10-5-01

The Muslim Journal

The Awakening: Part 1

Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Dear Believers, As-Salaam-Alaikum. With Allah's Name, the Merciful Benefactor, the Merciful Redeemer, We witness that there is none to be worshipped except Allah; He is the Only G-d. And we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and His Messenger, the prayers and the peace be upon him, and what follows of that salutation to the Seal of the Prophets, the Last of the Prophets mentioned in the Qur'an as a Prophet mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments - properly called in Islam, the Torah and Injil.

We see this time that we are living in now as the time or day of religion, when matters for mankind regarding how he should live on this earth are coming to a conclusion. The earth is no more an unknown place to be discovered by man. In the time of the Prophet, this part of the world had not been discovered. Now the whole world has come together like a puzzle, when parts of it were missing. The whole continents of North America and South America were missing from it. G-d had already predicted through His Prophets that the day would come when the whole earth would become one again, as it was in the beginning.

Never before on this earth did we have the great religions and their leaders coming together in friendship and working together, discussing the problems of mankind all over the world and working together for a better earth community, a better home for us all on this earth. Muhammed the Prophet was guided by G-d with the Qur'an as a man created for the job, with the logic suitable to receive the universal connection of mankind. G-d guided him to tell the people that the people on earth were once one community. And by suggestion in the language in Qur'an, we come to the conclusion that mankind one day again has to become one community: "As He created you in the first instance, so shall you return." (Qur'an)

This application is not only to the return from the grave, when all of us have gone from the earth and become dust and bone and we expect The Resurrection. But Muhammed the Prophet, prayers and peace be upon him, taught us that whatever is in the Qur'an has a direct application and an implied one. It has a reading obvious to the average person, and it has a meaning that has to be given to you by inspiration, by G-d, "He guides whomever He pleases., and whom He leaves without guidance cannot find guidance." (Qur'an)

Muhammed the Prophet taught his students who became scholars, one of them being his wife Aisha. She became a great scholar and one of the leaders for the religion of Islam for the whole world. He taught them that his language was to be regarded in the same way, when it came to understanding it: That what he said had an expressed meaning and an implied one. The pure ones would come to the right understanding.

We know that Prophet Muhammed said that there would come a time when you would see Jesus and himself together. I am sure that this is the time. The Prophet also said in his Last Sermon: "Listen. For those who are here presently, listen and pass it on to those who are absent. And those who receive it, pass it on still further. And per chance the last to get it will understand it better."

It may not be I or you or the following with me called the Muslim American Society, but we should be looking to see where is that group that the Prophet said may understand it better than the others. It shouldn't be in the multitudes or in the many; it should be small. The many will not have it correctly, according to Prophet Muhammed's prediction.

We see the world of Islam today. Most of it is in confusion. Most of it is not in unity. Most of it is not giving their people a comfortable living. Only a few who are in ruling positions are in comfortable situations, and the many are denied a comfortable existence. Their public cannot preach their religion or live their religion as they choose to. If they do, they will be locked up in jail or killed outright, depending on how much they upset the ruling order. There is no freedom of religion in most Islamic countries. The government decides how religion should be preached. We Muslims must understand what is going on in Muslim life in the Muslim world.

If you are a Muslim here in America, you should know the state of Islam in the Muslim world. And you should know if the Muslim world is in line with the Qur'an and Muhammed or not. If they are not, you don't want to be in line with them. Most scholars and educators in the religion are persecuted in these Muslim lands. They have left to come to America for the same reason those on the Mayflower came over here. They wanted to have a country where they could live their religion with their G-d and feel comfortable in their hearts that they are living their religion as G-d wants them to live it.

That is what we want here in America. It hurts us very badly to see our peace and our good relationship with the citizens of America, the Christians, hurt by acts of terror That is not making us feel comfortable. It makes all of us feel that we are in danger. If my father were here, he would tell you sisters exactly what I am going to tell you. This is a time that is very dangerous for you and is very critical. Allah does not want us putting ourselves unnecessarily in danger.

