Dogma

Dogma is an interesting principle. Dogma is defined as a principle, set of principles, or core beliefs laid down by an authority (such as a religious order, secular organization, or an ideological leader) as incontrovertibly truth. When the Messenger was with us he said he would take ten thousand dollars out of his brother’s vest pocket and pay anyone that could prove his teachings wrong. Nobody ever collected; including the various devil governments around the world. The Messenger warned that his Message from Allah was not to be taken lightly. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad stated it would be better for you to be a non-believer than a hypocrite; this is why the Messenger often stated, “accept it, or leave it alone” (with regards to his teachings). This is also why the Messenger warned us not to change his teachings when he is gone. This is also why the Messenger warned us of those that would come after him, claiming Islam, and changing his teachings when he is gone. Dogma also has a negative connotation (to some); including being close-minded, inflexible, and showing refusal to change. This is the balancing act some of us are experiencing today as followers, students, and disciples of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Keeping the teachings intact while balancing how to do this in a world rapidly changing from wrong to right and without the Messenger physically being with us anymore. It is like a parent who has instilled twenty-one years of knowledge into their child; than they must watch from a distance while the child goes off into the real world on their own. We are the child in this example and many of us still haven’t realized that we must take the knowledge shared with us by our Messenger and gain wisdom and understanding while applying it to this quickly changing world that we are now living in.

The days of fishing (for the Lost-Found) are over. How long can we wait on the deaf, dumb, and blind to embrace the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad? The devil’s time was up in 1914. The Mahdi declared Himself to the world on July 4, 1930. The Messenger taught us in the Hells and Wilderness of North America day and night from 1934 to 1975. At the time of this writing it is the year 2026. How long should Allah wait? The Scientists wanted to kill us all in 1914. How long should the followers, students, and disciples of the Messenger want to wait? There is a difference between fishing and the duty of the civilized man teaching the uncivilized. Fishing implies actively pursuing the deaf, dumb, and blind. The civilized man teaches the uncivilized when the uncivilized asks questions for understanding purposes only. One chases negative; the other one does not. The mission during the time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was to get the message to as many of the Lost-Found here in the Hells and Wilderness of North America as possible. Today our mission is to gain understanding of the message and help to bring forth freedom, justice, equality, and Islam back to the planet. Those that do not want to be a part of the Mahdi’s mission, should be left alone. The Messenger’s job was to share the message; not to force the message on anyone. After all the time that has passed it makes little sense today to try and fish for the Lost-Found. The children suffer because of the sins of their fathers. This is a law from Allah that we do not have the power to change. If a desire for truth is in the child; that child will seek truth regardless of the sins of their father. If a desire for truth is not in that child; that child will suffer because of the sins of their father. We were left the idea of a nation; it is now up to us to make the idea of a nation a reality. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad before he left declared that he would have no successor; yet many of us today still behave like we are suppose to be followers. When Master Fard Muhammad told us a Saviour is born to teach us the knowledge of how to become Self-Saviours. Allah will not wait on us forever, and we should not want Him to.

Religion should be a way of life, involving common rituals among a common people. These common rituals are not to be confused with the tenets of the religion. Tenets are regulations that do not change. This would be like the constitution for the United States government. For example the tenets of the United States government would be the United States Constitution. The religion of the United States would be its common rituals (culture) among the American citizens. In the Nation of Islam some tenets would be for example: Master Fard Muhammad is the Mahdi; the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has no successor. In the Nation of Islam, under the Messenger, some of its common rituals were F.O.I. selling Muhammad Speaks newspapers and trying to get the Lost-Found to come to the Temples to be taught. The common rituals may change, however the tenets of the religion will not. For example; under the Messenger polygamy was not practiced (even though it is practiced in Islam), because at that time the Messenger said his followers were not in the right state of mind for such an arrangement. What about 1000 years into the future when the Black man is in his rightful place as ruler of the planet? Would we still deny some women the right to marry because 1000 years earlier, under white rule, the Messenger’s followers were not in the right state of mind to practice polygamy? Another example; under the Messenger carrying weapons was not allowed, because he wanted his followers to depend on Allah and not on a weapon. Also he understood the devil would use that as an excuse to attack his followers. What about 1000 years into the future; wouldn’t the Black man have armies? Wouldn’t those Black men in those armies carry weapons? Isn’t the mother plane the ultimate weapon? Don’t confuse the rituals of religion with the tenets of that religion. We do the rituals until we understand why we are doing the rituals. As we grow so do the rituals change. The practices in that religion may change over time. The practices in that religion may differ among the various different peoples of the planet. Regardless to the changes in the rituals of a religion; the tenets of the religion don’t change. It is important to know and understand the difference between the two.

