My Story
Date:
Channel: Siraj Wahhaj
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AI Generated Summary ©
The speaker discusses their dream of being on a chip and how they want to honor their legacy with all their grandchildren. They talk about their acceptance of their parents' actions and how they want to adapt to a new culture. They also discuss their experiences with their sixth child and their desire to become an enlightened lion. The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning from history and finding one's own path in politics. They end with a discussion of the importance of learning from history and finding one's own path in politics.AI Generated Transcript ©
My dear beloved chip,
it was my dream actually that I would be on stage with him in order to honor him for all the great deeds that he did inshallah, tada, may Allah Tada, except from him. When I was younger, I was being accepted to Medina University and I had the interview. And so the person, the officer that was asking me about, you know, who are the the scholars that influenced you when you were young? And I said that one of the most influential shoe, one of the most influential scholars that influenced me, was Imam Suraj, ohad. I know how it is, I've been on the speaking circuit. And here I can't even get away from this conference, I stopped to do the video, right? I know how it is this you get invited
everywhere. And sometimes is the shoe go from place to place, city to city, staying at this person's house, staying in that hotel, leaving their family and all of that, in the midst of that they start to say to themselves, I know, I've asked myself this question. What's the point of all this? Is there any benefit? Is anybody benefiting? And so this message is for me, ma'am. So Raj, I want you to know that we have benefited from your legacy. I was a little kid praying behind you, and listening to your lectures when I was younger, and hamdulillah. I want to say that a mother of Institute is part of your legacy, inshallah Tada. And so as the prophets of the line, as Adam said,
that when a person dies, their actions are cut off, except for three things. And one of those is anyone new into ob, which is knowledge that people continue to benefit from, I asked and I pray to Allah subhanaw taala that all this knowledge that you see everybody in this audience and all the legacy that we're pushing forward, I ask Allah subhanaw taala to accept you as one of the pioneers of this Tao in North America. And I want you to realize that you have made a difference in my life. And many of the brothers and sisters that are here in the audience today. And we ask and pray to Allah Spano Tata to bless you and to bless your children and your family and May Allah subhanaw
taala enter you into genital for those with the prophets of Allah Haneda center. Does that mean la Hainan, I wish all of you a blessed weekend and I pray to Allah subhanaw taala that Allah subhanaw taala increases you with more and more knowledge as the Allah subhanaw taala tells us to pray or visit near Helena this akmola hyaena salam aleikum wa Taala right here right now. I did that I swear by Allah when I see him I'm rajwada it reminds me of it all the time, a Hadees that it just comes to mind when I see him. I'm sledge watch, and it is the famous Hadith in which the Prophet sallallahu Sallam said
that when Allah azza wa jal loves the person, he announces in the heavens, oh god, I love so and so. So love him. So God loves him. And God then announces to the people of the heavens, the inhabitants of the skies the angels, are people of the heavens, Allah azza wa jal loves so and so. So love him. So the inhabitants of the skies ie the angels, they love him. And when the angels love him, then love for him is placed amongst the people of the earth. It is a sign of his loss and sincerity. It is a sign of Eamon and taqwa it is a sign of that image and sincerity that a person has that the Muslim woman accepts him with joy and love. This acceptance doesn't come from any source other than
Allah azza wa jal, and that is what Eliza just says. In the Latina and woman who saw the hottie say, Allah homearama would, those who are truly righteous and pious and do good deeds, Allah azza wa jal will write for them love the scholars of Tafseer say, meaning Allah will write acceptance for them on Earth, the people of the earth will love them, like the people of gender and like Allah azza wa jal himself, I pray, I pray that Allah so that our dear brother Mr. Siraj, I pray that he is of those people whom Allah azza wa jal has announced that he loves them and that is why God and the angels love that person as well. And that is why the people of this earth love that very same person
as well. I pray and sincerely pray that our Dearly beloved Imam Suraj Raj is of those people and they shall allow that he is by virtue of the fact of His love that has been written for him on Earth, amongst Raj Raj Jessa qumola who Kula say you do not know your effect and impact that you have on the duat on the Imams on the Messiah, around the entire Muslim oma Keep up the good job, may Allah azza wa jal, except from all of us was set on wanting to go to LA he
actually feel very embarrassed but at the same time, I'm very honored actually to be here, and to speak in the presence of email storage, as well as our beloved share here.
