STUDY
GUIDE 6
BUILDING THE WILL
PART II,
READING MATERIAL
Holy Qur'an
Surah 70
"The Ways of Ascent"
Surah 90
"The City"
Self-Improvement
Pages 10 and 11
Page 12 (to end of Par. 2)
The Will of God (Part I)
Pages 4-7
Page 8 (to end of Par. 6)
FACT (S)
The Bible says, when you speak,
say "I will do thus and so, if
it be the will of God." The Holy
Qur'an says, when you speak,
say, 'I will do thus and so,
Insh Allah (if it be the Will of
Allah).' Holy Qur'an 18:23.
Because between today and
tomorrow, there are forces that
you know nothing of, that can
interfere with all of our plans.
So our plans must be contingent
upon whether God will permit it,
or whether Allah will permit it,
or Grandfather (Native American
expression of the One God) will
permit it, so we must
acknowledge Him, lest we make a
serious mistake and abort our
own progressive development and
improvement in character.
SELF-IMPROVEMENT - Page
DISCUSSION
1)
First, let us review some key
words and their definitions.
Please look at the GLOSSARY
(Also continue to refer to the
GLOSSARY for STUDY SESSION 5).
SPECIAL NOTE: Begin to
incorporate the terms from the
study guides into your
conversation, so that as they
are woven into the pattern of
language we use, the
intellectual and spiritual level
of our communication will rise.
2) Please read
Surah 70, verses 22-35. Desire
is the food source of the Will
(See, STUDY SESSION 5). In
addition to nourishment, the
Will needs direction and
support. What are the principles
of action which direct and
support our Will in the Way of
Allah (God)?
Supplement
3) Why is
Allah (God) called, in Surah 70,
verse 3, "Lord of the ways of
Ascent"?
Supplement
4) In Session
5, we discussed the exercise of
the Will by overcoming
resistance. We studied examples
of external opposition that we
must face and overcome.
Please read Surah 70, verses
17-21. What internal resistance
(opposition) must or Will
overcome in order to attain the
goal of meeting with Allah
(God)?
Supplement
5) Please read
Surah 90, verses 4-11. What
insight does this give us into
the relationship between hard
struggle and our personal
spiritual advancement?
Please read verses 12-18. What
actions are we to take which
will support and direct our Will
in the way of Allah (God)?
Supplement
6) Please read
pages 4-6 of The Will of God
(Part 1). What are some of the
emotional forces that adversely
affect the Will?
Please discuss a personal
experience where you desired
something vain and/or
destructive and you used the
power of your Will to obtain it.
What were the results? How did
you feel afterwards? Discuss an
experience where you used the
power of your Will to obtain
something positive. How did you
feel afterwards.
Supplement
PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENT
At the end of Session 5 last
week, you were asked to break a
habit which was destructive to
your Will. This is a continuing
assignment. Please report on
your progress tonight.
Tonight, please resolve to
develop a habit which is
constructive to your Will. Come
to next week's class prepared to
discuss your experience in your
effort to be consistent in
performing a positive action.
May Allah (God) bless us all
with success!
SUPPLEMENT
1) See
GLOSSARY
(Session 5 and 6)
2) Five (5)
"pillars" support the Will of
one who desires to completely
submit his or her Will to the
Will of Allah (God). When we
consciously desire to do His
Will, we are acting in
accordance with the nature in
which we were created,
therefore, He has provided the
means by which we may attain
nearness to Him until we reach
the goal of becoming one with
Him.Building
the Will Part II - Page 2
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These principles of action which
direct and support the essence
of our being are: Prayer; Zakat
(Charity); Fasting; Hajj
(Pilgrimage); Jihad (using one's
utmost efforts in contending
with an object of
disapprobation).
While each of these pillars is
necessary to our balance, it is
Prayer that is given the
greatest prominence in the Holy
Qur'an, followed closely by
Charity, which is often
mentioned together with Prayer.
