READING MATERIAL
Holy Qur'an
Surah 2 Section 4:
"Greatness of Man and Need
of Revelation" (Read footnotes)
Surah 6 Verse 166
(footnote 852)
Surah 14 Verses 32-33

Self-Improvement
Pages 12-18
(to end of paragraph 4)

Will of God Part III
Review entire lecture

FACT (S)

ALLAH (GOD) SHARES HIMSELF WITH HUMAN BEINGS. HOWEVER, WHEN GOD SHARES HIMSELF WITH US, HE GIVES US A DIFFICULTY TO OVERCOME. WE HAVE TO STRUGGLE WITH THE LIFE FORCE THAT IS WITHIN US, WHICH IS THE ONLY FORCE THERE IS, THERE IS NO OTHER FORCE BUT GOD. THERE IS BUT ONE LIFE THAT IS GIVEN TO US AND THAT IS DIVINE LIFE.

(HOLY QUR'AN READING: 'AND WHEN THY LORD SAID TO THE ANGELS, I AM GOING TO PLACE A RULER IN THE EARTH, THEY SAID, WILT THOU PLACE IN IT SUCH AS MAKE MISCHIEF IN IT AND SHED BLOOD? AND WE CELEBRATE THY PRAISE AND EXTOL THY HOLINESS. HE SAID: SURELY I KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW NOT.")
 

DISCUSSION

A. PREPARATION

Please read and review the terms in the GLOSSARY on the next page before discussing the subject matter contained in this study guide. Please feel free to make comments and ask questions about these definitions as your circle goes over them with the coordinator.

GLOSSARY

SELF The uniting principle, underlying all subjective experience. That which knows, remembers, desires, suffers. Being the same throughout; being of one with the rest. "Oneself".

I The first self; the nominative singular pronoun used by a speaker in referring to himself. The ninth letter of the alphabet.

EGO The "1" or "Self" of any person; a person of thinking, feeling and willing, distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from the objects of its thought. The enduring and conscious element that knows experience.

In psychoanalysis (not a pure science), "ego" refers to the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.

The "ego" has a tendency to centralize all. action around itself.

ID The part of the psyche residing in the unconscious that is the source of instinctive energy. The primal urge and impulse which seeks self preservation and self-satisfaction in accordance with need and pleasure. It is modified by the "ego" before given overt expression, unless it is uncontrolled.

RULER One who rules. One who exercises dominating power, authority, or influence over; governs; decides or declares judicially; exercises authoritative guidance or direction. (From the Latin word "regul", meaning "by a straight stick" or "pattern".)

"The original word Khalifah (from khalafa, meaning "he came after or succeeded another that had perished or died"), means primarily a successor and hence, the supreme or the greatest ruler who supplies the place of him who has been before him ... one who judges among or rules, the Creatures of Allah by His command."

"This ('I am going to place a ruler in the earth') shows the high place that man was destined to hold in the whole of creation. What is stated here in an allegorical description of the preference of man above the whole of creation on earth and then of the election of those righteous servants of Allah from among men themselves who lead others into the right path." (Footnote 48 Holy Qur'an, Maulana Muhammad Ali Translation)

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"The early Islamic state organization, which combined the offices of the spiritual and the temporal head of the community, was ... the most perfect which the history of statecraft can show. The head of state considered himself responsible to God, in the first place, for the exercise of his temporal authority.

There exists a misconception in some quarters that the Islamic state was a theocracy. The head of the Muslim state never considered himself a representative of God on earth, but as a representative of men who had chosen him to serve them; nonetheless, he certainly considered himself responsible to God for every act he did in the exercise of his authority. All people, including the ruler, had equal rights and obligations and were subject to the same law." (The Religion of Islam, Maulana Muhammad Ali. Page 626)

"In Hebrew, 'ruler' means 'Elohim', or 'God', 'Divine Essence', 'Will', 'Divine Force'." (Self-lmprovement, D. 13

