The Teachings 2.0:
Twitter Sayings
of
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan VOLUME 1
Compiled By: Jesse Muhammad
The Teachings 2.0:
Twitter Sayings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Volume 1
Copyright © 2014 Minister Louis Farrakhan.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published in the United States by FCN Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013932263 (Paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-929594-00-9 (E-Book Format) ISBN-13: 978-1-929594-09-2
Printed in the United States of America First Edition
Proofreading by: Nubian L. Muhammad Ebony S. Muhammad and Landra Muhammad Transcribing & Editing: Shareefah Muhammad Layout Design by: Impressions247 Cover Photo by: Hannibal Muhammad Cover Design by: Jahleel Muhammad
INTRODUCTION
~On The Witness Stand~
I have to be brutally honest: I did not and do not feel worthy to write the introduction to such a profound book. I tried to somewhat run from it; I guess you can call it a “Jonah moment.” I humbly would have rather you just opened it up, starting with what you picked it up for:
“The Twitter Sayings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Volume 1.”
However, I received what I would call a “spiritual subpoena” from from The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan (smile), and I was called to the witness stand.
A witness is someone who has, who claims to have, or is thought, by someone with authority, to compel testimony, to have knowledge relevant to an event or other matter of interest. From a law perspective, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what he or she knows or claims to know about the matter.
In court there are many types of “witnesses”. An eyewitness is one who testifies what they perceived through his or her senses. An expert witness is one who allegedly has specialized knowledge relevant to the matter of interest. A reputation witness is one who testifies about the reputation of a person, when reputation is material to the dispute at issue. The one with the most limitation when presenting evidence
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in court is the hearsay witness—who only testifies what someone else said or wrote. Why are witnesses so important? It was December 18, 2010 that I was blessed to be at Minister Farrakhan’s dinner table for the first time. He said many things that evening, and one thing that stood out was his saying:
“I’m surrounded by too many weak witnesses. I have too many silent witnesses.
What are we waiting for?
You don’t need permission to stand up and be a witness of a man who has saved your life!”
This introduction is my written testimony of some of what I have personally witnessed from Minister Farrakhan in regards to his Twitter account @LouisFarrakhan.
I joined Twitter over three years ago, and the thought of Minister Farrakhan having an official account crossed my mind many times. When I saw people regularly tweeting his thought-provoking quotes along with words like, “Man, I wish Farrakhan was on Twitter”—I did too!
Some people say, “Be careful what you wish for”...However, the very thing we’re shying away from speaking into existence may very well be exactly what Allah (God) wants for us.
This became a reality for me, and this is how it happened:
On Friday, March 25, 2011, Minister Farrakhan was in Jackson, Mississippi to speak at the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement Conference on the campus of Jackson State University. A few hours before his keynote address, I was invited to Minister Farrakhan’s hotel suite to sit in on a meeting with a medical examiner who was connected to a hanging death case that I was covering at that time for The Final Call
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newspaper. This was my second time ever being a guest in his hotel suite.
After a brief dialogue, Minister Farrakhan thanked the doctor as he was escorted from the room, but to my surprise and nervousness, he requested that I stay back. He and I discussed the doctor’s words, and the case; and he asked me about how the conference was going thus far at Jackson State. Then, the conversation shifted to The Nation of Islam’s online presence.
Minister Farrakhan expressed to me how much he enjoys hearing feedback. Although he said, “The internet really isn’t my thing,” he asked me to share some of the things I had been reading online regarding his latest messages. As I spoke, his face lit up with that amazing smile. The only two brothers on security in the room bore witness to some of the things I was sharing in regards to his impact on the social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Then Minister Farrakhan asked:
“So, we have a great online presence for The Nation (of Islam) and The Final Call?”
I replied, “Yes sir! The only thing we’re missing is an official Twitter account for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.” And he said,
“Well, set it up brother.”
Although I heard him clearly, I said, “Sir?” and he said again:
“Set it up brother.
And if anyone asks you ‘Who gave you authorization?’ you tell them I did.”
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In that split second I thought about the story he has recounted many times of when he first said he wanted to “take a million men to Washington, D.C.” for what would become the historic 1995 Million Man March. He said he “saw” the words go out of his mouth—and wanted to snatch them back; but, it was “too late.” Though excited, I felt the same way about this forthcoming Official Louis Farrakhan Twitter account. However, he gave me an order, I followed it, and five days later I launched and started managing his Twitter account.
Most didn’t believe it was really his account because the assumption was: “Farrakhan is too busy for Twitter.” Initially, I just posted his upcoming speaking engagements, along with quotes from his 57-year catalog of writings and messages that he has delivered as a student and National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And before long, the number of his Twitter followers grew, who started submitting a few questions to him for a response.
Minister Farrakhan loved the idea of responding to questions from people all over the globe, so he and I agreed that he would call me once a month to answer each question posted by his Twitter followers, and I would transcribe them, and post the responses.
But here is one important fact to mention:
He NEVER wanted to know the questions in advance.
Why? With sincerity in his tone, he told me during a phone conversation:
“I love the spontaneity of seeing how Allah uses me as His instrument in feeding the people. When I go back and read the responses He gives me for the people, I am amazed myself;
I am in awe that Allah would use an insignificant person like myself. And I thank Him so much... I thank Him so much for
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allowing me to be an instrument of His Will for the good of not only my people, Black people but for the good of all who would accept it.”
I would then send him responses back from his Twitter followers, and it increased his excitement. While he admittedly did not understand all of the technical jargon regarding what it takes to post to Twitter which was irrelevant to me; yet, he said:
“I want to use every avenue possible by which to spread the Teachings of my Father, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.”
Within the first few months, our phone conversations began to double in order for him to answer more questions. And the more questions he answered, the more people submitted them because they could tell that The Wisdom within those tweets was The Voice of Farrakhan.
This was the genesis of the #AskFarrakhan hashtag: An online chat unlike any other!
And here I was, one of his little students who was being blessed to be on the phone with him as he responded to these questions; not merely off the top of his head, but from Divine Wisdom that has been poured into him by his Teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, whom we believe was Taught directly by God Himself.
I always found myself bearing witness on the phone like it was a Sunday meeting at the mosque! And in other moments I found myself shedding tears, in awe of what I had just heard him say.
Minister Farrakhan once stayed on the phone until nearly midnight, with a minor cold, responding to questions! On
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multiple occasions, he answered questions while traveling overseas. And, other times he would be in his vehicle trying to squeeze in a few more questions before arriving at his destination. On any given phone call, he would answer 60 or more questions without so much as a pause! And he once stated in one of these calls:
“I love responding to the people. Answering these questions has become one of the highlights of my days.”
This man, who speaks for hours at a time before thousands, accepted the challenge to give short answers within Twitter’s 140-character per post limit. While he frequently exceeded it, and would apologize for doing so—although I felt there was no need for an apology—I knew that this man is a perfectionist, and when he focuses his mind on something he intends to accomplish it with The Help of Allah (God).
***
Minister Farrakhan is a man of deep love and commitment to the resurrection of his people. He has a deep love for Allah (God), his Teacher, and that love carries over into everything
he does.
Twitter is no different.
Minister Farrakhan’s Twitter followers would overwhelmingly thank him for responding with comments such as: “I love reading your Tweets every day because it has so much substance,” and, “You amazed me that you’re able to answer questions regarding so many subjects.” Some have even taken several of his short tweets and turned them into entire lectures.
Minister Farrakhan has always stayed fresh in accords with The Time, and has the keen ability to meet the people where
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they are. Twitter is a tool by which he further serves his people and all of humanity, for whom he has sacrificed much these past 57 years.
It was vitally necessary that full responses to these Twitter questions be shared in this book, that the world can further see how Allah (God) speaks through this man.
Here are three questions we should consider and answer for ourselves:
1. If you had been granted an opportunity to ask Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus, David, Solomon, Paul or Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) just one question, would you have passed up that opportunity?
2. How about any historical leader that you admire: What do you think they would’ve said?
3. And what depth would these persons have brought in responding to your pressing question?
I bear witness that if you really want to know, just #AskFarrakhan. May all those who read this wonderful book, “The Twitter Sayings of the Honorable Minister LouisFarrakhan, Volume 1,” benefit from its content.
Jesse Muhammad October 19, 2013
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The Twitter Sayings of The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan answered the following questions via Twitter between March 2011 and April 2012.
Q: How does one reconnect with God?
HMLF: Our disconnection comes from rebellion against the Will of God. We reconnect by knowing God’s Will and making the choice to do His Will.
Q: What’s the best advice that you would give to someone that feels lost religiously?
HMLF: The scripture says, “Seek and ye shall find. Ask and it shall be given. Knock and the door will be opened.”
Q: What’s the purpose of the Mothership?
HMLF: Consult the writings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his books Message to the Blackman andThe Fall of America: www.finalcall.com.
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Q: What is the meaning and purpose of us getting to know the true story of Jesus Christ?
HMLF: Jesus, the Messiah, according to both Bible and Qur’an, is the most important figure because in Him is the indwelling Spirit of God.
Q: Do the prophecies of Jonah have any place today, knowing he averted the wrath of God through atonement?
HMLF: Yes. If we repent and America repents, we can avert the destruction that has entered America and our houses as well.
Q: Jesus’ faith was tested many times before and during his ministry. How did he build and reach indestructible faith?
HMLF: It is like a child learning the power of his father and jumping to his father’s arms. The more secure the child
2 Minister Louis Farrakhan
feels in the father catching him, the more his faith grows. The scripture says, “To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Once you know and trust the arm of the Lord, you develop unshakable faith.
Q: If Master Fard Muhammad is bringing in a new world and wisdom that has been predicted but never seen, would He be The Originator of that world?
HMLF: Yes. The scripture teaches that there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the former things shall pass away. The Christ figure is anointed to bring in a whole new world and He is the Originator of that world.
Q: After the assassination of Malcolm X, what did you do to reclaim New York and the people for the Nation of Islam?
HMLF: Weworkedveryhardinthedoing of good. The doing of good overpowers
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and outweighs evil and destroys the darkness of falsehood.
Q: What advice do you have for a Muslim woman who is entering the mainstream music industry?
HMLF: The music industry is controlled by the enemy of righteousness. Never compromise principles of righteousness for advancement in that world.
Q: When unrest reaches American streets, should we take up arms to defend ourselves if our safety is in jeopardy?
HMLF: I cannot advise us against what Allah and His Messenger has taught. The Qur’an gives us permission to fight with those who fight with us but never be the aggressor. Allah is Sufficient as a Protector.
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Q: In your recent lecture you mentioned manufacturing. Where is the best location to build: In America or abroad?
HMLF: Booker T. Washington said, “Drop your buckets where you are.” Do something for yourself here and now. But trade with Africa is something we must concern ourselves with.
Q: Do you have any advice for the misguided youth?
HMLF: They are the most precious generation we have ever produced. Our greatest need right now is right guidance coming from the right source, which is Allah and His Promised Messiah.
Q: Why does the U.S. government keep lying to the people and poisoning our food?
HMLF: The Bible and Qur’an teach us that Satan is a liar and a deceiver. If a
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man will poison your mind with lies, why would he not poison your food?
Q: Why are you releasing an album?
HMLF: I wanted people to know something of my musical training and why music is a companion of Islam. Both represent a universal language.
Q: Was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) a White man?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote that he was a White man. If we are looking for truth, it does not matter the shape, size or color of the vessel.
Q: Would you still like to see the Nation of Islam as a whole make the Hajj to Mecca?
HMLF: Absolutely. I hope Allah blesses me to lead 10,000 from the Nation of
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Islam to Mecca to make Hajj.
Q: Just out of curiosity, does the Nation of Islam still celebrate Ramadan during December as The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked me to find a way to unite with the Muslim world. Since we were baby Muslims, December was chosen to bring ease. Now we’re fasting with the entire Muslim world.
Q: Brother Minister, if this is the end of this world, why is it important for me to still pursue my career and sustain myself?
HMLF: As long as we are alive, it is our duty to sustain the life we have been given and pursue knowledge to build a new and better society.
Q: How can we help to unite the Black and
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Brown in southern California?
HMLF: Learn the history and culture of one another to find common ground. Then you can build unity and break down barriers.
Q: What do you say to those who believe women have no place teaching Islam publicly?
HMLF: I disagree. Even back in the 1930s, when the Nation of Islam first started, women taught. Women have their place beside a man in the building of a new world.
Q: How many hours shall one read and study a day?
HMLF: Read The Word of God as often as you can without neglecting duty to God, self, family and those dependent upon us.
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Q: What is the proper use of Facebook and Twitter for the Believers?
HMLF: Social media should facilitate the cause of friendship and the passing of knowledge. Create bonds and brotherly love.
Q: Satan’s work is done, correct? Or ending?
HMLF: Satan’s time is up and his work is finished. He is now, believe it or not, an agent to bring about the Will of Allah.
Q: How do you measure the amount of force necessary to complete a task?
HMLF: If force is applied to an object and it does not move, you have to apply greater force. Then you will know.
Q: How do women balance achievement, femininity and submissiveness in marriage?
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HMLF: Knowing the purpose for which God created the woman is critical in balancing duty to family, profession, and self.
Q: When you are finally face-to-face with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, what will you say to him? What will that first conversation be like?
HMLF: I have no idea, but when that happens I will be happy to report it on my return.
Q: What are the consequences, spiritually, physically and emotionally, for those who do not take advantage of Dianetics and auditing?
HMLF: Rejection causes us not to benefit from guidance. Remember, there is no compulsion in religion. The right way is clearly distinct from error.
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Q: Did Paul and disciples really exist? There is no mention of them in the true history we have been taught about Jesus.
HMLF: Yes, these apostles did exist and their work is a sign of a greater work to be done in the name of Jesus after Satan’s rule.
Q: What comes after belief?
HMLF: The Bible says, “Faith without works is dead.” We are taught that mere belief counts for nothing except carried into practice.
Q: How do we confront the Arab Muslim world’s racism of Black Africans past and present?
HMLF: We have to speak truth and force an acknowledgment that this exists. Every injustice is corrected by the presence of truth and the demand based on that truth.
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Q: You mourn the loss of Gadhafi but what about the Libyan people who lost their lives?
HMLF: We mourn the loss of all who died in the struggle against tyranny and those who died in a cause of freedom, justice and truth. Every life is sacred.
Q: I agree this system is corrupted, but if the prison system was to release all prisoners, what would we do with them?
HMLF: There is no human being that cannot be redeemed. Malcolm X and all of the brothers and sisters, who have gone to prison, found themselves because knowledge entered their hearts and changed their behavior. Every one of our prisoners can
experience that change if they are properly taught.
Q: Do you think the Black NBA players should keep fighting against the owners or leave to start their own?
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HMLF: That is an option for the NBA players to decide. If they can’t get along in peace with those with whom they are presently engaged in struggle, then why not start a league of their own?
Q: What made you leave the church to become a Muslim?
HMLF: I left the church not because I did not love Jesus. But the church, 55 years ago, was not addressing forthrightly the suffering of our people. So when I heard Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, I decided to change my faith.
Q: I read that you didn’t know much about your biological father. Did you ever find any of his relatives?
HMLF: Unfortunately I have not found any of my father’s family in Jamaica. But I am satisfied that when I heard the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, I found my true father.