But when I was watching
Watching the clip, as Muhammad Sharif was talking, it reminded me of a speech that he gave actually, when we were in hajj. You know, a few people actually brought tears to my eyes. One of them is, by the way, Mohammed Sharif. And when he made that final remark about Imam Suraj,
I said,
he did it again.
And I said to Pamela, you know,
maybe I cannot claim like Muhammad, Sharif, and Obama that, that, that I knew he meant so since since childhood, but I came here to America relatively young. 16, about 16. So that tells you how old I baby.
So when I first came here, that's a very critical age, very critical stage. And there's this cultural shock, and there's the adjustment and adapt, you know, I have to adapt to a new culture, very critical age, one of the people without any exaggeration. And I didn't know whether it was
him his message, which I didn't fully understand, because I was just learning English, or his name, serraglio hatch,
or his wisdom, or his demeanor. Something about this man
kept me going something about his, his style, his speeches,
and his effect on some of my siblings that came here before me, came to America
motivated me.
And it wasn't until a mob Suraj I heard him out for the first time live.
And I don't know if you remember this or not, I kind of just read the I did the Quranic recitation for that event, in amount Suraj gave a speech that I do not forget until this day, about over 10 years ago, he gave a speech about, in my opinion, it was as powerful as the Dr. Martin Luther King's, I Have a Dream speech.
And it's ironic that Mohammed Sharif talks about legacy, leaving a legacy and having dreams and having goals in life.
And working towards those goals. And recognizing a map Suraj at the end, as someone that who indeed left huge impact and legacy and still is leaving, you know, making more impact on everyone, every single one of us. And every single one of us that we influence, he will be our partner and sharing that reward. It's ironic that he's all of this. It's very interesting that all of this is mentioned together. And the one speech that I keep remembering every time I hear him speak or I see him as your lecture about properties of Valley center,
and his dream and how the story of the use of starts with a dream and how that dream kept him going through all the tribulations and all the trials that he went through.
It was an amazing lecture and amazing performance. And until this day, I still remember that speech and every now and then every time I'm down every time I'm I asked myself that question that I mentioned he was talking about why are we doing this? Why are we traveling across the nation and coming in? Why are we leaving our families? Is this really a waste of time? Is it I remember that speech?
So for that episode, is Allah May Allah Subhana Allah bless you may Allah subhanaw taala bless us all, with your with your knowledge, your wisdom with your presence, and may have lots of how to give you the strength and the motivation and the guidance that you need to keep this up. desikan located in Santa Monica
Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim.
Allah Allah in Illa Whoa, y la sharika.
Shadow, Mohammed Allah, wa salam
brothers and sisters
cos I didn't expect this.
Everybody was speculating about about the surprise, I was speculating.
I am thankful to Allah
for having allowed me to try my best to serve Him
and I'm appreciative of that.
recognize
some good
that we've tried to do.
In 1978
I was blessed to study
in Korea
not for 10 years
but for four months
and I was blessed
to Evernote in
front of two scholars
one of my favorite teachers
Shaykh Hussein Hamad from Egypt
every class he began the same way
Kanaka
La ilaha illa Allah Allah tala. In the cantle Allah Malachy.
Glory
be to You, Oh Allah.
We have no knowledge
except for what you have given to us.
You are the knowing and the whys.
We ask Allah to accept
our very humble effort.
I don't want to come to a conference,
a meeting,
a gathering
and meet for one minute or an hour or day
without taking something home.
I think it was
Thursday.
I was with some of you and university, George Mason.
And, and you mentioned to me that you come into this program.
And the next day I flew to Boston, Massachusetts, University of Boston.
Some of the Muslims there told me they will come into this program.
And as I was going around the country,
various
students especially said he was coming to this conference.
So why don't you come to the conference.
And the Prophet Alayhi salat wa salam, he made this
Allahumma India how to become an enlightened lion. So I seek refuge with you from knowledge that doesn't benefit.
