Theology Thursdays: Exclusive Q & A With Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad, Eastern/Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative Of The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Re: Saviours' Day 2004

One hundred and twenty-seven years ago today, a baby was born in Mecca, Arabia who would eventually influence history and events all over the world. Although born in the 19th century in the Holy Land; it would be his appearance in the 20th century, initiating a chain reaction of events in the Western Hemisphere that would have the greatest and most visible impact on most of us today. "Saviours' Day represents the celebration of the birth of the man that came to North America to teach the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Master Fard Muhammad, who was born February 26, 1877. And every year, on or about his birthday, we celebrate his birth and the founding of the Nation of Islam in North America.", Minister Louis Farrakhan told Tavis Smiley in a recent interview on PBS.

While still remaining a mysterious figure to many, Master Fard Muhammad's impact is anything but subtle or confusing. Without the human being the Nation Of Islam believes to be the Mahdi of the Muslim world, there would be no Honorable Elijah Muhammad; no Malcolm X, no Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (whom Master Fard Muhammad personally named), no Muhammad Ali and of course, no Minister Louis Farrakhan, as we know them all today. How is that for influencing Black history? Think over the influence the Nation Of Islam has had, one way or another, on those celebrated and honored during Black History Month.

This Sunday, the Nation Of Islam will celebrate the birth of Master Fard Muhammad with a Saviours' Day 2004 Address to be delivered by Minister Louis Farrakhan, from Chicago, and broadcast via satellite. The address is titled: "Reparations: What Does America and Europe Owe? What Does Allah (God) Promise?"

BlackElectorate.com Publisher Cedric Muhammad recently visited Minister Farrakhan's Eastern/Mid-Atlantic Regional Minister, Abdul Khadir Muhammad, at Mosque #4 in Washington D.C. to discuss Minister Farrakhan's scheduled address, the manner in which the Nation Of Islam intends to observe Saviours' Day in the nation's capitol, and the state of relations between the Nation Of Islam and Blacks in the eastern part of the United States.


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Cedric Muhammad: As-Salaam-Alaikum Brother Minister.

Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad: Wa-Laikum-Salaam Brother Cedric.

Cedric Muhammad: Sir, I wanted to know what your thoughts were on the title, the theme for the Nation Of Islam’s Saviours’ Day 2004 address to be delivered by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrkhan: “Reparations: What Does America And Europe Owe And What Allah(God) Promises”

Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad: Well first of all, Brother I would like to say openly that I would not have any thought or feeling outside of the most positive thought toward any theme or title that Minister Farrakhan would ever give us as a directive. The titles of these Saviours’ Day addresses are actually guidance in and of themselves to get us through this pathway - in this dark hour - of sin, revolt and rebellion that we have placed on ourselves shackled by White America.

Of course in his title is the word reparations and inside of that word is the concept and principle of ‘repair’. When I hear the word “reparations” I even think of the word ‘prepared’. There is just so much to this idea. If we handle this idea, principle and concept of reparations properly it gives us an opportunity to fix what insurance companies and even Presidents of the United States could not, in terms of the damage that has been done to us. Even all of the dollars today – which are not backed by gold – cannot repair the damage of the past. Reparations means more than that. It means all of the twelve points of The Muslim Program that appear on the back page of The Final Call newspaper today, and years, ago in The Muhammad Speaks newspaper under the heading “What The Muslims Want” and “What The Muslims Believe”. What the Muslim Program deals with is relevant to reparations because this is a natural way for a damaged people to fully enjoy equal status with other nations of the earth who think they are above us.

So, when you say ‘Reparations…’ followed with ‘What Does America and Europe Owe…’ you realize that what is owed is something that really cannot be measured out by today’s financial standards, because it is only what God can give us. For example, we have as a legacy of slavery self-hatred that has contributed to the rise in suicide among our young Black males. Just think what goes into the making of a self-killer. Life is the most precious thing that we could have, the most valuable of all that God could give. And for a young person to take their life because of their inability to cope with the situation and environment in which we are engulfed as a people; it only shows that this goes well beyond dollars or even land. They would have to give us the very life that Allah (God) gave us when we were birthed out of the womb of our mothers.

Land is about the best thing that they could give us – a place where we could start on our own and be able to have what Minister Farrakhan is working on and building so that we can make the right steps for the next generations to come.

Now, ‘What Does Allah (God) Promise…?’. He promises that if we would submit and obey Him and His Messenger, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and Minister Louis Farrakhan, we would have nothing but success in our pathway. This needs to be realized and to be our focus, and obedience.

There is a parable that Minister Farrakhan shares about a man going up the hill late in the evening who asked the question, in so many words – ‘who will help me carry this heavy load?’ In so many words – who will be my helpers? And those to whom he was talking to did not understand it. They did not see that he was referring to himself as the one carrying this load in the late evening – this late hour – and it is up to us to make sure that we reach all of our people. This Saviours’ Day is for us to go after all of our people and get them to hear his message. That is part of the help to carry the heavy load. We as a Nation must help the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan carry this load.

But Allah (God) has promised us victory. As the scriptures say, ‘o death where is thy sting, and o’ grave where is thy victory?’ We can’t be outdone unless we sit on our own hands and do nothing for ourselves.

Cedric Muhammad: What are your plans for the Saviours’ Day observance on Sunday, February 29th, here in Washington, D.C. at the D.C. Armory, 2001 East Capitol Street S.E.? Of course those who came last year know what it was like. Will it be a similar schedule of events?

Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad: The doors open on February 29, 2004; at 11 AM; Satellite broadcast begins at 1 PM Est. We want untold thousands of Black people there in the D.C. Armory. It will be a live via satellite viewing of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. We are working very hard to see that our people hear and see this message. We have met with certain officials and concerned leaders in certain High Schools where recent murders have occured to offer free tickets. Our objective is that these students will put down the weapons and focus on what Minister Farrakhan has to say. If they would just come and be with us and Minister Farrakhan that day they would have done enough to at least earn a “C” grade for Black History Month classes. This is the most highlighted event of Black History Month and the Saviours’ Day is about saving our people. In the scriptures God says that He will send saviours after us; and that is us.


Cedric Muhammad: How was the response last year?

Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad: It was tremendous. We had the place nearly three-fourths full.

Cedric Muhammad: What is the state of the Nation of Islam and the relationship with our people on the East Coast, the Mid-Atlantic region, and Washington D.C. specifically?

Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad: Some of us, we have not gone collectively after our people as we should. We ride and walk by them, we talk to them on trains and buses. We call their homes and they call ours but we never invite them to come to the teachings. It appears that we really do not want people to see what we are involved in and some of us may think this is a kind of social group. There is an old saying about slicing a whole apple pie into pieces. You can cut slices of a pie and yet they still touch and are part of each other. But when you take a slice away from the pie the question is asked whether or not that slice is a part of the pie or whether it still belongs to the pie. Some of us come to the Nation of Islam and we get our heads full to a certain level of what we think we should know about the Nation, and then we pull back and go in another direction, which is bad and at the same time is not necessarily bad, if that person, though apart, is going to do the work of the Nation. Some will go out and say ‘I used to belong to…’ or ‘I was apart of…’ We need people that still belong to, and are apart of. We just can’t pull back and deny our own membership. In terms of what I am saying, those who are sliced in the whole, are still part of the pie.

Some may think that Bishop T.D. Jakes or Creflo Dolar Ministries are moving faster than us. It really is not that way, but it appears that those Brothers have a lot that they hold onto and build on and keep as their own. We are not building a big church with prominence in a certain area, in the sense that others are - we are building a Nation. And some people have left the church and joined the Nation with the mentality that things should operate in this house as things work in the church. That is not the way things are. Our focus is to build God's Kingdom with His chosen people - the Black Man and Woman.

We must take the words that were given to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, that no other man received on this earth, and value and follow them.

Can you imagine that blessing? We have the answers the world needs to solve its problems but even some of the Ministers today are afraid to teach the answers. The Bible is certainly being preached by those in church but they do not have the answers that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was given in his deep understanding of how the Old and New Testament relate to Black people in America and through events, nations and persons throughout the world. And it is obvious to anyone who has paid attention that the presence and work of Minister Farrakhan – who loves Jesus - has positively affected many of the great Black preachers of Christianity. There are Imams who were taught the Qur’an by those who claim to have its deepest understanding. But when you study deeply you see that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s understanding of the Holy Qur’an raises truths and realities of life that others did not know, or do not want to deal with. And that is God’s pattern in working with nations and people. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote in his book, The Fall Of America “Messengers are never sent; they always are raised in the midst of those whom Allah would warn so they can’t claim that they did not understand the language of the Messenger, or say that he was a foreigner or stranger. The Messenger is one from them.” Those in the Muslim world and our Muslim Imams in the Black community should recognize that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is the man that God raised among our people to establish and spread Islam in the United States of America and lead the repair of the people who were enslaved for 400 years, fulfilling what is written in the book of Genesis. It is a work similar to that of Moses, described in the Bible and Holy Qur’an. Like Moses was to Aaron, Minister Louis Farrakhan is the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s messenger and spokesperson to us and continues and shares so much of his mission and burden. We must help them as little saviours of our people and fallen humanity.

So, many great leaders in religion in Black America can have their role and their place and their understanding of the Word of God. The members of the Nation Of Islam should understand that. But there should not exist confusion over our assignment and how to carry it out. Something undeniably special happened in the United States of America over 70 years ago, with the growth of the Nation Of Islam and the meeting and relationship between Master Fard Muhammad and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Our Brother Minister Farrakhan is attached to the man who received answers directly from God, so Minister Farrakhan is actually wrapped up inside of the deepest spiritual component of this unique message and that makes him actually a divine part of the revealing of answers and, even, part of the revealed answers, himself. He is part of the message that he delivers. In him is the direct revelation from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, which is directly from God Himself, in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad. If we accept that, then we have to respond to his call accordingly. Our words must be followed by action. Our belief must be put into practice. We must have integrity in making our word bond.

Many of us in certain cities need to be stronger and pick up the pace and work harder; be at the Mosque every meeting, be present at the F.O.I. (Fruit Of Islam), M.G.T. (Muslim Girls Training) and G.C.C. (General Civilization Class) classes; go out in the street and meet the people and invite them to the mosque; sell the Final Call newspaper; give ten percent of what they earn; make their prayers, go out and search for people like never before, with love, compassion and enthusiasm. And if they did that they would see and feel the Nation moving forward at a faster pace. But if they don’t contribute to this great work, they will have an internal reluctance and the attitude that maybe we are not progressing as we should. And that very well may be the case with some. But to me, Brother, the Nation is moving at a very good pace, but we certainly can do a whole lot more to help the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. This Saviours’ Day address represents a beautiful opportunity to do just that.

Cedric Muhammad: Thank You Brother Minister for your time and words and Happy Saviours' Day!

Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad: Thank You Dear Brother and Happy Saviours' Day to you as well. As-Salaam-Alaikum.

Cedric Muhammad: Wa-Laikum Salaam.



For more information on how to view and hear Saviours' Day 2004 in the Washington, D.C. area please call (202)-399-1010. Those outside of the Washington D.C.-area should visit the following link to determine a location most convenient for them to view the broadcast: http://www.finalcall.com/savioursday/

Thursday, February 26, 2004