: What is orthodox Islam?
By Brother Mustafaa Muhammad
In the Name of ALLAH, The Beneficent, The Merciful
What is Orthodox Islam? This interpretation of Islam has been claimed by a significant portion of "African Americans” including Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and a large number of former members of The Nation of Islam. Of course, this interpretation of Islam has been claimed by many Muslims in the East, as well as Muslims living in America.
With so many people claiming a particular system it would seem without saying that "Orthodox Islam” is the correct path. The term Sunni Muslim is sometimes used interchangeably to define one who follows the Sunnah of The Prophet and the Qur’an. However, I would like to raise a question concerning if Orthodox Islam, as presently understood, is the original intention of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH)? Before we go further I would like to define two words so that we may have clearer understanding of this interpretation of Islam, The Prophet and The Holy Qur'an.
Orthodox according to the American Heritage Dictionary means:
"Adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion and adhering to what is commonly accepted, customary, or traditional"
Islam according to the Qur'an(30:30) is defined as:
"So set thy face for religion, being upright, the nature made by Allah in which He has created men. There is no altering Allah’s creation. That is the right religion — but most people know not"
Islam is typically defined as submission to ALLAH or the religion of entire submission to the will of Almighty God.
These two words, as defined, imply that Muslims, who prescribe to the traditional path of Islam, are in fact following the path of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH). However, I would like, in a few words, to present facts which I believe prove that traditional Islam, Sunni Islam or Orthodox Islam, as presently understood, is as far from Muhammad as the sun is from our planet Earth 93,000,000 miles.
In part 2 of this article series, I quoted words of Prophet Muhammad wherein he prophesied that the Muslim Nation would deviate from the "Siratal Mustaqim"(straight path). I would like to re-examine this quote deeper, in the historical context of the deviation of former religious communities, The Jews and Christians.
Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) warned his community of their deviation in the following words:
“You will follow the precepts of those who have gone before, step by step.” They asked: “O Messenger of ALLAH, the Jews and Christians?” He said: “Who else?” (Bukhari, Kitab al-anbiya)
He also said
“Three generation after me would no longer be of me.”
The Holy Qur’an while speaking of the deviation of other faith communities warns the followers of Prophet Muhammad that he will replace them in the following words:
“O you who believe, should anyone of you turn back from his religion, then Allah will bring a people, whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, mighty against the disbelievers, striving hard in Allah’s way and not fearing the censure of any censurer. This is Allah’s grace — He gives it to whom He pleases.” (HQ 5:54)
After their deviation ALLAH mercifully calls the Muslims back to the straight path after their deviation from it in fulfillment of the prophecies:
“Has not the time yet come for the believers that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and the Truth that is revealed, and (that) they should not be like those who were given the Book before, but time was prolonged for them, so their hearts hardened. And most of them are transgressors.” (HQ 57:16)
The Holy Qur’an gives a general outline of the history of the Christians and Jews, the mistakes their followers made ad their ultimate deviation from the straight path of God and the teachings of their Prophet, particularly Moses and Jesus. It may be a hard pill to swallow but the Ummah of Muhammad(PBUH) has followed in the way of the former communities(Christians and Jews) step by step leading to our present degenerated state.
In this section of the article we will review some of the histories of the people of the book(Ahl Al-Kitab).
As Muslims we are taught to believe in all the prophets of the past and their revealed word(scripture). We are further taught not to make any distinction between them.
“Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which has been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit.” (HQ 2: 136)
“The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. They all believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His messengers. We make no difference between any of His messengers.” (HQ 2: 285)
The Holy Qur’an teaches us that throughout the ages the merciful ALLAH has raised prophets and messengers when humanity has went of the path of divine favor. We are taught that every time the prophet left or died the people fell down into their former behavior, while still claiming to be followers of their prophet and his message. So, after the people went back from whence they were called Almighty God raised up another prophet to correct them, but usually the people would reject the new prophet in favor of the former prophet, while not recognizing that the new prophet only bears witness to the former and desires to take you to the next level.
It is similar to how we advance in school. When we master our lessons and graduate to the next grade we don’t go back and say our last teacher was wrong and the new teacher is right or reject the next grade, because we learned much in the last grade.
Moses and the Children of Israel
“O Children of Israel, call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and that I made you excel the nations.”(HQ 2: 122)
The children of Israel under the leadership, according to the Holy Qur’an, were brought out of a terrible circumstance in Egypt by Moses(Peace be upon him) and were being prepared by God to lead the nations in righteous conduct. However, they ultimately didn’t fulfill their part of the covenant with God as the following words show: “And when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: You shall serve none but Allah. And do good to (your) parents, and to the near of kin and to orphans and the needy, and speak good (words) to (all) men, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate. Then you turned back except a few of you, and you are averse.” (HQ 2:83)
ALLAH kept sending prophets to warn, guide and renew the followers of Moses to the purity of his teachings. Yet, some prophets were killed, rejected or their teachings distorted by the scholars afterwards.
Finally, The Qur’an teaches(2:87) ALLAH took his favor away from the children of Israel and prepared another prophet to teach another community.