"Elohim" (English form 'God'), the first of the names of Deity, is a plural noun in form, but is singular in meaning when it refers to the True God ... Genesis 1:26-27 gives the general account of the creation of man, and Genesis 2:7, the particular. The revealed facts are: Man was created ... there is an unbridgeable chasm between man and beast; the highest beast has no God-consciousness (spiritual nature) ... Man was made in the 'image and likeness' of God. This image is found chiefly in the fact that man is a personal, rational and moral being. While God is infinite and man is finite, nevertheless, man possesses the elements of personality similar to those of the Divine Person: thinking, feeling, willing...a moral nature ... made up of body, mind and soul ... The purpose of God is one. Man created in God's image was placed in sovereignty over the earth, crowned with glory and honor, yet subject to his Creator. The Divine Intention was and is that man should have fellowship with God in obedience." (Schofield Reference Bible, p. 1, footnote 3; p-3, footnote 2)

SUPER-EGO Psychological term for the Self-Accusing Spirit. "A great change takes place only when the authority is internalized through the establishment of the super-ego. The phenomena of conscience then reach a higher stage. Actually, it is not until now that we should speak of conscience or a sense of guilt. At this point, the fear of being found out come to an end; the distinction between doing something bad and wishing to do it disappears, since nothing can be hidden from the super-ego, even thoughts ... The super-ego torments the sinful ego with feelings of anxiety

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and is on the watch for opportunities of getting it Punished by the external world ... As long as things go well with a man, his conscience is lenient and lets the ego do all sorts of things; but when misfortune befalls him, he searches his soul, acknowledges his sinfulness, heightens the demands of his conscience, imposes abstinence on himself and punishes himself with penances..."

B. QUESTIONS

1) The Holy Qur'an teaches us that Allah says "Be!" and it is. He does not desire or need permission to execute His Will. Who are the angels? Why did He inform them of His intentions beforehand?

2) What is meant by placing "a ruler in the earth"?

3) Why did the angels express anxiety and doubt over the decision made by the Lord of the worlds?

4) Even after expressing their concern, the angels said "we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness". Why was His holiness recognized by the angels in this exchange with Allah (God)?

5) Did Allah (God) do as He intended and place a ruler in the earth? What evidence is there that He did so?

6) Is there a connection between this action on the part of Allah (God) and our personal development? If so, what is it?

7) What was His purpose in placing a ruler in you and me?

8) By what means is He achieving His purpose?

9) What role, if any, do we have in the methodology Allah (God) uses to achieve this purpose?

10) We know that the Sun is not the center of the Universe; it is very near the center. How- do we know it is not the Center? What spiritual significance does this natural phenomenon have for us?
 

DISCUSSION

1) There is but one force: the Life Force. Each of the 99 attributes of Allah (God) is a force. Beneficence is guided by a force; Mercy is guided by a force. Retribution is guided by a force. In sharing Himself with man, God has placed these same forces or powers in the human being.
 

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These forces may be used for negative ends or positive ends. In order to serve positive ends, the forces must be controlled. Allah (God) is the uniting principle bringing these forces into submission to His singular Will, to accomplish a certain objective. The dialogue taking place in Holy Qur'an 2:30 is actually the God, the Ruler, reasoning with the forces within Himself. He says, "I", for He is the uniting principle, "am going to place a ruler in the earth.' Then He allows the contrariness of the various forces (angels) to come up. Through reasoning with them, He unites them behind His Will; He unites His own Self-Community that He may go on with His Plan.

This same process occurs within us, as He has placed some of Himself within us. When we think to do a thing, other thoughts come up within us, questioning the move, or objecting to the move. We must then reason with ourselves to reach a conclusion, for confusion within Self has a chilling effect on movement. When we are confused, unsure, we cannot take action. So here, Allah (God), says to the questioning forces within Himself, 'I know what you know not."

The Arabic word for "angel" is "malak". It is said to be derived from "malaka", meaning "he controlled", and refers to the angels function of controlling the forces of nature on the physical side of life, or from "alk", which means "to send", referring to their function of acting as intermediaries between God and Man.

2) "I am going to place a ruler in the Earth." Not on the Earth, but in the Earth. Where did you come from? Your flesh is from ... the vegetation of the Earth. Your bone is from ... the stone of the Earth. Your blood is from ... the water of the Earth. This lump of flesh and blood and bone has to have a ruler in it. Something that commands it; something that dominates it.

