This 9th article in the series, my walk with Farrakhan, will be the final article in a long series. I wrote the first article in the series a little over two years ago during one of my most pained and difficult stages in my life. Each article has inspired me to greater self-examination and introspection. The time to complete the 9 articles has been a journey to say the least. I was able to review my motives for accepting to be a student under Minister Farrakhan and the body of knowledge that he represents, the teachings of The Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad.
I want to end this series speaking on what I feel is the most important aspect of what Brother Minster Farrakhan represents. We are being called today to close a gap. The greatest gap that must be closed is the one between us and Almighty God. The prophets of God come in the absence of the human being's ability to find the divine light within them self. So, the prophets stand as reflections of what man and woman could be if they would totally submit their will to Almighty God and no other. [I am not trying to suggest that Minister Farrakhan is a prophet] However, many students of prophets, teaches, sages and other divine men don't understand this point and instead worship the teacher, who only wants to guide the student to a greater power.
The word Gap is defined as
1)a: a break in a barrier (as a wall, hedge, or line of military defense)b: an assailable position b: an incomplete or deficient area -a gap in her knowledge- 3) a break in continuity 4) lack of balance 5) a wide difference in character or attitude 6) a problem caused by some disparity2) a separation in space
The ultimate aim of the Hon. Louis Farrakhan
I heard Minister Farrakhan once say during a 1994 speech titled "The crucifixion of Jesus and the imprisonment of Minister Farrakhan" that his only job is "To connect you to God and then God will lead you." This directly correlates with the bible teachings in Psalm 23:1 which reads,
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want"
The Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad, the Messenger in our times similarly says,
"My main mission and work, put upon me by Allah (God), in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, to Whom Praise is due forever, is to put you on the right path so you may go for self under the guidance of Almighty God Allah in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad."(Our Saviour has arrived Chapter 23)
As we can see Minister Farrakhan is not interested in setting up a cult of personality worshipers, but rather true men and women who will be connected to and guided by God directly. He constantly reminds us he is a human being and will leave the earth as all flesh and blood humans must, but The Almighty God is eternal and ever-living.
According to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an there are three stages we must travel to reach our highest human development. The three stages are Ammarah, Lawamma and Muta'Innah and I will briefly speak on them at this time.
The Ammarah stage of development is the lowest stage of development and is compared to the animalistic stage. At this stage we are concerned with fulfilling our basic duties of eating, sleeping and procreating. This stage is also one where emotion and/or ego rule of reason.
Lawamma- This stage represents the human being travelling (transition) on a journey to divine. It is a state of awakening consciousness. The human being recognizes that they do not want to exist as a slave to their flesh, but still sees the road to complete harmony as long, but capable goal to reach.
Muta'Innah- We have travelled from Animal to human to coming into the presence of the divine when we reach this final stage. This stage is reached when we are in total ones with the Almighty God ALLAH and are under his shepherd ship.
The Holy Qur'an illustrates this state of unity with God in the following words
"O soul that art at rest, Return to thy Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing, So enter among My servants, And enter My Garden!" (HQ 89:27-30)
The Hon. Louis Farrakhan is travelling on this road and he asks all of us to join him in this sacred pilgrimage to meet with God. As I mentioned a couple of articles ago, you would do a great disservice to yourself to limit the Minister to just being a spokesperson for the hurt and suffering of black people in America and the world. We, must recognize his desire to see a spiritual awakening in us and the world.
Self improvement the basis for community development
In accordance with the Hon. Louis Farrakhan's desire to see a spiritual awakening in us, he developed an entire course of study revolving around the self -examination, self- analysis and correction of things in us which inhibit out total development into Godliness. This course of study is called Self improvement: The basis for community development and it currently consists of 19 units of study from various topics like overcoming difficulty, finding balance and centering our self with Almighty ALLAH.
