Self-Improvement Study Guides - THE WILL OF GOD, PART III
THE WILL OF GOD, PART III
GREETINGS
GREETINGS TO YOU. I AM LOUIS FARRAKHAN, MINISTER OF MUHAMMAD'S MOSQUES OF NORTH AMERICA, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE HONORABLE ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, THE PREACHER OF FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY TO THE BLACK MAN AND WOMAN OF NORTH AMERICA.
(November 9, 1986)
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL.
I BEAR WITNESS THAT THE RE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH AND I BEAR WITNESS
THAT MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER.
I GREET ALL OF YOU WITH THE GREETING WORDS OF PEACE IN THE ARABIC
LANGUAGE: AS-SALAAM ALAIKUM.
Once again, it is my extreme pleasure and privilege to have this opportunity to share with you some of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Once again, we are coming to you live from the Palace, the home of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, which we, his followers, have been blessed to repurchase, renovate and rededicate to the furtherance of his teaching and mission.
Our subject today is PART III of "THE WILL OF GOD". All of us know or should know that the Will of Allah (God) is Righteousness; the Will of Allah (God) is that which Is Good. No man or woman can be considered good, except that we are doing the Will of Allah (God). Certainly there are acts of kindness and there are acts of goodness that all of us know are universally recognized as good, but we cannot be considered a good people; this cannot be considered a good people; this cannot be considered a good nation (America); nor can we, the Muslims, be considered good, unless that goodness is rooted in our doing the Will of Allah (God).
The Holy Qur'an teaches us "those who believe and are the doers of good to others, there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." The Holy Qur'an and the Bible are very clear on this point. One must not only do good to self, but the doing of good to and for Self should lead us to the doing of good to and for others.
The Book of James says, "Faith without works is dead". The Holy Qur'an teaches that Mere belief counts for nothing except that belief is carried into practice. For us to consider that being good means doing our five (5) daily prayers (If we are Muslims), or saying our prayers if we are Christians or Jews and paying ten percent (10 % of our wages in tithes or "zakat" or offerings this is only a portion of good. For that is the Will of Allah (God), but the doing of His Will has very specific requirements for each era of time in which a Messenger or Prophet appears.
Here we are in 1986 and we are living in the Time of the Mahdi, the Great One Who was to come to guide all of humanity to the right path. We are living in the time of the Messiah, that One Who was prophesied to come and Who, along with the Mahdi, would save the people and redeem them from the path of wickedness that they had been treading upon.
The Will of Allah (God) today-is very, very specific. No man or woman, sitting in a church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or in the street, can be considered doing the Will of Allah (God) .by singing songs or hymns of praise. Even preaching sermons of praise and honor to Allah (God), or performing rituals of religion - this is not yet the Will of Allah (God). The Will of Allah (God) means the doing of good and that good is very specific. That specific good, by the Help of Allah (God), I shall outline to you in today's broadcast
-2-
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that there is no birth record to Islam; Islam is older than the Sun, Moon and Stars. Islam did not originate with Prophet Muhammad of Arabia, nearly fourteen hundred (1400) years ago (Peace Be Upon Him). Islam did not originate with the Holy Qur'an. Islam did not originate with the teachings of Moses or the teachings of Abraham. Islam was before Abraham. Islam was before the Sun, Moon and Stars.
What is Islam? Islam is the Nature of God Himself. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad has taught us that Allah (God) is Self Created, meaning He was not begotten. He had no mother nor father. He is the Originator of Himself and of all things. In His Self Origination, His act Of Creation by His Will is to create man or to make man. In creating us, He created us from the Essence of Himself The Holy Qur'an teaches us, "O people, keep your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same kind and spread from the two many men and women.