"...God is going to form this body and He knows that you are supreme above the Sun, Moon and Stars; above all the creatures. You are the Supreme Existence --- Man and Woman. He is going to place in you a ruler."

"In Hebrew, 'ruler' means 'Elohim' or 'God', 'Divine Essence', 'Will', 'Divine Force'. God shares Himself with Man and Woman. The only reason you can say I is because the True I has shared a part of His I AM with you, that you may be… He, Allah, God, places in you a Power Himself...."

3) Look at the time and the source of the revelation of His intentions. The Holy Qur'an was revealed 1400 years ago, bringing this declaration, pot in past occurring now. In giving His wisdom and knowledge to man, God is breaking the circle of 24 scientists who have kept this divine power among itself. This decision causes great distress, because the angels, observing man's behavior, which is already degenerating, are certain that when he is given the power of

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God, he will do nothing but create mischief and shed blood (kill). They already know what the God of Moon did 66 trillion years ago through misuse of Divine Power, so they are shocked that God would consider placing that same power in such an ill-equipped creature as Man.

"The Angels say, 'You are Holy. Why would you do a thing like this?' And God says, 'I know what you know not.' (Self-improvement, p. 12)

"God declares His Will to the angels, the controlling forces of nature, to create Man, who is meant to rule the forces of nature, and to whom, therefore, power to rule is to be delegated. Being entrusted with such great powers, man could use them rightly or wrongly, and it is to this fear of abuse of power that the angels give expression ... The whole history of man is briefly written in this one verse.

Man is the greatest killer on Earth, but he also turns the gifts of God to the best use ... to God was known the brighter side as well as the darker side of this picture. Hence the words, 'I know what you know not." Holy Qur'an Footnotes 48-50, Maulana Muhammad Ali Translation

4) While giving expression to their concern over the darker side of humanity (mischief-making and bloodshedding), the angels still declare that they realize this is not the Divine purpose for placing His Power in man, because Allah (God) is Holy; he is "free from all imperfections". (See footnote 51, Holy Qur'an, Maulana Muhammad Ali)

5) "God is a man and we just cannot make Him other than man, lest we make Him an inferior one; for man's intelligence has no equal in other than man. His wisdom is infinite; capable of accomplishing anything that His brain can conceive. A spirit is subjected to us and not we to the spirit." (Message To The Blackman, p. 6)

"Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the clouds, then brought forth with it fruits as a sustenance for you, and He has made the ships subservient to you to run their course in the sea by His command, and He has made the rivers subservient to you ... And He has made subservient to you the night and the day ... And He gives you all you ask of Him. And if you count Allah's favours, you will not be able to number them. Surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful." (Holy Qur'an 14:32,33)

"...Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the Earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:28)

Many people perceive the setting up of a ruler and the establishment of a kingdom as a man sitting on a gold chair, wearing flowing robes and a crown.
 

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The true meaning is that Allah (God) is settling Himself on the brain (throne) of Man, by placing His own depth of Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding within us.

"And He is Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods; and His Throne of Power is ever on water that He might manifest (the good qualities in) you whoever of you is best in deeds." (Holy Qur'an 11:7).

6) When he placed a ruler in us, He placed something inside to lead us and give us guidance by which we may be successful.

There are things that you instinctively know are gifts; you don't have to be taught that. The nature of you is created that way. There are other things that you have to learn, but most of us know right from wrong. It is an instinctive thing that God puts right in the nature of you.

So when there is a moral consciousness, your mind says: "I shouldn't do that. I am wrong." Then you are coming awake. And, when you are condemning your own- actions, then there is an awakening of moral consciousness. You are coming out of an animal stage into a moral stage of development; that is a very good sign. But when you can do evil with impunity and don't feel anything, you are dead morally, dead spiritually and you are an animal in your so-called human existence.

We lived, in a world that is spiritually and morally underdeveloped and man's potential to become human has not been realized..."