This course, SELF-IMPROVEMENT,
is centered around the action of
Prayer as the root of our
success or failure in fulfilling
our purpose in life. Prayer is
the most humble and the most
exalted state of man at the same
time.
We are engaged in the
development of SELF; we will
each attain what we individually
strive for. Allah (God) has
given us a man from among
ourselves as a Guide, to show us
the way; but in the end, our
personal success will depend
upon our personal effort.
"And that man can have nothing
but what he strives for; and
that his striving will soon be
seen. Then he will be rewarded
for it with the fullest reward:
And to thy Lord is the goal."
(Holy Qur'an 53:39-42)
Allah (God) has given the place
of Prayer such prominence in the
self improvement of man and
woman, that in the Call to
Prayer, the words, "Hayya
ala-salah" (Come to Prayer), are
immediately followed by the
words, "Hayya ala-l-falah" (Come
to Success)
Please reflect upon the divine
relationship between Prayer and
Success.
In Prayer lies the root of that
which leads a man or woman to
give his or her life in the
Cause of Allah (God). The
realization of His Essence
within our hearts makes us think
as He thinks; feel what He
feels.
But there is an emotional force
that gives direction to the
Will. And the emotional force --
which is the Creative Force upon
which the entire Universe is
constructed -- is Love. And it
is out of this awesome power of
Love that the Will springs up;
it springs up out of this
emotion and it is directed and
guided by this emotion..." [The
Will of God (Part 1) Page 7]
Note carefully the fact that
Prayer is mentioned first and
last in verses 22-35 of Surah
70, for it is Prayer which
generates the Desire to perform
the other principles of action,
out of Love and Adoration for
the Creator.
For example, the second
principle of action. after
Prayer is Charity. The Arabic
word for Charity is "Zakat",
which originally means "Purity";
"li-l-zakat" means "for the sake
of purity", or "to attain
purity". So constant Prayer
feeds, directs and elevates
Desire so that our, Desire is to
do the Will of Allah (God), the
Building the
Will Part II - Page 3
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Beneficent. Thus, we become one
"in whose wealth there is a
known right for the beggar and
the destitute."
Acceptance of the Truth; Fear of
Chastisement of our Lord;
Restraint of our sexual passions
outside of the sanctity of
marriage; Keeping our Word and
making good on our Promises
(Covenant); Uprightness in our
Testimony; these attributes are
generated by Prayer; thus, verse
35 tells us to keep a Guard on
our Prayer.
There is no such thing as
personal success without Prayer,
if our conscious Desire is to
build our Will that we may do
His Will. In previous study
guides, you were asked to read
Surah 23, "The Believers",
where, in verses 1,2 it reads:
"Successful indeed are the
believers, who are humble in
their prayers." The Arabic word
used for successful is "alfaha",
which signified the achievement
of complete development;
"faliheen", which means
"farmer", or "one who
cultivates", signifies the
divine method of achieving
success: we must cultivate our
own souls as the farmer
cultivates land. And, even as we
cultivate self, we must remember
that in the study of the
prophets, in the study of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in
witnessing the life experiences
of Minister Farrakhan, we know
that without exception, they
relied (rely) upon Allah (God)
for guidance, direction and
power to overcome the
opposition. They submitted
(submit) their Will to His Will.
Since we gave it (power of our
being) to you and you say, "The
Lord giveth and the Lord taketh
away", then if Allah (God) has
given you a bit of His own
Power, which is His Will, then
He asks you will you give it
back in surrender, what should
our word to Almighty God be? Of
course, we should say "yes". "I
submit my Will to do Your Will.
Not by force, but willingly."
[The Will of God (Part 1) Page
7]
On February 26, 1957, the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad
published a small book entitled,
"Muslim Daily Prayers". If you
do not have a copy of this
booklet, you will receive one in
the near future. He says: "The
knowledge and practice of these
prayers will earn you great
reward with Allah and bring
about great spiritual
advancement in you."
Please study pages 135-160
(PRAYER SERVICE) in MESSAGE TO
THE BLACKMAN.
