[Editor’s note: The following message was delivered by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan on “The Ummah Reflects” podcast, live streamed via the Podbean app on Monday, March 11, 2024, which marked the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan observance for Muslims in the United States. Every morning at 5:00 a.m. EST, be sure to visit ummahreflects.podbean.com to join Muslims worldwide as we strive to inspire and uplift one another during this sacred month.]
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.
As-Salaam Alaikum! I am honored beyond words to have this opportunity to once again bear witness to the greatness of Allah, to bear witness to the greatness of His prophetic community, and Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, for he is the root of Islam in the world. He is the eternal door, Prophet Muhammad, and without his noble example, there would be no Islam as we know it.
But I am also honored to represent Al-Mahdi, The One Who was prophesied to come to our beloved world of Islam to guide us back to His straight path. Because it is clear that many of us, though well-intended, have lost our way, and we are in need of a guide!
When Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that the sun would “rise from The West in the latter day,” it did not mean that the actual sun would reverse its course and rise from The West, but it does signify that guidance and light to reinvigorate The Ummah throughout the world would start in The West.
The Great Mahdi, Master Fard Muhammad, came to North America by Himself and was among us for 20 years before He made Himself known to one from among us who would become His Messenger-Messiah, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
I thank Allah that He is allowing me to represent Al-Mahdi, and to represent The One Whom He raised and gave the wisdom of a weighty work and taught him the meaning of every prophecy that is found in The Qur’an and in the Bible, which makes him the master teacher that is going to unite us into one ummah, one great community of believers.
Master Fard Muhammad gave the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to us as The Minister of Islam; and He taught Elijah Muhammad for three years and four months, night and day. And when He was leaving, He said to Elijah Muhammad: “You don’t need Me anymore.” The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, “Oh yes, dear Master, I do need you!”
The Saviour didn’t say anymore … But time showed that what He put in Elijah Muhammad as guidance for us: It took 40 years for him to fully understand that aspect of his mission; and then he summoned me, as Moses asked Allah to give him a helper out of his family (“Remove the knot from his tongue,” “expand his breast,” and “make Aaron share his task”—Holy Qur’an, Surah 20, verses 25-36). And now, it is my 49th year absent my teacher, and we have come to a time so difficult in the world.
Our aims while observing The Great Fast of Ramadan
I say to all of you: “Ramadan Mubarak!” A Blessed Ramadan. I wanted to say to us there is more to our Fast than not eating or drinking during the daylight hours or having relations with our wives and husbands—there is an obligation that Allah gives to us when we fast.
The word “Mubarak” comes from Baraka, which signifies “the continuance forever of the blessings which a thing possesses and from which extensive good flows; it possesses the sense of firmness, continuity, steadiness, abundance of good, exaltation, collection and blessings.”
And the answer comes back from the believer, “Ramadan Kareem!” That word “Kareem” comes the Arabic root Karama, meaning “to be productive, generous, noble, precious, valuable, honorable; to overcome anyone in generosity; to be high-minded, beneficent, noble, illustrious, fruitful, kind, worthy of respect; fair, or holy.”
I would like to, in this Sacred Month, ask us to consider what is going on in our world. In Palestine, our beloved family is making their prayers near the rubble of their destroyed homes. They are struggling to find a piece of bread or a drink of clean water.
They are dying from starvation, famine; they are dying from injuries that were inflicted by the bombing campaign, and the destruction of the hospitals. So that those who are wounded are walking or laying down with their wounds, and no real care, because the hospitals are almost without anything to treat the sick and the wounded.
O, beloved Muslims: What kind of Ramadan will this be for us if we, during Iftar, can sit together and enjoy our family and friends, and reach over and eat a date, reach over and have a bowl of soup, and food … How can we enjoy the blessing of food and drink without a thought of our people around the world in war zones that cannot find anything to eat?
This is going on now in Haiti; this is going on now in the Sudan, in other parts of Africa, in other parts of Asia. Everywhere we look, the people are rising against the wickedness of their leadership; leadership that is not leading according to the will of God—even in our Muslim world. Some of the leaders are so afraid that war will destroy the beauty of the cities that they have built with the wealth of oil that Allah has blessed them to have.
