The work of Muhammad the prophet, 1,400 years ago, was such that even a prominent Jewish scholar rated him as the most influential person in history. The author, Michael Hart, puts Muhammad at the head of the list, in "The 100�A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History."

Mr. Hart made clear that his ranking was not necessarily a ranking of who, in his view, and that of others, was the greatest, but the most influential. I�ll return to his book later.

There are a great many, especially in recent centuries, who were greatly impressed by Muhammad�s work and have openly stated that he was one of the greatest human beings who ever lived.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad praised and honored Muhammad and his work with the Arabs 1,400 years ago. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has expressed the same. But when Muhammad began to work to raise the Arabs, were they as bad off as Black people in America, when Master Fard Muhammad gave the Honorable Elijah Muhammad the job of raising us to Islam?

There never was a people so thoroughly robbed and spoiled, and therefore so dehumanized as we. Likewise, there never was a people, so honored as we, to be visited by God in person. He offered the ultimate depth of His love, wisdom and guidance to us that can enable us to get to the position, that we may accept the greatest opportunity ever offered to any people in history.

Up to this point, for the most part, we have reacted to this divine offer with doubt; suspicion; misunderstanding; contempt; arrogance; haughtiness and ingratitude. This is especially manifested in the way in which many, at the present time, are treating Minister Farrakhan. However, his reaction is also a powerful indication that�at least up to this moment�Allah has not withdrawn His arm of mercy.

The Holy Qur�an describes these present times. Among the descriptive terms given to these days is the Day of Decision. There are other well respected translations which use the word "sort" or "sorting" or even, in some instances, "sorting out" rather than the word "decision." Both are correct. As each person makes their decisions respecting Allah�s revelations, for these times, they participate in the final sorting out of the people, as the Qur�an foretold.

The wicked have recently stepped up their spoken and written evils against Minister Farrakhan�s motives. They seek to ruin him. Many are so weak in their understanding that they have uncritically accepted, to one degree or another, the wicked and poisonous promptings of Satan.

Minister Farrakhan�s recent magnificent work in Chicago included a ninety-minute televised interview with Brother Munir, of CROE. It was an injection of the life-restoring antidote so many of us need.

We must learn that we cannot fake the spirit of Allah. If you know what the spirit of Allah is then you know that Minister Farrakhan has it. He is, as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said of him, "full of the fire of the holy spirit of Allah." Look at how you are affected by the spirit of what he says, when he is teaching. He generates this same effect even in private conversations.

In a way, this article interrupts the subject on which I�ve been working. In another way it doesn�t. I am working to make a worthy contribution to the many discussions which center on Minister Farrakhan�s moves respecting the larger Muslim world. That will take several articles. I already intended to get to the extremely important subject of the quality of Minister Farrakhan�s motives. But there is an immediate need for this matter to be looked at on a higher level than is too often the case.

So now I�m writing to contribute to the nation-wide discussion of his motives. I am bearing witness to the uprightness; the decency; righteousness of Minister Farrakhan�s motives. Furthermore, I am writing this to provide that part of the ultimate proof of the divinity of Minister Farrakhan�s motives, as far as I can go. The ultimate part of the proof is, of course, in the hands of the Almighty and His Christ.

Plenty of people in this country, including professional critics; people of every religious�including atheists�and philosophical persuasion; politicians of all stripes, have written and spoken about the motives out of which he has said and done what he has said and done.

What are the motives out of which Minister Farrakhan speaks? What motivates him to do what he has done and is doing? How can we arrive at the ultimate truth of these questions? Whose word ought we to take for or as the truth of the answers to these questions? How important is this subject? Why is it that important?

I have not read nor have I heard all of these sayings and writings of everyone who has commented, whether brief or long, about the Minister. However, most of what I have heard via the television and the radio and read in articles and in books is not just false, but was wickedly motivated. Most of what I have heard and read from people who write and speak, as if they are experts on Minister Farrakhan, really don�t know him. In many cases they have never sat down with him. In some cases, writers have met him once or twice but have written about him in ways that show they yet did not understand the man with whom they spoke. Some told outright lies on him.

There are many who pretend to have the inside understanding of Minister Farrakhan�s motives. However, their words can only be classified as evil; wicked; malicious; callus; brutal and slimy in every respect.

Most of those who publicly oppose Minister Farrakhan claim that they are informing the world of him in addition to presenting truths about him. They claim to represent Minister Farrakhan, when in fact, they are only giving the public their superficial and corrupted views about him.

There are some truths, which have been spoken about him in America�s press and in other forms of literature. In certain instances, truths about and of him have come across. However, they don�t go deep enough.

While some don�t care to know the truth of Minister Farrakhan, there are others who have various mental-blocks, which prevent them from accepting some of the most basic truths of him, despite their efforts to grasp his significance. I�ve read of none, so far, from his critics, who have told the truth about or of his motives.

There are many friends of his who know him quite well. However, when they are pressed, their views also fall short of the full reality of Minister Farrakhan. This may become clearer as we go deeper.

So the masses of the people are left to wade through a mass of half-truths, lies, slander mixed with some truth. Most won�t take the effort. Of course, there are many who see him via the TV. That is another subject.

Now, when we who follow Minister Farrakhan speak or write of the purity of his motives, others say, "Well, what do you expect. They agree with him. These people are with him. They follow him. So it is natural that they speak good things about him, even to declaring that he speaks and acts from the very best of motives."

Suppose I fill this, and the next few articles, with glowing words about and of Minister Farrakhan�s motives. And suppose I state that what he has said and done are from the best of motives. Many would dismiss me, on such basis and say, "Well, what should you expect from Jabril? They have been friends for 45 years. He is one of his companions in what Minister Farrakhan represents. He is one of his brothers in what they believe is the most just of struggles. So it is natural that Jabril say or write good things about Minister Farrakhan. That does not make Jabril right."

They might say other things. But, in any of these instances, I think you�ll find that I cannot be dismissed so easily.

Among the first of these reactions (to what followers of Minister Farrakhan might provide as their witnesses to or of his motives) would be sincere people. The other reaction would be of those, whose idea would be designed to avoid, ignore or dismiss or destroy the real truth about and of Minister Farrakhan. Both will fail to arrive at the reality of Minister Farrakhan.

I intend to give a very brief outline of my approach to this subject and show the prime considerations omitted by Minister Farrakhan�s critics and enemies and even many of his friends. This outline will be in the nature of an explanation.

What are motives? What is motivation? Let�s narrow this down. What is a motive? What is the origin of any motive? What is the cause of motives or any motive?

The most wicked know that Minister Farrakhan is truthful; sincere; right and that his motives are pure. But they take advantage of our weak knowledge of the truth which they know by planting doubt where they know there is no justification for doubt.

Hopefully, you�ll find what I�m writing worthy of your deepest study. Then we�ll resume with the subject of the worlds of the Jews, Christians and the Muslims and their expectations about the Mahdi and Jesus.

More next issue, Allah willing.