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Q: What are your thoughts on Steve Jobs?
HMLF: I believe that Allah (God) gave this idea to Mr. Steve Jobs and those connected with him that through their invention, humanity could be freed from the control of the liars and propagandists who use their governmental authority to keep the masses ignorant. And those with him have created an information explosion and it is this that is awakening the masses of people throughout the entire world. It is freeing the masses from the control of a controlled media.
Q: With your rigorous schedule all these years, has it been hard to schedule time with your family?
HMLF: Unfortunately my family was sacrificed because I did not achieve the balance that is necessary between mission and family. But I’m doing all in my power to achieve that balance. Better late than never.
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Q: How can we develop a mature understanding of the principle of justice?
HMLF: Justice is a principle that distinguishes between right and wrong. Maturity will allow us to be just regardless of circumstances. Whether it be near of kin, wealth, power, friend or foe. The mature mind will only be guided by the principle of truth and fair dealing.
Q: What is the difference between love and attachment?
HMLF: The love that is spoken of in the scriptures of the New Testament is deeper than attachment. When Jesus said, “Love ye one another even as I have loved you,” He sets himself up as the example of the purest and the greatest demonstration of love. He was willing to suffer and to die to effect redemption and reconciliation of man and woman again with Allah.
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Q: Why did you start a Twitter account? Are you enjoying it?
HMLF: The young people around me have dragged me “kicking and screaming” into the modern use of technology. (Smile) And I am loving every minute of it.
Q: How important is philanthropy?
HMLF: If by philanthropy you mean the giving of wealth or time and substance of your being to a cause greater than yourself, philanthropy is absolutely necessary. Not just for the big person who has much to give, but even for you and me who may only have the energy of our being, our gift, skill and talent and some of the little money that we have. It’s called charity in Islam and tithing in Christianity or Judaism.
Q: What would you like to see rappers rhyming about in their music today?
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HMLF: There is a knowledge that Allah has revealed that lifts its hearer from a degraded mental state, that we may become possessors of knowledge and highly learned and civilized people. The rapper can rap on all of the circumstances of life, always with the mind of lifting the hearer of the rap to greater levels of consciousness.
Q: Do you think your bout with the Jews will ever come to an end?
HMLF: Yes. It will come to an end when truth is established and the victory of righteousness takes place. Those who have opposed me because of the truth that I speak will eventually cease their negative writings and shut their mouths.
Q: Did Jesus see Judas’ mindset before the disciples did and just didn’t say anything to fulfill prophecy?
HMLF: When Jesus said, “I have chosen The Teachings 2.0 17
you twelve and one of you is a devil,” he knew Judas but he let the actions of Judas manifest him to the rest of the disciples.
Q: Why haven’t you been on a lot of college campuses the past few years?
HMLF: For the last ten or more years, the same forces that call me a hater and an anti-Semite, that have control over many if not most college presidents, disallowed me on their campuses to speak to our young people.
Q: Are you happy with your Muhammad University schools?
HMLF: Iheardmysonsay,“Thebiggest room is the room for improvement.” There is nothing that we have that is perfect. So we must continue to work to perfect the idea that undergirds the Muhammad Universities of Islam.
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Q: I read somewhere that you like the sport of boxing. Did you want to be a boxer growing up?
HMLF: Yes, like most young people, I wanted to be a boxer. My favorites were Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Henry Armstrong. I’m sure most of you may not know these great ones. I had very tender skin so when I boxed, even if I won, I looked like I lost. So I knew that was not for me. (Smile)
Q: When is war necessary?
HMLF: God has entered into the world and given to the world His Messiah. This is a declaration of war on this evil system of things that has destroyed human beings, poisoned the air, the water, the Earth. God has declared that this wicked system of governance must end so that His Kingdom can be established, so that every human being that lives on His Earth can enjoy the fruit of the gift of life.
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Q: Dear Apostle, what should we be doing today to put in our bid for eternal life or to be remembered by generations yet unborn?
HMLF: What Jesus, the Messiah, offered is a government of peace and a world of peace that will know no end. Our being a part of this government and this work of establishing His Kingdom will give us all eternal life, which represents immortality.
Q: What are keys in finding your purpose in life?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that we are all born in the nature of God. He gave us six words: “Accept Your Own and Be Yourself.” You may ask, “What is my ‘self’?” The answer is “My ‘self’ is a righteous person (Muslim).” Once you accept righteousness and strive to live a good life, in that action, you will discover your purpose and unleash the gift that you have been given that makes you unique.
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Q: How are you feeling Minister in terms of health?
HMLF: I, at my age, have some health challenges, but I am always vibrant when I am giving the Word of Allah (God) to the people of Allah (God) and watch the eyes of the people light up.
Q: Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
HMLF: The greatest books that I read are, of course, the Holy Qur’an, the Bible, and all of the books by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. All other books I read a paragraph or a chapter or two that may be relevant to my work. Other than that I fasten my heart on the Word of Allah (God).
Q: What do you believe will or could potentially be the key to an ultimate positive global change?
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HMLF: Unfortunately, it will be a divine chastisement. An errant child will not obey mom or dad until sometimes they get a whipping, and then a change comes. Jesus said, “I have piped to you all the day long and you have not danced. And I have mourned unto you and you have not lamented.” It’s not that we don’t know what is right. It is our refusal to do what is right that is earning us the chastisement of God.
Q: If America is concerned about foreign governments killing its own people, why didn’t it intervene in the genocide
in Rwanda?
HMLF: They do not intervene except when there is some benefit to themselves. So we will see the grief, the state troopers, the national guard and even federal troops intervene as the masses of the American people rise against the evil that is being poured on them.
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Q: Why do you think there is still a spiritual divide between Black Muslims and Christians?
HMLF: It is due to ignorance. This is why the scripture says, “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.” This division between Muslims and Christians is seen in the house of Christianity where denominations are arguing with one another. It is also seen in the ranks of Islam and Judaism, where the religion has been split up into sects and parties. This is the work of Satan. But the scriptures teach in that day, when the Messiah finishes His work, there will be One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism.
Q: How do you atone with a person that doesn’t think that they have ever done any wrong to you?
HMLF: It is very difficult to do. Our effort must first be to point out the wrong, allowing the person to see from
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the vantage point of one who feels they have been wronged. If the person fails to acknowledge wrong then they are considered disagreeable to live with in peace. America refuses to acknowledge fully the wrong that they have done to the Indian, to ourselves, our ancestors and the evil of their policies to the governments around our planet. This is what makes them disagreeable to live with in peace and this is why the presence of God is to remove such people and governments, that peace may be established on our planet.
Q: How can you go to work when there is none?
HMLF: The problem is we’re waiting for someone to provide a job for us. It is the duty of every living thing to do something to maintain itself. So if there is no job, let’s get up and create a job. This is what other people are doing all over our planet. We are going to be forced
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to do likewise.
Q: What was the main thing that inspired you to risk rebuilding the Nation of Islam? Were you nervous at first?
HMLF: Of course I was nervous. But my love for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the great work that he did for us made me overcome my fear. It is written, “Perfect love casts out fear.”
Q: You mentioned looking for signs of betrayal on the Cliff Kelley show I believe. Would you please mention some signs?
HMLF: At the height of the Civil Rights Movement the government planted many agents and informants among us. Some of them appeared to be the most dedicated and some were not known until they appeared in a court of law, speaking against the people with whom they had worked for many years. David the Psalmist wrote, “Had it been an enemy I could have
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guarded against him but it was my old familiar friend. Who sat at my table and broke bread with me, then lifted up his heels against me.” You never see them because you expect that they are your friends unless God shows them to you.
Q: How often do you still practice your violin?
HMLF: When I find time, I still practice my violin.
Q: What is the true meaning of your name “Farrakhan”?
HMLF: I have not heard the Honorable Elijah Muhammad give me its true meaning and I will not guess as to what it means. But I’ll do my best to do good works because he told me it is one of the modern names of Allah and a very good name. That is sufficient for me.
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Q: How can Black women best handle the bitterness that is increasingly present in their spirits?
HMLF: Our women are disappointed because we hope for things in men that may not be present in him in this stage of his development. Put your trust in Allah (God) and walk in His Path and your spirit will gradually become better.
Q: How does a believer overcome weak faith, doubt, and especially seeds?
HMLF: If we try God, by trying His Word, eventually weak faith and doubt will disappear and be replaced by strong faith in which there is no doubt.
Q: How has your suffering in life benefitted you? How should believers view and go through suffering?
HMLF: My suffering has always drawn me closer to the Source of my life,
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my light, and my strength. Therefore, suffering has never been to put me down but in truth, to lift me up. Jesus could not ascend to the heights of Heaven until he experienced the depths of Hell. So it is with us.
Q: How do you remain consistent in all you do?
HMLF: I love God with all my heart, soul, and service. It will be the same for you.
Q: Will Obama find out how to bring jobs?
HMLF: Unfortunately, I don’t think so. President Obama will do the very best that he can but it will not be good enough. A whole new system has to be put in place that every human being will find joy of being free, justified and equal.
Q: Can you tell us why we shouldn’t carry weapons?
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HMLF: We carry no weapons because our trust is completely in the God to protect and defend us. And so far our trust in Him has proved that He is able to defend us against well-armed enemies. As long as we put our trust in Him, in the end, we will be victorious.
Q: If you were taught abuse emotionally, spiritually and physically, and fear, from your dad, how do you atone without being disrespectful?
HMLF: Always remember that he is your father and even though the painful truth that you will give him may hurt him, do it out of love and respect for him. For he is the agent through whom God gave you life.
Q: What does Gadhafi and other Sunni leaders think about your non-traditional views on Islam?
HMLF: They say a Prophet is not without The Teachings 2.0 29
honor except in his own house. I am loved, honored and respected throughout the entire Muslim world. I was mobbed in Mecca by Muslims who just wanted to touch their brother from America. What is it they see in me that the media and slanderous talk has blinded my family in America to?
Q: What is the process that we must practice for purification?
HMLF: It is written that prayer is the greatest force in restraining us from the doing of evil. It is not the only force, but it is the greatest.
Q: Does the black man have a purposed place in freemasonry?
HMLF: Yes. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad had great respect for our brothers who are Masons. He came to further our study beyond 33 degrees.
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Q: What guidance would you give to the person who is trying to rebuild after divorce or the death of a spouse?
HMLF: AlwaysrememberthatAllah(God) is first. Everything and everyone else is second. If your faith in Him is sufficient, all of these things that you suffer from, He will give you mastery over.
Q: Just wanted to know how does one do for self? I want to leave my job.
HMLF: Neverleaveyourjobuntilyouhave something that you can step into that will provide you at least the security that your present job gives you. Leaving your job is a great leap of faith. I know some who have done it and found great success. I know others who did it prematurely and it hurt the security of their wives and children. Let’s not be guided by emotions. May Allah bless you to make the best decision for your life.
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Q: What is the most important principle in organizing?
HMLF: Truth contains within it an organizing principle. Once you have the right idea, the right mind and spirit, that idea will attract people to you. Organize them in accordance with their gifts and skills and whatever you wish to accomplish, in time, you will see it come to reality.
Q: Do you feel that young girls should have phone conversations with young boys?
HMLF: This is a parental decision. However, my question is what are they conversing about? The tone of the conversation will tell you whether such should continue.
Q: How does one fight with those that use words (slander and manipulation) as a means of attack?
HMLF: In the Bible it reads, “No weapon 32 Minister Louis Farrakhan
formed against the righteous will prosper.” I pay slander, evil and manipulation for wickedness no attention. I keep on doing good, knowing that I will be the winner living or dead.
Q: What was Moses’ mission in Egypt?
HMLF: According to the scripture, it was to bring a people who were in bondage out of that condition. And place them in a land of their own that Jehovah (God) may make them an example to the nations of His wisdom and power; to take nothing and make it something that the world would not only admire but follow.
Q: Is protesting useful?
HMLF: Protestingdrawsattention. That’s a start. But organizing behind that protest is what changes reality and brings positive results.
Q: How do I keep focus on spiritual growth
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and development when my mate chooses to continue life as usual?
HMLF: Set a good example for your mate that hopefully they will see the value of your good example. However, it is written that two will be lying in the bed and God will take one and leave another. I hope this won’t be the case in your life.
Q: How do you balance working for someone or self with the workload of striving to be a full time student minister?
HMLF: Naturally, you have to eat and, if you’re a full-time pastor, the growth of your church, mosque and synagogue will inspire people to support you. You’re doing the right thing by working hard as you pastor. But soon, if you’re a good pastor, the house will grow and with it the people will support you and your family. Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t worry how you will eat, go after the people for there is a coin in the fish’s mouth.”
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Q: What would you tell our people they need to do to prepare for disasters in their areas?
HMLF: There are disaster preparedness networks that you can access the knowledge of what you should have and store in your houses to be as prepared as you can be.
Q: What do you do when the mosque or church you are in does not do anything?
HMLF: Bealightinthemidstofdarkness. Or find a mosque or a church that is doing something where you will be more at peace.
Q: I am a 26-year-old medical student and Muslim. I would like some insight on what type of doctor The Nation needs?
HMLF: We need every type of doctor that this world produces and then some. Our people are exceedingly sick from
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many different diseases. The sad thing is we do not have enough doctors to service our needs. May Allah bless you to be the best you can be and encourage others to follow your lead.
Q: What is your advice for fathers raising children who are not their biological children?
HMLF: Know that all of us come from the same Source. Love that child. When you honor God then you honor what God has created.
Q: Entertainers have power. I’m trying to become one to have a voice and teach, but the industry is corrupt. Should I pursue it?
HMLF: You should pursue that which you love and that which you do best. But use your skill in a way that promotes the rise of your people. The industry is corrupt, but you should not follow the industry. Follow the spirit that guides you
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and ultimately you will be successful.
Q: With the U.S. falling and failing, should we continue to invest money into higher education or business?
HMLF: Investing in knowledge is always good. For real knowledge will never fail you. Investing in business is good. Invest in that which your people need and when you service their needs, your business will grow.
Q: Sir, are we able to earn any of the 99 names of Allah?
HMLF: Absolutely! He would not offer you His Name if you did not have the ability to act on those names as God would have you to do.
Q: Get land with what? How do we get the money?
HMLF: We have money for everything The Teachings 2.0 37
else that we want and need. And if you listen to my lecture, it’s not you by yourself, but it’s 5 million of us sacrificing a nickel a day. If we did that, just for one year, we would have billions of dollars to buy land and become producers of what we consume. Your and my nickels and the nickels of others will make us all beneficiaries of what we sacrifice to bring into existence.
Q: Can you believe you’ve been banned for years from the UK when they allow rightwing racists into the UK to speak?
HMLF: I can believe it because it is real. They have banned my presence, but the Word that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave me is in the United Kingdom. And from that Word has come hundreds of followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and thousands have been affected positively by that Word. So I may not be there physically but I certainly am present.
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Q: If he was so great, why isn’t Elijah Muhammad in school history books like Dr. King and others?
HMLF: If you look at the great ones from among us, who have been instrumental in guiding us in a different way from our former slave masters and their children, they are not in the history books either. W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, David Walker, many great ones from us are not in the history books, but their history is safe and written in the hearts of the people that have been affected by their presence. And when the real history is written, they all will be present.
