by Willie Muhammad
In college every student is required to take what is called pre-requisite courses before delving into classes dealing with their major. Pre-requisite is a preliminary condition. A pre-requisite proceeds or prepares one for the main event to come. You may be saying to yourself, “What does this have to do with the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad?” Plenty!
Just as in college, pre-requisites are also needed before embarking on the study of Allah’s wisdom as revealed to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. One of the MOST important pre-requisites that WE all must personally know is, “Our motive!” What is the motive that is driving us to want to study? Our motive will determine the quality and effectiveness of our study. I recently came across a powerful hadith in the Hadith Qudsi that highlights the great danger of being ill properly motivated. Check it out.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied – you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied – you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied – you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa’i).
Why do you want to study? Do we want to study to show off at study group? Is our motivation to learn all we can for the purpose of engaging in mental martial arts, where we foolishly destroy our Lost-Found brothers and sisters to make ourselves look good in the eyes of others? We gain nothing by beating up and tearing our people apart. For instance, take this quote in consideration, “Anyone can tear something down. Being able to build it in the first place is what counts. Whom do you admire more, the person who builds a home or the person who sets a match to it?” Our motivation to study should not be driven by pride; it should be to accomplish what is being accomplished by the example in our midst, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is using the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad to tear down falsehood while building God fearing men and women of sound character. The Minister is the BEST example in our midst because he is driven by the best motive any person in the work of Resurrection could be fueled by which is LOVE. The scripture says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” Allah and His Christ has granted the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan access into their minds and the revealed word because of the purity of his heart. This fact brings to mind a fable I once read that I would like to share with you. It is titled, “A Precious Gift.”
A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.” Sometimes it’s not the wealth you have but what’s inside you that others need.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is a sign of the potential that resides in each of us. We too via our study can be like him. In order to do so we have to check out MOTIVE.
(Willie Muhammad serves as the Student Minister at Muhammad Mosque No. 46 in New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @BroWM46 and Instagram. Visit the official New Orleans mosque website @ noineworleans.org)