[Editor’s note: The following message is excerpted from a speech delivered by Minister Louis Farrakhan on June 17, 2001 at Mosque Maryam in Chicago, IL.]In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
There is a scripture in the Bible that reads, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government of peace there shall be no end.” This is a great scripture to start a Father's Day message, because Isaiah the Prophet saw one coming that would be born of a woman, meaning he is like you and me, but, though he was born of a woman, a human being, yet the work that he did and the wisdom that he shared would be so magnificent that he would be called Wonderful, a Counselor, a Mighty God. Not Almighty, just Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. This one who was born of a woman would become a father, but he would be a father of an everlasting nation, and, of the increase of his government—but it is a special government, a government of peace—there shall be no end. That is powerful.
Think about the son or the daughter that you brought into this world that you have not even communicated with in years. Write your children if they are away from you, and do not be too proud to say 'Son, I have been wrong.' There is nothing wrong with that. Do you know your children will love you more if you could muster the courage to say, 'Daddy was wrong, but I intend to make it right and I hope you will forgive me for not being to you as I should.'I want to take it from here to look at Jesus as a son who became a father, because every son ultimately becomes a father, and the quality of your sonship will determine the quality of your fatherhood.
Jesus submitted totally to The Father. Let us look at the words of Jesus and the actions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Jesus said, “Whatsoever I hear, that shall I speak. Whatsoever the Father commandeth me, that shall I do.” Whatever Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) heard from Allah (God), that he spoke, and whatever Allah (God) commanded him to do, that he did. He related to Allah (God) as an obedient son would relate to a father, and that is what qualified him to be the Father of a Nation of Peace. If we follow the example of Jesus, the example of Muhammad (PBUH), we would be good sons. Then, we too, could become good fathers.
When the disciples said to Jesus, “Master, teach us how to pray,” Jesus replied, “Pray on this wise: Our Father.” If He is “our” Father, then what He did for Jesus, He is able to do for you and me. If you want Allah (God) to father you, then, as Jesus was obedient to Him, we have to be obedient to Him. Jesus set such a perfect example, that all you have to do is put your foot down where he put his foot down. His Father will make you into what He made Jesus.
It is the same with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was a soldier and a commander, but Muhammad obeyed Allah (God), and everyone that obeyed Muhammad was raised to eminence from a low state. Do you want to be raised? Then you have to practice being a soldier, being obedient to a son, who is obedient to a father, who is obedient to Allah (God).
“Our Father which art in heaven?” What does that say to men? If you are a father, you should exist in your house in an elevated state. Everybody should look up to father. “Hallowed be thy name.” That which is hallowed is that which is sacred. Some of us did not have a father like that. We never looked up to our fathers.
“Thy Kingdom Come.” How do you know that Farrakhan is a father? Because, when we started in 1977 to rebuild the Nation of Islam, there was nothing, but I had something in my head from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and, with faith, we said, “Thy Kingdom Come” and we brought it in.
“Thy will be done.” As a father, you have to have vision, something in your head. What do you see? What do you want? Whatever you see and whatever you want that is of good, by faith you can bring it into existence. With Allah (God), there is nothing that you cannot do.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Fathers, you have got these hungry children out there and you may have given them some bread yesterday, you may have sent your little payment, maybe last year, and you figured that what you sent last year was sufficient, but the prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” That means every day a father has to be producing for his children and for his family.
“And lead us not into temptation.” When there is hunger in the house, when you do not have anything, you are really leading your family to be tempted. Satan is always there to tempt you for something that you need or want, but, by an illicit way to get it. If you are a good father, you do not lead your son into temptation, but you deliver him from evil. A father delivers his family from evil.
“Forgive us our trespassers as we forgive those who trespass against us, for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, forever.” Every father knows he has messed up somewhere along the line. All of us have done it. So, we ask The God to forgive us for our shortcomings, but we must have a heart to forgive those who have been short with us, but, for how long? Forever! Evidently. That prayer is associated with that One that was born who would be an Everlasting Father.
