3/8/2003
IWDM Study Library
Sisters Session Chicago, IL Pt3

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Imam WD Mohammed:
Now if he takes on a temporary now, he has to manage for two families, for at least two wives and children. And if she has children now, he's Imam for two families, two children. How is he going be the Imam for two wives and their children, two sets of children. How you going to be their Imam and keep one secret from the other? She supposed to be the leader from the other wife. So, she has to have all the interest on one table. She has to have all the interest on one table. If I have another wife and I have children by her and one day the child from one meets the child of another and learn that, I have really done a injustice and put turmoil into their lives, right? Family is too close, too private, too serious for secrets.
And there is no evidence to support the keeping of these secrets. If you have a child and this child is your child but not from your loins. This is a child from somebody else. But now the child is an adopted child. He not supposed to keep the secret that he has adopted this child. It has to be made known that he has adopted this child. And not only that, he can't keep that child and his father apart. Why? Because that child has a right to know their father. But Islam, we also have to acknowledge the father, whoever was the father. A bad guy, good guy. He has to acknowledge the father. Now how can he have a wife and she's kept secret from the other one? And he's got children from this other secret wife. That's terrible. Also, Islam allows virgins to marry non virgins. Don't worry about that. Aren’t no virgins around here. Okay, now let me be serious. I don't believe there are any virgins around. Might be,
I'm not thinking that I'm going to find a virgin anywhere. Now let me explain. The Qur'an says marry mates of like nature, of like nature. Marry mates of like nature. Lemme tell you how to run that down. You still have this water alive in you. Remember what I said the water represent. You still have this water alive in your conscience. You should marry a person who feels the same as you. That they have strong human feelings, strong human perpetuity, strong human respect for human beings, human life, etc. You should marry a person like that. So, you should marry a person of like nature. But it goes a bit further than that. Believers should marry a believer. And a lot of Muslims who, they came to the religion for one or more reasons. They came to the religion because of the environment. They come because they like the argument, they come because they like the distinction to be different from other groups. They come for many reasons. They come because they like the appeal to their reason or appeal to their manpower, masculinity or something. They come for many reasons. So, you should make sure if you're a strong believer, you should make sure you're marrying a strong believer.
And not one that's phony. Marry a genuine believer and you will have a marriage that Allah will bless. And you may run into problems but Allah will be with you and most likely that marriage will last. A strong believer.
Now I married a strong believer. In fact, more than one. I was married to a very strong believer. We believed in the same thing. And Allah says in the Qur'an "Every individual behaves according to its own disposition." Own disposition. Now if I'm dispositioned in my nature, my makeup has me dispositioned a certain way and I marry a sister and her makeup has her dispositioned in a opposite way, on a way that is not compatible with my disposition, with my essential disposition. I'm dispositioned morally and rationally. That's my disposition. I'm dispositioned morally and rationally. So, I can get emotional, but my strongest position is rational and moral. That's my strongest position. So, a person who is positioned morally, they'll give me hell. I'm going to get a lot of help from them. So, you also got to marry people of similar temperament and disposition. Make sure that you' marry somebody of similar temperament and disposition. Or you can have different temperaments and dispositions but they support each other, but they support each other. But then sometimes temperament and disposition clash, they don't support each other. That's trouble. That means all trouble. You don't have to be similar. A sister can be very sentimental.
I can get sentimental, but I'm not all the time. "Oh, that's so terrible. Oh, you so sweet." That isn’t me. Okay, alright. But the sister can be that way and we can be beautiful. She can stand for me and I can stand for her. But now if she laughs at something that I think she shouldn't have laughed at, I'll think what the hell have I got into here. if she's crying over something that I did, I'll ask her what the hell you crying about this for? Good G-d almighty.
Now I was hoping somebody ask this question. What is your view about the possibility of war in Iraq? How do you feel about Sadaam Hussein? I believe he's Sadammed. Sadammed. And I believe he's just that-Sadammed. But the people that he leads are mostly good people and innocent and not guilty of his crimes. Okay? He has committed serious crimes. Letting his soldiers rape the Kuwaiti women. Let Muslim men rape Muslim women in Kuwait. And kill the parent right before the children, little children under seven years old killed right on the spot, parents killed right in front of the little child. Look at the damage that they caused that child for the rest of the child's life. But also the Jews when they took over the area that they occupy now, they killed parents, children, everything. So, some of those deranged suicide bombers they got? They created them. They created those terrorists they call crazy and insane.