We, the Original People of the Earth, are the First Creation of Allah (God). He created us from a single Essence or Person and that Person was the Essence and Person of Himself. If we are from His Essence, then His Nature is our nature and as He Is Divine, that same divinity and spark of divinity Is likewise in the Original Man. The Holy Qur'an calls Original Man 'Adam. And, of course, we are wrangling over this subject matter, but the Holy Qur"an teaches us that Adam was created from black mud and fashioned into shape. All human beings have some color, or are from the essence of what color comes from or what color is.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that the Black man is the Original man. He is not trying to teach you racism or racial superiority, he is making a statement of fact: that we are the First Creation of the Originator. We came here from His Essence; the Essence of Allah (God) is Islam. We are taught that the law by which a thing comes into existence determines its nature. The law by which we, the Original People, came into existence, is by Order of the Will of the Creator. Therefore, our Nature is to submit to His Will.
When we accept Islam, we are not accepting the Arab religion, we are not accepting some new way of civilization, we are accepting ourselves. The nature of the Original man is obedience to the Will of Allah (God). That, in Arabic, is "Islam".
The very Nature of the Original Man or the Original People or the Black People of the Earth is Islam. We are Muslims by Nature.
Master Fard Muhammad, the Great Mahdi, Who was the Teacher of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and is our Guide today, gave us six (6) words. These six (6) words summed up the scope of His Teachings to us and these six (6) words are: Accept Your Own and Be Yourself. The Christian world has gone to the extreme [in the use of the word "conversions.] Certainly, "conversion" means to change. However, when Master Fard Muhammad taught us, He said to us to accept what is "our own".
To be "our own" means that it belongs to us; we are its natural, rightful owners and possessors. We are the owners of Islam. It is our Nature, it is our Divine Right. When you are asked to accept Islam, we are not asking you to join a church or to join a mosque or to join an
-3-
organization. We are asking you to accept the Nature in which you are created; then we are commanding you, by the order of Allah (God), to Be Yourself. Be Yourself.
What is Yourself? So many of us are confused over our identity. We are Black. We are African. We are this, we are that, we are the other. But this question is asked of us in our lessons from Master Fard Muhammad to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad: What is Your Own Self.) And the answer is Your Own Self is a Righteous Muslim. Now of course, there seems to be some redundancy here, because if a Muslim is one who submits his Will entirely to do the Will of Allah (God) and the Will of Allah (God) is good and the Will of Allah (God) is right, then when you say "Muslim", you are saying "righteous". When you say "Muslim" you are saying a good person, a godly person.
Your Own Self is a Righteous Muslim. Why is the word "Righteous" put on this? It is because the Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that your nature is right, but we have been living other than our own selves. So even though Allah (God) has declared us to be Muslim, or to be Righteous, yet we now have to live up to that title, live up to that name, live up to that nature, by being upright.
In the Holy Qur"an [30:30] it - reads: "So set thy face for religion, being upright, the nature made by Allah in which He has created men. There is no altering Allah's creation. That is the right religion - but most people know not "". Allah (God) is asking us in the Holy Qur'an, set your face, set your mind, set your eyes, set your heart, set your being. Get set, be firm and ready to receive a way of Truth, a way of religion that is in the right state, in the Nature made by Allah. Set your face for religion, being upright.
My Dear Beloved Brothers and- Sisters (in the Nation of Islam or those of you who are Black People), your identity is not your color; your identity is not the landmass from which you come or originate; your identity is the Nature in which you are created. Since your Nature is to obey the Will of Allah (God), your Nature is Islam. You are by Nature a Muslim and any name other than that is not a proper name for you. You are a Muslim. Accept Your Own and Be Yourself.
Are there any Muslims other than Righteous? In our lessons it is answered, "I beg your pardon, I never heard of one." In the Bible it says that Allah (God) would wink His eye at sin. Certainly the whole Muslim world is full of sin. The whole of humanity, who by Nature is to obey Allah (God), is full of sin. But Allah (God) now is saying to a specific people of His choice; not that you are not sinful, but that He will forgive you your sins altogether. In the Bible it reads a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a child and His name shall be called Jesus and he shall save His people from their sins.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad has taught us that this is not referring to the great Prophet of Allah (God) that lived two thousand (2,000) years ago, but it is referring to the Messiah Who would come in the last days of this world of disobedience to the Will of Allah (God).
