small.
The whole chain is no stronger in its weakest link and that's the same, I think that's the same. The chain or a whole chain is not stronger than its weakest link. Some members in the family or nation- look unfavorably on a member when that member is not attentive to his values as regards to self as a member in that family of that nation. One member not caring to evolve weights uncomfortably on the pride, valued life and dignity of the other who are contributing through principle and value of the nation.
What am I saying with this? I'm saying that we are not only hurting ourselves directly but we're hurting ourselves indirectly. We with our negligence. we with our yawning minds. Yawning is catchy that's why somebody yawning while I’m speaking what’s that? Yawning is catchy, laughter is catchy, you just started laughing I just talked about laughing when you know what you're laughing about. Weeping is catchy once I was amongst some people and they just- I didn't know what happened but they started weeping so pitifully and so sad it was so sad and so pitiful the way they were crying I started crying.
I don't know what they were crying about but I was crying. Understand that for your emotional life many things are catching and when the honorable Elijah Muhammad was speaking to us there were some of you yawning and it was catchy, some of you were laughing too much and it was catchy, some of you are crying too much self-pity and it was catchy. Same thing for this time I’m in- some of you yawning and it's catchy. Some of you will intentionally yawn when I start preaching, because you want others to go sleep, you yawn a long time.

But G-d blesses us to have some that are alert, awake, big in the vision, committed to the purpose who'll not stop at anything- nothing will stop them but death. They're going to their destiny and they will not go to sleep because there's some yawning. They will not go through silly stuff because people are laughing, they will not say- they're serious-minded. They will not become soft and weak and sit for nothing, crying with those that pity themselves but they’ll stand firm. It will be the roaster crowing waking up the camp and keeping camp alert.
Understand this in my conclusion that when you don’t make a showing as a people for your- that shows that you respect material wealth. Show that you respect material assets you have to make a showing as a people that you respect the value of the earth and the value of the things that the earth produce or produces. G-d says He made the earth to produce all your needs not only your needs presently, He said whatever you would have as your aspirations as your future soul all your future needs- G-d has made the earth enough to supply you.
What G-d says now He created and then he said He created you of the earth. He didn't make you from nowhere, G-d made humans from the earth. He says He created us from the earth so we are earth. We're living, we're walking, thinking earth. That's what who we are. Living walking, thinking earth. He created the thinking earth to engage the earth that cannot think, to engage it. And engaging the earth that cannot think the earth gives of itself to the mind. And the mind gives of itself to the earth and pretty soon you have a beautiful world.
A new world of man's creation standing and making life more comfortable, not only for man, but for animals. Don’t you know insects never lived so comfortably as they lived in cities and rural areas where the grass is green and thick and kept that way. I know you put poison on them sometimes but I think a lot of them don't mind the poison knowing all of the other benefits they have. They just go underground a little deeper or something. G-d gives them an immunity after so long, you spray them and they don't even feel it, they think it’s rain.
I believe that’s what some of those roaches think--
You hit them and they just keeps going like the rain, like nothing but rain. So much for the joke side of it, get back to the serious part of it.
G-d created us for great things, this is more important than teaching you rituals. I can teach you rituals in one minute- Keep Allah on your mind. That's all it means, keep your respect for Allah on your mind, keep your respect for G-d on your mind. Remember G-d often during the day and when you’re awake at night. Remember G-d, that's what fikr is, it's remembering- remembering G-d Akbar and remembering G-d as the greatest power on earth every day. Remembering G-d is the greatest power on earth but that power is not for you to engage that’s exercised.
The power is for you to take your power to the world and engage the creative world so you can make life more comfortable for yourself, your loved ones, your family and your friends and your neighbors and for all people. You. understand that and understand that by your not waking up to that role and not waking up to reality that I can see that G-d has selected us. The world made us orphan children- orphan children, no nation can really claim us and no nation wants to.
I'm not saying that as a derogatory ways but no nation wants to claim us. G-d will not permit any nation to claim us and if they would G-d would not permit us to go to any nation. G-d has selected us for His purpose and if you'll accept that and accept that you’ll continue life of ignoring that building up your own production you must become a productive people. You must produce so that your production reflects the power, the value and power that G-d has put into you as a people just like He put into other people.
Japanese, British, I don't care who they are He has put the same into you. Don't you know that's an insult to G-d that you don't show what He put into you that's an insult to G-d. Like our children our boys and girls that we raise we give them the best of care, we give them the best of motivation, we invite them to share our business to become future owners and future operators of our businesses.
Then the businessman look at one of the children he shows no interest in that, he shows no interest there, he shows no desire to get involved, he just wasted his time. He wants to make his father feel like- when you got a mother feel like he had never been born or he could be better off if he’s thrown out somewhere and forgotten about. Then they’re gone. Think that G-d deserves some consideration to That we create a people and not acting we’re satisfied to go shopping that’s your job getting that grocery out of other people's stores, living in other people's houses, living in neighborhoods designed by other people. Have there needs supplied by everybody else get up? Time is vout for that , I want to ask G-d to whip us. Punish us G-d if we don't wake up to our responsibility. I ask G-d for that.
We are ready being punished, but I’m asking that he increased the punishment on us if we don’t wake up to our responsibilities. I'm not anything but a truthful man. I'm not anything but an honest man. I'm not anything but a sincere man. I'm not anything but a man that want to see you have, not just me have. If you cheat my leadership, you should be punished. Thank you very much. As-Salaam-Alaikum.
[00:31:42] [END OF AUDIO]

