1982-December-3

A.M. Journal

Muhammad Speaks

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

QUESTION: Muslims are to pray five times a day, but when there are non-Muslims visitors in the home at the stated time for prayer, should they excuse themselves to make prayer, offer it later or pray while the visitors are present?
— Columbia, Md.

IMAM: 1 think they should explain to their visitors that it's time for prayer and ask their permission to go and pray.

As a courtesy, as a good gesture to them, ask their permission to be excused and even invite them to join you. Ask if they would like to join the Muslims in prayer. Maybe they will pray differently, but if they would like to have a moment of prayer, they can do it too.

But 1 don't think a Muslim should make a point of inviting people over at prayer time, because I know there's a tendency in some of us to want to show people that we are different.

QUESTION: The Quran states that Allah made man in different races, tribes and clans so that we could get to know each other and not despise each other. In another place the Quran states that mankind is a single nation. My question is, how did man end up in various geographical locations? Was it that Allah placed them in different locations or did they somehow transport themselves to those various locations?

IMAM: We believe that the overall or general design of life — society on Earth - is the plan of God, so I would answer yes, Allah caused them to be located in the different parts of the world.

But we have to understand too that this has come about because of the need to go outside of your environment either because of curiosity or because of necessity — material necessities.

QUESTION: I continue to hear you condemn Messengers and Prophets of God's moral behavior, especially your father. According to you, he had the lowest morals of any man who ever lived?
- Chicago, IL.

IMAM: That's not true ... I think your morals are so much lower than all of them ... than everybody I have talked about, not to mention the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I know you couldn't touch him any kind of way.