THE NATION OF ISLAM S T U D Y C O U R S E WEDNESDAY CLASS WEEK 37 SELF-IMPROVEMENT The Will Of God Lecture: Part 1 Pages 1-6 Muhammad University of Islam 2011
Study Course Instructions This study course is designed to be done both in a course room, mosque, study-group or self-paced at home. Certain parts of this course (Key Word Study) will be done with a partner. Other parts will be done independently (by yourself). When its time to partner, you and your partner (twin) are to follow the steps provided in this guide. The study course is laid out in the order you do them. It is important not to skip any steps of the guide. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE TO BE FOLLOWED IN OUR CLASSES. Purpose of this Study Course Guide: The purpose of this study course guide is to guide you through this course of study. Time to Complete: Although the hour and a half that we have for study this evening will hopefully allow you to progress through most of this study, however it is strongly recommend that you continue to work on this study course at home at your own pace. Important Note: During the study course session, if you have any questions raise your hand for assistance. Each believer (student) should have a copy of this handout and its instructions to take home and continue studying on their own. All steps may not be completed in the class sessions in its entirety. Study Course Steps Step 1: Key Word Clearing Key words are important words related to key concepts found in the reading. Having a good understanding of the meanings of these words will help each student better understand the important concepts and ideas of the study, as well as eliminate misunderstandings that come with misunderstood words. Use the key word list and definitions found in this packet to do the drill (exercise) a and b. 1.) Select a partner (closest to you) and study the Key Words together, through reviewing the questions and answers to master. (If done in course room or mosque/study group the time allotted is 30-45 minutes) 2.) First time through: The student has the questions and answers in front of him or her. The partner asks the student the question, and the student answers it. He/She can look at the answer if needed. The answer does not have to be word-for-word or memorized; just the concept must be correct. 3.) Second time through: Once finished with the drill the first time, you start again from the beginning, this time without the answers in front of you. Your partner asks the question and you answers. If the answer is incorrect, your partner shows you the answer. Look at the answer again and repeat until you have grasped the concept, then continue to the next one. Step 2: Independent Reading After completing step one, you may begin to read the selected reading materials. Step 3: Check Your Understanding Questions: Time Frame: 30 min Review the lists of questions. Each question is formulated to check your understanding of the key concepts and ideas found in the reading. Answer each question on a sheet of paper and be prepared to discuss your answers at the conclusion of this session. Sufficient time may not be given during class session to answer all of the questions. If you do not finish in class, please continue this step at home. 2
KEY WORD CLEARING What is the will? The will is the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action. It is the power of control that the mind has over its own actions. What does manifestation mean? Manifestation means an outward or perceptible indication; materialization. It is an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea. What does fruition mean? Fruition means the point at which a plan or project is realized. It is the attainment of anything desired; realization; accomplishment. What is a scheme? A scheme is a large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect. It can also mean a secret or underhanded plan; a plot or a particular ordered system or arrangement What is the meaning of infinite? The meaning of infinite is limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate. It is unbounded or unlimited; boundless. What does buttress mean? A buttress is any support or prop. It means to give encouragement or support to (a person, plan, etc.); increase the strength of or justification for; reinforce. What is faith? Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing. It is having confidence or trust in Allah (God). What is knowledge? Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It is the sum of what is known; facts and information. What does it mean to manipulate? To manipulate means to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner. It is control or influence (of a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously. What does plateau mean? To plateau means to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement, especially to prevent from rising or progressing. What is attitude? Attitude is the manner, disposition, feeling, position with which we regard a thing. It is a tendency or an orientation of the mind. What does it mean to fear? To fear means to have a distressing emotion; aroused by impending pain and danger. It is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. What is vanity? Vanity is excessive pride in one s appearance, qualities, abilities and/or achievements. What is pride? Pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. What does it mean to envy? To envy means to have a feeling of discontent, usually with ill-will, at seeing someone else s superiority, advantages, or success. What is lust? Lust is a voracious appetite; a sexual appetite that is inordinate. It is a passionate or overmastering desire or craving. What is anger? Anger is a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility; wrath; ire. What is greed? Greed is the accepted inordinate or rapacious desire for wealth, power, food, or drink. It is an excessive desire, especially for wealth or possessions. 3
The Will Of God Part 1 A Message From THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN Delivered from The National House in Chicago, IL October 26, 1986 In The Name Of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful. I Bear Witness That There Is No God But Allah And I Bear Witness That Muhammad Is His Messenger. As-Salaam Alaikum. Dear Brothers and Sisters, our subject matter for discussion today is titled: THE WILL OF GOD. 1. Everything in Creation is the manifestation of the Will of God. All of Creation expresses the Attributes or Characteristics of this Mighty Being, The Originator of the Heavens and the Earth. But the Will of God is the Power behind the throne. The Will of God is the Power behind the Universe: its creation, its maintenance, and its sustenance. 2. The Holy Qur an constantly reminds us that Allah s command is just Be! And it is. But this is not some spooky term such as Abracadabra! or Open, Sesame!. When Allah (God) says Be! He summons the Power of His Own Being, His Creative Mind and Will, to bring about that which He Wills. 3. When Allah says, Be!, this is an expression of His Will. But it is more than just the expression of His Will, for when He says, Be!, He arranges forces, resources, angels, people---according to a Plan---to bring about the Fruition of His Will. 4. Allah s Will never fails. There is no plan by any scholar or scientists, no power in the Heavens above or in the Earth beneath that can circumvent the Plan of Almighty God. In fact, the plans of the present world leaders were all taken into consideration. Before they were even a thought in the mind of their father, their plans were known. Their scheme was known. And Allah took their plans into consideration. He places His Hand over their plan; He places His scheme over their scheme, so that even their wicked schemes help to bring about the Fruition of His Will. That is a Mighty, Powerful Being we are dealing with. When He says, Be! it is. 5. What a wonderful thing, that Almighty God, Allah chooses to share this Power with Humanity! Think of that, Brothers and Sisters! Almighty God, Allah, Who has created everything by His Will, shares His Power with you and me! We, today, have the ability to Will. We have the ability to plan, to organize and to bring into fruition our plans. We, too, can say Be!, go to work, Be! it is. 6. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad has taught us that the brain of Man 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. 4
