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| Elijah Muhammad |
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| Anonymous |
| 07/05/02 at 03:02:57 |
| In the Name of ALLAH, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful; As Salaamu Alaikum! Although I do realize that the possibility of my getting my point across upon this topic is very slim, I pray ALLAH that at some point the Light of Understanding shall be reached. First of all, I realize that the majority of the Muslim Ummah does not acknowledge or identify with the man called Elijah Muhammad. I also understand why. In fact, I am Blessed to have seen the 'explanation' - so to speak - from both sides. My very first introduction to Islam was from a follower of Elijah by the name of Louis Farrakhan (perhaps you've heard of him). That was a little over 10 years ago. And I must tell you that if it had not been presented to me in the way that it was, I probably would have looked the other way (or even ran) had ALLAH shown me a different path to Islam. I was born and raised in America, and had absolutely no idea what Islam was until 1990. I was in my last year of high school, and had never even seen a Muslim in person before! It is very difficult to explain the depths of spiritual death that ALLAH has lifted me and millions - yes, millions - of Believers from; through the words and followers of Elijah Muhammad. The Nation of Islam (which he founded)is also responsible for well-known Muslims Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X (El Hadj Malik El Shabazz). These brothers are very well embraced by the greater Ummah, yet you shun their teacher - why? I will say this about Elijah and his teachings: The Nation of Islam has been a "stepping stone" for many Muslims who, by ALLAH's permission were able to 'outgrow' this kind of teaching and accept our roles in the Ummah of Al - Islam. Believe me- if we still had the kind of mentality we had before we heard of Elijah, The rest of the Muslims would probably come across completely foreign: Foreign culture, language, dress, God, etc! What would be our common ground? We didn't know Arabic!!! Please Family, let us not hide our eyes from the good that ALLAH has allowed to come from this! Millions of people have been shown the way to Islam (with ALLAH's permission) through this man! The people Elijah reaches are a people that are in a worse off condition than those that roamed the earth before the Holy Qur'an was revealed! And since we have been asked not to shun or slander (there is no compulsion in Islam, and ALLAH is the Only Judge), try to learn more about the Intentions of the man Elijah (aren't actions based upon intentions?). As far as I am concerned, he has done very well in Dawah. You would probably like for those of us who started out as followers of Elijah to denounce the fact that ALLAH put him in our lives. I cannot. I thank ALLAH for him, because it was through him that I met True Muslims. It was through his teachings that I was introduced to the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). It was My doorway to the True Religion, Al - Islam, and to the Shahadah: "I bear witness that there is no God but ALLAH; and I bear witness that Muhammad is his Servant and Apostle." Peace and Blessings be upon the Believing Men and the Believing Women of Islam.......... |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| Fatimah |
| 07/05/02 at 07:24:31 |
| salam alaikum wrwb, Just my thoughts: Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan call not to the truth, they call to falsehood. So why should I or any other muslim appreciate them? I was born and raised in America too and didnt know what islam was either. I had never even known a muslim. I didnt know, and still dont know arabic. Acually, I thought Islam was only for black people because of all the movies I had seen. So acually, the Nation of Islam kept me away from the truth, because it taught other than the right Islam. Allah is the one who guides people. Not anyone else. So you and I and everyone else who have become muslim, is from Allah's guidance alone. Not from Elijah Muhammad or Louis Farrakhan. I am upset with the way they have distorted Islam. I wouldnt agree with your statement that millions of people have been shown Islam through this man... I would like to rephase that into the way I would say it. Millions of people have been misguided from the truth because of this man, and by the Mercy of Allah, Allah has shown them the REAL Islam. These are just my thoughts. Whatever I said wrong or offensive please forgive me. Salam alaikum |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| Muneerah134 |
| 07/05/02 at 14:45:20 |