The Holy Qur'an comes at it a little differently, but it is the same result. The oft-repeated prayer of the Muslims is called “Al-Fatihah,” meaning “The Opening.” If you say this prayer and live this prayer, it opens up everything of good for the servant. “Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim,” meaning, “In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.” The Commander is Beneficent; the Commander is Merciful. I am a soldier. Should not I be beneficent? Should not I be merciful?
“Al-hamdu li-llahi Rabbi-l-‘alamin,” meaning, “All praise belongs to Allah (God), the Lord, Nourisher, Sustainer of all the worlds.” So do not do your good deeds, dad, seeking praise or seeking honor. Do good because it is right to do good. One of my children called me and said, “Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I have a gift for you.” I said, “You are the gift. You don't ever have to send me a card to enrich the already rich or buy me something that I don't really need. Just be a good son and a good daughter. That is the gift to me as a father.”
“Maliki yaumi-d-din,” meaning, “Master of the Day of Judgment” or the “Law of Requital.” He is not a judge, He is a Master. I cannot necessarily be that, but I can be a judge. When the father comes into the house and there is an argument, put it on the table without favoritism. I cannot favor my wife. I cannot favor my elder son. I cannot favor the baby. I have to come straight with justice, because I represent God in my house.
“Iyya-ka na‘budu wa iyya-ka nasta'in,” meaning, “Thee alone do we worship. Thine aid we seek.” There is a singularity of focus of the Believer in God, and what you, as a husband want from your wife is singularity of focus on you and on me, but we are so deficient that we create adultery. The woman is not adulterous by nature. She is adulterous by circumstance. She would be faithful to us if we could complete her desire for a man. We do not care whether she completes our desire as a woman. It seems like we are always looking someplace, but I am here to tell you that the Qur'an says, “One is better for you, if you but knew.”
“Ihdi-na-s-sirata-lmu-staqim. Sirata-lladhina an‘amta ‘alaihim,” meaning, “Guide us on the right path. The path of those upon whom thou hast bestowed favors.” Every father should be in a position to give favors to his children. When they obey and do good, favor them, and the ones that rebel, do not favor them. Then, the one that did not get the favor will say to the other one, “Daddy sure gave you a nice bike. I want one, too.” The favored one will say, “Yeah, but Daddy said you are always disobeying him. He has the money to get you a bike, but, you are acting a fool, boy. You need to get your act together.” The next thing you know, the one who wants to win favor brings his report card grades up and begins to do things that please the father. Then, dad can say, “Now I can favor you, because you favored me by being obedient. Thank you, son. Here is your bike. Thank you, daughter. Here is your bike.”
To me, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has been a Wonderful Counselor, a Wonderful Father. Once, he called me to Chicago and gave me guidance on a speech that he wanted me to make. In my stupidity, I thought I did not want to do it the way he wanted me to do it. He saw that in me, and, very gently, he said, “Brother, I sit right here at my dining room table and I order things for you all around the globe, like a god. I bought thousands of acres of land for you, but I never left my table. I asked them to describe the land, and when I got a description, I said, ‘That's a good piece. Buy that.'” He said, “I do not leave my dining room. Surely, I can show you how to make a speech in Atlanta and win.” I said, “Yes, sir,” and I took my notes. It was one of the best speeches I ever made at that time. He told me that with that speech, if I obeyed him, I would be in the history of 40 countries on this Earth. I made the speech exactly like he told me, and I have found friends all over the Earth. In all the countries that I have been to, I have friends that he made for me by his work.
When you look at your children, thank Allah (God) for the women or the woman that bore your sons or your daughters. Be kind to them and help them in rearing your children. Think about the son or the daughter that you brought into this world that you have not even communicated with in years. Write your children if they are away from you, and do not be too proud to say, “Son, I have been wrong.” There is nothing wrong with that. Do you know your children will love you more if you could muster the courage to say, “Daddy was wrong, but I intend to make it right and I hope you will forgive me for not being to you as I should.”
You have got to start making amends. You have got to start reconciling. You have got to start opening up to your children.
Thank you for reading these words.
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Meaning of Father
Putting On The New Man
How do Black males break out of oppression, stereotypes and ignorance?(FinalCall.com) - It is not difficult to find an exposé on the challenges of being a Black man in America—just read any magazine, blog, or scientific study.