Just to have knowledge, I don't want just to know things. I want to know things that when I leave the conference tonight, when I go back home, when I get on the road, when I get on the plane, when I go back home, I'm going to take something that these men who have prepared themselves hours to prepare themselves to give us something so that we may be better Muslims.
So I asked Allah on tonight that
he would bless us to say a few words that you don't mess me up.
I'm all messed up.
But I want to first take a moment I want to I want to
introduce you to someone.
And you know, over the years, those of you who have listened to me
and and many of you
learn and you see my children growing up through me.
Often I speak about my children in my talks, I've told you that I have nine children.
And I think some of you maybe you think I'm making it up
where these children
well, I want to introduce you to one of them.
suppiler Would you please come up? Now she's surprised now she can stop crying
at all and make sure she she's here today.
This is my lovely daughter.
She is my sixth child. Right? Yeah.
Sometimes I mess it up.
But I just want to tell you that 100 law in June 21, one will be getting married.
And I think is he
is, he's a big guy, by the way, but
seriously, like six, five,
something like that.
I just want to tell you why I brought her up here
is after she gets married inshallah, in June, her and her husband are going
to India
to do what? humanitarian work.
Really, how long are you going to go someone?
Four weeks.
And I want to let you know, I could not be more proud of this. You know, this wonderful daughter. This is like my Fatima.
And I know Norma Barrett somehow she said, get me off this stage.
But I just want to let you know that when I say I have nine children, I really do. And this is one of them. Thank you. Thank you.
Number one sisters, I want to just take a moment, actually,
to share something with you.
I've been blessed over the years.
I remember a few years ago, I went to India
and with john Esposito.
And we spoke in front of an audience of 300,000 people.
I've been blessed to go around the world and fortunate enough to give some talks here and there.
In this country,
the Congress of the United States of America
never begins a session.
Unless it is first begun with an invocation,
a supplication
in the history of this country, it has always been done by Jewish rabbi,
or Christian minister.
But for the first time in this country in 1993,
a Muslim Imam opened up a session of Congress.
I was blessed to be that one. I didn't choose myself.
You may ask yourself the question. So what why would you want? Why would you want to do that? Because I learned brothers and sisters over the years. You can't be on this planet.
A half century and not learning some things. Malawi it was right? He said, Nah, I can't do it. But there's no real wisdom without experience. So it's one thing to read it in a book, you open the book, you read it, you read it in the program, you read it in the soul, you read it in the history books, that's one thing, but to experience, it is another thing. So let me open the session of Congress.
I get a call from Saudi Arabia.
Every five minutes, they played it on television and listen, open up a session of Congress.
People call me from Saudi Arabia and invited me to come there,
stay in their homes to stay in their hotels. Because for them that was something huge and something magnificent. The next day that Robinson Robinson, in the 700 Club.
Muslim opened up a session of Congress and he was angry. He said How dare you let Muslims open up Congress? Next, you will let witches do it.
And then I think three months later, mm, one of the Mohamad
open up a session of the senate of the United States of America.
But what does that mean? It means that in the eyes of Americans not and I said we're legitimate alone makes us legitimate.
But in the eyes of many American people, it said yes, the Muslims are as legitimate as anyone else.
So for us, it might have appeared to be something insignificant, but to the eyesight of many of the American people, this was something major.
And I begin to think about all the things our lives blessed me to, to accomplish to achieve over the years.
But we have to ask the question, how did it get that way?
How did it get this way that this little African American
would get an opportunity to engage the Muslims and the non Muslims around the world? How did it get that way?
Because there's a principle brothers and sisters that you find all over the world.
And that is usually
children follow the religion of their parents
in the early ages,
so Allah mentions in the Quran,
Allah, He
said to them, Allah has revealed, they said, No, we will follow when we found our father's
2 billion Christians, not every one of them, most of them are Christian, because their parents were Christians. I was a Christian, but not only was a Christian, I was a Baptist was a Baptist because my mother and father were Baptists. And the Muslims who used to be Jehovah Witness, and why would they do have a witness? They were Jehovah's Witness, because their parents were Jehovah's Witness, their parents were Catholics, and therefore they became Catholics.
