[Editor’s note: The following contains an edited excerpt from the first part of the keynote message delivered by the National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Student Minister Ishmael R. Muhammad.

The message, titled “The Invaluable Gift of Allah: Happy 92nd Birth Anniversary to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,” was delivered Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Mosque Maryam in Chicago to mark the birth anniversary of Minister Farrakhan and also to commemorate Mother’s Day. To view this message in its entirety, visit media.noi.org.]

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

We give Him praise and thanks for His many blessings, for His many gifts, His goodness and His mercy to the human family. We thank Allah for His honored servants, the prophets, for as Muslims, we make no distinction between any of God’s servants.

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We thank Him for Noah. We thank Him for Abraham and from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Jesus, from Jesus to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to the present day of the Messiah.

We thank Him for His intervention in our affairs in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, The Great Mahdi, expected by the Muslims, who came among us in 1930, to give to Black people the knowledge of self, to give to Black people our original religion, if you will.

He taught us of our origin in the world, our history. He taught us of the knowledge and history of the Caucasian people. He taught us that we are now in the time that the scriptures tell us about, the Day of Judgment, the Day of Requital, the Day of Resurrection.

We thank him so much for finding one from among us to continue to impart that knowledge. The man that He found was the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and He made Him a messenger to the Real Children of Israel. He made Him His Messiah.

And as Master Fard Muhammad’s time among us was short, yet He left one in the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And the Honorable Elijah Muhammad also had a term for about 40 years, but before He left, one was prepared to stand in His place as a divine leader, teacher and guide, and that man is the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

It is in their names that we once again greet all of you with the greeting words of peace,

As-Salaam Alaikum!

Well, it has already been said, so we all must know what today is. But to really put this into context that the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is 92 years old today. Now that may not mean much until you know something of his life journey, something of his adversities, something of the great opposition.

Many of us do not know how the wicked satanic forces of evil have tried several times to get rid of our brother and friend, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. That’s a fact.

What he has endured, what he has survived is nothing short of a miracle. So, he’s here today because a Mighty God has been with him from the very beginning of his conception in the womb of his mother! We in the Nation of Islam are not taught to celebrate your birthday.

When we celebrate our own birthday, we look for people to recognize us by giving us gifts as though we really did something. And of course, upon receiving gifts and presents, it makes you feel special.

But we were taught on your earth, born day, since you and I did nothing but kick and make mom to know “I want out of here.” There were forces. There were the contractions, but that was not done by any of us.

And then there is the mother, who had to labor with great pain to bring you and I into the world. So, it’s only proper that on your and my earth, born day, who deserves the present, who deserves the gift? Who deserves the honor more than mother?

So, on your so-called and my so-called birthday, the honor should go to mother. All Praise is due to Allah! We receive gifts, and we give gifts. And, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said, “we have a tendency to love those who give you gifts, but nobody has given a gift like God gives.

He gives you and I, eyes, and then He gives you and I something to look at. You and I have an earth at which you can keep on looking and looking and looking. And the more you and I look, the more we see; the more we see, the more we marvel at a Mighty God.

And when we get tired of looking at the earth, we lay down on the grass and look up at the wonders in the heavens. And if you get tired of looking up into the heavens, we go down in the water and look at the world under the water. You open up the earth, and another world is in the earth.”

“That’s why we have this verse. We acknowledge God as Lord of all the worlds. Worlds that we have seen, and many worlds unseen. He is the Lord of all the worlds.”

So, this day, May 11. Now there’s been a May 11, it wasn’t called the fifth month of the current calendar year. It was not called May thousands of years ago, but by whatever measure this day has been, it has come many times.

But this day, May 11, in the Year of Our Lord, 1933, a very special child was born. This day is a very special day in the history of Black people in America, Black people all over the earth, and not just for Black people, but for the whole of humanity.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that when a people are longing for freedom and justice in “Message to the Blackman in America,” He wrote, “Wherever there is a longing or a demand for change, nature will produce that man, who will bring it about.”

Western civilization under which we live, the Caucasian dominion on our planet came into existence,, according to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, “from 30% dissatisfaction.”

He taught us that dissatisfaction brings about a change, and that the dissatisfaction 6,000 years ago brought about a change that has never before been seen.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, that “Allah God taught me that the percentage of dissatisfaction is 98%, near 100% with the present ruling powers, and that this 100% dissatisfied will bring about a 100% change. The father of the Caucasian people, Yacub, did not bring about,” He wrote ,” a 100% change, but near 90%”

So, by one man, a 90% change came on our planet, but that was out of 30% dissatisfied. But today, there’s 100% dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction on our planet that leads to a 100% universal change. But out of the dissatisfied, out of the longing of the people for justice, nature produces a man.

How do you explain that this man’s voice is unlike any sound of any man? How is it that when this man speaks, it resonates all in our being? It is because it is God talking to us through His instrument.

Because when you and I hear a voice that goes deep down inside, past the auditory nerve of the ear, past whatever satisfies the mind in its search for knowledge—answers to questions, solutions to problems.

But, when it goes all the way into the soul, that’s God speaking into the souls and hearts of men. The man that the longing of the people for change, this longing produces a child that’s called “a son.”