Whether it is dropping out of school, unemployment, mass incarceration, diseases or growing up fatherless--this population leads statistically in just about every social ill you can name.
These figures cannot be ignored but at what juncture will the Black community go beyond the rhetoric to fully embracing, highlighting and working to implement solutions displayed and offered by their own?
“Growing up in the projects I had the worst images of what I thought a man should be like. Deep down I knew this wasn't what a man was really like but I found myself becoming the very thing I hated,” said Stephen Muhammad, who grew up in the 5th Ward area of Houston.
Before joining the Nation of Islam, Stephen Muhammad nearly lost his family and battled with an alcohol addiction. “I had given up on religion but one day I fell to my knees and asked God to show me how to be a man,” he said.
His prayer was answered when he ran into some sharply dressed men in bowties on a street corner selling The Final Call newspaper. “I had a hangover but when I read that paper it was exactly what I was looking for. Then when I heard the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan speak, that man touched my soul and showed me that a real man is a servant of God.,” said the man who now serves as the Southwest Regional Student Captain of the Fruit of Islam in the Nation of Islam. He is married with six children.
It has been 45-years since the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad first published the book “Message To The Blackman.” Within these pages are divine solutions to the spiritual, economic, educational and political barriers encountered by Black males.
On page 39, he writes “First, my people must be taught the knowledge of self. Then and only then will they be able to understand others and that which surrounds them. Anyone who does not have a knowledge of self is considered a victim of either amnesia or unconsciousness and is not very competent. The lack of knowledge of self is a prevailing condition among my people here in America.”
“That book is even more relevant today than it was in 1965 because now there are more witnesses of its power. That one book has saved lives including mine,” Student Minister Jamil Muhammad told The Final Call.
Reginald 10X of Chicago said when he first read the book he couldn't keep the knowledge to himself. “That book rattled me so hard that I went back to the bookstore and bought five for my street friends. You can't be the same man after reading those words by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,” he said.
During his 40-years of work among us, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad took Black men and put them on a course of study and training to become reflections of God. He taught men to embrace reading; to love one another; to rid themselves of fear and cowardice; to build and protect their families; to do for self in businesses; and the importance of helping their fellow Black brother.
Minister Louis Farrakhan, since 1977, has continued the pattern of his teacher by crisscrossing the globe to elevate the consciousness of Black men who have been psychologically assaulted by the media, oppression, and racism. The Minister always sees the potential for a new man to be made.
“God desires to produce a new people who are living manifestations of His will, wisdom and power. He wants to make a nation of gods that have the intelligence and the skill to say ‘Be!' Man and woman have unlimited potential and for those who are from God—since God is infinite—there is no limit to what can be accomplished,” Min. Farrakhan said during an address last August in Rosemont, Illinois.
“We just have to find a way in our own community to celebrate the positive role models and not celebrate ignorance. We spend too much time celebrating ignorance and frivolity. It's very important for African-American men to take responsibility. I applaud the Million Man March from years ago which brought some attention to this matter and in some ways made a difference,” Earl Graves, Jr. told The Final Call.
That historic Million Man March drew nearly two million men to the nation's capitol on Oct. 16, 1995. Leading up to that date, Minister Farrakhan hosted Men Only meetings in multiple cities to call for a day of atonement, reconciliation and responsibility and to counter the negative image of the Black man that was sent throughout the world via Hollywood movies.
“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is the example of what a real man looks like. If you want to be a good husband look at how he treats his wife Mother Khadijah Farrakhan. They are still in love after 57 years of marriage. Look at his children and see how successful they are,” said Jamil Muhammad, who has seven children.
Successful fatherhood is possible
Mr. Graves is the CEO of Black Enterprise magazine, which was founded by his father in 1970. He knows that he is fortunate to have been raised in a two parent household that stressed education, morals and wealth building—but he encourages Black men to be responsible despite the challenges.
“I think one of the greatest social tragedies for the African-American community has been the destabilization of the family. There are statistics and proof that those young people—forget about Black or White—but those young people who come from a more stabilized background with both parents in their lives do dramatically better going forward,” said Mr. Graves.
