The Teachings 2.0:
Twitter Sayings
of
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan VOLUME 2
Compiled By: Jesse Muhammad
The Teachings 2.0:
Twitter Sayings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Volume 2
Copyright © 2019 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 Catalog Card Number: 2015945502 (Paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-929594-07-8 (E-Book Format) ISBN-13:978-1-929594-10-8
Printed in the United States of America
Transcribing & Editing by: Nubian L. Muhammad Proofreading by: Shareefah Muhammad & Ebony S. Muhammad
Cover & Layout Design by: Jahleel Muhammad Cover Photo by: Hannibal Muhammad
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction - ‘On The Witness Stand II: The Work Ethic of Farrakhan’..............................................................................i
1 -Religion & Spirituality...........................................................1 2 -Health & Wellness.............................................................71 3 -Marriage and Family..........................................................81 4 -Youth................................................................................99 5 -Education & Leadership..................................................109 6 -Business Economics.......................................................143 7 -Social, Politics & World Affairs........................................153 8 -Arts & Culture.................................................................189 9 -Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam...........197
INTRODUCTION
~On The Witness Stand II: The Work Ethic of Farrakhan~
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”—John 17:13, New International Version
The comments are constantly streaming in from many parts of the world. People are still reacting with excitement to having received a response to their questions on Twitter from The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. It was 2012, and by this time it had been over a year since Minister Farrakhan joined the social media realm. He was no longer answering a few questions per month; rather, he started consistently tackling hundreds within a span of a week without fatigue or complaint.
The feedback he has received from his Twitter followers only further fuels his eagerness to share more of The Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad with those hungering for knowledge, wisdom and understanding. It brings him joy to feed the people and raise them one degree higher in consciousness.
Being blessed to assist him in this capacity has afforded me the unbelievable blessing of witnessing something about him that I believe should be a case study for all schools of thought: His Work Ethic.
Minister Farrakhan is a master of time, and doesn’t believe in
The Teachings 2.0 i
wasting it in frivolity. Every time I’ve been on the phone with him these past few years he has been completely focused on those things that are relevant to his mission. He is driven by love. He doesn’t sleep much. On many occasions I have been on the phone with him regarding mission related business, as early as 5 a.m. and as late as midnight. To just be in the same room with Minister Farrakhan is an absolute blessing that should not be taken for granted—even if he doesn’t say a word to you; it is not a lightweight matter. And any of us who have been granted such access, no matter how short the moment, should consider ourselves extremely blessed by Allah (God), for his aura alone will make you to know you’re in the presence of someone who is not trapped by the gravitational pull of this wicked world but of one who is operating on a higher plane. It’s not spookism, it’s the spiritual wattage generated by the congruency of his words and what he practices. I am a witness that this man is the same in private as he is in public: Honorable.
***
On September 26, 2012, Minister Farrakhan hosted a historic #AskFarrakhan social media townhall meeting that was broadcasted to the world live from The Final Call Administration Building in Chicago, Illinois. Minister Farrakhan answered questions for two hours from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube users, the questions reflecting geographic diversity and covering topics including the then-presidential race, youth, education, foreign affairs, media, religion, hip-hop, etc. The town hall meeting was an effort by Minister Farrakhan to use social media platforms to continue his mission in giving timely guidance.
ii Minister Louis Farrakhan
Nearly 700 questions were submitted from people across the globe! However, Minister Farrakhan was only able to answer 35 of them within the allotted time. At the conclusion of the program, he promised that he would not rest until he answered every single question...
“...Well, I usually answer 75-80 in an hour-and-a-half, because you’re ‘tweeting,’ so you don’t make long answers. But, I want to say to all of you that sent questions [that] I will not rest until every question that you asked: You’ll get an answer.”
When he stated that, I was in the balcony of The Final Call Building thinking to myself, “Oh Allah!”—because when Minister Farrakhan says he is going to do something, without a doubt he intends to do it. His word IS bond.
When I came down from the balcony to greet Minister Farrakhan, along with others in the audience, I told him: “Congratulations Brother Minister on a successful historic social media townhall.” He replied to me, with that bright smile and a slight chuckle: “No, congratulations to you, because you have a lot of work headed your way.” I knew he was talking about tackling those hundreds of remaining questions. “What a dedicated man!” I thought to myself as his security team escorted him out of the building.
I had no idea that moment would lead to an intimate one-on-one experience with Minister Farrakhan that I feel obligated to share with the readers of this book.
***
The Teachings 2.0 iii
In late December 2012, I was surprised, honored and nervous to be invited by Minister Farrakhan to his farmland in Michigan. It’s affectionately called “The Farm.” I would be there along with members of the Nation of Islam Executive Council, as well as his research team—brothers whom I have admired for years because of their dedicated service to Minister Farrakhan, our Nation and people. I honestly had no idea why I was invited; I didn’t feel worthy, but I knew I would soak up every millisecond I could because I was about to be in his presence.
For consecutive days, we would have a series of meetings with Minister Farrakhan at The Farm. This was my first time witnessing his work ethic up close and personal, and it was during these moments that I realized this is a man specially prepared to do what he has been doing.
I marveled at how vibrant Minister Farrakhan would be for 6-7 straight hours, seeming not to tire. He’s teaching, smiling, delegating, questioning, and always connecting everything back to what he has learned from the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Although he was in charge, I observed how he would sincerely listen to everyone’s opinions and thoughts, making everyone genuinely feel their contribution was important. We would meet for so long and I hardly ever heard him say, “Let’s take a break”; and whenever we did, the break probably lasted no more than 10 or 15 minutes. At the close of every meeting, Minister Farrakhan would be just as jubilant, sharp and focused as he was when the meeting started early that morning.
At the end of what was scheduled to be our final
iv Minister Louis Farrakhan
meeting day with him, he walked over to me and said:
“Brother Jesse, I want you to take an extra day because I want to put a dent in those hundreds of questions from the #AskFarrakhan Townhall.”
I replied, “Yes sir! I am honored to serve.” He told me to arrive back at The Farm the next day for an 8:00 a.m. meeting. That next morning it was storming so hard you could barely see out of the front windshield, but we arrived at The Farm around 7:30 a.m. One of the brothers in the vehicle said, “The Minister may be running a little late due to this horrendous rain,” and I thought to myself, “I doubt that. I’ve never known The Minister to be late.” About 10 minutes later, I could see a silhouette walking inside the front area of The Farm’s main residence. I could tell by the shape of the head that it was The Minister.
[No... Me knowing the shape of his head does not make me a “personality worshipper”—but we’re trained to pay attention to detail. (Smile)]
I said, “Brothers, I think that’s The Minister.” They didn’t agree it was him. Then I could see the silhouette putting on a coat. Again, I stated that I felt it was him about to come out the door. They disagreed again. The rain picks up. The door opens. An umbrella is erected. Guess whose smiling rosy cheeks we saw? The Minister! We rush out of the car, barely remembering to grab umbrellas for ourselves. When we reached where he was standing, he said: “You ready, Brother
The Teachings 2.0 v
Jesse? I didn’t want to be late for our meeting.”
I thought to myself, “Look at this man. Won’t even be late on his own property, and will not even let a rain storm stop him from his work.” With a fast walking pace, he led us down the sidewalk to a smaller residence on the property. Once inside I immediately set up my laptop and audio recorder because I could tell by his demeanor that he wasn’t playing around. He dismissed everyone else, and looked over at me right at 7:59 a.m. and said: “Let’s get this work in brother.”
For nearly nine consecutive hours I watched Minister Farrakhan field nearly 300 questions as I read them from the list compiled from the #AskFarrakhan social media townhall. The electricity in the room was divine... The more questions he answered, the more he would say, “I love feeding the people brother. Let’s keep going.”
At times when he would answer a question, he would even pause and say, “Oh brother, did you just hear what Allah gave me to give that individual? Thank you Allah for using me as your vessel to feed the people.”
He was in a spiritual zone. And the only time he mentioned taking a break was after he had been teaching hard for seven hours straight! He said, “Well brother, guess we’ll take a little break...”— and little a break it was, because he gave me 10 minutes. But out of those 10 minutes, he was sharing wisdom with me in such a way that my mind never truly relaxed. Then precisely when the 10 minutes was up, he said firmly, “Let’s get back to work.”
vi Minister Louis Farrakhan
He was no ways tired. I was honestly fatigued from a mental overload. This was a lot to witness, consume and be in the presence of. Not only was he answering the questions, he was dealing with issues being brought to him by those who would be knocking on the door or calling on the phone. The interruptions continued, so after nearly nine hours he said, “Well, Brother Jesse, I guess we’ll stop there and pick back up at a later date.” He then granted me the opportunity to ask him a question, “Brother Minister, you would’ve answered all of these questions today, huh?”
He replied: “You know your Minister, then. If I can get something done, I don’t believe in wasting time. I have a lot to do so I don’t believe in procrastinating. That’s the problem with you all: You all waste too much time and procrastinate too much. Stop wasting time! If you can get it done, get it done right away.”
I thanked him for that much needed guidance. He then invited me to have dinner with him, so we headed back to the main residence. Before dinner was served, he stated that he wanted me to listen to some of the songs on his forthcoming album, and he led me to a covered deck area that has a beautiful view of the farmland.
Regarding a particular chair, he said that it was one of the chairs he loves to relax in; however, I couldn’t help but notice that the leg rest of the cozy chair was stacked high that day with paperwork, books, binders and mail. I thought to myself as I got teary-eyed, “Even this beautiful man’s relaxation chair is surrounded by work. This is a man in love with us.
The Teachings 2.0 vii
***
In the Bible, the question is asked by the disciples regarding Jesus: “What manner of man is this?” After this experience at The Farm with Minister Farrakhan, I found myself thinking the same thing of him. It’s fitting, because he is The Jesus in our midst. And even on social media, people marvel at his responses and confess to being saved by the divine guidance that has their cup running over.
No question is off limits to him; he doesn’t shy away from responding to anyone, even his opposition who are spewing vile language at him on a daily basis. This access, via social media, to Minister Farrakhan is extremely dangerous to those who desire to keep him caged inside of “the prison without walls” that has been erected by mainstream media and those who fear people flocking to the truth that he represents.
Social media is an extension of his mission: The resurrection of the mentally and spiritually dead.
It is critical to reiterate that Minister Farrakhan never wanted to know any of the questions in this book in advance. He is always eager to see how Allah will use him as His mouthpiece to raise the consciousness of the questioner and those who will read his responses. People on social media marvel at the explosive divine wisdom contained in every single answer!
There is no one on social media answering questions and impacting people the way Minister Farrakhan is doing. There is no one on social media giving answers like this, on a plethora of subjects, with such depth, insight and foresight in 140 characters
viii Minister Louis Farrakhan
or more. After reading these responses, how is there any denying that he is the True Representative of The Great Mahdi, Master Fard Muhammad, and The Exalted and Living Christ, The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad?
The volumes of The Teachings 2.0 allow the reader further access into the humble heart and spirit of a man who is absolutely in love with what he is doing.
Jesse Muhammad September 1, 2018
The Teachings 2.0 ix
14 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan answered the following questions via Twitter and Facebook between May 2012 and December 2012.
Religion & Spirituality
The Teachings 2.0 1
Religion & Spirituality
Q: How can it be proven that 75 percent of reform is with the woman, and how should we be held accountable?
HMLF: As three quarters (75 percent) of the Earth’s surface is water, and all life comes up out of water, three quarters (75 percent) of the work of resurrecting the human being from the blinding touch of Satan is with the woman out of whom all human life comes. Where there are no decent women, there are no decent men; this does put a heavy load on women, but not more than she is able to bear. The Bible teaches, “a wise child maketh a glad father but a foolish child is the heaviness of his mother”—and Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the greatest example of purified womanhood. Every woman has the potential to be like Mary:
2 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
To produce an offspring like Jesus, and to make a brand new civilization and a world that will have no end.
Q: What do you think Jewish Zionism’s impact has had, and how can it be halted?
HMLF: All false ideas and concepts are only destroyed by the presence of truth and those willing to sacrifice for the establishment of that truth. Zionism, as it is being exemplified and taught, is false, for it is rooted in a false idea that those who call themselves Jews are the chosen of God. Read Revelations 2:9 and Revelations 3:9. Dig deep for its truth.
Q: Why is it necessary for God to take us through trials and tribulations to elevate
The Teachings 2.0 3
us?
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: The Holy Qur’an teaches that God created the human being to struggle and also to face difficulty. It isthrough the natural struggle of life, and it is through facing the difficulties that come with life, that we learn ourselves and our gifts. What is within is brought out through these trials, and in that we become The Glory of God.
Q: Is ‘forgiveness’ a liberating characteristic? And how can I truly learn to forgive?
HMLF: Peter asked Jesus, “How often shall I forgive?” and Jesus said, “Seventy times seven times,” which represents infinity. We are a people
4 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
that have been destroyed, and we do lots of evil to self and each other, so in order to raise us up we must learn how to forgive. Learning to forgive is a liberating characteristic—but never think that forgiving removes the consequence of evil. You can forgive, but the law of justice requires that “as a man soweth the same shall he also reap.” I have read in The Qur’an where Allah, speaking to His Messenger, said, “You may forgive, but I will never forgive”; that tells us that there is some evil that people do that demands punishment. And although we may not be able to punish, God says “in that day, vengeance is Mine.” That is the balance.
Q: How do I grow to think and act like a God?
The Teachings 2.0 5
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: In the scriptures it teaches, “My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. I am from above while you are from beneath.” This tells us that we all can rise up into The Thinking of God. God’s Presence in the world declares that He is offering to us His Mind, His Thinking, His Way, and if we rise up into His Thinking and follow His Way, we will become reflections of Him.
Q: With all the religious manipulation by governments and wealthy people, why do you still think any of the religions are valid?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said: “Every religion has something good in it, but what we needtoday is a religion that is ‘all good’.”
6 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
Q: I am a new M.G.T. having problems with some of my family; they are Christian. Any suggestions?
HMLF: All of your family members mean well; they believe when you become a Muslim that you have “leftJesus Christ”—nothing could be further from the truth. So, you be the good example that you’re being taught, and they will see not only true Islam, they’ll see true Christianity in practice.
Q: What was the point in Allah creating opposition to Himself? Did He need it?
HMLF: To make an enemy to self from self is to give us the greatest possible knowledge of “self”; that, we can forever rid self of the potential of becoming an
The Teachings 2.0 7
Religion & Spirituality
enemy to God and to ourselves.
Q: How do we know we are on ‘the Divine path of Allah’? Is there a certain path that we would know to walk?
HMLF: The Path of God is not an easy road... But when you know you are on The Path of God, your trial, your tribulation, even your persecution for walking the path: Under all of that, you are at peace.
Q: What is the proper way to address young unwed mothers in the mosque? They are often unfairly judged.
HMLF: We will inspire them by not putting on the robe of judgment that belongs only to God. The scripture
8 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
teaches, “Judge not lest you be in danger of judgment”—and who of us is holy enough to judge others for their apparent weaknesses?
Q: Do you ever listen to or support, or welcome dialogue with the Hebrew Israelites?
HMLF: I have great respect for the Hebrew Israelites, both those that are here in America and those that are in Israel.
Q: Is our passion directly related to the purpose in which we are created?
HMLF: I like the way you asked the question; because, when you’ve discovered your purpose, the passion to
The Teachings 2.0 9
Religion & Spirituality
fulfill it is what drives you. The passion of fulfilling my purpose in life is what is driving me to continue until God says “Come in.”
Q: What is the difference in ‘there is no compulsion in religion’ versus requirements in religion for a believer in Allah (God)?
HMLF: Once you believe in God there are requirements that are compulsory; but, we have no right to compel someone to belong to what faith we belong to. The Holy Qur’an says “there is no compulsion in religion—the right way is clearly distinct from error.”
Q: I am new to the life of Islam, and I wanted to know how can I become better at walking in the light and gaining more knowledge?
10 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: Increase your strength to walk by the knowledge that you are gaining. And every day you will be tried, but you will overcome, and get stronger in the light and the life of truth.
Q: What motivated Pharaoh’s daughter to take up Moses, a Hebrew baby, and rear him (in your belief)?
HMLF: She was predestined to do exactly what she did. Some of us are born to do certain things in life, and, at the right time under the right circumstances, we act. And sometimes we don’t know where that act came from; but the longer we keep on doing, we begin to see our footsteps were guided by God.
The Teachings 2.0 11
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Does Allah’s forgiveness ever run out?
HMLF: Well, He is so patient and loving that His Mercy and His Forgiveness, for those whom He loves, is as infinite as His Power.
Q: Why is it still difficult for Black people to see the truth when it is obvious today?
HMLF: God had to break the wealth of Pharaoh to turn His people toward accepting the guidance of Moses and Aaron. So it is today.
Q: Matthew 12:40 speaks of the Son of Man ‘three days in the heart of earth’. What or where is ‘the heart of the earth’?
HMLF: America is the center of all 12 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
that is going on in the Earth; Detroit was the center of America’s power, when General Motors, Ford and Chrysler were the largest employers of people—and it is in that place (Detroit) the Son of Man would come from the East to the West to seek and to save that which was lost.
Q: Does giving correction mean one is being judgmental? What is the difference?
HMLF: Correction only comes after a judgment of being incorrect is made. We do not punish our children unless they do something that we feel needs to be corrected; however, we are warned to be careful, because the judgment by which we judge will come back to also judge us. All of us need to be corrected. The standard by which we are corrected is
The Teachings 2.0 13
Religion & Spirituality
the moral teachings sent down by God and His prophets.
Q: If we pray without ceasing, are we being impatient? Where’s balance in faith and patience?
HMLF: Without faith one cannot have patience: When God speaks, His Word doesn’t come to fruition immediately after He speaks it; so, our faith in God and faith in His Word will give us the patience to suffer what we must suffer to see the fruition of His Promise. Prayer without ceasing only means stay in the remembrance of God, for as it is written, “Surely the remembrance of Allah is the greatest force against the doing of evil.”
Q: What is the definition of a true friend?