7. 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! 8. 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 own being? 9. Will, according to Webster s, is 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. Will is the power of control that the mind has over its own action(s). 10. 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. 11. 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 and Faith. 12. 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 or trust completely in Allah (God) and in His Word, we have the ability to see beyond our knowledge---for what we know is limited. 13. 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 a greater Faith than your Knowledge. For your Knowledge is, of a surety, limited, no matter how much you know. But if your Faith in Allah (God) is great; your Faith in His Word is great; then that Faith will lead you to greater and greater Knowledge. 14. 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. 15. Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said, nearly 1400 years ago, One who goes out 5
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! for when you have said you have found it, you have stopped searching. You have stopped seeking. When you stop searching, stop seeking, you reach 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 has happened to this world in which we presently live. Man has amassed a lot of Knowledge, but, he has 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 (God) steps in---when our own Knowledge fails us. 16. 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 laughed at him because he built a ship and there was no water. But Noah knew what the people did not know; he knew that water was, indeed, coming. 17. What about you with this tremendous skill in science, mathematics, physics, 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. And 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 that great Power of Allah (God) in Man: Man s ability to Will. 18. 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 the Will. Change your Attitude and you might redirect your Will. 19. 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 color 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 in this program, but I want to lay this base before we discuss Attitude.) 20. 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; 6
not in the way of destruction. 21. 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 much in that first year of life. From what? From the Will. 22. The Will moves the child to grow and grow and grow. The first year of life is the strongest year or 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 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. 23. Let us look at the things that adversely affect the Will: FEAR 24. 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 afraid of? Once someone can make you afraid, they restrict the Power of your own being to express itself. 25. Look 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. 26. Anytime we are afraid to think, to move, to express ourselves, for fear of being censured, for fear of losing a job; then you need to get away from that type of job, for you have lost the most precious thing that you could have and that is a Free Will. That is what Allah (God) has given you. But if your choices are made out of Fear, then you have made yourself a slave. 27. Fear is a 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. 28. 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. VANITY 29. The next thing that hurts the Will, redirects the Will, and redirects the Power of our being in a negative direction, is something called Vanity. 30. 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. 7
PRIDE 31. The next terrible distortion, or that which distorts the Will, is Pride. Pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority. Whether this is cherished in the mind or expressed openly by our bearing or conduct, makes no difference. 32. Once the mind is beset with Pride and we swell up with Pride, this directs the Power of our being. So we do things to enhance our merit, our superiority, our sense of importance. And we come blinded, by Pride, to the Will of Allah (God); to the Power of Allah (God). Pride makes you think of yourself as the Power and not God as the Power. Pride will make you pay lip service to Allah (God) and even feign humility, while in reality, the heart is a boiling cauldron of False Pride which has now corrupted the Will and redirected it toward an end that makes Man a slave of his own self-conceit, importance and, really, Delusion. 33. [I am sorry to depart from this lecture and make this kind of statement; but such a statement--- that which I am about to make---can be proved true. This (Pride) was the condition of Pharaoh s mind and it caused Pharaoh to make terrible blunders which led to the destruction of his power, his people, and his nation. This has been, and is, the state of mind of most leaders in the world. And, unfortunately, it is the state of mind of the President of the United States. It is also the state of mind of the powerful men and women that are gathered around him. They have for so long thought of their own importance above obedience to the Will of Allah (God) that their own Pride, now, is speeding them toward a hasty destruction.] ENVY 34. This is another emotion that can absolutely corrupt and redirect the Will. Envy is a feeling of discontent, usually with ill-will, at seeing someone else s superiority, advantages, or success. How many of you---how many of us---are plagued with this disease of the heart, right now? You are angry with someone whom you feel has an advantage or success that you believe should be yours. This is a terrible corruption of the Will of Allah (God); of the Will of Man. 35. 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? 8
STEP 3: Check Your Understanding The following questions are for discussion at the conclusion of the study session. The remaining questions can be completed at your own pace as you continue your study at home. You can use your book if you need help answering the questions. Write your answers on a sheet of paper. Questions For Discussion: 1. Explain The Minister's use of the verb "be" 2. How does Allah bring His idea into being? 3. List and explain the key steps in building the will. 4. How does your will establish a creative force of change within you? 5. Explain how someone can manipulate and use YOUR own will against you 6. Is it important to have faith in yourself? Why? 7. Many of us have a tremendous amount of knowledge, yet are unable to accomplish much. What is the cause of this disparity? 8. What protects your will? 9. Describe the adverse affects of Fear, Vanity, Pride and envy on the development of the will. Give examples of each. Questions For Further Study: 1. How is creation manifested? 2. How does Allah express His attributes or characteristics? 3. Does Allah's plan encompass the plans of others? Explain your answer. 4. What are the action steps necessary to accomplish what we "will"? 5. If the brain of man is infinite, why haven't we achieved success? 6. Explain the meaning of Jesus knocking on your door. 7. Why are these components so necessary in developing the will? 8. What type of knowledge is needed in building the will? 9. How important is the affect of your attitude in the development of the will? 10. Describe the emotional force of the will? 11. Parallel the development of the child's physical development with the development of the child's mental development Muhammad University of Islam 2011 www.noi.org/gostudy 9