Q: Does the Nation of Islam still teach Black supremacy?
HMLF: We never taught Black supremacy. We teach that the Black man is the Original Man and from us came every other human being that walks this planet. And no scientist
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or scholar has disproved that. In fact, they all bear witness to the truth of it.
Q: How did Mother Farrakhan help make you a man?
HMLF: When you have a woman by your side who does everything she can to support you in your work, and as a wife, to speak to you when you need correcting or to make it clear to you where she is dissatisfied, but always in a loving and respectful way, that is what helps a man to be a man.
Q: Do you really believe you’re a Muslim and a Christian? How do you explain it?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said every good Christian is a Muslim and every good Muslim is a Christian. Why so? A Muslim is one who submits his will to do the Will of Allah and a Christian is one who is crystalized into oneness with God through the example
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of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ submitted totally to God and so did Muhammad. The two of them are examples of how we can become one with God, one with each other through our obedience and submission to the Will of God.
Q: Why do you mislead people into thinking you’re a Muslim, when your beliefs are clearly un-Islamic?
HMLF: I don’t think you have really studied our belief. We are Muslims indeed. Not because you say so. Not because others criticize us and say we’re not. Allah Himself has said that all human beings are created in the nature of God. That is my nature being a Muslim. And all God asks of us is to be ourselves. When you are yourself, you are a Muslim.
Q: When Elijah Muhammad told you to let your music go did you become depressed? If so, how did you overcome it?
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HMLF: I never became depressed because the greatest thing in my life was the presence of a Truth that could free the minds of our people, to cause us once again to come into a process that would bring us back to our original condition and position.
Q: Can you give me critical steps to bringing my ideas into reality? I’m frustrated.
HMLF: If you have a good idea and you have persons who you trust to share your idea with, then out of that group may come the help you need to bring your idea into fruition. There never was a great man or woman with a great idea that did not need helpers to bring that idea to fruition. May God bless you with the help you need to bring your idea into reality.
Q: How has The Final Call survived so long while we’re losing many Black-owned media outlets? You all don’t even have ads.
HMLF: The Final Call survives because our paper is a message that our people
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need and want to hear and read. And because of the faithfulness of the men and women, who belong to the Nation of Islam, who go out and sell this newspaper each and every week.
Q: Do you think President Obama will ever be able to address the struggles of the young Black males of America?
HMLF: Hecanaddressitveryeffectivelyif he would. Let us hope that he will.
Q: I’m interested in the ministry. Why aren’t many women striving to be ministers?
HMLF: In the Nation of Islam we have many women in the ministry class who hopefully will become that.
Q: Will you release more world tour footage?
HMLF: I believe that our video department will, in due course, release
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many of the video tapes of our World Tours.
Q: What was the best advice you gave to your children when they were young? Grandchildren?
HMLF: The best advice is found in the words of Solomon where he advised young people to believe, follow and commit to their Creator in the days of their youth. Unfortunately many of us live to get old before we finally submit. But if young people realize how important it is to submit to God in their youth, then their lives will be a great and productive life for the good of self, family and our people.
Q: Is there any progress on the reparations to Black people in America?
HMLF: If by reparations you mean the repairing of our condition, much has happened to repair us from what the Enemy made of us. But if by reparations
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you mean has the government of the United States recognized that they owe us and advance to us that which will help us to become a free independent nation, very little has been done in that regard.
Q: My daughter thinks I’m too hard on her. Was your mother hard on you and did it benefit you later in life?
HMLF: My mother was an excellent mother. Some might think she was hard, but she helped to make me who and what I am. Whatever might have been hard on us was for my benefit. The proof of that is who I am in front of you and the world today.
Q: The Holy Qur’an mentions hindering men from Allah’s way and driving away those who seek His pleasure. What is one example of that?
HMLF: If we as Muslims fail to be good examples of what Islam is, we can be
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a hindrance. But even those who strive to be good Muslims, the way to Allah is being hindered by the evil propaganda by the Enemy and opponent of Islam, and by the mental poisoning of those who would believe in Islam, if they could hear it for themselves and experience it for themselves.
Q: Will you ever do an autobiography?
HMLF: That is being considered.
Q: What could it mean when Allah causes you to have an uncontrollable cry? From nowhere it feels as if a burden has been lifted.
HMLF: When we are guilty of behavior and actions that are incorrect, improper, sometimes when we think on them and cry over them and then wish to make amends for them, the burden of our indiscretion is removed. And the tears have the sense of washing our
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indiscretion away.
Q: Have you gained any more insight from your September 17, 1985 experience in light of recent events in Libya? If so what?
HMLF: It continues to reveal itself to me but I will not say more on that at this time.
Q: How did not having a biological father impact you as a child growing up?
HMLF: My mother was both “mother” and “father,” but the absence of a father made me long for a man in my life that could teach me the way of men. And that is what led me to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Q: Why did you release the book “Jews Selling Blacks”? My little boy was shocked by the contents.
HMLF: Anyone who reads the real truth of what has been done to us would be
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shocked at first by that knowledge. But it is something we must know in order that we will make sure that what our parents, grandparents and great grandparents suffered, we will never let it happen again.
Q: What’s the point of still celebrating the anniversary of the Million Man March?
HMLF: The same point that everyone does in celebrating holidays of great events in the history of a nation. The Million Man March was something that was never done before and may never be done again. It was a great moment in our history and it should be studied because the unity and peace that nearly two million men found in one day is what we hope we can produce every day of our lives.
Q: Can America’s public school system be fixed or has it run its course?
HMLF: It has really run its course and we don’t need to waste time trying to fix
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it. We need a new educational paradigm that will prepare us for the new world that is on its way in, and this one is on its way out.
Q: How did you master the art of multitasking?
HMLF: Iwouldn’tsayIhavemasteredthe art of multitasking. Whatever I attempt to do I focus myself completely on it and I strive to get the best results from it. And God has blessed me in the tasks that I perform to be a success.
Q: Do you critique your own lectures?
HMLF: Sometimes I do. But after God inspires me to give to the community and the world a lecture, when you go back and look at those words, there’s so much in them. I know that it is not from myself, but God has made me a channel for His Truth and I’m deeply humbled by that.
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Q: What is the difference between spirituality and religion?
HMLF: Religion, in many cases, is organized with teachings or dogma and ritual that support it. Spirituality is that which comes from the nature of the individual. We are by nature, as the Holy Qur’an teaches, righteous. And when you act in a righteous manner and do good from within, that is not “religion,” that is the exercise of the spirituality of your being. That’s not “religion,” that is the nature of God and the nature of His Creation. Remember the Qur’an says, “This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed my favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion,” because we’re in a world of religion. But Islam is not a religion, it is a world; and that world comes out of the nature from God that is the nature of every human being except the rebellious devil.
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Q: What should you do if your husband has been unable to pay the rent for two months straight?
HMLF: Marriage is a partnership. If one is unable, maybe two working together can keep a roof over your head.
Q: I am a professor of teacher education at a HBCU. How do I train them to teach in a sick educational system?
HMLF: Many of our great scholars have written books that are beyond the box of America’s educational system. Study these writings and find the best way to impart that to your students. May Allah bless you with success.
Q: What would be the most effective way of pushing The Final Call in a city like Seattle or Portland where Blacks are spread out?
HMLF: You have to meet our people where they are. Find stores in various
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communities that will take the paper. Then you provide the paper to those stores on a weekly basis.
Q: How do you get out of being disgruntled with the old style of operations?
HMLF: The scriptures teach to “put on the new man.” The new man is blessed with a new mind. And a new mind enables us to solve the problems that are presented by this world.
Q: Brother Minister, my question is sir, what makes you happy?
HMLF: My greatest joy is to see our people rise and to see joy in the faces and the hearts of our people.
Q: Why did Allah choose to turn Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt?
HMLF: When I was young and you got into an argument with your wife, they
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would say she was “salty.” I guess Lot’s wife was displeased with God’s destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah.
Q: When will you create a Leadership University for all?
HMLF: Every student of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is in what is called the University of Islam. Our minds are being prepared for leadership. Our intention is to spread his message and it will produce many leaders for our people and for others.
Q: Exactly what is a right question to ask in courtship?
HMLF: Ask the questions that will cause you to know the person better. In a court of law, questions are asked to find the truth that those in a jury can make the right decision. Getting to know each other through raising the questions that will get us to know each other will hopefully
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help us to make right decisions when we choose a mate.
Q: When will it be time to aggressively seek a separate state or territory?
HMLF: The first step is to acquire land from which we can produce our necessities of life. This will ultimately lead to a separate state or territory of our own.
Q: What sins cannot be forgiven?
HMLF: Both the Bible and Qur’an talk about unforgivable sins. The Bible says sinning against the “Holy Ghost” or “Spirit.” The Qur’an says setting up a rival or a partner with God.
Q: If I want to convert to Islam what should I do?
HMLF: Visit the nearest mosque; listen, and ask questions. And when you’re satisfied, you may take your Shahadah
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or bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. And you’re on the road to being yourself.
Q: How do we explain to our sons without discouraging them that we live in a society that does not value their lives?
HMLF: We must always teach our children about the road that we have traveled to get where we are. When they know what was, they can better understand what is. No one will value our lives if we don’t value it ourselves.
Q: In the universal order of things, what happens when an innocent person is killed?
HMLF: Every life that God creates has value in His Ultimate Cause. The scriptures teach that God will bring to bear on the wicked the murder of the righteous from Abel all the way to this present time. This is what the Judgment that is spoken of in both Bible and Qur’an
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is about.
Q: If the church and state are separate then why must one place his or her hand on the ‘Holy Bible’ in court?
HMLF: That is the custom. They place their hand on the Bible but swear to defend the Constitution, not what is written in the sacred text. More hypocrisy.
Q: Is our righteousness the same as keeping our duty to Allah?
HMLF: Yes it is. We have to be mindful of our duty to Allah, self, family, community and nation.
Q: How does one who has strayed from God get back on track?
HMLF: I strayed from God, but I came back to consciousness; and once I came back to my “right mind,” then, it became easier for me to overcome the
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impediments that caused my fall.
Q: What is an ‘Uncle Tom’ ? I think we’ve become confused as Black people about its meaning.
HMLF: I cannot answer on What is an “Uncle Tom.” But anyone who works against the need, right and interest of his people to seek favor with the enemy could be considered such.
Q: How do we eliminate envious people and parasites in order to become focused and successful in business?
HMLF: Envious people ultimately eliminate themselves. Envy is one of the worst of human characteristics.
Q: How do you feel about our men who have been killed by Gadhafi? Did they deserve it?
HMLF: All of us who take human life outside of the law and principle of justice
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will pay a price with Allah for such action.
Q: Is this crazy weather just the start to the weather disasters you spoke of at the Saviours’ Day address?
HMLF: The weather is ordered by Allah to cause us to reflect on our actions and hopefully repent. This is just the beginning of sorrows.
Q: Did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad ever address the enemy’s assertions about dinosaurs and evolution? If so, what did he say?
HMLF: I never heard him speak of the presence of dinosaurs, although we know that time and circumstances make certain species of life extinct.
Q: In teaching prayer, what would be the best materials to be guided by? What is the most important?
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HMLF: We have prayer books in the Nation of Islam by Muslim scholars and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Q: Is it possible that a place of worship have members that are Muslim, Christian, and Jews in one body?
HMLF: When the Mahdi and Messiah finish their work, there will only be one community. All of these names will be done away with.
Q: Any advice on trying to get through an extremely rough time in life?
HMLF: Troubling times in life are what make us who and what we are. Seek assistance through patience and prayer and you will find your troubles will diminish.
Q: Is Africa’s position regarding Libya so disgusting that they deserve to be recolonized?
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HMLF: Noonedeservestoberecolonized. But if Africa does not strengthen herself to resist the West, the leaders who bow down will be overthrown, for Africa is destined to be free.
Q: Moses was denied the promise land. Prophetic? Historical? The significance please.
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said Moses made that mistake that he might walk perfectly before God. In reality, he was denied but that was so the last man, who would be a man like Moses, would not make that mistake. And through him, we all would enter the Land of Promise.
Q: How can we make Islam more appealing to our juniors? My daughter is 16 and it hurts to see her not interested. Please help.
HMLF: Thebestwaytokeepourchildren interested is to work as hard as we can to create a world for them in which they can
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express the greatness of their own being.
Q: In supporting Gadhafi, why do you hate the Libyan people?
HMLF: I have nothing but love for the Libyan people. According to what I have read, the majority of them love Muammar Gadhafi.
Q: Can Muslims own finance companies and charge interest? Would that be against his religion, based on the law of usury?
HMLF: How can you say you’re a Muslim and charge your people interest rates like the enemy is doing? That’s not the way of Islam.
Q: When reading the parts of the Qur’an, should we prostrate if it says ‘prostration’ on the side of the ayat?
HMLF: You can if you wish to.
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Q: We are taught that gold will be the new medium of exchange in America. How should we invest in gold?
HMLF: Find a way to turn paper, with the little value it has left, into gold or silver. If you cannot afford an ounce of gold, get silver.
Q: How do we retrain ourselves to incline towards right thinking?
HMLF: We think rightly by thinking in accords with Truth and avoiding false- hood.
Q: Most Blacks in the 1950s didn’t desire to attend college after high school. What inspired you to want to attend?
HMLF: I had a track scholarship. I wasn’t interested in college either, but my mother wanted me to have a fallback position because I wanted to be a master in show business. I thank God for my
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college experience, but it was not until I found the Teachings of the Honarable Elijah Muhammad that I could make sense out of what I learned in the public schools and my college experience in America.
Q: What are the ingredients in a successful courtship?
HMLF: We fail to ask the right questions in courtship therefore, we don’t get the right answers. And that’s why many of us end up in divorce court.
Q: What is your opinion on change that needs to happen with the current healthcare model and our people’s health?
HMLF: The Bible teaches that the coming of Jesus, The Christ, is that we would have life and have it more abundantly. Learning how to eat to live and correcting the pattern of our thought will lengthen the span
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of our days.
Q: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad passed one day before Saviours’ Day 1975. What is your take on why that day, or did it allude to a deeper meaning for you?
HMLF: We do not believe that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad passed on that day. I do not teach about a “dead Elijah”; and I’m not being guided by a dead man. Elijah lives.
Q: Is Cornel West out of place for going hard on President Obama?
HMLF: Allpublicofficialscanbecriticized, but it should never be “personal,” with vitriol. Only deal with principle.
Q: Do you really think Scientology benefits the black man?
HMLF: According to our Lessons, Islam is everything—Sun, Moon and Stars. If it is
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truth, it will benefit those who seek truth.
Q: What is your opinion on the state of this nation in the next 5 years?
HMLF: Based on the predictions of the Prophets, unfortunately this nation will be in great chaos even before 5 years have passed.
Q: Beyond answering questions about the Malcolm X book, will you call for the re- opening of the Malcolm X case?
HMLF: From what I have recently read, they are thinking of re-opening the case of the assassination of Malcolm X.
Q: I read a story about how the organs of a boxer helped to save others. Can we as Muslims sign up to be organ donors?