-4-
This world is a world of rebellion to the Will of Allah (God), and this is why this world has a limited time to rule and exercise power and authority over the peoples of the Earth and he shall save his people from their sins.
Today, we are very happy to say to the world that the Messiah, that One that was to come is now in the world and has come to birth among a people that were no people at all. And today, He calls us Muslim, He calls us Righteous , but His aim is to save us from the sins of Caucasian people that we have adopted and now from the sins of our ownselves that we have poured upon by our rebellion against a Teacher that Almighty God has placed in our midst.
Today, Black people of America and humanity have involved themselves in religion. But religion is not as it was intended to be for religion, in a sense, seeks to change what is unalterable. The Holy Qur'an says you cannot change nor alter Allah's creation. But religion today seeks to change the nature of the Righteous and make them into that which they (religious leaders) purpose.
I am speaking specifically now of this brand of religion that has been given to Black people by the Caucasian slave masters and their children. This 'Christianity' is so far removed from Christ. This is a concoction given to us by our slave masters and their children to make us better tools of service for themselves. They have misused the Bible and the teachings of the Prophets and corrupted it in such a way to make us slaves of theirs in the name, of Allah (God).
This is why the Black man and woman today are absolutely powerless. We have a powerful Nature, but if we submit to Satan, thinking that we are submitting to Allah (God), then we do the bidding of Satan, thinking we are doing the bidding of Allah (God). Then we get weaker and weaker; less powerful and less powerful, until we become total slaves to the powers of this world. The preachers of Christianity, for the most part, are enslaved to the powers of this world. I am sorry to say this, but the preachers of Islam are for the most part enslaved to the powers of this world, in the name of Allah (God).
What better way for Satan to come than to come in the name of Allah (God), in the way of Allah (God), in the path of Allah (God). According to the Bible, Satan will transform himself into an Angel of Light. And the Holy Qur'an teaches us that Satan will come after the Righteous: "I will certainly lie in wait for them in Thy straight path "and" I shall cause them all to deviate." And Allah (God) says to him, "Whoever of them will follow thee, I will certainly fill hell with you all."
Look at you and look at the condition that you are in, that your family is in, that the church is in, that the mosque is in, that the -synagogue is in, that the world is in. You are in hell, sitting up in church praising Allah (God) in an empty, vain way. You are singing hymns of praise while your life is' a desecration of all of the things that we preach. We have become hypocrites, feigning to do the Will of Allah (God), but doing the Will of Satan in the name of Allah (God).
Away with such religion! Away with such people! Today, Almighty God is asking humanity to "set your face for religion, being upright" the Nature of Allah (God) and the Nature in which Allah (God) has created man.
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters, when we submit to the Will of the True God and do His Will, we come into power, we come into eminence, we come into greatness. Then the shackles of this world are easily broken, for the shackles of this world are compared to a spider's web and "surely the spider's web is the frailest of houses."
What is the Will of Allah (God) for us today? In the Bible, it is written, 'for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind. Isaiah 65:17] The Book of Revelations bears witness to what Isaiah prophesied, only from the Book of Revelations, the mar is seen making the declaration that Isaiah prophesied he would make, "Behold,. I make all things new. In the illuminating book Our Saviour Has Arrived, by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Page 153, Paragraph 3, it says, 'First Allah makes a new mind for us and a new way of thinking.' Let us stop there. Is this in harmony with the Bible's prophecies?
Brothers and Sisters if - you are a Negro or some reasonable facsimile; if you are "Colored"; if you are "Afro-American"; if you are Black (in the sense of the nationalistic term); you think you are on the right path, but, Brother and Sister, Allah (God) wants to make a new mind for us and a new way of thinking.
