1980-February-29

Bilalian News

Highly Glorified Is Allah: Part 1

Imam Warith Deen Muhammad

With the Name Allah the Gracious, the Compassionate.
As-Salaam-Alaikum

(Editor's note: Following are excerpts from Imam Wallace Deen Muhammad’s Jumah Prayer lecture at Masjid Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Feb. 1, 1980.)

Dear beloved Muslims, As-Salaam-Alaikum. Highly Glorified is Allah. We seek His aid; we ask forgiveness from Him. We beg goodness from Him. We trust with complete trust in Him. With the Name Allah and giving all praises to Allah, highly Glorified is Ile in the heavens and in the Earth. For Him is the praise, and for Him is the thanksgiving during the earliest part and at the end. He is the Most Gracious in the skies and in the Earth. "There is no associate with Him, and this is a com­mandment on me, and I am of the Muslims."

Allah, the MostHigh, Supreme and Highly Glorified, says: "The disbelievers say this day is very difficult." Dear beloved Muslims, Allah is the Creator. He says to us in the Quran that He is the Creator of everysingle thing. "Highly Glorified is Allah above all descrip­tions they give."
For Him is all the praise, for Him is all thanksgiving — for the very earliest periods and for the latest. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of praise except Allah, of wor­ship except Allah, of prayers except Allah alone. There is nothing like unto Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

Dear beloved Muslims, Allah in the Quran —Highly praised is He, Highly Glorified is He, having all Might, the Most Majestic — He says: "Guard diligently the prayers, and the middle prayer." In the commentary and translation by Ahdullah Yusuf, this midday prayer is reasoned to be the 'Asr Prayer — the prayer that follows the noon prayer. There is a chapter in the Quran by the name ‘Asr. By reason, this prayer, might have a connection with the chapter by this name. 'Al Asr.

People are inclined or have a tendency to get involved in their own personal interest and forget the worship of Allah during this time of the day, says A. Yusuf. The chapter 'Al Asr reads in translation: With the name Allah. Most Gracious, Most Compassionate. By the hour! Surely the humanity is in a state of loss. Except those who have true faith, and their works are righteous. And they cooperate in a mutual struggle to support Truth and Righteousness. And they cooperate in the mutual struggle to support perseverance and patience.

Dear beloved Muslims, in the beginning of the Khutbah we offer this chapter as a thought for direction in our own minds, direction in our own thinking. By saying that the mission of every Muslim is to work - that is to work to bring all ideas, concepts, ideologies and actions to conform to what Allah has revealed to the Universal Messenger. Prophet Muhammad, upon Him be the Peace and the Most Excellent Salutation.

The Most High says in the Quran. "Oh you who have true faith, be a people for Allah as witnesses for justice, and do not allow your dislike or hatred for any people to cause you to swerve from justice. Do justice, it is the nearest to true piety. And reverence, Allah, in­deed Allah is aware of the innermost secrets."

With the Name Allah, and bearing witness that nothing is worthy of worship except Allah, no comparison can there be of Him. We extol Him for Muhammad and offer Muham­mad the greatest salutation.

Dear beloved Muslims, I now bring your at­tention to a problem in this Western culture, that is a problem for us as Muslims, as well as aproblem for those who live in this culture and accept the culture. There is in the history of the Christian Church an outstandingleader among them, who is called Saint Basil. This Christian leader is reported for giving an idea to the Christians of Europe, an idea to find some com­mon ground of philosophical terminology be­tween Church and paganism. And he taught that Christians should interpret and apply pagan principles so that they give freshness to Christian ideas. He encouraged the philosophy, "be as the honey bee," selecting pollen from every flower. "...Apply what pagan ideas say in principle to complement Christian ideas" —St. Basil.

With this he instructed them to interpret pagan principles and concepts in the light of the Church doctrine. That contributed to a heavy influx of pagan ideas and pagan prin­ciples. Hence, pagan influences are real in the Christian culture. Unfortunately for us, most of us were raised in this culture. Most of us were raised as Christians. Those of us who did not receive Christian teachings in the Church, have received the Christian influences from culture. So whether you are a confessed Christian or not, you are a product of Christian society or Christian culture until you break with that and accept another cultural thinking.

Praise be to Allah, the religion of AI-Islam made good sense to us. When we study Christian concept of God, the Trinitarian in the light of past history, we see that this Trinitarian idea has borrowed from pagan concepts. What do we mean by pagan? Pagan is name given to idol worship, the worship of that, which is of the creation. It distinguishes it-, from revealed religion that promotes the war ship of only the Creator.

The basic difference between the concept of God for pagan ideas and the real religion is in the way they view God and the way we view God. For us, Allah is the creator of everything. For them, lie is of creation or in creation and that creation is a manifestation of Him. They see the gods as influences or spirits dwelling in the material things. Allah saysin the Quran to open the eyes of those who have that kind of problem. "They are carefully attending their gods