In Search of the Messiah
Blessed Ramadan--Story of a Miracle Resounds into the
21st Century--Experiencing Fourth Dimensional Time
by Mother Tynetta Muhammad

"And the Believers should not go forth altogether. Why, then, does not a company from every party from among them go forth that they may apply themselves to obtain understanding in religion, and that they may warn their people, when they come back to them, that they may be cautious?"
�Holy Qur�an, Surah 9, Verse 122

Sunday afternoon, December 3rd, in Washington, D.C., I was scheduled to visit Smithsonian�s Museum of Natural History where a special exhibit was located focusing on some of Africa�s past and contemporary times with a view to the future. This visit was to include Smithsonian�s Freer Gallery, the African Museum and Sackler�s Oriental Museum of Asian Art.

Two Sisters of the Vanguard Class accompanied me to the Museums. The theme of the African exhibit was taken from the African expression of Sankofa, meaning looking back to remember. We may recall the intensely dramatic film of that same name scripted and produced by Director and Teacher of Cinematography Haile Gerima, who has taught at Howard University for the last 20 years along with his wife, Co-Producer and Documentarian, Sharikiana.

At the conclusion of this exhibit, we were making our way to the Freer Gallery, when we approached a tubular-shaped glass building, with an octagonal roof in an oriental design. This building was named the Ripley Center, International Gallery. The exhibit being featured was Three Hundred Years of the Piano. Howard University student, Sister Fatimah Muhammad, who was assisting me with my book project at the I-Lab Computer room at Howard University, had spoken to me about this exhibit, but she didn�t know exactly where it was being held at Smithsonian. So when we found ourselves walking directly in front of this unique building we were beckoned to enter to view the exhibit. We learned that this was the only building within the Smithsonian complex in which the elevator floors upon entering send you down underground level to the floors marked simply with a one and a three reversing the normal direction of going up to these numbered floors.

The key signature piano advertising the exhibit is a blond wood Grand Piano embossed with gold stars placed around the exterior of the piano itself. It was difficult not to count the imposing number of stars that surrounded the Piano cabinet. In the front area beneath the 88 keys were 13 stars. Flanked on either side of the keyboard were placed three stars on each side. Thirteen plus six equals 19. The remaining stars which skirt the entire base of the Piano�s length on either side came to 50, which more than likely represent the 50 stars in the flag of the United States Government.

We may recall that I stated in the previous articles of this series, that the flurry of activity that we were engaged in corresponded to the exact period of time in which the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was hospitalized for surgery and the immediate recuperative period thereafter.

It was during this period that I was guided to remain in the area to work spiritually in concert with the healing process. On the evening of December 2nd, approximately fifteen Sisters had arranged with the Regional Protocol Director, Sister Brenda, to have a special dinner engagement at the Bombay Palace. It was during this occasion, when Sister Nisa Islam, staff writer for The Final Call Newspaper, announced a surprising development which made it possible for several of the sisters to get tickets to attend a concert at the Kennedy Center, which featured the world renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, accompanied by pianist Emmanuel Ax.

As she persisted in finding these tickets with great difficulties encountered from the head of the press personnel, who repeatedly indicated that there were no tickets available, the solution to the problem was about to be revealed.

At Saturday�s MGT Class, she announced her dilemma to the Sisters concerning the tickets for the concert. The sister seated beside her, named Kim Muhammad, responded by stating that her husband, Brother Eric, worked at the Kennedy Center and could possibly obtain some tickets for us from other clients. In my last article you read about the outcome of our success story and meeting with International Artist, Yo-Yo Ma. The purpose behind this event will be explained in a later article.

On December 7th, we returned to the Smithsonian to complete our visits to the Freer Gallery, the African Museum and Sackler�s Oriental Museum. While viewing the exhibits, a security guard passed by us and extended the Muslim Greetings of "As-Salaam Alaikum," to which we replied. Then, he surprisingly stated that he recognized me from a lecture I gave at Mosque Maryam several years ago on the subject of the High Priest of Jerusalem named Melchizadek.

He offered to escort us on our tour of the Museums, which included a return to the exhibit on the Three Hundred Years of the Piano. When he learned that I was an inspired musical composer on the piano, he offered his help in arranging with the staff a presentation of some of my compositional works in a special program for the year 2001 within the time of the exhibit�s ending on March 4th.

At the conclusion of those happy hours at the Smithsonian, Sister Michelle, who was one of the witnesses of the foregoing experience, left to get her car for our departure. When she returned, she gave us the sad report that her car had been broken into and all of our items were stolen. Among the stolen goods was a book bag, which contained vital statistics of her children, personal receipts and envelops which contained her name and address. In addition, my special book bag was taken which contained all of my most recent notes accumulated over the last two months, my Holy Qur�an, telephone directory, several small books, very valuable photos and negatives, along with my coat.

No windows were broken and no apparent car damage had occurred. We returned to the parking area which was on the backside of the Smithsonian. The sisters began an intensive search in the grass area, the bushes and trash bins hoping that the thief or thieves, having found nothing of value might have discarded them. Nothing was found. My thoughts persisted from that day forward up to the date of my departure to Chicago, that those items would eventually turn up, possibly through the mail or in the Lost and Found Department of Smithsonian.

On Monday, December 11th, one day after I had spoken at the Mosque in Washington, D.C., I was prevented from travel due to the blizzard-like conditions that shut the Chicago area airports down with nearly all flights having been canceled due to hazardous weather conditions. Finding that it was all but impossible to leave for Chicago, I suggested to Sister Michelle that perhaps there might be time to retrace our footsteps at the scene of the crime. She nodded, as I added these words, perhaps someone might have turned them into the Lost and Found Department of Smithsonian.

I then went to The Final Call Newspaper office to continue working on my article, when at approximately 3 o�clock in the afternoon, word came through the telephone that the Director of the Lost and Found Department of Smithsonian had in his possession articles that corresponded to the items we had lost. It was almost unbelievable to hear what had transpired. But to shorten this story, every item that was lost was clearly identified and restored including my missing coat. According to the record, someone mysteriously delivered the goods to the Smithsonian Office and with the help of the Mr. Saunders, who was in charge of the Lost and Found Department, these items were swiftly given to Sister Michelle, who went in person in the early morning of the next day to retrieve them and returned them to me in time to catch my flight to Chicago.

I wish to express my gratitude to the wonderful staff at Smithsonian for moving so promptly. A very special thanks goes to the highly-energetic spirited Sisters of the MGT of Mosque No. 4, which includes all the Officials and Laborers of the Mosque. I also wish to thank the staff at The Final Call newspaper in Washington, D.C., who never lost faith that there would be a positive outcome. Not only did our Brothers and Sisters express sympathy for my loss, but they made every effort to purchase every item that was stolen.

They also showered me with additional gifts. As in the story of Job, who lost everything by the work of Satan, but at the end was blessed with an increase of goods added to everything that he had previously lost. I thank Almighty God, Allah, for His Love and His Mercy that He has extended to all of us who are members of the Universal Family of the Divine Creation.

"Nor spend they any thing, small or great, nor do they traverse a valley but it is written down for them, that Allah may reward them for the best of what they did."
�Holy Qur�an, Surah 9, verse 121