Today we are suppose to be fulfilling the teachings of our Messenger, not merely reciting it. It is like going to school for thirteen to seventeen years. After school you graduate and this demonstrates that you have acquired knowledge. What you do with that knowledge determines what type of life you will have. The life you live is based on gaining experience from your knowledge in the form of wisdom. For you to have an exceptional life you will discover the why of your knowledge in the form of understanding. If you haven’t given up the devil’s name, the devil’s religion, and the devil’s god; you haven’t even taken the first steps yet toward fulfilling the teachings of our Messenger. The Messenger told us what is to come, yet it is up to each and every one of us to gain an understanding of what we should be doing in order to prepare and to survive the future that is quickly heading our way. The Messenger did not give us a step by step playbook to handle future events for a reason. The cream rises to the top. The Scientists said to kill us all. The Bible mentions only 144,000. The Messenger said just enough would be saved to fill a taxi cab. The Mahdi said His mission would be a success if He found just one of us for Him to save. It is a wide open field for the wide awake Black man. Creative thoughts would come to the Black man actively gaining wisdom and searching for understanding. This requires active participation; not merely passively reciting the teachings of the Messenger. The entire planet belongs to the Black man. We here the Lost-Found in the Hells and Wilderness of North America are Allah’s chosen people. What will your contribution be to help bring in Allah’s Kingdom of Islam? Will you even decide to save yourself and your family? Will you even decide to take the first step? Remember not to decide is to decide.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said July 2, 1972 that, “It is not that we're such people that we have to wait to see everything happen before we know what's going to happen. We would not be Gods if we did not know what was going on around us among other than God.” This is why the wise among us ‘see and wait’, not ‘wait and see’. Truth does not mean stagnation; truth means growth. If all of the oceans were ink and all of the trees were pens you can not exhaust Allah’s wisdom. Time waits for no man. Don’t confuse tradition with truth. Truth is independent; traditions change with time. To remain tethered to the past is like attempting to navigate between two points using an obsolete map. Sooner or later the terrain changes so drastically that your landmarks no longer exist. To grow requires a continuous shedding of your previous self. If you prioritize nostalgia, regret, or former triumphs over present action; you will forfeit your legacy in the unfolding narrative of the ever changing world. The future is an exclusive space reserved for those who are adaptable. Time systematically removes those who refuse to evolve by rendering their skills, perspectives, and contributions irrelevant. Consequently the price of holding on to what was, is the inevitable loss of what could be. The momentum of time favors the man facing forward, bypasses the stationary man, and the man looking backwards towards the past. Allah is removing the old and bringing in the new. The transition from the old to the new represents a profound shift in the cosmic and social order. It signifies the removal of an era defined by spiritual darkness and the dawn of Allah’s Kingdom of Islam. This process is not merely a passive change, however it is a deliberate divine intervention to dismantle systems of devilishment and falsehood. To replace those systems with a foundation of justice, freedom, equality, and Islam. As the outdated devil structures of the world begin to crumble under their own weight; a new world of righteousness is being meticulously constructed to house Allah’s people. Knowledge of the Messenger’s teachings alone is not enough for you to make the transition from the old to the new. You must show and prove to yourself that you have understanding of the Messenger’s teachings to survive the transition from the old to the new. Accept it or leave it alone.