Allah (God) is evolving us through the Holy Qur'an. Throughout this 6,000 year period, starting with the prophets, He has slowly but surely prepared us for the position of His vicegerent. During this time, we have become lower and lower in our expression, so it appears we are regressing rather than progressing. But it is only when we reach our lowest state that He may lift us up. Only when we are prostrate in submission, may we be used to serve His purpose. This year, 1987, we see men falling in every area of life. The 87th Surah, "The Most High" tells us that through glorification of God, man can rise to the highest place He is capable of rising. .

7) Prophet Muhammad is reported to have attributed these words to Allah (God): "I loved that I should be known, so I created man." (See footnote 2770, Holy Qur'an, Maulana Muhammad Ali Translation)

It is Allah's (God's purpose to bring us to perfection through the struggle to overcome difficulty.

"And We shall certainly try you with something of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits; and give good news to the patient, who, when a
 

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misfortune befalls them, say: 'Surely we are Allah's and to Him we shall return.' Those are the on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord and those are the followers of the right course." (Holy Qur'an, 2:155-1 57)

"Nothing will afflict us save what Allah has ordained for us." (9:51), is in reference to Allah's (God's) Will, which is that we are made to suffer for our own perfection.

8) "He (God) is going to place in you a ruler. But, the ruler that He puts in you has got to come through stages of development and on its way it is going to create mischief and cause the shedding of blood ..." (Self-Improvement, p. 1 3)

"The universal law is fully explained in (87:1-3): 'Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Most High, Who creates, then makes complete, and Who measures, then guides'. Four things are mentioned regarding every object of creation, including man: its creation, its completion, its measure and its guidance to its goal." (Religion of Islam, p. 263 Maulana Muhammad Ali)

"Man can be an animal or man can reflect Allah (God). You start in this world, like a fish, swimming in a bag of water. You evolve out of that and you come forth crawling; like other crawling things on Earth. Allah (God) never intended for you to be an animal. He wanted you to be a perfect reflection of Himself (Holy Qur'an, 11:7). But, there must be a coming out of the animal stage of development into a moral consciousness, where you have a spirit in you that accuses you for what you do, based on that which you know instinctively is right." (Holy Qur'an 75:2) (Self-improvement, pages 14-16).

9) When God shares Himself with us, he gives us a problem to overcome ... We have to struggle with the only force that is in us, which is the Life Force. There is no other force but God.

There is but one life and that is Divine Life. All life comes from water ... H20 has three... forms, depending upon the condition of the atmosphere ... Solid (ice)... Liquid ... Gas (steam) ... Ice is the opposite of steam. God is the opposite of the Devil. There is but one life. God gives you life ... How do we live it? ... If we live it in a negative way, under the influence of our own Life Force and will not struggle to master it, then we become a devil in our person. We become an opposer to the Will of God in our person. There is no devil outside of us giving us hell, it is the devil of ourselves raising hell with Self and on the Earth.

What role do we have in achieving God's purpose? "The more we struggle to gain mastery over Self, the closer we come to God. It is faith in God that stretches us towards Him. It is our faith in Him that makes us move closer to Him to connect with Him. And when we connect with Him, Heaven and Earth meet."
 

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10) If the Sun were the center of the Universe, it would remain in its central position with all things revolving around it. But the Sun itself revolves around the Unseen Reality that makes it move.

What is it in us (human beings) that cause us to seek to be the center of attention? Why do we actually feel pain when we see another human being receive attention?

It is the God Force within us. Allah knows He is the center, so the God within us is reaching for Allah, but in reaching, we don't realize that the God within us is not the Lord of the worlds. The true center of the Universe, the true center of Power is not the power itself, but the author of the power, but in the search we get misled by the power itself.

The pain we feel when someone else gets attention is the God Force inside saying "I am God and besides Me there is no other god." This is our struggle. We must wrestle with this force, otherwise we make mischief with it.

The various means that the God has allowed to check that force. Fear; Reward (delayed gratification); Religion. This is allowed so that the Force does not wreak havoc on the planet while the person is struggling to overcome it.

