[Editor’s Note: This article was previously published online on August 16, 2004; and The Final Call will continue to reprint articles by our beloved brother and friend, Minister Jabril Muhammad.]
In a radio broadcast, many years ago, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that one day Master Fard Muhammad told him to tell us that His Father made Him for us and that He loved us.
In one of his Saviour’s Day address the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to an audience full of his poor suffering people, “I love you.” Many who heard him that day say they “felt” enveloped by his love. (Contact The Final Call for a copy of that videotape which was done in the 1970s.)
In the early fall of 1955, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and two other Brothers were introduced to the class. That was their first F.O.I meeting. When it came his turn to speak to the men he said that he would take this message to every nook and cranny of America. He has. That’s love! Despite his suffering, here he is, forty-nine years later, demonstrating his love for us.
One day in the mid 1950s two Brothers were driving back to Chicago. They had a flat tire in the trunk of their car. Then one of their tires blew. They were stuck about fifty miles outside of Chicago. What were they going to do?
In those days the Messiah had a business card with his phone number on it. They had one of them. They called him to please come and pick them up. He was in a good mood. He answered : “Well Brothers, I’m justa not a goin’ to do it.”
In the fifth chapter of Hebrews there is a formula that runs throughout the scriptures, that applies to the two Messiahs and the Believers–in the last days of the wicked. It is: obedience to Allah, through (or while) suffering, results in perfection–over time.
Slightly paraphrased and condensed here, I wrote in This Is The One the following. We’ve learned from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that the most important question we could ask is “Who is God?” Then he taught and proved that: “Of all the knowledge that one may have or obtain, the knowledge of God is the greatest, and most necessary of all knowledge.”
Since the most important question one could ask concerns God’s identity, the next most important question and knowledge must be of the identity of God’s Messenger. Why? God revealed Himself only to him. He then taught Allah’s revelation to us.
Then came February 1975. The world was told he was dead. Minister Farrakhan arose thirty months later. He made it known worldwide that he was not dead but alive and was exercising great power.
Minister Farrakhan did not sit in his teacher’s seat by Allah’s permission. No! He was willed towards that lofty position before the nation fell by Allah and the Messiah. Later, at the proper time, he was placed in that seat by Allah to do what was written of him.
Essentially, his task is to make his teacher’s commission known. To do that he had to make his teacher’s identity known. He has and continues to do so. So hearing Minister Farrakhan is key to understanding the Messiah’s identity and presence.
The Messiah made God known after God revealed Himself to him. Minister Farrakhan made the Messiah known the world over. This supremely wise arrangement is a manifestation of the infinite love of Allah. This obligates us to really study Minister Farrakhan; his teachings and his ways.
Black people of America are the dead of the scriptures, whom God was to raise in the last days, from our grave of ignorance. This work has and is producing the messianic community or nation, out of the most despised of all of the people on earth–the Black people of America. The birth, formation and growth of the Nation of Islam can be read throughout the scriptures.
“Prepare Me a body and I will go down and redeem man.” How was His “body” prepared? Why is it written that He would “go down” and then redeem man? Why “down?” Why “and?” Who is the “man” to be redeemed? Redeemed from what? What is the process of redemption?
God foreknew our condition. So several seemingly simple word pictures were made for us. But He also foreknew we would be so dead we would not be able to see ourselves in the pictures–even though they plainly described us.
So as it was written: “… in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” (Isaiah 29: 17-24) So He provided the two Messiahs to teach us so we could hear.
Here is a part of one of those word pictures. “Jesus said: ‘A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ” (Luke 10:30,33-35)
The man who was beaten and robbed went down. The Good Samaritan went down after him.
Jerusalem’s elevation is about 2,600 feet above sea level. Jericho is about 825 feet above sea level. The difference is about 1,775 feet. That’s how far down you go “down” to get from the higher city to the lower city.
There is a road that goes down from Jerusalem to Jericho. I’ve read that it’s 17 miles long.
See Mother Tynnetta’s book, The Comer by Night from pages 103 through 107 on the significance of the number seventeen and that it’s the number of initiation.
“Initiation” means an action that causes something, especially an important process or event, to begin. It’s the introduction of somebody to a new activity, interest, or area.
The Good Samaritan was prepared to go down and initiate the process of redemption of the beaten-down man–us. Then He left the poor man in the hands of two prepared men until He returned.
The Messiah said the Good Samaritan is a sign of Master Fard Muhammad. The two Messiahs have been taking care of the poor ever since.
All of this and more is well known to highly placed Caucasians, who are Shriners. This reminds me of two very interesting reports concerning presidential candidate Mr. John Kerry, who suggests that Minister Farrakhan should do his homework on his record. (The Final Call; Volume 23; Number 42)
If Mr. Kerry had done his homework on the wisdom underlying Minister Farrakhan’s statement respecting him, he would have responded another way. Or maybe he has but must keep quiet. Time will tell.
Nevertheless, those in power are yet responsible for how they handle Minister Farrakhan.
More next issue Allah willing.