“Now when I say have both parents in their life, I'm not going to sit here and preach to say that the two parents must be married in order for kids to have a chance. But they have to have both parents in their life,” said Mr. Graves.
Kevin Green of Midland, Texas has been raising his 17-year-old daughter, Aquincia, as a single father since divorcing her mother.
“I tip my hat to single mothers because it's not easy. In court my daughter chose to stay with me in the joint custody hearing and her mother was ordered by the judge to pay child support. But she hasn't paid one dime nor has she even sent her one birthday card. Last year my daughter told her mother that she never wanted to speak to her again but recently I've been trying to rebuild communication between them. It's a challenge,” Mr. Green, 37, told The Final Call.
Mr. Green has been working two jobs to take care of his daughter and to stay current on child support payments for two children he has from a previous relationship. He recently remarried in April. “I didn't bring a bunch of women in and out of my house because I wanted my daughter to have the right image of how a man should treat her. My friends would talk about me for being celibate for a few years,” said Mr. Green.
Deric Muhammad, of Houston, is also newly remarried and has two daughters from previous relationships—including one living five hours away in another city.
“We have to put our differences and egos to the side for what is in the best interest of the child. Just because the relationships fail that doesn't mean our children have to. Despite the circumstances, Allah is blessing my daughters to become little stars. I'm thankful for the working relationship I have with their mothers and my wife, whom both of my daughters love,” said Deric Muhammad.
Detroit resident Chris Thomas, 20, says he is embarrassed that he abandoned his three-year-old son. “I was young, running the streets and honestly scared about being a dad. I didn't mean to get her pregnant and I left her alone once she told me she was,” he told The Final Call.
Mr. Thomas, who is now a cashier at a department store, is trying to atone with the mother of his child. “What inspired me honestly was seeing Obama and his family plus getting some mentoring. I was like dang, “I want that feeling.” I started back trying to call my baby mama and at first she would just hang up on me. She let me see my son on Mother's Day and it brought a tear to my eyes that I have a new chance,” he said.
Each One, Reach One, Teach One
Brandon Frame, a middle school teacher in Boston, founded the organization Black Man Can to highlight successful Black males and provide mentoring.
“A lot of our boys want to be doctors, lawyers, engineers or even sportscasters but they don't see those examples in their neighborhoods. We have to show them success because what they see is what they will be,” said Mr. Frame, 22, a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta.
“Mentoring is the most immediate and practical tool to increase Black male achievement. We can't depend on others to teach and mentor our young males,” said Mr. Frame.
To help young men express their gifts, Reginald 10X launched Chicago Hip-Hop Intellectual, Inc., a media and entertainment company. “The mainstream won't give the brothers from the street a chance and so with our company and magazine we're helping young people independently spread their God-given talents. With the training I receive in the Fruit of Islam class, I have been blessed to be received in some of the most gang infested areas in Chicago. Minister Farrakhan's guidance opens doors,” he said.
Washington, D.C. filmmaker Janks Morton tours the country speaking to young boys about manhood. He has also produced several short films and books that address Black single motherhood, the maternal anger of Black males, and why children need fathers in their lives.
“Fatherlessness affects girls just as much as it does boys. As men we have to be an example and teach our young boys about what manhood is. This work is all about the restoration of the family,” Mr. Morton, a husband and father, told The Final Call.
“It's a blessing to have my sons proud of me. I don't necessarily have all of the material things yet, but I'm showing them that I'm striving to be a better man. Because of Minister Farrakhan I still have my family,” said Stephen Muhammad.
“It's a lie that there are no good Black fathers or mentors around. But the only thing the media wants to highlight is the bad and unfortunately we do the same,” said Mr. Thomas
The Truth About Vaccines with Kevin Muhammad
Don't miss out on this golden opportunity to hear all the facts about vaccines and the very real dangers that these "medicines" represent to you and your children. The admission is free and dinner will be served.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Minister Louis Farrakhan is on Twitter!
Come check him out!
Minister Louis Farrakhan Writes an Open Letter to Muammar Gadhafi
Minister Louis Farrakhan Writes an Open Letter to Gadhafi