14 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: One cannot be a friend of man until and unless we become a friend of God, and you cannot be a friend of God until we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Then the scripture teaches, “Greater love has no man that he lay down his life for his friend.”
Q: Please tell us how does one recognize Divine revelation?
HMLF: Revelation is that which comes to reveal what was not in the world before, so God communicates to the heart of the people when they hear Divine revelation. And some immediately believe, and follow; with others, it just takes time.
The Teachings 2.0 15
Religion & Spirituality
Q: What is the quality that makes God forgive when everyone else would be quick to condemn?
HMLF: The Qur’an gives us The 99 Attributes of God, and the major attributes are His Mercy, His Oft-Returning to Mercy, and His Forgiveness—that is what makes Him Who He is. This is why we should try to be as forgiving of one another as we seek forgiveness from God for our many transgressions.
Q: I’ve seen many Christian churches here in South Los Angeles that say “friends of Israel.” Why is that? What’s the connection?
HMLF: It is written in the scriptures that “those who befriend Israel, God would befriend them.” The sad thing is
16 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
that these pastors believe that Israel in The Middle East is The Israel that God is referring to. No! It is we, The Children of Israel—the suffering ones that have had 400 years of bondage in America: Those who befriend us, God will befriend! We are the TRUE Children of Israel.
Q: How do you find out what your purpose is in life (or in the Nation of Islam)?
HMLF: Paul talks, in his writing, about the human body’s many different organs and each having their purpose, but the one purpose of all of these organs is to sustain and maintain the life of that major organism (human body). Find your place by finding your purpose. When you carry out your purpose in an organizational structure, you will strengthen the
The Teachings 2.0 17
Religion & Spirituality
organization and continue it in health to do the objective of that organization.
Q: Why are hard trials necessary to establish truth when Allah already knows the heart?
HMLF: To purify the heart that He knows.
Q: In Revelations 2:4 there are four different ‘churches’. Does that mean four kinds of ‘believers’?
HMLF: It is teaching the church, or the true believers in Christ, of the things that they would suffer in this world to be the cornerstone of a new world; so they are told constantly to those who overcome that this new world will be their great reward. We must, as servants of God and
18 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
followers of His Christ, endure Satan’s onslaught at the end of his time, for he knows his time is up. The true followers of Christ will have to suffer... And that is why the scriptures teach the race is not to the swift, nor the strong, but to those who can ENDURE till the end.
Q: How can I purify my motives when my motives have been compromised by anger and evil behavior?
HMLF: Look deeply into why you are angry. Study Cain, and his anger against God and God’s instruction to him: God asked questions of him that I am asking of you... Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? When you look at “why” you are angry at yourself, then you must make the right choices so that
The Teachings 2.0 19
Religion & Spirituality
you can become pleased with yourself. Then when you are pleased with yourself, your nature will be in agreement with the rightness of your actions; and God, too, will be pleased with you.
Q: In the intro of Surah 36, it is said that man can attain perfection through contact with Muhammad. How so?
HMLF: I would not say it exactly like that; that is a footnote from a scholar (interpreting the scripture). But when you know Muhammad, The Muhammad that is the end or seal of the Prophets, you will meet Jesus The Messiah. And when you meet The Muhammad who sealed up the works of the prophets by fulfillingeverything, then you will be in a process that will lead to the ultimate perfection
20 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
of man. The words of Jesus are, “Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect”—so once he uttered those words, the process toward perfection had begun.
Q: I make an effort to give out of love with ‘no strings attached’, but it seems so easy to be selfish! Why?
HMLF: To love God, as the scripture teaches, “with all our heart, soul, mind and strength” will ultimately make us selfless. And once we become empty of the drive of the ego, then God can come into us; and then your body becomes the real House of The Living God.
Q: How did you achieve such a close and personal relationship with God?
The Teachings 2.0 21
Religion & Spirituality
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: In San Diego, you said all human beings have the same nature—and you included Caucasians (ref. May 26, 2012 address ‘Message To San Diego Leadership’). Can you please clarify?
HMLF: Well I think if you go back and listen to it, I said “The Qur’an says all human beings have The Nature of God except the rebellious devil”—that is more correct than “all human beings
22 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
have the same nature,” for I would be contradicting the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad if I said that. We all don’t have the same nature; that is why we have some that are made enemies of others.
Q: Is it wrong for us to accept awards when people want to acknowledge us?
HMLF: No, it is not wrong for us to accept awards, but what would be wrong is if we accepted the praise as though all of the praise for the good that we do belongs to ourselves. All praise belongs to Allah; so accept the honor, but give the praise to God.
Q: How can we tell when we got something that was sent from Allah and not the devil?
The Teachings 2.0 23
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: Whatever comes from the devil has with it a string attached that causes you to compromise something of a righteous principle. Whatever comes from God is free of that kind of string that will cause you to compromise your righteousness to attain it.
Q: What is it to be ‘human’?
HMLF: A human is the developed being that has mastered the flesh that comes from the Earth. Once you become human, truly human, you are no longer enslaved by the body that your humanity demonstrates itself through. There are very few human beings on the Earth... That is why the Book of Revelation closes with “four great beasts,” and the
24 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
people have the mark of the beast in their forehead and in their hands. The Coming of Christ is to pull us up out of bestial demonic conduct, and not only give us mastery over the flesh but to reach into that flesh to feed the divine essence that is in the flesh so we become part of God Himself: The “sons and daughters” of God.
Q: How do you deal with backbiting people?
HMLF: I listen to what they say, and if I in my own studies of myself agree with their criticism, I thank them. But if they lie, and if they make up things to create an illusion in the mind of the public concerning me, I know that truth will come ultimately, and vanish falsehood. I will be vindicated whether I am alive to see it or not, because Allah is my Patron.
The Teachings 2.0 25
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Is it still necessary to practice religious rituals after we have adopted the principle the ritual symbolizes?
HMLF: Practicing the ritual is a reminder of the principle.
Q: Why are there so many religions?
HMLF: God is One, His prophetic community is also one, and The Religion of God is One. We are taught in The Qur’an that the people did not become divided until after revelation or knowledge came to them, splitting up their religion into sects and parties; in the Bible, God says He is not the author of confusion but of peace. So, Satan is the architect of all of this confusion. All
26 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
must submit to The True Religion of God which is entire submission to His Will.
Q: How do we evolve towards God in the midst of pain and uncertainty?
HMLF: It was pain of your blessed mother that brought you into this universe of light. You also experienced pain in forging your way through the birth canal. Pain usually leads to growth, development, and evolutionary change.
Q: On other planets, such as Mars, is Islam needed there? Or do they just live by way of life?
HMLF: Islam is The Nature of God and The Nature of His Creation: If there is life on Mars, and there is, Islam is there
The Teachings 2.0 27
Religion & Spirituality
in the life that they live. Islam has always been since God created Himself.
Q: What’s your opinion on the similarities of the Egyptian god Horus and the Prophet Isa?
HMLF: Prophets comes in the absence of God to bring us guidance from God. In our ancient history: We did not have prophets beyond the 6,000TH year of the presence of the new man (Caucasian) on our planet—we’ve always referred to ourselves as God. But since we are a long way from what we once were, then prophets come from God to guide us back to our original state. And this is why David said, “Ye are all gods, children of The Most High God.”
28 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Why are humans eating other humans in this day and time?
HMLF: Not quite yet human.... That’s why the Book of Revelation closes talking about the four beasts, and that the people had the mark of the beast in their forehead and in their hands.
Q: Minister, how can we do that (unify) when it is difficult to get along?
HMLF: If you read the 37th Chapter of Ezekiel: The dry bones in the valley needed not only The Word, but the whipping winds. We have had many great teachers to teach His good words; but now, the whipping winds are not only at our door—they are inside our house. And these winds will make us to know
The Teachings 2.0 29
Religion & Spirituality
how much we need each other, and it will whip us into submission to The Word; and as the Book teaches, “we will stand up an exceedingly great ARMY.”
Q: In your vision of a new nation to come, will Black Christians be allowed alongside Muslims?
HMLF: There will not be any distinction between Christian and Muslim in the new nation to come, for the new nation is The Kingdom of God—and the only thing that will separate us is our unwillingness to submit our will to do His.
Q: What do you think is preventing other Black religious/social/political groups from accepting the methodology of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad?
30 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: Many are practicing the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad behind closed doors, as well they should. Others reject it because they disbelieve; and others accept it, but won’t say it because they are afraid.
Q: Is it possible for a man to be about ‘Black progression’ if he chooses to not be Muslim?
HMLF: You already are a Muslim: All it means is that the nature in which God created you is to submit to His Will. You can choose to follow whatever you want, but ultimately not submitting to His Will brings about consequences. Of course your help is welcomed, whether you admit to being a Muslim or not.
The Teachings 2.0 31
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Brother Minster, is it too late to save our people from destruction?
HMLF: It is written in the Bible and Qur’an that no one knows the hour of destruction but Allah (God). And as long as that destruction has not come, then we should work as hard as we can to save our people.
Q: Why does the month of Ramadan always shift?
HMLF: The calendar of Islam is a lunar calendar. The Gregorian calendar remains the same, but the months in a lunar calendar changes. The Asiatic world follows more the lunar calendar.
32 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
Q: What is a prayer that should be said for a person who wants to regain belief in God, like myself?
HMLF: Ask God for His guidance and assurance to you that He exists. After making such a prayer, don’t doubt that you will get the answer.
Q: Someone said whenever I have a question I should open The Qur’an and the first thing I read is my ‘answer’. Is that true, Sir?
HMLF: I have never heard the Honorable Elijah Muhammad say that. However, what a blessing it is to open The Qur’an and read a conversation with God to His Messenger Muhammad! Surely in reading The Qur’an you will find answers to that which you seek.
The Teachings 2.0 33
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Do you think that the Islamic science of ‘Sufism’ can benefit the students of Elijah Muhammad?
HMLF: All true knowledge can benefit any student who seeks it.
Q: Who is ‘The Morning Star’ that is talked about in scripture?
HMLF: The Morning Star appears just before the dawn, and leads us up into the light of the sun, and gets absorbed in the light of the sun. The scriptures teach that “Elijah must come first”—and he, Elijah, is “The Morning Star” that leads us into The Manifestation of The Messiah (Al-Masih) and The Mahdi (Al-Mahdi).
Q: Do you believe that all of the new
34 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
technology makes us take advantage of what God created, or makes it harder for us to believe in Him?
HMLF: New technology makes it easier for us to believe in God, for all the physical manifestations of sight and hearing are but signs of The Great Power of Man in God—that you can see and hear. When the mind is clean, and the thoughts are pure, we can see without television, and we can hear with telephone.
Q: According to what you have lived and seen all of your years, can you define happiness?
HMLF: When The Declaration of Independence talks about life, liberty and
The Teachings 2.0 35
Religion & Spirituality
the pursuit of happiness. Each person’s happiness may not be the same, but ultimate happiness is the fulfillment of one’s purpose for existence. I am happy doing The Will of God in serving the rise of our people.
Q: We are in the Day of Separation, so how do we distinguish who and what we should separate ourselves from?
HMLF: As you study the scripture you will find that the more righteous we become, the more we will separate ourselves from unrighteousness and those who practice unrighteousness. It is a natural separation. As the old saying goes, “birds of a feather flock together.”
Q: Can you help me understand the Sabbath
36 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
as mentioned in the Bible and The Qur’an?
HMLF: The Sabbath is not an actual 24-hour day; it is honored that way by Christians and Jews in commemoration of what that 24-hour day is a sign of. The scripture teaches, “a day with The Lord is as a thousand years.” The Enemy of God was given 6,000 years to exercise sway over the people of the planet, but in the 7,000th year, which is now, the scripture is being fulfilled that teaches “God’s Coming is after The Working of Satan.” We are in The Sabbath Day as you ask and I answer.
Q: How do I gain patience? And where do I look to find it?
HMLF: Like all virtues, patience The Teachings 2.0 37
Religion & Spirituality
begins with yourself. You are not born with it, we have to acquire it. The greater your ability to love, the greater your patience to see and work for the evolution of that which you love; and that is why Paul in 1st Corinthians 13:4 writes: “Love is patient, love is kind, love is long-suffering.” Our growth into that kind of love will bring in its wake the patience that we seek.
Q: What if you discover your gift and have no opportunities to use it because of financial difficulties?
HMLF: There will always be an opportunity for one to use his or her gift— money should never be an impediment. The young girl (Gabrielle Douglas) who won the Olympics in gymnastics had a
38 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
gift. She had a mother that cared. And because she practiced her gift, under trying circumstances, she ultimately found a sponsor, and now she is a world champion, an Olympic champion. In this is a principle: Do what your gift is, and leave the rest to Him Who gave you the gift to open the way for you to expand and exploit your gift for the joy of yourself and others.
Q: Can you please explain the expression ‘May Allah be pleased with him or her,’ that is said once a person passes away?
HMLF: This is said because judgment of every human being is in the Hands of God. So when one has passed on, and we say “May Allah be pleased with him,” we mean: May the good of his life, or
The Teachings 2.0 39
Religion & Spirituality
her life, outweigh anything he or she has done that is not so good, that God may be pleased with them.
Q: Who do you believe Allah asked Abraham to sacrifice: Isaac or Ishmael? Many religions disagree on his identity.
HMLF: The Qur’an, which is a verifier of the truth of the Bible, said that it was Ishmael that Allah (God) asked Abraham to sacrifice. But God’s Covenant was not only with Ishmael—it was also with Isaac.
Q: Do you think it’s true that Jesus had a wife?
HMLF: I know the modern Jesus does.
40 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Exactly how and why does prayer work?
HMLF: Prayer works when the heart of the one who is calling on God is sincere and trusting, and believes; touching the innermost desires of the human being— The God is anxious to fulfill it! Every creature that looks for food, finds it; so God has created a means of subsistence for every living thing. And the same way other creatures are made satisfied by food, clothing and shelter so will we be satisfied with these basic necessities of life, and further, to find and fulfill our purpose in life.
Q: Is it true that as Muslims we shouldn’t have our organs donated after death?
The Teachings 2.0 41
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: I have not heard my Teacher speak on that, nor under my present understanding of The Qur’an do I submit to that. If one, in death, wants to donate an organ to help to give life to someone else to extend their life, for example to use their cornea to give sight to the blind, why should we not do so—especially if in the end the organs return to the Earth to ultimately be transformed into new forms of life? Whether we offer before death or after, the result is the same: It all returns to the Earth.
Q: How is there so little understanding of the Bible when so many copies have been sold over the years?
HMLF: The Bible is a book that has been translated out of its original tongue
42 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
by order of King James and skilled poets, so the language of the Bible is metaphorical in nature. Also, it is using the laws of nature and fields of study (weather, agriculture, botany, zoology, chemistry)—all of these are used in scriptural language, so that it would take God Himself to unravel the meanings of these scriptures. And God has come and begun the process of unraveling the meaning of both Bible and Qur’an, and we are blessed to have a man in the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that God has taught the meaning of these things. And he is teaching me, that I may teach you.
Q: What are your thoughts on cremation? And with the rising cost of burials, is cremation really an option for spiritual
The Teachings 2.0 43
Religion & Spirituality
people?
HMLF: As Muslims, we have never believed that fire is the end of a righteous person’s life, though we may well be caught up in a fire (spiritually); but, that is a personal decision for the individual or the family. But as for us, as Muslims: We try to put our body to the Earth that the Earth may reclaim exactly what it has given, even though ashes still come back to the Earth as well.
Q: Sir, without disproving other religions, can you say with 100 percent certainty that Islam is ‘the true religion’?
HMLF: That is what Allah declares in the Holy Qur’an, in Surah 3, verse 19: “Surely the true religion with Allah
44 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
is Islam.” And Islam is submission to The Will of God—there is no better religion; and that is the religion of all of the prophets (to surrender their will to do The Will of God). Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad: Not one of them did not submit their will to do The Will of God! And that is the only religion that will be accepted in The Hereafter; it is entire submission to The Will of God.
Q: I am from Mexico, where Mexicans are Christian, Catholic and non-Catholic people, and those that aren’t are atheists. You represent a religion that does not believe in Jesus. How do you expect us to listen to you and give credence to your words?
HMLF: There are 1.6 billion Muslims on our planet, and there is not one
The Teachings 2.0 45
Religion & Spirituality
who does not believe in Jesus. How come all Muslims believe in Jesus and Christians know nothing of Muhammad? In Mexico, you will find that the people who believe in Jesus need to really grow into understanding Jesus, and then they can reverse the pitifully poor condition of mass Christians. May God bless you to study The Qur’an, which is the Book of Scripture of the Muslims, and you will see how much we believe in Jesus.
Q: Why is the Muslim woman treated as an inferior and denied her rights to decide and choose, as the women of other religions?
HMLF: The Muslim woman is not denied a right to choose. Choose what? Choose a husband? Choose a profession? Choose the way we live our
46 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
lives? God has chosen a way for male and female to live our lives according to His Will—you will find it clearly written in the Bible, as well as in The Qur’an. The question is, Do we choose to live the way that God has instructed us to live? Or are we like Adam, in rebellion against The Will of God? Free will is up to us; we have to choose either to obey God, or to disobey.
Q: I hear a lot about the year 2012 being the end of the world, and all of these different prophecies. What is your perspective on the world coming to an end?
HMLF: Well, we are in the ending of the present world; its power and authority to exercise itself over the people of our planet. But 2012 is not the actual end,
The Teachings 2.0 47
Religion & Spirituality
it is the process that is going on as we speak. But soon, and very soon, the powers that exercise stewardship over institutions, over people, will soon be out of power, and new government, new rulers, will be placed in authority by God who will rule according to His Will.
Q: Why does the Holy Qur’an deny the crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ, while in the four gospels it clearly describes Jesus Christ as ‘crucified’ and ‘resurrected’?
HMLF: The Holy Qur’an tells us that he was made to appear as dead, but he escaped the plot of crucifixion. The Qur’an is a verifier of the truth of the Bible. Crucifixion means many things; and if we had time, we could go deeply into the meaning of crucifixion, and how
48 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
he suffered what is called crucifixion. However, there are lectures I have given on that subject that you can get and study (e.g. “Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Praise His Holy Name” delivered April 20, 1997 and “This Man Jesus” delivered April 15, 2001), and then we’ll take more of your questions.
