‘Reconciliation’: An Example For The Muslim World

By The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan | Last updated: Jun 24, 2014 - 11:22:44 AM

I am a student of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and I could never thank Allah enough for His merciful intervention in our affairs in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad. We thank Him for His coming; we thank Him for His wise choice of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to start us on a journey to Allah and to Islam, and to the universality of Islam. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad had a specific function, and it started in a “narrow focus”: On the condition that White America had imposed on Black people.

That condition unfortunately still remains with many of our people, a condition of self-hatred, where no matter how well we try to be together, there is always something among us that stops our unity, thereby impeding the power that we need to make the progress that is demanded of us in this time.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad

I thank Allah for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I would not be able to do anything that I have been blessed to do were it not for him and The Guidance that he gave me, when I didn’t even know he was “planting seeds” that would germinate later into actual guidance to rebuild his Work. His Work was necessary then. His Work is necessary now.

But none of us could be “Muslims” without a foundational knowledge of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him; so I thank Allah for Imam W.D. Mohammed, the son of Elijah Muhammad, who had a very specific work to do that would put us further on the path of the universality of The Teachings.

Elijah Muhammad said to me one day: “Brother, they call me a ‘Black nationalist’… Brother, ‘Black’ is not national; ‘Black’ is universal, for everything started in darkness and then came out into the light.” I am honored to be here tonight because this is something that has been in the works for nearly 40 years: That we who came apart, for whatever reason, in due season find our way back to each other. Because we are Muslims! And even though we had serious disagreements, it never caused us to shed the blood—the precious blood—of another Muslim. The whole world of Islam can learn from our example.

Study the motion of Islam in America: Our Work is as The Work of Prophet Muhammad

Now, some say, “Well yeah, yeah, yeah … But that was a period [in time back then when] the Teaching was ‘darkness’.” I understand. But I also want you to understand: Have you ever watched the sun rise? Go out some morning and just watch the sun rise; you don’t see the sun first, you see rays of light. Darkness still prevailing, but the rays of light say “light is coming.” And degree by degree the sun rises; then, it’s “darkness mixed with light.” And then the darkness is gone, and the only thing left is the brightness of the day.

Allah’s Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), raised a nation “by degrees.” This Qur’an was not given to him “at once,” but over 23 years. Do you remember how it started? The Muslims in the early days were praying—and they were drunk! Can I get “a witness” somebody? (Smile) Then The Qur’an says in Surah 4, verse 43, “Go not near prayer when you’re intoxicated.” At that time prayer was twice a day until The Prophet’s Night Journey. And it would have been 50 prayers if, according to Hadith Sahih Al-Bukhari (Vol. 4, Bk. 54, No. 429), Prophet Muhammad hadn’t been troubled by Moses to keep going back to God; but every “one prayer” became the value of “10.” I thank Allah for Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and The Path that he laid down.

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I want to recite a few things that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to me that makes this moment so historic. When he said that Master Fard Muhammad gave him 104 books to study, the best of those books was Qur’an. When Master Fard Muhammad met him, He gave him an Arabic Qur’an—but the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to Master Fard Muhammad: “I can’t read it,” and Master Fard said, “Read.” Again, he said: “But, but I can’t read”—Elijah Muhammad did not know that he was going over the steps of Prophet Muhammad himself. [Please refer to the verses of Surah 96 Al-’Alaq “The Clot,” the first revelation Prophet Muhammad received.]

And if you really studied the motion of Islam in America, we are absolutely going over the steps of The Prophet himself.

“The Persecution of The Muslims”—did we suffer that? Did many of us go to prison rather than fight in unjust wars in America? Did we do that? And will we do it again, when the Israelis are pushing America to go to war with Iran? Over what? “Well, they’re trying to make weapons of mass destruction!”—who said so? The same liar that told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction! Did we find them? And how many American children have died on the basis of a lie? But Who Is Strong Enough …

Don’t tell me that “Allah is The Power” and you’re afraid, now, to speak truth to the powers that be! Either He is in your life or He’s not, because this is no game to be played today!

‘Keeping our duty as it ought to be kept’: An Ummah mindful of Shaitan’s interference

In the Holy Qur’an, Surah 3 Al-’Imran (“The Family of Amran”), verses 101-102 (Section “Muslims exhorted to remain united”) it reads: “O you who believe, keep your duty to Allah, as it ought to be kept, and die not unless you are Muslims. And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited. And remember Allah’s favour to you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favour you became brethren. And you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes clear to you His messages that you may be guided.”

Why is the Ummah divided so terribly today that Muslims are killing Muslims? Judging “who is” or “who is not”? Who put on you “the robe of Allah,” that you can sit as a judge over who is and who is not? Allah says He knows best who is and who is not. And Allah already knew we would have differences, but He said He will settle the differences between The Believers.