God has placed His Essence in man. He has 99 attributes, including Destroyer (Killer). But His Attributes are in balance. In nature, all things kill to live, a snake kills and eats a rat. You can't blame the snake for eating the rat or the rat for being eaten. This is in accordance with the nature of both and therefore it is in line with the Law of Justice.

But here is a man, a human being, who is a killer and doesn't even know why he is killing people. This is result of misuse or unable to control the God Force.

Satan told God, "I will come in the straight path", meaning I will come right through their nature.

The most profound statement the Honorable Elijah Muhammad made, "God is a Man."

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If Jesus is the Prime Example, and he said, 'I of myself can do nothing, but whatsoever the Father Wills, that I do.', he is telling you that he is dependent. He is not Sovereign Lord. He is dependent upon a Power bigger than himself. Well, that example should be studied by us, for the Qur'an teaches us that Allah loves not any self-conceited boaster, who goes about the land exultingly. In fact, the Qur'an says the most hateful sound to God is the braying of an ass. Even if he gave the ass a voice, he doesn't like to hear it. When you talk like the jack ass, going about in the land exultingly, self-conceited boaster, saying and thinking that you can do things which you really cannot do, then God intervenes to show you that you are not what you think you are.

Look at how many rockets have fallen out of the sky. With a few successful launches of the new program that came out of NASA, suddenly every rocket they sent up exploded. See, there is another Power and that Power is trying to tell you, 'Look, man, you are not God. You had better wake up and recognize, you are coming out into My Universe, taking a peek at what My technology has built. Why don't you bow down and recognize that there is somebody bigger than you?

Now. This part of the lecture is really the heart of it. This is very difficult and I want you to pay attention.

In this Qur'an, as well as the Bible, Allah says, 'I am going to place a ruler in the Earth.' And the Angels say to Allah, 'What will you place in it except that which will create mischief and cause the shedding of blood?...We celebrate Your Praise and extol Your Holiness.' But, God says to them, 'I know what you know not....I am going to place a ruler in the Earth and that ruler that I place in the Earth is going to create mischief and cause the shedding of blood.' The Angels say, 'You are Holy, why would you do a thing like this?' And God says, 'I know what you know not.' Listen carefully, now.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave us a very clear interpretation of the Qur'anic passage. That interpretation dealt with a ruler who is over the nations of the Earth, who has created mischief and the shedding of blood. But God, Who knows best, said that even though a mischief-maker 'has become the ruler by My permission, nevertheless, at the end of the mischiefmaking and bloodshed there is something that will wipe away the pain of his rule...I know what you know not.'

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Tonight, I would like to advance another interpretation of that scripture. You say, 'Wait a minute, Farrakhan. Who are you to advance an interpretation?' Really, nobody, just a student of a great teacher. But you know, it is wrong for any man to think that any one interpretation of a divine word is the interpretation. How could this be God's Word and you treat it as though it is your word? If The God, Who reveals the Book, gives a Word that is comparable to His own consummate knowledge of things, then how could you dare say that His Word is limited to your meager interpretation or mine? I would like to offer this interpretation to you as another way to look at scripture.

Listen. 'I am going to place a ruler in the Earth.' Not on the Earth, but in the Earth. Where did you come from? Your flesh is from what? The vegetation of the Earth. Your bone is from what? The stone of the Earth. Your blood is from what? The water of the Earth. This lump of flesh and blood and bone has to have a ruler in it. Something that rules it; something that commands it; that dominates it. Is that right?

Now look Who is talking. This is the Lord of Creation talking. 'I am going to place a ruler in the Earth.' And the Angels said, 'My God, what You are going to place is going to create mischief and cause the shedding of blood.' Then He answered, 'I know what you know not.' Now, if God is going to form this body and He knows that you are supreme above the Sun, Moon and Stars, above all the creatures; you are the supreme existence --- Man and Woman. He is going to place in you a ruler. But, the ruler that he puts in you has got to come through stages of development and on its way is going to create mischief and cause the shedding of blood. I want you to follow me, because I want you to see yourself.