HMLF: If this is your desire to use your organs to help others, then it is perfectly alright. It must be your decision.
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Q: Is it inappropriate to explain to children under 10 years old that homosexuality/ lesbianism is not proper behavior?
HMLF: It is never inappropriate to teach what Allah has revealed in His Word, especially in a time like this when evil has been made fair-seeming.
Q: How do you get a man to respect you without getting into an argument or fight, especially if he is older?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches that we must first respect self, then others will respect you.
Q: What do you see as the issue of why some Christians reject us (Muslims) as Brothers?
HMLF: It is misunderstanding of the scripture of the Gospel. They will respect us as brothers if we truly live the life of a Muslim.
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Q: Did you accomplish what you set out to do by releasing Vol. 2 of The Secret Relationship Between Blacks & Jews?
HMLF: The mission will never be fully accomplished until our people have and understand the knowledge contained in that book.
Q: Minister, how do we create more business opportunities in our communities, since unemployment is so high?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said make the mosque an employment center. We have to pool our resources intellectually and financially and do for self.
Q: Why do you quote the Bible, when you’re a believer in the Nation of Islam?
HMLF: Muslims believe in the truth of the Bible. We believe in all the Prophets–Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and all those in between.
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Q: When will you all meet with the Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples, and Black P Stones to discuss peace?
HMLF: I’m always willing to meet with my brothers and sisters in the so-called gangs. They are the strongest generation we have produced in the last 400 years.
Q: What is it going to take for people to wake up?
HMLF: It will take the chastisement of God. His chastisement is something to be feared.
Q: What are your thoughts on the life of Baba Hannibal Afrik?
HMLF: Hewasamarvelouseducatorand a great Pan-Africanist thinker who taught by example.
Q: How does a person become a redeemer?
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HMLF: One must be willing to pay the price of redemption. Jesus set the example and told us to come and FOLLOW him.
Q: Why is there trouble figuring out exactly what duty to God is, i.e., according to which text and whose interpretation?
HMLF: That duty is found in studying His Attributes. Once you know those attributes, you will see He is Sufficient for all that we need.
Q: Is there really any justification for Black men to be calling each other nigga/nigger?
HMLF: No, there is not. We must learn to respect self and call each other by our true names according to our nature (a righteous Muslim).
Q: Could your book “Torchlight for America” help guide President Obama?
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HMLF: I believe there are principles in “Torchlight for America” that would not only guide him but the nation as well.
Q: Do you believe a marriage can benefit from separation?
HMLF: If it is to give the husband and wife time to reflect, with reconciliation in mind, then yes, it could be helpful.
Q: I’ve always wanted to know what has made you and Mother Khadijah’s marriage so successful after all these years?
HMLF: The love of Allah has to be uppermost in our hearts and minds. This will allow us to struggle with our strengths and weaknesses to become one.
Q: What are your thoughts on tattoos?
HMLF: Having a tattoo is becoming a fad. I would not advise it for any of the followers of the Honorable Elijah
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Muhammad or anyone else.
Q: What are your thoughts on today’s earthquake on the east coast?
HMLF: I am thankful there was not great loss, as reported. My first thought was, no matter what fortresses we build, when God wants to get to us it is easy for Him. That quake is only a warning of things to come.
Q: Is there any advice that you may give to single fathers of daughters?
HMLF: Raise your daughter to be righteous and protect her from the evil of this world that destroys women and girls.
Q: What all can my son and I do to assist you and all of your causes?
HMLF: Be a person of God. Raise your son in the mold of Garvey, Dr. King,
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Fannie Lou Hamer and all those who have struggled.
Q: What is NATO’s destiny in Libya?
HMLF: The same as the destiny in Iraq and Afghanistan—a source of great discomfort for America and her allies. They are headed for the same in Libya.
Q: How do you acquire the attitude of a Master/Ruler?
HMLF: One must first acquire the attitude of a student and servant. True mastery comes through service.
Q: If you weren’t able to continue leading, what young leader will step up? Who do we have to fill in?
HMLF: No leader is worthy of respect if he or she does not train a cadre of young people to take it to another level. Remember, Jesus had 12 disciples, 11
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of whom became apostles to carry on his great mission. I must strive to do the same.
Q: Will there be a final rally before the destruction or will the U.S. continue in this downward spiral?
HMLF: Yes, unfortunately the United States will continue in this downward spiral.
Q: Have you written Pres. Obama any letters like you did to George W. Bush?
HMLF: Yes,IhavewrittenPres.Obama. But I speak to him as often as I can through my lectures. And I hope that people get my words to him.
Q: What are your thoughts on all of the misinformation being spread by the media about Gadhafi and Libya?
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is a liar.” And the first casualty in war is truth. But I would ask us all to be patient. Truth will come out and falsehood will vanish.
Q: Why do you think the mainstream media didn’t cover the recent Harlem march or anything you said at all?
HMLF: I speak the truth and they do not wish for anything I say to reach the people, so they act as though I do not exist.
Q: How do you handle failure?
HMLF: In the heart and mind of a true servant, there is no such thing as failure. All appeared failure in the scientific process leads to success. Allah did not come that we be unsuccessful.
Q: What is your message to the people who say they have suffered much under Gadhafi’s rulership?
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HMLF: There is no leader in this world who was or is loved by all. The Qur’an teaches that if Allah were to punish man for our sins, not one would be left on the Earth. Allah puts on His scale the weight of our good and our evil. This is how He judges and He is judging today. I pray that any who has suffered under any leadership will learn from their suffering and understand their suffering. And if old leadership is replaced by new leadership, then the Qur’an says, “And then we will see how you will act.” This is because some in The Nation have been ill-affected by leadership. I’m a guided man but my leadership has not been perfect, so there are those who have been ill-affected by my leadership. And ill-affected by your leadership. But Allah is grooming us that we may be perfected. Those who may be ill-affected, may Allah forgive us for what we may have done to ill-affect others. May Allah protect the Believers in their sincerity from us ill- affecting them. This is for every leader
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around the world. The God has come to sit down every tyrant wherever they are, whether they are in the Mosque, School, Church or Police Department. Let us be careful how we handle the people of God. We all are being judged today and we cannot escape that judgment in dealing with His People.
Q: What is your greatest piece of advice for college students of the Nation of Islam? What should be our main focus?
HMLF: Study challenging disciplines that will aid in the development of a Nation. Don’t beg for a job. Create one.
Q: Do we still abstain from land animals during the month of Ramadan?
HMLF: DuringthismonthofRamadanyou may eat lawful land animals. Eat properly, think properly and live righteous.
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Q: Given the latest wealth gap report, what should Blacks refocus on, entrepreneurship, reparations, or percentage leaving the U.S.?
HMLF: All three. We must become entrepreneurs, we deserve reparations, and some may leave. Focus more on building a nation of our own.
Q: Dear Brother Minister, will the Nation of Islam ever come to be with Al Islam?
HMLF: We believe we’re already of the world of Islam. The only difference is we believe the Mahdi is in the world, and the promised Messiah was and is the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Q: How can I become a student of yours, like you were to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad?
HMLF:I studied everything the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said and did. I tried my best to follow him. You
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should do the same.
Q: Is it time to have a public debate with Black leadership on the truth of the Teachings of Elijah Muhammad?
HMLF: Every day we live, national and world events prove the truth of what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught and is teaching through me.
Q: What do you think about the 5% N.O.I.?
HMLF: I love all of my brothers and sisters in the 5%. I hope one day we will all be together to build a real Nation of Islam for our people and humanity.
Q: What can non N.O.I. members do to help you with your divine mission?
HMLF: Study what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has taught and is teaching. Apply it and strive to help our people as best you can.
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Q: I’m stuck between Sunni Islam and Nation of Islam, but I am leaning more toward Nation of Islam. How do I remove doubt?
HMLF: Continue to study and ask for the unequaled guidance of Allah in your pursuit of knowledge.
Q: What is your opinion on the phenomena of activism through social media? Is it valid? Or is it purely lip service?
HMLF:The advancement of technology can be used for evil or good. We make it valid by the way we use it.
Q: Do you feel the “White left” is back- stabbing President Obama?
HMLF: Yes, however President Obama has to do more for the poor; 97% of the Black vote went to him. He can be more forthright in standing for the poor.
Q: Did Jesus die for our sins?
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HMLF: Jesus of 2,000 years ago gave his life for the truth that he taught. One was coming after him. That Jesus comes after Satan’s work.
Q: Dear Minister, what should we think about the breakup of the Sudan?
HMLF: Unfortunately, it is something that has been coming for some time due to long periods of injustice. We wish both North and South success.
Q: I would like to understand more about the afterlife and what happens after we die?
HMLF: TheafterlifespokenofintheBible and Qur’an is after the life of this world. That better life is being ushered in by the presence of the Mahdi and Messiah.
Q: What programs do you offer the comunity for financial literacy, education, and services?
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HMLF: Allthatyouhaveaskediscontained in the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s monumental book “Message to the Blackman.” Get a copy.
Q: How do you remain so humble with all of the great admiration and praise that you receive from millions?
HMLF: It is because I recognize the nothingness of self and the greatness of Almighty God. Jesus said, “I can of myself do nothing.” Everything Jesus did was based on the Guidance, Love, Protection and Strength of His Father. This is the way I choose to live my life.
Q: After hearing your message at Prairie View, I wanted to know does majoring in psychology or sociology have any use at all?
HMLF: Only if we evolve psychology to fit the mind that is being produced by this age of tremendous information. Otherwise you’re just quoting and not
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critically thinking to go beyond.
Q: Minister Farrakhan, what is your greatest challenge right now in your mission?
HMLF: The greatest challenge is to take the vision given by the Word into reality.
Q: Do you think college is for everyone? I don’t really feel like it is for me at this time although I am enrolled.
HMLF: The acquisition of knowledge is the duty of everyone whether it is in college, in a library, or just studying what you would like to become a master of.
Q: How can we strengthen HBCUs around the country? They are not as strong as they used to be.
HMLF: By allowing more of this type of message that was delivered at Prairie View to be delivered to the students and
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faculty of these great institutions.
Q: Should college students be involved in the community while in school or should we just focus on class work?
HMLF: The greater understanding we have of what we learn in class, the greater will be our service to the community. First things must be first. Get the knowledge, then get the experience of giving to others.
Q: Is Sharia Law something people should fear?
HMLF: The Laws of God are not to be feared. David said, “The Law of God is a lamp unto my feet and I meditate on it day and night.” Divine law is guidance and protection for the precious gift of life that the Creator has given.
Q: Would you say your followers are made by God for the mission, or chosen for the mission? And why?
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HMLF: The scripture says, “Whosoever will, let him come.” You must have a desire for truth and the responsibility that truth imposes. And if you do, you’re chosen. The Bible teaches, “Many are called, only a few are chosen.”
Q: What do you think about liars?
HMLF: Every person that finds themselves in a position where their security is threatened may tell a lie. But a liar is one who continues to lie to deceive. And this is a person that can be considered a devil.
Q: Do you think you and Malcolm X would have worked together again if he was still around?
HMLF: I believe absolutely that we would.
Q: Would you advise taking drugs for a chemical imbalance such as depression, which might lead to suicide?
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HMLF: All chemical imbalances in our bodies can be sufficed by the chemistry in food.
Q: Do you believe that we all inherited Adam’s sinful nature or that we are born pure? I ask as a Christian.
HMLF: The Adamic people have the nature of sin. The nature of sin is rebellion to God. The Aboriginal people of our planet do not have the nature of original sin, but we all have become victims of the rebellious rule of the Adamic race. So as by one man sin entered into the world and death came by sin, all have sinned. Therefore all human beings have suffered spiritual death. This is why it is written that all in Adam died but all in Christ shall be made alive.
Q: When are you coming to the UK? Why won’t they let you in?
HMLF: Whentheylifttheban,Insha’Allah, The Teachings 2.0 85
I would be happy to come. They won’t let me in because they fear the truth that will set people free from the control of falsehood and false ideas.
Q: Do you think marriage is for everyone? Are there some believers who just are not meant to be married?
HMLF: The Creator created male and female with a natural attraction to each other. The institution of marriage is the binding of the male and female in a sacred bond that produces the basic unit of civilization: The Family. All who find the one that they are willing to spend their life with should marry.
Q: I want to buy land in Texas to raise sheep. What area do you advise, East or West? HMLF: Study something of the quality of the land. But remember that the righteousness of the person who owns the land will guarantee the blessing of God and productivity. Study well and
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buy the best land that is available.
Q: Do you find it hypocritical of some to be so outraged regarding allegations at Penn State but silent regarding Bishop Eddie Long?
HMLF: I believe there was outrage over the allegations concerning Bishop Long. However, these sins that we commit become trials for us, and those who believe in us. And if God is not through with us, through our trials He will purify and perfect us.
Q: What are you doing to incorporate Latinos and Native Americans towards the Teachings?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad desired that we bring this teaching that is raising us to our brothers and sisters who are considered Latino and to our Native American Indian family. Much is going on. We have many Native American Believers
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and many Mexican and Hispanic brothers and sisters. And we will continue to increase that fold, Insha’Allah.
Q: Given our increasing divorce trend, and falling marriage propensity, is it wise to stay together just for the children, solely?
HMLF: It is written in the Qur’an that Allah hates divorce, but He will permit it. When the lack of love leaves a marriage, we are still sister and brother in faith with a commitment to our children to raise them as best we can.
Q: Why does The Nation teach African Americans not to enlist in the military?
HMLF: We do not believe that we should take part in wars that take lives of human beings. We have nothing to gain from it. We have fought in all of America’s wars and we yet are crying out for justice. We in the Nation of Islam are conscientious objectors to war.
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Q: What does the Black Press need to be reporting on more?
HMLF: We need to be reporting those truths of our condition and solutions to our problems. Unfortunately, Black Press lacks money to send reporters into the theatre of conflict and controversy. So we must strengthen the Black Press by buying Black newspapers so that they won’t be slaves to advertising dollars that control their editorial content.
Q: How did Jesus know Judas?
HMLF: In the scriptures, there’s a verse that says, “And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, went in a certain direction.” Jesus was gifted with insight. He knew all of those who were his disciples. This is why he said, “I have chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil,” because he knew that, one day, he would be betrayed into the hands of his enemies by one of his disciples. If he knew that way before
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it happened, he also knew the one by whom he would be betrayed.
Q: What lessons have you learned from reading about the life of Prophet Muhammad?
HMLF: When I first read the “Life of Prophet Muhammad”, when I finished the book, I wept. The beauty of his life, the sacrifice that he made, the suffering he endured, the wisdom he received and passed on was so beautiful to me. And from that day, nearly 57 years ago, I have loved him. And when I was in Medina, the city of the Prophet, at the Prophet’s mosque, I prayed that Allah would give me a double portion of his spirit that I might continue and complete his work in America and the Western Hemisphere.
Q: I see you speak very highly of Jesus, do you believe he is the Son of God and died on the cross for our sins?
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HMLF: I speak very highly of Jesus because I recognize, as every Muslim does, as the Qur’an teaches, Jesus is the Messiah. The Messiah represents the presence of God in Man, acting in, through and for the reconciliation of man to his Creator.
Q: How will the righteous be protected when America breaks out in anarchy?