Jesus and the Christians
"And with those who say, We are Christians, We made a covenant, but they neglected a portion of that whereof they were reminded." (5:14)
Next we come to the history of the Christian community and their response to their prophet Jesus. (I am fully aware that the Christian belief is that Jesus was not a mere prophet and is God or the son of God, however I am not taking up that subject for the purpose of this article.) Jesus(Peace be upon him) came in the tradition of the prophets sent before him. He came to remind the Children of Israel of the supremacy of Almighty God, correct the errors that crept into the teachings of Moses and take them a step further in the revelation of the wisdom of God.
After the death of Jesus and his message going through Rome many changes would take place which would interpret his message quite differently that what he taught when he was among us. History teaches us that much of the doctrines that have been accepted as Christianity was formulated after the death of Jesus and was made official by vote at the Nicene Council in 325 AD.
After the emperor Constantine “accepted” Christianity he had a vision of the cross and Latin words translated which meant “With this sign we conquer”. Jesus said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Mark 7:6)
We see in history of the bloodshed committed by the European Christians against the people of the earth including the Native Americans and the Africans. Jesus didn’t teach the people to be bigoted towards others, enslave them or kill others that are different.
I am not trying to pick on those who are Jews or Christians and proclaim the Muslims to be some holy righteous people, because as we will see in the next section the Muslims followed the way of those before them step by step as Prophet Muhammad prophesied.
As was seen in the history of Moses, ALLAH took his favor away from those who call themselves followers of Jesus and re-revealed his message 600 years later to Muhammad ibn Abdullah and in the land of Arabia to make them a nation of obedience to God and a example to others.
Muhammad and the Muslims
“And thus We have made you an exalted nation that you may be the bearers of witness to the people and (that) the Messenger may be a bearer of witness to you.” (HQ 2:143)
In the year 610 at the age of 40 Muhammad(Peace be upon him) began to receive revelations which would later be compiled as a book called Al-Qur’an. He found his people in a low degraded state and over a 23 year ministry he transformed his people, united them into a nation and made them an example for the world. The Muslim world at that time was know for leading a sleeping humanity to the exploration of the sciences, medicine, mathematics and knowledge.
Soon after the death of the Prophet the Muslims would face circumstances that would divide them and lead them off the path of divine favor. For over 1400 years the Muslims have been arguing over who had the rights to “successor ship” to Prophet Muhammad. I put successor ship in quotes, because no one truly succeeds a prophet but another prophet raised by God. However, the Muslim community needed to fill a leadership void created by the death of Muhammad.
There was disagreement between who should be the leader of the Muslim Ummah(community). Some agreed with the selections of Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Khataab and Uthman ibn Affan. However, there was another group who believed that Ali ibn Abu Talib, the prophet’s relative and son in law, was the fittest person for the job. I will not be debating the arguments of both sides in this brief writing. To make a long story short, there were major disagreements which led to bloodshed and war among Muslim brothers and sisters, which have lasted till this day unfortunately. Two major sects of Islam(Sunni and Shiite) were created in the aftermath of the division and bloodshed.
The Prophet Muhammad warned the Muslims against killing each other in the following words:
"Once the sword is unsheathed among my followers, it will not be sheathed until the Last Day."
The Muslim world is currently manifesting major deviation from the path of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah. The followers of Muhammad have joined the followers of Jesus and Moses in deviation from the path of Almighty God ALLAH and divine favor.
The Holy Qur’an reminds Muslims, Christians and Jews of the ignorance of their division from each other.
“And surely this your community is one community, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me. But they became divided into sects, each party rejoicing in that which was with them. So leave them in their ignorance till a time.” (HQ 23:52-54)
True Islam?
The traditional Muslims (notably Sunni Muslims) have claimed to be the one and only group of Muslims still following the traditions of Prophet Muhammad. In response to The Nation of Islam(and other groups they deem false) the Orthodox/Sunni Muslims claim that they follow true Islam. In this part of the article we will explore this bold claim and see if the claim is rooted in truth.
Just as Christianity, as we currently know it, was created in 325 A.D. at the Nicene council, instituted by Constantine. Our present understanding of ISLAM has come through a similar process as early Christianity. This version of Prophet Muhammad's message would be infused with Arab culture, Christian influence and Greek Philosophy.
To get an understanding of what happened to our faith, we will travel to the Abbasid caliphate period. It was during this time that many Islamic ideas were formulated. This period witnessed many debates such as "Is the Qur'an created or is it eternal?" "How to interpret the Qur'an literally vs. allegorical with respect to ALLAH's attributes". Also, during this time the 4 schools(Madhabs) of thought Shafi, Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali were founded.
“They take their doctors of law and their monks for lords besides Allah….. And they were enjoined that they should serve one God only — there is no god but He. Be He glorified from what they set up (with Him)!” (HQ 9:31)
The Holy Prophet Muhammad taught that blind allegiance to scholars or religious teaches above the word and guidance of ALLAH could lead you in a sense to worshiping them. No human being is infallible nor is their knowledge. Only ALLAH is the perfect knowing one. However, some modern Muslims value the hadiths over the Qur’an and honor scholars over the Qur’an and Prophet.