'I am going to place a ruler...' In Hebrew,' ruler means 'Elohim' or 'God', 'Divine Essence', 'Will', 'Divine Force.' God shares Himself with Man and Woman. The only reason you can say 'I' is because the true 'I' has shared a part of His 'I am' with you, that you may be. Look, now. He, Allah, God, places in you a Power from Himself. I am going to say this --- it may create a lot of trouble. But you all are ready for trouble. When God gives you some of Himself, that is a Power that you have to learn how to handle. You see people get rich too fast; what happens to them? You have to be spiritually equipped to handle the Power of God. When God shares Himself with you, He gives you a problem to overcome. You have to struggle with the only force that is in you, which is the God Force. There is no other force but God. 'But I thought there is a Devil.' Wait a minute. That is what you become when you abuse the God Force and use it for negative ends.

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]Many years ago, people thought that the Earth was the center of the Universe. Then they thought that perhaps the Sun was the center of the Universe. So, we asked the Honorable Elijah Muhammad one day, 'Is the Sun the center of the Universe?' He said, 'The Sun is very near the center.' He didn't say any more. The Sun is not the center. God, Himself is the center of what He creates. He makes everything to revolve. If the Sun were the absolute God, it wouldn't move; it would just make everything else move. But the Sun is also revolving. It is near the center and there is an Unseen Reality that makes the Sun move.

Look at a child. What makes a child want to be the center of attention? Have you seen your children? You have been one, probably you still are. How many of us want to be the center of attention? 'Hey, look at me, ha, ha.' Why do you think people go into show business? They want to get attention. And when people shower attention on them, they feel so good. They become a star; they become great. Then they begin to think they are different; they talk different. It takes time for the child to mature, to realize that there are others in this world other than himself. I want you to look, now. Don't look at anybody else; look at yourself, because I am talking to you.

If the child does not get attention, he resorts to destructive means to get it. God is a Lifegiver, but God also Destroys. The same Power is within us; we can give life, but we can also destroy. So, if we don't get attention, we break the party up. 'If the organization won't recognize my tremendous skill and ability, I'll break the organization up.' Look at you. 'If the church won't recognize that I can sing better than anybody in the choir and give me a solo, then the hell with the choir, I'll break it up.' What kind of mind is that? What kind of power is that, that you have misused? See, someone is creating mischief with a created thing. Your voice is a gift of God, but it is the way you use it.

The child must learn to accept its place with others You are the center of nothing. And you are deluding yourself if you think you are. There is always a True Center and you are not it; neither am I.

Again, I am quoting from the Qur'an; the Qur'an says the 'Jinn' was created before Man. Some scholars say that 'Jinn' means a being of fiery nature and temperament. Have you ever watched an infant when you don't give it its desire? The infant will cry so hard. Watch it now; it cries so hard until you see fire come right up in its face; it may be Black, but it turns red with the fire of anger, because 'You didn't give me what I wanted! I am hungry! I want to be changed; not tomorrow, right now! And if you don't change me, I'll raise so much hell, nobody in this house will sleep!' The infant is a creature of emotion.

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If the Jinn comes before the Man, you must come through the fire of emotion before you can become a developed human being. You have to learn to control these forces within your own being that come from God Himself, before you can become a human being.

The child wants gratification now. Allah says you must learn patience. And when you are patient, it shows that you are maturing psychologically. The child is selfish. It wants everything for itself. It must learn respect for others. The child must be tolerant of others. The child must learn to share with others. And so, a child has all of these forces within that have to be controlled; that is why God gives children parents.

It is something to make a baby and not know what to do with it. Most of you, dear mothers, are wonderful, wonderful creatures, but you make babies and you don't know what to do with them. Poor father, he is just out there. He just plants the seed and runs away. He doesn't know what to do with life. You are given to the child, mothers and fathers, parents; we are given to exercise control over these forces within the child. And you must feed your child knowledge, guidance, as you exercise control, that the child may grow into the proper use of the Divine Force. Therefore, when the parent does its job, it turns the child over to institutions that become the stewards of the Life Force.