3) "Lord" means
nourisher unto perfection". It
signifies "the fostering of a
thing in such a manner as to
make it attain one condition
after another until it reaches
its goal of completion."
Lord of the ways of Ascent
indicates that Allah (God), the
Author of all existence, has
given to the whole creation its
means of nourishment and has
even ordained for every single
one of us, a sphere of capacity.
Within that
Building the
Will Part II - Page 4
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sphere, He has already provided
us the means or ways by which
each of us attains to our goal
of perfection in that which He
has given us.
Every human being has a unique
combination of sublime qualities
which he or she is capable of
becoming absolutely perfect in
manifesting. There is a precise
way in which that divinity is to
be developed in order to be
brought into the perfected
state; Allah (God) is the Lord
over that way. He is Lord over
every way of ascent.
Look up the word "WAY" in the
GLOSSARY (Study Guide 5).
4) Discuss
verse 17-21 of Surah 70. These
are forces which battle us from
within. We must overcome the
force from within that would
cause us to retreat and turn our
backs on the difficulties we
must overcome; we must resist
the internal force that causes
us to hoard and withhold; we are
created impatient, that is, we
are fretful when under stress
and niggardly when we receive
the benefits of life (from the
Beneficent). The Holy Qur'an
tells us plainly, that we
possess these traits, whether we
admit it or not, and we will
continue to walk under the
weight of them, "EXCEPT THOSE
WHO PRAY ... WHO ARE CONSTANT AT
THEIR PRAYER..." and proceeds to
list the qualities of the
Believer.
5) Study
footnote 2736. Review Study
Session 3, "Overcoming
Difficulty". Our personal
advancement, not only
spiritually, but physically,
lies along a path of hard
struggle. We have never made a
serious conquest of any obstacle
without overcoming difficulty.
We are told in verse 11, that we
"attempt (s) not the uphill
road." Thus, we must overcome
that within us which causes us
to seek the path of least
resistance, that we may be
successful in our journey to
meet with Allah (God).
The path of least resistance
will lead us away from the goal
of meeting Allah (God). He is
not tie Lord of the ways of
Descent. We cannot get to Him
without going up. This is an
uphill climb; it is not an
overnight experience. This is
the effort to save our souls.
"...The Scripture is right in
teaching, 'What does it profit a
man if he gains the whole world
and loses his soul?' What would
it profit us to build
magnificent structures,
beautiful buildings, magnificent
bridges, built with magnificent
technology and the soul of those
human beings are wretched and
deprived and underdeveloped and
rottening from within? How does
one lose one's soul? What is so
important about the soul, or the
essence of our being, that if we
lose it, we lose everything?..."
Prayer is necessary, but Prayer
alone will not improve us. We
must engage in acts of kindness
and work in the Cause of Allah
(God). Verses 12-16 tell us that
to free a slave; to feed the
hungry; to care for the orphan
and the poor man; these are
actions which will cause us to
actually understand the
struggle, not just be
intellectually aware of it.
Comprehension is understanding
and understanding only comes
through trials.
6) Please
conduct discussion of personal
experiences with the forces
described in the selected
reading material.
Building the
Will Part II - Page 5
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GLOSSARY
PILLAR A long, slender,
vertical structure used to
support a superstructure; a
support in form and function.
GUARD To keep from harm;
watch over and protect; defend;
shield; to hold in check; keep
from escape or trouble.
CHASTISEMENT (CHASTISE)
To discipline, especially by
corporal punishment. To inflict
suffering upon for purposes of
moral improvement.
PASSION strong amorous
feeling or desire; extravagant
fondness, enthusiasm, desire for
anything; violent anger; any
emotion or feeling, as love,
anger, hate, fear, grief, joy,
hope, etc., when of a powerful
or compelling nature.
PATIENCE The bearing of
provocation, annoyance,
misfortune, pain, etc. without
complaint, loss of temper,
irritation or the like; an
ability or willingness to
suppress restlessness or
annoyance in waiting; quiet
perseverance; even-tempered
care; diligence; composure;
stability; self-possession;
submissiveness. Denotes the
ability to bear exertion,
hardship or suffering without
implication of moral qualities
required or shown.