Scholars, Itijihad and Ijma
The third source of Islamic knowledge, in addition to the Qur'an and Sunnah, lies in "Exerting our minds to form judgment called in Arabic "Itijihad". Closely relating to Itijihad is Ijma which means forming consensus to reach a decision. The Holy Qur'an is a book which gives its own directions of how it is to be interpreted (3:6). The Holy Qur'an teaches us some of its verses are decisive(clear) while others are allegorical(subject to multiple interpretations). With this in mind, it would seem that no one could go wrong in interpreting this Holy Book, Right? Wrong! Shaitan, the sworn enemy of ALLAH and man, promises to lie in ALLAH's straight path and make all deviate. ALLAH answers: "You will get all except my purified ones."
In no way am I trying to say all scholars have been misled by Satan nor am I minimizing the need for learned men or scholars. Moreover, I do believe there are wonderful, wise scholars whom ALLAH has allowed to understand deeper meaning of his revealed word.
Even though there are some very knowledgeable scholars, however we must not underestimate the power of Shaitan to deceive. The Holy Prophet Muhammad prophesied over 1400 years ago, speaking of the latter times, he said: "The Holy Qur'an would not be understood nor would the scholars(Ulema) be beacons of light for the Ummah."
Verse 3:7(3:6 Maulana Muhammad Ali translation) of The Holy Qur’an translated by Yusef Ali gives instruction for those seeking its understanding:
“He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.”
Part of the footnote of the above verse states
“We shall find that in a sense the whole of the Qur’an has both ‘established’ meanings and allegorical meaning. The division is not between verses, but between the meanings attached to them. Each verse is but a sign or symbol: what it represents is ‘forms or ideas’ in Plato’s Philosophy. The wise man will understand that there is an ‘essence’ and an illustrative clothing given to the essence, throughout the book. We must try to understand it as best we can, but not waste our energies in disputing about matters beyond our depth. ”
I put forth the position that what is called Sunni/Orthodox Islam, in my view, is an interpretation of the life, times and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, according to scholars and scientist of Islam. How can this be so? Who were the principle interpreters of this version of the faith of Islam? When did this happen?
Interpretation according to Encarta World English Dictionary is defined as:
1. establishment of meaning: an explanation or establishment of the meaning or significance of something
2. ascription of particular meaning: an ascription of a particular meaning or significance to something
The Muslim Almanac edited by Azim Nanji reminds us that there were many different interpretations of the Islamic message of the Prophet(PBUH) in the early years after his passing
"By the early Abbasid times, as noted, there had also appeared distinctive schools of law, such as Hanafi and Maliki, named after their jurist-founders at the same time that Shia and Khariji communities were developing their own legal doctrines... Nonetheless, our survey attests sufficiently to the prevalence of pluralism in early Islam, which was categorized by a diversity of communities, movements, and schools of interpretation, none having had any monopoly over the sole interpretation of the Islamic message. Within this perspective, it is important to bear in mind that by the second Islamic century, there was no single community representing even what eventually became the Sunni interpretation of Islam. It was over the course of Muslim history that the majority of Muslims thought of themselves as ahl al-sunna(people of the sunna), or simply Sunnis." (pg. 171)
As was mentioned earlier many of the ideas we have accepted in Islam were thought upon and passed for “orthodoxy” during the Abbasid caliphate which began 750 and lasted a few hundred of years. During this period in addition to the many great thinkers of the day, two men and the movements they founded would largely contribute to the interpretation of the theology of “Orthodox Islam” and “Sunni Muslims”. These two men were known as Hasan Al-Ashari and Wasil Bin Ata and the schools of thought they founded were Ash'ariyya and Mu’tazilla respectably.
An article by Mr. Neal Robinson titled Ash'ariyya and Mu'tazila gives a brief overview of the two schools of thought
“The Mu'tazila - literally 'those who withdraw themselves' - movement was founded by Wasil bin 'Ata' in the second century ah (eighth century ad). Its members were united in their conviction that it was necessary to give a rationally coherent account of Islamic beliefs. In addition to having an atomistic view of the universe, they generally held to five theological principles, of which the two most important were the unity of God and divine justice. The former led them to deny that the attributes of God were distinct entities or that the Qur'an was eternal, while the latter led them to assert the existence of free will.
Ash'ariyya - named after its founding thinker, al-Ash'ari - was the foremost theological school in Sunni Islam. It had its origin in the reaction against the excessive rationalism of the Mu'tazila. Its members insisted that reason must be subordinate to revelation. They accepted the cosmology of the Mu'tazilites but put forward a nuanced rejection of their theological principles.”
Hasan Al-Ashari after leaving the Mu’tazilite school of thought sought to harmonize some of the views of both schools.