Q: What is at the root of the controversy between Jews and Muslims regarding the Torah?
HMLF: At the root of the controversy is not the Torah—the Torah is a Revealed Word of God through Moses and the Israelite prophets. Where we have a problem is not with the Torah, but with the Talmud , which is the writing of Jewish scholars of law and religion. They have
The Teachings 2.0 49
Religion & Spirituality
put the writings of the Talmud over the revealed word of God in the Holy Qur’an.
Q: Why is the journey to become one with God so hard if He already gave us His Essence?
HMLF: Giving you His Essence does not mean that it is cultivated in us. It’s like having potential; but potential is not actual until it becomes so. So it is with The Nature of God in the human being: It has to be fed. It must grow. It must be challenged by negative forces. And through overcoming these impediments it continues to grow ultimately, hopefully, that that soul will be one with God, well- pleased and well-pleasing.
Q: Why do people put the term ‘Orthodox’
50 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
in front of the word Islam? And if this is so widely used, what would be considered ‘unorthodox’ Islam?
HMLF: You ask an excellent question. Orthodox is a Western term which means the right Islam. If there is a right Islam, then there must be a wrong Islam. No! There’s only Islam which means complete submission and obedience to The Will of God. Orthodox Islam is usually referring to the Islam that is practiced widely throughout the world, but it is a misnomer.
Q: Iblis said he would make believers deviate and be ungrateful. What is the connection between deviation and ungratefulness?
The Teachings 2.0 51
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: If we are ungrateful that God gave us a Messenger, with a Message that uplifts us and guides us to a better reality... And if persecution and tribulation because of that belief comes to us—and we regret having met a man that enlightened us, but that enlightenment caused us pain—then we would become ungrateful. And that would cause us to deviate from the path that truth caused us to accept.
Q: Is there ever a time period that will come that we will get to stop fighting against our weaknesses?
HMLF: Yes. When we come into mastery of our carnal mind and carnal spirit, and the lusts of the flesh, thenunlimited spiritual progress is at our door.
52 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
So we have to keep striving to conquer the flesh. Jesus did it, Muhammad did it; the prophets—many of them, most of them, did it, and they became spiritual giants. We also can do it.
Q: Is reincarnation true or false, according to what you have learned?
HMLF: No, I don’t believe that we come back as another creature, though when the body decomposes in death there are many forms of life that come up from a decomposing body. That doesn’t mean that you are the worm, or you are the fly, or you are that new form of life; the you that you are is intelligence that comes from God. And, that is in the lower forms of life—but it’s not you. We are a part of all of the creatures that God has
The Teachings 2.0 53
Religion & Spirituality
created, and death only magnifies that we are just a part of all God’s creatures. And when death comes, the physical returns to the earth, but The Essence of Life returns to Him Who gave it.
Q: How did you gain the language to speak to Christians without causing them to become defensive?
HMLF: I love my Christian family! I love Jesus Christ. I love the scriptures of the Bible and Qur’an. So when I go to my family, I don’t go to them to injure them or to displease them, or to anger them, but I go to teach them in a way that their focus and their love of Christ, and their knowledge of Christ, will be increased; that we will be better servants of God and better servants of those whom we
54 Minister Louis Farrakhan
serve.
Religion & Spirituality
Q: What would make a person flock towards atheism?
HMLF: Some people are very disappointed with organized religion, and some are so disappointed at religion that they choose not to believe in any deity, or any form of religion. But soon, the scriptures will be fulfilled; and as the Book of Romans 14:11 teaches: “Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess.” It’s just a matter of time.
Q: Is God’s Purpose for dark times in our lives made to make us focus only on Him?
HMLF: Dark times, or times of stress and trouble, are in every life. It is to make us
The Teachings 2.0 55
Religion & Spirituality
seek a way out. Acknowledging God can open a door, and God may guide you to a knowledge that will allow you to correct whatever is perplexing to you. The God is not so ego driven that He wants you to just focus on Him; but, if you understand Who this Creator is of all of us, including self: Why wouldn’t you focus on Him? And because we don’t focus on Him, we have to focus on something, so we focus on ourselves, our needs, our wants, and in that we fall victim to our desire to get this and get that—and we are not careful of the methods that we choose to obtain things, and it gets us into more and more trouble. And the darker the time comes and we cannot find a way is when we learn to call on God. During Hurricane Sandy, I am sure the people in New Jersey, New York and other places, when
56 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
they saw the power of water that was moving houses off of their foundations: They couldn’t call for the policeman or the fireman, so Who did they call on to deliver them from that which was destructive? Of what they knew and felt had permanence? So sometimes dark times makes you find your way to The Light of Belief in God.
Q: After all we’ve been taught and been through under the banner of Christianity, why do you think it is still so attractive to our people?
HMLF: I think, that like a beautiful woman: She is very attractive, until you see something more attractive. Things that you eat, that you like, are attractive to you until you find out that
The Teachings 2.0 57
Religion & Spirituality
there is no value in it; then, it loses its attractive power. There will never be a loss of attractiveness to truth! But when truth comes, falsehood vanishes—and falsehood is no more attractive.
Q: What is the true definition of ‘jihad’? I am so confused on this.
HMLF: It has two significances: The Lesser Jihad and The Greater Jihad. In The Battle of Uhud, in the history of Prophet Muhammad: Many Muslims lost their lives in that battle; and those that survived, when they came back to Medinah, The Prophet praised them. Those who lost their lives were in The Lesser Jihad, meaning that struggle where you are physically engaged in battle to protect The Cause in which
58 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
you believe, and you lose your life. The Greater Jihad is the struggle against the weakness of self, to become totally submissive to The Will of God—that is The Great Struggle! And that is the jihad that all righteous people hope to win.
Q: I’m studying on Islam, and I wanted to understand what does it mean when someone dies that they ‘return to Allah’ if you all believe that He is a Man?
HMLF: Returning to Allah means that the spirit of life that is only given by Allah returns to Allah: Allah, The Ever-Living; Allah, The Originator of the Heavens and the Earth; Allah, The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. We believe that God was and is, and shall always be, manifest in the human being. But there
The Teachings 2.0 59
Religion & Spirituality
is a spiritual part of the human that is more than flesh and blood; and that is The Essence of our life—and that never dies.
Q: What type of conversations should believers in God be engaging in during these dark and uncertain times? We’re being bombarded with so much.
HMLF: Engage in conversation that uplifts the spirit. Engage in conversation that gives guidance. Engage in conversation that promotes the love of the brotherhood. Engage in that which produces unity out of which progress can be made to help us come through the darkness of the day and time in which we live.
60 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
Q: What do you think has allowed the Muslim world in the East to become so weakened when challenging the enemies of the West?
HMLF: Deviation from The Qur’an and The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). But as the Muslim world desires to come back to the principles, that time and circumstances has caused our world to be weakened; and soon, a new world will come. And what is will no longer be.
Q: I just joined Islam over a year ago, and I really would like to take Hajj, but I really can’t afford it. If you never make Hajj as a Muslim, does that make you a bad person and not a true Muslim?
HMLF: Absolutely not! Hajj is a ritual The Teachings 2.0 61
Religion & Spirituality
of our religion, but engrained in that ritual are irrefutable principles. If you are unable to make Hajj, study the principle of sacrifice, the principle of unity—the principle of dressing with one singular garment that makes us equal before God; and think about what that principle means in other forms of expression. So, you’re still on a journey. Every Muslim is on a journey not just to the Ka’abah, we are on a journey to become one with Allah. So stay on that path! And I pray that one day Allah will bless you to visit the Holy City of Mecca, and perform Hajj or Umrah. But in the meantime, strive to be as good a Muslim as you can.
Q: Why is Jesus so important that the enemy had to trick us about his true identity?
62 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: From the scriptural viewpoint of the Bible, Jesus is the most important spiritual figure. He is not a prophet. The Jesus that comes at the end of the world is the long sought after Messiah in whom is the indwelling presence of God! That’s the Jesus that the scripture is pointing towards. Jesus of 2,000 years ago was only a prophet.
Q: Why does The Qur’an teach so much about the Christians?
HMLF: The Qur’an is a Book that God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he may be an instrument in uniting all the People of The Book, which are Christians and Jews.
The Teachings 2.0 63
Religion & Spirituality
Q: Do you think if we would have never evolved in what the world has become today, that we would still be a lost people?
HMLF: Our evolution started with the presence of light in the minds of some of the slaves, in the minds of great Black leaders—but the pace of evolution picked up with The Coming of Master Fard Muhammad, and His raising the Honorable Elijah Muhammad as a light in the darkness of the ignorance of our people.
Q: Are we past the time of prophets? Are there no more prophets alive?
HMLF: We are past the time of those major prophets. But when a Great One appeared, such as the Honorable Elijah
64 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
Muhammad who we believe is The Messenger of God and Messiah: You will always have minor men and women to whom God gives excellent sight of things that are and things to come.
Q: Why was Jesus so upset with the ‘money changers’ being in the church? Was Jesus opposed to making money?
HMLF: Jesus was not opposed to making money, but he was opposed to turning the House of God into a marketplace for those who had not any love for God, but just a love for merchandise and making money. There is nothing wrong with making money, but the problem with most religion today is it is more concerned with money than it is for the cultivation of the human being.
The Teachings 2.0 65
Religion & Spirituality
Q: How important is it for ministers to minister unto those who are incarcerated? We tend to forget about them.
HMLF: Jesus said, “In as much as you have not ministered unto those who are sick and imprisoned, you have not done this also unto me,” so ministering to those incarcerated is a part of our spiritual duty. Those that are incarcerated are behind physical bars, but the masses of humanity are behind spiritual bars of ignorance that impede their rise to their full potential. So freeing those that are bound in prison is the duty of all men and women of God.
Q: I’ve been going through a lot of trials in my life right now, and I wanted to know:
66 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
When God chastises us and takes us through trials, is that a demonstration of His anger, or is it a demonstration of His love?
HMLF: The scriptures says, “He whom the Lord loves, He chastens much.” Trials and tribulation is not punishment, it is to show forth our strengths and our weaknesses to help us on the road to perfection. Chastisement is something different from a trial. When a child has earned the chastisement of the parent for doing that which is against the guidance, instructions, or that which is right or just, then the parent always explains to the child why they are being punished. You will know when you’ll be chastised by God—it’s a lot different from a trial.
Q: What made Aaron so obedient to Moses?
The Teachings 2.0 67
Religion & Spirituality
HMLF: Love of God, and love of The Chosen One that God has brought into the world for the deliverance of the people is what would cause Aaron to be obedient to Moses; or, Jesus to be obedient to his Father, or Elisha to be obedient to Elijah.
What should be the ultimate aim of all religions, regardless of the label?
HMLF: The ultimate aim should be to produce a people and a Kingdom where all within it submit their will to do The Will of God. This will produce freedom, justice, liberty, and happiness among all of the people who do that; submit their will to do The Will of God.
68 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Religion & Spirituality
The Teachings 2.0 69
70 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Health & Wellness
The Teachings 2.0 71
Health & Wellness
Q: Are almonds considered a fruit rather than a nut?
HMLF: I’m going to research it so I can answer you properly, but, I have always thought of it as a nut. Recently, there are those who say it is the seed of a fruit; as well as the cashew as the seed of a fruit. I will research it, and by God’s Grace give you a better answer hopefully the next time we tweet.
Q: How do I keep thinking positive when situations keep trying to bring me down?
HMLF: I stay positive because I know the eventual outcome. And that is why the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said in spite of his opposition and the ferocity of his opposition that: “I will be the winner
72 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Health & Wellness
living or dead”—and I say the same.
Q: In accordance with How To Eat To Live, what would you recommend we feed our children for breakfast? I’m new to this.
HMLF: Give them freshly-squeezed orange juice; a cereal, such as oatmeal, malt-o-meal. You can give them eggs, and bacon that is not made from pork or processed foods. If you feed them well with good food you will keep them away from doctor’s bills and prescriptions.
Q: Can following the dietary law of the Nation of Islam make me to reverse the way I look too? Even your Twitter picture is radiant!
HMLF: Get the book How To Eat To Live The Teachings 2.0 73
Health & Wellness
by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Study it, and discipline yourself to try and follow it—you will look even better than I look at my age (80s)! If you get on it now, I would love to see how you look after 90 days of just trying what Elijah Muhammad teaches.
Q: What is your solution to curing the mental illnesses of our people?
HMLF: The key is in understanding what has happened to us as a people. Once we have that knowledge, we’re on the road to healing the condition of our people.
Q: What was your experience like when you fasted for the first time?
74 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Health & Wellness
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad says that we are the masters of our stomach. When I fasted the first time for three days, my stomach started talking to me (growling)—and I spoke back to my stomach, and said “Not today!” And the next day, after 48 hours, it growled some more! And I spoke to my stomach and said, “Tomorrow, at this time.” And on the third day, after 72 hours, I ate. That was the beginning of a journey that helped me to discipline every appetite that I had. May God bless you to make your fast successful.
Q: Is it permissible to study or practice the sciences of ‘energy healing’ (for example, ‘Reiki’ or ‘Chakras’) for self- improvement?
HMLF: If it is a science, then the The Teachings 2.0 75
Health & Wellness
practice of it can only bring good. However, there are times when we discover the depth of our illness that certain healing arts may work or may not work; it depends on what we are being healed from. So those of us who are healed: Study your illness and study the healing arts that can affect healing; then choose the one that you have most confidence in. But put your trust completely in God to guide you to the best method for your healing.
Q: Historians state that Prophet Muhammad fasted 3 days of every month. Did you ever hear the Honorable Elijah Muhammad talk about it?
HMLF: No, I did not. But the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has taught us that in
76 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Health & Wellness
all food there are some toxins, and if we eat one meal a day as instructed, and fast three days out of a month, our blood should be strong enough to cast off all toxins and we may find that we will not experience sickness.
Q: Do you think it is proper to take herbal supplements along with eating one meal a day?
HMLF: If the food that you eat is good organically-grown food, you may not need herbal supplements. Your body will tell you.
Q: How does one remove insecurities, and rebuild trust?
HMLF: The word Muslim has its root The Teachings 2.0 77
Health & Wellness
meaning one who is made secure, and thus enters into peace. Security starts with The Self connected to The Creator, and then branches out from there. We can trust The Creator because He never breaks His Word. Unfortunately, we do break our word with one another, resulting in a loss of trust, a loss of friendship—and that can only be rebuilt by rebuilding the commitment to our word and making that word bond; then the trust, once more, can be regained.
Q: In looking at what’s going on with vaccinations, do you think it’s still true what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said about a death plan for Black people?
HMLF: It’s more true today than ever before. The enemy has developed
78 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Health & Wellness
very sophisticated ways of committing genocide, and one of them is through the misuse of vaccinations.
Q: When a misfortune happens to you personally, how do you handle not becoming depressed?
HMLF: Again, faith in God, and trust in Him as The Patron of our lives, helps us to get through any misfortune. Our attitude should be this, as it is written in The Qur’an that whenever a misfortune befalls the Believer, the Believer says Allah is my Patron, and to Him is my eventual return.
The Teachings 2.0 79
80 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
The Teachings 2.0 81
Marriage & Family
Q: When you recognize loved ones are embracing the dark side, what should you do?
HMLF: Focus on what is good. There is nothing productive in the dark side of any of us.
Q: I would love for you to touch on the science of ‘match-making’ and ‘marriage’. What should we study in nature?
HMLF: Most of us mate through our emotion, and even in that we are blessed with wonderful offspring—but before you know what is good for you, you have to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. And you try to marry someone who compliments you in your weakness; and in each other, you
82 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
become whole.
Q: If a wife wants a divorce, but the relationship can be fixed and the husband wants to work it out, what should we do?
HMLF: There are 8 Steps in The Atonement Process: Point out the wrong, Acknowledge the wrong, Confess fault, Repentance, Atonement (do something in expiation of our sins), Forgiveness, Reconciliation and restoration, and Perfect union with God. The word atonement means being at one (with your wife); so the first thing is if she has pointed out to you things you have done, you acknowledge it, from your lips confess it, then repent of it. And then do something to atone for the errors and mistakes that have been made. In
The Teachings 2.0 83
Marriage & Family
her seeing these steps you are doing it will lead her to forgive you, and after forgiveness then there is reconciliation leading to perfect peace and harmony. May God bless you to win back the heart of your wife so that you can keep your family together, for without strong marriage there is no strong family, and where there is no strong family there can be no strong community or nation.
Q: Being so busy, how have you been able to successfully strengthen your family?
HMLF: To be perfectly honest, all I can do to strengthen my family is to feed them The Word that I feed to others. As the saying goes, “you can take the horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink.” By giving my family The Word: It is only
84 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
through my family’s desire to digest that Word, and let that Word become a part of their being as it has become a part of mine, will they accept this Mission and carry it to the end of their lives.
Q: I think a prerequisite to marriage is to accept the chance of any failure and unhappiness. Am I wrong?
HMLF: No, you are not. Jesus said The Kingdom of God is like a man sowing seeds: Some seeds fell by the wayside, some fell on stony ground, and some fell on fertile ground. The journey of faith in God is beset with trials, tribulation, and persecution; marriage is a journey to oneness. And because the physical bodies are easy to unite and give momentary pleasure, it is only
The Teachings 2.0 85
Marriage & Family
when the minds have become united that every day with the one you love is a pleasurable experience—and, that takes time. So never marry with a back door in mind, marry knowing that there are going to be trials, and set your mind to handle the ups and the downs of marriage in the most intelligent and wise way. What man making a ship only makes it sail in calm water? No man should enter marriage thinking that every day it is going to be calm. There will be storms. And sometimes the storm makes you think that the vessel is going to drown—but if you hold on, and if God is at the center of your life, the storm will subside, and you will gain strength by knowing that a Mighty God caused us to come through the violent storm.
86 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
Q: What can you say about the right role of a father in spending time with his children?
