1992-December-18

Muslim Journal

"A Focus for the Healthy Unity of Muslims in America": Part 7

Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Secret Orders Hurt Communication

We need to be aware that if we are to progress in this country, we can't he attracted to secret orders, secret planning. We will hurt ourselves. If you form different secret orders, we lose the ability to communicate with one tongue. You will be cherishing your secret order language and another will be cherishing his or her secret order language.

When I speak I don't belong to any secret order. I try to speak the language of Islam, the language of intelligence which is Islam. So this secret talk is hurting ourselves. Not only that, when you belong to a secret order and are committed or devoted to that secret order, you also hurt your unity, divide your strength and hurt the benefits that would come to the community if everybody cherished one-and-the-same language. It should be that everybody is opening their ears to one-and-the-same language.

If you belong to a secret order, then the secret order tells you how to hear language. The secret order tells you how to hear what I am speaking. The secret order makes you translate what I am saying into their language, and it hurts our ability to progress all together. We can't have that if we want to progress

Allah says in His Holy Book, the Qur'an and the Last Revelation, "Meeting in secrecy is not accepted unless it is for the purpose of promoting righteousness, virtuousness, and decency." I know what you think of the Islamic world, that it is Sufism and nothing but esoteric and secret orders. But I am saying to you what is in the Qur'an. It is plain to me. It is plain when it says, if we are to have secrecy it is only for the purpose of promoting decency, a virtuous life, honesty, and righteousness between man and man. It didn't say between Muslim and Muslim (only).

That tells us that Muslims are not allowed to have any Muslim secret order for the purpose of doing anything but promoting decency between different parties and different races and different nations on this earth. If we are not meeting for the good relationship of the different religious groups, the different nations or different parties, then we are not allowed that secrecy. This is according to what I am reading in the Qur'an.

Understand What Is America's Beauty

America is not a place that promises to give you religion or to give you culture. You are supposed to have cultural influences of your religion or from your past traditions. You are supposed to have your own taste for food, your own taste for clothing, your own taste for entertainment, your own taste for your intellect. You are supposed to make your own life in this land of opportunity and freedom. If you don't do it, then Satan and his hosts have everything ready and prepared for you. They (the corruptors) will dress you, will give you entertainment, will give you taste, smell, hearing, and vision.

So let us not exaggerate that melting pot thing. America is a melting pot only for those who leave the responsibility for self to the world. But if you take up responsibility into your own hands for your own life, America is no melting pot. The beauty and precious thing for American society is its pluralistic life we call plurality. That is America's beauty.