In a history of God by Karen Armstrong, she gives an overview of this work of finding a middle course by Al-Ashari:
“A compromise was found by Abu Al-Hasan Ibn Ismail Al-Ashari(878-941). He had been a Mutazili but was converted to traditionism by a dream in which the Prophet had appeared to him and urged him to study hadith. Al-Ashari then went to the other extreme, became an ardent Traditionist and preached against the Mutazilah as the scourge of Islam. Then he had another dream, in which Muhammad looked rather irritated and said: ‘I did not tell you to give up rational arguments but to support the true Hadiths!’ Henceforth Al-Ashari used the rationalist techniques of the Mutazilis to promote the agnostic spirit of Ibn Hanbal. Where the Mutazilis claimed that God’s revelation could not be unreasonable, Al-Ashari used reason and logic to show that God was beyond our understanding. The Mutazilis had been in danger of reducing God to a coherent but arid concept; Al-Ashari wanted to return to the full-blooded God of the Koran, despite its inconsistency… Al-Ashari refused any attempt to resolve the paradox: thus he insisted that when the Koran says that God ‘sits on his throne,’ we must accept this as a fact even though it is beyond our understanding to conceive of a pure spirit ‘sitting.’ Al-Ashari was trying to find a middle course between deliberate obscurantism and extreme rationalism.” Pg. 165-166
Karen Armstrong further says in her book titled Islam Pg. 63-64,
"But these years of political disintegration also saw the consolidation of what would become known as Sunni Islam. Gradually, the various legalist, the Mutazilites and the ahl Al-hadith pooled their differences and drew closer together. An important figure in this process was Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari(d.935), who attempted to reconcile the theology of the Mutazilites with that of the hadith people. The Mutazilites had been so fearful of anthropomorphic notions of God that they denied that the divine had any "human" attributes at all. How could we say that God "spoke" or "sat on a throne" as the Qur'an averred? how could we talk of God's "knowledge" or "power"? The ahl al-hadith retorted that this wariness drained the experience of God of all content, and reduced the divine to a philosophical abstraction with no religious significance. Al-Ashari agreed, but appeased the Mutazilites by saying that God's attributes were not like human qualities. The Qur'an was God's uncreated speech, but the human words which expressed it and the ink and paper of the book itself were created...Asharism became the predominate philosophy of Sunni Islam."
Frederick Mathewson Denny in his book Introduction to Islam bears witness to the influence of Al-Ashari on our modern understanding of Islam:
"Al-Ashari is generally considered to be the chief representative of what came to be orthodox Sunni Kalam, and his school has remained standard to the present."(Pg. 191-192)
According to the Encyclopedia of Islam regarding Ash'ariyya as a school of thought:
“The teaching of the Ash'ariyya was
almost identical with orthodoxy, and in a sense it has remained so until the present time.”
I am not suggesting by singling out Al-Ashari that he is the only one who contributed to our present understanding of Islam, the Prophet and the Qur’an, but he was one of the scholars who had deep and lasting impact with his teachings. There is much confusion among Muslims in the world, because we are debating the interpretations of the scholars, who may or may not be right, instead of dealing with the Holy Qur’an solely.
We must review our faith get rid of the Bidah(innovation) that has crept into it over the centuries, determine what it means to be a Muslim in the modern world and teach in a way that unites Muslims in the unity of the one God ALLAH.
The sun rises from the West
As was shown at the beginning of this article Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) prophesied that the Muslims would deviate from the straight path of God and repeat the mistakes of the earlier communities, however the Prophet gave assurance that the Ummah would be revived. Islam would not be revived from the Muslims living in the east, but ALLAH would bring his revelation the West.
Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) bore witness to this in hadith as one of the sings of the last days:
Abu Hurayrah(RA) narrated that the messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said, “The day of the hour will not come until the sun rises from the west.”
Some Muslims have interpreted this to mean that Islam will have its second rising in the West. Immigrant Muslims arrived in America in the latter 1800’s/early 1900’s but none of these Muslims came to America to propagate the faith of Islam or stand for truth and justice. One of the earliest American converts to Islam was a Caucasian man named Alexander Russell Webb. The Holy Qur’an gives the Muslims the responsibility to fight against injustice and oppression.
The immigrant Muslim community came into America among a people who were the descendents of Muslims, who were brought into slavery and stripped of their names, religion, culture and morality. I am speaking of the black people of America, who were brought to this country and mistreated day and night. The Orthodox Muslims never invited the downtrodden black man and woman to reclaim their faith of Islam. However, they gave their attention to the Caucasians or powerful ones of this nation.
This terrible situation is described well in the Holy Qur’an in the following words:
“He frowned and turned away, because the blind man came to him.
And what would make thee know that he might purify himself, or be mindful, so the Reminder should profit him? As for him who considers himself free from need to him thou dost attend. And no blame is on thee, if he purify himself not. And as to him who comes to thee striving hard, And he fears --To him thou payest no regard.”(HQ 80: 1-10)
Our Prophet also taught that injustice must be stopped by many means
""When you see an evil act, you have to stop it with your hand. If you can't, then speak out against it with your tongue. If you can't, then at least you have to hate it with all your heart. And this is the weakest of faith."
(Reported in The Collection of Hadiths of the Prophet by Imam Muslim
Abū Sa'īd said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
The most excellent jihād is the uttering of truth in the presence of an unjust ruler."(Tr-Msh. 17.)
America is a country where one can find all the evils that caused the ruin of ancient societies as given in the Bible and Qur'an. The evils committed here on a daily basis makes Sodom and Gomorrah look tame. The neglect of the poor is deplorable. The slavery of blacks and stealing of the Indian's land makes the Pharaoh of Egypt look light weight. The "true" Muslims haven't attempted to stop these evils with their hands, spoke out against them and only ALLAH, Subhana Wa' Ta' Ala knows if they have hated it in their hearts.