HMLF: If we study the Psalms of David, he said, “The Lord is my light and He is my salvation; of whom shall I be afraid?” Some of us, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, will be put into the prison for the sake of truth. Some of us may be beaten for the sake of truth. And some may even be killed for the sake of truth. All of this is written. But in the end, truth will be victorious and the righteous will survive and the Kingdom of God will be established on this Earth.
Q: What is the science to rearing an
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upstanding child? Does Allah decide their journey before they’re born?
HMLF: The Bible says, “Train up the child in the way it should go and when it is old it will not depart from it.” The key is understanding the nature of the human being and training them accordingly.
Q: As a woman new to Islam, what would you suggest as required reading aside from the Quran?
HMLF: Everythingthatyouwouldneedto be a successful woman in Islam is found in the Qur’an. In the Nation of Islam we have classes for the men and the women that teach and train us into that guidance and moral character that is found in the Holy Qur’an. Hurry and get in your class.
Q: Why do you feel more Black people have not leaned toward your leadership as leader of the Nation of Islam?
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HMLF: It is because they don’t know me or what I represent. Even Jesus, the Perfect Servant, could be made to look bad in a 15- 30 second sound bite on television. That is why the people hated Jesus without a cause, because the wicked did not want the people to follow his leadership. But over time, truth overcame falsehood and he began to grow with followers till today over a billion people believe in him as Christian. And 1.6 billion Muslims believe in Jesus.
Q: So suffering is mandatory in the cleansing process?
HMLF: In establishing truth, persecution and suffering, trial and tribulations, are a necessary part. The followers of all the Prophets suffered before their truth was established. The pattern of God does not change. This is why Jesus said if any man would be his disciple, you must first deny yourself and pick up YOURcross. Did Jesus, Muhammad, Moses,
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and Abraham suffer? This is the pattern of God. But blessed are those who will forsake their life for His Sake. For in so doing, we gain eternal life.
Q: What is the difference between a disciple and an apostle?
HMLF: One can never become an apostle before first becoming a disciple. Those twelve that Jesus taught first were disciples, disciplined to his teaching and message. As they grew and then were inspired and anointed by the spirit, in that upper room experience, then they became apostles.
Q: How can I learn to love like you?
HMLF: Once you learn to truly love God and truly love yourself, then it will be very easy to love what God has created.
Q: How do you get on the right path and stay on the right path around so
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much negativity?
HMLF: One of the verses of the often repeated prayer of the Muslims is, “Oh Allah, guide us on the straight path.” Once we’re on the straight path we must work hard to stay on that path. And success will naturally follow us.
Q: Why do you continue to mislead our people?
HMLF: If you can find error in what I say, then you can charge me with misleading the people. But if you can’t, then follow what I say and see if your condition will not be made better.
Q: Will there come a time when our people will be forced to endure a physical exodus?
HMLF: That could come in the future, but the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said we have to live now. Let’s work hard now to prepare a future for ourselves. And
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if or when that eventuality comes to pass, we would be more prepared to be successful.
Q: What is the purpose of the N.O.I. (Nation of Islam)?
HMLF: In a time of confusion there is nothing more relevant than good guidance. That is what makes the Nation of Islam extremely relevant in times like this.
Q: At what age do you think courtship should begin?
HMLF: Maturity is demonstrated by the choices that we as individuals make. You determine if you’re mature
enough to enter courtship, which leads to marriage.
Q: How does one keep the desire to serve the very people who have pained them and who refuse to go through the
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atonement process?
HMLF: Love is long-suffering, patient and kind. The more you love the more pain you can take. That is what makes an individual be part of the Redeemer’s Plan for the people.
Q: As we embark upon a new chapter in the movement, do you see any young people that give you hope?
HMLF: Every time I look at our young people, regardless of their condition, I am hopeful. I believe totally in the redemption and rise of our young people.
Q: What is the secret of your success as a leader?
HMLF: Never seeing myself as a leader and falling completely in love with the One that God chose for us as a leader. And by walking closely in His footsteps,
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I am becoming what He is.
Q: Does a single act of violence against a spouse constitute a breaking of marital vows?
HMLF: No. When I was first married I struck my wife and she struck me back. And in 58 years of marriage, I have never raised my hand to my wife again. No man should beat a woman. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to me, “If you have to beat her, you should not possess her.”
Q: I’m emotionally overwhelmed about not being productive. What do I do?
HMLF: In the Qur’an it reads, “In the alternation of the day and the night there is a sign for those who wouldreflect.” Last night when you slept, there was anon-productive period. But when awakened, to seek the Bounty of your Lord, you become productive. There are
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periods in your life where you will not be productive, but when you are quickened in consciousness, go to work and you will be productive again.
Q: What do you believe is the fundamental problem limiting the majority of Black males from going to college?
HMLF: What is being offered to us has not been made attractive to us, therefore we walk away from it. But if we see ourselves in the process of education, our nature makes us run to it.
Q: Would it be a wise decision to get married and conceive children in the time we’re living in?
HMLF: That is a personal decision. God is ever present in every season. So even in the worst of times children are born to master those times.
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Q: Did you see the movie “The Rise of the Planet of The Apes,” and if so, what did you think of the movie?
HMLF: No, I did not see the movie. I heard much about it. It seems to me that the movie is telling us that those whom the enemy taught were subhuman become the rulers of that which believes itself to be human. (Smile)
Q: Should all of the ideas of capitalism be thrown away?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that there is good in everything. But what is needed today for us is something that is all good. This is why the world awaits the Messiah, Who brings in the Kingdom of God on Earth. All human beings will be able to live in peace, enjoying freedom, justice and equality.
Q: How can I become a righteous man in the eyes of God?
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HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that we are born of the Righteous. We just have to accept ourselves and be ourselves and we will manifest the righteousness of God.
Q: Should one compromise with falsehood even if it’s a spouse?
HMLF: We should never compromise with falsehood, but we must show care in how we present the truth to anyone. Our aim is to correct, not to drive them away.
Q: What should one do when they are not getting the proper help they need?
HMLF: One must realize that the Help of Allah (God) is Sufficient. The Bible and Qur’an are filled with stories of how one person, with the Help of God, created substantive change.
Q: How do we bridge the gap between old and the young within our communities?
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HMLF: We all must learn to respect and honor our elders who have made the foundation upon which we stand. The new generation must move with the wisdom of the past and the guidance in the present to make a future. Some division between old and young is ordered by God. Something was wrong with the thinking of the disciples when Jesus had to say to them, “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not. For of such is the Kingdom of God.” Jesus wanted to have his hand on them. That is all that is needed—forthe Messiah to lay his hand to influence young people and they will be the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Q: What is your response to the people who say that you are changing the Messenger’s message?
HMLF: I think it’s a matter of misunderstanding of what they think they understood of the Honorable Elijah
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Muhammad. Time and circumstances will demonstrate that I’m doing exactly what Elijah Muhammad desired for me to do to advance his cause.
Q: How do I feel closer to Allah? I’m 23, born in The Nation, but I still don’t feel like I have a connection with Him.
HMLF: Stop for a moment and look at yourself. Would you feel close to me if I showered you with beautiful gifts? Would you then have a connection to me? Look at the gift of life; eyes that see, ears that hear, a tongue to speak, a brain to think and a vision and hands to bring into reality what you envision. Stop for a moment and look at His Creation and tell me if you don’t feel that connection to Him. You are connected and you will discover that connection.
Q: Must the Children of Israel go through all that is written? Can our changed behavior
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help us avoid what is written?
HMLF: Some prophecies are written in stone and there are others that we can beat by a change in our thinking and behavior.
Q: Is it true ‘The Saviour’ said: ‘Anyone can do anything in America and get followers’?
HMLF: I heard something like that. And it is true that people can absolutely manifest irrationality and madness and find an audience and followers.
Q: I’m poisoned to the core with the filth of this world. I’m sick of how I act and how I think. What do I do now?
HMLF: I am proud that you are sick of it. That is the first step in the right direction. The next step is to struggle to clean one’s self up. The process of true redemption has begun.
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Q: Dear Brother, I started a relationship before I got over effects of the previous one. How can I get over it?
HMLF: The second relationship was like a pacifier to get over the pain of the failed previous relationship. Thispacification was unjust to you and unjust to the person with whom you have a relationship. Be honest with yourself and try to understand why it failed. Pray that God will help you find the right one.
Q: How did you achieve such a close and personal relationship with God?
HMLF: It is written in the Holy Qur’an that Allah is closer to us than our own jugular vein. There is no one closer to God in your life than you, but we must recognize it. Do that which is pleasing in the sight of God and that nearness will produce the blessing of God.
Q: For what reason would Allah create land
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that does not produce?
HMLF: Every set of land can be made productive with greater knowledge, science and technology. Every human being can be made productive with greater knowledge of self and God.
Q: Are white people now allowed to be registered members of the N.O.I.? I heard you say so in an interview, just seeking clarity.
HMLF: There is no human being that cannot accept Islam and become a Muslim. The Nation of Islam in the West begins with Blacks of America. However, as it evolves, every human being on our planet can and will be a part of the Nation of Islam.
Q: I am not seeing the fruits of my labors. Have you ever thought of your gifts as a curse?
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HMLF: I have never seen my gift as a curse. Be patient and your productivity will come.
Q: Brother Minister, what is the best way for us little people to help our society? What can we do?
HMLF: Every Prophet of God came into the world as you and I. But with the Help of God, they became powerful enough to make their mark. You have the same power. Little people who unite can create change as you see going on all around the world.
Q: Why do Christians assume that all Muslims are radical?
HMLF: When people become more acquainted with real Muslims, they will see the beauty of Islam. Then the negative will be changed to a positive. After I speak, people say, “I had a negative opinion of Farrakhan until I
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heard him.” The negative comes from the propaganda of those who fear the truth that Farrakhan speaks. Truth will overcome falsehood.
Q: Where will we be when the cities are being destroyed? Where will our safe haven be?
HMLF: The cities are being destroyed as we speak. Our safe haven is in the Bosom of God.
Q: Is it becoming of one of your students to aspire to be a ‘student minister’, or wait on Allah?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, “Whatever you love to do and do best is more than likely what you’re born to do.” Never sit around. Look for the Help of God to refine your gift and put your gift before the world for God’s Glory.
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Q: I’m one of your followers outside the N.O.I. How can I get my Hispanic people in Utah to open their eyes and see they are part of the Original family?
HMLF: Learn as much of the Teachings as you can and share it. We have many Hispanic brothers and sisters in the N.O.I. You should contact them in the various cities.
Q: Why did you kick Khalid Muhammad out of N.O.I. after he ‘went in’ on the Jews?
HMLF: I never put Brother Khalid out of The Nation for what he said. I reprimanded him as a teacher should to one of his students that went away from a principle I gave him. He accepted that reprimand and if he left The Nation, he left on his own.
Q: What is the difference between the Messiah and a Prophet?
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HMLF: A Prophet is like moonlight. The moon is light in the darkness of the night and is a reflection of thelight of the sun. Moonlight is not like sunlight. Sunlight makes everything clear. The Messiah is a man in whom is the indwelling Spirit and Light of God, Himself. He’s referred to in the Qur’an as a Light-giving Sun. The Bible calls Him the Light of the World.
Q: What do we as youth need to do to become The Joshua Generation that you have spoken of?
HMLF: Joshua came up under Moses and Aaron and Joshua was a continuation of Moses. Joshua had a very close connection to God. If you’re going to be the Joshua Generation, be like Joshua and develop that closeness to God. His mouth became the Mouth of God. If you come under the Moses and Aaron of today, you will become the Joshua of tomorrow.
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Q: Is it wrong for a person to pray for a specific person to be their spouse?
HMLF: Every sincere desire is liken unto a prayer. It is not wrong to ask God for what you may desire. However, God knows best what is best for you and me. If you do not get what you desire then don’t become so disappointed that you lose faith in God. What is for you, no man can take away from you. And what is not for you, no man can give.
Q: Did most Messengers of God suffer from Anxiety and Grief?
HMLF: Yes. According to what I have read, sometimes they are burdened with anxiety. The lesson is: persevere no matter how hurt you may be. God loves those who persevere and remain steadfast under trial. In the end, they become the victor and so will we.
Q: Why are The Messenger and you not
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welcomed by the governments to speak God’s painful truth, which can awaken all?
HMLF: No Messenger or Prophet was ever accepted by the governments in which they appeared. God will make them bear witness to the truth. The Bible says every knee shall bow.
Q: When and how should we get into import and export?
HMLF: The Economic Blueprint of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad will make us productive. When we produce our own to suffice our needs, then we have something for international trade and commerce.
Q: How can we get past our self-hatred and unite for one common cause?
HMLF: Once ignorance is destroyed, self-hatred goes along with it. Then a great people will emerge.
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Q: When will you reveal the one task given by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad on The Wheel in order to return again? And when will you complete it?
HMLF: I never found what that is. I just keep doing what I think it might be. He was wise in not telling me what that was.
Q: Being young and Muslim in America can sometimes be overwhelming. How do we adjust?
HMLF: Continue to grow in knowledge and faith. The scripture says, “If you have faith the grain of a mustard seed, you can say to a mountain be removed and it will be so.” There is no impediment too big for you if you have faith as much as a grain of a mustard seed.
Q: What do you think about the shots for infants? I gave her one set. They want her to take eight more. I think that’s too much.
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HMLF: I think we should be careful in the shots that we give to our children. I would advise you to contact Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad and he will give you guidance as to what shots are permissible.
Q: Dear Minister, you stated “this is the year of farming.” What happens if that law gets passed banning it?
HMLF: Itisahumanrighttodosomething for yourself. When somebody deprives you of that which God has imposed on every life, then it is time to fight.
Q: What do you think about the mosque in East St. Louis, IL? How can we use it to help rebuild our community?
HMLF: Take the wisdom beyond the mosque and share it with whom you come in contact.
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Q: Who were the “We” and “Us” in the Quran?
HMLF: The Holy Qur’an shows us the magnificence and the graciousness of God that He would share His Wisdom and His Will with those of us who seek Him. When all of us are in submission to His Will, then He will direct His Will through those who submit. Then the “I” becomes “We” and the “We” becomes “Us” to build a new world.
Q: Has there ever been a woman among the 24 Scientists? If not, has that had an effect on the world?
HMLF: To the best of my knowledge, there has not been a woman among the 24 Scientists. But that does not mean that women were not present to help with that which the Scientists desired. Women are very special. We are not in competition with one another. God made one to serve the other.
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Q: Why has America let the school systems fail our kids?
HMLF: Satan does not desire equal education for those whom he wants to subjugate. The educational system of America is designed to make sure that the people are easily led in the wrong direction and difficult to lead in the right direction.
Q: The Supreme Wisdom called Columbus ‘half original’. Does that depict him as being half-learned or half-black?
HMLF: He was both. He was part of the original people, a part of the Caucasian people. But he was also half-learned. He wanted to find a new route to the East and went West and found the island in the Caribbean; and the people that he found there, he called them “Indians.” So the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that many of us who get some knowledge, we don’t wait until we’re learned. We go
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out like Columbus, half-learned, and misguide the people and destroy that which could serve the people better. We fight against it. We have to be careful that we stay in submission to God and His Messenger lest we think that we now are learned and become like Columbus.