If Allah (God) is going to make all things new, He has to make a people; He has to take a people and make them new. He is not going to do it easily, He is going to do it as the Originator did it in the Beginning. He took nothing and created something. In the end of the world, Allah (God) takes a foolish people, a people who are nothing, people who are the rejected and the despised. Both the Bible and the Holy Qur'an refer to this people as a 'dead' people. And He takes that-dead matter and He puts in it a new mind, a new way of thinking; He gives it a new form and a new expression. "Behold, I make all things new!"
The scriptures of the Bible are in perfect harmony with the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and His teachings are in perfect harmony with both the Bible and the Holy Qur'an. For Paul says "put off the old man which is of the lusts of this world and put on the new man which is after Christ Jesus." Then Paul says, "Be ye not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind."
Dear Brothers and Sisters, we cannot say that we are doing the Will of Allah (God) if there is no transformation taking place in our lives; if there is no constant renewal Taking place in our minds; if our thoughts are not being made better, closer, more akin to Allah (God) and His Will. No! No! No! Then we are only using religion as a cover, as a shield.
We are sitting in the seat of one who is to be made new, but we are following after the old, exemplifying the old, demonstrating the old, acting after the old, bringing works out that are akin to the old. Then we are hypocrites, for Allah (God) demands of us to be new creatures!
Lets us go on. He teaches us a different education, one that we have never had before. I know that we honor and respect the education that we have received from the institutions of learning of this world. Certainly if I had a degree from Harvard I would probably be more respected than I am now, not having one and that is a fine degree to have. It is a wonderful degree, from Harvard, or Yale, or Radcliffe, or Princeton, or Cornell, or Oxford, or Howard.
-6-
But what does the Honorable Elijah Muhammad say here, "He teaches us a different education."? Who is "He"? Allah (God), is He Who teaches us a different education, one that we have never had before. Let us look at this education then, if it is an education we have never had before.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad goes on to say that He gives us an education on the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of God. Not of the prophets, but of the God of the prophets of the past. Let us try an understand this. A prophet is a Servant of Allah (God). Almighty God, Allah, today, is not trying to get you to be after the mold of a prophet; He is not after malting you a servant; He is after making you like He made Adam.
Muslims, I want you to think over these things. If Adam was made powerful enough that the angels were forced, or asked by Allah (God) to bow down to Adam - and here Jesus is called a 'second Adam' -- and Adam is a man that angels attend and serve and according to the scripture, this Jesus is put in power over all of Creation except God Himself, then He is making of Man a God.
This is not strange. You say, "Well, there is no God but Allah." Yes, that is true. But we are aware of the Essence of Him, we are in His Nature. He allows us to wear His name. He asked to be our Teacher and if we submit to Him, what will He make us into? He will give us power over the Heavens and the Earth and over the laws that govern both. This will make us a God, but lower than Himself in obedience to His Will. He makes us Gods.
This is a pretty powerful education, then, isn't it? He is going to give us education, not of prophets, but of the God of prophets. "He builds our minds, (The Honorable Elijah Muhammad talking) according to the way Gods think and not the way of thinking of servants or prophets. The prophets of the past were inspired and their inspiration was true, but since Muhammad Ibn Abdullah is the Seal of the prophets, he ends the prophets. We do not need prophets today; we have passed out of the time of prophets. We are in the Time of God and He is not making prophets He is making Gods: men and women with power to change reality. Prophets did not -change realities.
In the last six thousand (6,000) years, the Ruler of the Wicked was the Master of Prophets. Even though they came from the Lord of the Worlds, they were mastered by the God of this world. Therefore, the Bible teaches us that God's Coming is after the workings of Satan. Moses could never be entirely successful; neither could Jesus or Muhammad. And this is why the Holy Qur'an today is accepted, yet rejected, by those who claim to believe-in it. They put it behind their backs. Why9. Because the God of this world has mastered the prophets and has come up and twisted the work of the prophets, until today it looks like no prophet was ever on the scene!
We do not want a prophet's knowledge; we do not need a prophet's knowledge; we want and need the Knowledge of Allah (God). We want to will a new existence, then bring that existence into Reality and crush the opponents of that Reality.