HMLF: Every father should attempt to spend time with his children. Father actually means one who furthers what he fathers in Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding. Fatherhood means that as the sperm of a male will make us a father, the hood is the knowledge that we acquire as men to father and further what God blesses us to bring into existence.
Q: You said, ‘Love is that creative force out of which the universe came.’ Can you briefly please elaborate on what that actually means?
HMLF: It means that true love is a The Teachings 2.0 87
Marriage & Family
force that guides knowledge, and gives vision. And without knowledge and vision, and the force of love to bring vision into reality, there is no existence. God is said to be The Self-Subsisting by Whom all things subsist, so He is The Author of that force and that power. And the ability to exercise that same force is within us.
Q: How does someone who has lost a spouse deal with loneliness?
HMLF: We all know that when we marry, we say “till death us do part.” When death comes, and separates one spouse from the other: That which remains behind must try to live the rest of their life to its fullest; because soon the spouse will go where the lost one is. The worst
88 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
thing that the spouse can do is grieve, for grief will bring untimely death. And since we all have to die, no spouse wants the one who remains behind not to enjoy the remaining days of her or his life.
Q: If one cannot have children in the biological sense, can one ‘live on’ in another way?
HMLF: You live on through the good that you do that affects the lives of others. I don’t know that Jesus had sons or daughters, but look at how many people on our planet believe in him, and follow him, and are positively affected by his word and his life! Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had a living daughter, but no sons—but 1,600,000,000 people follow The Light of his words and his
The Teachings 2.0 89
Marriage & Family
life. So even if we cannot have children, we can send forth good into the lives of others; and when we are gone, the good that we have sent forth into the lives of others will make us more remembered than just having biological children that may or may not carry on the good in our lives.
Q: My son has a father that has not been seen, nor has wanted to see him, and my present husband is pushing me to find him and establish a relationship between my son and his father. I really don’t care to look for him. What do you think?
HMLF: Every child will want to know his or her father, and no matter what a mother does not wish to do, at a certain point the child will embark on this journey
90 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
on his own. That we cannot stop, for it is natural for a child to know the seed that produced their life.
Q: So many of my friends want to drown themselves in the thoughts of divorce just to try to remarry someone. How do we, Brother Minister, stop the spread of this divorce disease that is impacting us who are having similar trials, but don’t want to leave our homes?
HMLF: We are suffering from this disease because we never entered marriage properly. Most of us who marry are overcome by what I would call the intoxicant of sex; and by engaging in sex before marriage, we are not sober- minded in the decision that we make. And so, when we enter such a sacred journey
The Teachings 2.0 91
Marriage & Family
with a thought that If it doesn’t work out, I’ll get out, we are saying “Don’t try me”, “Don’t confront me with obstacles to my word that I might strive to fulfill my oath.” It is like a man building a ship that can only sail in calm waters—and it should never set sail, for no man builds a ship of consequence that cannot weather the storms of the sea, so no one should enter marriage delusional, thinking that it’s all going to be wonderful. But how you manage the difficulties of married life is what brings out of you the best, and conquers the worst.
Q: Studies are showing that sometimes social networking things, like Facebook, are causing divorce and break-ups in our marriages. How should we conduct ourselves on these different social sites as
92 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
married men and women?
HMLF: Well, I would not open up an old can of worms that will be the worms of disintegration and deterioration, and decomposition of your married life. Your wisdom should be used to protect yourself and your family. And still, you can be kind to old friends and renew old acquaintances without ever breaking the bounds of your vows.
Q: What are three key things that have made you a successful married man?
HMLF: I think whatever success I have in my marriage is due to the wisdom, the patience, the fortitude, the righteousness, the strength of my wife. And her ability to see me in the role that
The Teachings 2.0 93
Marriage & Family
God and circumstances has cut out for me; and to help me in that role, and to persevere with me, and to suffer with me, and to grow with me. I would never be the man that I am if Allah (God) did not give me the woman that I have to be my friend, my wife, my companion in struggle.
Q: I have a question about marriage. Why do so many people enter into marriages that they don’t want to be in, and are afraid to leave even when they know that they should?
HMLF: When you’ve made a mistake, wisdom says you correct your mistake, no matter what the situation is. Even though God hates divorce, He permits it! And when two people cannot get along
94 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Marriage & Family
in peace and there is constant argument that drives away the spirit of love, then there is nothing to build a union on, and it is best to separate before it grows into hatred, and hatred grows to murder.
Q: In light of what you taught about ‘How To Give Birth To A God’, should a woman have sex during pregnancy considering that her mind should be protected during that time period?
HMLF: Well, I’m sure if there is a desire on the part of a pregnant woman to take pleasure with her husband who made her pregnant, there is nothing wrong with having sex during pregnancy.
Q: I’m a single mother raising a son, but at what age should the man become hands
The Teachings 2.0 95
Marriage & Family
on with their son since I cannot teach him how to be a man?
HMLF: I disagree! I was the son, and the product, of a single parent home. My mother taught me how to be a man, long before I met Malcolm X and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Those two men, Malcolm first, gave me the example of a man; and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad showed me the productivity necessary for me to be the type of man that would bring honor to the family, to the community, and to our world.
96 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Teachings 2.0 97
98 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Youth
The Teachings 2.0 99
Youth
Q: What is our prime responsibility as youth in delivering our people?
HMLF: Share with them The Word that you have received, that has taken you from the path that our youth are on, and be the example of what you wish for them to be. Soon they will see your good works.
Q: Can we get a Million Man March on a quarterly [basis], with goals to train the youth and strengthen the mind of the man?
HMLF: A slaughter is being prepared for our youth and community. I hope and pray that our being in the streets with others to talk to our children and to help them to see that there is a better way to live their young lives—I hope we
100 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Youth
will succeed. But in the end, if the word doesn’t make us to change, and the love that we have in our hearts for our people does not make them to change, then my mother used to tell me “a hard head makes a soft behind.” Something is coming that will whip us into submission.
Q: How much video game playing time should we allow our children? And what kind of games?
HMLF: There are foolish games to occupy your mind and your time, and there are games that teach skill. If you choose folly, then that is the outcome; but if you choose to use your time in the pursuit of that which strengthens your knowledge, you will find the game that will offer you that. The choice is yours.
The Teachings 2.0 101
Youth
Q: Can you please give your insight on the pandemic of our males wearing their pants on the ground?
HMLF: I think their behavior, from what I have been told, started in prison when they would not allow inmates to wear laces in their shoes or belts for fear that they might use it to do harm to themselves or others; the pants would fall down from the waist, and sometimes fall on the buttocks and under the buttocks. So this became a style. Every generation has its style which the former generation does not approve of; but, these are styles that pass with time and growth, and knowledge.
Q: What would you like to see the youth of the Nation of Islam achieve most in order to
102 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Youth
sufficiently contribute to The Mission?
HMLF: The full development of themselves, their gifts, skills and talents that can be used to elevate not only an individual and the community, but to be partners in the building of a Brand New World based on the principles of freedom, justice and equality.
Q: What can historically Black colleges and universities do to become more useful to our people?
HMLF: We have to teach those courses that will make the students builders of a new reality; those courses of study that will cause us to not depend on others for a job, but make us willing to unite and pool our intellectual resources to build a
The Teachings 2.0 103
Youth
community that is worthy of honor and respect.
Q: How do we explain to our young Black men who can’t find a job that the military is not a wise option?
HMLF: Well, they soon will know that when they see those broken minds and bodies coming home from a war that America cannot win. It is best for them to try to create a job rather than to be sent to fight in unjust wars that are not started by people overseas, but wars that are started by our (America’s) meddling in the affairs of others.
Q: I am in serious need of guidance as a young, Black male. Is the Nation of Islam my best bet, or should I go to the church?
104 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Youth
HMLF: Go where you feel spiritual guidance for your life is present. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad has given us wonderful Guidance! If you read his books—Message To The Blackman in America, How To Eat To Live, The Fall of America, Our Saviour Has Arrived: Read his literature and see if he’s the one to guide you. There are wonderful pastors who are immersed in the good of the scriptures; I listen to some of them myself, and I enjoy their preaching. It’s what you are seeking: So wherever you feel your needs will be best met, make it your home, because in the end there will only be One Faith, One Lord, One Baptism, and we all will be together in The Oneness of God and His Christ.
The Teachings 2.0 105
Youth
Q: I work in a psych patient’s office, and many of our young people exhibit sociopathic behavior. Can anyone, including them, be redeemed?
HMLF: There is no human being that cannot be redeemed. Otherwise, there would not be the necessity of a Redeemer. There must, however, be on the part of the person or persons being redeemed the will to do that which makes redemption real.
106 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Teachings 2.0 107
108 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
Education & Leadership
The Teachings 2.0 109
Education & Leadership
Q: What books should we read?
HMLF: Read The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Volumes 1 and 2—and the root knowledge of all of that will be found in Message to the Blackman in America by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Q: What can I do as a college student to prevent self-deprivation and increase inquisitiveness?
HMLF: We are naturally born to be curious and inquisitive; we are born into a book called The Universe. Once you lose inquisitiveness, then you lose the desire to keep knowing.
Q: Should we have to ask our leaders for
110 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
what we need? Or should they be strong enough leaders to recognize what we need?
HMLF: We are all small in reality to God, but we become big when we recognize God as The Leader—jump up, and follow His Guidance! United we become big enough to solve our problems.
Q: Thank you for your work. What are the lessons we must learn from slavery and Black History?
HMLF: We are so deprived of the knowledge and history of self, that one month is not enough. Please get the book Message to the Blackman in America by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and you’ll never run out of things to teach not
The Teachings 2.0 111
Education & Leadership
only during Black History Month, but for every day of the year.
Q: After hearing you in Nashville, what are the steps I need to take to pick up the mantle?
HMLF: Get the lecture that I gave at LeMoyne-Owen College on April 14, 2012 titled “Leaders Rising AmongLeaders.” In it you will find those requisite characteristics that one should acquire in order to become a good leader of our people.
Q: How do I begin the process, and develop into a leader for our people?
HMLF: I am a servant of The Leader; The Leader is the Most Honorable Elijah
112 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
Muhammad. I am a servant—as Peter, as Paul, as those who served the great one, never ever saying that they were the leaders even though they led; but, they led in the name of The One that taught them, trained them and put them before the world as a disciple or an apostle. In the 23rd Psalms, when you say “The Lord is my shepherd,” then you don’t need a leader for you already have Him in The Lord. We’re all servants of The Lord. When you get to know the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, you will meet that One whom the scriptures have been pointing to from Genesis to Revelation.
Q: Would you agree that the poor educational system is our new civil rights issue of today?
The Teachings 2.0 113
Education & Leadership
HMLF: No. Education is not a civil right, education is a human right. By nature it is demanded that knowledge come to the human being to elevate us from the level of lower lives. So we must not fight for the education of this world, we must fight for the human right to the education that will free us from our former slave master and their children, and connect us to that universal source of wisdom wherein our progress will be unlimited.
Q: I always listen to your lectures. How does one become a productive member of society while working in social service?
HMLF: Organize and manage your time, and you will be able to do more.
Q: Should we tell children what they will
114 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
be and tailor their education, or let them choose?
HMLF: Wise parents have something in mind for their children; when children cannot decide for themselves, parents move them in the direction of their desire and discipline them accordingly. However, at a certain point the child may discover their real purpose in life—and it may be at variance with what the parent decided for them; and it is at that moment that the discipline that the parent guided the child in, in fulfilling their desire: ittransfers into the passion of the person who has finally discovered their purpose.
Q: Have the Jews given a scholarly rebuttal to The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews Volume 2 book?
The Teachings 2.0 115
Education & Leadership
HMLF: If you read their writings, they condemn it as a volume of hate, but they do not condemn the Jewish scholars, rabbis and historians whom we quote. They are hurt that this book revealed another side of them that they would like to remain hidden; they accuse us of writing all of the negative things of that relationship. But good things take care of themselves—it’s the negative things in our lives that need attention and correction.
Q: As a school teacher, what do you think is the most important thing that I should teach the students in my class?
HMLF: Teach them as best you know the Knowledge of Self. As one who takes a picture first looks to see the self: The
116 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
more one sees one’s self in the acquisition of knowledge, the more interested one becomes in acquiring knowledge.
Q: If I could use my brain to the fullest extent of its capacity, how might my mind then compare to The Mind of Allah?
HMLF: You would be manifesting The Power of Allah through your brain, and what that brain guides your mind, heart and hand to do.
Q: How do I effectively build relationships with the gangs in my city? And also, the Black preachers?
HMLF: Learn, first, yourself; and, know that the gang member is a part of you— as well as the pastor! So approach
The Teachings 2.0 117
Education & Leadership
them in the best manner, as The Qur’an exhorts us: “Call to the way of your Lord in the best manner, in good voice, and with justice.” And those whom Allah pleases will answer that Call.
Q: If there were various groups involved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, who was ultimately to blame for it?
HMLF: Well, The Cause of all causes is God Himself. He prophesied that we would go into bondage, and that we would be afflicted in that time of bondage for 400 years to serve His Purpose—so all the agents that fulfilled that prophecy has a part in our enslavement. And if they are to be absolved of guilt, then God will absolve them; but if He is to punish them for the part that they played in the
118 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
dehumanization of another human being then there is none that can keep them from what their wickedness has earned.
Q: Is there a list of things we should be doing every day in our lives that will go against the agenda of The Enemy?
HMLF: Whatever you do to improve yourself, to do something for yourself— and to encourage others to do the same—is what abates the agenda of The Enemy. But it starts with what you do for you in terms of: the foods you eat, your health condition, the books you read to increase your knowledge, the like-minded persons that you invest with to form a business, and others whom you encourage to do likewise. That will surely impact the agenda of The Enemy.
The Teachings 2.0 119
Education & Leadership
Q: I have the means to put people to work. I am currently a government contractor, and can expand to other states. Can I help you?
HMLF: Well, I’m sure that if I knew what kind of work you do... If there are people in the mosque, or in the community, that you can put to work to do something to help themselves as well as you, then of course we would be delighted to have your help!
Q: I’m a college student majoring in law. How can I utilize my degree to help my people?
HMLF: Our people are the victims of law that oft-times is framed to create mischief. A good knowledge of the law,
120 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
and the strength to use it for the benefit of your people, will put you in conflict with those who cannot stand good lawyers who fight for the little man. I am sure if you pursue your career and become the great advocate by the proper use of law that many will be free by your practice.
Q: I am one of few students of African descent from the U.S. studying medicine at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba. Will you please give your advice on the best practical manner in which I can put my medical degree to use for our people in America?
HMLF: According to what I understand, Comandante Fidél Castro offered these scholarships so that we might, with this degree, return to the underserved
The Teachings 2.0 121
Education & Leadership
communities from which we come and offer our medical service to our people.
Q: Why do you think it’s necessary for White people to have our people to believe in false things such as dinosaurs?
HMLF: It’s not necessary. But you have always heard in church that “the devil is a liar”—and lies and deceit is what has the world in the grip of Satan. This is why Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
Q: We as ‘Pan-Africanists’ believe in the total liberation of our people, like you. In this day and time, Brother Minister, what should be on the ‘front burner’ of our activism?
HMLF: It would seem to me that wherever 122 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
those of us who are considered sons and daughters of Africa are, we must take control of the land under our feet and begin to provide our necessities of life. And that can’t happen until we are thoroughly awakened as to 1.) who we are, 2.) the value of self, 3.) the value of land, and 4.) the value of the requisite knowledge that would allow us to produce from the land that is under our feet. Then, we can end the scourge of poverty and want in the midst of plenty.
Q: Why is it so difficult to get Black men together for a common cause, and for them to stay in it for the long run instead of for a short time?
HMLF: There are many diversities, or things that take a man’s attention
The Teachings 2.0 123
Education & Leadership
away from a cause bigger than himself. The world in which we live is full of temptations—and there is no reason why Satan should not try to tempt us away from sticking to that which will make of us great people. He (Satan) is bound to do what he should do. But we should remain focused, and we will come through the fire of temptation, and we will build a Brand New World not only for ourselves but for all those who remain on our planet after this upcoming War called Armageddon.
Q: I am a political science major, and I wanted to know: Has America ever been truly a ‘democracy’? Or is that a fraud statement?
HMLF: I think all terms (e.g. “democracy”) 124 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
are terms that possess the ideal, but give us something to work toward. The Founding Fathers of this nation wanted what The Constitution that they framed was designed to produce; but that Constitution, that march toward the perfection of a principle of the people having a right to vote for those who govern them to be their (the people’s) servants: That principle is being eroded more and more every day. So each of us who embark on a principle, let us say the ideal of Islam, the ideal of Christianity or the ideal of Socialism, it is something that, as human beings: After you accept the ideal you work toward the perfection of the manifestation of that ideal! But there is no ideal that is not affected by opposition, affected by those who want to corrupt the ideal. And today, the ideal
The Teachings 2.0 125
Education & Leadership
of democracy is thoroughly corrupted in America; and I fear that it will lead to the removal of government that is not of, by or for the people and be replaced by one that will be.
Q: Can you please tell me to what extent should we know and study the Arabic language?
HMLF: It would be good for us to study the Arabic language, for that is the language of The Revealed Word of God found in the Holy Qur’an. And we have many students who are studying it now; and we are making it a prerequisite study from kindergarten all the way through.
Q: I am a college student studying political science at Winston-Salem, and I wanted to
126 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
know: What is true independence? And how can we describe a truly independent country based upon your definition?
HMLF: Well, it’s not my definition. What is the definition of independence? You live in your father’s house, and your mother’s house, and they tell you where you can stay, what time to come in, and what foods to eat because you are dependent on them. But one day you grow up, and you leave your mother’s house to build a house of your own, to have children of your own. Then you should be independent in this sense, that you don’t go back to mom and dad and beg them, now, to continue to support you; you become, hopefully, strong enough to support the life that God has given you, independent of the life that you lived
The Teachings 2.0 127
Education & Leadership
under the rule of mom and dad. Well, so it is with an independent nation: We must be able to provide the necessities of life for those in our nation. And the more we can provide the necessities of life for our nation, then we’re considered independent. But since none of us can produce everything, then there is an interdependence upon independent sovereign states—and that’s where trade and commerce comes in. Independence means you are able to stand up on your own and provide for yourself the necessities of life. Every nation strives for that.