Q: How can college students start creating jobs for themselves before they graduate?
HMLF: This would depend on what kind of service you will offer to your community. Assess the need and see how you, with the help of some fellow students, can supply those needs and you will create a business before you graduate.
Q: What are the qualifications for you to come to speak to colleges?
HMLF: There are no qualifications except a desire on the part of the students, with cooperation from the
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administration. And we will take it from there by the Grace of Allah (God).
Q: How did you develop such love despite the pain that you may go through?
HMLF: I have been blessed with this love all my life and it is the way I was nurtured by my mother. Above all it is the way I was made by God.
Q: What study methods do you use?
HMLF: As a student in a great grammar school in Boston, I went to college and never had to buy a book. When I met the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, all that I learned of history, math, geometry, physics, science and language I could now use on the basis of his teaching, to be able to teach our people. I studied first his words and branched out from there. Please get the book “Message to the Black Man in America.” Start there and it will lead you into the heart of
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many disciplines you may have already acquired.
Q: What did you mean when you said soon people will rise up to kill their leaders?
HMLF: We saw in South Africa, when the people decided that they could no longer abide in apartheid, they put tires with gasoline in it around the neck of those who sold them out. That day is fast approaching for those who will sell out the legitimate aspiration of our people.
Q: I’m under a lot of stress as a student. Do you oppose that I drink a little bit here and there?
HMLF: If you pray more for God’s Help, you will drink less and maybe you won’t have to drink at all.
Q: What is more important, studying my college discipline or your teachings?
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HMLF: You must study your college discipline. The Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad will make you more proficient in application of that which you’re studying. So continue to diligently apply yourself to both.
Q: What does it really mean to “fear God,” and how does that help you grow as a man?
HMLF: The Bible teaches that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Fear of God and love of God gradually removes the fear of man and the fear of things that God has created us to master.
Q: What would it take for more of us to be fearless like you?
HMLF: The knowledge of God, self and our enemy will give us the strength to stand. This does not mean that things won’t come up that will make you afraid. But we must challenge fear.
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Q: We were the ones enslaved, oppressed, and faced discrimination. Why are we hated so?
HMLF: You may be hated of those who know you better than you know yourself. They know your future and their end as your oppressor. But rejoice! You are the beloved of God and He is present to grant you the power to overcome your enemy.
Q: What is your advice on uniting and working with Orthodox Muslims?
HMLF: It is out of my love for God and love for truth and the depth of understanding that God has given me of various religions that I can see the common thread that is in all religions. Use that thread to lift the people of God together as one.
Q: Do you represent Black people or innocent people without a voice?
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HMLF: I must first represent the voiceless among our people, but it cannot stop there. We must represent the voiceless no matter where they are on our planet. Then we will be truer representatives of God.
Q: Realizing Christ is and was wounded for our transgressions, what do you think is the best course of action to repay Him?
HMLF: The best way to repay Jesus is to follow in his footsteps. Then he will make you into himself.
Q: Is it really healthy to eat once a day, even if you exercise regularly?
HMLF: I would like for you to get Book 1 and 2 of “How to Eat to Live” by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Food maintains your life, but food will also take it away if you don’t know what foods to eat, when to eat, and how to cook that food. That is what the
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Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us, and I am trying to be an example of that to you so you will know that you can be 79, 80, 85 and 90 and look well and feel well if you treat yourself well.
Q: How do you truly get hate out of your heart and learn to forgive?
HMLF: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked the question, “What man having a river outside of his home, in which he bathes five times a day, would be unclean?” In Islam, we pray five times a day. Constant remembrance of God is that which purifies the heart. God will remove hate if hate is not justified. God hates the wicked. And it is written that at the end of this world, God will destroy the wicked and hatred will be no more. And in the next world there will just be peace.
Q: Which one comes first: The ‘resurrection of the mind’ or the ‘freeing of the mind’?
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HMLF: ‘The resurrection of the mind is the freeing of the mind.’ That’s why Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” That truth will give you a new way of thinking, and that new way of thinking is the resurrection of the mentally dead.
Q: Do you believe Judas was a man or a mentality?
HMLF: The scripture teaches us that this is a sign where there will be much betrayal. One should study Judas and what motivated him to betray his master. And in it you will find what causes us to betray one another. The character of Judas is real and you will find him in every betrayal. Judas was necessary for Jesus to fulfill his purpose.
Q: What is it about the students that would make you pay your own way to go speak to them?
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HMLF: There is no money that is more important than you. If we sacrifice everything we have to see our people rise, that is the clearest demonstration of love. Elijah Muhammad said he would give all that he had and all within his power to see our people rise and end the world of Satan.
Q: How do we know when to take action and when to be patient?
HMLF: There are certain actions that belong to God and there are certain actions that belong to man. When God counsels us in patience, He is already working out the solution. And if you take the wrong action you could delay the successful outcome of what you seek. Patience is a virtue. We are not born with it. It is a virtue that we must learn to acquire.
Q: What is the role of alumni of HBCUs in making them stronger again?
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HMLF: As you should never forget the nurturing of your mother, we should never forget the nurturing of our alma mater. And if God blesses us with success, we must always strive to make that school from which we gained our learning more successful for future generations. That is our duty.
Q: Did you know Clarence 13X? What do you think about his work?
HMLF: I did not know Brother Clarence 13 X personally. When I became a follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Brother Clarence had left the mosque. He has done a great work. The Holy Qur’an says, “Allah will never waste the work of a worker.” So the good of what Brother Clarence has done, and the tens of thousands of young men and women that his work has effected, will grow as they learn more and more about the Lessons given by Master Fard Muhammad for all righteous Muslims
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to study.
Q: How do you know when Allah visits you personally?
HMLF: A question was asked of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, “How do you know that you met with God?” And his answer was “Because He made me into Himself.”
Q: How does the Black Professional help the Mission? How do we present our talents for your guidance and direction?
HMLF: Those who are professionals must understand the time we’re living in. It demands all of us work together for the common cause of the liberation of our people. We need every professional, but what we need most is the unity of the whole.
Q: My goal is to become a cardiovascular surgeon. How do you feel about the
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Hippocratic Oath?
HMLF: Ifitistomakeyouatrueservant of the art of healing and not the art of drugs, you’re on a good course.
Q: What is the nature of love?
HMLF: The nature of love is that creative force out of which everything that we have came. Love is that creative power that can remove the impediments of our progress.
Q: As a child, what was the best advice your mother gave you?
HMLF: My mother taught me when you’re right you can always fight. But when you’re wrong, you can’t be strong. The greatest strength of any human being is in our righteousness.
Q: If a person is not a registered member of the N.O.I. and he studies the Teachings and teaches it in church, should he stop?
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HMLF: Truth belongs to every human being. When you possess knowledge, it is your duty to share it with those who do not have it. Whether it is in the church, mosque, synagogue, street, barbershop or beauty salon, wherever you go, share what God has blessed you to know.
Q: I’m a struggling Christian. How does one overcome the urges of the body? I have watched your videos but still find myself succumbing.
HMLF: Wearegiventwonaturesthatare seen in the cross–an upright nature and a horizontal nature. If the upright nature is strong, it brings into submission the horizontal nature. Learning how to fast to control the urges of what is natural, like hunger and thirst, will allow you the power to control the urges of sin.
Q: Minister, what makes a virtuous woman?
HMLF: A woman who lives a moral and The Teachings 2.0 129
upright life is considered by God to be a virtuous woman.
Q: Should one stop studying if they have not overcome their difficulties and obtained balance?
HMLF:Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.” Always study. Always seek greater knowledge. If you couple study with fasting and discipline your appetites, you will find the strength to overcome your disappointment.
Q: Whatever happened to the Millions More Movement? That was a great, timely concept.
HMLF: All good concepts must continue to be practiced so these concepts can grow. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, “Everything has its trouble in its beginning.” Over time that trouble disappears and what you’re trying to establish will be established. Let’s build
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these ministries so we can help our people heal from 450 years of the worst form of slavery and injustice.
Q: Do you ever get frustrated that people don’t move out on your instructions?
HMLF: The Qur’an comforts God’s Prophet. The Prophet is only charged that he should make a clear delivery of the message.
Q: How do we measure success in a world that God is taking down? What’s God’s definition of success?
HMLF: That’s a good question. The answer is found in the Holy Qur’an in Surah 2, verses 2-5.
Q: Why do your followers call you a Mercy in our midst? I’ve heard that for years.
HMLF: Whenever Allah is displeased with a people who have been in gross
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error, He raises from among that people a prophet, a messenger, a guide. That guidance is considered mercy. But when that mercy is removed, then the punishment that we are promised, if we reject truth and right guidance, will come to us.
Q: After all of your efforts in Hip-Hop, how do you feel about your words being ignored as they continue to produce ignorance and disrespect women?
HMLF: The recording executives want the Hip-Hop artists to degrade themselves, women and use filthy language. They want filth to be sold to keep our young people in a degraded state. People do better if they are taught. The people are hungry for that which is better. In the end, that which is better will overcome filth and indecency.
Q: So, has Dianetics helped the Nation of Islam? I read you all had joined on with L.
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Ron Hubbard’s cult.
HMLF: The study of Dianetics, I believe, will help anyone who studies it and prac- tices it. I found in Dianetics something that will help repair the broken mind and spirit of our people. Look into it and see what you will find.
Q: You sound crazy talking about that Wheel. Why do you keep dragging on that lie, sir?
HMLF: You really need to look at all of the governments in the world that have now released their files on what they call Unidentified Flying Objects. They are very real. The U.S. government is the last government that refuses to open up the files of their knowledge of these so- called UFOs. Soon and very soon you will see them over the major cities of America, as many are seeing them. Then you can join the ranks of those who you think are crazy.
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Q: Is the Black preacher a non-factor in the fight for justice today? They seem to be really silent these days, in my opinion.
HMLF: The Black preacher is most important in the struggle for justice. The healing for our people is right there in the Book, but to extract that only comes when God guides you in understanding what you have in your hands. The preachers are very important. In the end, they will become great instruments in the liberation struggle of our people.
Q: How do we eradicate poverty and homelessness?
HMLF: It will be eradicated with the right knowledge of self, God and the principles that undergird activity of life itself. And once you know this and accept responsibility, then we will build for ourselves.
Q: What are your thoughts on Mumia Abu
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Jamal and his case?
HMLF: I have great love and respect for Brother Mumia. Our hope and our prayer is he will be freed so he can come out and aid the leadership struggle of our people for truth, justice, freedom and equality.
Q: Some say Willie Lynch is a myth, what about you?
HMLF:I have had our research department to look for it. And it does appear that Willie Lynch might be a myth. But the reality of what is said to have been written by Willie Lynch, we live it every day. So whether he lived or did not, we are absolutely following it.
Q: If everyone has shortcomings, why should I follow anyone, including you?
HMLF: All of us are imperfect. Even though we have knowledge, wisdom or the anointing of God, it does not
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mean we are perfect, in everything that we do. But what we are looking for is knowledge. When you went to college, you didn’t ask your professor if he was perfect. When you voted for Obama, you didn’t ask whether he was perfect. You take the best of what they have, and remember no one is worthy of worship but He that is Perfect, and that is God Himself.
Q: What is the proper way for people to use their power and authority?
HMLF: We will be judged by how we use our influence, power and authority. We are not the author of anything. We did not create the people that we have authority over. So how we use our power and authority should be in the way of God. Then, we will be using it properly.
Q: How have you been successful in building the right team around you to achieve your mission?
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HMLF: We are all a work in progress. I pray that the team that is around me will be good in furthering the aim of Allah and His Messiah. You always look for what is better. In the final analysis, the greater the service, the greater the knowledge of that service, the greater the righteousness of that service, the greater success we will have.
Q: In percentage, how much of the Bible do you think is still prophecy?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said 75% of what we read concerning Jesus is referring to a future man who comes at the end of this present world. The Old Testament is a book of prophecy. The Good News of the Gospel is the fulfillment of what the Prophets prophesied. We are in the time of fulfillment now. So we should be looking for that one who comes at the end of the world of evil.
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Q: What made Elijah Muhammad so bold in the face of so much opposition?
HMLF: The Book of Isaiah says, “To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?” When a man knows the Power of The God Who missioned him, he loses all fear of man because he knows that his God has the Power to make him successful in spite of the intensity of his opposition.
Q: What did your early musical career do for you in preparing you for your ministry?
HMLF: My early passion for music made me universal in my sentiment. Even though my love has always been for Black people, I could feel the pain of all who suffered. I can now see the universality of the message of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and Jesus. Without music and the expansion of my breast, I would not be the type of spiritual teacher
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that I am now becoming.
Q: What do you think about this world’s addiction to reality shows?
HMLF: The reality shows only demonstrate the reality of the savagery and uncivilized behavior of the people. It is also a condemnation of the institutions that are to cultivate human life. We are magnificent human beings potentially, but it is proper education and spiritual guidance that cultivates us into the refined behavior of a civilized person.
Q: How can I as a Christian benefit from reading the Holy Qur’an?
HMLF: All of us benefit from a greater knowledge of the truth. As a Muslim, we believe in the truth of the Bible. So we study the Bible and we believe in the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, so we study it. You would do well to do the same as a Christian.
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Q: How critical has prayer been to your success and works over the years?
HMLF: Reliance on Allah, God, has meant everything to me. Constant remembrance of Him in all that I say and do guarantees success. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that the remembrance of Allah, God, is the greatest force in restraining us from the doing of evil.
Q: How did you maintain your integrity even when you and your wife were severely poor years ago? It’s hard for my family.
HMLF: My and your integrity is bound up in our faith in God that no negative condition is permanent. Job said he would wait on God until his change comes. That we did, without ever violating the trust that the people had in us.
Q: If God has promised us success, why are
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we instructed to ‘do nothing seeking gain’?
HMLF: That verse of the Qur’an says “do no favor seeking gain.” This means that whatever good you do should not be corrupted by a motive of personal gain. The idea of personal gain when we do good interferes with the power of the spirit that enables us to do good. Gain will come, but don’t seek it. Do good and God will give you the gain.
Q: How often do you think about your Teacher, Elijah Muhammad? Do you miss him?
HMLF: I think about my teacher every day and throughout the day. He has deposited knowledge in me so whenever a question arises, I reach up into my mind for what he has already given me and guided me in my studies. I am never without him and he is always with me. Every true Christian should strive to be in constant communication with Christ.
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And if you feed on him in your heart and try to live the life that he lived, he will always be with you because you will always be with him.
Q: Do you think that a U.S. attack on Iran could expand to include Russia?
HMLF: A U.S. attack on Iran will
create a wider war, which will definitely bring Russia, as well as China, into the conflict.
Q: What makes us not to see what we must do to save ourselves from not only our open enemy but self-destruction?
HMLF: It is because we have been trained to be dependent on others. This attitude keeps us in the position as beggars. But gradually and slowly we are awakening and soon we will come out of this condition of dependency on others, and we will learn the value of dependency on God and ourselves.
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Our unity will solve 98% of all of our problems.
Q: Do you really think you’re a Jesus in our midst? What’s the proof?
