1981-February-20

Bilalian News

The Correct Islamic Attitude: Part 1

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

With The Name Allah, The Gracious, The Compassionate
As-Salaam-Alaikum

(Editor's note: Following arc excerpts from a Khutbah delivered by Imam Warith Deen Muhammad at Masjid Muhammad, Washington, D.C., Jan. 16. 1981.)

Praise be to Allah, Guardian, Evolver. Cherisher and Sustainer of all the worlds. We seek His aid: in prayers we ask forgiveness from Him only .And we put complete trust in Him, I bear witness that nothing deserves worship and prayers except Him. alone. There is nothing as an equal or partner with Him. I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and His messenger.

Praise be to Allah, who revealed the Quran to Muhammad as guidance to Believers and as a mercy to all people, Our Guardian, Evolver, Cherisher and Sustainer, give us in this world that which is excellent and good; and in the next, excellence and good, and save us from the punishment of the fire.

Allah, the Most High, says in the Quran, "Indeed, Allah is with those who are constant." The word "sabr" is translated "patience." "perseverance," "constancy." It also means consistence, not wavering, not changing our faith, our commitment, or disposition in this religion, but remaining constant, steadfast, and persevering — remaining so when it is most difficult.

What enables us to keep the stand that we make in the religion, even when there is great temptation? Above all it is obedience to Allah. Whether we remain constant or not does not depend upon how much we know or how much power we have or how much money we have, it depends on how obedient we are to Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This religion began with the poor and it shall return to the poor." We don't expect that this religion should be preserved or secured as a faith in this world by those who have money or by those who have great knowledge. It is going to be preserved and secured by those who have great faith in Allah. Indeed the reward for their genuine faith and steadfastness includes real growth in the knowledge.

How do we know when one has great faith in Allah? When his personality and his conduct reflect that, then we know. Allah says in the Quran of the Believers in the Hereafter. "They will be seen with their light going forth from their faces." We don't expect that there will be an Edison light rushing from the faces of the people. The meaning is that their character will be in agreement with what they say they believe in.

We look to the faces of people to see their character. You don't look to his hand to see his character. God says. "The light of the Believers shall go forward from their faces." meaning that their character will be conforming to that which they profess to believe in. We want people who have the character of the religion as well as faith.

Faith, if it is true faith will manifest in a change of heart. A change of heart means a change-in character. When one changes his heart from that of cheating—cheating himself, cheating his Lord, cheating his fellowman —to that of being honest, it shows in his face.

This religion is more than just a religion of faith; it is also a religion of knowledge, a religion of logic. However, the faith is not preserved by a dry logic within the people. it's preserved by faith within people.

Logic often causes the individual who pursued logic, to give up faith. Why? It is simply because his faith was not strong enough for the light of truth. When the light of truth was seen by him. his faith went away. He became a dry-hearted man of dry logic, so-called logic.

This Quran is based on the logic that first of all recognizes the existence of Creator and the obligation of every creature to that Creator. This is the difference between this Quran and the so-called logic we are accustomed to in the general society.

The logic of this Quran begins with the first premise: "There is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet is not God. and not a spooky messenger, but the human Messenger. This is the- logic. Man must accept the logic (truth) of his own being, his own material matter in the context of material nature operating in the creation to keep creation whole, operative, evolving, regenerative, uniform, etc. That logic that operates to keep the creation in tact, to keep it as Allah intended, is known by man when man recognizes that there is a Creator behind this —that is the logic in Al-Islam. You cannot contain Allah but He has always contained you.

Dear beloved Believers, once we understand that, we can be patient. We can be constant. We can hold steadfast because that is the faith that is strong. Allah says in the Quran—Most High is He —that this is the religion of the essential nature “upon which man has been originated."

(To be continued)