Q: As a college student, I have a desire to run for office, but I hear you talk about the corruptness of politics so much. Do you think it’s worth running for offices in
128 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
America?
HMLF: If that is what you desire to do, you should do it. You don’t have to be corrupt. You can be a good politician that serves the interest of your constituents.
Q: What’s needed to change my mental attitude? How do I begin this process?
HMLF: Truth. And the Light that is contained in truth sparks mental motion. So what you need to change your attitude is more knowledge of the truth, and the Light that is contained in that truth will begin to change your way of thinking, and soon you will have a new mind, a new spirit, and a new attitude. So continue to seek more enlightenment.
The Teachings 2.0 129
Education & Leadership
Q: I am so tired of the White man’s ideology being fed to us in everything that we read. Is there something wrong with me for feeling like this?
HMLF: You can learn from everything and everyone—even if you’re learning to stay away from it. If it angers and displeases you, you must find something to replace it with that will please you. And even though I am in this world: There are things of this world that I admire; but, I am in it, but I’m striving not to be of it. So, I fill my mind with The Wisdom of God that will allow me to change it.
Q: When the White man goes out into space and produces many images, do you think he has made up some things in order to deceive us in terms of his achievements?
130 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
HMLF: It could be. But he is a scientist: He wants to discover, he wants to experiment—and in that process, he gains greater and greater knowledge. If it were not for his going out into space, many of the things that are technological advancements today we would not have. So give credit where credit is due. We are benefiting from his exploration of things outside of the Earth, and on the Earth! We, too, should be experimenting— like George Washington Carver: Taking a natural thing, and finding all of the things that are hidden in something like a peanut or a sweet potato.
Q: What is the proper way we should use our influence?
The Teachings 2.0 131
Education & Leadership
HMLF: Influence should always be used in the way of good. You would not want to use influence to cause people to deviate from The Path of God, or righteousness, for when you have influence you will be judged on how you used it.
Q: The gang members tend to listen to you more than other leaders. Did you ever desire to be in a gang as a young boy, or were you ever part of some small little clique that got in trouble?
HMLF: Oh, I was a part of a small little group. But I never got in trouble. As Muhammad united the tribes into a nation, today we hope to unite the gangs into a great nation.
Q: According to The Nation of Islam’s
132 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
education plan, there should be separate schools for boys and girls up to a certain age. Why is that? I’m thinking about becoming a teacher.
HMLF: Boys and girls learn differently, and grow differently. I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and all of my early training from grammar school through high school was in separate classes from the girls, and for the girls, the same; and I find that it produces a stronger man and a stronger woman, well prepared for what they will face with life. The attraction of male to female, and female to male, should not be a temptation to take our focus away from learning.
Q: When other Black leaders egotistically fight with one another in public, how do you
The Teachings 2.0 133
Education & Leadership
think this affects our peoples’ confidence in you all?
HMLF: It depends on how we disagree. Because we are the same people does not mean that we should not disagree, for that is in every family; that is in every nation, in every government. But it’s the vitriol, and the personal attacks, that cheapen our leadership. We should be able to disagree with one another on methodology, on principle and on program, but this personal attack should never happen because none of us are perfect in our personal lives! So any who are involved in taking to personal attacks: That cheapens us not only in the eyes of man, but in the Eyes of God.
Q: What is the best food to feed the brain to
134 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
get optimum output from it beyond the 10 percent that we use?
HMLF: The best physical food, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught, are the simple foods. He said with just the navy bean, and good wholesome milk and whole wheat bread, we could live 140 years. But the real food to feed the brain after getting good physical food is feeding our minds on truth! It is truth that stimulates the brain; the brain is created in truth, and grows and matures with more and more truth. The Universe is created in truth, and the more we feed on what God has created by means of truth we grow more and more, and use more and more of the power of our brains.
Q: How dangerous is it to be a highly-gifted
The Teachings 2.0 135
Education & Leadership
person who lacks character?
HMLF: Whether we are highly-gifted or not gifted, or not knowledgeable of our gifts, bad character is bad for anyone who practices immorality, corruption and vice. But the person in leadership that falls victim to these things is worse because we affect others by our example. And this is why The Enemy is always looking to the dark side of every human being, because every human being has a dark side.
Q: When you give people assignments, do you constantly follow up with them as a leader, or do you give them the leeway to execute it by themselves?
HMLF: My style of leadership is to give 136 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
a person an assignment, and then watch the level of their productivity. I am not the type to micro manage, but I have people in position to look over the work of those that are commissioned to do a certain work, and then decisions are made about that person and their function. We all can use more accountability.
Q: How did Yakub complete all the schools of thought by the age of 18? Did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad ever share with you his curriculum?
HMLF: No, he did not; he didn’t tell me what all of the schools of Yakub’s day were. But the fact that he completed them, and was able to produce from us a brand new people and give them power and knowledge to rule contrary to
The Teachings 2.0 137
Education & Leadership
a way of life that had been in existence for billions and trillions of years, shows how great that man’s knowledge was. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, “As the shortest between two points is a straight line”: We don’t need to stay in school all the years that we do! This is done for commercial purposes. “Getright to the point,” he said. And the minds of our young people today are able to grasp profound truths if we teach it to them correctly; and we will be able, in the future, to graduate with a Ph.D. degree at 18 years of age.
Q: I want to teach the children in my community that Blacks built pyramids way before slavery and cotton fields. I wanted to know what book would you recommend that I give to them, for them to learn more
138 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Education & Leadership
about this knowledge?
HMLF: For books on the study of Egypt, as a start, please refer to the writings of great scholars such as Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. John Henrik Clarke and Dr. Yosef Ben- Jochannan.
Q: I am a teacher in this crazy public school system. How can we reverse the uncivilized mentality of our students when we only have them for an hour a day?
HMLF: Do the best you can to teach them civilization, which are the arts and sciences of civilized people. Unfortunately you don’t originate the curriculum in that school, so every chance you get to teach your students
The Teachings 2.0 139
Education & Leadership
the knowledge of themselves, and create an environment in your classroom that reflects that knowledge, soon that knowledge will spread; and before you know it, you will have changed the way your students act and react. May God bless you to do this.
140 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Teachings 2.0 141
142 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Business Economics
The Teachings 2.0 143
Business Economics
Q: Should we be creating our own media?
HMLF: As the enemy is delighted to see a divided Black community, they work to divide our media. A united Black media would help to free us; so, let us strive to do what the enemy is trying to keep us from doing.
Q: How do we get back our control of our natural resources and wealth?
HMLF: When the power of the bloodsuckers is broken. That process is going on right now.
Q: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said ‘put The Muslim Program before Congress.’ Has that been done already?
144 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Business Economics
HMLF: It has not been done formally, but I do believe that in a short while that will become actual.
Q: Is it time for the millions of unemployed to stop waiting on the government and start doing something for themselves?
HMLF: If we don’t, the next step is total madness—because the government has no jobs to give you; and if we don’t come together as intelligent people to do that which will cause us to survive, then we will degenerate into wild beasts preying on each other, feeding from the flesh of each other; being destructive of one another in the name of survival. It is incumbent that we unite and do something for self or that which I have said will be the consequence.
The Teachings 2.0 145
Business Economics
Q: If ‘business is warfare,’ then what is the basic training?
HMLF: The first step is knowledge of self, love of self, unity with self; then the knowledge can be put into practice to begin providing food, clothing and shelter. And your unity will give you the power to protect what you build to suffice your needs.
Q: If we are to be busy, then should we not see the fruit of our labor?
HMLF: There is no worthy goal that you can get immediate gratification, so patience is required. The Bible puts it like this: “Cast your bread upon the waters and after many days you will see it coming back to you”; so if you wanted
146 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Business Economics
immediate gratification, then you’ll never see that which you put forth come back. Patience is a virtue that none of us are born with, but it is a virtue that we all must try to acquire because to see the fulfillment of God’s promises demands patience.
Q: Is it feasible for the Nation of Islam and the F.O.I. to establish their own self- sustaining ‘Chinatown’? Why or why not?
HMLF: It is feasible for us as a people to establish where we live business and service to our community like you see in Chinatown, in Greektown, in Koreatown, in an Italian Town, etcetera.
Q: Why was it necessary for Whites not to teach Black people the science of business?
The Teachings 2.0 147
Business Economics
HMLF: If we were taught the science of business then we would have built our communities, and some of the hundreds of billions of dollars that comes through our hands would stay in our hands; and then, it would never be a “symbol without substance” (with political power, but no economic power).
Q: With all of the financial difficulties everyone is going through, do you think it’s really wise to file bankruptcy and start all over?
HMLF: Bankruptcy protections are put there so that you would not lose everything when you run into a difficult part of your economic life. These, again, are individual decisions that one must
148 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Business Economics
make to protect themselves from total and complete loss. But know this: That America, in the way that she is going, may one day soon be bankrupt—and there’s no way that she can file for bankruptcy protection. It will be the end of this world’s systems. Do the best you can to stay afloat by using whatever means you can use to keep from suffering total loss.
Q: Black people are very angry, and rightly so, for what has been done to us. But I’m wondering: How can we channel that energy to do something productive instead of just tearing things up?
HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was a master at teaching the truth of our enemies and what they have done, and the means by which they did it, which
The Teachings 2.0 149
Business Economics
would make us very angry; but then he channeled that anger against alcohol, drugs, laziness, dependence, disrespect of self and our women. And he made us, by channeling that anger, into a very progressive, disciplined and united people. That is the way we should channel our anger against the things that hold us back. Elijah Muhammad said, “There is no power in the heavens above or in the earth beneath that can keep us from the success that God intends for us if we get our own feet out of our own way.”
150 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Teachings 2.0 151
152 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Social, Political & World Affairs
The Teachings 2.0 153
Social, Political and World Affairs
Q: How can we gain that type of unity back from the 1960s Movement?
HMLF: The strength of the 1960s was rooted in the growth of knowledge of self and others, and the demand of the time that we were living in. If we understand the cry “It’s Nation Time,” then that will activate our minds to study those disciplines that will allow us to build a nation; and we will become a generation of activists that forged the final phase of the liberation struggle of our people, here and all over the world.
Q:AreyouplanningondoingmoreworkinHaiti?
HMLF: Yes. I went to Haiti in December 2011, and I saw that there is much work to be done in Haiti as in all of the places where
154 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Black people live and suffer. Haiti, and the Haitian people, deserves our honor, respect and our help. We all can help.
Q: How do you think a Mitt Romney presidency would affect the work you do?
HMLF: I’m not looking to Mitt Romney or the return of President Barack Obama for a second term necessarily to help me in my work. My help cometh from The Lord.
Q: Will you condemn Hamas?
HMLF: No, I will not be condemning Hamas: They are people that are fighting for what they believe is correct.So, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Each freedom fighter must choose the method by which he or
The Teachings 2.0 155
Social, Political and World Affairs
she believes will win. We have chosen the sword of truth and unity, for our unity will give us more power than an atomic and hydrogen bomb. Get your weapon—truth—and let’s go to work!
Q: We know Obama was ‘selected’ by the enemy. Doesn’t this make him our enemy as well?
HMLF: The enemy is constantly selecting us for this and that position to further their world. That does not necessarily make us an enemy unless we become totally submissive to that way of error and evil; then, you become the enemy not only of your people, but to yourself.
Q: What is the ultimate goal of the bankers who run the world economy?
156 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
HMLF: It is to create a world that they are in control of; that all of the natural resources are under their domination. What they are trying to do, they will fail to do.
Q: Does the Euro debt crisis play a role in the War of Armageddon? If so, how?
HMLF: Yes it does. It is part and parcel of the preparation of the nations for war, which will bring an end to the power of the wicked of this world and set up the world for a new and better world and civilization. Q: Has Libya’s regime change stopped Africa’s unificationtobecomeastrongerworldpower?
HMLF: I would say that regime change in Libya has put a pause on the momentum of Africa toward the true United States
The Teachings 2.0 157
Social, Political and World Affairs
of Africa. However, this pause, and the consequences of African action, will bring about reflection, which will bring about leadership that will quicken the pace toward the ultimate destiny of Africa.
Q: What is your view on the war currently going on in Syria?
HMLF: Regime change in Syria has been a part of the neoconservative agenda which is now being actualized. However, because Russia and China submitted to the idea of a “no fly zone” in Libya, which caused the Western powers to dislodge him and ultimately kill him, they refuse to go along with the United Nations with respect to Syria; as a result, if there is going to be intervention it will have to be that America and
158 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Europe will have to commit troops. But all the Western powers are doing is bringing themselves closer to that War which will close their world out forever.
Q: What are your thoughts on the [July 20, 2012] Aurora, Colorado shootings?
HMLF: I am wondering is this man (James Eagan Holmes) a part of a mind control experiment. I believe there is much more to this than what has been revealed.
Q: In regards to the cases of Trayvon Martin (Florida, Feb. 2012) and Chavis Carter (Arkansas, July 2012) murders: How do we instruct the youth especially when confronted by police?
HMLF: Always be respectful of The Teachings 2.0 159
Social, Political and World Affairs
those in authority. However, all you have is the life that God gave you— you must do everything in your power to protect that precious gift.
Q: Is the government giving poor Black people all types of aid bad for them in the long run?
HMLF: We thank Allah that the government gives food stamps and aid to those who are deserving of it, but what we hope for is a time that we can put our people to work; so that we don’t have to rely on aid from others, but rely on the work that we do to sustain us and our families. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said: “I am leading you to a heaven, but not a heaven wherein you won’t have to work. GET UP from where you are and go to work,
160 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
and do something to help yourself.”
Q: Good evening, Minister. Do you have a message for our brothers and sisters here in Lebanon? Thank you, and God Bless.
HMLF: To my dear brothers and sisters in Lebanon: I pray that Allah will guide, bless and protect you as you work to unify Muslims and Christians so that The Enemy will not use you against each other. We have difficult days ahead, but our unity will help us to get through it much better than if we are disunited.
Q: Are we headed towards a ‘World War III’? And if so, can it be avoided?
HMLF: It could have been avoided, but the wicked have not heeded The
The Teachings 2.0 161
Social, Political and World Affairs
Warning of God through His Messenger/ Messiah, so they are rushing, now, towards their doom in World War III. Let us pray that when it happens God will save us through the fall of this world.
Q: Why is it that the NAACP has not made an effort to make a case for reparations for slavery and Jim Crow in the past 35 years?
HMLF: I cannot answer that question. It is best to pose that to the leadership of the NAACP. The founding of the NAACP was on the basis of non-economic liberalism, so that organization would have to mature to the point where they see reparations as a necessity in order for them to call for it. Right now, they are warriors against the injustice of the American society—and that, we need! But let’s
162 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
all push for reparations, and hopefully, in time, they will join our just demand.
Q: Do you think Black legislators fell asleep the past few years due to having a Black president in office?
HMLF: Well, I don’t know how much legislation Black legislators have put before Congress, or even before our state governments, or our city governments, that have impacted the condition of the Black community.
Q: How do we reverse this ‘Willie Lynch Syndrome’ so that we as a people can move forward?
HMLF: The Knowledge of Self, the Knowledge of God, the Knowledge
The Teachings 2.0 163
Social, Political and World Affairs
of The Time and What Must Be Done will put us on the road to reversing the poison of the Willie Lynch Syndrome.
Q: In analyzing all of the inner cities around the country, why do you think the violence is worse in Chicago right now than in other major cities with similar challenges such as poverty, failing schools and absent fathers?
HMLF: Because Chicago has always been a gang-oriented culture, whether it is with the Whites in the Al Capone days, or with Blacks. But all of that will evolve into something bigger and better than a gang in criminal activity. These gangs will grow from “tribe” into nation, and a new mind will be in them in fulfillment of divine prophecy.
164 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Q: Can you weigh in on the impact of poverty on electoral politics? And how does that ever become a part of the political agenda, if any?
HMLF: Poverty is not really a part of the political agenda, and that is why the poor have no real voice in politics. So God has to raise from the midst of the poor a voice for them. All the wealth of this planet has been built on the backs of the poor! The awakening of the poor will tumble the power of the rich who have exploited their poverty and the ignorance of the masses. But that soon is coming to an end.
Q: You’ve said that it’s past time for doing protesting and marching. I wanted to know, though: Do you think that the climate of America will continue to increase movements such as ‘Occupy Wall Street’?
The Teachings 2.0 165
Social, Political and World Affairs
HMLF: Yes. As the economy begins to falter more, the dollar begins to fall, and calamitiesaswehavejustseeninHurricane Sandy (October 2012) increase, there will be more and more anger, frustration, demonstration, lawlessness, revolution and anarchy. This is the beginning of the end of this system of things.
Q: America has their perspective and views on Muslims, but I wanted to know: Do you think the Muslims in America have good relationships with Muslims in other parts of the world?
HMLF: I would expect so, because most of the foreign Muslims that are in America come from countries where they were predominately Muslim;
166 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
so I’m sure they have people back home, and they are always interested in what is going on in their former places of abode. Good relations, as Muslims, is established by our religion.
Q: I hear a ‘buzz’ that you’re planning to do another Million Man March in 2015. If this is true, what will be done differently than 1995?
HMLF: I would not wish at this time to talk that far in advance. Let us just say that 2015 is the 20th Anniversary of The Million Man March—and there would have to be a serious, serious purpose for such if such were to take place.
Q: In your travels to the various countries, what has made you most effective in unifying the Black, Latino/Hispanic communities?
The Teachings 2.0 167
Social, Political and World Affairs
HMLF: To the degree that we are successful is to the degree that we show the common root of our humanity. We are branches of a Tree that has a singular root; and once the root is known—that we are all from that same Great Source— then it is easy to see how we can relate to each other past our tribes, nations, ethnicities and races. And this is The Promise of God, from both the Islamic perspective by Muhammad and the Christian perspective by Jesus: That in the new world that will come in, there will be “One Faith, One Lord, One Baptism.” And from the Islamic perspective, no man will be judged by his or her color or biology, or ethnicity or racial identity; all of us will be judged by our righteousness, and our duty to God and our fellow man.