Dear Muslims: We have an opportunity today to be an exemplary community of not what “Islam” looks like, but what “Islam” is. Prayer is wonderful, because it’s our way of communicating with our Creator. But when prayer becomes a ritual, and loses its significance; when we pray and we’re not mindful of what we’re saying—and most importantly, to whom we’re saying it … Know that Shaitan can make salat! And those of us who look on “the outside” say, “Ah, it’s a good brother.” It reminds me of the Book of Job (Chapter 1, verses 6-12) in the Bible: The Sons of God went to present themselves before God, and guess who was walking with them? Satan.

God asked Satan, “Whence cometh thou?” and Satan spoke boldly: “I came from walking up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking whom I may devour.”

Question for us: “Are we really the servants of Allah? Or have we been devoured by a clever Shaitan?” We have to think, now. Study the argument in The Holy Qur’an between Satan and God in Surah 7 Al-A‘raf (“The Elevated Places”), verses 11-18; Satan says to Allah, “Respite me till the day when they are raised.” Think over the word “raised”: “Raised” how? Because there has to be something missing if you are walking with Satan, thinking you’re walking “The Walk of Faith.” And The Satan has made evil fairseeming to us where we, now, can “get along by going along” with “same-sex marriage”—this is “all right” now? And you can’t stand up on what God has revealed in the Bible, in The Torah, The Gospel, and The Qur’an? It doesn’t mean you don’t love your brother or sister who is deviant; but how many of us are “holy”? How many of us would be where we are if Allah did not forgive us and show us mercy?

That’s why this meeting tonight is so important because it comes just in front of our Ramadan. I heard a beautiful word from one imam this morning (at the interfaith dialogue) who said that “feeling has to come back to us.” Oh … He said we don’t “feel for each other.” Wait a minute! You mean you could see a Muslim with an AK-47 shooting at another Muslim? And one Muslim is saying “Allah U Akbar,” and the other one is firing back, saying “Allah U Akbar”? If you can’t feel the pain of a Muslim, or a Christian or a Jew or an agnostic, who is dying under unjust circumstances, then you’re numb, or dead.

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“Respite me until the day when they are raised,” and Allah said, “Surely you are one of the respited ones.” And what did Satan say? He said “I’m going to come after them …”—“them” who? “The followers of your prophets”; “I’m going to come after them in”—what? Sirat al-mustaqim: “I’m coming after them in The Straight Path! And I’m going to come to them from before them, from behind them, from their left side and from their right side! And I’m going to make all of them”—what? Deviate. Allah said, “Whoever you cause to deviate, I will certainly fill hell with you all.”

Now look at “religion”: Has Satan come in the straight path of the prophets, and the truths that they taught, to divide that community? Muslims, Allah says in The Qur’an (Surah 45:16-21) that they didn’t become divided until after knowledge came to them, splitting up their religion into sects and parties due to envy among them.

Why don’t we support Masjidullah? “Well, I am an imam, and I have my mosque too! And, uh, I won’t help Masjidullah—they’ll shine better than me in Philly … ” Now, don’t tell me that kind of stuff doesn’t creep up into the hearts; because that is where Shaitan is: He comes up into the heart and the mind of a Believer, and you will not support another Believer! See, we support Masjidullah not because of “the imam,” but because of the work that this mosque is doing for Philadelphia and for the citizens of Philadelphia!

Shaitan says: “I’m gonna come at them from the left side”—boy, that’s heavy; this means he is going to come directly as your enemy. But now, he is coming from the right side like he is “your friend.” Then he goes in front of you when you’re trying to do a good work, and he lies about your intentions and the good that you desire to do, to build up opposition against you! And then he follows up (“from behind”) the good that you do with slander and evil! “I’m going to make them all deviate … ” In another part of The Qur’an (Surah 15:36-44) it reads similar, where Allah says, “You’ll get all, Satan, except My purified ones.”

Question: “Are we the ‘purified ones’?” Just check ourselves out—are we the “purified ones”? See, if you’re “purified”: You may try to purify yourself, but all of us need Allah to intercede to purify us for His sake.

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At the interfaith dialogue this morning, I broke down as I looked at the picture of my Brother Imam W.D. Mohammed and myself. I have loved him since we were little fellows together; and the most grievous moment to me was when I had to attend his Janazah. But he lives … I’ll say it again—He lives: He lives in the hearts and the minds of everyone that his word has affected; he lives in the hearts and minds of the students that are studying Islam and Arabic because he intervened and brought them a teaching that guided their footsteps!