School is not school---it is the Steward of the Life Force in your and my children. It is the 'other Mother', the other nurturer and fosterer of this child and its development on the road to its meeting with God. Listen, now, schoolteacher. You have never been trained like this.
Church---that is an institution. The pastor is supposed to educate the congregation in the matter of control and guidance of their lives and the young lives of their children. Then, you have Government---that is an institution. These are the stewards of the Life Force of the people. Therefore, you are given the privilege to make laws to govern the people. But what have you done? You have created mischief and cause the shedding of blood, because there is ignorance in the parents; church; there is ignorance in the government. In fact, children rule over us.

Each of us has great potential, but a just and balanced home, governed by wisdom, fosters that potential. However, when another, or one people, to the neglect or detriment of another, we set up the destruction of that home, that school, that society; for you are making devils. 'What did you say?' Yes, I said you are making devils. And, when you make a devil, you ought to be responsible for what you make. You are making your destruction, in your homes, in the schools, in the church, in the society; we are making devils. Now, wait a minute. 'My God, Farrakhan, this is terrible.'

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Look at all of you righteous people in the church. How come there is no peace there? Come on all of you saints; you sanctified ones. Who is raising hell in your church? 'Well, it's the devil.' Yes, the devil in you. You don't want to come to grips with that, do you? I told you, you are going to have to strangle that beast before tonight is over.

Man can be an animal or Man can reflect God. You start in this world, like a fish, swimming in a bag of water. You evolve out of that and you come forth crawling; like other crawling things on the Earth. God never intended for you to be an animal. He wanted you to be a coming out of the animal stage of development into a moral consciousness, where you have a spirit in you that accuses you for what you do, based on that which you know instinctively is right.

I remember once I went to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. There was a young girl; she was about twelve (12) years old and she had committed an act of fornication; she wanted me to go the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and plead her case, because she said her mama never taught her; that she did this thing and she was ashamed, but if her mother had taught her about these things, she probably would not have done it. So, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, 'Brother, don't let that little girl put that stuff over on you.' He said, 'Her mama didn't have to teach her. Ask her where did she do this thing. And, if she went and did it in the dark, which I am sure she did, then that meant she did not want the light to discover her activities.'

Listen, now. Listen to what he said. When you are innocent of something, you do it in the open. But, when you have to find a dark place to do your thing, whatever it is, then this means there is something about this that you know you should not be engaging in. So, he said, 'Go and give that girl time.' Now, when he told me that, he said, 'God created the planets at right angles to the Sun and He created the brain cell of Man to think right. So when you think other than right, you think against the grain of the brain cell; therefore, you damage your brain the power of the mind.'

Self Improvement: The Basis of Community Development - Page 17
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There are things that you instinctively know are right; you don't have to be taught that. The nature of you is created that way. There are other things that you have to learn, but most of us know right from wrong. It is an instinctive thing that God puts right within the nature of you. So when there is a moral consciousness, your mind says: 'I shouldn't do that. I am wrong.' Then you are coming awake. And, when you are condemning your own actions, then there is an awakening of moral consciousness. You are coming out of an animal stage into moral stage of development; that is a very good sign. But when you can do evil with impunity and don't feel anything, you are dead morally, dead spiritually and you are an animal in your so-called 'human' existence.

We live in a world that is spiritually and morally undeveloped and man's potential to become human has not been realized. People all over this Earth exist on an animal plane. And that is why, in the Book of Revelations, John the Revelator saw four great beasts as having charge over man. You are controlled by beasts in human form. And you yourself have become a beast in human form.

God gives you, in scriptures, a snake crawling in the garden and some of us have become just like that. We slip up on our brother in a crooked, surreptitious, snakelike manner, whispering deceit. That is a person with human potential, but who has generated into a viper. So Jesus said, 'You generation of vipers.' Look at what he called people. He called them snakes. They weren't actual snakes, but their actions were like a snake because the Divine Force of the Divine Light within them was being used for negative purposes; therefore, they had become an enemy to God and enemy to His Will for themselves, as well as each other. They had become 'Shaitan', 'Satan' or 'Devil'.

