by William P. Muhammad
williampmhmd@att.net
The 66th Sura of the Holy
Qur’an, Al-Tahrim (The Prohibition), unfolds on two levels (in two sections),
as most Islamic scholars will agree. While it initially addresses the domestic
life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (PBUH) and a temporary breech of
confidence between himself and two of his wives, it also sheds light upon the
definition of “duty” between leaders and followers. For example, the dynamics
of a Muslim’s marriage and his married life is not unlike the dynamics between
responsible leaders and followers.
It is through the Teachings of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad that we can address the “science” of Sura 66, while
at the same time observing its relevance in the world, as the Judeo-Christian
West antagonizes the world of Islam from behind the façade of peace.
In the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s
book: The Fall of America, in chapter 23 titled, “The Dissatisfied,” we
come face to face with ideas on leadership, satisfaction, dissatisfaction and
change, and how these states-of-being lead to either positive or negative
change: belief or disbelief, obedience or betrayal and virtue versus
hypocrisy. For instance, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad writes:
No
one is satisfied though they may be righteous. They are not satisfied because
they are living among unrighteousness. So the whole entire world of the wicked
and the righteous is upset due to dissatisfaction. The dissatisfied are gaining
everyday more and more among the people whom they hope to bring into the same
condition that they are in. And today nothing is made more clear to the chief
maker of dissatisfaction, (The Fall of America, page 101).
This means the disbelievers suffer from the presence
of the righteous and the righteous suffer from the presence of the unrighteous,
whether it is in our homes, our communities or on our planet in general.
Through a war of attrition, the enemies of Islam (disbelievers and hypocrites)
expend their energy to exploit weaknesses among the believers in order to
foment division (to undermine a united front), to create negative connotations
in controversy (to cloud true issues and actual facts), to promote envy and
jealousy (which destroys from within) and ultimately, to kill the messengers of
truth in the hour of confusion (although Allah promises us they will not be
successful). Also, this is why the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad said: “The devil never sleeps.
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| Courtesy The Final Call Newspaper |
It is
through a thorough comprehension of these opposing forces that an examination
of Sura 66 will make sense.
Dissatisfaction,
so teaches the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, is the agent of change – either a
change for the better or a change for the worse. If you are attempting to be
“right” (on the salat-ul-mustakeem) in a world that is against righteousness
and the doing of righteousness (through shariat), then the full force of the enemy
and his system will be brought to bear against you (which is why the
servants, prophets, and messengers of Allah have been beaten, killed, slandered
and imprisoned all throughout history).
Furthermore,
those who are weak in faith (in both their Iman and their Deen), those who are
“faking and fronting” Islam (for ulterior motives) and those who lack knowledge
(because of ignorance) will not be able to withstand the audacious, deliberate
and scientific opposition that is crafted, formulated and wielded by the
enemies of Allah (God). It is through this reality that “dissatisfaction” in a weak
believer causes a shift toward disobedience to the Will of Allah (God) and His
apostle; therefore, it allows chaos, confusion and hell into the Ummah (or
Nation of Islam – which is a world-wide reality).
Although
we will not delve into the details behind the temporary separation between the
Prophet (PBUH) and two of his wives, A’isha and Hafsah, the greater principle
that we must examine is how the connect (bond) between leaders and followers is
interrupted by their individual or collective states of satisfaction and
dissatisfaction (which leads either to obedience and submission to Allah or to
mischief-making and hypocrisy) and perhaps, ultimately, the possibility of
estrangement from the Mercy of Allah, (see Sura 66:3-7).
Looking
at the example of dissatisfaction between the wives (followers) of Noah and Lot
versus the wife (subjects) of Pharaoh and the daughter (subjects) of Amran –
Mary, the mother of Jesus – we must ask ourselves:
1)
Why did Noah’s wife rebel against her husband when he
was instructed by Allah to build the Ark?
2)
Why did Lot’s wife look back on Sodom and Gomorrah?
3)
Why did the wife of Pharaoh reject the ways of her
husband when he saw himself as a God besides Allah?
4)
What made Mary’s womb worthy of Allah’s Blessing?
The behaviors of disbelievers and hypocrites are
rooted in either their satisfaction in the temporary rewards of this life
(dunya) or through the temporary rewards of turning against the truth and
turning against those who reject “this world” (see James 4:4) for the promise
of the “Hereafter” (here on this earth after the reign of Satan
has been destroyed – see Sura 18:31).
The above statement will perplex the disbelievers and
the hypocrites because their hearts have been sealed – through the seeking of
rewards, validations and honors from Satan’s system (instead of seeking the
path of Allah).
What
does this mean? The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad instructs us through the
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan “not to get spooky” when we read the
scriptures and worship Allah (God). Doing so only mystifies the truth, which
reduces your ability to reason and it hinders your ability to understand the
true nature of God, which is the true nature of yourself.
