Black Spirituality Religion : Re: 'First-Resurrection' Myths and the Discord in the AA Muslim Community

Aqil

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Feb 3, 2001
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The time has come for African-American Muslims of various persuasions to come together and dialogue about the differences that ideologically separate the African-American Muslim community in this country. We should certainly agree that it is time to dispel those “first-resurrection” myths that are ingrained in the psyche of many African-American Muslims.

These various mythical beliefs are basically divisive, and they tend to conjure up elements of “spookism” in the religion of Islam. I am referring to phrases like: “The Asiatic black man”; “Yakub, the mad scientist, created the white man who is the devil of the world”; and “God visited America in the person of ‘Master’ W.D. Fard.” These fallacious statements are not only false and confusing, but also blatantly blasphemous, because they are not substantiated by Qur’anic scripture or ahadith.

If there was a so-called “Asiatic black man,” he was the dark-skinned native of India and Sri Lanka, who also has straight hair. This feature distinguishes him from the African, who has kinky hair. Many “first-rez” Muslims postulate the theory that “once upon a time the whole world was Asia, and that the indigenous people of that continent migrated to the continent of Africa.” This theory has been proven false, for it is the general consensus of opinion among the world’s most eminent paleontologists that Africa is the cradle of civilization. Are we to believe there were no people in Africa when people were in Asia? Or that Asian people migrated to Africa and found no one there? The “first-rez” ideologues would be more correct if they said that once upon a time the whole world was Africa!

“Yakub, The Mad Scientist” is another one of those “first-rez fables” that originated in the figment of someone’s imagination. The name “Yakub” is the Hebrew and Arabic equivalent of the English “Jacob,” and translates “supplanter” in the Hebrew language. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac, according to Biblical tradition. He had a twin brother named Esau who was some minutes older, and therefore was the rightful heir to their father’s birthright. But Jacob used deception and induced Esau to sell him his birthright, then conspired with his mother Rebecca (who favored him) to steal his brother’s blessing by deceiving his father through cunning means (Gen. 25:31-34; 27:1-36). Thus the origin of the meaning of his name, “supplanter.”

The Holy Qur’an identifies 28 prophets by name in sura 6:83-90, and Yakub, or Jacob, is the eighth prophet. Surely this Yakub is not the “mad scientist” of the “first-rez” dogma. Then who was their Yakub? What was his ethnicity? When did he live and in what country? And how did he “create” the white man?

According to historian C. Eric Lincoln’s Black Muslims in America, W.D. Fard (Abdul Warithudin Fard Muhammad) was an Arab immigrant who came to this country in 1930 and became a traveling salesman based in Detroit (the largest concentration of Arabs in the Western Hemisphere live in and around the Detroit area). He came in contact with the African-American community of that city and began speaking to them about the “lost-found nation” of Islam. Before his disappearance in 1934, he had established an effective organization called the “Black Muslims of America.” His work was carried forward by his closest assistant, one Elijah Poole, a former leader in Marcus Garvey’s organization. He became Elijah Muhammad, and began teaching his followers that “God had come to this country in the person of ‘Master’ W.D. Fard Muhammad.”

The organization came to be called “The Nation of Islam,” and, upon the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, became the “World Community of Islam in the West,” headed by his son Wallace, who became Imam Warithudin Muhammad. Imam Muhammad later changed the organization’s name to the “American Muslim Mission,” and, in 1985, disbanded the AMM, stating that he was no longer the leader of the so-called “Black Muslims” in the United States. He suggested that Muslim communities organize themselves around the mosques in collaboration with their Muslim brethren from around the world. With the announcement that he and the members of his organization were an integral part of the universal Islamic community - and did not need a separate identity of their own - the transition from a cult-like sect based on elements of ethnic nationalism to the universality of orthodox Islam became a reality.

Imam Warithudin Muhammad introduced many fundamental changes in the organization, and, in fact, through subtle and gradual measures, transformed the entire structure of its theological beliefs and practices. His brother, Akbar Muhammad, studied at the University of Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt, the great citadel of Islamic orthodoxy, and in studying with him he learned the true precepts of the Islamic religion, and understood from the very beginning the heretical nature of his father’s teachings. This caused major dissension in the ranks of Elijah Muhammad’s most enthusiastic followers, of which his former spokesman, the articulate Minister Louis Farrakhan, was most prominent. He revolted and formed his own group, using the old name “The Nation of Islam,” and reintroduced the nationalistic teachings of Elijah Muhammad, whom he calls his “leader, teacher and guide.” Thus the current schism in the African-American Muslim community.