| [slm] Dear Anonymous, That is a tough one! I have been Muslim since the early 80's alhamdullillah. I was introduced to Islam through two groups of friends - one aligned with the Nation of Islam, and one who followed the sunna. I couldn't reconcile the claims of prophethood and the "appearance of Fard Muhammad" astaghfirullah, with what I was learning from the Holy Qur'an. So, I started taking Arabic and Obligatory Knowledge classes with the "Sunni" group. So, those claims moved Elijah Muhammad and the Nation into a category that we cannot reconcile with, in spite of what good may have been done. I agree with you that the folks he spoke to (African Americans, myself included in that group) needed help, from how to eat, to how to carry oneself, so that was a good thing, but again, there were the problems with the message. I have been blessed to make progress through the years, to help my community when I can, not to judge -- you are correct, Allah is the Only Judge -- and to leave things to Allah SWT that are not for me to worry about. I do understand your points, but in my humble opinion, you and everyone else who came through "the First" as it is now called would have been guided by the One who is the best of guides to the true faith. Without intercession or "stepping stones" Allah does indeed make Muslims, alhamdullillah. Maybe we can give him credit for the positive things and leave the rest up to Allah. What would we have in common (I have learned Arabic, I found it necessary to read my Book!) I think La ilaha ill Allah, Muhammad ar-rasoolulah would have sufficed. InshaAllah we will all be kept on the straight path. I pray I have said nothing offensive, or incorrect. Keep up the interesting posts. :) Muneerah :-) |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| Traveler |
| 07/06/02 at 00:44:01 |
| [slm] Forgive my ignorance about Elijah muhammad but I was not able to understand your message. what exactly are you saying? What is your point? What is it exactly that you ask me to do? I mean where is the difference in opinion? Explain it to a non american muslim. |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| Moe_D |
| 07/06/02 at 22:36:00 |
| [slm] Here is an essay i wrote last year regarding the Nation Of Islam, I hope you understand more about it from this. [hr] "No prophet or apostle will come after me, and no new faith will be born" was articulated in Prophet Muhammad’s last sermon. (Ahmed) The mention of the name Nation of Islam, will cause a variety of responses in any given situation. To some, this organization symbolizes racism. To others it is seen as a source of discipline and self-improvement for the black community. Regardless of one’s opinion of the Nation it cannot be denied that the Nation and orthodox Islam differ in their beliefs. The Nation of Islam is a social movement group with roots based in Orthodox Islam but their beliefs have been altered and are not considered Islamic by the majority of orthodox Muslims and their scholars. In 1930, door-to-door silk salesperson Wali Farad Muhammad who was born Wallace Fard, founded the Lost-Found Nation of Islam in Detroit, Michigan. Farad did not stress fulfillment of any of the traditional five pillars of Islam which are (a) declaration of unity of Allah and that Muhammad was his messenger, (b) establish the five daily prayers, (c) contributing to charity (d) fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, (e) pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. (Campbell) He instead focuses upon the historical oppression of the black people. Farad taught Elijah Muhammad who was born Elijah Poole in Sandersville GA, his version of Islam which is known as Nation of Islam. Farad then sent Elijah Muhammad to establish a second temple in Chicago and Farad later disappeared in 1934 leaving Elijah Muhammad as the leader of the Nation. To be considered a Muslim, one must believe and follow the five pillars of Islam. The first pillar of Islam is the declaration of unity of Allah and that Muhammad was his messenger also known as the shadah. The shadah means that “Allah is unseen, he is the creator, the sustainer. Mankind is accountable to him alone, and Prophet Muhammad (S) of Arabia is the final and role model; no one can substitute for him” (Samad) The Nation of Islam believes that Wali Farad Muhammad was Allah in person and that Elijah Muhammad is the real role model of our time. (Muhammad) The second pillar of Islam is to establish the five daily prayers. The Nation of Islam does not require their followers to perform the five daily prayers only a major congregational prayer on Friday which is only a talk by the Minister and not a prayer like that performed by the orthodox Muslims. The third pillar of Islam is to contribute to charity. Islam requires a certain percentage of accumulated wealth that has been in possession for one year above the limits, as defined in Islamic law to be donated to charity. Nation of Islam’s views on charitable donations is a tax due on your income, something similar to income tax. The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting required during the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Nation of Islam only requires its followers to fast in the month of December and in the month of Ramadan it is optional. The last pillar of Islam is making a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina “once in your lifetime if conditions of finances, health and safety are met.” (Samad) The Nation of Islam does not require its followers to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. The Nation of Islam rejects the five pillars of Islam. Since the Nation of Islam does not follow these pillars they may not be accepted just as another sect of Islam but must be considered as a different religion as they have