1975-September-26

Muhammad Speaks

The Night Of Power

W.D. Muhammad

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1. We have indeed revealed
 This (Message)
 In the Night of Power:

2. And what will explain
 To thee what the Night
 Of Power is?

3. The Night of Power
 Is better than
 A thousand Months,

4. Therein come dawn
 The angels and the Spirit
 By God's permission,
 On every errand:

5. Peace!…This
 Until the rise of Morn!

Holy Quran; Yusuf Ali translation, sura 97, verses 1-5
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The Holy Quran teaches us that Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) received the revelation of the Holy Quran in the night. The descent of the Message down in the night is symbolic language meaning that this Truth came in the body of darkness. The word "night" is used to represent scriptural darkness and ignorance.

When the Quran says that the Message descended upon the Prophet's chest on the blessed night, it means that the world was under the darkness of ignorance at that time. The ignorance itself was a blessing to the people who were given the Truth in that time period of ignorance.
We, as poor Black people here in America, do not like to speak of the terrible mental condition that we were in before we received Islam as "a blessed night," but in a sense it certainly was a blessed night.

If we had not been so completely under the darkness of ignorance, we would not have been favored with the bright light of Truth from Almighty God to lift the darkness of ignorance and to light the whole world of man. It was only because we were the people most in need of light that the light of Truth came to us in that blessed night.
The night that the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was a blessed night because the light came to him on that night.

The "night" that you read the Holy Quran and get the wisdom, the truth, and the light out of it will be a night that is also a blessing for you. Today we are blessed with the light and the power of Islam to raise us up and to move us into the bright, clear Day of God.

We Are “Muslims”

The religion of Islam is not just a Holy Quran religion, but Islam is the true religion of all the righteous people all over the face of the earth. It is also the true religion of the Bible.
The Bible does not contain the religion that the Church preaches, it contains the religion that we teach but it is hidden with falsehood. Once we remove the cover of falsehood, you will see only the religion of Islam in it.
Our religion is Islam and we are Muslims. The word "Muslim" means one who has become peaceful because he has accepted the rule of life that has been given to him from Divine Source.

In accepting the religion of peace, which contains the rules of the natural life that bring about peace, he is rewarded with peace. He is a peaceful person because he has accepted that which establishes peace, so he is called "Muslim."
The Holy Quran says that God named the righteous people "Muslim" in this revelation (the Holy Quran) and before the Holy Quran. So "Muslim" is not a new name for people who worship the True and Living God, it is the original name.

The Children Of God

After accepting the name "Muslim," we greet each other with the greeting of peace (As-Salaam-Alaikum). The Bible says that the greeting of the righteous in paradise shall be "peace." It also tells us that every representative of the divine body of Truth brought the greeting of "peace" when he came to the people. Muslims are the people who are called "peacemakers, '
The Prophet Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." In the Bible, the children of God are the leaders of the people. God's divine body of Truth reached them and gave birth to a new person in them.
That new person is in the likeness of the divine body of Truth that gave him birth, so he is called the child of the Divine. The children of God were God's choice to lead the people of the earth.

Muslims show themselves truly to be the children of God because our claim on the name ("children of God") is not a claim, like the Jews, based on skin color or nationality. It is a claim based on our own righteousness.
We are Muslim because we have the nature to recognize and to accept a body of Truth (Islam) that has rules that establish peace. A Muslim enjoys peace, spreads peace, and invites others to peace.
The Bible is actually saying, "Blessed are the Muslims, for they shall be called the children of God."

Five Smooth Stones

Islam is the eternal religion—there is no beginning nor end to it. It is the religion of every true book (religious scripture). We have five pillars that we stand upon which serve as the foundation upon which our whole life is structured.

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"And David guided his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

"And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

"So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David."

—I SAMUEL 17: 39-40 & 49-50
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The Book says that David picked five smooth stones from the water. In religion, stones are symbolic of laws or commandments. Five stones (commandments) had been formed smooth without flaw in them by the movement of water upon them. Water symbolizes the moral body of Truth.
When the Book says that "My people" are a standing water, it means that they are a moral body of Truth that does not move for anything but God. They are a standing water keeping the boundaries that God has given them.

The Line Of David

David is in the Bible as a messianic (messiah) figure. Messiahs come in the line of David, meaning that they come to re-establish the order of David.
The figure "David" does not necessarily represent a flesh and blood person, but it represents a type of person and a type of kingdom that is to be re-established. This type of person holds God both first and last in his heart and he is a type of person that is willing to go to any extent to see that the will of God is done on earth.
David was a prophet that was the builder of a strong government in his time. After he died, the strong government began to crumble with corruption under the rule of Solomon.