GUARD To accumulate for
preservation, future use, etc.,
in a hidden
(verb) or carefully guarded
place.
NIGGARDLY Reluctant to
give or spend; stingy; meanly
small or scanty; miserly.
SUNDRY Various or
diverse. Akin to "sunder", which
means "to separate".
CITY A large or important
town. Collective of citizens. (a
"citizen" is a native or
naturalized member of a state or
nation who owes allegiance to
its government and is entitled
to its protection).
CIRCUMVENT To avoid by
artfulness or deception.
REPOSITORY A person to
whom something is entrusted or
confided; that in which
something is placed.
COMPREHEND (COMPREHENSION)
To catch hold of; seize. (The
act of grasping with the mind.)
Building the
Will Part II - Page 6
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CHAPTER 70
Al-Ma‘arij: The Ways of Ascent
(REVEALED AT
MAKKAH:2 sections ;44 verses )
SECTION 1: Certainty of
the Punishment
In the name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful.
1 A questioner asks about the
chastisement to befall
2 The disbelievers —there is
none to avert it a —
3 From Allah, Lord of the
ways of Ascent.
4 To Him ascend the angels
and the Spirit in a day the
measure of which is fifty
thousand years.
5 So be patient with a goodly
patience.
6 Surely they see it far off,
7 And We see it nigh.
8 The day when the heaven is
as molten brass,
9 And the mountains are as
wool;
10 And no friend will ask of
friend,
11 (Though) they are made to
see them. The guilty one would
fain
redeem himself from the
chastisement of that day by his
children,
12 And his wife and his
brother,
13 And his kin that gave him
shelter,
14 And all that are in the
earth —then deliver him —
15 By no means! Surely it is
a flaming Fire,
16 Plucking out the
extremities —
17 It shall claim him who
retreats and turns his back,
18 And hoards then withholds.
19 Surely man is created
impatient —
20 Fretful when evil afflicts
him,
21 And niggardly when good
befalls him —
22 Except those who pray,
23 Who are constant at their
prayer,
24 And in whose wealth there
is a known right
25 For the beggar and the
destitute,
26 And those who accept the
truth of the day of Judgment:
27 And those who are fearful
of the chastisement of their
Lord —
28 Surely the chastisement of
their Lord is (a thing) not to
be felt secure from —
29 And those who restrain
their sexual passions,
30 Except in the presence of
their mates or those whom their
right hands possess a —for such
surely are not to be blamed,
31 But he who seeks to go
beyond this, these are the
transgressors.
32 And those who are faithful
to their trusts and their
covenant,
33 And those who are upright
in their testimonies,
34 And those who keep a guard
on their prayer.
35 These are in Gardens,
honoured.
SECTION 2: A New Nation
to be raised up
36 But what is the matter
with those who disbelieve, that
they hasten on to thee,
37 On the right hand and on
the left, in sundry parties?
38 Does every man of them
desire to be admitted to the
Garden of bliss?
39 By no means! Surely We
have created them for what they
know.
40 But nay! I swear by the
Lord of the Eastern lands and
the Western lands! that We are
certainly Powerful
41 To bring in their place
(others) better than them, and
We shall not be overcome.
42 So leave them alone to
plunge in vain talk and to
sport, until they come face to
face with that day of theirs
which they are promised —
43 The day when they come
forth from the graves in haste,
as hastening on to a goal,
44 Their eyes cast down,
disgrace covering them. Such is
the day which they are promised.
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CHAPTER 90
Al-Balad:The City
(REVEALED AT
MAKKAH:20 verses )
In the name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful.
1 Nay, I call to witness this
City!
2 And thou wilt be made free
from obligation in this City —
3 And the begetter and he
whom he begot!
4 We have certainly created
man to face difficulties.
5 Does he think that no one
has power over him?
6 He will say: I have wasted
much wealth.