This is what the Honorable Elijah. Muhammad is leading us to in the Nation of Islam. Beloved,
we ask the question, "Why do we enter the Nation of Islam enrolled as students?" You cannot
come into the Nation of Islam except you become a student and recite what is called your
-7-
"Student Enrollment." Why does each of us come into the Nation of Islam as a student? If we are going to get an education, the like of which we have never had before, then do not come proud; do not come thinking that what you know is satisfactory. What you know can be used, if it is used in harmony with the Will of Allah (God).
If you are ever proud of your knowledge, which Allah (God) rejects, He is not going to build His world on the knowledge of this one; He would make a fool of Himself if He builds His Kingdom and He borrows something from this Kingdom. No! The automobiles of our world will not look like this; the airplanes will not look like this; the vegetation will not look like this.
Nothing will be the same as this world. He is an Independent God and He makes all things new.
He is inviting you, Black man and woman, into His classroom and through us, He is inviting the whole of humanity to come into the classroom. Yes, yes, yes. He is going to prepare you to teach the class in His absence. You say, "Who, Me?!" Yes, you! The scripture says, "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our sight" that He would take the rejected and the despised and make them the cornerstone of a new world order. So when we come into the Nation of Islam, Beloved, we come as students.
What is a student? A student is a person who is formally enrolled in learning. A student is any person who studies, investigates and examines thoughtfully. We are students. I am a student. A student knows he has lessons to learn, therefore, the student does not act as though he is the Teacher. The student always knows he has more to learn. That is the way we come into the Nation of Islam.
What does the Bible have to say about this? What does the Holy Qur'an have to say about this? Both books agree. Jesus said, "except that you become as a little child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." When the disciples were rebuking the children, he said, "suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God."
What was he saying to his rather foolish disciples? He was saying to them, Give me the -children, you are making a mess of things with your silliness. You are acting foolish; look at you. Peter and James and John -ire arguing over who is going to sit at my right and my left in the Kingdom. What is the matter with you? Give me the children, give me the babies, for of such is the Kingdom. It seems to me, that you hear me, but it is going in one ear and out of the other, because your mind is so fixed with the education and civilization of this world, you do not recognize that Jesus the Christ brings a totally new,' civilization. He wants to make you a new people, but you cannot be made new if you hold on to the way of foolishness of the old world. You must become as a child. A child is one that has to be nurtured and when you are thinking of yourself as a child, you become humble to your Teacher, then your Teacher can reshape, remold and make you new.
What should the attitude of the student be? We cannot come to Allah (God) arrogant, we cannot come to Allah (God) proud, we come to Allah (God) humble. Look at the scriptures: "Naked came I into the world, naked go I out of the world." I brought nothing in, I can take nothing out.
-8-
When one is naked, one is fully exposed. When one's knowledge has been so completely exposed, one is naked and then one needs to be clothed again.
Easter, in the Christian way of looking at it, 'and in the old symbolism of pagan rites, represented the putting on of a new garment. Even as the Earth looks like it is covered with a new garment in the spring, we must pull of the old garment of this world's knowledge, wisdom, understanding and way of civilization. Pull it off and become "naked" and then let Almighty God, Allah, through His Apostle, make a new garment for you. Put on the new man, take off the old man. This is the Will of Allah (God).
There must be a transformation in our lives.
Brother and Sister, if Allah (God) wants to bring and establish His Will In the world, He has chosen the United States of America: the most powerful adversary of His Will in the world. Though America claims to be a Christian country, she is not "new". Her way is the way of the world; her way is the way of evil. When you measure the way of America, when you measure the way of the government, when you measure the deeds of the government and her record against the law and Will of Allah (God), then the Honorable, Elijah Muhammad is absolutely correct - she is the habitation of devils. And if she is such, and she is, then to follow her is to go down into Hell with her.