As long as Minister Farrakhan remains recalcitrant regarding the true precepts and tenets of Al-Islam and continues his policies of divergence, a unified African-American Muslim community is unlikely in the near future. The onus falls on him. In reciting the Shahadah before his speeches and saying, “... and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger,” hopefully he is referring to Muhammad ibn Abdullah (saw), the last prophet and Messenger of Allah (swt), and no one else...
 
Aqil said:
The time has come for African-American Muslims of various persuasions to come together and dialogue about the differences that ideologically separate the African-American Muslim community in this country. We should certainly agree that it is time to dispel those “first-resurrection” myths that are ingrained in the psyche of many African-American Muslims.

I agree with this, but speaking out against an ideology that is at best poorly understood--even by those who claim to adhere to it, is not the best means of achieving this.

Also, I would like to preface all my proceeding responses, with the clarification of some of the wordage being utilized here:

We see words such as "MYTH": http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/myth.html

"LIE": http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861696566/lie.html

"FALSE": http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/false.html

And "BLASPHEMOUS": http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/Blasphemous.html

It is extremely important to know, that words such as "myth" and "lie/false" are not necessarily synonymous in their inherent meanings, to one another.

I shall elaborate on this, as my responses progress.

These various mythical beliefs are basically divisive, and they tend to conjure up elements of “spookism” in the religion of Islam. I am referring to phrases like: “The Asiatic black man”; “Yakub, the mad scientist, created the white man who is the devil of the world”; and “God visited America in the person of ‘Master’ W.D. Fard.” These fallacious statements are not only false and confusing, but also blatantly blasphemous, because they are not substantiated by Qur’anic scripture or ahadith.

Given the esoteric nature of these statements, how precisely can they be proven as false?

For that matter, there is much within the HADITH, that could be seen as equally so.......Lest we are to believe that Prophet Muhammad believed that women have "semen", the world is "flat", and other ludicrous sayings.

One perspective is not superlative over that of any other.

If there was a so-called “Asiatic black man,” he was the dark-skinned native of India and Sri Lanka, who also has straight hair. This feature distinguishes him from the African, who has kinky hair.

This is wholly incorrect. Even a casual trek through Africa would indicate via visual contact, that countless African Ethnicities possess these features, and homogenously to boot.

It is what is commonly known as "Nilotic African Negro features", as opposed to the "Merotic" features (thick lips, broad noses, kinky hair, etc).

It's strange, that the notion of Africa being the cradle of civilization is mentioned here, yet the notion of the "Asiatic Black Man" is deemed false. Africa has proven to create all sorts of variations of the Black ethnicity.

Many “first-rez” Muslims postulate the theory that “once upon a time the whole world was Asia, and that the indigenous people of that continent migrated to the continent of Africa.” This theory has been proven false, for it is the general consensus of opinion among the world’s most eminent paleontologists that Africa is the cradle of civilization. Are we to believe there were no people in Africa when people were in Asia? Or that Asian people migrated to Africa and found no one there? The “first-rez” ideologues would be more correct if they said that once upon a time the whole world was Africa!

This is a statement that is, yet again, poorly understood. Though Africa was indeed the cradle of civilization, it is thoroughly understood, even by the Paleontologists that you mention, that all of the land masses of the planet earth were at one point joined and connected, into one large mass.

The word "ASIA" is said to etymologically mean "Body or mass". Why is this term not preferable? Would you instead prefer "Pangea"?

Further, since paleontology was implicitly mentioned here, it should be equally important to note that the earth has been through numerous paleological phases and transitions: the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Paleolithic being the most noted.

Were there Black humans on the planet, before the time that "Africa" was a separate, differentiated continent from the rest of ASIA/PANGEA?

If so, then the entire planet earth was the "cradle of civilization".


“Yakub, The Mad Scientist” is another one of those “first-rez fables” that originated in the figment of someone’s imagination. The name “Yakub” is the Hebrew and Arabic equivalent of the English “Jacob,” and translates “supplanter” in the Hebrew language. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac, according to Biblical tradition. He had a twin brother named Esau who was some minutes older, and therefore was the rightful heir to their father’s birthright. But Jacob used deception and induced Esau to sell him his birthright, then conspired with his mother Rebecca (who favored him) to steal his brother’s blessing by deceiving his father through cunning means (Gen. 25:31-34; 27:1-36). Thus the origin of the meaning of his name, “supplanter.”

SInce the story of "Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham" can no moreso be proven as a historical fact than can the YA'QUB" story of the NOI, then there is no more valid a reason to condemn the latter as "false".

Also, here is where the differentiation between a "MYTH" and a "LIE" (or falsehood) comes in:

All religions, spiritual systems, and variations thereof, utilize myth as a means of proprogating the message that the system or belief intends to convey.

The word "MYTH", from "MYTHOS" just means "story". The most classic example of myth, is in that of Greek mythology.