What can we do as Muslims to protect ourselves and our families if a war should occur? Well, we have to do what we're advised to do by the best, most respected, legitimate, honorable sources that we have and most of them going to come from the government, State Department, from the United States Department and some federal agencies within the government. So they will tell all of us what we need to do and it'll be passed down to our local authorities and they'll tell us what we have to do. If we're in danger of being victims of poison gas or bacteria, germ warfare or something, they'll tell us what to do. But also use your own good senses. I took a preparedness course in case there was nuclear war in prison. They made it available; I got nothing but time in there anyway. I took all the courses they got. I took a preparedness course and one of the things I remember is that if you got a basement, go in the basement and go into a certain corner, certain area of the basement and make sure you got enough food.
And I don't know if you all know this, but after you're permitted to come out, your utensils, like your pots and stuff, you can just wash them off with plain water and they are safe to use. And they say if a rain comes after it's safe to go out and breathe the air. So, you can survive. You can survive anything. Now it's different during a nuclear attack. We have to rely upon the government, President and the State Department and also those who are responsible for helping.
I don't think it's going to come to that. And I stand with those who are protesting against the starting of any kind of war with Iraq. I stand with those people who are demonstrating against us going to war. I am against going to war. The first war did a lot of damage to Iraq. Those people are still suffering from that. And the aftermath has been very, very painful for the citizens of Iraq. Their children are dying and they are suffering badly. So now who would want to see them suffering even more? What is your problem with Sadaam? You are going to put yourself in the same position that you were in before. And now you are going to create more problems all over again. I am strongly against it, strongly against it. And I believe that it might be our undoing, might be the undoing of our government If they go to war alone without the allies with them, with the allies being not in agreement with them, United Nation not okaying it, and with masses on this planet against it. That's a sign of G-d. And I think there's going to be some real terrible consequences for the United States of America. And I thank you for that question because I wanted to say something on that.
Ok. What if a husband becomes ill and can no longer perform his obligation such as providing for her and other obligations. What is a sister to do? A good Muslim sister, if her husband gets sick and can't perform. I'm going on tradition now, the Sunnah of our Prophet and the tradition of good Muslims that I've read about in history. He can't perform. She does not want to see him put in a home, being taken care of by somebody else. She wants to keep him with her because he needs her now. So, she keeps him and she does her best for him. You're not to put away our sick or ill problems or mates. You're not to do that. And you're not to divorce them because their ill and can't perform like they used to.
A sister wrote me and she was 81 years old. And just from her words I almost fell in love with her. Seriously I was thinking about marrying her. She was proposing to me. I still get beautiful cards from her. She's my sweetheart. And I told her that all she had to do was just keep doing what she was doing.
I have a class here for the children every Sunday where we are teaching them the religion. And a sister reached out to me and asked how can we support your dawah. We have several sisters here that are interested in doing that. How can we get involved with you so we can support your dawah. So, I told her that I'll send her material and for her and those who want to work with her, I want to be a part of that group. I'll send her the material and occasionally I'll come into the area and I'll give special lecture to them on dawah in Islam as I think it should be done. So, we already doing that. And she's from the Atlanta area. The sister I'm talking about, from the Atlanta, Georgia area.
I didn't know her before but I became acquainted with her about two years ago. So, if you have any desire to join my dawah efforts, just get word to me through the Mosque Cares office, through the office. Call any number, or just send me a letter at the Mosque Cares office. But if you want to send it to me any other way, if you want to meet me right away, send me the information and a number, address, a phone number preferably. But either way, email, whatever. And I'll have the office, one of my assistants or even myself get touch with you and we will make sure that you have the information so that you can join our efforts, our dawah efforts.
Domestic violence, this is very serious in this country and in other areas now where it wasn't hardly a problem. Well, some of you all have education in how to deal with the best way to deal with families that are dealing with domestic violence. You should rely on that training but also know what the Qur'an and what the life of Muhammed demonstrates to us that we can use in dealing with these problems. But your experience, practical experience, training experience is very useful. Don't ignore that. And if you don't have it and you have such a problem then find sisters in the community. We have sisters in the community who have education and training in this area. Anytime you want me to come to a workshop or something, I'll be happy to do it in dealing with these issues from Qur'an and the tradition of our Prophet.