In presenting this course of study The Hon. Louis Farrakhan wrote a letter of introduction for the new student. He spoke of his ideas and goals for the course of study,
"This letter is to introduce you to the new study guide material. These study and training units are based upon a speech which I delivered September 21, 1986 in Phoenix, Arizona.
This speech, in my judgment, formally ushers in that which is the launching pad of a worldwide movement.
Each study session is designed on the guidance of Allah to produce: self-examination; self-analysis; self-correction; and, to quicken in each of us, the self-accusing spirit. For, it is only when we are awakened morally that we have to face the self-accusing spirit which leads to our resurrection...
Resurrection is that process that begins with the self-accusing spirit and does not end until we become one in perfect harmony or peace with Allah and His Creation.
If you will notice, this inner voice does the work of a Messenger of Allah (God). Would you knowingly kill one of Allah's (God's) prophets or messengers? What would be the punishment if you did?
Everytime we act to still the voice of correction, coming from within ourselves, we are in fact murdering the Messenger of Allah (God). The result is spiritual blindness, leading to spiritual death, leading ultimately to an untimely physical death.
If we desire to stay alive spiritually, we must never still the voice of Allah (God) within. We must protect it, for in our moral awakening, it is the best friend that we have; for it is Allah (God) working on the inside of us...
The more we feed on truth and right guidance from Allah (God) the stronger the voice becomes. That inner voice is like a seed which can ultimately grow into its perfected state, to be the Mind of God Himself in you. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus..." PHILIPPIANS 2:5"
Each student, after studying the principle under analysis, must then analyze self and critique self. The study sessions, while leading the student to self-examination, first; self-analysis, second; self-correction, third; must simultaneously be therapeutic. Therefore, these sessions must be twofold. consisting of both theory and practice. The practice will refine the theory."
Further in the actual base of the course Minister Farrakhan explains why self-improvement is important to self, family, community and nation.
"I have chose for my subject: "SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT." Now, there are many, many developers who buy land and develop that land into communities, towns and cities; placing on this land magnificent structures costing hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars.
This activity of land development is going on in Phoenix and in cities around the country, and, indeed, around the Earth. However, to those who spend those hundreds of millions and billions of dollars building structures: unless we build people; unless the human potential of people is developed; then man, in his underdeveloped state, will ultimately destroy the cities that he has built because of revolution and war.
So, the Scripture is right in teaching, 'What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?' What would it profit us to build magnificent structures, beautiful buildings, magnificent bridges, built with magnificent technology and the soul of those human beings are wretched and deprived and underdeveloped and rotting from within? How does one lose one's soul? What is so important about the soul, or the essence of our being, that if we lose it, we lose everything?
This is why I have chosen the subject, "SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT." Because it is the improvement of each of us as human beings that is lacking in the world, and because instead of human beings improving, they are degenerating. Then there is no hope for the nations, for they are all on a path of self-destruction."
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked the question, how strong is the foundation: Can we survive, during his Saviour's Day 1968 speech? The foundation is of course our connection to ALLAH which the study guides of The Hon. Louis Farrakhan will help us strengthen.
Is Minister Farrakhan a racist, divider, anti-Semite or a hater?
Some reject the guidance from The Hon. Louis Farrakhan, because they have bought into the lies promoted by others that Min. Farrakhan is not a nice man or is a racist hater of others. Nothing could be further from the truth as this section of the article will show. The truth must me told and the lies exposed, so that this gap will be closed between others and Min. Farrakhan.
The 1st and most popular charge against The Hon. Louis Farrakhan is he is anti-Semitic against the Jewish people. It has falsely been repeated in the media that he stated that Judaism is a gutter religion. All Muslims know that Moses and the prophets of Israel, which is the base of Judaism, are true prophets and would never regard the revealed word to them as gutter.
The issue started during the 1984 presidential nomination run of Jesse Jackson and some Jews speaking ill of Rev. Jackson, which the minister took up the defense of his brother.
