JABRIL.MUHAMMAD
It was shortly after the very significant speech that Minister Louis Farrakhan made in Atlanta, Georgia, in the early fall of 1970, that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, for the third time, told the Minister of his great value to him and he also said, “As Allah made me to take His place among the people, I am making you to take my place.”
At some point in 1968, which was after the Honorable Elijah Muhammad had told Minister Farrakhan that he had been waiting for him for 38 years and that he was the answer to his prayer for a special helper, he wrote a letter to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. The Messenger told him that was the biggest letter he had ever written him. A few years ago I saw a draft of it.
It was, in deed extraordinary and highly significant. The letter certainly came out of the state of mind of the Minister as he struggled with a profound problem, the solution to which would affect the lives of thousands, then millions, and eventually billions of people the world over.
This letter, and the circumstances leading to it, and the, events that grow from it, mark it as the fulfillment of what is called in the Gospels, the “Confession of Peter.”
If it pleases Allah, I may be blessed to go into all of this more fully in a book.
The brilliant oratory of the student, which conveyed the illuminating message of his teacher to a wide section of the public, increased the attention given to, as well as the appeal of this gifted Minister. Among the developments flowing from his rep resentation of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad via the radio, was an increase in the number of invitations for him to speak before various Black groups around the country.
In the latter part of 1969, he was invited to present the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to a Black Christian Ministers’ Conference held at the Boston University Theological Seminary. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad advised him on just exactly how to handle it.
There were approximately five hundred ministers at the presentation. Minister Farrakhan was outstandingly successful that day. After the Honorable Elijah Muhammad had heard a taped recording of the lecture, he wrote his Minister a letter. He said, in effect, that it was a great speech and of great value to him. After explaining what he meant, he then told his Minister that for that one speech he would pray Allah that if he ever turned hypocrite on him, that Allah would go after him and bring him back again. Minister Farrakhan found the letter strange and disturbing. After a short time, the letter of his teacher began to fade from his consciousness. He continued to work fever ishly on behalf of his teacher and Black people in general. Time passed. One day some Sisters, whose official duties involved traveling, were telling the Messenger of how widespread and honored Minister Farrakhan’s name was becoming among Black people.
The Messenger seemed somewhat disturbed as he listened. Then he shouted the following out so forcibly that it frightened the Minister. He said, “Yes, so the whole world will see him when he turns hypocrite on me.” Minister Farrakhan was hurt. He did not understand why his teacher would say that about him. Let us remember that this was said to him after he had been told of his great value and that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was lining him up to take his place among the people.
Some time later the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to him, “I tell you like Jesus said to Peter, ‘The devil desires you that he may sift you like wheat.’ ”
That was his first direct reference to Minister Farrakhan as “Peter.” He would later say to his Minister that he did not like Peter, and for him to be like Paul, for he liked Paul.
And then there was another time when the Messenger asked his Minister to make a radio broadcast about the subject: “On This Man Have I Laid the Key.” He did.
Before going further, let us look at what is called the “confession” of Peter, according to the Four Gospels. The four places that I am referring to are Matthew 16:1320; Mark 8:2730; Luke 9:1821; and John 6:6869. Now, I would urge you to read the fuller context in which these verses appear. For the moment I will quote only from Matthew.
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Phillippi, he asked his disciples, saying, ‘Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ And they said, ‘Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.’ He saith unto them, ‘But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ “And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; and Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.”
Before going a little into what this means, let me direct you to something that is hinted at in the Bible, but stated outright in the Holy Qur’an. Next week I would like to show the relation between this that is in the Holy Qur’an and the “confession” of Peter in the Bible. Permit me to state it briefly.
Here it is. This present Holy Qur’an contains the statement that this is a transcript, and a part of an original Book that is in the care of Allah and that it is well protected.
Where is that original Book?
From whom must it be protected?
What does the Holy Qur’an mean that the jinn are not allowed to listen in on the Exalted Assembly? Where does this Exalted Assembly meet? How did these jinn learn of them? Is this Exalted Assembly the same as the twentyfour elders who are mentioned in the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation?
More next issue, Allah willing.
