Go thou and thy brother with My messages and do not be remiss in remembering Me.
Go both of you to Pharaoh, surely he is inordinate;
Then speak to him a gentle word, haply he may mind or fear.
—Holy Qur’an, Chapter 20, Verses 42-44, Maulana Muhammad Ali translation
Watching what is happening inside America, as the nation unravels before our eyes, clearly the country faces crises and questions about her very survival. We see the racial, political, social, economic, and other divisions. We see the growing disparities that exist. We see the rage, the despair and the frustration as Americans feel duped, betrayed and exploited.
Black people ostensibly remain behind or at the bottom in every indicator about quality of life in this country. We are sicker, poorer, less educated and live shorter lives than the average American. We remain second-class citizens after nearly 500 years of suffering in what is called the world’s greatest democracy.
But Allah (God) wants us to be free in our own land, with our own institutions, living off of our own culture and enjoying a level of existence compatible with our nature. A place where we will be able to enjoy freedom, justice, equality, tranquility and peace of mind.
If the scriptures teach us of wicked people, kings, and rulers that were destroyed, can America survive given her enslavement of millions of people and the slaughter of their descendants? Can America survive given her genocide against the Native people of this country taken through deception, bloodshed, and even chemical warfare?
Millions of Americans are armed, angry and feel civil unrest or civil war is inevitable.
When a country is suffering and facing the punishment of God, it should ask why and where is the way out? He always offers a way out of the crisis.
In the Bible, we learn about a reluctant Jonah going to Ninevah at God’s command to warn of impending destruction. The ruler and people of Ninevah are saved. They come out in sackcloth and ashes, sorry for their evil ways, repent and submit to the will of God as found in the words of His servant Jonah.
In the Holy Qur’an, the book of scripture of the Muslims, Allah (God) has Moses, accompanied by his brother Aaron, speak a gentle word to pharaoh that perhaps the ruler of Egypt may listen.
That gentle word is another way of offering a reprieve that could allow the survival of a nation or an extension of the life of a nation.
Does America need a good advisor sent from God? She does.
“As America prepares to make a change, she is seen searching for new solutions to her plethora of problems. Every aspect of American society is suffering,” wrote the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in his illuminating book, “A Torchlight for America,” published in 1993.
In it, he offers principles taught by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, His teachings, His work and the Nation of Islam as examples for troubled America to consider.
“Her economy is faltering, her public schools are failing, maintaining the health of the American people has proven too costly, crime is rampant, her sense of morality seems to have been lost and, in general, the whole future of the country has become a big question,” the Minister observes.
His words, analysis, and insight into what America faces could have been written today. His diagnosis and prescription for healing the ills of the United States are perhaps even more valuable today as we have seen her steady decline.
Unfortunately, her political leaders, spiritual teachers, intellectuals, researchers, billionaire businessmen, media and think tanks have been unable to stop or slow her fall. She is going downhill and going quickly.
In a section of his book titled “America Is On Her Deathbed,” Minister Farrakhan writes, “When the desire for the realization of self-interest becomes excessive, the first casualty in this struggle is ‘truth.’ The leaders in the society, in their struggle to achieve inordinate self-interests, engage in hiding the light of truth from the American people.
“Without truth, the American people are left paralyzed, unable to constructively address their problems. Eventually, their only response will be to react destructively because their very lives are at peril’s door, and they know not why they are in this condition nor how to save themselves,” the Minister writes.
“So the country could be facing revolution because, in the main, the government and leadership have hidden the truth and will not or does not have a solution for the suffering and the root problems of the people of this country.
“Gross vanity, greed, lust and inordinate self-interest have divided the country along the lines of class, race and sex. We live in one country with two realities, separate and unequal: one rich, one poor; one White, one Black; one predator, one prey; one skilled, one non-skilled; one slave-master, one slave.”
“This dissatisfaction must bring about a change. The question becomes: Who will bring about the change? Who will offer solutions to the problems faced by the people and what kind of change will there be?” he asks.
“How will you deal with a solution, a Divine solution, a torchlight, if it is not carried by someone of your own class, sex, faith, color, party or nationality? How will you deal with a solution when it comes from a source you least expect?”
He adds. “Would you cast the solution aside or seek to destroy the bearer of the solution? Or would you thank God for giving you an answer to your problems and your prayers?”
“I am here to present a torchlight that is intended to save ourselves, as well as all of America, if she will only take heed,” Minister Farrakhan continues.
Truthful and gentle words that needed to be spoken and need to be heard and heeded. Gentle words that reflect the Mercy of God, if only the words can spur change and action.