This person didn't receive an order that they were supposed to receive. Might have been a paper or something. I don't know. What's the procedure? The procedure is to prove that you made an order. However, we just think Muslims just supposed to believe each other, we don't need no protection. You just supposed to believe another Muslim. But it says when you make a business transaction, record it and have witness. This is the Qur'an. Make a business transaction, record it and have a witness. Okay? So once the rule is established, then you should know how to apply the rules to the situation. It's not just for that one. So, you buy a case or you buy several tapes from the Mosque Cares office and you don't receive them. You should have something, if not a copy of the check, you should have something, a cancelled check to show your money has been used for this purchase. You should have some correspondence or something that is evidence that you have corresponded with our office and you were trying to get your tapes Some evidence, you need some evidence. If you present that and you don't get the results, call the police or take them to court. And if you can't call me and save us the money, Just call me and I'll take care of it right away. I'll get your product to you right away. Even if I got to take money out of my pocket. We are not supposed to take money from people and not give them what they paid for. That's a good question. I'd like to too see that too. You do that after I leave. Get a show of hands to see how many are without husbands. I might see one out there look good to me. Let me get out of here first. I could make some strong offers. Getting a pretty good income. Don't have any of these mothers of my children carrying me to court. I might take another one. I don't want to do that. Well, we have a lot in common sister. I've been married more than once. I know a lot of us brothers want to hear this.
What is the best way to support my struggling husband? Allah says in the Qur'an that He gave the woman as a mate to the man so that she will be a clothing for him. Now that clothing means protection from exposure. Because when you are dressed, your privacy is not exposed. Okay? So to protect him from exposure. Cause if he's married and he has to go out somewhere and have business with other women then it's like him going out naked, exposing himself you see. That's what it means, not dressed, means exposing himself indecently. He's doing the decent thing. So, you're to give him support to dress his life up so he won't get tempted and exposed to doing indecent things with his life. That's the first thing. You sisters like to punish a brother. You coming to bed? Oh no, not tonight.
Now we know you have that right; you have that right. So, he may just go out tomorrow night somewhere else. And through him made his mate as a comforter. To soothe sore spots, to bring comfort to his pain. So, you don't have to go bed with him. If you don't feel like it, don't do that. But can't you still love him. Love him and give him the purpose for his suffering and his misery. And say I know what you want but this is all I can give you tonight honey. And I love you. And this is serious too and I'm hurt too with you. Sister has five children but no Muslim school to send her children to. We are working hard sister to get money from business and look at other situations and I think we're getting close to being in a position to get land and have it financed, and we going to build a model neighborhood, a model community. Maybe we will have the school to start with. So eventually we'll have the Mosque and you'll have a social center for weddings and child birth celebrations and all these things, banquets and all that. And we'll have a home for semi-retired or retired citizens so that they will have environment that will not make them feel like they have no more use. An environment that will challenge their mind and their energy. So, InShallah we are going to have all of that. We already have a housing director of a housing department in Carolina, North Carolina and he's working on this. They work also outside of that state. They doing a project in Germany. So, they like what we we're doing. They liked my leadership and they said they going see if they can get something done for us. They've already talked to the local mayor of the city of Demarcus and I hope I will be talking with them soon too. I talked with the housing director in East Hazelton area and they're all in favor. The mayor of Markham has shown us some land and it's wooded it but not heavily with it. And it's right near a project that somebody had started building. Some very nice affordable housing homes. They look very good. So, all we have to do is continue that and we can build something similar and have what we want in our area and we may get the land very cheap. We just have to take over the taxes and that might be possible.
So, I can't say it's going to happen next month or even this year or next year. I can't say it's going to happen but I'm sure that it's going to happen within a year or maybe two years. it's going to happen. We'll have a project going up. The developer will come in and the job of developing land, he will take over the contract for the area for the job, subcontract to anyone who is qualified, our own skilled veteran from here from the Muslim community. And I'm told the developer Mr. Heisenberg said Mr. Mohammed, your community doesn't have hardly any money. But we will start clearing the land. And we will put a sign on the land showing the kind of homes that are going to be built. And anybody from your community, from your area can come and look at it. When they come look at it, we will help get the property financed. And once the bank gives us the money, your community will get its share of the money right away. Your money comes first. And that's the way it's done. So, before the houses are even built on the land you will already get the money.