168 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Q: In 2013, do you think these calamites will increase and continue to bankrupt America? HMLF: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to us that these calamities will increase until our enemies are laid low—so there will be more in 2013, and more in 2014. It will not end until God’s Victory is established over Satan.
Q: Why don’t you just run for president of the United States just to scare those folks that hate the truth? (Smile)
HMLF: Well, Brother Farrakhan is not interested in being president of the United States; I do not like compromising principles of truth for political advantage. That is why spiritual men and women of God have always
The Teachings 2.0 169
Social, Political and World Affairs
been challenged by the kings and rulers, for we have to say to the kings and the rulers, “Thus sayeth The Lord.”
Q: Have you tried to use your influence internationally, in such places as Syria and Afghanistan, to bring peace there?
HMLF: I have visited Syria. I have never visited Afghanistan, though I was invited many years ago. The peace that this world seeks is peace on terms that are not the terms of God for peace. Peace can only come with the presence of truth and the principle of justice, and as long as those principles are not present, peace cannot come. So God intends to destroy the peace- breaker, and establish a Government of Peace that will know no end.
170 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Q: What can we in America do to help bring about the reality of the ‘United States of Africa,’ especially in light of the death of our Brother Gadhafi?
HMLF: The first thing we need to do is bring about a united Black Community in America, to set an example for Africa; and encourage Africa, after our unity, to come together to produce a United States of Africa. Charity begins at home, and then it spreads abroad, so let us work for total unity among ourselves.
Q: Why do the Muslims of the East hate the people of the West?
HMLF: The Muslims of the East do not hate the people of the West. But, if
The Teachings 2.0 171
Social, Political and World Affairs
the Muslims of the East live according to The Guidance of Allah found in The Qur’an, they dislike the way of life of The West: This free-for-all way of life that we can do anything we please to do even if it is against The Law and Will of God.
Q: What are your thoughts on [Indiana GOP U.S. Senate candidate Richard] Mourdock’s alleged comments in regards to rape, abortion and God’s Will [on October 23, 2012]?
HMLF: I disagree. Naturally, God is The Author of Life because He is The Creator of the sperm of the male and the egg of the female. But when a man violently takes sex from a woman who does not desire him or want him, I believe that that act is a deep sin on the part of the man. And as a female, I would not want to carry the
172 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
life of a man in me that had violated me like that; so I believe that there are things that justify abortion. Though I disagree with abortion, rape is something that I disagree with; incest is something that I disagree with. And of course, the health and well-being of the mother would justify the act of abortion to save her life.
Q: Why is Israel so important to the United States? I just don’t understand!
HMLF: Most Americans don’t understand. But, the scripture tells us that “he who would bless Israel, God would bless,” so the false Jew has claimed that he is “The Chosen of God,” and so Americans, many of themChristians, feel that if they support Israel God will bless them. The Real Children
The Teachings 2.0 173
Social, Political and World Affairs
of Israel, as I have been saying, is the Black man and woman of America— and if they would bless us, God would not only bless them but He would spare them and give them an extension of time.
Q: Do you think deep down in his heart Obama wants to do more for the poor, but he’s just afraid to say it publicly?
HMLF: I don’t know what is in our brother’s heart and mind, but the Obama that was an organizer on the streets of Chicago was a man who wanted to do good for the poor and the weak. But look at what surrounds him, and look at what he has done, and ask yourself: If he did desire to lift the poor, what program has he put forward to do that? The best thing he has done is to
174 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
ensure that 46 million Americans who are without health insurance would have that. That is a blessing to the poor.
Q: In your conversation with [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad [on September 25, 2012 in New York], what is your assessment of this man who is called ‘a crazy’ by America and other countries?
HMLF: I am called crazy! Jesus was called crazy, Muhammad was called crazy! Anybody that disagrees with the White man’s view or way of civilization, and stands up for what we believe, is considered crazy. Ahmadinejad is a very sane man. And if you listen to his words, if you listen to how he answers the questions of his questioner, would you think he is crazy? I don’t think so. He is a highly-
The Teachings 2.0 175
Social, Political and World Affairs
intelligent and dignified human being.
Q: With so much gun violence increasing, and these abortion clinics constantly being resurrected in our communities, do you think our race will last another 50 years?
HMLF: Our people will last forever— this is written in the prophecies of Bible and Qur’an. However, the more knowledge we have of self, our value, and time, we ourselves can stop the genocidal effect being perpetrated by our enemies. But no matter what they do, I am assured by Almighty God through the Honorable Elijah Muhammad they can never succeed in wiping Black people from the face of the Earth.
Q: What can we, as a community, do to
176 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
support those coming out of prison so they won’t return at such a high rate?
HMLF: The greatest gift to those that are imprisoned behind steel bars, and those who are imprisoned in the prison house, is to give us knowledge that will cause us to be a united people pooling our resources; that we would be able to create the jobs, the industry, that we are looking to others to do for us. And this will ensure that those who are released from prison will never have to return.
Q: Do you believe that Al-Qaeda and the Jihadists are the same?
HMLF: I am not knowledgeable of these groups. A jihadist is one who struggles for The Cause of Islam; and they struggle
The Teachings 2.0 177
Social, Political and World Affairs
in the way they believe is necessary: 1) to defend Islam, 2) to protect Islam, and 3) in other places, to establish Islam— as I have said, that is the Lesser Jihad. The Greater Jihad is to struggle with all our might against the weakness of self that allows the enemy of self, like a virus, to come among us and make us participants in our self-destruction.
Q: What lessons should we be learning from the unrest that is going on in the Middle East unceasingly?
HMLF: We should learn to be prepared for the same unrest that you see in the Middle East. You are now seeing it in Europe, and it soon will occupy the cities and states of America because of the total dissatisfaction of the people with
178 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
their government and with their leaders.
Q: As you travel around the world, what ‘lens’ are you looking through to connect the dots of what’s happening?
HMLF: I’m looking through the lens of The Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, which illuminates the truth and prophecy taught by the prophets which is contained in the Bible and the Holy Qur’an.
Q: This government is always trying to pass laws to stop us from growing food in urban gardens, to selling raw milk. How should we fight against these laws? Or should we just say, ‘Forget it!’—and do what we need to do to live?
The Teachings 2.0 179
Social, Political and World Affairs
HMLF: If you forget it, you’ll do what you’ve been doing to die. If you fight against unjust laws, then you are fighting for life itself! So fight for life so that you can put off the day of death.
Q: How can Black people become a ‘nation of their own’ without giving up their citizenship in their countries?
HMLF: Well, when God calls you into His nation, you are a citizen. So, you have to ask, Are you really a citizen of the nation where you are?—and being a citizen of The Nation does not stop you from acting in an intelligent, civilized way in the nation that you are born in, and have become a naturalized citizen of. God’s Nation is an invitation to that which will supersede, succeed
180 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
and supplant all the nations of the Earth, for It is The Kingdom of God.
Q: When do you think will be the time when we will have to remain in our houses for the coming violence of civil war that will take place in America?
HMLF: Soon, and very soon.
Q: Do you think the [2012 presidential election] platforms of people like [former U.S. congressman] Ron Paul will be better for Black voters to support than the mainstream platforms of President Obama and Mitt Romney?
HMLF: I think if his platform seems to be much more intelligent, building a future for the country. But none of the
The Teachings 2.0 181
Social, Political and World Affairs
politicians has a program that will deliver not only their people, but our people as well from the condition that 400 years of slavery and injustice had put us in. God has never sent a politician to deliver the people; it is The Voice of God coming through His prophets.
Q: Do you think the death penalty should be completely abolished in America?
HMLF: There are crimes for which one should pay with one’s life; but those of us who have been robbed of the Knowledge of Self, such penalty should be suspended until we have been given a Knowledge of Self. Then if we choose to do that which invites the death penalty, we should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
182 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
Q: With the conclusion of NASA’s program, or rather, the ending of their program, do you think there’s a future for mankind in outer space?
HMLF: Well, I don’t think there’s any future for mankind living in outer space. But, there is so much in this creation for us to learn! But before we attempt to master what is outside the Earth, don’t you think it would be more beneficial for us to master that planet on which we live, and the laws that govern it? Then we should start at home, and then spread our wings of knowledge into the vast regions of space.
Q: I always vote every year, and the only reason I do it is because our people died for us to have the right to vote. Is that a
The Teachings 2.0 183
Social, Political and World Affairs
good enough reason to really vote in 2012?
HMLF: I thank Almighty God for those who shed their life’s blood, and lost their lives to give us the right to vote. In the past we have only voted for the lesser of two evils—today, we have a chance for our own kind, hoping that they will advance The Cause of justice, freedom and equity. When you see your self-interest is worthwhile in voting, then vote. But in his book The Fall of America (pgs. 36-37), Elijah Muhammad said “vote for Allah” and come and follow him! And though I have that right to vote, and I have exercised that right, my vote is not for this world, my vote is for Allah—and I am following the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to build a New World Reality that will give us what
184 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
we are denied in our vote in this world.
Q: What role can conscious Black law enforcement play in the upliftment of our community?
HMLF: Try your best to be fair and just in your treatment not only of your own people, but to all you are sworn to serve and protect.
Q: When will our people stop all of these marches, and start channeling that energy towards building up our community?
HMLF: Sometimes, my dear brother or sister, the energy of a march triggers other unified efforts that has produced some of the benefits that we are seeing as a result of it, such as voting rights bill;
The Teachings 2.0 185
Social, Political and World Affairs
public accommodation. All of the civil rights legislation that came, it came as a result of an action that’s brought about a tangible result. We are at that point now where, hopefully, our failure to win the war against poverty and want— which demands more than a march: It will demand that our interests be translated into the pooling of resources, intellectually and financially! And then, it might not be necessary to march again.
186 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Social, Political and World Affairs
The Teachings 2.0 187
188 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Arts & Culture
The Teachings 2.0 189
Arts & Culture
Q: What are your thoughts on all the celebrities joining the ‘Illuminati’ rumors? Fact or fiction?
HMLF: I am not sure that our young rappers are joining Illuminati. But those who rap degradation and filth are pawns of the Illuminati, and pawns of the real Satan.
Q: What are your thoughts regarding the announced return of The Arsenio Hall Show [2013-2014]?
HMLF: I am happy for my brother. May Allah grant him success.
Q: How does a musician help bring in a new nation? Because that is my skill.
190 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Arts & Culture
HMLF: Make your music a praise of God. If you write lyrics, make them uplift the minds of the people that hear; whatever instrument you play. Know that your gift came from God, so use it for His Glory and you will be helping me in my mission.
Q: I am a filmmaker, and I wanted to know your perspective on how can art and entertainment be used to clean up our people?
HMLF: Art and entertainment are forms of feeding the mind. Just as we can feed filth and indecency to the human mind (and produce an uncivilized person), through art and culture and music we can feed nobility and wonderful things to the human mind, and thus produce a fertile mind for the planting of the seed
The Teachings 2.0 191
Arts & Culture
Q: I’m an activist, and I love hip-hop in general. What is key for us to having our minds to help usher in The Kingdom of God?
HMLF: The Bible teaches, “In the beginning was The Word”; and Jesus said, “Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth from The Mouth of God.” Study The Word! And The Word will give you a New Idea, a New Vision, a New Mind which will then produce a New Expression of your rap.
Q: I run into a lot of people who are very critical even of conscious Hip Hop, and they label it as a ‘bad’ thing. Do you think that conscious Hip Hop is having any effect anymore?
192 Minister Louis Farrakhan
of good.
Arts & Culture
HMLF: If conscious Hip Hop comes back, it certainly will have an effect. When we started singing The Blues”there were those who would not ever go to hear a Blues singer, but it’s a part of the culture, and our sojourn in America. You may not like it, others may not like it, but The Blues is what we sing out of the pain of living our life in White America. Hip Hop is the newest expression coming out of our sojourn! And it can be positive, and it can be negative. The Enemy has encouraged it to come away from being positive to make it negative; but if it returns to the positive side, it would be a wonderful tool to educate all who would listen.
Q: Hollywood still seems to be thriving, in
The Teachings 2.0 193
Arts & Culture
my opinion. Do you think that Hollywood’s wealth will also be broken in the fall of America?
HMLF: It is being broken as we speak. Hollywood is where most movies were made; but movies are now being made in many cities and towns in America, and outside of America—not in Hollywood. And there are other studios now coming up to make money; and then, of course, Hollywood gets something of it through distribution, but even Hollywood is not as rich as it once was. When a world comes down, everything in that world comes down.
194 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Teachings 2.0 195
196 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
The Teachings 2.0 197
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: What does ‘Muhammad’, ‘X’ and ‘Farrakhan’ mean?
HMLF: The name Muhammad means one worthy of praise or praised much. X in mathematics stands for the unknown. My Teacher, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, never taught me the meaning of my name; he said he would tell me its meaning at the proper time. But, the name Farrakhan is one of the modern names of God. And if you study The Minister, and my work and what it produces, you might be able to discern the meaning of my name.
Q: Do you believe there is more depth to the wisdom that your teacher has given you? And is it constantly unraveling for you every day?
198 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: Absolutely. As with every degree of depth in the ocean you get a new form of life, with every degree of depth that we uncover in The Wisdom of God, we create better and stronger life. This is why we should never stand still on yesterday’s knowledge while the universe in which we live is constantly evolving! Continue to dig deeply into the limitless Wisdom of God. The Qur’an says, “If all the trees on Earth were as pens and all the seas, with seven more seas added to it were as ink, you could never exhaust the words of Allah.” You’ll die digging—and you’ll find that you’ve only dug up a spoonful. (Smile)
Q: Is it really actual facts that Master Fard Muhammad met with the founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses?
The Teachings 2.0 199
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: Yes. Master Fard Muhammad met with Judge Rutherford and Pastor Russell, who are the founders of what is called Jehovah’s Witness.
Q: Who gave, or how did Master Fard Muhammad get the title ‘Master’? And what lesson is there in this for us?
HMLF: By becoming a Master of everything He surveyed. When you are called Grandmaster in martial arts, you become that by mastering what you study. He is Master Fard Muhammad.
Q: Do you believe that ‘nation business’ has become a 9-to-5, off/on, weekend business, instead of ‘nation time’ 24/7, 365?
HMLF: We can’t build a Nation part- 200 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
time; we have to be on it 24/7, 365 days of the year.
Q: How do I, as an M.G.T., become a ‘fisher of men’ besides how I dress?
HMLF: All of the followers of Jesus are made into fishers of men and women. Jesus represents a new world, a new kingdom; Jesus asked his followers to fish people out of the world to be used as foundational stones for an Eternal Kingdom.
Q: Is the Nation of Islam designed to help the Black condition? If so, why is our condition increasingly worse?
HMLF: Our condition is only helped by our accepting that truth that changed
The Teachings 2.0 201
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
our bad condition into one better. We are suffering because we have rejected the truth, and now the consequences of our rejection are at our doorstep and in our houses. We can only be benefited if we accept the truth and live the life that truth directs.
Q: What are the ‘four devils’ referred to in The Lessons (‘Lost-Found Muslim Lesson No. 1, Q&A No. 10’)?
HMLF: The greatest demon is the demon of self; when we conquer the demon of self, the external demon has no way of getting to us. The greatest of all the devils is the setting up of a rival or partner with God (polytheism).
Q: What was your most memorable moment
202 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
as ‘Minister Louis X’ in Boston?
HMLF: One of my most memorable moments as Louis X was my writing of a play called “Orgena”: “A Negro” spelled backwards. The play was such a hit among our people; we did it in so many places. Those are fond memories for me.
Q: If you know, how did Wallace Fard Muhammad feel about or toward His mother?
HMLF: No, I do not. But I know The Qur’an demands of us honor and respect for our mother, and I believe He honors and respects His mother.
Q: Have you completed the subject ‘The
The Teachings 2.0 203
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Extreme Value of the White Man’ as of yet?
HMLF: When you’re full of something, some will leak out. (Smile) I have not given the subject in full, but I have been giving aspects of it to certain people and in certain circumstances. Hopefully one day, to an audience of White people, I would like to talk about their purpose.
Q: What is the meaning of ‘poor righteous teacher’? Was it meant to be a permanent status? And how do the believers change this?
HMLF: It does not mean that we live in an impoverished state, but it does mean that we understand the value of the Earth and what the Earth produces; and that wealth is never for us to own, it is
204 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
for us to use to create a better life for ourselves and others. The Bible teaches “naked came I into the world, and naked go I out.” The Poor Righteous Teachers want to see the world back in the hands of The Righteous, and the wealth of the Earth shared by all who live on the Earth.
Q: Why does the Nation of Islam fast during Ramadan with The Orthodox Muslims since they have deviated from the path of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?
HMLF: Arabs may have deviated from the path of The Prophet, but the Holy Qur’an is the Book of guidance of all Muslims, and it specifically says to the Muslims “fast during the month of Ramadan.”
The Teachings 2.0 205
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: How can we inspire greatness in those closest to us, like you do?
HMLF: Jesus set the example by his word and deed. So those who were positively affected by his word anddeed disciplined their lives according to his word and his deed, thus, they too became doers of The Word, and became great in the name of their master teacher.
Q: Have you sat down in recent years with the leaders of the offshoots of The Nation of Islam (‘New Nation of Islam’, ‘Royall’, ‘Silas’)?
HMLF: I have talked, in the past, with these brothers; we have known each other during the time that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was among us. Today,
206 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
each of us is doing what we think is best, and in the end Allah will decide between us.
Q: Out of all countries, what made you choose Ghana as your first international Saviours’ Day?
HMLF: It is because we had a strong following in Ghana, and we had a friend in the President, Jerry John Rawlings, and his government. So what better place to start than in Ghana?
Q: Dear Minister, will there ever be a case study of your 10 years in New York so that we may learn how to become productive?
