The Final Call

Uniting communities and a celebration of service

By Daleel Jabir Muhammad | Last updated: Nov 20, 2019 - 9:19:06 AM

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Nation of Islam Student Supreme Captain Mustapha Farrakhan.

NORTH HAVEN, Conn.—Pioneers from the Nation of Islam and the broader Islamic community came together in brotherhood to honor men and women who have served the Muslim communities of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and Imam W.D. Mohammed. The annual celebration presented by the Abdul-Majid Karim Hasan Islamic Center bought together Believers from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Muslims from various cities within the Eastern region.

It was a prestigious occasion held Nov. 9 in North Haven, Connecticut, at the beautiful Fantasia Banquet facility. Honorees included: Sister Hajjah Rahim Abdullah Sabir, Sister Fitrah Muhammad, Sister Carolyn El Amin, Brother Khalil Abdul-Aziz, Brother Dr. Murad Muhammad, Brother Mustapha Farrakhan, Brother Dr. Abdul-Majid Karim Hasan and featured guest speaker Imam Abdul Karim Hasan.

Sister Hajjah Rahim Abdullah Sabir is a community advocate overseeing the Women Advisory Council in Philadelphia and who was instrumental in helping to acquire nearly $2 million to establish Masjidullah in Philadelphia for Islamic growth and development. Sister Carolyn El-Amin is president of the International League of Muslim Women, a group of women whose mission is to serve the needs of disadvantaged families. Sister Fitrah Muhammad is executive producer of “Study Islam” an intensive educational program that advances knowledge of the Holy Qur’an. Student Supreme Captain Mustapha Farrakhan, son of Min. Farrakhan was honored and given an award for his work in helping his father in the mission of spreading the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

Dr. Murad Muhammad and Brother Yusuf Ibn Shah, son of the late, great Fruit of Islam (FOI) Captain Yusuf Shah, trainer of the FOI in the 60s and 70s—planned this momentous occasion to continue the path of unity that Imam Mohammed, son of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, and Min. Farrakhan, the Hon. Elijah Muhammad’s national representative, started two decades ago.

Love is between the hearts of the believers no matter minor differences there may be, explained Sultan Muhammad, great-grandson of Elijah Muhammad and National Student Imam of the Nation of Islam.

(L-R standing) Joanne Najeeullah, Yusef Ibn Shah, Dr. Murad Muhammad, Darnell Larimer, Mustapha Farrakhan, Abdul Karin Hasan, Imam Sultan Muhammad (l-r seated) Carolyn El-Amin, Rahima Abdullah-Sabir, Zakiyyah Hasan, Gloria Larimer, Karen Farrakhan, Mrs. Abdul Karin Hasan.

Bro. Shaun Muhammad, wife Leah and children Wazeer, Steed and Mahwah with Mustapha Farrakhan and Eastern Regional Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad.

“We will establish Islam as freedom, justice and equality for all of our people. That’s what separates us in standing apart from the old world of Islam. There are no boundaries … there is one ummah, one nation, one community,” said Imam Sultan Muhammad. “Now as a nation with all of its branches, all of its leaves deeply and firmly rooted in Master Fard Muhammad and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, our shared history is a shared understanding that will move us into a shared vision in the future insha’Allah (God willing),” he added.

“As one who started in the Imam’s community and now with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, it is a dream come true. It is a blessing to see our Student Supreme Captain being honored today in this manner and the respect that we were shown here today shows that we are one nation,” said Imam Sultan Muhammad.

“We’re thankful to be here at the 60th anniversary celebration for the Abdul Majid Karim Hasan Islamic Center and to see the honorees and our esteemed honoree Student Supreme Captain Mustapha Farrakhan. He’s here with his beloved wife Sister Karen. We, the student regional laborers of the East Coast region on behalf of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, pay honor to his son and to our servant for the mighty work that he continues to do and all the honorees that are being honored here today,” said Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, NOI East Coast Regional student minister.

“Allah says in the Holy Qur’an you are the best nation raised up from men, you enjoin good and you forbid evil. The unification work between the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and Imam Warith Deen Mohammed continues with our communities,” he added.

Yusuf Shah shared the action plan of bringing the communities together and the next step of developing an economic engine to sustain and advance the growth of the two communities. “It is bringing us closer together because there’s a finality in all of this. There is an idea, there is a plan and an execution of that plan,” he said. “We must have unity and in order for us to have unity, we have to have a plan to be self-sufficient. This is significant because we have the right elements together to do it and we have the right atmosphere in America amongst Black people to want to unify. Economics is important, which is power in this country. You cannot be self-sufficient unless you build an economic base to do what is necessary for the community,” said Bro. Yusuf Shah.

When deciding who to honor this year, Bro. Yusuf Shah said they were thinking about honoring different ministers or captains from the Nation of Islam. He believed a good choice would be to honor Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan. “Not only because he is the Supreme Captain, but it will have great significance of us bonding in unity. My father, the highly regarded and late Captain Yusuf Shah, was a pioneer in these works. We can now build on that foundation that he has left for us by linking our communities. Mustapha Farrakhan is being honored for the work that he has done in the Nation of Islam as well as for being loyal to his father, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. He is also being honored for being a loving husband, father and a brother to each and every FOI.”

Speaking on a personal note Bro. Yusuf Shah added, “I am honoring him for being my lifelong friend and I am so glad that he is here today.”

In reflecting on a recent telephone conversation with Min. Farrakhan, Dr. Murad Muhammad said he told the Minister that on Nov. 9 the communities would become united. He said the Minister’s firm response was that “we are already united, one ummah Murad.” He said Min. Farrakhan also told him to take care of Yusuf Shah, “because I wouldn’t have been the man that I am if it wasn’t for his father Captain Yusuf Shah.”

Moments of reflections were shared by many of the speakers and from honorees who quoted from the NOI Supreme Wisdom Lessons and bore witness to the Economic Program of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.

Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan stated when the offer to honor him was presented, he initially said no. “I didn’t really believe that I deserved to be honored like that because of course you don’t see it for yourself, you always see it for someone else. Anytime the Minister was honored he always said that the job is not done yet but it’s encouragement to try to go finish the job,” he explained.

“When they talked to me and I reflected I said O.K. I’ll come for this purpose. Only for the purpose of putting ourselves in a position to unify based on principles and for them to respect what the Minister has done to reprove the efficacy of what the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave to us,” said Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan.

“We saw tonight those that kept referencing the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad as being their foundation and he’s their base as well so we have more in common than we have at variance,” he added. Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan also lauded the life and impact of Captain Yusuf Shah who was mentioned several times during the program.

“Captain Yusef Shah taught most of the men that was here tonight discipline and about Islam under the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and even the keynote speaker Imam Karim Hasan. All of them was trained under him, my father as well. All of us lived in East Elmhurst so with Yusef Shah Jr., we rode the bus together, we went to the same school, so we saw each other absolutely every day for nine years,” he said.

Regarding the collective economic work and plans presented by Dr. Murad Muhammad, Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan stated, “The Most Honorable Muhammad said that 95 percent of our problems could be solved with unity.”

“We have members in the Nation of Islam and members in the world community of Islam that have done some miraculous things as it relates to economics so we’ll come together and sit down at a table and talk about things that we can do together.”