HMLF: It is because I am walking in his footsteps. The scripture says if you’re a true follower of Jesus, those that were his enemies would become yours. Those that hated him will hate you. Those that worked to destroy the effect of his truth will do the same to you. I am walking in his footsteps and I receive from his enemies the same as he did. And if you read the scripture, every true disciple of Jesus becomes a “little Jesus” to help him in the mission of saving, redeeming and reconciling human beings once again to God.
Q: Is it more important for Blacks to address White on Black violence or Black on Black crime?
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HMLF: You must learn to love self before others. We must address White on Black crime, but the more important thing is to address the evil that we do to self.
Q: In Exodus, what is the present time perspective of that story?
HMLF: Exodus in scripture meant the coming out of the Children of Israel from their 400-year bondage in Egypt under Pharaoh to go into the wilderness and then into the Promise Land. Exodus today means: coming out of the mind, the spirit, the activity of a slave mentality. When we make our exodus out of that, we will befree, justified and equal and the Promise Land will be in our hands.
Q: I have been a Christian minister for 14 years and my senior pastor won’t license me to preach. What should I do?
HMLF: Continue to support your pastor. 144 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Ask him what would you have to do to qualify yourself in his eyes for his licensing of you. I had to do certain things that my teacher approved of before he granted me the title of minister. You do likewise. And I’m sure he’ll grant you that license to preach. Lastly, when God calls a man to preach, in that call is His license.
Q: What makes a person a true servant? Do you consider yourself one? I don’t fully understand what Jesus meant when he said the best among you let him be your servant. Would you briefly explain Minister?
HMLF: Service is what Jesus came to offer to a people who had eyes, but could not see. Who had ears but could not hear. Who had tongues but could not speak. Who had limbs that they were not using. Jesus came as a healer and a doctor. The greatest doctors that you know are those whose office is always open to serve the sick and the needy.
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So following Jesus, he said, “He who would be the greatest among you let him be your servant.” The condition of our people and their suffering does not demand a master, but it demands a servant who will serve our people into wellness as a people again.
Q: As a minister and a pastor, why is it important to stay connected in the streets with the people?
HMLF: Jesus never had a church. Jesus never built a synagogue. Jesus stayed in the highways and the byways with the people. So when you read the scripture, you find that Jesus was always among the people serving them. Lastly, when he found Peter, he had a net, fishing; and Jesus said, “If you come and follow me I will make you a fisher of men.” What fisherman does not go out in the sea where the fish are? (Smile)
Q: Did the Messenger teach about other
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“Adams” besides the one spoken of in Genesis?
HMLF: SomescholarsoftheHolyQur’an say that there are as many as 50,000 Adams. But the Bible mentions two. The first Adam you find in Genesis. The Bible says the first Adam was made from the dust of the Earth. The second Adam (Jesus) is made of a quickening spirit. The first Adam rebelled against God and brought in a world of rebellion that would last for 6,000 years. The second Adam, Jesus, The Christ, obeys his Father soperfectly that he brings in the Kingdom of God which has no end. This is why Jesus is the one that offers the world that which is called “eternal life.”
Q: My question is: what can Sunni Muslims that love you and want to help you do in this mission?
HMLF: To be a Sunni Muslim means your love of Allah and His Prophet
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Muhammad (PBUH) causes you to want to live the life and follow the example of The Prophet. Every time that you do as The Prophet did you’re helping me. I too am striving to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah. Not perfect yet, but I’m striving.
Q: When you hurt your wife for so many years, how can a man help to heal her? Or only God can do that?
HMLF: God is The Healer, but you also have a part in that healing. Examine what you have done to hurt her, repent of it and change your behavior. And God will act in the process of healing her and you will be His instrument of healing.
Q: What’s more important: Having good character or good talent?
HMLF: Good talent is never as good as it could be unless it is rooted in good character. Look at the talented people who
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die in disgrace and ruin because character was not as it should be. Let us work on our character as we work to perfect our talent.
Q: How did you conquer vanity within yourself to become humble? That’s if you were vain at all.
HMLF: I was vain, but I didn’t recognize my vanity. I had to come to the realization that while I was preaching for the good of others, I also wanted a little praise for myself. And when I discovered my vanity, Allah, God, helped me to see the nothingness of myself and the greatness of Him and the greatness of the people that we are to serve and to save. No man cometh to God except as an honored servant. Lastly, my teacher, Elijah Muhammad, said to me one day, “You don’t weigh enough to step through the Earth. Neither are you tall enough to equal yourself to the mountains. So take your place among the creatures of God.” He also said, and the scriptures
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bear witness, “He who seeks to exalt himself, God will abase or humble. And he who humbles himself, God will exalt.” Seek exaltation from God by humbling yourself to Him to do His Will.
Q: Even without a college degree, you seem to be able to give insight into so many fields of study. How do you do that?
HMLF: As a student of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, I am a student under a Master Teacher. All truths are joined together as one. And when you know central truths, it helps you to connect all truths to that center. The center of knowledge is God and you. If you study yourself, every discipline that is in any university, you’ll find it within yourself. You ARE mathematics, biology, chemistry, geology. You are all that is the universe. So when you’re connected to God and yourself, you’re connected to all that came from God and is manifested in yourself.
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Q: What intrigued you the most about the men of the Nation of Islam when you first encountered them?
HMLF: I was intrigued most by the F.O.I.’s cleanliness, discipline and the love they showed for me as a Black man coming into the fold of Islam. And that love did not just belong to me but to all of our people. And I tried to follow their example, which is exactly what Elijah Muhammad exemplified.
Q: What is the best advice a Black father can give to his son growing up in a world that is designed to kill him off?
HMLF: If I were a bird, teaching the little birds in my nest, I would teach them the value of flying out of the nest to find a worm for them to eat. But I must also teach the bird to know its enemy. Everything in nature has a natural enemy. No young Black child should go out into this world without a profound knowledge
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of God, self, our purpose in life and the Enemy of God.
Q: Even at 78 years old, do you think you still have a lot to learn? Are you still learning more about your inner greatness from God?
HMLF: Yes. Every day I’m learning more. And even though I’m getting up in age, I’m staying forever young. Every day that you learn more, that enables you to do more. In that day you are as young as you were the day before when you exercised the knowledge that you gained.
Q: When you’re focused on achieving something, do you just focus on reach- ing that mark or you aim to go beyond that mark?
HMLF: Life presents us with struggles. The Holy Qur’an teaches us that God created man to face difficulty. So there are challenges in life that we must, with
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the Help of God, overcome. And there are goals in life that we set for ourselves based upon our desires to achieve. Once we achieve the goal, we don’t sit around and worship the achievement. For once the goal is reached the joy of the achievement is dying. So one goal should lead you to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next until you reach the final goal, which is a perfect reflection of God.
Q: How do I conquer fear? It’s a powerful force in my life holding me back.
HMLF: It is natural to fear what you don’t know or understand. But fear must be challenged and overcome. How? When God met with Moses in the burning bush and God gave Moses a command, fear choked Moses. Moses tried to put up excuses to keep from following God’s command. But when God took away his excuses, Moses then had to challenge his fear. And every time Moses challenged his
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fear and overcame it, his trust in
God grew until he recognized like David, “The Lord is my strength and He is my salvation. Whom then shall I fear and of whom then shall I be afraid?”
Q: How do you know when it’s time to let go of someone that is holding you back in a relationship?
HMLF:When you’ve had enough and you feel it’s time to move on, you may come to the realization that the relationship is not good for you. The Prophet Lot had a wife who disbelieved. He never got rid of her, but in the end, it was God who separated that woman from His servant. Jesus said, “two will be lying in the bed and God will take one and leave one.” So let God be the agent of separation in our lives. You have to develop the Will to separate from that which is giving you harm. You have to recognize if it cannot change to be beneficial to you, supportive of you in
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righteousness, goodness, then The God will separate the wheat from the tare, the righteous from those who do not wish to live a righteous life.
Q: What’s more important: Having truth or having organization?
HMLF: If you don’t have truth, your organization will be weak. Truth is the basis of a strong organization. Jesus said it wonderfully, “He who builds his house on sand cannot have a firm foundation. But he who builds his house on a rock, builds it on that which will stand.” The rock is always truth and our faith in God.
Q: Could you explain more in depth exactly what you mean; why I should not ‘run from my pain’ because it is overwhelming me?
HMLF: Trials manifest weaknesses and strengths. Every time we correct our weaknesses we move closer toward perfection. Running to your trials and
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facing them and overcoming them, brings you closer to God’s desire for human perfection.
Q: How can broken families mend when unjustified bitterness is at the root of the partition and the pain?
HMLF: Good overcomes evil. Truth overcomes falsehood. Right overcomes wrong. If you send forth good where you have sowed the seed that creates bitterness, then perhaps you may produce a change and mend your family.
Q: What do you feel about smoking marijuana?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us Islam, and that was sufficient to stop us from drugs. Get and study the book “Message to the Blackman” and you may never again have a desire for drugs.
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Q: I want to know how you view our growth and development as a Nation. What can we do to develop it more?
HMLF: We have much, much, much room to grow. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is likened unto a mustard seed. But when that seed is planted and grows, it grows into a tree where all the birds can find refuge under its branches. There are many pictures in the Bible of the growth of the Kingdom. It starts very small, but it engulfs the whole Earth and all its people. We have much room for growth.
Q: When Master Fard Muhammad studied at UCLA, what was his major? What classes did he take? How did he interact with students and teachers?
HMLF: I do not know. But I thank Allah for His studies. Because of what He studied, I am who I am. And I’m becoming more of what I am eventually to be.
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Q: What do you do when those you love assassinate your character and try to tear you down when you stand by your conviction and truth?
HMLF: The scripture says, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My namesake.” Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.
Q: How did Elijah Muhammad help to build your character as a man?
HMLF: He absolutely helped to build it! Some of my trials by him are found in the book “Closing the Gap” by Jabril Muhammad.
Q: Do you still believe that we as Black people need to be separated from Whites? (I do!) If so, how can we move toward this?
HMLF: It is the Will of God that the Children of Israel be separated from their
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tormentors. He has ordained for us a land that we can build a nation for ourselves, for His Glory. We will be separated in due time.
Q: Is praying at the incorrect time disrespectful to Allah?
HMLF: Remembering God throughout the day or the night is always good for the one who prays and for the one who keeps God ever in their consciousness. Solomon said, “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth.”
Q: What’s your take on the new Internet Security bill that passed?
HMLF: The enemy has lost control of the masses. These tactics are like trying to shut the barn door after the horses have gotten out.
Q: If you live in Japan, can you put your name in the Lambs Book of Life?
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HMLF: It’s a matter of communicating your desire to our National Headquarters (www.noi.org/contact.shtml).
Q: How would a female in the N.O.I. go about helping to get our people? What is our role?
HMLF: Being a good example of what you believe is better than words. So the scripture says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good WORKS and Glorify your Father which art in heaven.”
Q: Since we know that debt is slavery, is it entirely unwise to fund our education using loans?
HMLF: We all have some form of debt. Debt that can be managed is not an un- wise debt. But student debt is a promise that after you get finished with college, you will be able to pay off your debt. There is no guarantee that you will have
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a job. Your only guarantee is that you make one for yourself. Then your debt, by the Grace of God, will be manage- able.
Q: How will the issue of interracial marriages and children be handled in the end?
HMLF: I cannot speak for what God will do in the end. However, His Judgment is just. His Righteousness is bound up in His Judgment. So if there is love, real sincere love, that transcends the barriers between ethnicities and races. But onlyGod knows the heart.
Q: How important is happiness/comfort during our Earthly lives?
HMLF: The Qur’an teaches us that with difficulty comes ease and after difficulty comes ease. Don’t run from the difficulty and you will earn the comfort that comes with ease.
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Q: You are constantly traveling and teaching. Do you get fatigued?
HMLF: Of course being human my body does tire. But I am never tired of doing that which I am birthed into this world, by God’s Permission, to do. And neither will you be tired when you find your purpose in life and strive to fulfill it.
Q: I have recently accepted Islam. What is Hajj like?
HMLF: Itisagreatspiritualexperiencefor those who go to Mecca seeking a great spiritual experience. You can only take away from that experience what you bring to that experience.
Q: Brother Minister, what do you see as the key to uniting all of the Original people of the Western Hemisphere?
HMLF: Getting back to recognizing we all have the same enemy. In just a few
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short days, what we will experience from them will make us to see them as the enemy that they are. Then the Will of God, that we be separated in a state or territory of our own, will become a reality.
Q: Did Elijah Muhammad ever talk on meteors or asteroids striking earth during the last days?
HMLF:No, he did not teach on anything like that. But he told us what God would use to bring about His Judgment—rain, hail, snow and earthquakes. These are the four great judgments. God said in the scripture He would use all of His Arrows against this enemy. Everything in nature can be turned against the enemy by the Power of God. We won’t need asteroids striking the Earth to do it.
Q: You are a man of many accomplishments. What on your bucket list remains unfulfilled?
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HMLF: If by bucket list you mean what I’d like to do before we “kick the bucket,” I want to keep working to see the rise of my people. But I hope you will work and others will work to see the rise of our people into freedom, justice and equality. And even though I might be gone, my spirit will rejoice. (Smile)
Q: Bro. Minister, can you explain why the Holy Qur’an states that the bearing and weaning of a baby is 30 months?
HMLF: Bonding the child to the mother through the breast is God’s Perfect Way of nurturing the newborn life. Eat the proper food and think the proper thoughts, so the milk that you feed your young will be clean,wholesome and guarantees a magnificent human being.
Q: What are your thoughts on Whitney Houston’s death?
HMLF:I loved Whitney Houston 164 Minister Louis Farrakhan
immensely. I know the beauty of her soul manifested through the magnificence of her voice. When you listen to her sing songs about The Lord, there you could tell the essence of her was a child of God, but weakened by the lure of the world and not mastering her entry into this world that takes you up, burns you out and casts you away.
Q: Jealousy, envy, and fear come up in my family because of wisdom I get from you. What can I do?
HMLF: Sometimes when we try to share wisdom with those who may not want it, you may not be doing anything wrong. They are rejecting that which you are trying to teach. But the first thing you should do is examine the manner in which you are expressing the wisdom. If you express it rightly, there is no way they can reject it. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to me if you use the wisdom rightly you will bring them all into submission. The key is
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using the wisdom rightly.
Q: How do we put God first in public education?
HMLF: Ifweunderstandthateverything we are learning is from what God has created. Look beyond the books that you study to the larger book: The Universe. Then you will always be able to create in those classrooms and feed the beautiful minds of those young people that you will teach.
Q: Do you believe in the New Testament? Or do you believe it’s plagued with falsehood?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said we believe in the truth of the Bible, but we believe that it has been tampered with. So it must be reinterpreted so that mankind will not be snared by the falsehoods that have been added to it.
Q: And what do you think of the Israel-
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Palestine conflict? Do we have to just see?
HMLF: It is all written that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies and the War of Armageddon would takethat area of the world into flames, and many more nations. We’re at that time now.
Q: What advice would you give to a new mother of a Black male child?
HMLF: Give him the knowledge of self and get it yourself. Give him knowledge of God and get it yourself. Teach him the knowledge of the Enemy of God and get it yourself. Teach him the knowledge of the time and what must be done and get it yourself.