And that's the way it's done. You don't wait for them to live in the house first. No. The bank will also will see that we get our share, developers get his share. Dealing on our land, our project, we got them the job. He said if you build enough homes, you'll bring enough money from the homes to finance your other projects. They can't build a school and those things. The kind of arrangement they have that doesn't include projects like that. Not non-for-profit properties. He said you would get enough from the homes to build the other things you want to do. . So we have people in place that can do that and we just waiting on it until to happen. Brother John Haqq, our assistant in the secretary department in the Mosque Cares office, he actually went around with them personally and actually saw the land. And he took me and he showed me the land. It looks like a real good area. It's about 12 and a half acres, I think. And that's big enough to have shown what the neighborhood could look like.
So sister, don't worry, I think we're going to have the school sooner then we think. And I'm also looking at other possibilities. I need to become a resident Imam very soon in this area. We're looking at other possibilities. A facility that I can come into and be your Imam. And believe me wherever I am that's a school. It's going to be a school. And right now, I'm teaching the children Comparative Religion, Islam, Qur'an and the tradition of our Prophet. But I saw that we had a situation to give tutoring to our students, to tutor them in these subjects. But we also have students that we have in this class, we tutor them, prepare them for their subjects in the public schools
And it's going very well. Imam Muhammad Siddeeq he's very good. He used to be the principal for a school in New York and he loves education, he loves teaching, he just loves people. He doing a beautiful job and he has some help there. So if we get a bigger facility, we can do much more. So, we will be working with children even if nothing but part-time on the weekend or something or at my class on Sunday to help get them some tutoring in areas where they're weak, and those areas where they have problems. We can help you out there. The main reason why you want them in a Muslim school would save them from the bad environment, the bad environment of those public schools. Their lives are at risk sometimes.
Yeah, their lives are at risk sometimes that's real. Public schools are the future. You'll be surprised how big public schools have gotten in the last 10 years. They quietly taking their children out of public schools and they putting their children in private schools, those they can afford it. And we have to keep our position from having at least elementary school and high school. At least for our children. Allah is with us if we want it. If we don't want it Allah is not with us.
Does the father have to give permission for the daughter to marry? Ye if he's really the father. And why is it so important that he be called upon to give his approval for his daughter marrying somebody? Because G-d recognized him as the supporter. If he's worked to keep her in the house and taken care of her well and having the things she needs. And to get her educated, then he has to be respected and has to be consulted before his daughter is given to somebody else.
Yeah. Okay. When will our community build or purchase a building of worship for all of us to attend. I met with a special group that formed to have a forum, a community forum, for us in the Chicago area. And I was very impressed with them and they have the same interests so they are working on it and I'm supporting that. We do need a facility. Okay. 15 more minutes. That's all. I'm going to have to let you all go and let myself go. You can answer this question for yourself. In fact, a lot of these questions you all can answer for yourself.
I'm pleased to answer a lot of these questions but a lot of you all can answer these questions. You have sisters who can answer all these questions for you. Okay. My father once said, he said "Where there are no decent women that can be no decent men." We have to understand this too, that all males were in your hands first before they got in our hands. They were infants in your hands and you have them your hands first. Do your best while you got them in your hands and if you should be burdened too much, and believe me, this world today burdens us too much. If you should be burdened too much, recognize that. Now just think way back there in the time before Prophet Muhammad's birth. Way back there, the better off Arab women used to send their new babies to poor, good, decent G-d caring midwives to nurse them and to care for them because they didn’t want their irritation and their burdens in their life to affect the raising of that child.
So don't be afraid. A real mother will let her child go to a better situation. If you can't afford it, come to the community and I say come to me. Come to me. If you can't afford, let us know your situation. Maybe I can't help directly but maybe I know how to get help. So, I don't give up. Let us try to get help. I wish I had enough money to really take these children off the hands of these younger. Some of these young girls, some of 'em are committed and then some of them are not. What kind of future are they going to have? They're all messed up.
