1986-May-23

Muslim Journal

Sovereignty Is With Allah

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

(Editor's Note: The following is excerpted from Imam W. Deen Muhammad's Apri1 13, 1986 address at the Jacob Javits Conven­tion in New York)
Let us look at how our Holy Book, the Qur'an, treats the significance of the devil. Satan, the Chief One. Our Lord says in our Holy Book that that sick power is not as big as you think it is. God says, his power is only the power to seduce. Man can resist Satan. You don't have to be seduced. God says fight the army of Satan, for surely his plot is weak.
So in our religion Satan is not made from supernatural power or is a figure that I can't go to battle against. Satan is made in­ferior to me. Satan is weaker than me. Satan can only reach me because I drop my God-given weaponry. As long as I keep in my arms my God-given weaponry, Satan is no match for me. And not only against Satan or the subtleties of Satan but from the subtleties of my own goodness. Sometimes the good nature can deceive, can fascinate us. Some men look at their handsome faces, and actually die right there in the mirror.

So whether it is the subtleties of Satan, or other subtleties, the best help is to remember God. And God says, in remembrance of God is the greatest power.
On sovereignty our Holy Book says Allah is the owner of sovereignty. The earth is Allah's property. Power and glory, all of this, is a possession resting entirely in Allah's control. He created all, and has power over all. Again, Allah denies dominance to all that seek it. The British Empire sought dominance over all the nations of the world. Did it gain dominance over all the nations of the world? It always had resistance. They were not successful, and pretty soon they had to pull back their great fleet; their great forces from the lands of other people. Allah denies dominance to all that seek it. Again, it is not accepted that associates or partners share with Allah the rule over creation. There's no other being sharing with Allah the rule of the creation.

Of strife, confrontations between people, nations, com­munities, etc., the Qur'an says to the Muslim to hold to the pur­pose of your position. Hold to the spirit and purpose of your position. God has not called us to be nationalists or racists. God has called us to be more noble than that. So He reminds us that our contention is not aimed at anybody but the unjust, the op­pressor. What does that tell us? That I have to accept what God is saying here. If God tells the Muslim that our contention, our protest, our campaign is not aimed at anybody but the unjust, the oppressor. I have to accept that. I cannot say that Muslims are put on this earth to have some kind of holy war with Chris­tians, or to have some kind of holy war with Jews: that's not our purpose. We are not here to fight Christianity, until there is no more Christianity. We are not here to fight Judaism and drive it off the earth; no, God has said, if He wanted you one community He would have made you one community. God obligated our Prophet and us his followers to protect the sacred places of the Christians and the Jews; to cooperate with them in the great destiny of man intended by our Lord.

I know I'm going to get some flak; I don't mind it. I was born in flak.
Yes. It's time. The earth is too small for this petty thing that some of us are trying to keep up.
So as for the People of the Book, God has made it known to us that among them are some that are dealing in wickedness. The term, 'people of the book,' means Jews and Christians, and perhaps even some other religious groups that were known at that time and who were accepted as legitimate religious groups who had received revelation from God.

Our religion brings our attention to the fact that among these great and respected groups of people, Christians and Jews are people who give themselves to advancing wickedness. However, we cannot overlook those that share with us the same God-given spirit and the same God-given aspirations for the fulfillment of human potential and excellence.
We must accept their fine merits and their honorable com­mitments to advance the excellence of man on earth and to fight corruption. The Qur'an tells us that you will find among them a part of them that stand for justice and call to that that is good.