And so it is with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad: I could not stand by and let the Good Work that he did be buried, nor his greatness buried, because we did not understand the step that he had to make. You may say of Elijah Muhammad: “Well, he wouldn’t preach ‘universal Islam’!” We weren’t ready for it! He came like Musa came: Preaching to a specific people who had a specific sickness. And you cannot say that The Medicine that he applied did not begin to heal our wounds that were inflicted on us by White Supremacy! And that illness of “White Supremacy” has affected the whole Islamic world …

‘The purpose of masjids’ and how Allah sends to ‘every nation’ a messenger

This is Masjidullah … You know, Allah didn’t come to give us “masjids” alone. Masjids have a purpose. Look at the 2nd Surah (verses 127-129)—pay attention to the prayer offered when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of Al-Ka’abah. They prayed, “O Allah, accept our offering, and make us submissive to Thee,” or “make us Muslims”; and “raise from our offspring”—a masjid? A temple? A church? No. They prayed: “Raise from our offspring a nation submissive to Thee.” And then it talks about Allah “sending a messenger” to fulfill that command.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, started in Arabia; but as Brother Imam Siraj Wahhaj at his khutbah taught, Prophet Muhammad said, “I am the messenger of Allah to you all, to the whole of humanity.” But Prophet Muhammad was the final step in a succession of prophets coming to nations, right? And so The Qur’an says every nation—every nation—has received a messenger. Not “some,” “every.” (Surah 10:47)

In the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, Noah was sent to a people in the Middle Eastern area. And the Bible teaches that the people of that day: Every thought and imagination of their hearts was to do evil. So Allah punished them. And then the Bible teaches, “As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be” in the future. God sent Lot to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah—and most of us sometimes forget: Allah doesn’t necessarily change Himself to please us; we’re going to have to conform to please Him! The people in Sodom and Gomorrah were doing something that no people had ever done before them! And what is that? Males coming to males with lust in their hearts, as they would a female.

Now what is going on in America? And now even preachers, and a president, swear on the Bible not to uphold the Bible, but to uphold The Constitution of the United States of America. But why do you put your hand on the Bible, and then violate the moral teachings contained in that book—as a president of the United States?

Who is going to tell him? See, if you’re looking for a “little handout” from the government, you’re not going to talk! Your mouth is sealed because your need for money has crippled your heart!

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Allah says in The Qur’an, Surah 3, verse 109: “You are the best nation raised up for men; you enjoin good and forbid evil and you believe in Allah … .” He didn’t say “you’re the best” masjid; “the best” synagogue; “the best” church. It’s a nation in submission to The Will of God. That’s what He’s seeking. As a Christian, Jesus said, “On this rock I build…”—not a “church,” but it really is a “community”; a “nation.” So I come back to this question: “Has Satan got us while we proclaim God?”

Look outside the door; look at the behavior of our people. Look at the behavior of America: She had no business in Iraq. She can’t say she’s going over there to “set down a tyrant” when we’re living under tyranny—set yourself down! But you’re so powerful and so arrogant, Allah has to do that. And look at how He’s whooping the hell out of America—and you haven’t seen anything yet!

Now, you can say that “Elijah Muhammad was off,” but he said The Judgments of Allah will come against America—“Four Great Judgments”: Rain, Hail, Snow and Earthquakes! Well, are they coming? Yes! And it’s going to intensify. He didn’t say it alone; Jesus said it will be just “the beginning of sorrows” when you see pestilence and famine and earthquakes in diverse places, and wars, and rumors of wars.

You are “the best nation,” so we have to begin to think like a nation: “Nations” have to feed their citizens. “Nations” have to educate their citizens. “Nations” have to guarantee security of those that embrace that nation. We are in submission to Allah—He is Sufficient for us! … We must do something for self.

We are ‘One Community’: Support Masjidullah

So in closing: May Allah bless Masjidullah. The check that we pledged will be in the mail, because I love this work, and I love the work that The Believers are trying to do in The Name of Allah.

Did you know that in December of 1999 Imam Mohammed, Elijah Jr. and the Imam’s daughter Ngina came to our little farm in Michigan; and we sat down and had lunch together. In my house I always sit at the head (if you’re “the head” of your house); but when the Imam came, I would not sit at the head of the house: I left that seat open for his dad, and he and I sat across the table from each other like brothers.

Saviours’ Day 2000, Min. Farrakhan and Imam Mohammed.

I asked him; I said, “Brother Imam, Saviours’ Day 2000 [themed “A Family Reunion”] is coming up, and I would love that you’d come and say anything to the members of The Nation that Allah would put on your heart. And we would share the day together.” And he said, “Brother Farrakhan, I will come. I’ll have something to say. But on that day you will carry the day.” He came, he brought his wife; Elijah Jr. came, and Muslims from both communities came—in February, it’s cold! But it was 70 degrees that day in February… Allah was smiling that two brothers were coming together.

I said to our Muslim brothers and sisters [“from the broader Ummah”] who were there: “I know you mean well, and you want to see our community rise, but you don’t know Black people—you don’t know the ills of our community. It’s going to take one from among us to raise us up.” So I told them on that day, that would be done by Imam Mohammed and myself. And on that day, from The Mosque Cares, Imam Mohammed donated $5,000 to The Nation of Islam. And believe me: It’s an honor for me, on behalf of The Nation, to give back what he gave, and double it, because we are One Community.

May Allah Bless us! May Allah Guide and Protect Us! May Allah facilitate the way for us to come together, and reconcile our differences, and be One Ummah for The Glory of Allah and for the furtherance of The Cause of Islam!

Thank you for reading these words.

The Final Call