1.5 billion Muslims around the world, not all of them, many of them are Muslim, because their parents are Muslim. How many of you in the audience tonight, your parents are Muslims, raise your hand.
So therefore, children inherit the religion of their parents. That's not strange. But every once in a while some of the children
begin to examine the religion of their parents. And then they make the decision that I want to be that or not be that it was easy. Once upon a was five years old. I know she's Muslim. She's six years old. She's a Muslim, she's seven years old, she's a Muslim.
And Allah bless me, the pizza parlor and every one of my children on a Muslim school.
You learn when you become mother and father, when you start having children. And then you realize that when your children becomes becomes to be 13 or 14 years old, and now they have a different mindset, and now they have to make a determination. Do I really want to do this? Do I want to be a Muslim? Because you should never forget in every Muslim community.
In every Muslim organization, there are two doors.
There's the front door by which people like me become Muslim.
On the one hand, but on the other hand, is a backdoor backdoor, leaving the faith of Islam. You may know some of them who used to practice last week, last month, last year, 10 years ago, but they went out the back door. So our job
is to open the front door so more people can come in, close the back door so that the Muslim youth will leave the faith.
I was a young man when I became Muslim.
Not far from here in New York University, a student at New York University.
And I want to let you know this.
I was not a not typical you try to figure that out.
I did what young men and women do.
Muslims.
You don't you don't know what it's like to eat pork.
I don't say pork.
I'm saying you don't know what it's like to eat.
Some of your blessed
who have never tasted wine and beer and alcohol and smoke reefer, you're blessed.
The difference between people like me,
Hamza Yusuf, Bilal Philips, Abdullah King
Abdullah.
Professor, Abdul Hakim Jackson.
We know what it's like to be in the dunya
we were in the dunya and we want angels in the dunya
but Allah blessed us Allahu Allah Dena Amma No.
No. Friends in protective those who believe it brings them from the darkness and he brings them to the home the Lord blessed us, many of us to come from the darkness of journey into the light of this
We know what it's like to be in the dungeon.
But many of you sitting here tonight
have never experienced the dungeon. It may be in your heart you want to see, well, I wonder what it's like, I want to I wonder what it's like to go to a party.
I wonder what it's like just to smoke a little refill. I wonder what it's like to drink a little alcohol.
And one of the things that we hope as the elders on the seniors, that we would give the experience that we that we experience, we would tell our children about them, so they don't have to experience the negative things.
So now brothers and sisters,
Allah bless me, I was a Christian.
In 1969, in New York University,
I convert it into what I believed at that time to be Islam.
proposing Islam.
And you know what?
I was a math major, gone to school every day.
And you know, what I never did see.
I never did see the MSA,
the Muslim Student Association.
I didn't see flyers on the, on the tables. I didn't see them coming to me greeting me.
But when I was in New York University,
some of those guys from the Nation of Islam
came to me.
I was a basketball player, I was on the basketball team.
And all the basketball team was a big guy named Jerry tenex, about 66768 260 pounds.
And he was sitting next to me on the way to the basketball games. And he would talk about this thing called a snap.
So I decided in the 1969, I'll never forget that day. It was a Wednesday.
I remember the suit that I had on.
I left the University in New York University that night. And when on Madison Avenue
and and Bedford Avenue,
called Muhammad's Mosque of Islam, number seven, see.
And there was a minister there by the name of minister Arthur 14 X. He gave a lecture that night.
And when he gave a lecture that night, I listened to the message. And I decided that night to join the Nation of Islam 1969.
Two days later, Friday,
I came back to the temple,
heard another lecture.
And they were talking about a newspaper called Mohammed speaks newspaper.
And I was so inspired by the message that I heard
that took 100 newspapers that night.
In Eastern Parkway in Utica Avenue. I was scared to death, had never sold anything in my life. But I was fired up. And I remember taking one of those Mohammed speex newspaper, I was standing on the corner, and I will go to people and I will say, sir, excuse me. You don't want one of these, do you?
He said no. I said, Okay, thank you.
Analog basketball. I remember, before I became Muslim, I remember in the back of the room. in junior high school. The teacher used to make us read and come in front of the class and read but allows my witness, I was so shy, so bashful that whenever the teacher said come in front of the class to read, I will sit in the back and hide under the desk. I'm telling you the truth.
