11/03/2000
Muslim Journal

Be a People of Justice—Witnesses for G-d - Part 1
By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

The following address by Imam W. Deen. Mohammed was given at Masjid Bilal, the weekend of its 21st Annual Testimonial Dinner, in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sun., Oct. 15, 2000.
Praise be to Allah. As-Salaamu-Alaikum.

The carnal sins of a person without a mind over their behavior, these carnal sins are common: Greed, jealousy, envy, etc.

What are we about? What is our purpose here on this earth? Why are we Muslims? Why do we come together like this? It is because of G-d. A people cannot stand up for themselves or for anybody else with carnal sins, especially greed, being put upon them, being promoted in their appetites and they permit it to happen.

G-d says to us in our Holy Book: "Be a people of justice, witnesses for G-d." That is why I am here. Since I was a little boy, my parents conditioned me — and good seniors of the Temple of Islam who were close to my parents helped my parents raise me to be a child wanting to obey G-d and wanting to do what was just and right.

I owe my righteousness to G-d firstly, but also I owe my righteousness to the teachings that I got from my parents that encouraged me to be the way I am. It was from the senior members of the Temple of Islam who were close to my father and mother who helped them to condition me for what I am.

I didn't start being a righteous person or trying to strive for righteousness when I changed and began to see the religion correctly. When I was not seeing the religion correctly, I was the person I am now. This is not just true of me, it is true of some of you, too, and of some of the members of my family, of the children by my mother and my father.

G-d says be a people of justice, witnesses for G-d. G-d says this to the Muslims, the followers of Muhammed the Prophet, prayers and the peace be upon him. G-d is saying this to them, and aren't we them? I am. I am a believer in the Qur'an that was revealed to Muhammed the Prophet about 1421 years ago. I am a believer in that.

My father always held up that Book above everything else that was in the Nation of Islam and the Temple as a sign to us, that one day that Book was going to overcome everything that was in opposition to it. That it is higher than whatever else we have.

Then G-d says also to us in our Holy Book: "Men are maintainers of the women." Men are established as a people to be responsible for the women. You who have been with us for a long time, even before I was the leader, can recall that the Hon. Elijah Muhammad had the national convention and several times he had up huge letters. You would see them as soon as you entered the big hall or big arena or big convention facility. Those big letters said: "PROTECT OUR WOMEN."

I'm addressing women as we know women immediately, but I am also addressing or alluding to all the wombs that have born us. We are not only born of flesh females, for we are born also of correct knowledge and incorrect knowledge. Incorrect knowledge births the wrong minded people, and correct knowledge gives birth to the right minded people.

But we are not just born of knowledge, we are also born of the food we are fed. The baby in the womb of its mother could never be born if the mother didn't eat food. If she carefully selects the food she has in the interest of the life she is carrying, that promises us even a healthier birth.

When G-d says to us, be a people standing for justice, G-d is saying to us that to be a people you must be standing. You are not a people, until you stand up. Both words referred to here in the Arabic have in their meaning "standing up erect." The word tells us that the people are persons standing up together.

We still have this meaning in the languages of many cultures and nations around the world. That meaning is there for them. In our English language, we have the word "standard." We also have the expression, "Stand up for something, brother."

We know the meaning for stand has a rich message and an ordinary message. G-d is not giving us the ordinary message, when He tells us to be a people standing for justice. He is telling us that we have to stand up together for something worthwhile for all the people, for all the families, for mankind, in order to be a people.

To be continued....