Editor�s note: The following is edited from "Farrakhan: God�s Man on the Straight Path."

Prior to 1975, we first met the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, symbolically, at the juncture of the two rivers, as it is written that Moses met the Wise Man. Many scholars see this juncture as the place where "human" knowledge and wisdom ends and "divine" knowledge and wisdom begins.

We first accepted the Honorable Elijah Muhammad on his terms, as Moses first accepted his teacher on the teacher�s terms.

As it was with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and us, before 1975, so it is today when we meet the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

In both instances some of the students came to feel they had outgrown, or surpassed their teachers in wisdom. Likewise, among us there are many, who displease God, as it is mentioned in I Corinthians 10:5-11, and elsewhere. Just as many of them acted like the "Moses" who improperly followed the Wise Man, so likewise many of us act the same way today.

These verses read, in part: "But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness." After other points, this passage reads, "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come." (See web address www.noi.org/study/traveler on "murmur.")

Those people prefigured us. They were types of us, who now live at the end of this world�s time.

What was the problem of the followers of Moses? Well, to save space and your precious time, let�s ask, what are our problems? During our stay in America, we have been made enemies of God. We were made to hate our Black skin, and it goes deeper. We were made haters of our own nature and of the God of our nature. We were made to hate God in us. We were made to serve death.

Self-hate is at the root of much of our disunity, double and confused talk; especially in relation to God�s truths of love, hate, forgiveness, and in short, a host of subjects, that are essential for us to grasp. This self-hate is at the root of our warped minds and insane behavior in relation to what is best for us.

In his first Theology of Time talk, on June 4, 1972, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad shared some of his Teacher�s insights on our condition and the cure. (See www.noi.org/study/traveler for those words.)

The only proven antidote to our self-hating and self-destructive thinking, feelings or attitudes is the word and work of Allah through the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan. Sincere acceptance of the truth of ourselves will generate true love in us, for us, and others. (See Holy Qur�an 19:96)

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that this is the first time God has desired to make Himself known in 66 trillion years! That is a million billions (or a billion millions) times sixty-six! We are lucky to be alive at the time of the end of the greatest of what God has decided to end�the mystery of Himself. We are lucky indeed!

The way, or road to self is a straight path, in terms of integrity. It includes such factors as the utmost sincerity and the most worthy purposes. However, it also contains that which only seems to be indirection (also called ironies, or better, paradoxes). Despite this, it�s the shortest path and the most direct route for us to get to God and self. In this sense it�s the straight path that seems crooked only to us who are (at the present time) simply unaware of the ways of Allah, or we are just too crooked to see straight.

As it was with Moses, who traveled with the Wise Man, and who came upon events, which his limited knowledge and experiences did not permit him to grasp, so it is with us. These events, and the consequences of same, were produced by the God Who guided the one with whom Moses traveled. So it is with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan, with whom we travel. God backed and guided the former right to Himself. The latter is guided and backed by Both.

The student thought he understood what he saw of his teacher, and rejected the actions of his teacher. The student recoiled indignantly, and even in horror, at some of the actions of his teacher. Finally, at the third event, Moses was thoroughly puzzled, as his teacher seemed to do good in response to evil after he twice seemed to do evil for good.

In none of the three instances given, in the passage we are studying, would Moses have acted as his teacher did. He didn�t have this teacher�s knowledge or insight. He therefore would have handled those situations differently. And he would have obtained terrible results!

At the beginning of their relationship, Moses started out by strongly telling his teacher that he would not disobey him in anything�regardless. But, as we saw, Moses did not anticipate what lay ahead. He did not foresee that which was in the future. He did not see deep enough into the present, so he could not see well into the future.

At the root of his problems, with his teacher, was shallow knowledge of his teacher, and the principles he was acting on. He did not have enough faith in his teacher. Even if he didn�t see deep enough into his teacher, if he had enough faith in his teacher, he would have traveled properly with his teacher. He suffered from shallow knowledge, a narrow mind, short sightedness, a judgmental attitude and insufficient faith in his teacher.

The deeper one can see into people, and into the consequences of the people�s actions, the further into the future one can foresee. The student did not trust his teacher as he claimed he did. The student thought he saw what his teacher did not see; or, he thought he saw better than his teacher. He didn�t.

Moses� teacher, according to the testimony of Allah, was a very special man. Allah granted special knowledge to this man, and an understanding so deep that this special man was enabled to act with the wisdom of Allah Himself. In these circumstances, which the Holy Quran describes, Moses� teacher, acted exactly as God wanted him to act. He acted for God. He acted as God would have acted. He acted as God in those circumstances. So Moses� rejection of him was rejection of God.

Such rejection produces blindness. We can�t become seeing ones as long as we continue to reject that which produces sight.

The Wise Man was able to do as he did, because he was filled with God�s guiding spirit. Moses did not see as his teacher did. So he did not see into what his teacher did. Where the teacher had insight, the student had short sight. Therefore, when he saw his teacher do things he would not have done�due to his limited grasp of truth and falsehood and right and wrong�he condemned his teacher as evil.

Moses did not question his teacher for understanding. He was hypercritical and unjustly condemnatory. So he couldn�t properly question his teacher. His state of mind prevented that. If he had questioned his teacher it would not have been for wisdom. It would have been for confirmation of what he already thought and felt. What he thought he understood was based on short sightedness, shallow thinking, narrow-mindedness, tunnel-vision, limited knowledge, and a mean spirited attitude. His state of mind constricted his ability to gain higher wisdom. Moses� views were not rooted in God�s wisdom�that the teacher already had�which he claimed he wanted. (See web sight www.noi.org/study/traveler for more.)

"Moses" only saw what he imagined, or assumed, to be the case with his teacher. He reacted to his teacher on the base of guesses; false assumptions and especially half-truths. Despite the fact that he desired to travel with and learn from his teacher, he was still predisposed to think, feel and act on the base of his very limited wisdom, which he continued to use, in this new relationship with divinity. He continued to lean on that which was outdated, even as he traveled to gain what was better.

He had a quick mouth borne of impatience, narrow think-ing, tunnel vision, and superficial sight and outdated knowledge or knowledge he did not understand.

The more differently Moses thought the situations should have been handled, the more anger-filled, contemptuous, violent was his condemnation of his teacher. He charged his teacher with evil motives and with doing evil.

The words of Moses, as he condemned his teacher showed that he considered his views of truth and falsehood and good and evil as sufficient and even superior to his teacher�s view.

He never did properly question his teacher for understanding of what he did not understand of his teacher�s actions? Why? Way down in him he felt he was better than his teacher.

More next issue, Allah willing.