1985-August-16

Muslim Journal

Ideologies

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

(Editor's note: The following statement is excerpted from an address Imam Muhammad made June 23, 1985 in Camden, N.J.)

THERE IS no ideology that I know of that gives me a vision or a perception of my role on this Earth — or in this creation — as clear and as important, as dignified and as great as given in Al-Islam.

None has given me a sense of responsibility as big as the sense of responsibility that I have gained from a study of this Qur'an and the life of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and this religion. None.

I have studied, just like you have if you studied, the different ideologies, that they have available in the books. I have studied them. They all resemble — they are nothing but shades and facets of one thing. So once you know that, you pick it up, you read two pages and then you are through with it. You throw it down. You don't have to read the rest. You know what it's saying.

SO DON'T THINK or say, "Oh, man, how have you read all of that...no one man can.” That's what you think. Once you read so much, volumes open up. Yes. Once you read so much, it's all about the same thing. You're hearing the same old story. It's just like listen­ing to a brat telling you some fascinating story; you hear 10 of his stories, and when he comes with the eleventh one you say, hey — I don't care to hear it.

Why? Because you have seen through his whole men­tality, it's the same way for ideologies. Ideologies are nothing but a reflection of some man's mentality. Once you learn enough about the nature of the ideology, you can just keep a little of it. You say, I don't want to hear the rest of it, I know what it is.

THE ONLY IDEOLOGY that has entertained me for more than three or four days is the Qur'an! The average book on ideology that I've picked up, I look at it and I spend a whole day on it. Maybe I'll come back the next day. But I know of none that I've come back to the third day expecting some greatness to come out of it, except the Qur'an.

I'm almost 52-years-old and I still go to the Qur'an with the same enthusiasm, with the same anxious anticipation, believing that a new revelation will come. It's exciting to me all the time. It will entertain me forever.