bastardized Islam. One of the many other differences between the Nation of Islam and orthodox Islam is the role of the race. The Nation of Islam clearly believes that Farard was sent to wake "the black nation to the full range of the black man's possibilities in a world temporarily dominated by the blue-eyed devils." (Rogers) They also refer to the white man as the "the Caucasian devils." (Rogers) The Nation of Islam also forbids interracial marriages. “We believe that intermarriage and race mixing should be prohibited.” (Muhammad) The Koran however states “And His signs are the creation of heavens and earth and the diversity of your tongues and colors.” (Koran 30.22) The Nation of Islam only gives out its membership to the black race with a few exceptions to other races such as Asian and Hispanic but this does not include the white race. Orthodox Islam is open to all races, as they are creations of Allah and Islam states that all persons are born Muslim. One of the other major differences between Nation of Islam and orthodox Islam is the way they look at other religions and their followers. Islam accepts the existence of all prophets from Moses to Jesus to Muhammad. The Nation of Islam believes that Elijah Muhammad is the messenger of God. Orthodox Islam regards members of all religions as holy. The Koran states “those who believe, and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans-whoever believeth in Allah, and the Last Day doeth right- surely their reward is with their Lord, and their shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve” (Koran 2:62) Farrakhan preaches hate of those of other religions and races. In a 1995-press interview, Minister Lewis Farrakhan said, "They [the Jews] are the greatest controllers of Black minds, Black intelligence. They write the scripts -- the foolish scripts on television that our people portray. They are the movie moguls that feature us in these silly, degrading, degenerate roles. The great recording companies that portray our people in such a filthy and low-rating way, yet they would not allow such a man as Michael Jackson to say one word that they thought would besmirch their reputation, but they put us before the world as clowns and as purveyors of filth. No, I will fight that." Also in the March 3rd, 2000’s edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer Farrakhan was quoted saying "White people are potential humans…they haven’t evolved yet." It is beliefs such as these that create the image of the Nation of Islam as a Racist organization that preaches Black supremacy. The Nation of Islam has helped those who enter the Nation from refraining from the use of drugs and alcohol. Helping their members clean up and be less likely to join gangs and becoming victims of violence. It has been a source of discipline and self-improvement for the Black community. Some may argue that the Nation of Islam is improving the Black community in general. The Nation of Islam should be known as Farrkhanism after its leader Louis Farrakhan. The Nation needs to stop associating with Islam, as they are two very different religions, because followers the Nation of Islam do not follow the pillars of Islam. Many Islamic scholars around the world have condemned Louis Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam and have called them and referred to them as non-Muslims. Calling themselves Muslims is creating a harmful image for the true followers of Islam. The hate that Farrakhan preaches outweighs any of the benefits of the Nation of Islam. [hr] Mohmmad [wlm] |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| yunus |
| 07/07/02 at 22:49:12 |
| I am sorry Elijah Muhammad is a racist and a liar. I understand that he awakened many people to Islam here in America but that does not excuse that fact that he claimed he was a Prophet of God and allowed his followers to do so. He used his authority to distort the true message of Islam and promote his own racist sepretasit ideology. This man should have known better and I am glad that his son has brought people back to the truth path. |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| Anonymous |
| 07/11/02 at 04:03:03 |
| In the Name of ALLAH (SWT): Thank you for your comments, questions and replies regarding my comments on Elijah Muhammad. ALLAH is the Forgiving; the Merciful. Surely He will forgive those of us who offend one another without the intentions of doing so. I also ask the forgiveness of anyone I may have insulted or offended, because these were not my intentions. I would like to continue this topic at a later date, Insha ALLAH, because there is a lot that I would like to share, and a lot more I would like to learn. I will read your comments and study them, and with ALLAH's guidance I shall respond to them at a later date. I would like to clarify that I DO NOT attempt to compare Elijah Muhammad to Prophet Muhmmad (May the Peace and Blessings of ALLAH be upon him). I also believe and bear witness that the Prophet (PBUH) of 1400 years ago is ALLAH's last Servant and Messenger. My original comments were from a position of one who has grown up as a misguided Christian in America. ALLAH (SWT) commanded the Prophet (PBUH) to "Read". I am a decendant of those who were not only deprived of