7 Does he think that no one
sees him?
8 Have We not given him two
eyes,
9 And a tongue and two lips,
10 And pointed out to him the
two conspicuous ways?
11 But he attempts not the
uphill road;
12 And what will make thee
comprehend what the uphill road
is?
13 (It is) to free a slave,
14 Or to feed in a day of
hunger
15 An orphan nearly related,
16 Or the poor man lying in
the dust.
17 Then he is of those who
believe and exhort one another
to patience, and exhort one
another to mercy.
18 These are the people of
the right-hand.
19 And those who disbelieve
in Our messages, they are the
people of the left hand.
20 On them is Fire closed
over.
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Self-Improvement Page 10 and 11
The Black man is a problem; he
is a problem to himself and he
is a problem to others. Listen
The Chicano is a problem, but he
is a problem to himself. The
Indian---Native American---is a
problem to himself. All human
beings are suffering from a
problem and the problem is not
somebody else; the problem is
yourself.
We have a problem. And tonight,
what we want to do, is just
analyze what is giving us all of
this hell. Will you help me to
analyze this thing?
I am a Black man and I love
Black people. I sit and cry over
the beauty that I see in Black
people that perhaps others do
not even see. I am willing to
give my life tonight, if dying
will make life better for you. I
would leave here tonight and die
for the Black man. I would much
rather live for you, but if
dying would do it, I would die
tonight. I don't want to live
seeing you in this condition; I
do not care to live and watch my
people dying in my face and I do
nothing to help them out of this
condition,. I cannot take that.
But, Brothers and Sisters,
listen to me.
If every white person on
Earth dies tonight, you would
have a problem tomorrow. My
Chicano and Native American
brothers and sisters, if the
white man died tomorrow, you
would have a problem the day
after. The problem is not the
white man. The problem is
something within yourself that
you are not facing up to. Listen
to me. White people, there is
something in yourself that you
are not facing up to. So, each
of us has some facing up to do.
But, somebody has to show you
your face, so that you can face
up to your face and deal with
yourself. Forget about your
neighbor. I want you, tonight,
to deal with you, because you
are your worst enemy.
I listened to the television
this morning. Reverend was
really preaching.. He was
preaching about how the devil is
seeking to rob you. The devil is
seeking to take joy from you.
The devil is seeking to keep you
from the Kingdom. The devil is
going to do this, you can't let
the devil do this. I mean, this
devil raises a lot of hell,
doesn't he? And no one can get a
handle on this devil and choke
the hell out of him. Tonight is
the night I am going to let you
put your hands on that devil
that is giving you some
particular hell, an you can
strangle the hell out of him
tonight.
The Holy Qur'an and the Bible
teach us that God has no need
for any of His creatures. He is
above need of His creatures. He
is independent of His creation,
but all creation depends upon
Him.
Self
Improvement: The Basis of
Community Development - Page 10
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The Holy Qur'an, again teaches
us that man thinks himself to be
self-sufficient. He doesn't
recognize his incompleteness.
Man is created in need and he or
she goes about his whole life in
pursuit of the fulfillment of
needs; we don't even recognize
our need of God until trouble
afflicts us. The more trouble
afflicts us, and there is no one
around to help us, then we call
on God, making our prayer
sincere.
I went into the sweat lodge with
our Native American Brothers and
Sisters. If you have never had
that experience---it is an
experience. In there with fire;
heat like you have never felt;
darkness that resembles the
darkness of the womb out of
which birth comes.
I was outside of the 'inipi',
listening to those who went in
in front of me; I listened to
how they called on God when they
were praying. When that heat got
hot, I heard them say 'Oh,
Grandfather!' And I mean there
was no insincerity in it. You
could tell they were reaching
for somewhere deep down within.
I heard the Muslims, in the
'inipi', saying 'Oh Allah!' I
mean, they cried His Name out
with such fervor, such
sincerity. I said, 'Uh-huh. God
has to keep us in total trouble
in order to get a sincere prayer
from our lips.'