That's our showers.
Now,
sisters, I'm going to give you some history now is going to take just a couple of minutes. In fact, I'm almost finished, believe it or not, I should be finished within the next three hours. I'm
almost there.
I'm gonna share some history with you some of it that you don't know, some part of the German loan, some of you don't, you don't know. I'm gonna give you some intimate history.
One of the things that I've learned as a Muslim
is that we ought to stop
talking about one another.
But rather than start talking to one another,
we are good at talking about one another. And a lot of times we make assumptions. If you study the Quran and the Hadith very carefully, you will find out that our Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon them.
Very careful about giving your brother and your sister the benefit of the doubt or give an example
We walk down the street
and we see a Muslim gone to liquor store.
We start telling everyone so also I saw so and so drunk
you know what I went to the liquor store, they had to go to the bathroom.
They had to make a phone call.
But we have these ideas, say the Prophet peace and blessings be upon them. We teach us Hadith he don't teach us Hadith just to memorize the Hadith. He teaches us the Hadith to learn from it.
He said, Allah salat wa salam that is Alain salat wa salam, he saw a man stealing.
And he saw an
extra man did you steal? And the men swore by law, I did not steal.
And you know what our beloved Prophet Jesus said,
meant to be learned? Because up to
I believe in Allah. And I did not have my own eyes. What do I say that? Because one of the most difficult thing for brothers to stand in front of the people.
And you stand in front of the people and you give as many speeches as I do, and some of the brothers do. However, y'all they may be
after a while, see you on stage now.
And when you're on stage, everybody listened to everything you say they record what you say.
And there's some people who listen, and they're not listening, trying to get naseeha they're not trying to get knowledge. They're not trying to get wisdom. They're not trying to get information. They're not trying to be inspired. But they listen trying to find something. They watch trying to find something wrong. So a man's came to the Prophet alayhi salaatu wa Salaam and said
I have committed such an offense.
Now you know how we are.
Someone comes to the Imam and say, you know, I did something?
Yeah, what did you do?
Would you do with
how many times
Give me the detail?
Not the Prophet alayhi wa sallam. He said, la la COVID.
Maybe Maybe you just kissed benefit of the doubt. Maybe you just went benefit of the doubt.
Maybe just touch benefit of the doubt. He's not trying to find out he's not trying to diggin.
But we're not like that.
We we look at the public figures. And you know what? I'm alright with that because it comes with territory. Okay, you won't be judged.
Two things I did. I want to tell you what I did. I'm not saying that to except in the context of what I want to teach you a lesson today. And really, honestly, honestly, I won't be it won't be I'm almost finished building. In fact, that's me walking out there right now.
Two things I did.
Two things I did. One says in 1975 when Elijah Muhammad died, let me tell you some history.
I am telling you now.
I believed in that teaching. I did.
I quit my job.
So I don't know if you notice you you weren't even born yet.
I quit my job. I was working, going to school full time. And I quit my job and sold Mohammed speaks newspapers
for living. Did you know that?
All right now, you know.
I want you to imagine this.
A student at New York University
when they may teach math at the university level
believes so much in the message
that I give my job up to sell a 25 cent newspaper.
Foolish okay.
committed. Yes. What did I do? I went from door to door to door knocking on doors in black neighborhoods, trying to sell a 25 cent newspaper because I believe that this man was the Messenger of Allah.
I want you to think about this my pockets will full of change
25 cent
newspaper
by myself.
woven in Brooklyn, Bedford Stuyvesant, going into projects by myself, up and down the elevator late at night, early in the morning, knocking on doors.
You know why? Because I believed one day I lost my witness, I will never forget. I was on Eastern Parkway Utica Avenue.
And I went to apartment building to sell Mohammed speaks newspapers. And I opened the door. And in the midst of the Cold War with two men, two African American young men, and they were standing in the middle of the hallway.
And I said to myself, they are going to try to rob me.
And I said, I'm gonna make a decision, I'm gonna go forward, or turning back.
I decided, because that's my thinking, then I had a faded low body. So I'm serious. I feel nothing but a lot. That's what was being said. And I walked.