HMLF: If that is what you wish to do. But I think we would be wise to do a
The Teachings 2.0 207
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
case study of The Work of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad over a 40-year period in which my 10-year work in New York was a part of under his guidance.
Q: If you are the fulfillment of the scriptural ‘Aaron’, have you already led the Nation of Islam to worship the calf?
HMLF: The Bible charges Aaron with that error; however, The Qur’an absolves Aaron of such. In the scriptures it teaches, “Lo! I come in the volume of the book”—this means that the last Man of God fulfills all the Major Prophets; and, those that had helpers: the helpers of the last man fulfills them! So as Aaron and Joshua was to Moses, as Peter and Paul was to Jesus, and as Elisha was to Elijah, so is Farrakhan to the Most
208 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Q: Minister Farrakhan, when you met with Spike Lee about the movie Malcolm X, did you ask him why you weren’t in the movie?
HMLF: That would be vanity; and I have been trained away from such talk. I wrote Spike Lee after the movie, and thanked him. Though there were many things in the movie with which I disagreed, yet he brought to the world Brother Malcolm, Brother Malcolm’s Teacher; and, it created dialogue and conversation. Ultimately the full truth will be made known, and the wounds that have separated family, friends and Believers will be healed; and we, as a people, will unite and carve out a great future for ourselves.
The Teachings 2.0 209
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: What makes you sure The Messiah is coming back?
HMLF: It is written that we believe in what was revealed to Muhammad and what was revealed before him; and, it is written that we should expect The Messiah (The Return).
Q: What are you doing in your street missions as you walk into these neighborhoods?
HMLF: We are doing what Jesus commanded Peter when he asked him three times the question “LovethThou Me?” and the command that he gave Peter is “feed my sheep.” When we go into the community, through
210 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad they sense that we love them, otherwise we would not be there. They sense that we care; and the same message that transformed our lives, we offer to them as a beginning step. The next thing is to help us to change the reality of our condition. It is written in the Holy Qur’an, “Allah will never change the condition of a people until they change within themselves.” We cannot doanymore for the people than the people are willing to do for themselves.
Q: If the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said he’s ‘Yakub in reverse,’ will it take longer to make Gods than it did to make the Devil?
HMLF: It is a process to evolve us from our fallen state back to our original
The Teachings 2.0 211
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
position. If we were made in the likeness of God, and have become the opposite, that did not happen overnight. But with The Presence of God and His Divine Light and Power, it will be much quicker than it was to make a devil.
Q: When you found your purpose in life did you have to continuously work at it, or did it just come naturally for you?
HMLF: When you find your purpose it does not eliminate work, finding your purpose gives purpose to your work! (Smile) So, every day that you live and work your purpose, you will get better and better at it. So it was with Michael Jordan, so it was with the great artists we admire; so it is with the great scientists who give their life to a purpose. But
212 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
never do they accomplish it without hard work and sacrifice.
Q: How did America know the prophecies concerning Black people before the arrival of The Great Mahdi, Master Fard Muhammad?
HMLF: The devil already knew that the end of his time would come when the people are raised into consciousness, so his aim was always to destroy those who could bring consciousness to the people. The Qur’an says in a conversation with Allah, he (the devil) said “Respite me”— (“delay my doom”)—”until they are raised”. So he has always known that an end was coming to his rule and his wicked way of life; So he has always known that an end was coming to his rule and his wicked way of life; so, his
The Teachings 2.0 213
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
desire was always to keep the masses blind so that he might continue his rule.
Q: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said ‘he wanted your mind,’ and for ‘you to align your mind with his as one.’ Has the process been completed?
HMLF: I believe that it is a process. He has my mind and he is doing with it as he pleases; for my journey is oneness with him and The God who raised him up. And when I have reached that exalted state where I am completely one with him, then when you see me you will have seen him.
Q: Knowing that ‘all praise is due to Allah,’ is it ever meant for one who holds the last name ‘Muhammad’ to live up to that name?
214 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: Allah would not grant us permission to use His Name, The Most Beautiful Name of His 99 Attributes, if we did not have the capacity to express those Attributes to the excellent and most excellent degree. This is why it is said “when you give a man a good name, you give him a name to live up to.”
Q: If your track record speaks for itself, why is it necessary for your followers to always defend you?
HMLF: Jesus had a wonderful track record; so did Moses, so did Abraham, so did Muhammad ibn Abdullah, peace be upon these worthy servants of Allah— but there was a time when their noble word and their noble work was shunned and disbelieved in, there was a time
The Teachings 2.0 215
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
when they were mocked and scorned and evil spoken of. Nevertheless, God always gave them helpers, disciples that defended the nobility of their character. And after a while, persecution ended, and the faith for which they lived (and many were persecuted, many were killed) was established, and fear was replaced with security; and then God rewarded them with rulership after He took the kingdom from those who were unworthy to be the stewards of The Kingdom of God.
Q: Will you appoint a ‘council of elders’ for the Nation of Islam?
HMLF: Any organization that desires longevity will always prepare young people to carry the struggle to another level. However, when those in leadership
216 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
are so insecure and always want to be out front, then they will never prepare young people to take their place; so when they die, their work dies with them.
Q: Can a registered F.O.I. join fraternities?
HMLF: You are in the greatest fraternity of all when you joined the ranks of Islam. You have brothers and sisters all over this planet—that is The Brotherhood.” But if you wish to join a fraternity or sorority on your campus, then bring the dignity of The Supreme Brotherhood to a brotherhood or sisterhood based on frivolity and foolishness. Groom them to make the fraternities and sororities see the value of unity and pooling theirresources intellectually and financially that they may be leaders in providing the
The Teachings 2.0 217
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
needs of a people who suffer.
Q: What is the difference between the luxury offered by Master Fard Muhammad and the luxury that Yakub offered?
HMLF: Yakub’s followers got it! (Smile). Yakub’s followers put the whole planet to work for them, and they live a life of luxury. When God promises you luxury, He promises you on the basis that you submit to do His Will—and His Will is righteousness, and the fruit of righteousness is “gardens wherein rivers flow.” The fruit of righteousness is what you need to live your life, satisfy your need, and live to a good old age; that is the fruit of submission to The Will of God.
218 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches the moon was a sign of the Moon God’s failure to destroy us all. What sign do you think will be left of the Caucasian god of this world representing his failure to do the same today?
HMLF: There won’t be a sign left, because it is written that God is going to remove the wicked and leave them neither root nor branch. And it is written in The Qur’an that when God destroyed the civilizations, He leaves nothing after it. Such was the case of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Q: Did The Messenger ever tell you directly that he had multiple wives?
HMLF: Yes, he did.
The Teachings 2.0 219
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: Do you think the government will put your face on a U.S. stamp one day?
HMLF: I have no idea! I know it won’t be while I’m alive! (Smile)
Q: Does the Nation of Islam plan to freeze- dry any farm crops in order to sell them as part of survival kits for our people?”
HMLF: Canning and freeze-drying are techniques that we probably will use to make sure that during times of non-productivity we will have good wholesome food to eat.
Q: Do you believe ‘aliens’ will ever make their presence felt?
HMLF: There’s no such thing as aliens 220 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
from another planet visiting us. Those that they call aliens are human beings of an Order like this world has never seen. Remember: Those kinds of human beings existed before this world! And they are a sign of what will exist after this world and its power is ended.
Q: Brother Minister, I’ve seen The Supreme Wisdom Lessons posted online now. When I came in, it was only for Registered Believers. Is that still the case?
HMLF: It is still the case. So those who are posting their Lessons should not do so.
Q: Dear Farrakhan, you are confronting the world’s most powerful people. Are you confident that you are going to save your
The Teachings 2.0 221
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
people in America?
HMLF: I am absolutely confident that The God that I serve and represent will not only save our people, but establish them in a land of their own—as He Promised! And verily, He never breaks His Promise.
Q: I’ve been studying The Nation, and I was told that Master Fard Muhammad prays. Is this true? If so, who does He pray to?
HMLF: Master Fard Muhammad was born February 26, 1877. He prays in honor of The Originator of The Heavens and The Earth, Who gave him the form, the brain and The Creation to study to become a master! What master would not bow down to Him Who made him a master?
222 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: Did Brother Malcolm X have a sense of humor?
HMLF: Yes, he did. I loved to see him laugh. And although he was a very serious brother, he found things which gave him joy and made him laugh.
Q: How do you manage to balance making up your rak’as and required prayers with such a busy and productive schedule?
HMLF: Sometimes I miss the rak’as of my prayers; however, I am constantly in the remembrance of Allah. I hope to be perfect in my prayers. But when your work is The Work of Doing The Will of God, that work that you do is also fulfillment of your prayers.
The Teachings 2.0 223
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: How as a person in the Nation of Islam—a young person in the Nation of Islam—do I find my purpose within this organization? And what is the best major for me to choose for college?
HMLF: Start first by trying to be a good Muslim; your purpose will come out of being true to your nature, which is Islam. And then what course you study should be in accord with your gift, your purpose, and what you would like to do to further national development for our people. May Allah Guide you in making a goodchoice for your future!
Q: Have you ever considered having a separated version of the Nation of Islam just for White people?
224 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: I have definitely thought of a message that I wanted to give to White people. But, White people can become Muslims if they desire. White people can form a separate part of the Nation of Islam, if they desire; and if they want to become followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, any masjid (or mosque) in the country would be willing to receive them.
Q: Have you ever read your F.B.I. files?
HMLF: They won’t allow me to get them. We have tried, through the Freedom of Information Act, and what little they sent was so redacted that we could hardly read anything!
Q: At what point did you know that your wife
The Teachings 2.0 225
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
was the woman for you? And what made you ask her hand in marriage?
HMLF: I knew from the time we were youngsters that she was the right person for me. I did not ask for her hand in marriage. She became pregnant with my child, and I knew that the right thing to do was to marry her; but, I always knew that she was the woman for me.
Q: Can you describe the spirit and atmosphere you experienced when you were in the physical presence of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad?
HMLF: Yes, I can. I was always exceedingly happy and overjoyed to be in the presence of a man whom I believe met with God, and was commissioned
226 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
by God to raise Black people in America and throughout the world from our wretched condition. And that feeling of joy never left me in the 20 years that I was blessed to be in his presence.
Q: What could you say to your followers to take their children out of the public schools?
HMLF: Well, many of those who follow the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that find it better to homeschool theirchildren: I would hope that we could impact the schools, and make the schools better for all of those who attend the public school. And that should be a goal for us; because even taking our children out and giving them a good quality education—and leaving the rest of our children behind in a dysfunctional
The Teachings 2.0 227
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
public school environment—is not to the advantage of us as a people. We must affect the public school educational system.
Q: According to prophecy, will the White Shriners and Masons heed your call to assist you as ‘Father over The House’?
HMLF: I believe at some point they will. Q: Why did you describe The Million Man
March as a ‘glimpse of heaven’?
HMLF: Because nearly two million men stood together for almost 14 hours and there was no violence, no argument, no smoking of reefer or even cigarettes; and, they acted brotherly and lovingly toward one another. And thus, The Million Man
228 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
March was a glimpse of heaven.
Q: I would like to ask you about ‘holy names’: How do I make myself qualified for it, to be official from you?
HMLF: Continue to strive to be a good Muslim; do your best to exemplify the qualities and characteristics of God, in that way you will be worthy of one of The Names of God. So, continue to strive.
Q: How do you feel when you are condemned by the very people that you’ve helped?
HMLF: We do not have an enemy if that enemy cannot ill-affect you. Allah says in The Qur’an that He does much good for His creatures; but He says, “Surely man is ungrateful.” Well, if man is ungrateful
The Teachings 2.0 229
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
to God, for all the good that God does, then how can you and I escape the pain from ingratitude from those whom we help? But if we are seeking the praise of men rather than honor from God, then when people are ungrateful we will be very hurt; and then, we might stop the doing of good. But if our doing of good is to earn The Favor of God, then no matter who is grateful or ungrateful, continue to do good—as good will bring its own reward.
Q: What sort of actions, aside from the recent neighborhood patrolling, has the Nation of Islam been involved in over the past decade as it relates to violence prevention?
HMLF: We are constantly teaching and giving guidance from the Honorable
230 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Elijah Muhammad that stopped us from our violent path, and we offer to our people in the prisons, in the streets, in the schools what he taught us. And now, by The Grace of God, we have a program that we will advance to the members of our community to take them to the next level in violence prevention.
Q: Does the Nation of Islam see a role for homosexual brothers and sisters in the fight for equality and betterment of Black people across the globe?
HMLF: There’s always a role for everyone in the struggle of our people for liberation and justice. May God bless us to utilize the brilliance of members of our homosexual community toward that end.
The Teachings 2.0 231
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: Why don’t you change the Nation of Islam to the way of Orthodox Islam so you all can be real Muslims?
HMLF: We are the most real Muslims in the world. Take it or let it alone.
Q: What was your greatest concern in rebuilding the work of your Teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad?
HMLF: Doing what we intended to do was my greatest desire; rebuilding his work, lifting his name again, that the world may know that a Divine Teacher, Leader, Warner and Guide was among us. And God is blessing us to do that.
Q: I have been following you over the years although I’m not in The Nation, but I wanted
232 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
to know: How are you able to memorize so much information, such as music notes when you’re playing the violin, and holy scripture? I am amazed!
HMLF: Repetition is one of the great forms of learning. By studying the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad weeks and days and months and years, and all knowledge that relates to these Teachings, it has given us a reservoir of knowledge to draw from. And, it is constantly renewing itself. So I am grateful for what memory He has blessed me to have, but you also have that same power and potential.
Q: Since you joined the Nation of Islam, do you think any day has went by where you’re not thinking about The Work of the
The Teachings 2.0 233
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Honorable Elijah Muhammad?
HMLF: Not one day has passed that I have not thought about him, and The Work and Mission of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to resurrect our people from mental death and destruction.
Q: You’re such an effective communicator. When someone comes to you that has lost their inspiration, how do you get them ‘back on course’ to be inspired?
HMLF: If a person loses their spirit to do The Work, there is a scripture in the 5th Chapter of the Book of Matthew that teaches: “Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its savory power, it is good for nothing but to be trodden underfoot.” (verse 13) People can get
234 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
burnt out, and they just retire, and re- gather their strength. That is why in the church, pastors have what is called revivals; because people do get tired, so they can be revived if they go back to the initial principles that inspired them to become alive and an instrument for a cause bigger than themselves.
Q: In what ways did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad build up your character?
HMLF: By teaching me The Will and The Way of God; then, it was up to me to adjust my life to The Will and The Way of God. And this builds character, and we begin to reflect The Attributes of God which are His characteristics.
Q: I’ve heard rumors: Is it true that L. Ron
The Teachings 2.0 235
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Hubbard met or was taught by Master Fard Muhammad?
HMLF: I could not say that for certain. If I said it, I could not prove it. However, Master Fard Muhammad came in and out of America for 20 years before He made Himself known to us, and during that time I am sure He spoke to many people in many different fields of endeavor. Who all of them are? I do not know. But I will say it like this: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to me, “Brother, Allah has gone in front of you and made friends for you all the way around the Earth. And at the proper time, you will meet them.” One of the things that Master Fard Muhammad did is He traveled to every inhabited part of our planet; and, I understand that L. Ron
236 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Hubbard traveled a lot in the East and in other places on our planet, and so did other great men and minds. So wherever these friends are, God Willing I will live long enough to meet them all, for all of them are a part of One Great Community that will bring about total change on our planet.
Q: I’ve heard you for the first time, and I don’t consider you a ‘racist.’ Why has this title been attached to you for so long? I don’t agree with it!
HMLF: Neither do I! But to label me as a racist is to put their own wickedness on a Black person who loves his people and has no desire to inflict evil on others. Racism must be accompanied by a certain degree of power to inflict pain on
The Teachings 2.0 237
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
those whom you hate. I am not a racist— never was! And cannot be, except that I love my people, and I want to see my people free. If that is racism, then so am I.
Q: Do you ever regret giving out the name ‘Muhammad’ en masse like you did, in light of so many of us not living up to it?
HMLF: In some cases, yes. But after Allah chastises us for using His Name in vain we will all live up to a good name, for the good name is a part of our nature. We are The Righteous! And so God will punish us, and make us to be ourselves.
Q: ‘America has fallen,’ as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has told us and you have said, and I bear witness even though I’m not
238 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
one of your followers. I wanted to know: How do you keep your faith so high even in the midst of all that is going on?
HMLF: My faith is not dependent on the things that are going on. My faith informs me of the things that are going on. My faith and my trust are in Allah (God) alone, and so no matter what goes on, I keep my faith in God. No matter what the condition is, how negative the circumstance is, we will rise above it through our complete faith and trust in Allah (God).
Q: Can you please tell us a little more about Imam Sultan Muhammad and what can we expect from him? I’m very excited about this move [to install him as the first resident imam at Mosque Maryam, headquarters of
The Teachings 2.0 239
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
the Nation of Islam (September 2012)].
HMLF: We can expect from Brother Imam Sultan Muhammad that he will continue to study and prepare himself to guide the community, and lead the community in prayers; and, instruct the community in Arabic and on the meanings of our religion. He is a wonderful young brother, and I believe he will grow into a very wonderful imam, or servant, of the Islamic Ummah (Community).
Q: I am hearing-impaired, and there are other hearing-impaired or deaf members in the Nation of Islam. Have you considered having interpreters for the national lectures, as well as closed captioning for your DVDs so we can get the full benefit of your messages by reading along?
240 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: Oh, that’s a wonderful suggestion! And we will do this. Thank you so much for that suggestion.
Q: What is it that you or the Nation of Islam believes about ‘good and evil’ referring to ‘God and The Devil’ and ‘Heaven and Hell’?
HMLF: God and The Devil are both human beings; one in the nature of righteousness, one in the nature of rebellion to that which is right. Heaven and Hell are not two places, but two conditions of life; one made by obeying God which brings peace and contentment of mind, and another made by rebelling against God. And the fruit of that rebellion is hatred and strife, bitterness and envy, and jealousy and
The Teachings 2.0 241
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
murder: All of the things that the Earth is tormented by, and the people of the Earth are tormented by today. God is real, and so is Satan—and in this day and time both are to be made manifest so that the people will choose which God will they serve: The God of Evil or The God of Righteousness.