the Truth and the ability to read, but were beaten severely and even killed for trying to read. A review of the document called, "The Willie Lynch Letter" could provide a lot more insight on this. It is important to understand that the Truth was forbidden to my ancestors. Not only that, but false gods were forced upon them by emotional, physical, and spiritual abuse! WE HAVE BEEN MADE AFRAID TO SEEK THE TRUTH!!! Many of us settle for hopes of a better 'life after death' or life in the Hereafter, because we don't see any way to defeat Shaytaan. That is because we don't have a proper knowledge of ALLAH (SWT)! As a matter of fact, most people I know profess a certain religious belief merely because that is what their parents did before them; not because they understand or bear it witness. It is very difficult to reach a people in this state of fear and confusion. Many prefer to remain ignorant to the Truth, because they feel ALLAH (SWT) will not hold them accountable if they don't know any better. While I was growing up I thought that Islam was an "Arab" religion. I wanted to know why the men wore 'dresses' and 'pajamas', and why the women couldn't show their faces. I wanted to know what the beautiful little rugs were for that they would 'bow down' on. I had plenty of questions and no way of finding out the answer. There were no Muslims around me when I was growing up. But if I did come across one, not only was I afraid to ask any questions, I did not know how to approach them. If I would have gotten an answer I would not have understood a reply in Arabic. Besides that, Muslims always seemed unfriendly and always in a hurry. Elijah Muhammad went to the poor people, the homeless, the ghettos, the schools, the hospitals... he spoke the language. He understood their condition. He answered a lot of the questions about Islam like the ones I had. But even after I became a member of the Nation of Islam I could never understand why we were not accepted among our Muslim Brothers and Sisters. Now I know. Alhamdulillah! Now this is where the Muslim Ummah comes in. If Elijah Muhammad was a liar, then show compassion to those whom he allegedly lied to. This is your opportunity to bring the True Religion of Islam to these people. More later, Insha ALLAH. |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| se7en |
| 07/12/02 at 02:04:12 |
| as salaamu alaykum, I think Anonymous has a good point. Though we have issue with his creed and the beliefs he taught, we should take a lesson from Elijah Muhammad's methodology of 'daawa' because it was *very* effective, so much so that some historians have said no other movement in the 21st century had had a greater impact on the African American population. And it's a movement that still holds sway today. The Nation of Islam began as a grassroots movement, a movement by and for the disenfranchised. It appealed to the masses; it was an alternative for those disenchanted with the sell-out church; and it rehabilitated and reformed people to the extent that it brought an entire people to it's feet. It empowered the black people, made serious community changes starting on the ground level, and it had public and charismatic symbols like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. I think we should take note of the sources of his movement's effectiveness and work to establish them in our own attempts at daawa. At alim I took a class on muslim movements in the US, and our prof said one of the reasons Elijah Muhammad was so effective was because he took hold of African American tradition; he did not try to transfer something foreign to his people, but instead tried to develop and evolve their religion from within the African American community. The prof also said that one of the reasons W. D. Muhammad has lost his connection with a lot of the African American population is because he's started to do the opposite.. he's moved away from cultivating a new, unique culture intimately related to African Americans and is instead attempting to translate foreign ideas onto American soil. anyway.. also agree with Anonymous that people in the Nation are *very close* to being Muslim.. and we as a community should def. focus more of our daawa efforts on them. wAllahu a'lam. wasalaamu alaykum. |
| 07/12/02 at 02:09:02 |
| se7en |
| Re: Elijah Muhammad |
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| Anonymous |
| 07/23/02 at 13:49:36 |
| As - Salaam Alaikum. I apologize for the delay in responding. Once again I want to thank all of you who gave some input to this discussion. I thank all of you for reading. I have located some readings which, when used in conjunction with one another would provide some possible reasons behind Elijah Muhammad "tailoring" Islam to meet the needs of the African - American population. I pray that after reading this, one will be able to understand more fully the mental condition of African - Americans before Elijah began to reach out to us. I must WARN YOU: These readings contain EXPLICIT LANGUAGE and descriptions of a GRAPHIC NATURE!!! http://www.redeeming.com/Willie%20Lynch.htm http://www.daveyd.com/willlynch.html I pray ALLAH (SWT) Blesses us all with the light of understanding. Salaam |
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