The return of a messiah like David means the return of a strong truth that will not give way under any force or power. That is the return of Islam in its pure state.
David used a stone to slay the chief enemy (strongest opposition). That was the great giant Goliath who was slain with a stone that David shot out of his slingshot and hit him in the forehead.

Pillar No. 1: Belief in the one God

That stone was the first stone (the first pillar of the faith in Islam): There is no god but One God (Allah).
If you fire that one stone into the head of the enemy society, it will eventually bring them to their knees because their life depends on you worshipping something that is not Allah. If you don't do anything but invite the people to worship Allah alone, they will be brought out of the hands of the beast.

The rulers of the evil world of grafted Caucasian mentality cannot rule unless you worship the things that they establish for you to worship. Once you stop worshipping the things that they establish for you to worship, they have lost you.
The first stone to destroy the wicked society is the purity of worship, the worship of none but the Creator and the Creator alone.
David picking five smooth stones from the water is an answer to what we have as our five pillars of Islam.
We should give mental and verbal recognition to the commandment that there is no god but One God (Allah). Allah is the God of all of the Prophets or Messengers of God. Because the Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) represents all of the Prophets of God, we say, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah" and we also say, "and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger."

This first pillar shows that we have accepted the One Universal Truth (Allah) and that we bear witness that it exists independent of everything else. That Truth has witness bearers (prophets) that bring the Truth to the people.
We recognize that this Truth, has now come to us when 'we recognize that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

Pillar No. 2: Prayer

We have prayer (at least five times per day) as a second commandment which tells us to give verbal recognition and also bodily recognition to the Truth that there is no god but One God.

Once you recognize that there is one Single Being that is Divine that everything else should recognize, respect, and obey, you should do something to show that you have recognized this Truth.
You should throw yourself down in the most humble fashion to let the world know that you recognize one superior to yourself. Prayer in Islam is more than prayer in other religions. In other religions, prayer is an institution that reaches out in everything.
Every act of a Believer is prayer in Islam. The Holy Quran says that everything and every creature in creation performs his prayer. We know that animals, plants, and rocks do not stand up and say, "Allah-u-Akbar," but they do the job ordained for them by the Creator. In doing the job ordained for them, they are worshipping Almighty God.

If we perform our prayer correctly, our prayer should be a twenty-four hour prayer. We should remain in humble obedience to God for the whole of our lives. But there should be a physical demonstration that we are accepting the religion and the worship of Almighty God.
We demonstrate this acceptance by putting ourselves down upon the floor and touching the power development of our being (the forehead or mind) to the ground before our Maker.

If a man humbles that which is of secondary value or less in himself, he is withholding something that is of uppermost value. Muslims put their heads upon the ground to show that they submit the best of themselves to the Maker because they exist only because of Him. It is not because of ourselves that we have our crown (mind), our crown is given to us by the Creator so we put our crown on the ground before Him.
There is no better physical demonstration of humbleness and appreciation that you could give than to pray in the manner of the Muslim. The Bible says that every prophet of God prayed in this fashion. The Prophet Jesus, before he was arrested by those who came to crucify him, put his forehead on the ground and prayed.

In prayer, we give bodily testimony that we accept God. It is not enough just to say it, you have to act out your testimony. If God has given you a physical body, you should also make your body bow down to the Creator. If a ruler accepts a superior, he should also make those who are subject to him accept his superior.
If you do not have the courage to acknowledge the worship of Almighty God and if you do not have the courage to live a life that tells others that you worship Almighty God, you are not strong enough to accept the first pillar of Islam that we stand upon.

Pillar No. 3: Charity (Zakat)

Man is superior to anything that his mind might suggest for him to worship other than God. The worship of Allah dignifies you, but the worship of anything else shames you.
The third pillar or commandment of Islam is charity or "zakat." You should sacrifice a part of Allah's wealth, which He has blessed you to hold, in the way of charity to help those who are less fortunate.
Zakat is also a universal institution. It not only means going into your pocket to get money for those who need it, it means going into your heart and into your mind to get something to give to those that need it.

Muslims are a people who are not selfish. We want to share our blessings from Allah with others. Our own righteousness and our own way of life should multiply and fill the whole earth.
Charity in Islam is an institution which strives to attain equality in the distribution of wealth with which Allah has blessed his creatures. Although we may never reach that goal of equality of physical wealth, Allah always gives us the best (perfection) to strive for as a goal.