Q: How can people really, truly, separate you from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and say that they follow him, but don’t follow you? What do you think about this?
HMLF: It’s a misunderstanding. So many people, when Master Fard Muhammad chose Elijah Muhammad to continue the work of building The Nation, did not wish to follow Elijah Muhammad. They said they were in love with Fard
242 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Muhammad, not Elijah Muhammad. But Elijah Muhammad said, “You cannot follow one without the other.” Elijah Muhammad is The Doorway to Master Fard Muhammad, so the belief in one is the belief in both! So when someone says, “I follow Elijah Muhammad, not Louis Farrakhan,” they just don’t understand who Louis Farrakhan is in connection to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. But one day, inshallah, they will.
Q: If Master Fard Muhammad started in Detroit, what is the spiritual significance of Chicago being the ‘headquarters’?
HMLF: It’s the same as is Islam, 1,400 years ago, starting in Mecca. But when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was driven out of Mecca, he found refuge in the
The Teachings 2.0 243
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
second city called Yathrib (the ancient Arabic name of the city now known as Medinah); and Medinah became The Capital of Islam until Muhammad was able to go back and conquer Mecca. Elijah Muhammad was driven from Detroit, and Chicago became his home. And even though it’s the second city, Chicago became the first city because it was where he is located, and we look to him for our spiritual guidance.
Q: Who taught the Holy Qur’an to Master Fard Muhammad?
HMLF: I’m sure that He had in His early days wonderful teachers; but then, His Own Essence manifested. It’s like somebody born to play the violin, so at three and four years old, you see them
244 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
performing great compositions that only a master could perform! That’s because they were born to do what they do. Master Fard was born to become The Best Knower among human beings— and that, He is.
Q: You’ve said before that Elijah Muhammad told you to ‘be like Paul and not Peter’, because he did not like Peter. What was it about Peter that he did not like, and what was it about Paul that he did like?
HMLF: I think he didn’t like Peter because Peter, at a certain point, showed weakness, and denied Jesus. But still, Peter was the man on whom Jesus laid The Key to make him “The Doorkeeper” of his Kingdom. But Paul: From the moment that Paul met Jesus
The Teachings 2.0 245
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
in a vision on the road to Damascus, he never deviated—always was strong in his defense of Jesus; and deepened his understanding of the Message of Jesus, and became the writer of most of what is called The New Testament.
Q: Do you believe Master Fard Muhammad knew ahead of time Elijah Poole would be the one to be raised?
HMLF: Yes, I do.
Q: I’ve heard you talk about inhabited planets from your teacher, and I’ve been learning a lot about them. I wanted to know: Do you know how these people live on these planets living so close to the Sun, and don’t burn up?
246 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: I have no idea! All I know is that wherever there is life, there is water. And that life that is close to the Sun: That water brings up life that can endure that closeness to the Sun. We are from the water of the Earth, and therefore, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that we can never live on another planet. Therefore when we go outside of the Earth’s orbit, we have to go in some kind of suit, and we have to set up some kind of contraption that will give us food from the Earth, water from the Earth, air from the Earth; otherwise, we would die wherever we are. Be content that the Earth is your home. Make it the beautiful home that God intended for it to be.
Q: I feel that the Nation of Islam is spending too much time talking about politics instead
The Teachings 2.0 247
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
of planning and building ownership of land and business. Do you agree?
HMLF: Well, when you say “talking about politics”: I don’t remember hearing lectures of any of our ministers where they’re focusing on politics, because that is not The Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And I, as the Representative of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad: Though I can speak on politics, my message is always based from the spiritual guidance of my Teacher, and the scriptures of the Bible and Qur’an, and from the Message that God gave him for our Deliverance.
Q: Has The Nation ever considered creating a network marketing business with all of your products that people can
248 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
invest into?
HMLF: I am sure that we will have to do something like that, because the slave masters’ children are already dropping us. And without a job, then we will have to think creatively to provide a job for ourselves and others. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that “Muhammad’s Mosque would one day be the employment office”—so I guess what you suggest is right around the corner.
Q: If the Jews and the ADL ever challenge you to a public dialogue on national television, would you accept that invitation?
HMLF: Absolutely! I would be more than happy to accept such an invitation.
The Teachings 2.0 249
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
In fact, I have been calling for such a debate or showdown, but I don’t have any of them to respond.
Q: I am considering playing the violin. Who are two to three of your favorite composers that you have studied?
HMLF: Oh, everyone whom I have been blessed to study their works, but I’ll say these are mine: Beethoven, Bach, Handel, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann— these are just some! Mendelssohn, Bruch. You know, these are great composers! Tchaikovsky. I could go on and name maybe 40 more! Those are great musical works that I love to listen to, and, I love to play.
Q: What part of the ‘More-Than-A-Vision
250 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Experience’ did you remember before the earthquake made it a full recollection?
HMLF: I didn’t remember any of it.
Q: When we are taught that Master Fard Muhammad would throw the Rockefellers and the DuPonts into a ‘Lake of Fire’: Is that literally or metaphorically?
HMLF: No, it is literal, meaning He intends to destroy them and their works! When you say “put in the Lake of Fire”: Whatever fire touches, it destroys it completely—so Master Fard Muhammad intends to destroy personally, and everything that they have built. The Bible, in the Book of Malachi 4:1, puts it like this: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
The Teachings 2.0 251
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” This world is going to disappear as though it never ever was.
Q: What has the 3-Year Economic Program produced since you re-launched it in the ‘90s? And how can we support it today?
HMLF: It has produced thousands of acres of farmland that has allowed us to begin the process of producing necessary foods; but the little monies that we received was not enough to produce land enough to take care of the needs of 40 million people. We need a minimum of 100 billion acres to begin the process of producing food, clothing, shelter and
252 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
jobs. So we intend to reinstitute not a 3-Year plan, but The Economic Blueprint of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that we will be on for as long as it takes to give us what is required to make us, at last, a free and independent people.
Q: I’m trying to understand The Nation of Islam’s belief. Is Master Fard Muhammad ‘The Christ’, or is Elijah ‘The Christ’? Or do they represent aspects of both?
HMLF: Christ means “One anointed with power to crush the wicked.” Master Fard Muhammad has that Knowledge, has that Power, and is in The Process of doing that Work. But the greatest thing that He did was to transfer that Knowledge and that Power into the head of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, so
The Teachings 2.0 253
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
that he becomes The Christ (The Crusher of The Wicked). And he is exercising that Power as I write these words.
Q: Did the other planets with moons go through the same process that the Earth did to get its moon?
HMLF: I have not been taught about that. We know of this planet, and what caused this moon, but I have not heard the Honorable Elijah Muhammad address the other planets and their moons. They just state that they exist.
Q: Is ‘The Muslim Program’ inside The Final Call newspaper really just a ‘Black agenda’ that we all could benefit from by practicing?
HMLF: It’s not just a Black agenda, it’s 254 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
the agenda of The Kingdom of God that will be in place upon the destruction of this world. It starts with the Black man whom God has chosen to be The Cornerstone of such Kingdom, but it will engulf every human being that exists on our planet.
Q: I never hear you talk much about your brother Alvan, except that he played the piano. I wanted to know: Did your mother make you all perform together a lot as children?
HMLF: Yes, we performed together as children. But as children grow in a household, each finds their niche inlife and pursues their life’s goal. My brother and I became Muslim followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
The Teachings 2.0 255
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
He was a man of extraordinary talent in many different fields, and he pursued those fields; and, I pursued those that attracted me. And by The Grace of God, both succeeded in doing what we set our hearts and minds to do.
Q: I’d really like to join The Nation of Islam, but I’m a little afraid of the discipline and the structure. What steps should I take to ease my way into the mosque?
HMLF: Never be afraid of discipline and structure to our lives. Allah says in The Qur’an that “He creates life” and “He regulates the affair.” When your heart is beating improperly, your pulse rate is beyond what it should be; your temperature is beyond what it should be—it’s the irregulation of what God has
256 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
regulated that causes us disease from the inside. Discipline and structure is what we need in order to take control of our lives and that which is around us. So think about discipline, and start learning what it is, and start applying it to your life, and see how much better your life will become.
Q: How did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad get Black women to cover up themselves, and love it, especially when we love to show off our bodies?
HMLF: It is because in this world a woman’s body is used by Satan to attract what is natural in the man, to take our focus away from where our minds should be focused! God created women and men to be attracted to each other;
The Teachings 2.0 257
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
however, it is our knowledge of self and desire to be pleasing to God that allows us the spirit to cover ourselves. And that is proper! And you’ll find a happier life for women and men if we were more conscious of attracting each other in a better way.
Q: I know you have traveled to just about every corner of the world, but is there one place that you have not visited that you would like to?
HMLF: Oh, there are many places on our planet that I have not visited; some in the South Pacific. I have not visited Greenland; I have not visited some parts of Europe, and, some parts of Asia and Africa! So though I have visited many countries, I have not touched all. And
258 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
maybe in this lifetime, if it pleases God, I might visit a few more. However, if you can’t travel physically, Allah says in The Qur’an, “Travel in the land and see what was the end of the rejected...” It is travel that broadens our soul; and what we cannot do physically, we travel by means of books that we read that give us intimate knowledge of places that we have never been, never seen, and in our lifetime, might never be able to visit.
Q: Do you have a legal team presently still fighting to get you back in the U.K., or have you all given up on that?
HMLF: I am not wasting valuable time fighting to get physically into the United Kingdom, because I’m already there in The Word! I believe that over time, if it
The Teachings 2.0 259
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
is pleasing to God, that ban on me will be lifted.
Q: I know you ran track and you did music coming up, but were there any other talents that you had as a young man?
HMLF: Yes, I was very good in acting in plays, and gifts in comedic things; in other words, I loved to make people happy with my music, my songs, my plays, my gifts. And generally, all talent that I saw that God had given me, I never knew that my greatest gift was in the spiritual realm. Now that I have found my greatest gift, and devoted my life to that gift in the first years of my life, God is allowing me to do aspects of my music again.
260 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
Q: As a man who has the hardest mission ever given to any man, how did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad select his helpers that were close around him?
HMLF: I think he looked at our desire to help him, he looked at what our skill levels were, but the main thing was: Do we have a desire to get to our people, and resurrect them with the Knowledge that God has revealed for that purpose? Then the Honorable Elijah Muhammad would make us laborers in his Cause, and he put us in a position. Not that we were qualified for that position, but he put us in a position that over time he could qualify us for even greater positions that awaited us.
Q: I heard you say that your Teacher ‘went
The Teachings 2.0 261
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
in front of you, and made friends for you all around the world’. Is that something he did before he left, or is that something that you believe he is still doing?
HMLF: As you may know, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that Master Fard Muhammad visited every inhabited part of our planet. It was not Elijah Muhammad that went in front of me; he said Allah went in front of me, making friends for me all the way around the Earth. And at the proper time, I would meet them.
Q: As a brother who is joining the F.O.I. for the first time, I wanted to know: What did you love most about the brotherhood when you first came in?
262 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: I loved the love that I saw in the eyes of the brothers that welcomed me into the F.O.I. And that love was not just in their eyes, it was the way they handled me, and nurtured me; it’s like a new life finding a firm resting place in the womb in order to begin the process of growth. If it were not for that love, and that womb that nurtured me, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.
Q: When you first picked up the book Message To The Blackman, or any book by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, was there any aspect of it that you disagreed with?
HMLF: No, there were aspects of his Teaching that I may not have understood clearly, but I didn’t disagree, I just kept studying, and soon that which I didn’t
The Teachings 2.0 263
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
understand I was blessed to gain understanding of. There are still aspects of his Teaching that I am not fully in understanding of, but I’ve never been in disagreement with anything that he taught. I just know who he is; and his being to me The Messenger of God— and now, The Messiah—I just wait on God to give me the understanding that I seek.
Q: What is the purpose of your Nation of Islam Research Team? Is it just to defend you against the Jews, or is there more to them than that?
HMLF: There’s so much more to them than that—but that is how it got started! They saw the unjust attack on me, and on The Nation, as being “anti-Semitic,”
264 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
so they started researching; and out of that research came Volume 1, Volume 2 of The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews and soon there will be a Volume 3. But, research is for everything that we need to make a healthy, strong and united people.
Q: What is the scientific reason behind Master Fard Muhammad calling the Bible a ‘Poison Book’?
HMLF: I’m glad you used the term scientific. If you have cancer and you are on chemotherapy, that therapy is poison; and sometimes you have to use a poison to counteract a poison, or to effect balance from a disease. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that the pig is a poison animal, and from that
The Teachings 2.0 265
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
poison animal many remedies have been developed for a variety of our illnesses. So, the Poison Book: It is poison if you don’t have understanding of it. Proof of that is the condition of our world; the condition of those who say “We are Christian.” Having a cross around our neck does not make us Christian. We are in grave misunderstanding of the scriptures, and our misunderstanding limits our power to use the Power of truth to effect change.
Q: I know you’re such a busy man, but I have to ask: Do you like to watch any sports? If so, what are your favorite ones to watch?
HMLF: Well, I love to watch track, but I watch basketball at times, and I watch football at times; I watch tennis at times,
266 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
and I watch golf at times. I’m not a hockey fan. But wherever Blacks are, I would say raising the temperature of that sport, I want to see how well my brothers and sisters are doing, and encourage their greatness.
Q: Why did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad send the early followers to take classes from Dale Carnegie and others? What was this doing for them in their labor?
HMLF: Elijah Muhammad never sent us. Brother Malcolm sent us to learn how to handle our positions of authority. Remember, Black men have never been used to being in authority; so when we get authority, sometimes it’s a poison that destroys organization! So Brother Malcolm wanted us to learn the proper
The Teachings 2.0 267
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
handling of people, because that’s our business: To handle people. So, wherever knowledge is that will cause you to do your job better, and more effective, why would we not encourage you to go to school to learn that, to go to college to learn that, to take tried courses (proven to be successful) to learn that? Every dentist has to keep gaining greater knowledge of their craft; every doctor in every specialized field has to continue to grow in knowledge, otherwise they will stagnate in their practice. So the object is not White or Black, but getting knowledge from wherever you can access it!
Q: Do you ever plan to allow White people to physically come to your mosque meeting ? I’m a White fan of yours, and I would love
268 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
to attend.
HMLF: We have allowed White people to physically come to the mosque when I come out to teach. And I would hope that you will keep the knowledge of when I’m coming out, and I would welcome you to Mosque Maryam.
Q: Does the Nation of Islam still have a prison reform ministry?
HMLF: Yes, we do. Please refer to the ad that appears in The Final Call newspaper that states our position.
Q: I heard that you used to study 8-10 hours a day of The Teachings. Is your study regime as hard today as it was then, or do you study less now?
The Teachings 2.0 269
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: Now, I study less. But believe it or not, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad told me once: “Brother, you don’t have to study. Just stand up and let God speak through you.” Of course every human being needs to study; and I am always reading and looking into things to keep me abreast of what is going on in our world. But when I stand up to speak, I don’t necessarily study what I am going to say because I have found that God has blessed me to be a channel, and He feeds others through me.
Q: Is there true peace regarding Malcolm X’s death, from your perspective?
HMLF: Well, I am certainly at peace, and we in The Nation are at peace knowing
270 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
that what was, hopefully, is not what is. And healing the wounds of what happened 40 years ago is an ongoing struggle; but, those of us who knew we had nothing to do with his assassination are at peace.
Q: When do you plan on dispatching ‘The 10,000-Man Nation of Islam Delegation’ to Hajj?
HMLF: I have not a date in mind; I only have in mind the hope that soon we will be able to visit the Holy City of Mecca.
Q: You have been a wonderful student, from my perspective, of the violin. I wondered: Have you ever taught someone else how to play?
The Teachings 2.0 271
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
HMLF: No, I have not become a teacher of the violin. I never thought that I knew enough to teach others. But I am learning more and more every time I take a lesson, and every time I’ve practiced to perfect what I learned in my lesson, and maybe one day I will pass on what I am learning to those who seek a greater knowledge of the mastery of the violin.
Q: You’ve been going out in the streets very heavily the last couple of [months]. I wanted to know: Is this your ‘last call’ to the people? Or do you think God has some more work for you to do?
HMLF: Well, I pray that He has more work for me to do. But until He calls me in, I’m going to work as hard as I can to call our people out of that destructive
272 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
lifestyle that is making us agents of our own destruction.
Q: I recently heard you tell college students that you challenge them to ‘trace their roots’ such as how Alex Haley did; and, what he told Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad what he discovered—[‘The Modern Mis-Education Of Our Youth’ delivered at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 3, 2012]. I wanted to know: Have you embarked on that journey personally as it relates to your father’s family?
HMLF: To a small degree, I have. But the greatest root search of all is not necessarily the land mass that produced the life of my father, but The Nature of God and The Nature of myself. Finding my root is discovering my nature; and
The Teachings 2.0 273
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
that’s why the Holy Qur’an says every human being is, by nature, a Muslim— except the rebellious devil. So in reality, I have discovered my root, and now I am attempting to be myself.
Q: If you could sum up your Mission in one word, what would it be?
HMLF: Resurrection.
274 Minister Louis Farrakhan
‘Getting to Know’ Louis Farrakhan & The Nation of Islam
The Teachings 2.0 275
276 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Follow The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/LouisFarrakhan
www.Facebook.com/OfficialMinisterFarrakhan
Instagram.com/LouisFarrakhan
Do you have a question? Just...
#AskFarrakhan
Also visit these websites:
The Nation of Islam @OfficialNOI www.NOI.org
The Final Call Newspaper
@TheFinalCall www.FinalCall.com
The Final Call Online Store
@FinalCallStore Store.finalcall.com
Farrakhan on YouTube
www.Youtube.com/FCNN
The Teachings 2.0 277
278 Minister Louis Farrakhan
The Teachings 2.0 279
280 Minister Louis Farrakhan