Thus, in the scriptures, we get this title Son of Man out of the longing and the yearning of the people, the Spirit of God moves among the people and finds a womb, finds a woman that from that womb comes the answer to the people’s prayers.

Prayers are not answered by something dropping down out of space. It may have come down from on high. But the answer to the people’s prayer comes from the womb of the woman.

You can’t have a son without a woman, and you can’t have a son without a man, but it’s the woman, a very special woman, that brings forth a very special child. The mother of Jesus in the Holy Qur’an is regarded above all the women in the world because she produces from her womb a child that comes into the world to bring about a universal change, a complete, total change.

You can’t have such a special child, son, without God being intimately involved. Nothing is more special and precious to God than the female. … No one is worthy to be honored next to God and the Messenger than mother and it is a shame that we have to have a day to celebrate mother that is commercialized for businesses to take advantage of our love for mother.

Every day is Mother’s Day. So, we say Happy Mother’s every day. And again, a very Happy Mother’s every day to Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, the wife of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan! We love you, mom. The Bible tells us, honor thy mother and thy father, which is the fifth commandment, with a promise.

Now, who’s giving us this command? God. He’s telling all of us: Honor your mother and your father, and this is My promise to you, so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. The Bible further tells us, every one of you shall revere his mother and his father.

Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the gates., Strength (and) dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”(Proverbs 31:25-28)

The Qur’an says,“Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers, you knew nothing, and He gave you hearing and sight and hearts that you might give thanks.” (Surah 16:78)

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, when asked, “Who do you honor after God and the Messenger?” (His response was) “Your mother.” And, he was asked a second time and after that, “your mother,” and then he was asked again and on the third time, “your mother.”

Evidently, the questioner didn’t get it. So, on the fourth time he (Prophet Muhammad) said, “your father.” So, three times the value is mother, is the female, is the woman.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said in his wonderful message, and as we lift up these words—no teacher, no leader—present or past—has ever lifted up and taught on the divinity and the limitless, immeasurable value and beauty of the woman more than the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Chief Student and Helper of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.  The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minster Louis Farrakhan taught us that a “nation can rise no higher than its woman.”

We can’t talk about going into heaven without the woman. No such thing. So, he said right from this Mosque in 2009: “Some women may look in the mirror and think, ‘Oh, I’m not so pretty.’ They may not be considered physically attractive, but physical attractiveness is not beauty.

Physical attractiveness is not beauty. That is why I am teaching.” These are Minister Farrakhan’s words on the limitless, immeasurable value and beauty of all women.

The beauty of the woman is the matchless beauty of God. This is you on the inside. Can I say it again? The beauty of the woman is the matchless beauty of God. This is you on the inside. Satan wants you on the outside, but the real beauty of the woman is the matchless beauty of God that is in you.

Women are the foundation of civilization. The Holy Qur’an has a chapter called “Al Nisa (The Women).” Further on, you will see that it also has in the 19th chapter the title, “Maryam (Mary),” that makes reference to the very special woman who is the mother of Jesus, the Messiah.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said this Qur’an was not arranged haphazardly. It was divinely arranged so each chapter has significance. The number four, he said, “Is a foundational number.

You can’t become president of the United States until you reach the age of 40. Moses was 40 when he received God’s command, and he was in the wilderness 40 days. Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.”

And, consider that 2025 marks 470 years of the Black man and woman’s sojourn in America. The number four signifies that something was and is being done to lay a foundation. Well, why women, Minister Farrakhan asks? “What is a woman the foundation of?

The world in which we live has been destroyed because the woman has been spoiled and laid waste. Look at what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said.

He taught us that where there are no decent women, there are no decent men, because the woman is the mother of civilization, and that civilization is not judged by the man. Civilization is judged by the female.

“Women are devalued in this society. They’re made so low.” And it doesn’t seem, Minister Farrakhan said, “that we as men care, because some of us will put our women up for sale for the sake of money. But once men are taught the knowledge of God and the value of a woman, then men will kill to keep her safe.

But because you and I don’t know her value, and we don’t know our own value as men we play with her, we devalue her, we laugh at her.” And Minister Farrakhan said, “How can she open her knees to you and you impregnate her and then walk away without even a thought of responsibility.

Mother is next to God, and the Messenger of God, who brings the Word of God and is the example of how that word should be carried forth into life. Next to those two, nothing supersedes mother.” 

And when a man, he said, “Learns to honor and respect his mother and perceives her in accordance with Allah’s (God’s) Will and purpose for her creation, then it flows from that perception (of his mother) and understanding that all women who are mothers potentially, should be given the same honor and respect that one would give to one’s mother.” (Closing the Gap, pages 58-59)

“When you see your sister, a potential mother, you honor your sister. You protect your sister, as you would protect your mother, your aunt, and your cousin. This flows from the proper perception of mother, which flows from the proper perception of women.” (Closing the Gap, page 59)

We, as men, are the natural protectors of women. We are the guardian of women. We are the maintainers of women. And when the Black man rises, and the Black man comes back to himself, then our neighborhoods, our communities, our women and our children will have a safe and decent place for us to live.