Sisters should wear loose fitting long pants and decent jackets and you should not be able to be distinguished from anybody else out on the street. Don't dress so you look like the public expects Muslims to look; this is not the time for it. Dress modestly. That is all Islam asks. It does not ask that we have a certain style. Just dress modestly. Don't dress like they expect you to dress.

This is a dangerous time. Do you want someone throwing stones at your women? I don't. Brothers, tell your wife to not go out there in the dress that they are looking for. Dress like them, so they can't tell. And if they speak to you, keep your cool. You can be in thiker thinking on Allah. So when they speak to you, Allah will have calm on you. You can then respond to them and not be aggravated, and you will give them a warm look and say: "I think you have mistaken me for somebody else," And they will leave you alone.

Believers have gotten hurt in several big cities, all the way to Los Angeles - from the East Coast to the West Coast. These are people in our communities, not mentioning those in other Muslim communities. Sisters have been assaulted on the streets by people who are enraged. They are angry and will take their anger out on someone they think is of the same mind as those terrorists. They are saying: "Whatever they believe in is making them (the terrorists) behave that way." But we know that is not so.

It is not the religion that is making them behave that way. It is the desperate situation they are living in. Maybe it is their test from G-d. Maybe Allah is giving them a test. Can you be tested and still keep your Muslim behavior? They are being tested.

When Muhammed the Prophet gave his Last Sermon, it was a Jumuah Khut-bah. Did he just read the Qur'an and do prayers and glorify G-d? No. He addressed the problems of mankind in his Last Sermon. He addressed the treatment of your brother, respect for his wife, and don't violate his rights. Don't violate his property. Don't violate his family. Don't violate the servant, the slave, the person who is down. Don't mistreat them. Treat them equal with the citizens or with your own sons. This is what Prophet Muhammed discussed.

He discussed the women, to educate them. That you men who educated two women, you will get to Paradise. He saw the concerns of that time, and they are the concerns that we have now. They have not changed. We still have mistreatment of those who are weak financially, those who are not educated, and the mistreatment of females. We still have all of that and in the Islamic world. Prophet Muhammed addressed the problems of mankind, and we should follow him. So we are addressing this serious problem today of terrorism.

Prophet Muhammed was a reflection of G-d's Word, the Qur'an. His wife Aisha, G-d be pleased with her, said he was the Qur'an living, walking among us. He lived the Qur'an so closely, that his wife saw him as The Book living and walking among us. We know this terrorism is not the way of the Prophet, even those who are driven mad by their circumstances, to lose their senses and do the horrible things that they have done in these last several days.

I was in Washington, D.C., when the trouble started there (Sept. ll) and it was a strange coincidence. I was invited by the President of the United States to meet with him at 3 o'clock in the afternoon with a few other selected religious leaders -Faith Based Community Leaders - to address the problem of profiling. We were thinking about the average criminal or lawbreaker and the innocent person who is arrested and taken for a criminal before he even has a day in court. We were thinking of the average black person or African Americans and others who get stopped just as a suspect in the officer's eyes even before he catches them committing a crime.

But this profiling was about terrorists who are given a certain picture. Now the innocent are suspected because they have the same name, same religion, same dress style. Look how quickly it has shifted from the profiling of the ordinary citizen suspected and mistreated to the profiling of all Muslims. All Muslims! It is not by police officers but by fanatics and people insane. Some have just waited for a time like this for them to come out and do and say the things they wanted to do and say all along.

We have to be very careful. If my father were here, he would tell the sisters to stay in the house. If it were not absolutely necessary to be outside, he would say stay in the house. I am telling you that myself, right now. If it is not absolutely necessary, sisters stay in the house. And if you have to come out, dress so they can't identify you. Now, if we catch you in some mini skirts.... These are very serious times.

(To be continued)