Once you go into the Greek language, out of which the New Testament Gospels were translated, you will often learn that the writers re-worked the more older texts to give a version that fitted what they wanted to get over on the majority.

Allah allowed this for His own wise reasons. Those reasons serve us today if we have the right spirit with which to see. That spirit�the spirit of Allah�permits us to see that which otherwise we see in part, or don�t see at all.

Now, if we take the time to look into the definitions of the Greek words that were translated into English, to mean "stood by" and "the cross" and "standing near or beside" in the 25th and the 26th verses of the nineteenth chapter of John, we get a different meaning than that given to us by the Caucasian theologians.

In Harper�s Bible Dictionary we read under a section of Christian Art: "The serpent is sometimes portrayed at the foot of the cross to signify that the evil power responsible for man�s fall has been overcome by the power of Christ who died that man might be redeemed."

There are other comments I intend to place in this column similar to this one from Harper�s Bible Dictionary, which if understood, helps us with this huge subject. Meanwhile, look into the study guides of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and listen to his speeches wherein he has beautifully explained how to handle difficulties and pain. Let us also work to understand the cause and the place of pain even when we are being healed.

Back on October 5, 1997, for Vol. 16, No. 51 of this wonderful newspaper, I wrote:

"So in the history of the circumstances in the life of Hannah, leading up to the birth of Samuel, we have the essence of an answer to the two questions raised in my last two articles dealing with: what is going on when we are suffering injustice and seemingly have no answer that addresses our appeal from the ultimate source of justice�Allah Himself? The other question involves what is going on when we are praying to Allah for that which we seek, and which we have good reasons to believe we should receive, and have done all that we know to do to obtain it and much time has passed and we yet do not have it�what is going on?

"The other wife, who was blessed with children, unjustifiably mocked and scorned her for something over which she did not have complete control, or no control at all. The text states that the Lord had closed her womb. What does this mean?

"It could mean that she did that which activated aspects of the laws of nature over which, of course, Allah has complete mastery, as they are from Him. And, as a natural consequence she was unable to bear children. On the other hand, this could refer to something God Himself deliberately did that which prevented her from being able to bear children. Which was it?

"The other wife treated her wickedly. Did God factor in her wicked treatment of Hannah as part of His plan to accomplish something wonderful and beneficial for the people through Hannah�s anguish and pain?

"Time and again the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, as his teacher before him, sought to get across a great principle of life which is especially important at this time. It involves the principle that more important than what God either does to us or allows to happen to us is what He is doing for us; for our ultimate benefit and of benefit to come to others through us.

"We can illustrate this in the lives of both the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan. Both men suffered greatly. The Minister still does. But there can be no doubt that the hand of Allah was and is over their suffering both for their personal benefit and for the benefit of countless others, now and in times to come.

"Hannah was dealt with unjustly by the other wife. If God had granted her relief from the injustice that�s all she would have gotten. She would have gotten justice and that would have been that. However, He had in mind something greater than simple justice for her. To accomplish this greater blessing there was something she had to do in cooperation with Him and His plan. At the base of what she has to do was open her heart up in greater prayer to Him. He required greater inner development of her.

"The exercise of her spiritual lungs enabled her to take in ever greater measures of divine inspiration. He wanted her to use the pain she was undergoing at the hands of the other as part of her overall motivation to seek means of nearness to Him. The closer she was getting to Him, the closer she was getting to her true self.

"He would not relieve her of the pain of her oppression until she was fit to receive what He really intended for her. He was not going to come down to where she was to grant her what He had in mind for her. His desire was that she come up to the proper level He deemed best for His wise purposes. He wanted her to travel the uphill road. He knew this would develop the strength in her required to make the proper use of the blessing He intended to grant her.

"Now the text does not show that her prayer to the God was for relief from her oppressor. Her prayer was for a son. Nevertheless, the God would not grant her desire until she had reached a certain level of qualification. When she got to where he wanted her to be He not only blessed her with this magnificent son, named Samuel, but later blessed her with five other children. In the tenth verse of the first chapter of the first book of Samuel, we read that she prayed in bitterness. In verse eleven she finally reached the staged where she made a vow to the Almighty and promised Him what she would do with the child if He would enable her to become pregnant. It wasn�t until verse eighteen that she developed or grew to the state that she was no longer downcast.

"In granting her desire for a son, in Samuel, the Almighty was at the same time accomplishing what He already had in mind, not just for her but for the nation. What happened to the other woman?"

In the Problem Book we are told that "The average person breath 3 cubic feet of air per hour, but the Uncle of Mr. D. Fard breathe 7-tenths of cubic feet per hour." In number six we are again told the amount of air the average person breathes per hour. Then, we are told that "the second uncle of Mr. D. Fard breathed 4 and 1-2 cubic feet of air per hour." Of the third uncle we are asked: "How much air did he breathe more than the average man?" Why are we told this?"

More next issue, Allah willing.