WEB POSTED 08-22-2000

'A wise man changes many times; fools never change'

A flood of wild letters must be crowding the mailbox of The Honorable Louis Farrakhan, because I have received, over a period of time, purported copies of some of the correspondence supposedly sent to him. The concerns which stand out most are the writers� disagreements with the changes in our relationships with various members of the Human Race. And they attempt to base their objections upon the teachings and positions of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. That is why I chose, as a heading for this particular column, a statement which I heard The Messenger repeat more than any other.

Change is natural; change is life. When change ceases, death immediately occurs. The most obvious example is the fact that the death of a human being is certified by the fact that the heart and lungs are no longer seeing to it that the blood is receiving new air to cleanse the impurities from it. If you are over seven-years-old, according to the scientists, your body does not contain a single cell that was present when you were born, and every seven years there is a complete change.

When you become a toddler, that does not condemn your person nor your actions when you were an infant, nor does your status as a teenager nullify any good you achieved as a toddler. Yet, physically, you are a brand new person. That is why Paul stated that when he was a child he spoke as a child, because he understood as a child, but, as an adult, he put away childish things. But he never condemned his childhood.

These would-be experts on the teachings and program of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad would fail the same test as the hypocrites around Jesus failed. According to The Holy Qur�an, 3:51, Jesus perceived disbelief among those who claimed to be with him, so he posed the question, "Who will be my helpers?" The hypocrites answered, "We are Allah�s helpers." Yet, they knew nothing about Allah that Jesus had not taught them.

Time, the sages say, brings about a change. Nearly forty years ago, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad lectured three successive nights at a prominent Church in Los Angeles. As the host minister, I introduced him each night. On the day following the first lecture, he met with the minister and other officials of the church, and one of the first things the Christian Minister presented was a request to The Messenger that I be permitted to serve on the church�s Deacon Board. The Messenger declined the offer for one reason � he said, "It is not time!" He went on to describe a time when it would be virtually impossible to tell us apart, because as we grew in knowledge, we would grow to see that there is but One God.

As Allah commanded Muhammad, "READ!" The Qur�an, Surah 29:46 instructs the Muslims not to dispute with the Christians, but to say, instead, "... We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which has come down to you; Our God and your God is One, and it is to Him we bow (in Islam)."

Surah 5:82-83 states, "... And nearest among them in love to the Believers (Muslims) wilt thou find those who say, "we are Christians"; because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the Apostle, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth... ."