Nobody could give the mother support that a mother gives the child. But some of them I know. I'm so impressed to these youngsters. They going to work full time. They're going to school and taking care of their babies. You females I'm talking you out there. I don't find brothers doing that. One or two I guess you can find. But very rare you find a brother that will go to work, take care of his baby, take his baby to the nursery and come back and pick it up. Go home, take care of the house, go to school, come back. I find a brother like that I'll just go live with him. Can I just come live with you? I don't want you out of my presence. That's leadership. Yes, brothers can be very rude. These brothers are suffering a lot of misery. They're miserable. So sisters, bear with 'em and do your best. That's all I can say. Don't take abuses but do your best. Bear with your brother. Show them kindness. Sometimes situation gets so bad nothing can help but kindness. Yeah, nothing can help but kindness. These brothers won't open the door for you. Let the door slam on you while they walking through. They had no civilization put in their lives. No civilization put in their lives. It's pitiful. So have pity on them and do your best. Show 'em kindness. That might work.
I have a question about CPC. I have to answer quickly though. The importance of CPC should be understood by us as an effort that was originally done not the because we want money but because we need money to have a better life for ourselves as Muslims. We need better schools, better qualified staff, teachers, et cetera. Better school environment, better books, better library. We need better everything. School first, but we also need a nice decent Mosque that's respectful, dignified people can come and they feel that they're not stooping down to come there. They're not stooping down, lowering their pride to come there and hear the Kutbah. Or join the prayers or something like that. And we need to bring more respect to our community. We have a religion that has created government, nations, worlds. Worlds of science and everything. Now when we have this religion and we are meeting in little old dingy places looking like bums. That shames us.
That shames us. So, CPC wants to get rid of that. We not only running a business, but we hope that we're encouraging business mindedness and encouraging more of our business people to do better with their businesses, and those who have business ability. we hope we're encouraging them to look at going into business. We want to build a strong business community in our community. We want to have a strong percentage of our following productive in business. So it's not only just to sell these products but it's also to influence interest and growth while at the same time, trying to make money. Trying to make money. And I do believe we're in a better situation I ever been in. We finally got our product labels, everything. We got the agriculture department license; we got everything and we are ready to put our product in the chain stores.
I don’t know what I can add to this. I've already answered this question. I think the question here is when the soul dies, how you explain the branches of a tree, et cetera. No, don't think of the branches of a tree, that every soul that dies we have to see it as a tree. No, that doesn't work. The example, I gave you of the water in this bottle is a better example than a tree. The water in the bottle. Our common essence like the water in this bottle that can go and fill a new life or a different life and take on beautiful construction, beautiful picture of a human being. And as long as this is the main life in that body, that life is in good shape. But if this is out of that life, no matter how you dress life up, it's in danger of becoming corrupt, ignorant, destructive, self-destructive. Anything can happen to it. Don't think of the tree. The tree is a picture of the cultural life of a people. Tree in religion, religious symbolism is the picture of a strong cultural life. Strong cultural life.
And education is the strength of a culture. If education is weak, the culture is weak. if education is strong, the culture is strong. And that's why the reference to trees is mentioned in connection with knowledge. So, if all the trees were made into pens and the seven seas multiplied over was made into ink, it would be exhausted before the words of G-d are used up. See this is Qur'an, connecting us with education and trees. So, this is a spiritual expression, it's a picture of our spiritual life. You got a good heart and you've got good deeds, then you are like a tree, a beautiful tree whose branches are reaching up to heaven. And why do men connect a tree also with spiritual life? Because trees support birds and men will always connect the birds with spiritual life.
And also because trees respond to the air, the green, the dust of air, wind, soft wind and strong wind. Trees sometime sound like a hand clapping. When the breeze is blowing just right, it almost sounds like a group of people clapping their hands, right? So these things are there to send messages to the intelligent minds. So, they have connected it with spirituality and everything. So don't think that when I mention trees it has to have that meaning and that picture all the time. They have different meanings and different expressions and different subject matter. Tree will have different meanings.
I used to hear my mother say it's like a tree planted by the water. I will not be moved. This represents a tenacity of real soul and spirit. So these things, Allah wants us to use all these to communicate the message that we want to communicate. All these things He has created are signs. So don't worry about this, don't worry about this. I'm a psychic person. I have a strong and sensitive soul. Sister, do not worry about your son. Your son is all right. Okay. Yes. Thank you. That's it. Okay, we got to the next one. I didn't want to leave till we got out all the ones they didn't want to repeat. So, if you didn't hear yours, it's because we thought it was repetitious, repeating the same question differently. I hope we didn't miss anything important to you. May Allah be with you and thank you for inviting me to be your guest.
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