And there were two young guys. One of them, he looked
like stone.
And the other guy looked at not as bad.
So what I did
a lot my witness, I took a newspaper, Mohamed speaks newspaper, and I shoved it on
each one of them.
Give me a call.
The guy on the left looked a little bit more reasonable.
And said, What's wrong with your buddy here?
Don't smile.
The guy stonyface
when in his pocket, pull out a gun
and said, You just can't rob a Muslim, put his gun back in the pocket and gave me a quarter for the paper.
Now, you know, I really think
the nation
all around the world. People talk about it. The male that you talk about the man that you love the man you respect Malcolm X.
What you don't know that Malcolm really helped build the movement. When he came out of prison in 1952, he became a minister for Mr. Elijah Muhammad in Detroit. And then he rose in the ranks until he became the minister in Harlem.
When McComas came out of prison, maybe there were 400 followers in the whole country.
Nothing started the newspaper, Mohammed speaks newspaper in his house, people don't know that.
Before you know, 100,000 people in the Nation of Islam is growing everywhere.
Let me tell you, this is my conclusion that's gonna shock you that you didn't know how many of you read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, raise your hand.
If you didn't read it, you have to read it.
If you didn't read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, you have to read it read The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
If you look in his book,
Malcolm mentions Wallace Mohammed,
the son of Elijah Muhammad
was Mohammed was kicked out of the Nation of Islam twice. And why was he kicked out of the Nation of Islam? He was kicked out of the Nation of Islam because of his orthodox
views about Islam.
What was really meant was because of his orthodox views
in the Nation of Islam, they taught that a man named Muhammad was God.
Was Muhammad Deen accepted in the Nation of Islam, they taught that Elijah Muhammad was a messenger of Allah was Muhammad being accepted. If you read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and one of the one of the chapters after pilgrimage, Malcolm said this in 1963, Malcolm said that was Muhammad said, the only salvation for the Nation of Islam is if they become orthodox Islam or become orthodox Muslims.
Wallace Muhammad will teach about Islam, some aspects about Islam.
Let me fast forward it now.
Malcolm was in the Nation of Islam for 12 years. He's a minister preacher in 1964.
In November, president john f kennedy is assassinated. And then Malcolm makes a statement of chickens coming home to roost mathema silence from the Nation of Islam, and the rest is history and march 8 1964. Malcolm X makes a declaration of independence from the Nation of Islam. And it starts an organization called the Muslim mosque Incorporated. And the organization of African American
Muslim lives lives less than a year in 1964. He goes to Mecca and he learns about Islam but what you don't know that mountain metal man from Egypt name use of madmen shall be
and he told
me
you're not a true believer until you're one for your brother, what you want for yourself that affected Malcolm? Malcolm when he was in Mecca. Someone asked him after making a pilgrimage. What impressed you most about the pilgrimage? He said the Brotherhood of this man.
He's assassinated
before the assassination. Let me tell you what happened. He was assassinated in February.
I think 2627 27th I think it was 1965. On the day that he was assassinated. Where did he park his car?
He didn't park his car around in front of the autobahn. What about Obama? He bought this car 10 blocks away and started walking. While he knew that one of his followers saw him and said Malcolm get in the car, took Malcolm to the autobahn. He's in the back of the room, and he's telling people around him. I feel something's gonna happen. I shouldn't go out there.
But it goes out there anyway.
And Benjamin Kareem, the man who opened up for Malcolm on that day,
told me Benjamin Korean was Malcolm's assistant. He lived in Richmond, Virginia, I would go visit him. He just died last year. I used to visit him because I wanted to know the history about mathematics from somebody who knows. He said, mathematics saved my life. I said How so? He said, usually when I open up
right there next to him. And that day, I opened up a Malcolm Malcolm said, Benjamin, don't sit there.
Said Benjamin in the back somewhere. In the moment, Benjamin went to the back.
And Malcolm was murdered.
But you don't know two days before that. A professor at the University of brown invited me on Tuesday to come give a lecture to students. And he said, I'll be dead by Tuesday.
He said, Malcolm don't mess around. He said, I won't be alive. He said, Come on, Malcolm. He said, Okay, I'll be there if I'm still alive.