Pillar No. 4: Fasting
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183. O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint.―

184. Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (with hardship) is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more of his own free will―it is better for him, and it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.

185.  Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an as a guide to mankind also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So everyone of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spent it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.

Holy Quran; Yusuf Ali translation, sura 2, verses 183 - 185
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The fourth pillar of Islam is to fast, especially in the month of Ramadan. Fasting is not new. All of the Prophets of God fasted.
"Ramadan" is an Arabic word which means "heat" or "burning." It takes its name from the kind of wrapping or protection given to man and animals in the hot desert heat.
When a person is fasting, he is under the burning heat of appetite for physical food. But while he is under this burning heat, a resistance to heat is building up in him. The muscles of his will power build up under the test of the desire to satisfy his want for food and drink.

The build up of the will power is a kind of wrapping that will protect you from the heat, not only for the month of Ramadan, but for the rest of the year. There are many kinds of heat other than the temptation of food that will tempt you to break your will power and give in to the heat. If you fast properly during the month of Ramadan, you will get the resistance that you need to survive the "heat" for the rest of the year.

Pillar No. 5: Pilgrimage (Hajj)

The fifth pillar of Islam is pilgrimage: the Believer is to make the pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime if he is able to afford the journey. This is not a new commandment.
The Bible told the righteous body of people to journey together. They have always had some kind of shrine or holy place to journey to periodically.
Even today, Jews journey to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem periodically and Christians journey to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Muslims make the pilgrimage to the Holy City Mecca, not to Jerusalem.

The Qiblah, the center for Muslim pilgrims, is in Mecca. The Ka'aba, called "the first house," was restored by Abraham and his son Ismail and it contains the Black Stone.
Muslims are not a people who want to set up a powerful kingdom to enslave other people, but we are a people who would like to see everybody worshipping the One True God as we worship Him. So we make a pilgrimage to one center and we invite everybody to make the pilgrimage to that center.
Muslims live all over the world but we have one center (Ka'aba) in Mecca, which is in the desert.
We cannot boast of our Center as being in a glorious geographical place for appearance, so we all can equally identify with that humble place in the desert.

Whether we are rich or poor, we see less material wealth than we saw at home when we go there. But we see the beautiful sign given to us by Almighty God that out of poverty comes riches, out of nothing comes something.
Allah is All-Wise in His planning and in His wisdom. Out of the barren desert He brought up water for a spiritually barren people to drink and that great and glorious spiritual message revived the religious world.

Pure Truth

Brothers and sisters, you do not realize how blessed you are today. It is prophesied in the scripture that in the end of the world the glory will come to those who rightfully deserve it, those who have paid the price for it, and those who have the clean eye and the clean heart to recognize and to accept it.

The message of Truth that we have today is a powerful, precious, valuable, and dignified message. We are going to carry it before all people and all nations of the world.
Out of our dark night of ignorance, Almighty God has blessed us with a powerful sun of Truth (power) to rise on the horizon. The message that we bring to you is pure, unadulterated Truth.

You have the best God: Allah. You have the best religion: Islam. You have the best name: Muslim. You have the best book: Quran. You have the best commandments: the five pillars of Islam. You have the best center: Ka'aba at Mecca.
You have the best and you are the best. In the Nation of Islam we say, "Peace" to the rising Morning (Dawning) of God.

We thank you for honoring us with your time to read these few words.

Your Brother
W.D. Muhammad
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The Wisdom Of W.D. Muhammad

We, as a people, have been as much in need of fresh news from Almighty God as any people the history of the world. Our mothers and fathers during slavery were in need of hearing God speak to them to answer questions that only God can answer: What happened to me that caused me to be separated from loving, caring mothers and fathers? What has happened in my history to put me in America under slave - masters who despise my very being and who treat me as though I have committed some great sin or some great evil against them? What have I done to put me under the power of a people who hate my very presence and who treat my black skin as though it is a curse?

No people in human history needed an answer from heaven as much as our mothers and fathers during the bitter days of enslavement in the South. If the Jews claim to have a personal saviour and be justified to be called a people that God, Himself, answered, our claim is better and stronger.

No other people in history were robbed of their identity and made to accept themselves as less than human beings. They hated themselves and rejected themselves as equal beings with others so much until they made efforts to erase their physical identity with hair processes, hot straightening combs, bleaching creams, and distorted speech and suffering warrant a response from heaven, God must answer the Bilalian American. If God does not answer the Bilalian American, we are then justified to say that there is no God.