I am asking us to think of those who have nothing. Don’t have a Ramadan where you eat, but you’re not checking to see who is eating—just where you live; next door, around the corner. This Ramadan will be the best Ramadan if The Fast makes us concerned about others who have nothing to eat and no water to drink.
I am asking us, as Muslims, to rise to the command of God. I am asking The Muslim Ummah during this Ramadan: Don’t partake of the joy of it without thinking about those of the Muslim community who have nothing to eat, no water to drink, no hospital to go to, living in tents…
As tyrants are set down, The Muslim Ummah must rise, stand firm in the face of evil
Israel says, “There will be no respect for Ramadan, because you have not let all of the hostages go”; so Mr. Netanyahu says, “I am going to attack Rafah.” He said he has to do this, because if he doesn’t attack Rafah, they will lose the war; because October the 7th started from the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and he is hell-bent on destroying it completely.
What should we do in the face of a beast in human form? How should we react? How can the Muslim world believe that Allah is going to bless them in this Ramadan if in this Ramadan they don’t give a thought or a prayer for our beloved Muslims in Palestine and in the West Bank, in Gaza, in other parts of the world?
Allah is plaguing the Earth because He intends to set down every tyrant! None will lead the human family with their corrupt minds and hearts, and their non-thinking for the little man, the poor man, the man that’s in the dust!
What good are we as Muslims if our Fast of Ramadan doesn’t give us a greater sense of what it is to be hungry? What good are we as Muslims if we don’t try to do good for those who have nothing? We thank Allah that we have something to eat, but if we don’t feel the pain of others who are suffering at this very moment, then this, as I said at Saviours’ Day, is a test for us.
Because if we don’t feel their pain if we don’t cry when they cry out to Allah to give them food—I have heard some of them say death is sweeter because a mother can’t feed her child. Babies are dying, and mothers are holding their babies and screaming out … And we are planning days of enjoyment.
I am not trying to make you upset—but if what is happening does not make us upset, we are very, very sick. And it soon will be at our door; since we don’t feel the hurt of others, and rise to do something about it, then Allah will take our blessing away and famine will stretch from one end of the Earth to another, war will stretch from one end of the Earth to another, bombs will fall, and even nuclear weapons will be used!
This is The War of Armageddon, and Allah Himself is leading The War! None shall escape what God is intending when He removes the wicked from the face of the Earth, and sets up a government of universal peace based on truth and justice.
Beloved Muslims, I thank Allah that He allowed me to come on the broadcast this morning. I miss the voice of my Brother Akbar, but I am happy to hear the voice of my dear Brother Jamil. I pray that this will be a great month of fasting and prayer, and sacrifice.
“What can we do?” I say, and ask in the Name of Allah, The Great Mahdi, and in the Name of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, that the Muslim world during Ramadan focus, and stands, as a united Ummah, and says to Israel: “You must stop! You will stop, or Allah will stop you!” I warn you, Netanyahu, your days are limited … And Israel will not be happy with the chastisement of Allah. And neither will we, as believers, be happy when Allah’s chastisement reaches our door.
I thank you for listening to me; I thank you for thinking about what we are asking of you in this Ramadan. The whole idea of fasting is to expand our hearts, expand our breast to think of those less fortunate. That’s what makes us “the best nation raised among men,” because we “enjoin good and we forbid evil” (Holy Qur’an, Surah 3, verse 110).
The corruption that is in our world of Islam has to be removed! And all tyrants set down! The people must have justice and truth, and they must have leadership that is not corrupted by the desire of material things; leadership that is willing to suffer with those who suffer!
I pray that our Ummah will rise. I pray that we will inspire the nations of Islam—inspire Mecca to take the lead, and call every nation of Islam: Call them to rise and stand firm against the suffering of our fellow believing brothers. Even for those who are not Muslims, who are suffering the pain of war, poverty, hunger, that we will do our part.
Thank You, Allah, for giving me these words. Thank you, dear believers, for listening to your brother. Thank you for rising to pray. Thank you for rising to fast. Thank you for rising against our own personal weaknesses to stand firm on what Ramadan means. So, I say it again: Ramadan Mubarak and Ramadan Kareem!
Thank you, my dear Ummah. As-Salaam Alaikum.