And even those who think they
don't believe in God. Just
travel on these airplanes and
wait until it hits a severe
(air) pocket and bumps. You see
the Christian grab for his
cross. You see the Jewish person
get the Star of David or the
Talmud; a Muslim gets the
Qur'an, or something divine.
They don't ask for the
navigator, because he cannot see
where he is going. They reach
outside the plane to somebody
that they know, or believe, has
power over this wind, over the
forces that are tearing this
plane apart.
And the Qur'an says: "And lo!
(When I get you safely to port),
you set up other gods besides
Me. Surely man is ungrateful.'
Look at how you get on the plane
and the man says, 'This is
Flight 242, American Airlines.
We will be landing in Los
Angeles in 3 hours and 40
minutes. We will be flying at
speed of 450 knots, at an
altitude of 36,000 feet and we
are looking for an on time
arrival.' He does not say, "God
Willing.' He doesn't recognize
that there is another Power
here. He (thinks he) is the
power.
Listen to me carefully. That
word, "I", that personal pronoun
"I", represents 'independence.'
"I" will do this. "I" will say
that...Don't worry, just as good
as done. I will take care of
it.' It's the ninth letter of
the alphabet. The number nine
(9) represents completion.
Self
Improvement: The Basis of
Community Development - Page 11
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Self-Improvement Page 12
The Holy Qur'an, again
teaches us that man thinks
himself to be self-sufficient.
He doesn't recognize his
incompleteness. Man is created
in need and he or she goes about
his whole life in pursuit of the
fulfillment of needs; we don't
even recognize our need of God
until trouble afflicts us. The
more trouble afflicts us, and
there is no one around to help
us, then we call on God, making
our prayer sincere.
I went into the sweat lodge with
our Native American Brothers and
Sisters. If you have never had
that experience---it is an
experience. In there with fire;
heat like you have never felt;
darkness that resembles the
darkness of the womb out of
which birth comes.
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Will of God Pages 4-7
The Honorable
Elijah Muhammad has taught us
that the brain of Main is
"infinite." I want you to think
on it --- THE BRAIN OF MAN IS
INFINITE. If the brain of Man is
infinite, then Man can bring
into existence whatever he
conceives in his mind; the
repository for Allah (God), the
place for the God to dwell. God
is infinite in the brain of Man.
In the New
Testament, Jesus says that he
knocks and if we will open up to
him, he will come in and sup
with us. This does not mean that
he is a visitor standing outside
your door (although it could
mean that too), but just as you
would open the door of your home
to allow into your home one who
is a friend, likewise we should
open the door of our ears, the
door of our heart, the door of
our mind, to let Almighty God,
Allah come in. For there He
wishes to dwell; in the Infinity
of the Brain of Man!
The Will is the
Real Power of Allah (God) in
Man. However, the Will must be
buttressed, or supported, by
Faith and by knowledge. Let us
look at Will and its meaning;
Faith and its meaning; and
Knowledge. Let us look at what
Allah (God) has given us of His
Will. And what do we have of
Faith? What do we have of
Knowledge, to buttress and
support the power of our own
being.
"Will,"
according to Webster's, it "the
faculty of conscious and
especially of deliberate
action." There is no action that
is not preceded by a conscious
thought, planning and then the
carrying of a plan into
action(s). "Will" is the power
of control that the mind has
over its own action's).
To be able to
Will is to have a creative force
within that actually can change
the conditions of our lives, the
condition of our homes, the
condition of our community, the
condition of the Nation and the
condition of the World.
But Will without
Faith; Will without Knowledge;
is Power without direction. It
is power that can be
manipulated. It is power that
can actually be used by a smart
crooked deceiver to make slaves
of the totality of the human
family. Therefore, all of us
must be possessors of Knowledge
of Faith.
Faith, of
course, is "confidence or trust
in a person or thing." Faith is
having confidence in your own
ability or in someone else's
ability. In the Divine Scheme of
things, Faith is having
confidence or trust in Allah
(God). Having Faith is having
confidence and trust in His
Word: Knowing that His Word
never fails; His Plan never
fails; His Will never fails.
