Again, have you ever had the experience of learning that an event of great importance had taken place and you knew nothing of it until it had passed? What if you learned that this event was written of in books you had in your home? What would you do?

What if there were several events that took place over the last 70 years that were all described in these same books? What if all of these events also profoundly affected your life, and the lives of your loved ones, and you just learned that they were described in these books you own, but seldom read, because they are hard for you to understand?

Suppose you were given other books that decoded, or otherwise made it easier for you to read these books that described what you and your loved ones have been living through? And suppose you learn that these events have impacted your life and the lives of those whom you love? How long would it take you to start reading to improve your understanding of these events?

Let�s also say that some of these events happened before your birth. Others happened while you were too young to notice. Still other events happened when you were grown, but you paid little or no attention to them. Yet, you did not know the cause, or the significance, or the impact these events had on your life and the lives of your loved ones.

If you chose to begin, or to improve, such reading, your views will change about these events. You will see the people who produced these events differently. You will see the world differently, if these events have worldwide significance. You will come to see yourself and your loved ones in a new light.

But this new sight is dependent on the quality of the "light" giving power of the information you learn about these events.

There is no sane denial that everyone lived through the greatest series of events this world has ever witnessed. But everyone does not see, or react to, these events in the same way. Some have a greater understanding of these events than others, while many know little or nothing of them.

The Bible and the Holy Qur�an describe these events as well as the people who produced them. The teaching of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan make clear what these events mean for you and your loved ones.

Now, let�s return to what I wrote in 1988, in a book titled, "Farrakhan: God�s Man On The Straight Path," from the second chapter, titled, A Valuable Black Man.

Of course, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in a certain sense, did participate in the making of his Minister. However, he was referring to something unusually profound in the creation of this particular Brother, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan. He was pointing to factors about his Minister that predated the Minister�s birth.

Of such factors the Minister was unaware, at that time. These were factors in and about his Minister, which he (the Honorable Elijah Muhammad) did not produce. These were factors written into the very genetic make up, or coding, of the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, long before either he or his teacher were born. His future was written into the future, or in those special writings of history written in advance�that is, his life and work was written into the scriptures that have come down to us from long ago.

Minister Farrakhan was born May 11, 1933. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad had met his Teacher only 20 months earlier, in September 1931. He was just learning of his own identity when Minister Farrakhan was born. He had nothing to do with the factors leading up to his Minister�s birth, early formation and overall preparation, which would make him ready, for example, to receive the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and his message, as he did, in 1955, when they first saw each other. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad had nothing to do with constitutionally preparing his Minister�s heart to receive and communicate to the world, for example, the communication of stupendous proportions, given to him in a vision plus experience in 1985, from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in that huge wheel-like plane in the sky.

Remember, at the beginning of his mission, when Moses had not gained a grip on his task, and felt unsure of himself he asked God for a helper. His request came from his sense of inadequacy. God gave him his brother, Aaron. However, God made clear to Moses that He was sufficient for him. Nevertheless, He did give Aaron to Moses.

This act, by God, in giving Aaron to Moses, did not represent a change of His mind. He was not giving into Moses� limited vision, at that time. He did not give Aaron to Moses from any sort of weakness. He was looking at a time in the future, which Moses at that time did not see. He fore - knew that His servant would have to return to Him for his next lesson. During that period of time, the condition of the people would require this special helper. Extra time was required, along with an unusual display of God�s power, to raise or to prepare these people to rise from their uniquely wretched condition. Part of what God would have to display, in order to save His people, was maximum mercy, or grace. So out of Allah�s mercy came Aaron. All of this, and more, was a major part of His planning for infinity.

In those few words that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad spoke to his Minister, about God having made him, he meant much. Moreover, by the time the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was speaking these words to his Minister he already knew his Minister�s identity. He knew him in terms of the words that were written on the pages of the Bible and the Holy Qur�an, as interpreted for him by Master Fard Muhammad. He knew him divinely.

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On another occasion, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad told his Minister that he would sit over the nation as the Father, "... when I�m gone." The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was not referring to his physical death with the words "when I�m gone."

Finally, on three separate occasions, between 1969 and 1970, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad spoke, in a certain progression, concerning the value of Minister Farrakhan to him. First, he said:

"Brother, you are more valuable to me than a truck load of diamonds and gold."

On another occasion he said:

"Brother, you are more valuable to me than a thousand airplanes with a thousand head of sheep on every plane."

On a third occasion, he said to his Minister:

"Brother, you are more valuable to me than all of the wealth that is in the earth, because the wealth of the earth I met when I came here and I shall leave it when I�m gone. But through you, I will be able to get all of my people."

Stop. Let us think.

Here was one Black man, talking to another Black man about his value to himself, in front of a few others. People talk about the value of others every day. People talk about how much they love each other every day. But how many of us, however, really take the time to think of each other�s value? What really makes any of us of value to another? What is the root of value?

Then think over how many people really value anyone else as being of more value to themselves than all of the wealth that exists, in or on this planet�and mean it? How many ever work to put themselves in the position to demonstrate this kind of talk? How many have been, or could be in the position to even intelligently speak like that?

How deep, or how far, should we take, or should we see, or understand these words of love and insight of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad: that his Minister was more valuable to him than all of the wealth that is in the earth? Was this a somewhat careless exaggeration, in which he contrasted all of the wealth in the earth to his Minister, in the way that he did, just to impress, stroke or motivate him? Was this just a way of expressing his love for, and his value to him, as an articulate spokesman?

Or was he accurately expressing what he really thought of his Minister, after a careful and deep assessment, with respect to something deeper�that which his (the Honorable Elijah Muhammad�s) entire life was about? Look at his words: "... through you I will be able to get all of my people." Just what was and is involved in these words, few as they are? Just what do these words mean?

Would a man as intelligent as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad make such statement as this without a thorough grasp of his Minister�s relationship to himself, on the deepest level?

This is now April 20, 2001. How has Minister Farrakhan impacted the majority of "his people?" How many more has he reached since 1988? How much have we who know, understand and love him, helped him with his awesome assignment? What are we doing right now to help him and to try and make up for being so slow in helping him to reach the people?

More next issue, Allah willing.