For
instance, if we examine the purpose of salt, as a preservative (there were no
refrigerators 4,000 years ago), this is how “animal flesh” was kept in its
desired state for eventual consumption. A pillar of salt, therefore, could
signify the preserving of a hidden lifestyle or mindset (that is opposed to
Allah’s Will) and as such, it allowed mischief and deviant behavior to creep
into the new society built by those who rejected the ways of the Sodomites. The
wife (meaning the followers) of Lot allowed dissatisfaction (with Allah’s way)
to wear down, redefine and ultimately change the system of Prophet Lot (PBUH)
and his people over time.
While
the Holy Qur’an’s version of Noah and his wife differs somewhat from the
Biblical account, the fact remains that the people of Noah were mockers of his
“God given mission” (which was ironically for their own benefit). Also, the
Holy Qur’an tells us how the ark was made of only crude planks and nails, but
it nevertheless saved the lives of those who saw its value and heeded Noah’s
“final call.” Again, in these stories, we are looking at the relationship between
satisfaction with “this world” and dissatisfaction with Allah’s promise of “the
world” of the hereafter.
Now, what about
satisfaction with the way of Allah (God) and His straight path? This is where we must now examine the wife of
Pharaoh and the mother of Jesus (Isa).
Imagine
being the citizen of a nation that has no equal or rival on the earth – and all
must bow at its feet. Pharaoh’s wife, from her privileged position, as an
Egyptian, really had no incentive for rejecting the ways of Egypt, as the privileged
wife (follower/subject) of a leader who saw himself as a God beside God (think
on that). Why would she reject a life of
ease and comfort? Would it be easy to agree that she was (they were) satisfied
with the material wealth and riches of the most powerful nation on earth? Does
inordinate materialism and relative ease not distract the people of the Western
world today?
In
this case, “dissatisfaction” was positive on her part, and this led her to
reject the ways of the arrogant, haughty, proud and boastful Pharaoh (who Allah
drowned in the Red Sea) according to both Bible and Qur’an – as he chased down
the Nation Of Israel (NOI) for the purpose of preventing
it from inheriting the “Promised Land”).
According
to the Qur’an, Pharaoh became a believer as he was drowning and that was enough
for Allah to spare his body (but not his life) and for it to serve as a sign and as an
example for the generations, leaders and nations that would follow.
How many civilizations, peoples and powers
followed in Pharaoh’s footsteps? How many follow “the modern Pharaoh” in
today’s most powerful nation? How many will fail to learn this valuable lesson
and subsequently subject themselves to the hellfire of bloodshed, war,
death and destruction, if not the chastisement of Allah?
Finally,
Sura 66:12 tells us how Mary guarded her chastity, which is the primary duty of a believer. The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us through the Honorable Minister Louis
Farrakhan that the female has two wombs and that the male has only one. The
mind is the womb from which new possibilities come forth, and the state of a
woman’s mental a spiritual womb determines the state and product of her
physical womb.
If we
are quick to criticize the behavior of promiscuous women, because of the social
and spiritual ramifications of fornication and adultery, then what does this
say of men who offer their minds and attention to impure thoughts, ideas and
activities?
What
unbalanced and confused offspring will his MIND create? When he lies down
(mentally) and offers his mind to that which Allah (God) is displeased with,
then what is the difference between these women and men? What type of world
will such men produce? Will they establish heaven on earth (as the Khalifa) or
will they establish more hell on the earth (as rebellious devils)? Will they
make straight in the desert a highway for their Lord, or will they continue the
crooked and serpent-like path of the mischief-makers and deceivers?
Surely
We have revealed the Book to thee with truth that thou mayest judge between
people by means of what Allah has taught thee. And be not one pleading the
cause of the dishonest, and ask the forgiveness of Allah. Surely Allah is ever
Forgiving, Merciful. And contend not on behalf of those who act unfaithfully to
their souls. Surely Allah loves not him who is treacherous, sinful.
They
seek to hide from men and they cannot hide from Allah, and He is with them when
they counsel by night on matters which please him not. And Allah ever
encompasses what they do.
Behold!
You are they who may contend on their behalf in this world’s life, but who will
contend with Allah on their behalf on the Resurrection day, or who will have
charge over their affairs? And whoever does evil or wrongs his soul, then asks
forgiveness of Allah, will find Allah forgiving, Merciful. And whoever commits
a sin, commits it only against himself. And Allah is ever Knowing, Wise.
And
whoever commits a fault or a sin, then accuses of it one of the innocent, he
indeed takes upon himself the burden of a great calumny and a manifest sin.
Holy Qur’an 4: 105-112).
Holy Qur’an 4: 105-112).