On June 24th 1984 Minister Farrakhan made the following statement, which caused all the confusion:
".America and England and the nations backed Israel's existence. Therefore when you aid and abet someone in a criminal conspiracy, you are a part of that criminal conspiracy. So America and England and the nations are criminals in the sight of Almighty God. Now that nation called Israel, never has had any peace in forty years and she will never have any peace because there can never be any peace structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your dirty religion under His holy and righteous name."
I would like to note that Minister Farrakhan has used this term "dirty religion" to label other religious people who don't live up to their religion's standards and even members of the Nation of Islam when applicable as the following shows:
"Well, the commander-in-chief of the Nation of Islam is the Most Hon Elijah Muhammad. We have no other commander. We want no other commander. All of us are stand-ins and as long as we recite His commands then we are worthy to stand in for Him. But when we begin to use His name to shield a dirty religion and then begin to impose self made commands in His name..." (Meaning of FOI Pg. 11)
Minister Farrakhan explains that he can help the Jewish people if they will not reject him
"I'm not an enemy to the Jewish people. You have become an enemy to yourselves. I'm here to call you back to the laws, statutes and commandments from which you have deviated; yet you would call me an anti-Semite?"(Holy Day of Atonement message delivered October 16, 1997 at the U.I.C. Pavilion in Chicago by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in observance of the 2nd anniversary of the Million Man March.)
Some have suggested that The Hon. Louis Farrakhan in speaking out against some Caucasians, who make life hard for his people, is a racist hater. However, as his words will show he doesn't hold malice for a whole group of people:
"Now, I am going to speak specifically to Caucasian people---without malice, without hatred, just speaking to the facts. You have desired to be the center of the life of all other peoples of the world. You want your culture, your way of looking at God, your way of looking at life, to be what they perceive reality is. And because you desire that like a child, to be the center of everything; white folks, you are not the center; you have got to take your place. Listen to me good! Your desire to be the center has ruined you, ruined your soul and ruined your nation and ruined your world. You are not the center. God has always been (the center), but you won't recognize Him, with your proud, arrogant, haughty, self-conceited, boastful, mischiefmaking, bloodshedding malice...It is this childishness that produces racism. 'Well, my color is better than yours. See, I am white."(Self Improvement: The basis for community development pg. 18-19)
Further he says
"It's terrible that some of those with power and influence label me a "Hitler," a racist or a hater, so that they can justify their own people, or agents among our people, in attempts to defame and otherwise harm me. This is hiding the light. This is scapegoating." (A torchlight for America chapter Hiding the light)
The Bible, the book most claim to follow, doesn't teach it a sin to hate. We as black people were given the crazy doctrine that we should love everyone even if the person were our oppressor.
The Book of Ecclesiastes verse 1 and 8 gives balance to our misguided love
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."
God himself says he hates
"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."(Romans 9:13)
Jesus(Peace be upon him) says we must even hate our parents(if they disobey God) to follow him in obedience to God
"If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)
Also, Jesus teaches he will separate nations
"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."(25:31)
My ultimate hope is that this article series will inspire you to re-examine The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the teachings of The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and find your own unique Godly greatness. A very special thing has happened in America. There is a truth being spread in America that all black people must reconsider. This truth being spread by The Hon. Louis Farrakhan and others is the intense love of God for our pitiful condition and his ultimate plan to correct this divine problem. Also, this country and her rulers could benefit in this time from the call of God if they would heed the word and follow the divine instructions coming from the man of God on the scene today.
Thank you for reading this article
Mustafaa Muhammad is an "African American" who is a follower of the Islamic faith. Through independent religious studies developed an ecumenical view of the world's religions and the people of God. And while he is devoted to Islam as his faith he is at home in the Church(or other religious institutions) as he is in the Mosque.
He has been featured on the Radio, Newspapers, public speaking events and at Mosques/Churches telling his story and offering his understanding of Almighty God's plan for salvation.
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