We as black people needed Islam to repair the damage done to us by over 400 years of slavery, suffering and death. However, we do not need a corrupted version of the teachings of The Holy Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad.
The Nation of Islam was founded in America on July 4th, 1930 by Master Fard Muhammad as "a remedy to the ills that affect the American so-called negro". The Nation of Islam was not founded to start a new religion, but to plant the seeds of Islam in North America, which had been neglected till the NOI arrived, and to correct the errors that crept into the message of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) by the scholars. In 1934 Master Fard Muhammad left Elijah Muhammad in charge of the baby Muslim Ummah in America, which he led and developed for 40 years absent his teacher. Many prominent people, who are Muslims today, came through the doors of the Nation of Islam.
Mother Tynetta Muhammad, the wife of The Hon. Elijah Muhammad, speaks on the positives of the Nation of Islam in the West
"THE NATION OF ISLAM WAS founded on the basis of peace and as an answer to a prayer of Abraham to deliver his people who would be found in servitude slavery in the Western Hemisphere in this day and time. The Flag of Islam with the symbols of the Sun, Moon, and the Stars, represent the Universe and is also a Banner of Universal peace and Harmony. Our Holy Temples of Islam were established in America as sanctuaries of peace and higher learning into the Knowledge of the Oneness of God. Our schools are called Universities of Islam and teach the higher meaning of Islam which is Mathematics. We have always been taught to respect the laws of the land. We are taught never to carry arms, to make war or to be the aggressor, for this is against the nature of the righteous. We are taught the Principles of Divine Unity and the Universal Brotherhood of Islam.
We are taught cleanliness inwardly and outwardly with the practice of good manners and respect to one and all. We are taught that the family is the back bone of society and that our children must be reared to reflect the highest morals and training to perfect our society. We are trained to eat and to prepare the best of foods for the longevity of life, without the use of alcohol, smoking and substance abuse which endangers the ethics of healthy living. We are taught to respect and protect our women who are the mothers of civilization.
Our women are taught a dress code of modesty that will lead to the practice of high morality. We are trained to be an exemplary community expressing the highest spiritual goals for the reform of ourselves and others based on wisdom, knowledge and beauty.
Contrary to the inflammatory rhetoric that has been utilized by the news media and some community leaders to condemn the positive effects of Islam's influence in today's modern society, just the opposite is being proven true. The Nation of Islam (The Nation of Peace) represents hope to millions of our people in America and around the globe who have been deprived of the high standards of a righteous way of life"
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the man ALLAH raised to revive Islam in America said:
“America is the last place that Islam was to reach. Not by the missionaries of Asia and Africa, but America was left for the divine Supreme Being who is referred to by the Name of Allah. In this country, Allah desired to make Himself known as He did (for example) in Egypt, only this time it is universal, coming first to the lost and found members of the Black Nation of America.”
He didn’t teach Orthodox Islam or mainstream Islam, because both were the interpretations of Islam by the scholars. He came among a country and people steeped in Jahiliyyah which means: "the state of ignorance of the guidance from God."
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad further says:
“It is not that the base of Islam is wrong. I say this time and time again; that the belief in One God, that the Bible and the Holy Qur’an prophesy that you must have, is true. The Belief in one Messenger or shepherd as He is sometimes referred to in the Bible stands true... Today the world is more opposed to Islam than ever in a manner of speaking, for the Islamic world is having confusion over the very principles they have been teaching. They have gone so far off the path themselves that they cannot correct or establish a return start for the future of Islam… The Orthodox Muslims will have to bow to the choice of Allah. Allah will bring about a new Islam. As for the Principles of Belief, they remain the same.”
Unfortunately, the Orthodox/Sunni Muslims have acted like the disbelievers of the past when ALLAH chooses to renew his revelation. The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Muslim community he established have had to face constant attacks and false charges from the claimants of the “true Islam.”
I will state some of the most common criticism of the Nation of Islam and offer our true position in response
The following excerpts from the article "The problem with the Nation of Islam" by Michael Young illustrates some of the common problems the traditional Muslims have with the Muslim followers of the Nation of Islam.
"To be Muslim means to hold certain fundamental theological beliefs. The Muslim profession of faith is:
'I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Mohammed is a prophet of God.'...To elaborate on these statements, to be a Muslim means to believe that God is One, unique. He has no partners, no associates, no Son, nor did He ever become incarnate...."(Michael Young)
We, Muslims of the Nation of Islam, believe in the one true living God, whose proper name is ALLAH. We bear witness that ALLAH is one without partner or associate. You may ask if we believe this why we declare ALLAH came in the person of Master Fard Muhammad. Master Fard Muhammad is a man, born 2/26/1877, so we know he is not the originator of the heavens and the earth. However, he was a very developed man who manifested to us the love and concern of God.
Prophet Muhammad in Hadith Qudsi spoke similarly of righteous men becoming so close to ALLAH
“That when Allah loves a person and a person gets righteous he(ALLAH) becomes the eyes with which they see, the mouth with which they speak, the hands with which they hold, the ears with which they hear."
A human being, who submits totally to God, can become a functionary of Almighty God ALLAH, however we praise God for his characteristics in that person, yet we don’t worship the person in whom God’s spirit dwells. We don’t believe in ALLAH reincarnating in people or any other silly ideas we have been charged with.
