1979-February-23

Bilalian News

Eclipse: A Sign

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

With the Name Allah (In the Name of God), the Gracious, the Compassionate As - Salaam – Alaikum

(Editor's note: The following excerpts are from Mujeddid Wallace Deen Muhammad's 4th Sunday address. January 28, I979)

All praise is due to Almighty God, the guardian evolver and sustainer of all the worlds. The blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to us all.

O Allah, guide us, forgive us our faults, and grant us the blessings of faith. I bear witness there is no deity except Allah and I bear witness Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger. Peace he upon him, his descendants, his companions, the righteous servants, all of them, and upon us in America and throughout the world:

Do you believe in the signs of God? I do. The longer I live the more I see God's hand in everything. As the scripture says, —They plan and He (Allah) is the best of planners.— He overrides the schemes of all the schemers, even in our personal lives -the little things we do daily like brushing our teeth and putting on our clothes—we're acting. but God is acting too.

There's an eclipse coming this February 26, the first one on this scale in about some 40 years in America. It will be seen as a total eclipse in some northern parts of the United States. (Some of the cities include: Portland, Ore.; Walla Walla, Wash.; Helena, Mont.; Minot. N.D.; and Winnipeg, Canada. We also will be able to see it in Chicago.)

Don't think these things are empty signs —that God made the sun, the moon and the stars, and caused planets to be eclipsed as an empty sign. The Holy Quran tells us not to think that He has done all this in jest or in play or for your entertainment.

People from far and near are going to come out to see this eclipse. Astronomers are going to be nuts. Astrologers are already nuts and they are going to come with their nuts to see the eclipse.
But let me tell you something. It has a special meaning for the Nation of Islam of yesterday. This eclipse is predicted to come on February 26. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad didn't always celebrate on the 26th but it was in that time range. Sometimes, because of certain circumstances, he celebrated earlier, sometimes later.
This eclipse is predicted to come on the 26th of February. It's a sign. That old school has been eclipsed by God. But it wasn't W.D. Muhammad who brought the eclipse on February 26th: it was God's will.

Look again at the beautiful sign. At our annual celebration on the 26th of February in '75, the old leader rested and your Imam came up on the throne of the Nation of Islam as it was called. Look how quick it was.

Many times a leader dies and it's weeks and months, sometimes years before a new leader is put into office. The eclipse only takes a few minutes. It hardly ever goes over a few hours. You don't have to go to bed and wake up to see it or slay up all night to see it.

That's exactly what happened in 1975. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad went out one day, the next day—a new leader. So quick, the position wasn't even vacant. The seat of leadership never got cool.

In fact, it was the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, himself, who had already given me the freedom to go all over his nation, delivering talks while he was sick, not knowing whether he would recover or not.

If you believe in signs, look at how good and plain this sign is. Who would think an eclipse would come on February 28th in the early years of my mission? You don't think that's significant?

I don't have to say this to strengthen the faith of those believers who are already strong in faith. This is for those who sit straddle the fence, constantly looking at me and looking at Silas, me and Farrakhan, me and Silas, me and Farrakhan, me and Silas. And there are many other signs.