When we put our trust completely
in Allah (God) and in His Word,
we have the ability to see
beyond our knowledge --- for
what we know is limited.
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Faith can be as big as a
mountain; Faith can be as big as
the Universe itself. Regardless
of what you know, you must have
greater Faith then your
Knowledge. For your Knowledge
is, of a surety, limited, no
matter how much you know. But if
your Faith and Allah (God) is
great; your Faith in his words
great; then that Faith will lead
you to greater and greater
knowledge.
We must be Faithful men and
women, but we must also be
possessors of Knowledge. There
are so many of our people who
have a lot of Faith but very
little Knowledge. We need both:
Faith and Knowledge; to buttress
and support the power of our
being, which is our Will.
Prophet Muhammad ( Peace be upon
him) said, nearly 1400 years
ago, " one goes out in search of
Knowledge is in the Path of God
until he returns. Why did
Prophet Muhammad make such an
utterance? It is because when we
go out in search of Knowledge,
we should never return. For
Knowledge is the path of God.
And Knowledge, like God, is
infinite. When you go out after
Knowledge, never say, " I found
it!, " " when you have saved you
have found it, you have stopped
searching. You have stopped
seeking. When you stop
searching, stops seeking, you
reached a plateau of learning.
That plateau leads to the death
of your society; the death of
your own power; your creative
energy. Unfortunately, this is
what happened to this world in
which we presently live. Men
have amassed a lot of knowledge,
but, unfortunately, he believed
that he has found it. And in
finding it to, he had lost it
and is no longer in the path of
Allah (God). So the Knowledge
that he possesses leads his
society to greater and more
complex problems which his own
Knowledge gives him neither the
light, nor the ability, to
solve. This is when Allah steps
in --- when our knowledge fails
us.
Knowledge without Faith is like
a ship without water. Can you
imagine a ship without water? No
wonder the people in the days of
Noah the death at him because he
built a ship and there was no
water. But no one knew what the
people did not know; he knew
that water was, indeed, coming.
What about you with this
tremendous skill in science,
mathematics, physics, and
chemistry? Don't you realize
that you are, yet, a baby? You
have a little bit of Knowledge
and very little Faith in Allah
(God). Consequently, your
Knowledge takes you nowhere but
to self-destruction. An so,
Beloved, each of us would want
to develop the power of our own
being; to use that power to
better ourselves, our families,
our community, our people, our
Nation, the World. We must seek
Knowledge and we must develop
Faith. For it is Knowledge and
Faith that buttress and support
the great Power of Allah (God)
in Man: Man's ability to Will.
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The Will is
protected and also sustained,
not only by Faith, but also by
our Attitude, which demonstrates
the degree of our Faith. We
cannot have a powerful Will and
a weak Attitude. The Attitude
that we have is for the
protection of our Will. Change
your Attitude and you might
redirect your Will.
Attitude is "the
manner, disposition, feeling,
position" with which we regard a
thing. It is a "tendency or
orientation, especially of the
mind." Think of these words. It
is a "tendency" or an
"orientation" of the mind. In
fact, Attitude can give you ---
or damage --- your ability to
perceive reality. Mood can
colour your perception. So we
have all of these things that
affect the Will, and, in fact,
redirect the Will. Beloved, we
must be careful of our Attitude.
(We are going to talk about that
a little later on this program,
but I want to lay this base
before we discuss Attitude).
Will is Power,
but Power must be guided. Guided
by what? The Power of Will must
be guided by Knowledge. But
there is an emotional force that
gives direction to Will. And the
emotional force --- which is the
creative force upon which the
entire Universe is constructed
--- is Love. And it is out of
this awesome power of Love that
the Will springs up; it springs
up out of this emotion, and it
is directed and guided by that
emotion. When you couple Will
and Knowledge and Love, then you
have a balanced individual,
whose Will is being used in a
creative, constructive way; not
in the way of destruction.