I am not blind to what I am speaking of. Here is a man on drugs. His wife is clean. His evil has affected himself so that he does not want to stop at himself, so he goes to his wife and he says, 'Baby, you ought to try this.' I have seen men smoke reefer and blow the smoke of the reefer into their baby's face. I have seen men feed their children beer or wine. Well, if you will abuse that life with wine, whiskey, beer or drugs, you will abuse it sexually. Animals in human form. Beasts in human form, demanding respect. Who can respect an animal with Divine potential? I can cope with a dog when it lifts its leg by the fire hydrant, but I cannot cope with a human being that acts like an animal. That human being needs to be taught. The animal is instinctively an animal; but you, you can come out of that stage that you are in.

Self Improvement: The Basis of Community Development - Page 18
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There is but one life and that is Divine Life. All life comes from water, is that right? Water is H20, is that right? It has three (3) stages, or, it can take three (3) forms, depending upon the condition of the atmosphere. If the temperature falls 32 degrees and below, water changes form and becomes what? Ice. If it is 32 degrees and above, to 212 degrees, it becomes what? Liquid. When it gets above 212 degrees, it becomes what? Steam, or gas. God gives you Divine Life. Ice is the opposite of steam. God is the opposite of Devil. There is but one life. God gives you life. Now, how do you live it? If you live it in a negative way, under the influence of your own life force that you will not struggle to master, then you become a devil in your person. You become an opposer to the Will of God in your person. There is no devil outside of you giving you hell, it is you, the devil of yourself, raising hell with yourself and on the Earth.

Does this negate what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught? No! This bears witness to what he taught. The more you struggle to gain mastery over yourself, the closer you come to God. It is faith in God that stretches you towards Him. It is your faith in Him that makes you move closer to Him to connect with Him. And when you connect with Him, Heaven and Earth meet.

This is why, in the Book (I think it is Genesis), Jacob wrestled with an angel all night long, until his life was preserved. You have to wrestle with the God Force in your own Self, in order to advance. If you do not wrestle and overcome with an intelligent, enlightened, mature mind, you become a devil.

We have reached the point, or place in time, where the childlike, mischievous, bloodshedding nature of man is threatening his own existence. Man's desire to become the center has ruined his own world.

Now, I am going to speak specifically to Caucasian people---without malice, without hatred, just speaking to the facts. You have desired to be the center of the life of all other peoples of the world. You want your culture, your way of looking at God, your way of looking at life, to be what they perceive reality is. And because you desire that like a child, to be the center of everything; white folks, you are not the center; you have got to take your place. Listen to me good! Your desire to be the center has ruined you, ruined your soul and ruined your nation and ruined your world. You are not the center. God has always been (the center), but you won't recognize Him, with your proud, arrogant, haughty, self-conceited, boastful, mischiefmaking, bloodshedding malice.

SECTION 4:Greatness of Man and Need for Revelation

30 And when thy Lord said to the angels, I am going to place a ruler  in the earth, they said: Wilt Thou place in it such as make mischief in it and shed blood? And we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness. He said: Surely I know what you know not.

31 And He taught Adam a all the names, then presented them to the angels; He said: Tell Me the names of those if you are right.

32 They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us. Surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise.

33 He said: O Adam, inform them of their names. So when he informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I know what is unseen in the heavens and the earth? And I know what you manifest and what you hide.

 34 And when We said to the angels, Be submissive to Adam, they submitted, but Iblis (did not). He refused and was proud, and he was one of the disbelievers.

35 And We said: O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in the garden, and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish, and approach not this tree, lest you be of the unjust.

36 But the devil made them slip from it, and caused them to depart from the state in which they were. And We said: Go forth, some of you are the enemies of others. And there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a time.

37 Then Adam received (revealed) words from his Lord, and He turned to him (mercifully). Surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

38 We said: Go forth from this (state)all. Surely there will come to you a guidance from, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.

39 And (as to)those who disbelieve in and reject Our messages, they are the companions of the Fire; in it they will abide.

SECTION 5: Man’s Injustice in rejecting Truth

32 Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the clouds, then brought forth with it fruits as a sustenance for you, and He has made the ships subservient to you to run their course in the sea by His command, and He has made the rivers subservient to you.

33 And He has made subservient to you the sun and the moon, pursuing their courses; and He has made subservient to you the night and the day.