“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”—Isaiah 54:17 KJV
CHICAGO—Unlike previous years, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan did not speak in public very many times in 2020. But when he did, his messages were powerful, potent, and pregnant with knowledge and Divine insight.
In what was a difficult and trying year for millions of people, Min. Farrakhan left no doubt in his supporters, detractors, and enemies that after 60-plus decades of his unwavering work and sacrifice on behalf of Black and oppressed people, that his faith in Allah (God) and the wisdom and guidance he receives from his teacher, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, remains strong and unshakable.
2020 marked a year in which the number of Min. Farrakhan’s messages decreased, but what is contained in these messages is immeasurable.
›Prior to the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic that struck the world, disproportionately impacting the U.S., devastating the economy, healthcare and educational systems, and disrupting the lives of everyday Americans, Min. Farrakhan warned of what was on the horizon during his Saviours’ Day 2020 message delivered Feb. 23 in Detroit, “The Unraveling of a Great Nation.”
President Donald Trump had just been acquitted by the U.S. Senate after being impeached by the House of Representatives and political anger and acrimony was seemingly at an all-time high. The Minister observed that he was not looking at America in its finest hour. He warned Blacks in particular, that they were opting to be part of that which is “unraveling right in front of your eyes.”
“You see the country cascading downward. You see the moral fiber of America getting into the gutter. Who wants a membership in a house of whores? Bought and paid for leaders. Nobody can stand up if the enemy says, ‘you don’t stand up for that.’ Satan is having a field day with America. Evil has been made fair seeming,” the Minister told a capacity crowd of thousands at the TCF Center. He called his message one full of good news and warning.
“When you unravel something, you undo twisted, knitted, or woven threads; you investigate and solve or explain something complicated or puzzling. The condition of America is puzzling. The world is looking at a country going to hell,” said Min. Farrakhan.
One week later, on March 1, the Minster delivered Part 2 of his Saviours’ Day message, “Jesus is the Key,” from Nation of Islam headquarters Mosque Maryam in Chicago.
Among other key themes in his message, the Minister warned Black people that Whites were not going to send them a teacher to free them from their grip. “God has to send one for you,” he said.
Min. Farrakhan also implored the audience to rely on their faith in God as hard times approach.
“I know that this was my last Saviours’ Day for a while. I came back today to this house, which is our house, to tell you, don’t you let yourself be the woman that loses your faith and you pull the yarn of your life and end up as nothing. Don’t you Laborers get it twisted; you can lose all you think you got if you lose your faith. Satan is tugging now, especially at the Executive Council. They think they’re going to govern the Nation,” he warned.
“Don’t leave one bit of your faith messed-up because you will unravel. Keep your yarn tight. Keep your faith right. Wherever I am you’ll know I’m not dead. I will die, but not now. I’ve got more work to do. I have to go get a Book for you. You stay strong. You stay together. Every Black leader that we lost; his closing words were always about the unity of all of us is going to protect us as we go through the fire,” the Minister concluded.
Though Covid-19 had already been detected in the U.S., not long after that pivotal message delivered by Min. Farrakhan, numbers increased as many states began announcing their first cases. In early March, California declared a state of emergency, colleges and universities began transitioning to online classes, schools began closing and cities began implementing closing or restricted hours of non-essential businesses. Stay-at-home orders, social distancing and mask wearing soon followed. Many stores began running low on water, paper goods and food as panicked shoppers began snapping up items.
By the time Ramadan, the Muslim observance of 30 days of prayer and fasting, drew to a close in late April, Covid-19 had wreaked havoc, claiming lives including members of the Nation of Islam such as Student Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, Eastern Region representative of the Nation of Islam. The Minister delivered a poignant, spiritually insightful message at the close of the Holy Month via the Ramadan Prayer Line. During this message Min. Farrakhan announced his intent to deliver a major message to the entire world on July 4, commemorating 90 years of the establishment of the Nation of Islam with the coming of God in Person, the Great Mahdi Master Fard Muhammad, teacher of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
“This message will not just be for Muslims; it is not just for Christians; it is not just for Jews, it is for every inhabitant of this planet,” said Min. Farrakhan.
That July 4 message was that and much more. The Minister delivered “The Criterion,” taken from the 25th Surah or Chapter of the Holy Qur’an which is titled, “Al-Furqan” or “The Discrimination/The Criterion,” meaning to discern or distinguish truth from falsehood. The message was delivered from Min. Farrakhan’s Michigan home and was webcast via internet around the world.
The Minister said, all who had lost their lives due to Covid-19 are martyrs. He warned Blacks, the Indigenous and Latinos against taking the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the U.S. with its documented history of treachery and evil toward the darker people of the earth.
Min. Farrakhan also warned any mandate to force Blacks to take the Covid vaccine is a “declaration of war on all of us.” America and the scientists of this world won’t solve the pandemic, the Minister continued.
Throughout this year, Min. Farrakhan delivered words of comfort in the aftermath of the deaths of Kobe Bryant, Min. Hafeez Muhammad, former Ghana President Jerry John Rawlings and Nation of Islam pioneer Minister Abdul Allah Muhammad (formerly John Shabazz). He also shared poignant reflections in October which marked the 25th anniversary of the historic 1995 Million Man March. Once again, the Minister’s work and messages did not go without opposition. Several social media influencers and others who attempted to share excerpts and clips from the Minister’s July 4 message on their sites, had the content removed. YouTube removed the entire message. Yet despite the opposition, Min. Farrakhan’s words from messages continues being shared on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other media platforms by those who admire, love and respect him as a man of God and servant of the people.
The Minister concluded 2020 delivering keynote remarks Dec. 12 at the virtual Afrikan/Black Leadership Summit hosted by the Nubian Leadership Circle, themed “Having The Will To Afrikan Nation Build!”
He applauded the work of summit organizers Sadiki Kambon, Dr. Ray Winbush, Dr. E. Faye Williams and others involved in bringing together participants to strategize and organize the Black nation in areas of education, communication, agriculture under an umbrella of unity. But he cautioned that such efforts are not applauded by the enemy of Black independence. The enemy is upset because Black people are rising, Min. Farrakhan told conference participants.
“What have I done but tell you the truth? None of you can say to me that I’m a liar. You know that I have never lied to you. But that Satan that you’re listening to, he’s a liar from the beginning and a murderer to the end,” he said.
“You know I think this year, as it relates to the Minister, it’s apparent. I think now more than ever before that his words are clearly followed and backed by a Divine Power,” said Ilia Rashad Muhammad, author, student minster and member of the Nation of Islam Research Team. “You know we have a lot of preachers who preach good stuff, and the Minister has always been at the forefront of preaching, you know a good message but what we see is that his words are backed up by some type of Divine Power in the world,” he added. Min. Farrakhan’s words are not idle by any means, observed Student Min. Ilia Rashad Muhammad.
The world was forced to focus on Min. Farrakhan and his words in 2020, the Memphis-based student minister continued.
“In doing so, it really made the world have to consider, it forced the world to consider that Minister Farrakhan does represent that messianic presence, because his words are always backed with Divine Guidance.”
—Starla Muhammad, Managing Editor