Allah (God) has said to the Black people of America, You are the descendants of the original Adam. You are a people who are an original people of the Earth. You are by nature a righteous people. You have the same nature as God Himself; you were born by nature of the righteous. Accept your own and be yourself If you would like to be yourself, which is a righteous Muslim, then you will come into a degree of power that you have never known before. If you will come into a degree of power that you have never known before, how will this sit with those who have made you slaves and want to keep you groveling at their feet? Will they want you to have any power? Of course not!
The Will of Allah (God), whenever it is revealed through a prophet or an apostle transform their lives and then organize them for the establishment of His Will in that location. Brothers and Sisters, it is one thing to tell the truth, but if the truth is not organized, if the people who believe in the truth are not organized for the work of establishing the truth, then telling the truth is of no value at all. We need organization as much as we need truth.
In 1977, at a police convention here in the city of Chicago, I spoke to some highly-placed Black policemen. A man that worked very closely with the police told me that the denial objective of the United States government for Black people was that we must never be allowed to truly organize. Have you noticed that no matter how much truth we know, we can never seem to organize effectively; to move ahead with our own aims, plans and purpose?
Why?
Revlon says, "In two(2) years, we are going to take over all Black hair care companies - buy them out. They will not even be in existence in a few years." I am very happy to see the stir among our people, but if it is an emotional reaction to Revlon, Revlon is not making an
-9-
emotional statement. Revlon is making a statement based upon plans, organization and strategy that is already in the works. But you cannot get members of the same Black hair care products into the same room; some of them literally hate each other. How, then, can we stave off organized Revlon with disorganized emotionalism in response to Revlon's challenge?
We are silly and it is only when we start acting like mature people; when we come into a new way of thinking; a new mind with new ideas, will we overpower the Revlons of this world. And whether you know it or not, you are destined to overpower not only Revlon, but General Motors, Ford, ITT, IBM, etc. You are destined to overpower all of them.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that Master Fard Muhammad, the Great Mahdi, is at work right now, tearing down this world. Why can't they (powers of this world) get their act together? Because another Power is tearing them down. Why can't they, with all of their knowledge, balance their budget? Another Power is tearing them down. Why is the dollar falling? Why is General Motors closing? Why are more and more Jobs being lost to the American market? It is all because another Power is interfering with their power. They cannot put their Will over His Will, He is forcing His Will and His Will is the end of this world. Behold! He makes all things new!
Black Brothers and Sisters, Muslims, we must organize. We must see ourselves as students. We must be of the mind and spirit of a student. We must have the mind and spirit of a child, for a child knows that it must be nurtured; a student knows that he or she must be taught. We cannot come to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad like we know; we must come humble, because the Honorable Elijah Muhammad proved in his forty (40) years among us that he knew better than anyone among us, for His Word stands.
If we know that we carry the Will of Allah (God) to transform the lives of our people for His sake and righteousness, then we know that we cannot transform our people without organization. This is War. Let me say it again: THIS IS WAR. Do you think that you will put Allah's (God's) Will over and the Will of this world is not going to oppose it? 'Mere is bound to be opposition, severe opposition. THIS IS WAR. It is not a bloody battle, because we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness that is in high places -- but it is War!
In Economics, when Black people go into business, it is another form of war, when you begin to take money out of white companies and bring it back into the Black community, it is an act of war. That is the way they see it. So why don't you get into the mind of war, the frame of war, the spirit of war - and don't lay down your weapon until the war is over and the victory is won!
This world is not giving up; this world is not going out like a lamb with a sweet lullaby, this world is going out with a great noise. So we must be ready for the battle. And I say to those with the title of Muslim those in the Nation of Islam - and that means all Black people in North America - We must be organized.
The moment we start to talk about organization, people think, "Now here's what I want to be, I want to be this in that structure." Hold on a minute. To organize means to form into a whole,
-10-
consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for harmonious and united action. Now let us think about that. I hope that you will follow me carefully in what I am about to say.