Mr. Young speaks for us and says we don’t believe in the finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad Ibn Abdullah(PBUH)
Secondly, Muslims believe Mohammed
to have been the "Seal" or last of the prophets. To recognize anyone after Mohammed
This point of belief doesn’t contradict the position of The Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad. We bear witness to the world that Prophet Muhammad was/is the last Prophet of Almighty God ALLAH. We fully recognize his prophet hood and the revelation, Qur’an, revealed to him by ALLAH.
Let us review what The Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad’s self concept was:
“I’m not a prophet by the way of speaking, I am a Messenger. The last one is not a prophet. He doesn’t prophesy. He doesn't have anything to prophesy. He fulfills that which others prophesy. He’s the ending of prophets”. (Theology of time 10/8/1972)
“Almighty Allah, to whom all praises are due, did not raise me as a Messenger like the Prophets of old, but he raised me as a Messenger, a Warner and a Reminder to the Nations of that which was prophesied to take place in these last days.” (Chapter On sport and play from Message to the Blackman)
Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) though he said he was the last prophet taught that, ““ALLAH will speak to the righteous in this community though they are not Prophets.”
The Holy Qur'an in Sura 33:40 declares that Muhammad is the seal of the prophets, but this doesn't mean another messenger, who will bear witness to the Prophet(PBUH), can
not come on the scene.
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the prophets. And Allah is ever Knower of all things."(HQ 33:40)
This key verse is used by the Sunni Muslims to announce that no Prophet will come after Prophet Muhammad, which I agree fully with. However, they must bear witness that though there are similarities between a messenger(Rasul) and a prophet(Nabi) there are differences as well. This key verse states that Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) is the last prophet in the Arabic words, khatm al-nabiyan, which means the seal or ending of a thing. Yet, this verse gives Prophet Muhammad two titles Messenger(Rasul) and Prophet(Nabi). If they were the same, why did ALLAH say he was a messenger and a prophet to make a distinction?
We believe that ALLAH raised up a man in America and gave that man his message to uplift black fallen humanity and to warn America of her evils.
Mr. Young proceeds to accuse the Nation of Islam of being a racist group.
"A third area of non-compliance with Islam, and the one which receives by far the greatest attention in the secular media, is the issue of race. The present "Nation of Islam" leader, Louis Farrakhan, is on record as having made objectionable anti-Jewish (as distinct from anti-Zionist) remarks. Among other unfortunate utterances, he is alleged to have referred to Judaism as a "gutter religion"....Moreover, the NOI is a segregationalist organization exclusively for black people descended from slaves. Proper Islam is a universal religion open to people of every race. Muslims are supposed to differentiate between people on the basis not of ethnic origin but of piety and upright behavior." (Michael Young)
The author of this article is either being dishonest or is ignorant of the history of racism in the United States. We didn’t bring ourselves to this country; we were kidnapped and brought here. We didn’t make color the criterion of a human’s worth our oppressors did.
I will quote the words of David Walker, a contemporary of the slavery experience in America, as found in his pamphlet, Walker’s Appeal, to give you a glimpse of what American Racism is like.
“I declare, it is really so amusing to hear the Southerners and Westerners of this country talk about barbarity, that it is positively, enough to make a man smile… The sufferings of the Helots among the Spartans, were somewhat severe, it is true, but to say that theirs, were as severe as ours among the Americans, I do most strenuously deny—for instance, can any man show me an article on a page of ancient history which specifies, that, the Spartans chained, and handcuffed the Helots, and dragged them from their wives and children, children from their parents, mothers from their suckling babes, wives from their husbands, driving them from one end of the country to the other? Notice the Spartans were heathens, who lived long before our Divine Master made his appearance in the flesh. Can Christian Americans deny these barbarous cruelties? Have you not, Americans, having subjected us under you, added to these miseries, by insulting us in telling us to our face, because we are helpless, that we are not of the human family? I ask you, O! Americans, I ask you, in the name of the Lord, can you deny these charges?”
I think it is an insult to accuse us of racism, while denying the true roots of racism in this country. I have never heard these traditional Muslims speak out against the historical racism against blacks in this country and the present injustices we face. We don’t deny that Islam is a universal faith for all humanity, but we were most in need of healing from the trauma of slavery which affected us mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Next, Mr. Young repeats a lie, as stated by the media, that Minister Farrakhan has spoken anti-Jewish remarks and called Judaism a “gutter religion’. However, the truth, as the following words who, is that Minister Farrakhan attacked the actions of some Jews who don’t practice God’s commandments.
On June 24th 1984 Minister Farrakhan made the following statement, which caused all the confusion:
".America and England and the nations backed Israel's existence. Therefore when you aid and abet someone in a criminal conspiracy, you are a part of that criminal conspiracy. So America and England and the nations are criminals in the sight of Almighty God. Now that nation called Israel, never has had any peace in forty years and she will never have any peace because there can never be any peace structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your dirty religion under His holy and righteous name.”