Therein, we learn the story of Zeus, Athena, Hercules, etc......Yet no one considers these stories to be "lies". They are simply an esoteric means of conveying a lesson, moral, or some other relevant idea to humanity.

The concept of "Ya'Qub's grafted Devil" is no less the same.

For that matter, anyone with a keen understanding of NOI theology can attest that never once within Elijah's doctrine, is it explicitly stated that Ya'Qub was an actual, living, historical figure. Any moreso than a person who adheres to the theology of Hellenic mythology believes anything similar about Zeus.

Many esoteric adherants of Elijah's doctrine (such as AMIR FATIR) assert that hardly any figure or character that is mentioned in Elijah's works, are meant to be taken in the literal sense. Even within books like MESSAGE TO A BLACK MAN, THEOLOGY OF TIME, and even the LESSONS, characters like JESUS, YA'QUB, MOSES, BUDDHA, and MUHAMMAD, are rarely ever spoken of outside of a context of a metaphor or parable. In fact, Elijah's doctrine implicitly works prophetically rather than historically; he has only made minor allusions of the Black Man's greatness in an antiquitous context, instead speaking of where we should be going, and not where we have been.

The Holy Qur’an identifies 28 prophets by name in sura 6:83-90, and Yakub, or Jacob, is the eighth prophet. Surely this Yakub is not the “mad scientist” of the “first-rez” dogma. Then who was their Yakub? What was his ethnicity? When did he live and in what country? And how did he “create” the white man?

Again, the attempt is being made here, to "historicalize" these most likely mythological personas, both the Ya'Qub of the Bible and Qur'an, as well as the Ya'Qub of Elijah's doctrine.

And clearly the person making such assertions, is not familiar enough with Elijah's doctrine, and thus not fit to attempt to refute it.

Here are some examples of this:

What was his ethnicity?

Elijah's doctrine clearly states that the Ya'Qub being referenced was Black.

When did he live and in what country?

Again, it is explicitly stated that he lived on the Island of Pelan, or Patmos; the same island in which Saint John was said to have been incarcerated.

And how did he “create” the white man?

Again, this is explicitly explained in Eiljah's doctrine.

However, as stated previously, those of us who adhere to the esoteric aspect of Elijah's doctrine, view the story ("myth") of Ya'Qub as being a metaphor for the evolutionary transition that brought about the White man in Neolithic times.

The usage of this mythological parable is no different than saying that Zeus is the personification of lightning, Athena being the deity that personifies wisdom, Ares corresponding to being the God of War, and Hercules representing strength and power.

The ethnicity of these "Gods" was white, and their enduring place of residence was Mount Olympus........Does that somehow solidify the notion that they were real people?

One of the things that continues to hinder us as Black people, is our inability to distinguish fact from fiction, the parable from the lie. This shortcoming especially continues to plague us, as it pertains to our adherances to various theologies.

According to historian C. Eric Lincoln’s Black Muslims in America, W.D. Fard (Abdul Warithudin Fard Muhammad) was an Arab immigrant who came to this country in 1930 and became a traveling salesman based in Detroit (the largest concentration of Arabs in the Western Hemisphere live in and around the Detroit area). He came in contact with the African-American community of that city and began speaking to them about the “lost-found nation” of Islam. Before his disappearance in 1934, he had established an effective organization called the “Black Muslims of America.” His work was carried forward by his closest assistant, one Elijah Poole, a former leader in Marcus Garvey’s organization. He became Elijah Muhammad, and began teaching his followers that “God had come to this country in the person of ‘Master’ W.D. Fard Muhammad.”

The organization came to be called “The Nation of Islam,” and, upon the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, became the “World Community of Islam in the West,” headed by his son Wallace, who became Imam Warithudin Muhammad. Imam Muhammad later changed the organization’s name to the “American Muslim Mission,” and, in 1985, disbanded the AMM, stating that he was no longer the leader of the so-called “Black Muslims” in the United States. He suggested that Muslim communities organize themselves around the mosques in collaboration with their Muslim brethren from around the world. With the announcement that he and the members of his organization were an integral part of the universal Islamic community - and did not need a separate identity of their own - the transition from a cult-like sect based on elements of ethnic nationalism to the universality of orthodox Islam became a reality.

Where is the "falsehood" in any of this?

Again, a distinction needs to be made:

"God in the Person of....." Is not the same as saying that this person is God personified.

How can it not be proven that ALLAH did not in fact use SAYYID ABDUL WALI FARAD MUHAMMAD ALI (as he was also known as) to bring the truth and light to the Lost-Found Blacks in the Wilderness of North America?

It is a known fact, that there were Arabs and other Islamic peoples here in America, prior to 1930. However, during that time, they too were exploiting the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Negro, just as much as the White man was. The Arabs were opening up shops in our communities, selling swine products to our people (just as they continue to do to this very day), making money off of us........Yet not once, did they opt to teach "AL-ISLAM" to our people.