If "to organize" means "to form as or into a whole, consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for harmonious and united action," then there can be no organization without interdependent relationships. There can be no organization without coordinating the different functions. There can be no organization without harmony. There can be no organization without a common cause that is above the function of each part that makes up the whole' If that is true, and it is, then let us look at the organization of this world. This world is sick to death over titles, for titles distinguish us from others. And then we take the title and we make mischief with it.
In the Bible, Paul gives, the example of the supreme organization of the body. This is a magnificent structure and a magnificent example of organization, coordination, harmony, interdependent relationships and united action; because there is one cause that is above all things and that is the life of this organism. So all the parts work to sustain life.
Imagine the "I am" principle coming into the body: "I am the Brain"; "I am the Heart"; "I am the Liver"; "I am the Kidney". You may laugh, but that is what has destroyed every organization and now it is threatening the government itself. It is the "I am". "I am the President." Who are you? Why does that make you special? Are you better than another functioning part of a whole?
The object is the maintenance, the preservation of the Republic, and that is why you serve it. You are not greater than the Republic, you are not the Republic. You are just a servant of the Republic. But we make so much over who the Head is, who the Chairman of the Board is, who the President is, who the Secretary is, who the Vice-Chairman and the Potentate is. We destroy the organization by building up one against the value of another, when that one cannot function without the other. Think over that.
What does the head look like without a foot? I saw a man in the Marathon. He had hit a mine in one of the, wars and it blew off part of his hands and his feet. He finished the Marathon four (4) days later. He had the Will. He had a great head, but he did not have the legs. But that man struggled against those odds to make it and whatever he had left was working together, united in action harmoniously for the sustenance of that man's life. And even though he could not compete in that race, he well can compete in the race of life.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters, in this world, men and women study many years to qualify themselves to wear a title: Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher, Priest, Father, Reverend, The Right Reverend, The Most Worshipful Master. And ofttimes, these titles are used to motivate men and women to strive for these positions of influence and power, but the very means by which men and women ascend to titles ofttimes is the destruction of the organization which the titles were meant to serve.
Who wants to be the foot? Someone should want to be the foot; it is very important. So Paul says, "suppose all members were eyes." If the body were just one big eye, where would the
-11-
hearing be? Somebody has got to be eyes, somebody has got to be ears, someone has to be a tongue, someone has to be a brain, but each must recognize that they are nothing without the other. And it is only when they work interdependently and coordinated in a way that produces harmony, that there will be success of that organization.
Beloved the striving of men and women for positions of influence in power over others does not serve the need for organization. "We're Number One!" Look at the Chicago Bears. Last year they were "Number One". This year everybody is after them. It is very difficult to be Number One two times in a row. Everybody is after them. It is this madness of competition in a negative way. We strive to be the best: "And he rose through the ranks to become General." As though whatever he was before meant nothing. And so he rose. How did he rise? He cheated, he robbed, he played politics, he was a bootlicker, whatever he was he did all of that to get where he is and now he is Chairman of the Board. What kind of organization will that be with a fool like that at the helm?
Brother and Sister, I do not mean to make light of this world's order, but you know that this world's order is closing down. Because men and women have tides and functions, but these persons of title and function are devoid of character.
Men are called "Your Eminence, Your Grace, Your Lordship, The Right Reverend, The Most Honorable, Your Excellency." And they are none of that. But the title gives them the appearance of what in character they are not. So they are themselves the means of the destruction of their nations, their government, their cities, their states, their towns.
Allah (God) has set His Hand against this world and its leaders for that very reason and this is why the scriptures foretell the fall of kings and rulers, the destruction of governments and nations-because there is no integrity in their character and their function has proved to be alien to the Nature of Allah (God) and the nature in which He created things.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters, we need organization. We need organization, but we first must understand that we are common to organization and without us, no organization survives. It does not exist for the person of the leader, or the chairman, or the rulers, but it exists for the purpose for which the organization was set up. In the next lecture we will go into the aim and the purpose of the setting up of the Nation of Islam.
Thank you for listening. AS-SALAAM ALAIKUM!
-12-