I would like to note that Minister Farrakhan has used this term “dirty religion” to label other religious people who don’t live up to their religion’s standards and even members of the Nation of Islam when applicable as the following shows:
“Well, the commander-in-chief of the Nation of Islam is the Most Hon Elijah Muhammad. We have no other commander. We want no other commander. All of us are stand-ins and as long as we recite His commands then we are worthy to stand in for Him. But when we begin to use His name to shield a dirty religion and then begin to impose self made commands in His name…” (Meaning of FOI Pg. 11)
Mr. Young gives his final judgment and assessment of us after giving his opinion of the Nation of Islam
"Laudable as the lifestyle espoused by the NOI may be, one cannot escape the fact that despite some of the trappings of Islam, the theology and ideology they currently espouse are not only non-Islamic but actually anathema to Islam." (Michael Young)
The article by Michael Young reflects the thinking of many Orthodox or Sunni Muslims concerning the Nation of Islam. Those who share that thinking adopt the same attitude and mindset of those who attack Prophet Muhammad(PBUH).
A. Idris Palmer also a hostile critic of The Nation of Islam gives a similar judgment of the NOI in his article, Louis Farrakhan: Liar Extraordinaire.
"Louis Gene Walcott Farrakhan is not a Muslim, nor is his doctrine Islaam. Farrakhan is the leader of a black racist cult called "the Nation of Islaam," (NOI) founded in Detroit, Michigan in the 1930's. While the group calls its followers Muslims, in reality, they have very little to do with the faith of Islaam. Islaam believes in the total transcendence of Almighty God (called in Arabic, Allaah), the NOI teaches that black people are angelic gods. Islaam maintains universal brotherhood, the NOI says that Islaam is for blacks only. Islaam teaches that Prophethood ended with Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, more than 1400 years ago. The NOI teaches that Farrakhan's teacher, Elijah Muhammad, is the last prophet. Islaam teaches principles of spiritual and moral decorum such prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, etc, Elijah Muhammad cast these out or altered them beyond recognition."
Mr. Young and others who make similar judgments let their emotions, self supposed superiority and prejudices color their writing. In MUHAMMAD'S PROPHETHOOD AN ANALYTICAL VIEW by: DR. Jamal A. Badawi we learn that no objective or fair assessment can be reached with a mind clouded with prejudices.
“A great deal has been said about the prophet of Islam by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. What has been said, however, has been largely colored by the writer's preconditioning; whether he is a believer in or a critic of Islam…The researcher should try to rid himself of the predominance of emotions, prejudices and preconceptions. This is a demanding requirement of the believer, the critic, and the neutral researcher as well. It is demanding because no man can free himself completely of emotions, prejudices, and preconceptions. Yet, an honest researcher could still try his best before any objective and fair assessment of any issue can be reached.”
Orthodox Muslims, the Nation of Islam and the black community
“And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited. And remember Allah’s favour to you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favour you became brethren. And you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes clear to you His messages that you may be guided.” (HQ 3:103)
Presently, the religion of Islam is very popular in the black community among men and women. This popularity was seen in the late eighties/early nineties with the inclusion of Islamic phrases, teachings and culture in the hip hop. Many rappers have claimed to be Muslims or are in sympathy to what Islam stands for. It is not uncommon to see black men with traditional kufis or beards and black women in Hijab and traditional dress.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this essay many of the popular Muslims of America have been “African Americans” like Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and the late Warith Deen Muhammad. A fierce debate surrounding what is the correct Islam for the black community has put fellow Muslims from the Sunnah at odds with Muslims from the perspective of the teachings of the Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad. Accusations of not being true Muslims and of being Arab emulators have been thrown around freely from both camps. Some former members of the Nation of Islam who now follow the traditional path of Islam claim they were deceived by The Most Elijah Muhammad and Master Fard Muhammad regarding the “true” Islam and have only since become acquainted with the truth.
The Holy Qur’an teaches us that prayer, faith, charity and others deeds of righteousness are mere acts if they don’t leads to service to humanity.
“Hast thou seen him who belies religion? That is the one who is rough to the orphan, and urges not the feeding of the needy. So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayer! Who do (good) to be seen, and refrain from acts of kindness!” (HQ 107)
And
“But he attempts not the uphill road; and what will make thee comprehend what the uphill road is? (It is) to free a slave, Or to feed in a day of hunger an orphan nearly related, or the poor man lying in the dust.” (HQ 90:11-16)
While there are many problems in America among many groups of people, I think we can agree that the situation in the black community, specifically the black male, is a deplorable one. You can not deny that black people are in a state of Jahiliyyah worse than the Arabs were when Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) began raising them from their condition.
Jafar Ibn Abu Talib was chosen as the spokesperson, for the Muslims when they immigrated to Africa, to plead their case before the government.
“O King! We were ignorant people and we lived like wild animals. The strong among us lived by preying upon the weak. We obeyed no law and we acknowledged no authority save that of brute force. We worshipped idols made of stone or wood, and we knew nothing of human dignity. And then God, in His Mercy, sent to us His Messenger who was himself one of us. We knew about his truthfulness and his integrity. His character was exemplary, and he was the most well-born of the Arabs. He invited us toward the worship of One God, and he forbade us to worship idols. He exhorted us to tell the truth, and to protect the weak, the poor, the humble, the widows and the orphans. He ordered us to show respect to women, and never to slander them. We obeyed him and followed his teachings.”
We, in the black community, have all the above traits and then some when it comes to our state of Jahiliyyah.