Let us take a
look at the things that
adversely affect the Power of
Allah (God) within Man. From the
time that the baby comes into
the world, we see a
demonstration of Will. Mother is
not teaching the child from "day
one," yet the child accomplishes
mush in that first year of life.
From what? From the Will.
The Will moves
the child to grow and grow. The
first year of life is the
strongest year of educational
development. It learns more in
the first year; and without a
teacher! The teaching comes from
within. What does that tell us?
That there is a Power within
every human being that can teach
and direct. That Power is
connected to its Source. It can
be a Source of comfort,
guidance, protection and
deliverance for every human
being.
I. FEAR
Did you know that Fear is what
the enemy of Allah (God) at
hand, uses to restrict the Power
of your own Will? What are you
The Will of
God I - Page 6
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afraid of? Once
someone can make you afraid,
they restrict the Power of your
own being to express itself.
Look at how many
people today live in fear. "I'm
on a job and I am afraid that I
am going to be fired" (by a
cantankerous boss or foreman).
Think of it. So the foreman is
threatening your security. You
are afraid, so it restricts your
Will. And, in a sense, it helps
to make the individual not just
a worker on the job, but a slave
to the job.
Anytime we are
afraid to think, to move, to
express ourselves, for fear of
being censured; for fear of
losing a job; then we need to
get away from that type of job,
for we have lost the most
precious thing that we could
have and that is a Free Will.
That is what Allah (God) has
given us. But if your choices
are made our of Fear, then you
have made yourselves a slave.
Fear is
distressing emotion; aroused by
impending pain and danger. Of
course, the Scriptures teach us
that the Fear of Allah (God) is
the beginning of Knowledge and
that, of course, is true.
The Fear of
Allah (God) is restricting, but
it does not restrict us in a way
that damages our development.
The Fear of Allah (God) frees us
to act in accordance with His
Will.
II.
VANITY
The next
thing that hurts the Will,
redirects the Will, redirects
the Power of our being in a
negative direction, is something
called Vanity.
Vanity
is excessive pride in one's
appearance, one's qualities,
one's abilities and/or one's
achievements. It is Conceit.
Vanity can lead to Arrogance.
And, of course, anything that is
done with the spirit of Conceit
lacks real value. In fact, it is
hollow and worthless. And those
of us who are self-conceited;
who are overly concerned with
ourselves and who see too much
importance in ourselves in our
relationships to others: our
acts are shallow. Our words are
hollow; they have no real value.
Consequently, we are considered,
in the Eyes of Allah (God)
worthless.
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Will of God Page 8
[So these
enemies of the Will: Fear,
Vanity, Pride, Envy, must be
gotten rid of . But how can we
get rid of the enemies that keep
us from full development?]
V. LUST
Lust
is a voracious appetite; a
sexual appetite that is
inordinate. It is out of the
Divine Law. It is out of the way
of the Order of Allah (God). It
is something that we feel we
have to do. It is a compulsion.
And we allow that drive, that
sexual drive, that ends that are
nonproductive of good.
VI. ANGER
To
those of us who are angered
much, Anger can direct the Will.
Anger directs the Power of our
being toward the object of our
Anger. And ofttimes, in our
Anger, we can do - very
destructive things to Self and
others. Anger is something that
must be controlled.
VII.
GREED
And
of course, lastly, there is
Greed. Greed is the accepted
inordinate or rapacious desire
for wealth, power, food or
drink. Allah (God) wants us to
be satisfied. But when we are
overcome by Greed, this lust for
wealth or power or food or
drink, it manifests itself in
our conspicuous consumption. It
manifests itself in our
directing our Will to destroy
those who stand in the way of
our assumption of Power. It
leads to obesity, where one
destroys one's health because of
one's Greed; or destroys one's
health because of our
uncontrolled urges.
******
When Allah (God)
asks us to become His servants,
He asks us to give Him the best
part of ourselves. What does
Allah (God) ask us for? He asks
us for our Will. What does He
ask us for? He asks us for the
Power of our being.
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