In fact, were it not for men such as NOBLE DREW ALI, and MASTER FARAD MUHAMMAD, who knows how far into Islam our people would have gotten. For all we know, we could still be in darkness and ignorance to this very day.

Further, Elijah's Son WALLACE (or WARITH DEEN, if it is preferred) did absolutely nothing to further the cause of Black people. In fact, his father's reasons for his refusal to name Wallace as Elijah's successor became painfully obvious at that point: Wallace squandered all the wealth that Elijah had built under his Nation, and had decided to become the pet of the pale Arabs, who could care less about the plight of Black people in the West (they don't even care about the plight of Black people in the East, for that matter).

It is ironic, that Eric Lincoln and other "historians" never mention this, and WALLACE's other failings, along with Orthodox Islam as a whole for our people, in their writings, as they seek to vilify Elijah's legacy.

Imam Warithudin Muhammad introduced many fundamental changes in the organization, and, in fact, through subtle and gradual measures, transformed the entire structure of its theological beliefs and practices. His brother, Akbar Muhammad, studied at the University of Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt, the great citadel of Islamic orthodoxy, and in studying with him he learned the true precepts of the Islamic religion, and understood from the very beginning the heretical nature of his father’s teachings. This caused major dissension in the ranks of Elijah Muhammad’s most enthusiastic followers, of which his former spokesman, the articulate Minister Louis Farrakhan, was most prominent. He revolted and formed his own group, using the old name “The Nation of Islam,” and reintroduced the nationalistic teachings of Elijah Muhammad, whom he calls his “leader, teacher and guide.” Thus the current schism in the African-American Muslim community.As long as Minister Farrakhan remains recalcitrant regarding the true precepts and tenets of Al-Islam and continues his policies of divergence, a unified African-American Muslim community is unlikely in the near future. The onus falls on him. In reciting the Shahadah before his speeches and saying, “... and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger,” hopefully he is referring to Muhammad ibn Abdullah (saw), the last prophet and Messenger of Allah (swt), and no one else...

This assertion is not totally accurate. There have been others who had been disgusted with WALLACE's meanderings, and had taken up to rebuild the name of the NOI in it's stead.

The LFNOI and the UNOI, for instance.

FARRAKHAN is hardly the only individual that the "onus" falls upon.

Besides, no one has yet to prove how the "true precepts and tenets of Al-Islam" have benefitted our people here in the West.

Orthodox Islam only serves to keep our people in religious and superstitious bondage, the likes of Christianity and other exoteric religions.

Most Orthodox Muslims are "believers", yet very few of them are actually "KNOWERS" of anything.

Many Muslims are content to believe all sorts of antiquated, obsolete, and outlandish ideas, in the name of the Prophet Muhammad. Yet, they are usually the first ones who are ready to condemn (and even KILL) others for whatever they believe, especially when it does not run congruent with the Orthodox Islamic way.

It was Orthodox Muslims who killed RASHAD QHALIYFAH. It was Orthodox Muslims who killed ANWAR SADAT. It was Orthodox Muslims who killed leaders of the Ahmadiyyah. These men were killed simply because their beliefs didn't reflect the Islamic majority.

Funny, I don't recall Elijah, Farad or anyone else associated with the NOI, to "kill" anybody.

Go figure.

MA'SALAAM.
 
Aqil said:
Shokran aqi for your interesting comments. According to Karl Evanzz' book, The Judas Factor: The Plot to Kill Malcolm X, it was Elijah who ordered
Malcolm's death.

Ma Salaam.

AFWAN AQI.

Indeed, I'm familiar with Evanz' work. Unfortunately, much of it comes off as conjecture and surmising, aimed at vilification of the NOI and Elijah.

Please understand, you'll never hear me say that Elijah was without flaws, as any man is (or has the potential to be), but to speak as if this man had done nothing in the way of contributing to the upliftment of Black people in America is just shy of ludicrousy.

For that alone, he will always have my greatest of respect.

MA'SALAAM
 
SAMUARI36 said:
AFWAN AQI.

Indeed, I'm familiar with Evanz' work. Unfortunately, much of it comes off as conjecture and surmising, aimed at vilification of the NOI and Elijah.
Your opinion is not shared by many. The reviews I've read say otherwise...

SAMURAI36 said:
Please understand, you'll never hear me say that Elijah was without flaws, as any man is (or has the potential to be), but to speak as if this man had done nothing in the way of contributing to the upliftment of Black people in America is just shy of ludicrousy.
I know of no one who has done this... (I think you mean "ludicrousness.")

SAMURAI36 said:
For that alone, he will always have my greatest of respect.
Point well taken aqi...

Ma Salaam.
 

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