Book Review 04 – The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Date:
Channel: Abu Usamah At-Thahabi
File Size: 7.53MB
Episode Notes
Episode Transcript ©
TRIGGER WARNING!!!
Transcripts are auto-generated and thus will be be inaccurate and at times crude. We are considering building a system to allow volunteers to edit transcripts in a controlled system. No part of this transcript may be copied or referenced or transmitted in any way whatsoever.
Santa Monica to ye wabarakatuh. And
the issue of what was a page turner for me.
In terms of the world of literature, and Islamic knowledge, there are many options that I can choose from books that affected me, impacted upon me.
But if I had to choose one book
that would be mentioned,
because of its transformative nature. It's the book that I read at the age of 22.
And that's none other than the oral Autobiography of Malcolm X, the oral biography of Malcolm X.
It was authored by a famous African American author, whose name was Alex Haley.
And Alex Haley was a prominent author.
As it relates to English literature in America, he's famous for another monumental work that is an integral part of African American culture and history in America. And that is the world renowned movie known as roots, or OTs, in which he went back to his origin which was the country of Gambia, West Africa, and he retrace what happened with one of his ancestors who happened to be a Muslim by the name of cleantech and take come to contain rock metal wire, honey. So it tells the story about the transatlantic slave trade and how our forefathers were brought chained up in the belly of ships across the Atlantic Ocean. tour now we find ourselves in the belly of the beast, which is America.
So Alex Haley collaborated with Al Hajj, Malik Chavez, Rama to lay on a Malcolm X. And he wrote this famous biography, auto biography.
One of the reasons why choose this as being a book, which was a page turner, for me personally is at the top of the list, it is the very first book that ever read from cover to cover. Prior to this time, I never read a book, coming from the inner city in America being poor and impoverished, as many people are in America and other parts of the world.
I wasn't in an environment in which
education was pushed, and a lot of emphasis was put on education. So as a result, up into the age of 22. I never read a book.
And unfortunately, I'm sad to say,
this is the reality of many people who happen to be Muslims today. And it's not acceptable. Because when I read this book, for the first time in my life, the world of literature opened, Excel opened itself, right in front of me, and it blossomed right before my very eyes. And I didn't know and I didn't realize that when you read a book, the images, the ideas, the concepts, they really tend to touch you more and resonate with you more than watching something on the screen. I think the screen they program you and they dumb it down, and they give you a lot of optics that what they do is just really basically make you excited with the eye candy. But when you read a book, I mean, it's an
amazing experience, and I was blown away. As a result of that experience. I started to read other books after that, many of which became bestsellers, and they became popular movies. And I'm not here to talk about movies just here to help you understand. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was a book that blew me away. The Godfather, another classic. So the point here is up until Malcolm X, I never read a book. But when I read a book, read the book, Malcolm X, it had that Mojo had that that that that that wow factor connected to it, to the point where I started to contemplate what is Islam. After reading his story, I wanted to know what Islam was because the book helped me to understand in
my community back in
In America, the African American community, they were people of the nation of Islam, the main Nation of Islam and non Muslims. And they were all around when I was growing up, and I actually thought that they were the Muslims, the black Muslims, the bad Muslims, I thought they were Muslims. When you see one of them, you say I said, I'm wanting more Salam aleikum and so forth, so on. But when I read the autobiography of Malcolm X, I realized there was a distinction between the non Muslims who connect themselves to the Nation of Islam, and real true Islam.
So my encouragement to everyone is to please understand what I'm saying, and what I'm where I'm coming from. My choice of this book, I know it's non conventional, because the brothers who went before me and given their examples of books,
they gave it hoping that people would go to those books and get benefit from those books. Because their classical Islamic books, I could choose other books, I remember they had these books, CLR, lemon novella, tremendous book, connected to our key there to history, to Hadith and all of those things. It was so impactful upon me, I caught myself and Vehbi after Al Imam Vehbi, because I was so impressed with his Arcada with his sense of fear, with his elemental Hadith, and with his Insaaf, His justice as I did, but I'm going to put that on the side because the book is so volumous over 30 Something volumes, and most English speakers are not going to be in a position to read that book.
But the autobiography of Malcolm X, I would encourage every Muslim to read that book, especially from our youth, because one of the things that came across from that book is, regardless of what your background happens to be, in terms of lack of education, coming from the inner city, being a criminal, this book shows you that Allahu taala, as the Prophet says, sallAllahu Sallam has the hearts of all of his servants between his two fingers, and He changes them how he wants to change them. Now Muslim yesterday, and you are Muslim today. So Malcolm X, our shining African American Prince Ratna, Tula YALI I stand on his shoulders, as I've mentioned many times, and I encourage you
young brothers and sisters here in the UK, and other than the UK, can to know about this Mujahid come to know about this, Shahid and sha Allah Marta V CBD law, and that's why I've chosen this book. Yes, and that's why this book is a page turner.