Q: How do you advise young people to go about achieving their dreams?
HMLF: Keep your focus on your dream and no environmental factor will destroy
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that focus unless you let it happen. You can be in the midst of confusion and be at peace if you can keep your focus.
Q: Why haven’t you yet spoken out about all violations that have been committed by the Bahrain regime?
HMLF: What is there to say? The violations of injustice in Bahrain mirror the injustice that is being done in the Middle East and throughout the world. This is a world that is on its way out and a new and better world is on its way in. No injustice, no matter where it is done, will remain.
Q: How does one discern whether the Call to the Ministry is coming from Allah or our own ego and self-aggrandizement?
HMLF: Ifyouregoiscallingandyouwant self-aggrandizement, then you already know your call is not of God. But if your call is to serve God by living for the Truth
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and if necessary dying for the truth that will free God’s people, then that is His Call. But if you’re just doing it to be seen of men and to get people to support you and take care of you, forget it.
Q: Does one have to become a F.O.I. or M.G.T. to be a member of the Great N.O.I., or does the N.O.I. have alternate membership options?
HMLF: All of our people are members of the Nation of Islam by the nature in which you are created. You are created with the nature to submit your will to do the Will of God. It is up to you when you will make that decision to obey God or to follow the lusts of your desires.
Q: Metaphysics and the sciences, what’s your take?
HMLF: Seeking knowledge is never a waste of time. Metaphysics is only teaching that every physical reality has a
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spiritual reality that is even greater than the physical.
Q: How does not living the Word affect one’s delivery of the Word on the rostrum?
HMLF: When we do not live what we preach, the incongruity of our life weakens the power of what we say. So bringing our lives in harmony with The Word gives us more power in the preaching of the Word. None of us are as perfect as The Word. This is why Paul said, “I die daily for the Lord,” because he had to kill desires in him that were contrary to the perfect life of Christ. We all have work to do to make our lives congruent with The Word.
Q: We’re taught to rise above emotion into God’s Thinking. How does that rule apply to passion and its effect?
HMLF: If we’re able to rise above emotion, we have one leg up on
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mastering passion. But passion is not a bad thing to have. It’s what you have passion for. Look up the definition of “emotion” and “passion.” I don’t think they are the same.
Q: How can you know as an individual that you’re even on the correct path of your destiny from Allah?
HMLF: When we are on a correct path toward God, the soul feels a sense of satisfaction. When you’re doing what you love to and are born to do, the soul becomes satisfied. That’s how you know you’re on a right course. That’s why it is called a labor of love and as a result of that you know you’re fulfilling your destiny.
Q: Was Peter crucified upside down? If so, what is the symbolism?
HMLF: I guess during the time that Peter rejected Christ he was turned
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upside down. And as the scripture says, “I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail you all together. But when you have recovered (become right-side up) go and strengthen your brothers.”
Q: Why do you call yourself a Minister instead of an Imam if you’re a Muslim?
HMLF: An “Imam” is one who leads and guides the prayer. A “Minister” is one who serves. And in the capacity I serve, as a Representative of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, it goes beyond leading the prayers. It also extends to serving the needs of a people who have been broken and destroyed. So I like the term “Minister” and that’s why I never changed it. But I’m also Imam as well.
Q: Why is it in the face of such great Truths that free us, we still don’t take action?
HMLF: The scripture says that a certain 172 Minister Louis Farrakhan
man was like a lovely song. And it was only when adversity struck that they recognized truly a prophet of God was among them. But ultimately after chastisement, they recognized and responded.
Q: Do you think Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is being groomed to become the next Pres- ident of the U.S.A.?
HMLF: Idonotknowofwhoisgrooming him or why he’s being groomed for any eventual office. I can only deal with him in the office he presently holds. He’s the mayor in the city in which I live. And he will be judged on how well he handles his job.
Q: Is the National Treasurys account set up and ready for deposits? So many have asked.
HMLF: Be a little more patient. It won’t be long before I will make the
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announcement.
Q: Minister, why don’t we allow White people in our meetings?
HMLF: They are inside all the time because our meetings are on the Internet. Anybody can access them. And I’m sure White people are listening because I get their correspondence.
Q: Why doesn’t the military acknowledge Ramadan and carry out its rituals?
HMLF: When you are stronger in the military, your demand for recognition of Ramadan will be accepted. If you’re not pushing for it, it won’t happen.
Q: Has a person forgiven you when in an argument they continue to bring up the thing that they said they forgave you for?
HMLF: If you continue to do what they said they forgave you for then you didn’t
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repent of what you did. But if they truly forgive, then they will never throw it back at you.
Q: How do I deal with a non-motivated husband?
HMLF: Bring him to the mosque or get your computer and tune into NOI.org on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. CST. You and your husband sit and watch and see what his reaction will be to the Word.
Q: When you first joined the Nation of Islam, what was the most difficult thing for you to give up eating in following “How To Eat To Live”?
HMLF: Once I knew what was not good for me, even though I liked it, I struggled with myself. I liked peanuts and coconut. When I learned that it was hard for my digestive system, I ultimately let it go. And you will also.
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Q: Peace! In Message To The Black Man, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said after him only God will come. What does that mean since you’re representing him?
HMLF: Well, after he finishes teaching us, we will all be God. Ye are all gods, children of the Most High God.
Q: Can you advise on the pain that adultery brings to the family?
HMLF: Adultery is considered by God and the prophets a mortal sin. Because it destroys the basic unit of civilization and the basic institution that produces that union, which is marriage and family. So under the Old Testament adultery was punished by death. Because it ultimately is a sin that kills the society.
Q: Please explain the wisdom in living 75 years, since the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said it takes 75 years to learn how to live. What does that mean?
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HMLF: The nature of the universe is that every creature submits to the law under which it is created. As human beings, we have the nature to submit but most of the time we rebel and, therefore, we like to test out our own thoughts and ideas on what God says and how God says we should live the life that He gave us. Sometimes we have to live 75 years to learn how we should have obeyed God from the beginning.
Q: Have you prepared a legacy plan? Will there be a successor chosen by you?
HMLF: I am sure there will be a successor and that successor will be chosen by God. I think nothing of legacy. I continue to do the work that has been placed upon my shoulder. And in so doing I am writing that legacy.
Q: Where do you see Africa in the next 10 years in terms of global economic growth?
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HMLF: Africa is suffering greatly at this moment. And it will continue to suffer until the power that destroyed Africa’s march toward true independence, toward true unity and brotherhood, is destroyed. And those European powers and America have made merchandise of Africa and manipulated its ignorance; their power will be destroyed within the next 10 years in war. Then Africa will be free to build a future for itself.
Q: What will become of Libya?
HMLF: The stage that Libya is going through is a transitional stage. Painful, bloody, great loss, but afterwards will come great gain because of the lessonslearned by rejecting a true leader and a true program that was designed to make Libya a light for all the Arab world and for all of Africa.
Q: I read that Elijah Muhammad told you that doing business robs him of the spirit
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so he would listen to your tapes. How can doing business affect the spirit? How do we guard against it?
HMLF: When we think of business, particularly the needs of an entire people– how to provide them with food, clothing, shelter, jobs, education–these things are very precise, mathematical, and the result sometimes robs us of the energy that the Spirit gives. So while the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was concentrating on the economic development of The Nation, setting a standard for our people, he allowed me the freedom to teach the Word, which He gained spirit from and it gave spirit to those who heard and believed in that Word.
Q: How important is the need for male com- radeship in the development of the male? Is brotherhood very important?
HMLF: Brotherhood today is essential to life itself. This is why the scriptures
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teach, “we can tell that we have passed from death into life because we love the brotherhood.”
Q: When did you realize The Messenger was talking about you when He had you do, “On This Man I Have Laid The Key”?
HMLF: I have been so very slow to see myself. In some sense that is good. But it has taken so long for me to realize that he was guiding me into the knowledge of who I am and what my role in life is to be. But I thank Allah for the time that it took because during that time, I’ve learned the great characteristics of humility and patience. Without these characteristics, fame and fortune and the adulations of the people might make one to think it is they rather than God working in and through them.
Q: Is staying in a marriage trying to make it work with an unbeliever a step backwards when you’re already separated?
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HMLF: The Prophet Lot stayed with his disbelieving wife until God ultimately separated them in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. If we love our children and our wives, maybe the more we study how to speak to them of truth, we can convince them. And they will become as we, believers. But if you cannot, then the Bible also teaches two will be lying in the bed and God will take one and leave one.
Q: I had a compelling desire to travel to learn and experience life outside of America, but I feel that by doing so, I will be neglecting my duty here, as a young F.O.I. What is your guidance on this?
HMLF: If your finances will allow you to travel, the Qur’an advises us to travel in the land to see what was the end of the rejectors. Without travel, our scope cannot be broadened. Follow your conscious. Do the best you can for your people. But at the same time develop the
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breath of your mind and your thinking. Travel helps to do that.
Q: In one of your lectures you said Bush was America’s last president, what does that mean since Obama is in office?
HMLF: RecentlyattheWhiteHousethere was the unveiling of the presidential portrait of George W. Bush. He said, “The first President was George W., and I am the last President whose picture is to be hung in the White House, George W.” If you notice, he is the last President because those that come after him, whether it is Pres. Obama or Mitt Romney, they’re all following the Bush policies that were given to him by the neoconservatives. That agenda will make Bush the last because it will bring America to its destruction.
Q: Will you all ever increase the price of the “Final Call,” considering our businesses’ expenses, cost of living, and inflation?
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HMLF: You’ve given us a very good idea. Thank you so much. Look for the increase. (smile)
Q: What are some key principles that should be taught to young parents giving birth in this time that we’re living in?
HMLF: This is a time when sexual pleasure is promoted by radio, television, songs, movies, etc. So young people get involved in sex before they understand the tremendous responsibility of the sexual act and what comes as a result of it. In one sense, the devil or enemy of God is doing this, but in another sense, God is permitting it because the enemy is finding ways to curtail the birthrate of Black and Brown. So, the pregnancies, even though unwanted, are producing children that soon, we will be the majority population in America as we are throughout the world.
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Q: What is your take on the theory of evolution?
HMLF: We believe that all things that God created starts from a tiny seed, a tiny life germ and evolved to what that life ultimately becomes. We are living in a universe that is constantly evolving. And so are we. This is the nature of this crea- tion.
Q: How do I balance my gift in music and in the ministry when I know Allah has given me both gifts as my purpose?
HMLF: First, I gave my all to my music. When I found the truth that would free our people, I gave my life to that truth. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked me to put aside my music even though I was using my music to promote the truth. And then before he departed, he permitted me to go back to do my music because now I was rooted in the spirit and music would not be a corrupting
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force in my life.
Q: Will the righteous be spared of death when natural disasters strike?
HMLF: Nothing will spare us ultimately from death. But our righteousness will get us through the dark hour of the collapse and fall of this world.
Q: Why did people fear to vandalize the Muslims’ properties in New York when you were the Minister there? I heard stories about you all.
HMLF: Muslims were feared because we did not tolerate the kind of things that people do to set at naught life, limb and business. So when people did things, that they expected to harm us, we gave them a “spanking”.
Q: What made Prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims so successful?
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HMLF: It was their complete faith and trust in Allah and their obedience to His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Q: I teach religious ethics. What is most important for my students to know about the Nation of Islam?
HMLF:That Islam means entire submission to do the Will of God. And the Nation of Islam is a group of people whose lives are dedicated to living the life dictated by the Will of God.
Q: Can you speak to the violence in Chicago?
HMLF: Unfortunately, the violence in Chicago and the violence in the major cities of America is fulfillment of that which will bring about a greater violence. Which will be God’s chastisement of us for rejecting the Truth and the way of life directed by the Truth. After the whipping, we’ll be a better people.
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Q: How did you all mobilize so effectively for the Million Man March without the technological advancements we have in 2012?
HMLF: I think it came at a time when Black men were longing for unity and change. And the idea that Allah (God) put on my heart was the right idea at the right time. And Black men from all different walks of life responded to that idea or call. Thus, the Million Man March became a reality and a watershed moment in Black life in America.
Q: Dear Minister, I’m writing for the Final Call Newspaper on Black Fatherhood. What is the state of Black Fatherhood–successes, challenges and solutions? Thank You.
HMLF: Every day should be a day that you honor mother. Every day should be a day that we honor father. The words in the Lord’s Prayer tell you what a real father is and what a real father does. Read it and you will see exactly what I am referring to.
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Q: Minister, I am doing a study on Master Fard and his parents. What was his mother’s name?
HMLF: Some in the early days called her “Babbigee”—it is an honorary title given to women of high rank and exaltation in the Caucasus Mountain area. We knew her by her honorary title “Babbigee.”
Q: How can one be assured that their motives for a good work are completely selfless?
HMLF: When we look deeply into why we say and do what we say or do, it will become clear whether we are properly motivated. The purer the motive, the greater the energy or spirit that will lead to greater success.
Q: I pray to follow Master Fard Muhammad’s father with raising my child away from “every” poisonous person, friends, brothers/ sisters and family. Advice?
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HMLF: Follow the guidance of God coming through The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. This is what I and hundreds of thousands are doing.
Q: How do you hold on to your faith and hope when so much is coming at you?
HMLF: The driving force of my life is my love for God, truth, our people and humanity. I rise above it to do my duty, seeking only the Favor of Allah.
Q: How do you know when you are fulfilling the purpose Allah has for you? Is purpose and gift the same?
HMLF: Look deep within yourself. There is no human being that the Creator did not bless with a gift from Himself. When you find what you love to do and what you do best, you have found your gift. Develop and use that gift for the Glory of God and the rest of our people and all humanity.
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Q: As a student, I’m very stressed out regarding my amount of school work. Any suggestions on how to deal with stress?
HMLF: Stress usually comes with duty and obligation. When we fail in duty and fail to fulfill obligations it produces stress. Having the sure knowledge that regardless of any temporary setback, we will be the winner removes stress of any situation.
Q: What is the greatest gap between you and those who follow you? How can we close it in the shortest time?
HMLF: When we’re following someone, we should put our foot down where they put their foot. And not let too much distance build up between where the leader steps and our attempt to follow. Jesus never told the people to worship him, but he did require us to follow him.
Q: How do you feel about being a fraud and
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being found out and nobody cares about the Nation of Islam anymore?
HMLF: You don’t have to worry about frauds because they usually end up in the dustbin of history. In time you will see that the real God is represented by the Nation of Islam and its leadership.
Q: I’m very curious about your perspective on Malcolm X. What are your views about him?
HMLF: All that I know of Brother Malcolm’s work ethic, he was a dedicated, committed, sincere, hardworking minister of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He was never lazy.
Q: What is the difference between trial and chastisement? Which is most beneficial? Can you learn from both?
HMLF: A trial and chastisement can be beneficial. Trials manifest to us our
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weaknesses and our strengths. If we correct the manifested weakness, we have benefitted. Chastisement is apunishment for something done that has earned it. If the chastisement effects change and makes us forsake the path of error, then we benefit from it.
Q: What makes a movement stronger: its leaders, its followers or its cause?
HMLF: The righteousness of a cause, articulated by a leader who lives for that cause, produces followers who are committed. Without the cause, leadership is of no value.
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