The Nation of Islam or the Muslim followers of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad once receiving the message of Islam immediately went to work to uplift their fellow black brothers and sisters who had been destroyed by their sojourn in America. Many have asked why the Nation of Islam only focused on black people. I think the answer is self evident when you look at our condition then and now, which necessitates us needing the healing of Almighty God ALLAH’s revelation. Prophet Muhammad’s ministry was primarily focused on uplifting the poor, slaves, orphans and downtrodden. Well who in America fits these characteristics?
The Hon. Elijah Muhammad was wise teacher who brought the message of Islam to us as we were in our stage of development in the early 30’s onward. He was gradually guiding us to grow up to be pleasing Muslims, not Sunni or Orthodox Muslims, in the sight of Almighty God ALLAH. Many Muslims have complained regarding the way the Nation of Islam presented the pillars(namely prayer, fasting, shahada, iman) of Islam to the American public. We were taught to pray at first in what is called Dua and we fasted in the month of December as opposed the the 9th month of Ramadan. However, these things should not be too shocking when we read the history of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) presenting the teachings of Islam to his people with the same method.
We discover from reading the history of the early Muslims were not outright commanded to stop drinking wine until later after a large portion of the Qur’an had been revealed. Also, the Muslims who immigrated to Medina practiced their fasting days after the followers of Moses, who Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) said they followed more closely.
The Hon. Elijah Muhammad taught us Dua to get started on the road to connecting to ALLAH, however on February 26, 1957 he made available to his followers a Muslim daily prayer book which instructs his followers in the correct methods of salat:
“Here my beloved people who believe is the book of Muslim Daily Prayers I had promised some time ago available to you. Allah, your God and mine, says in the Holy Qur'an Sharrief (29:45): "Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil; and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest (force that retrains evil.)" The knowledge and practice of these prayers will earn you great reward with Allah and bring about great spiritual advancement in you. These prayers, of course, are only a part of your duties as Muslims and as believers in Allah and his Messenger Muhammad. Keep up your prayers, but be mindful your duties as well. Be completely RIGHTEOUS. At present it is sufficient that you learn these prayers as we have printed them here. Some day in the near future, however, you will learn them in your own language and that of your righteous foreparents---Arabic” (Foreward to Muslim daily prayers by The Hon. Elijah Muhammad)
He gave wise reason for the way we were taught to fast in the month of December as opposed to the traditional 9th month.
“WE HERE (Elijah Muhammad and his Followers)...I prescribe for you the month of December to fast in - if you are able to take the fast - instead of the regular month that travels through the year, called Ramadan by the Muslims; the month in which they say Muhammad received the Holy Qur’an…WHY DID I prescribe for you the month of December? It is because it was in this month that you used to worship a dead prophet by the name of Jesus. And, it was the month that you wasted your money and wealth to worship the 25th day of this month, December, as the Christians do.
I set up this for you and me, to try to drive out of us the old white slavemaster’s worship of a false birthday (December 25th) of Jesus.. SO, I am not asking my followers to FAST in the month of December because of the birth of a prophet (Jesus) nor do we want to worship his birth or worship because some great Revelation was sent down to another prophet. No, it is just to keep my followers from worshipping falsehood, instead of truth, and to prevent them from spending their money in the falsehood of Santa Claus.
AND, so I say to my followers, WE ARE NOT FASTING (in December) we are just abstaining from taking a part with false worship. We abstain from eating throughout the month of Ramadan - the month of December.”(How to eat to live book 2 chapter on fasting)
In the chapter titled Fasting is prescribed from the same book How to eat to live book 2, The Hon. Elijah Muhammad reminds his followers of the importance of the month of Ramadan:
“Ramadan, the Holy Qur-an teaches us, is the month that the Holy Qur-an was revealed to Muhammad. And they worship the month by abstaining from eating and drinking during the day time from sun up to sun down or before the sun rises until after she sets in the Western skies…The Muslims, as I foresaid, do not eat nor drink from before sunrise until she (the sun) ha set. If you take it (the fast of Ramadan) with them, you are doing the right thing, until this evil world has vanished.”
Finally, He teaches us that we can’t be considered real Muslims unless we practice our faith
“We can not go out and tell the public, "I'm a Muslim" unless you practice the principles of it. You have got to respect and practice the principles of Islam. I have visited the Muslim world. I have made pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina and I have seen and I have heard. These people don't believe in foolishness. So I'm trying to clothe you, not only with the garments of salvation, but clothe you with the principles of our religion.” (Saviour’s Day 1974 message by The Hon. Elijah Muhammad)
I pray ALLAH, Subhana Wa’ Ta’ Ala that this small effort will start a serious dialogue based on truth, mutual respect and honesty between Orthodox Muslims and the Muslim followers of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. As can be seen by reading this writing we have much to talk about concerning our differences and similarities. If we can come to some agreement then the black community will be better served by Muslims united in love of ALLAH.
I pray ALLAH that this writing will help others understand that the Nation of Islam loves ALLAH, The Holy Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and all true Muslims. However, we can not deny the truth that ALLAH has revealed to one from amongst us.
Thank you for reading these few words
Copyright2008 Mustafaa Muhammad
http://brothermustafaa.com/