So even courage is not the absence of fear, courage is to move ahead, despite your fear. I know some time young students you have fear.
As a student in college, maybe the only one in your college, only one in your high school. I know you have fear that despite that fear.
I know some of the sisters they have fear about when the chemo because nobody else in the area in the school on the block in the neighborhood. So there's little bit fear. So some sisters despite the fear, they put on the chemo, then they move ahead because they have courage. Now, let me tell you what happened 1975 of the Nation of Islam. We here on Saturday, that large Mohammed has died in 1975.
We didn't believe it. We thought it was a trick.
We didn't learn to Sunday morning. Allah had it. That the Nation of Islam had a conference on that next day, Sunday, the day after Elijah Muhammad died.
That morning. I was on in the masjid or in and Madison.
The minister announced it's true Elijah Muhammad has died.
What's going on in my mind, I'm in the plane now. And the plane takes off all the way to Chicago and I'm looking at the window and I'm looking for I'm looking for the word to end because it can't be this man cannot be dead. This man is loved by his people.
So go to Chicago.
Alone before
you see the stage here.
I was sitting about here on stage on security.
And I never forget this day
we're numb
Wallace. Mohammed comes on
Some of the Mohammed
The, the, the grab the leadership election to be the new leader of the Nation of Islam.
You know, the naughty hat on that day, you know when he was wearing that day, he was wearing what I used to wear and fly uniform. If you see some of the pictures of these blue uniforms of the soldiers in the Nation of Islam, the fruit of Islam, he had this blue suit on and never forget it. But he didn't have the hair. He had the suit without the hair. And he started teaching the people. And one by one by one of the national leaders came and gave their allegiance to him. And I'm sitting there right now, and I'm listening, because there's one person I haven't heard from yet. Who was that? My minister who was my Minister Farrakhan,
the National spokesman for Mr. Elijah Muhammad den speaker. The minister overhauling Masjid number seven, didn't speak in.
So the last person to speak with Minister Farrakhan and I remember what I was saying in my heart, that all that stuff sound good, but I'm not gonna go nowhere until I hear from my minister. Minister Farrakhan came on and said, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is the will of Allah.
And his son, Wallace, Muhammad, is the will of Allah. And what you don't know for two years from 1975 to 1977, Minister louis farrakhan taught orthodox Islam. It wasn't in 1977, late that farrakhan decided to again, raise the Nation of Islam, he left me my model to be Mohammed and joined and started the movement of the Nation of Islam again. Now, what I tell you all of that, and what's the lesson for today, and what does it have to do with my story? In my conclusion,
in 1975, when Mr. Mohammed came with FYI uniform, think about this.
He already was a Sunni Muslim.
He already was a Sunni Muslim, he believed.
And when he came to the Nation of Islam, the question is, why did he come back? And why did he come in the FBI uniform?
And before you know it, the first thing he taught us that far, Mohammed is not God.
He said, Allah has no beginning. He has no ending for Muhammad's man.
So then, now the people in the Nation of Islam are listening to this man. Next thing he said his problem is not the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad, peace of blessing be upon is the last messenger of Allah.
In the Nation of Islam, I wasn't a nation of islam from 1969 to 1975. And I never made the salaat once. But did I say that I say I never prayed. No, we prayed, but that makes a lot more because the Prophet says son, Luca, Mooney, who shall be prayers you see me pray. It was the man was the de Mohammed
who taught his followers how to pray, turn to Mecca.
And let me tell you something else, one of my teachers checked off are the trees. You know what happened? 1975 many people don't even know this. He came
in and fellow 25 ministers in the Nation of Islam, I was one of them. And he decided for us some verses from the Quran
was the first time in my life that I heard Qur'an
was the first time in my life that
I have the tape.
And you know what you can hear
my voice in the background saying this 1975 that's the greatest thing I've ever heard in my life. I've got to learn that.
And then he told us the fast in the month of December, like the Nation of Islam, first shot Ramadan fast in the month of Ramadan. And then it took 1000s of his followers to Mecca to make pilgrimage.
And why I say that.
Two things you heard about me?
Number one,
last year, Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam had the annual savings day convention in Detroit.
