Out of the darkest hour, comes triumph and victory

JABRIL.MUHAMMAD

“Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live …” John 11:25 (King James Version)

I’m ending my articles containing the words, ‘He’s Alive.’ I’m referring to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the fact that he is very much alive. I was/am referring to the fact that in these series of articles, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is not insane nor is he taking advantage of the people’s ignorance when he states that his teacher is very much alive.

I started these words in Volume 28, Number 44 and I’ll end the series in the next article, Allah willing.

Minister Farrakhan, referring to his teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, said he escaped a death plot, by the power of Allah, in the person of Master Fard Muhammad.

That fact points to this: Minister Farrakhan was designed perfectly to do what he does, by the Lord of the Worlds-God Himself, to do what he does, in the manner that he does–teaching by the millions plus!

When you read this, think over what makes Minister Farrakhan’s lectures that began on November 15th so pivotal. Please read very carefully. Today is Tuesday (11/24), two days before Thanksgiving. What makes this Thanksgiving for us?

The word “pivotal” means “of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else; fixed on or as if on a pivot.

I’m now quoting from Minister Farrakhan’s speech, here in Phoenix, Arizona. He delivered that speech in Muhammad Mosque No. 32. He titled it: “The Resurrection of Jesus” and began it on April 18, 1987.

“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I Bear Witness There Is No God But Allah, And I Bear Witness That Muhammad Is His Messenger.

“My beloved Brothers and Sisters, once again it is my great pleasure to have this opportunity to speak with you on the basis of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

“Today is a very important day in the Christian world. For this day that is called Easter revolves around the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, which represents a victory. Not only a victory over physical death, but a victory over all the impediments that keeps man from oneness with God. This important day, in the life of Christians is also important, in the life of a Muslim only from a different perspective.

“There is no Muslim who does not believe in the resurrection of the dead. In fact, all Muslims, traditionally believe that they will see the return of Jesus. And of all of the men of God that have ever lived and worked on behalf of the righteousness of God among the people.

“Of all of these men, the Muslims only believe that one man will return. And that man, of course, is Jesus. So there is a similarity between the belief of the Muslims and the belief of the Christians.

“But today, by the help of almighty God if you are willing to reason we want to hopefully clarify our–what I would call–immature understanding of one of the most profound events in religious history.

“Now, as you notice Christianity does not take its beginning from the birth of Jesus. Nor from the ministry of Jesus but, Christianity takes it, beginning from the most painful and critical aspect of his life. It begins on the basis of his passion that under the judicial decree of crucifixion. Isn’t that interesting? You would think that a religion would base its beginning or start its calendar from the birth of a great man or from the beginning of its ministry.

“But Christianity takes its beginning in the most sad and sorrowful, painful and trying time of the so-called Christian era when Jesus was being crucified and his friends were leaving him. Disturbed by this powerful human being in a state where it appeared as though he had no power to save himself and this is the beginning of Christianity. Islam is somewhat similar.

“Islam does not start its calendar from the birth of Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him. Nor does Islam begins its calendar from the first revelation of God to Muhammad. But Islam begins its history, its calendar with a death plot against the life of the Prophet (PBUH) from which he escapes and fled from his enemies.

“So, when you hear the Muslim calendar given–this is the year 1406 I believe–1406 AH; after the Hijira, or after the flight of Muhammad on the heels of a death plot. So here is a critical time in Islamic history, and a critical time in Christian history where these religions take their calendar from. Now what should we learn from that? There’s a lesson there.

“That in our darkest hour. An hour when you think you should give up because the forces arrayed against you are so mighty, so powerful and they look as though they have totally overwhelmed you, it is in that hour that your greatest opportunity for triumph is in you and it is in that hour that most people give up the struggle and they never come to victory over the forces that are now apparently overwhelming them.

“So, this is to be taken personally by you and me. That the life of these two great religious movements, in the world begins from an apparent tragedy. And you know what. Your and my great beginning as a people has started from the tragedy of slavery. Where we think that our slavery, and our suffering, and our total destruction as a people is a cursing underneath, what appears to be a cursing is a great blessing for a new history begins on the basis of a tragedy.

“Now, when we speak of the resurrection of Jesus. I don’t want to waste a lot of time, but I think I should say very quickly that as Muslims we don’t see Easter as such as anything more than a former pagan holiday or ritual that has been superimposed on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter as a word is not known among the Jews and among the scripture.

“We hear of Passover but we know nothing of Easter. Easter is a word that is derived from the goddess of love and fertility Istarte and the early pagan Romans during the time of the vernal equinox. The time when we find spring coming and a change in the relationship of the earth to the sun, where the life in the earth that was once dormant begins to burst forth and you have spring.”

More next issue, Allah Willing.