By Charlene Muhammad CHARLENEM
WILMINGTON, Del. – His first name in Arabic means “light,” which sort of explains how student Minister Nuri Muhammad or “Brother Nuri” as he is called, could illuminate Mosque No. 35 in Wilmington, Delaware with the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad on April 5.
During his address entitled, “Message to the Black Family,” Brother Nuri, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Indiana representative at Mosque No. 74, expressed vibrantly, clearly, studiously and at times with humor, as much as he could share of what Minister Farrakhan taught him.
He highlighted the importance of strong marriages and how they lead to strong families, a strong community, a strong nation and ultimately a strong world. He also advocated for youth leadership and involvement in mosque, society, nation-building and world affairs.
›According to student Minister Robert Muhammad of Mosque No. 35, the visit stemmed from a month-long revival launched for the Delaware Valley Region by its student Minister Rodney Muhammad. Brother Nuri was already scheduled to speak at Mosque No. 12 in Philadelphia and asked if there was any additional way he could serve, Robert Muhammad said.
Wilmington was blessed with the opportunity to hear from Minister Farrakhan’s representative and they took it, Robert Muhammad continued. In a moment’s notice, he said, the Believers packed the mosque.
More than 100 people filled the two-story building’s sanctuary while an overflow audience watched his lecture on closed-circuit upstairs.
Brother Nuri even called some youth watching on closed-circuit to come downstairs to attend the live session. If anyone needed to hear, it was the youth, he said.
“At the end of the day, the young people have more energy, more life and more time at their disposal and have made less mistakes than we’ve made,” Brother Nuri stated.
He continued, “The job of a good mother, a good father, the job of a good teacher is not to make the son, the daughter or the student like them. The job of a good mother and a good father and a good teacher is to make the child and the student better than him or her!”
“Brother’s message was a message to the Black family, and God moved him to speak in particular to the youth. It was a very pregnant message and was very much appreciated by the audience,” Robert Muhammad stated.
“The way I know the people received it well is because nobody wanted to leave after the meeting. We started around five and didn’t leave until about nine,” he said.
Some of the guests even returned the following day to attend Sunday’s general meeting.
According to Robert Muhammad, Blacks in Wilmington are facing the same thing Minister Farrakhan teaches is facing Blacks in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. “What the Minister’s been saying is there’s a universal cry in crime, education and Black people not doing those things that would make us an independent people,” he stated.
Brother Nuri captivated and held the audience’s attention from the moment he approached the rostrum. He greatly acknowledged the youth and spoke of how important their presence was in the meeting. He further highlighted how vital their presence is for the future of the Nation of Islam.
“Don’t tell me what young people can or cannot do. Greatness is not locked up in some time capsule, buried inside of people’s DNA, waiting on them to get gray hair, a bald head or arthritis to settle in,” Brother Nuri said.
“We don’t need a youth program! We don’t need something special for the young people to do. We need to open up the door to let them teach, and let them rule, and let them govern, and let them invest! Let them work! Let them start businesses! Let them fix cars, let them design architecture! Let them do everything grown people are doing! The youth program is the program,” Brother Nuri declared over the applause and cheers of a fired up audience.
In a heartwarming, inspirational and interactive moment, Brother Nuri dialogued personally with Brother Ezekiel Muhammad, who’d turned five-years-old that day. The beaming child had been brought out front to be recognized.
Brother Nuri taught him and onlookers about the importance of mothers. He then instructed Ezekiel to, when he returned home, thank his mother for giving birth to him and to also thank his father.
That moment combined with his entire lecture made a lasting impression on not only the Believers, but their guests, like Shaquona Meyers.
The middle school English teacher told The Final Call she really loved the experience. Hearing Brother Nuri and those who presented him renewed her spirit of community activism, she said.
“He really spoke about some essential truths that everyone in our community needs to really hear. He spoke a lot about how many hands make light work,” she said. “I just feel like his words were so prolific and so necessary for what’s happening in not just the Wilmington, Delaware community but across the nation,” Ms. Meyers continued.
In addition to Robert Muhammad, presenters included Brian Muhammad, student coordinator of the Willingboro, New Jersey Study Group and Victor Muhammad of Mosque No. 22 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ms. Meyers shared she gained so much.
“One speaker said that the truth that he received from Minister Louis Farrakhan, that when those truths are revealed, it’s like looking through a diamond and as the diamond reflects light, it highlights specific hues,” Ms. Meyers reflected.
“And when he said that, I got chills because it’s so true! He said the light that I see might not be the light that you see, but it’s a necessary light,” she continued.
The words compelled her to immediately reflect on people working in their different capacities and how they’re not using what they have been given.
“First of all, we’re not honoring God, and we’re also not being purposeful, and we all have purpose,” Ms. Meyers said.
“I said if there was something I really got out of Saturday, it was this renewed sense of purpose and I really appreciate that,” she added.
(Tanisha Muhammad and Kevin Muhammad contributed to this report.)
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