Minister Farrakhan is top staff x me man's Raj, to come to Detroit and lead them 1000s of their followers Salatu Juma
now, I got to think about this. How many of you heard the millionaire is March?
Only men that can summon a million African American men to Washington DC minister louis farrakhan what you don't know that he
invited me to speak at the man that man named Mandy Ameen. Yes.
And you know what?
I didn't go.
You know, I didn't go, you know, I didn't accept it. Because I don't want to make that legitimate. So my thinking back then, I'm not going to go even though imagines they criticized me they say man you have an opportunity to do you should do it for Allah. And I said no I'm not going to do for
someone he invited me to give the Juma football
at the same save his day. Now I'm thinking
he sent his top brass. I'm talking about the top level of leadership in my office to meet with me to persuade me to do the Juma prayer. What did I do? I got that I respect. And I brought them with me, so that I won't be just in entourage I want to make sure I take sure with the Imams that I trust. And we met and we talked and we negotiated, we talked about changes that need to be made in the nation. And we also witnessed that there were changes being made in the nation, things were changing, and they were getting closer. They were they were creeping closer to orthodox Islam. So we finally made a decision that I should go with there and gave the Juma football. If you are of the
opinion that email Suraj you should have gone I respect that. It's okay. I thought about it. I waited
a million man march, I decided not to go for a law. In this case, I decided to go for Allah. And I thought that I can I can somehow help to bring them closer. Allah knows I gave the Juma code bar. Many of the leaders came to me afterwards and said, Oh, man, that was great. Can you come to our city to teach us one of the biggest ministers in the Nation of Islam and I don't want to tell you his name, because you get them in trouble.
I gave him Shahada.
He's in the nation right now.
The others in the nation ministers ministers in the Nation of Islam ready for orthodox Islam. And I wanted to be there at least even though you may look at me in a funny way, and know inshallah I'm doing it for Allah to help to bring them like Mr. Mohammed, he went there. I know many of you have some criticism of Mr. Mohammed some things he'd said in the past. I had some criticisms too. But at the end of the day,
he will best be remembered as the man who made a massive conversion of people who had absolute shirk, and pointed their way to loss upon
that man, I believe this honestly, what I'm saying what I don't see, his father was not here. And I'm saying this not trying to get brownie points. But I believe that this man because he pointed me to court and and sooner
than a lot of work that I do a lot will give him some credit. And you're welcome. I believe that. I really believe that. Because He instituted this teaching this sooner in his community. And you know what? Some of his followers didn't like that someone had to kill him.
And finally, we had our manifest conference last November, and
in Philadelphia,
and some people don't like the idea that we brought in my Mohammed, he met Mohammed change his name to water today, Mohammed,
Mohammed, change the Nation of Islam, to the world community of Islam in the West. And you know what, 1975 something happened that most of you don't even know. He said, white people can now join the Nation of Islam. And at that time, white people weren't allowed. A white woman named Dorothy in Chicago, was the first one to join the Nation of Islam as a white person. Now look at it, look at his grown. So ask Allah subhana wa Thrall to bless Mr. Mohammed, to continue to help him to grow and help us community and ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to guide Minister Farrakhan to Islam.
Remember, the death of the Prophet Mohammed la sala Muslim Allahumma Islam, the Ahmed m Nakata, ob Abuja Venetia Allah strengthen Islam with Abu Jamal even a sham Sham
Omar, Omar,
Abdullah Al and Omar becomes a Muslim and the rest is history. Brothers and sisters. Not so much my history but your history. And one of the greatest lessons that we learn in the Quran and the Sunnah is not how you begin the race that comes koulamallah don't you do?
Everyone is born a Muslim, but it's not how you born
Have you in the race The Prophet said in the mill, mellow, mellow belhar team, your dish will be judged by your last deeds for me. I'm going to keep working every Muslim group that I can, trying to bring them closer to Islam. My position has become the position of Islam Shafi rock Rahim Allah when he said,
I believe that I'm right,
with the possibility that I might be wrong.
And I believe that you're wrong with the possibility that you might be right. Allah bless you brothers and sisters and keep on learning keep on growing and be keep on having patience with one another, as salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah.