Study Guide 1

Self-Improvement
The Basis
For
Community Development
by
THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN
SELF-IMPROVEMENT COURSE
(Study Guide 1)
Published by
MUHAMMAD MOSQUE #2
7351 South Stony Island Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60649
This edition is under the auspices of the Honorable
Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.
The Final Call, Inc.

734 West 79th Street
Chicago, IL 60620
773-602-1230
www.finalcall.com
SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

COPYRIGHT 2004 BY LOUIS FARRAKHAN
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Self-Improvement
The Basis For Community Development
STUDY GUIDES 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OPENING LETTER FROM THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN ..........5
A BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE COURSE BY MINISTER AVA MUHAMMAD ................7
STARTING A STUDY SESSION AND USING THE STUDY GUIDE MATERIAL .................13
STUDY GUIDES
1. MIXED FEELINGS & CONTROVERSY: HOW DO WE HANDLE IT? ....... 15
LECTURE: SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT .. 55
Minister Louis Farrakhan

NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HONORABLE ELIJAH MUHAMMAD
AND
THE NATION OF ISLAM
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.
December 12, 1986
AsSalaam Alaikum.
Dear Helper in the Cause of Allah (God):
This letter is to introduce you to the new study guide material. These study and training units
are based upon a speech which I delivered September 21, 1986 in Phoenix.
This speech, in my judgment, formally ushers in that which is the launching pad of a
worldwide movement.
Each study session is designed on the guidance of Allah (God) to produce: self-examination;
self-analysis; self-correction; and, to quicken in each of us, the self-accusing spirit. For, it is
only when we are awakened morally that we have to face the self-accusing spirit that leads to our
resurrection.
Resurrection is that process that begins with the self-accusing spirit and does not end until
we become one in perfect harmony or peace with Allah (God) and His Creation.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Nay, I swear by the day of resurrection!

Nay, I swear by the self-accusing spirit! 2 6 0 6
Does man think that We shall not gather his bones?
Yea, We are Powerful to make complete his whole make.
HOLY QURAN 75:1-4
(Muhammad Ali Translation)
Note that Verse 2 of Surah 75, Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection), is explained in footnote 2606
as indicating a spiritual resurrection. The rising to life of the spiritually dead and the Great
Resurrection are one and the same. And the first stage in our spiritual resurrection occurs
through the stimulation of our self-accusing spirit; that is, when the inner voice speaks, guides,
warns, reproves, exhorts, and accuses us of going contrary to what is right.
7351 S. Stony Island CHICAGO, IL 60649
Opening Letter From The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

If you will notice, this inner voice does the work of a Messenger of Allah (God). Would you
knowingly kill one of Allah (God)s prophets or messengers? What would be the punishment if
you did?
Every time we act to still the voice of correction, coming from within ourselves, we are in
fact murdering the Messenger of Allah (God). The result is spiritual blindness, leading to
spiritual death, leading ultimately to an untimely physical death.
If we desire to stay alive spiritually, we must never still the voice of Allah (God) within. We
must protect it, for in our moral awakening, it is the best friend that we have; for it is Allah (God)
working on the inside of us.
The more we feed on truth and right guidance from Allah (God) the stronger the voice
becomes. That inner voice is like a seed which can ultimately grow into its perfected state, to be
the Mind of God Himself in you.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...
PHILIPPIANS 2:5
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to me that if he could choose any symbol to represent
His Work, it would be the trumpet; for the trumpet is the symbol of resurrection. It is a man, a
voice and a truth that is capable of quickening to life the inner voice, the spirit, the essence of
Allah (God) in man.
This quickening to life and this process of heeding truth and right guidance is the process that
brings about a transformation in the Believer. As you know, mere belief counts for nothing
except that it is carried into practice. This phase of our development is designed, by the help of
Allah (God), to bring about a transformation or complete change in our lives. This is done by
stimulating self-analysis and self-correction in us. Our self-improvement actually brings into
fruition the awesome power of Allah (God) to make complete his (our) whole make. (Holy
Quran 75:4)
No Believer is exempt from this study. Those whose desire is to be qualified as laborers,
must be foremost in study and self-analysis in this transformation of our lives.
Each student, after studying the principle under analysis, must then analyze self and critique
self. The study sessions, while leading the student to self-examination, first; self-analysis,
second; self-correction, third; must simultaneously be therapeutic. Therefore, these sessions
must be twofold, consisting of both theory and practice. The practice will refine the theory.
The student will receive assignments which allow him or her to apply the principle just learned.
At the following session, the student will relate his or her experience in applying the principle and
what the results were. The discussions will also consist of narratives from the students: when, in
Opening Letter From The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

our personal experience, we failed to apply the principle and what were those results.
Let us remember: that the mosque is a place where people can repair or come out of a world
that represents death and inhale the spirit of life in an atmosphere of peace, harmony, freedom,
justice and equality; which is to give a prototype of the Kingdom of Islam (God). Today,
however, the mosque must also be launching pad for our activities, to establish the Kingdom of
Islam (God) on Earth. Therefore, selfdevelopment is an absolutely essential component of this
microcosm of the New World.
It is not enough that we grow horizontally through the acquisition of farms, factories, banks,
industry, trade, commerce, money, and good homes. As you can see by the daily news, Allah
(God) is destroying and rendering bankrupt, people who have money and good homes. Why?
Because horizontal growth alone is death. All dead things are on a horizontal level. Therefore,
we must grow vertically; grow in uprightness, or we will be overcome by our horizontal growth.
In all of our prayers in which we ask for blessings on Muhammad, we ask Allah (God) to
...bless Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad, as Thou did bless Abraham and the
followers of Abraham.... The Holy Quran says that Abraham was an upright man and he was
not of the polytheists.
These study sessions and their practical application, if it be the Will of Allah (God), will
strengthen us both vertically and horizontally.
May Allah (God) bless you in your endeavors to do His Will for yourself and His people.
AsSalaam Alaikum
Your Brother and Servant,
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

National Representative of
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and
The Nation of Islam
LF/am
Self-Improvement:
The Basis For Community Development
[Special Note: The following commentary by Minister Ava Muhammad, a National Spokesperson of the Honorable
Minister Louis Farrakhan, was originally found in the opening of Study Guide 19 which was distributed to the
registered members of the Nation of Islam on February 26, 1997. However, due to its relevance to the entire set of
study guides, it is being used as an introduction to each volume of this current edition.]
A BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE COURSE

By Minister Ava Muhammad
In The Will of God (Part I), the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan writes:
Everything in Creation is the manifestation of the Will of God... when He says Be! He
summons the Power of His Own Being, His Creative Mind and Will, to bring about that which
He Wills.
In light of these words, we can attribute nothing to coincidence (mere chance). The Course he
wrote, entitled Self-Improvement: The Basis for Community Development, was first a
lecture, delivered in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, September 21, 1986, by the Honorable
Minister Louis Farrakhan. Phoenix is the name given to a legendary bird of extraordinary
beauty. Reputedly the only one of its kind, it lives more than 500 years in the Arabian wilderness.
At the end of that time, the bird burns itself completely, then rises from its own ashes, brand new,
to live another cycle of centuries. Its image is a symbol of immortality. Three months after that
historic speech, the Minister introduced an entire course centered around the study of self. Here
are two brief excerpts from his letter of introduction:
The rising to life of the spiritually dead and the Great Resurrection are one and the same. And
the first stage in our spiritual resurrection occurs through the stimulation of our self-accusing
spirit; that is, when the inner voice speaks, guides, warns, reproves, exhorts and accuses us of
going contrary to what is right.... This phase of our development is designed, by the Help of
Allah (God), to bring about a transformation or complete change in our lives. This is done by
stimulating self-analysis and self-correction in us. Our Self-Improvement actually brings into
fruition the awesome power of Allah (God) to make complete his (our) whole make (Holy
Quran 75:4). (special emphasis added)
The image of the phoenix burning itself and rising from its own ashes is a mere illustration of
something even more extraordinary. Those who submit themselves to this process of heeding
truth and right guidance are destined to be transformed.
It is critical for us to realize that the Course is inspired. As its title indicates, the Course is a
teaching device; however, it is not an academic exercise conceived by the Minister to impress us
with his range of knowledge. Those who perceive it as that, fall off the mountain before the
climb begins, because they immediately begin to compare it with the work of various
intellectuals among us. When that happens, they become bored and abandon the Course for
something more challenging. Alexander the Great wept because he had no more worlds to
conquer, but he died an alcoholic at the age of 32. When people are allowed to have power and
authority with no self-awareness, we all suffer.
A Brief Commentary On The Course

Review the Ministers letter of introduction. The curriculum is explained study sessions on
both theoretical and practical levels. It is not a treatise written by a theologian sharing his
thoughts. It is Revelation to a servant of Allah (God) for the salvation of a people. This is a man
who is speaking through lifes experiences. When he says, there is a difficulty factor attached to
everything of value, he knows what he is talking about. Without practical application if the
student does not use the principles in daily life the Course will not produce thought reversal
and we will not experience a change.
However, if the student does apply the theory to life, then upon completion of the units currently
available, he or she will begin a new cycle but on a higher plane, at a quicker vibratory rate.
Let us take, as an example, the very first study guide entitled, Mixed Feelings & Controversy:
How Do We Handle It? When Minister Farrakhan went to Phoenix in 1986, mixed feelings
and controversy surrounded his presence. At that time, he spoke in Plaza Symphony Hall.
In 1995, he was again surrounded by mixed feelings and controversy, within a whole new reality.
He stood in front of the nations capitol and addressed a gathering of nearly two million Black
men. Obviously, some growth had occurred in that 9-year period. He was back to Study Guide
Number 1, but this time the journey through the Course was measured in months instead of
years. Immediately thereafter, he embarked upon his World Friendship Tour, creating another
storm of controversy and moving at yet a faster vibratory rate. The time within which he was
able to execute Allahs (God)s Plan decreased even further, measured in weeks instead of
months.
The only request the Minister makes is that the student apply the principles; use them. It is only
their use that will give them real meaning and confirm their truth.
More than one study guide grew out of a serious difficulty encountered by an individual. It will
come as a surprise to you that Study Guide 16, The Law of God, evolved from a letter
written to a Laborer. Study Guide 14, Respect for Authority, began as a letter the Minister
wrote to a young woman who had been wrongfully imprisoned. As I recall, she was in such
conflict with the prison officials, her sentence could have been lengthened. As a direct result of
the Divine Guidance she received through our Leader, she was able to successfully complete the
time and has rejoined our struggle for liberation.
Similarly, Study Guide 13, The Price of Redemption, was written for a particular event in
the Nations history: the repurchase of our Mosque, which the Minister named Maryam.
I simply cannot overemphasize the power that is contained in this Course. Perhaps the Ministers
generosity in giving this Divine Wisdom away so freely has been misinterpreted. Is it possible to
make someone recognize the value of what he or she has deliberately thrown away? It is not
easy; the person obviously threw it away because he placed no value in it. Perhaps if he is shown
that his miserable condition is directly related to being without it, then he is allowed to see it one
more time, he may be able to change his mind about its worth.
More than a decade has passed since the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan presented us with
the first of the 18 units of study we have received thus far. It is known throughout the world that
Allah (God) gave the Minister the gift of teaching. However, I am not sure if we all realize he
first and always maintains the attitude and posture of a student:
~10~

I met a man who taught me and I am not the same old Negro I once was. I am a man now with
healing in my wings and yet I am a student of another man.... We have got to give credit where
credit is due. I met a man and that man is a doctor. He doctored on me, so that I could doctor on
you. That man is Elijah Muhammad. Saviours Day, October 9, 1993
Many people love to teach, but care little for learning. Over the years, I have watched the
Minister as he listened intently to clergymen, physicians, lawyers, educators, politicians,
businessmen, artists and athletes while they answered his sincere questions about the details of
their field or profession. Long after others have become bored or distracted, he remains alert. He
loves to learn. He does not envy achievement, he admires it.
Those who desire to be successful should also take note of yet another rare attribute the Minister
possesses. I have been in the Nation of Islam for 16 years and have worked closely with Minister
Farrakhan for 11 of those years. I have never, ever, known him to engage in idle conversation of
any sort. Yes, he is pleasant and he has a sense of humor. But he is committed to the Work of his
Father, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Time is never wasted in his company. He is completely devoted to Allah (God) and His
Messenger. I have spent hours at a time, alone with the Minister in his office, and he has always
been the most excellent example of proper conduct in speech as well as manners. This is a
man who not only respects women, he teaches women to respect themselves. I can declare
without fear of contradiction: anyone who would ever charge this man with indecency can only
belong to Satan.
If asked to describe the Ministers aura, in one word, I would choose serene. Even in the
heat of battle with the most vicious enemies of our liberation, the serenity remains. The Peace of
God cannot be shattered. The question for us is, how do we achieve the peace and tranquility our
Minister possesses?
Beloved, we marvel at the Works our Minister performs but where is the complete change in
our lives? Cant we see that he teaches us only to make us greater than himself? Yet, we lag so
far behind, we have become a burden to him as well as ourselves. How long will we be permitted
to ask for what we already have? The study guides are the means of our transformation!
What will finally bring an end to the long, dark winter of our disappointment with life? Where,
when, how will we find real love, spiritual fulfillment, success and recognition? The
gravitational pull of what is makes it very hard to implement what ought to be. Moving out
of the darkness of ignorance into the Light of Knowledge is not just a step, it is an odyssey.
After engaging in this study, we should want to Rise above Emotion into the Thinking of God.
Emotion will not change our circumstances. When all is said and done, only faith, hard work,
and the Holy Qurans assurance that Allah (God) is with the steadfast, will get us to our goal.
The Thinking of God is unbound by space or time and embraces an appreciation of the value in
each and every one of us. Never underestimate the power in your own ability to perceive worth
in every human being particularly yourself. It will absolutely determine the extent of your
success in life. This can be proven in no limit of time.
In the aftermath of the Million Man March, the most blind among us can see it was Divinelyinspired. Nearly two million Black men came together in nearly perfect love and peace. Many of
our most virulent enemies have acknowledged that were it not for Minister Louis Farrakhan, the
~11~

Million Man March simply would never have happened. Just as the number of persons who argue
that Jesus was a Caucasian has steadily dwindled, only the insane will fight against the self-evident.
Even more significant for us is the reality that no one else could have thought of the Million Man
March. How do we know this? Because there is nothing within the framework of the white
mans world that would allow any of us to have such a thought. Therefore, we know that it was
the Thinking of Allah (God). In order for Allah (God) to use us as a conveyor of His Thinking,
we have to have the kind of thoughts He has.
One way we can measure our progress in life is by calculating how long it takes to complete our
various goals and objectives on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis. A spiritually and
intellectually developed person is effective in dealing with people and getting things done.
Again, as pointed out in the beginning of this Commentary, look at how long it took Minister
Farrakhan to carry out Allahs (God)s Idea for the Million Man March. Two years? Five years?
It was accomplished in a matter of months. His World Friendship Tour was accomplished in a
matter of weeks.
What are your thoughts and feelings about your future? What are your plans for tomorrow?
Next week? Next year? Are you struggling with painful personal problems? Are your
relationships (spouse, parent, child, friends, etc.) what you want them to be? Is there drug
addiction, illness or disease to contend with? Financial instability? Now expand your mind to
include the concerns of our community, our Nation, and the world. It is difficult and confusing
to even acknowledge the existence of these problems, so most of us dont.
We depend upon Minister Farrakhan to lead us, guide us, teach us, think for us, and
singlehandedly protect us from the enemies of our liberation. Is it rational to expect our
blessings to flow from him or are we guilty of being unjust? Many of us will not even make the
effort to develop spiritually, intellectually and materially, though he has given us the resources
we need directly from Allah (God) Himself.
We are like a man in a house where another has brought in good food and cooked it, but the man
still starves to death because he is too lazy to eat. Many of us have been exposed to the
Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad for years, without any improvement whatsoever
in ourselves or our circumstances. Some of us are actually a burden to our Minister and the
Nation. How long do we think Allah (God) will permit it?
And the judging on that day will be just; so as for those whose good deeds are heavy, they are
successful. And as for those whose good deeds are light, those are they who ruined their souls
because they disbelieved in Our messages. And certainly We established you in the earth and
made therein means of livelihood for you; little it is that you give thanks! Holy Quran 7:8-10
~12~
STARTING A STUDY SESSION

AND
USING THE STUDY GUIDE MATERIAL
This study course, entitled Self Improvement: The Basis For Community Development, currently
contains twenty (20) study guides and supporting reference material. As part of the formal
curriculum for the registered members of the Nation of Islam, this material has been separated
into five volumes.
VOLUME 1 -
STUDY GUIDES 1 4
VOLUME 2 -
STUDY GUIDES 5 8
VOLUME 3 -
STUDY GUIDES 9 12
VOLUME 4 -
STUDY GUIDES 13 16
VOLUME 5 -
STUDY GUIDES 17 20
The Holy Quran, the study guides and the messages given by the Honorable Minister Louis
Farrakhan comprise the main course material.
Study group participants are to be formed in circles of ten (10) or more (as many circles as
necessary), with a Study Group Coordinator over each circle.
Pay special attention to helping the Study Group Coordinators promote lively, fast-moving
discussions, involving all who come. The Study Group Coordinator, brother or sister, is the key
to a successful study session. Therefore, care must be taken to choose the right persons and to
allow them sufficient time to review the material and instructions that accompany them.
Following the study material for Study Guide 1, you will find a questionnaire that is to be filled
out by each member of the study group. They are to be collected and mailed:
The National Center
7351 South Stony Island Avenue
Chicago, IL 60649
ATTN: Self-Improvement Study Center
Keep an accurate record of the participation of each Believer. The Holy Quran and the speeches
included with the study material comprise the main course material.
May Allah (God) bless us to bring about a transformation in our lives and in the lives of our
people, for then we can truly say that we are Helpers of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad
and His Servant, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in the Cause of Allah.
~14~
Self-Improvement
The Basis For
STUDY GUIDE 1
Mixed Feelings & Controversy:
How Do We Handle It?
STUDY GUIDE 1
Mixed Feelings & Controversy:
How Do We Handle It?
READING MATERIAL
HOLY QURAN
7:59141
SELFIMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Paragraphs 1-3
FACTS
Both the Holy Quran and the Bible place great emphasis upon the lives of the prophets of Allah
(God) and the mixed feelings and controversy surrounding them and their message. Both books
make consistent reference to the chiefs or leaders of the people and their attitude toward the
prophets.
DISCUSSION
1.
Let us focus upon the views of the chiefs/leaders of the people concerning some of the
prophets: Noah, Hud, Salih, Lot, Shuaib, Moses and Jesus.
The Holy Quran mentions prophets that are not named in the Bible and the Bible
mentions prophets that are not named in the Holy Quran. Some prophets, such as Moses
and Jesus, are named in both books. The Holy Quran teaches us, And (We sent)
messengers We have mentioned to thee before and messengers We have not mentioned to
thee... (Holy Quran Surah 4:164)
The prophets who are mentioned in the Holy Quran are named because they have a
specific bearing on the life of Muhammad and his life touches an aspect of all of their
lives. Consequently, to know the lives of the prophets is to know Muhammad and to
know what we will face as followers of Muhammad.
What did the leaders think of their prophets? What did they say of them? What action
did they take concerning them?
2.
How did the view of the leaders affect the view of others? How did the view of the
leaders affect the view of the followers of the prophets?
3.
Who were those who had a proper view of the prophet? Why did they have a proper
view? What is the significance of the Quranic references to the attitudes of the
opponents of the prophets with such adjectives as blind, arrogant, haughty, guilty,
transgressors, mischiefmakers, etc.?
4.
Let us look at the prophet himself. What effect did the attitude of the leadership in power
have on him? What emotion did he experience on receiving his call from Allah (God)?
~ 17 ~
Mixed Feelings & Controversy: How Do We Handle It?

How was he affected by the overwhelming power of the opponents of his message? How
did he deal with opposition? With being despised and rejected?
5.
How was the Honorable Elijah Muhammad received by the chiefs/leaders? How did
their views affect the people? How did he handle the way he was received?
6.
How is Minister Farrakhan being received today? How does the view of the
chiefs/leaders affect the people? How does it affect you? How does Minister Farrakhan
handle the mixed feelings and controversy surrounding him and his message?
7.
How do you handle mixed feelings and controversy surrounding your belief, when it is
directed at you? By what method or process will you produce a change in others?
8.
Give an example of mixed feelings or controversy surrounding yourself. How did you
handle it? Looking back, how could you have done it better?
~ 18 ~

ANALYSIS
1.
What the leaders thought of the prophets, what they said of them and the
actions they took concerning them are to be extracted directly from the
Scriptures.
2.
A definition of view: Manner of looking at things; opinion; judgment; belief;

power of seeing; range of vision.
Persecution manifests weakness in people.
Go to the scriptures to
demonstrate that the view of the opponents prevailed over the people. Noah,
Lot, Hud, Salih, were unable to convert a significant number of people.
It is through affecting the view of the follower of the prophet that the opponent
of the prophet is able to inject his own thinking into the midst of the prophets
followers. When the believer can be made to doubt, to entertain evil thoughts
about the prophet, to ultimately disbelieve, yet remain in the ranks, then a
hypocrite has been produced in the midst of the followers.
3.
Those who had a proper view of the prophet are called Believers. What
distinguishes the Believer from the opponents of the prophet?
The answer lies in the review of the Quranic descriptions of the attitudes of
the opponents.
What is the relationship of arrogance, haughtiness, to blindness? Noahs
people are called blind. What attitude did they possess that rendered them
blind?
Jesus said come as a little child. The child is open to be taught, open to
instruction, open to correction. The child knows he is vulnerable and in need
and is happy to receive guidance and help.
A definition of humble: Lowly in condition; unpretending; submissive,
meek.
4.
We are looking at the development of the prophets.

The first emotion we experience at birth is Fear. The first emotion the prophet
feels on being called is Fear. But the prophet does not remain afraid very
long. Allah (God) gives him assurances that there is a Power with him
infinitely greater than the powers opposing him. He gives comfort and
encouragement to the prophet when no one else can, strengthening His
servant in the knowledge that There is no God but Allah (God).
Because of his great love for his people, the prophet experiences grief,
sometimes despair, over their rejection of the message, for he knows that
their destruction is inevitable unless they accept the Truth. Allah (God)
relieves him of his pain and sorrow, brings him out of his depression.
~ 19 ~

The prophet deals with opposition, rejection, by seeking refuge in his Lord, in
Allah (God). He is refreshed and rejuvenated by his communication with the
God and he stands firm, resolute, in the face of opposition and rejection.
5.
Clearly, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was received with bitterness, hostility
and vehement opposition. The attitude of the opponents did affect people
greatly.
He would always say, Flee to Allah and he practiced what he preached. He
always sought refuge in Allah (God). He did not go to the bottle, to drugs, to
the things of the world to escape his pain; he drew comfort from the only True
Source of Comfort there is: Allah (God).
6.
Analyze the reaction of the Jews, the government, the Negro leadership, etc.,
to Minister Farrakhan. This must have some effect on those of us who say we
are with him. The study group should be asked whether they have
encountered opposition from family, friends, people they respect, who tell them
they are fools, mad, in error, etc., because they are with the Minister. In fact,
they say the very same things that were said to the prophets.
Minister Farrakhan is dealing with the mixed feelings and controversy around
him the same way the Honorable Elijah Muhammad did. He seeks refuge in
Allah (God). How else could he withstand the pressure, were there not an
infinitely greater Power with him than the powers that are against him?
7.
What we want to do here is arrive at the conclusion that the way to produce a
change in people is by setting an example. You cannot change people by
force. You cannot change people simply by talking. You must be a living
example of the principles you enunciate if you truly want to produce a change
in the thinking of our people.
8.
The study group coordinator should be first to give an example. Choose a

situation where you mishandled the situation as a follower of the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad, under Minister Louis Farrakhan, with the intention of
handling the situation properly, but you failed because of the manner in which
you dealt with the situation. Then briefly explain how in retrospect you see
where you could have done it better. Then have the members of the group
give examples.
~ 20 ~
EVALUATION / COMMENTARY
1. You have just completed the first session of the course of study entitled: SELFIMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. Do you think that
this course will help you improve yourself?
YES
____
NO
____
MAYBE
____
2. Did you benefit from the discussion that you participated in your study circle?
YES
____
NO
____
3. How do you feel your study group coordinator handled the discussion?
GOOD
____
FAIR
____
POOR
____
4. Did this session stimulate you and cause you to want to come back again?
YES
____
NO
____
5. State briefly how you think this course could be improved.
DATE ___________________________
LOCATION ____________________________ CITY______________ STATE__________
NAME ______________________________________
GROUP / CIRCLE # __________
ADDRESS ____________________________________
CITY______________________________ STATE ________ ZIP CODE _____________
PHONE #:________________________________ 2ND #_____________________________
E-MAIL ADDRESS ________________________
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
The Basis For
A Message From The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
The National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad
(Delivered in Phoenix, Arizona September 21, 1986)
Self-Improvement: The Basis For Community Development

A Message From
THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN

Delivered In Phoenix, AZ September 21, 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.
I Greet You All In The Greeting Words Of Peace:
As-Salaam Alaikum.
1.
I want to say that I am very happy and honored to have this opportunity to be here in
Phoenix, Arizona tonight. And I want to thank all who made this evening possible. To
Brother Jabril Muhammad and the Believers in Mosque No. 32, here in Phoenix; to all of
the friends and well-wishers; to the Chicano and American Indian Brothers and Sisters
who welcomed me here; to the distinguished pastors; to the members of the Black
religious community; I am very, grateful to the staff of the Plaza Symphony Hall; to the
Police Chief and all of those who helped to make this evening a peaceful evening; we
thank you from depths of our heart. Thank you, very, very much.
2.
I would also like to thank Minister Don and Sister Tynnetta Muhammad and all of those
who spoke kindly of me and welcomed me to this beautiful city. I am very honored to
come here. I am very honored to choose such a city in which to live and do the work of
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
3.
Mixed feelings and controversy surrounded the Honorable Elijah Muhammad when he
first moved to Phoenix. Likewise, those mixed feelings surround Brother Farrakhan in
my coming into this area. These mixed feelings of apprehension and fear and love and
hope come because the man and his message is understood by many in the Black
community, but misunderstood and purposely misrepresented by those in other
communities and this is what creates such controversy around myself my person
and the message that I represent. But, I am so grateful to Almighty God that all of you
are here tonight to listen for yourselves; to make a judgment for yourselves. I think that
is the most intelligent posture that we should hold.
4.
If, in a court of law, a man is considered innocent until he is proved guilty, beyond a
reasonable doubt, then I would hope that you would save judgment of Brother Farrakhan
until you have heard what I have to say. And, of course, those of you who have heard me
on many occasions, you are listening to a man, who like yourselves hopefully is
constantly growing, constantly evolving.

5.
There is a song that they sing in the Christian church, God Is Not Through With Me
Yet. So, you have to be careful how you judge something that is on the move. In fact,
the only time that you can judge a thing is when God puts a period to their life and their
testament is finished. Then you can adequately judge. But, while the Testator is still
writing His Testament, be careful what you say; you might have to retract your words.
6.
I have chosen for my subject: SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. Now, there are many, many developers who buy
land and develop that land into communities, towns, and cities; placing on this land
magnificent structures costing hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars.
7.
This activity of land development is going on in Phoenix and in cities around the country,
and, indeed, around the Earth. However, to those who spend those hundreds of millions
and billions of dollars building structures: unless we build people; unless the human
potential of people is developed; then man, in his underdeveloped state, will ultimately
destroy the cities that he has built because of revolution and war.
8.
So, 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 ones soul? What is so important about the soul, or the
essence of our being, that if we lose it, we lose everything?
9.
There is a verse in this Book, the Holy Quran, that says that on the Day of Judgment that
if a man owned all of the wealth that is in the Earth, he would ransom it to keep himself
from the chastisement of God. Well, what is it about the chastisement of God that is so
great and what is it about the wealth that people abundantly seek that is so little, that you
would give it all away just to save your life in a time of trouble? This is why I have
chosen the subject, SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT. Because it is the improvement of each of us as human beings that is
lacking in the world, and because instead of human beings improving, they are
degenerating. Then there is no hope for the nations, for they are all on a path of selfdestruction.
10.
It is written in the Holy Qur'an, which is the Book of Scripture for the Muslims, that
Allah created man to face difficulties. God has brought us all onto the Earth to face one
difficulty after another and it is the facing of these difficulties and the overcoming of
these difficulties that helps us to improve our character and improve ourselves.
~57~

11.
Now, the key word is to face a difficulty. To face a difficulty means to look at it; to
assess it; to summon the total strength or our being to oppose it; to overcome it; to have a
determined, persevering, courageous spirit to overcome the difficulty. There is no
difficulty that man is faced with that man does not have the ability to overcome, if he will
summon the strength of his being against that obstacle in the pathway of his progress.
12.
But, how many of us turn our backs on difficulties? Whenever the difficulty comes, we
turn away from it; try to find an easy road out of a difficult situation. I am talking to all
of us. How many of you, when a difficult situation arises in your life, summon the
strength of your being to stand resolutely and firmly in the face of that difficulty to
overcome it? Or, do you turn away?
13.
Brothers and Sisters, each time we turn away from the struggle to overcome difficulty,
there then is deterioration of character and there is destruction of the Will and the Will
that is within you is Gods gift. It is His Essence that He gives to man and anything that
deteriorates your Will destroys your ability to cope with the problems of life. Struggle is
ordained. Struggle is ordained by God. God is not a vicious God. He is a Loving, a
Beneficent, and Merciful God, but He ordains struggle. Because without struggle, you
cannot bring out of yourself that which God has deposited within you. It is something
that has to be brought out and it is a struggle overcoming difficulties that manifest your
own gifts and your own sublime qualities.
14.
Struggle is ordained, but the Quran teaches that after difficulty comes ease. God gives
you difficulty then He gives you ease. It is like a blacksmith, if you will, who is shaping
a piece of steel. He puts it in the fire then he beats it and he cools it. This is the way God
forges men and women of character. He does not forge you into great men and women
without the fire, the water, and the beating. These are the difficulties of life; we must
face them; we must overcome them. All Praise is due to Allah.
15.
Look at the little bird. See how it pecks its way out of the egg the shell. It struggles to
come forward. Then, that bird struggles to get its balance and it struggles to fly. But,
when it flies, its gone. God has ordained struggle. Look at the caterpillar, how it
struggles to get out of the cocoon and look at human life as it struggles to come forth
from the womb.
16.
Coming to birth is painful. Its painful to the mother, but if the baby could tell you what
it just came through, the baby would have a story to tell; for oft times, when the baby
comes forth, its head is pained; there are bruises on the shoulder, because birth is painful.
Likewise, you cannot go to new levels of consciousness, new levels of awareness, new
levels of power and development without pain; and if you shrink from pain and wont
~58~

face the pain and face the difficulties, you will never evolve to the people that Almighty
God intends for you to be.
17.
This Book, the Holy Quran, teaches that man is created complete, yet incomplete. How
is man complete, yet incomplete? There are stages of evolutionary development. We
start, as the Quran teaches (and biologists will bear witness), from a cloudy drop of
water called sperm, mixed with ovum. Then we evolve into a clot, then into an embryo,
then into a fetus, then we come forward complete, yet incomplete. You are today
complete, yet incomplete.
18.
Human life has a pre-determined goal. The pre-determined goal of all human life is not
to walk the streets of Phoenix with dope, no hope, no direction, and no guidance. The
pre-determined now listen to this I didnt say determined, but, pre-determined.
Before you came into existence, there was a goal set for your life and that goal for your
life is written in the Bible and in the Quran: that goal is to make that life meet with its
Source; its Creator.
19.
This Quran says that many of you deny meeting with God. Some of you think that the
only way you meet with God is that you have to die physically, and they say I am
sending you or You are going to meet your Maker. No, no, no, no, no, that is the
wrong way to understand Scripture, Brothers and Sisters.
20.
Did you think that when you meet with God its going to be a sit down How ya doin,
God! Glad to meet ya. Sure nice. I been thinkin about you. Been prayin, now I get a
chance to see you, talk to you. This is not a meeting. To meet with means to join
the essence of your being to the Essence of The Originator of all of this life. To meet
with, to join with, that is the pre-determined goal of human life.
21.
Look at you, male and female. You have a pre-determined nature that makes you
gravitate towards one another. You just cant help yourself. If you make yourself other
than that, thats what you did. Nature has given you a goal to meet one another. Ill get
off of that. But thats all truth. We all have problems and those who have that problem, I
hope you will listen carefully; and all other problems. Listen carefully to what Brother
Farrakhan says to you tonight from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and think about it,
and Ill guarantee you that you will come away from here with a different perspective on
your life tonight.
22.
Now look. As we move towards unionmale and femaleor move towards union
people with peoplethis union brings joy and peace in a measure. When you marry, that
doesnt mean you are united, that means your intention to unite has been sanctified in the
~59~

presence of witnesses. You have intended to come together as one. But, it takes years of
struggle to overcome the problems that keep male and female, which are made by God to
be together as one, it takes years of struggle to become one. But, when you become one,
there is joy and peace in that union.
23.
I heard my Chicano brother say that the Mexicans and Blacks should no longer be
divided; the Native Americans, the Mexicans, the Blacks, should no longer be divided.
But I will say this: Humanity should no longer be divided. It is joy and peace when
people can unite. But Indians and Mexicans and Blacks can never become a united
people without a struggle.
24.
We must struggle to overcome the difficulties imposed by our desire to be united. There
are always attending difficulties. But how do you deal with it? Do you run away from it,
or do you face it with the resolve that our unity is more important than the things that
keep us divided with one another?
25.
Now Brothers and Sisters, the greatest goal of all is to meet with, or to form a perfect
union with, Almighty God Allah. When there is a perfect union with God and when we
become one with our Creator, then the Attributes of God come right across our own
personality and character, so that we become one with the Source of life, so that when
you see the person, you are actually looking at God.
26.
Wait, now I dont want to throw you off. I want you to follow this carefully. If you can
become one with the Creator, join with Him in a perfect union, which is a great struggle,
then His Attributes, His own unique Personality, will impress Itself upon you and His
own being will come across your being, so that you die, He lives, in youthrough you.
When they see you, they see Him, for you are in Him and He is in you. Is that clear? Are
you alright?
27.
This is what is meant in the Scriptures by the transfiguration of Jesus on the Mount. It
didnt take place in the valley; it never does. You have to go up in the Mount. Why?
Because to climb a mountain tests your will, tests your heart, tests your endurance, tests
all the fibers of your being. So, when you reach the summit not the summit of a
mountain but the summit of lifes struggle when you become one with your Creator.
Then you can absolutely have His figure come across you.
28.
This is why Jesus is so important in the New Testament. His life, according to the
Quran, is a perfect example. We need to understand why the life of Jesus is a perfect
example. I will touch that in a minute. We are talking on SELF-IMPROVEMENT:
THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
~60~

29.
Now, all Muslims who are present, we have a ritual in Islam that is called Hajj or
Pilgrimage, where once in a lifetime every Muslim is to make a pilgrimage to the Holy
City of Mecca, in Arabia. I have been blessed to make that wonderful pilgrimage. But,
when I made that pilgrimage, it was clear to me that the pilgrimage was nothing more
than a sign of another journey; the journey of the sperm to its goal, which is to meet in
Mecca, but to meet with that which Mecca represents, that which the Kabah represents.
30.
When we get to Mecca, we say, labaika Allah-umma labaika Here I am O Allah, in

Your august Presence When you are in the Presence of God, when you have met with
God, you have performed the real pilgrimage. And that, each one of us is to perform in
our lifetime. Our whole life is a struggle to meet with the Source of our life.
31.
The Holy Quran says when you meet with God, you become a soul at rest and it says,
O soul that is at rest! Well-pleased with thy Lord and thy Lord well-pleased with thee.
When you reach that point in your development where you have improved and developed
to the point where you are a soul that is no longer fighting, no longer struggling, but you
have reached the goal and soul is at rest; you are well-pleased with God and God is wellpleased with you. Thats the goal. But to reach this great goal, there is struggle at every
stage. After overcoming one stage, there is ease to build you up for the next stage of
struggle. This is the path to God and this is the path to self-improvement.
32.
Now, if you look at the prophets, all of them are examples of this struggle. Every prophet
that God sent into the world is an example of this struggle to meet with God.
33.
Though the prophets examples are not what I would call a perfect example; (because)
the prophets struggled in the absence of God with Light from God that is considered, in
symbolic language, moonlight. Since the moon represents the Sun, in the absence of
the Sun it has no light of its own; it borrows light from the Sun and reflects it to the
Earth. Likewise, in the absence of God, prophets reflect the Light of God to the people of
the Earth. But, they do not see. They are not a witness of Gods Divine Presence; they
are only a witness that God is interested in the affairs of men. Do you follow what I am
saying? If you have a limited light, you can only be a limited example. The prophets of
God had limited light; therefore, their example is limited. It is not the apex example of
human beings.
34.
This is why in the Christian context, Jesus Christ is the Supreme Example. Why is Jesus
the Supreme Example? Jesus is the Supreme Example because he is not a prophet, in
the classical sense of that name; he is the Master of prophets. He comes, not as a star
of God, but the Star of Godfor in Jesus is a witness, not that God is Coming, but that
God is Present. Listen, listen, listen now.
~61~

35.
Jesus becomes the Supreme Example because he is not moonlight, but he is actually
sunlight, or, the Light of the World. So, Jesus gives man a glimpse of his potential.
Jesus is not here for you to worship him; he is here for you to follow his example, that
where he is, you may be. Meaning that what he has become you also can become if you
follow that path. Do you follow what I am saying?
36.
Listen, Reverend. You know, Reverend, we waste a lot of time getting the people to
worship Jesus, when in reality, we should be getting the people to follow his example. If
the group had followed the example of Jesus, you wouldnt just have Jesus, Peter, and
Paul, but everywhere you look, you would see another Jesus. Because if you follow that
example, Jesus is only manifesting what is really in yourself.
37.
Are you following what I am saying? this is a different message from Farrakhan. I
thought Farrakhan was telling us we should hate people. You dont know where
Farrakhan is coming from. You really dont listen. Youll understand me better if you
stop trying to pre-judge and do some post-judging. Listen to what I am saying about this
man, Jesus.
38.
He is the Perfect Example of human potential. Therefore, he should be shown to men,

not as some being that is out there in space that we can never attain. That is the wrong
way to preach Jesus. If you make Jesus acceptable, he becomes reachable. But you put
him out there on Cloud 9, saying, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Master, Jesus has control of the
forces of nature, and you dont show every human being that he was born of a woman
and came through the vicissitudes of life, just like you. He struggled and overcame and
the last test that he had to overcome was death. Not this death that you are thinking
about. Ill get to that later on. Not too long from now, dont worry.
39.
But, he overcame death to give us an example of how death is to be overcome. But, once
you get past a certain point, you are out there. It is like an astronaut going out in space. I
mean, Brother, those first few minutesthey are rough. When they reach the ceiling of
gravity, where there is pure fire; they are going through fire; they have the heat shield
around them. Its rough Brother. But when they get out in Space, they have gotten out of
the pull of gravity of this sphere; then there is smooth sailing. But, getting out there--that
is the test.
40.
You know, when I was in church we used to sing a song at Easter time--in the Episcopal
ChurchI dont know how they do it in the Baptist Church. But, it went like this: the
strife is oer, the battle done; the victory of life is won. All glory to that risen Son,
Alleluia! Now, I sang that as a Christian, but today I understand it as a Muslim.
~62~

41.
Tonight, there are Christians and Muslims praying together, singing together, seated
together. Why? Because Farrakhan does not come into the Valley to divide people who
believe in God, but to show those who believe in God that, if you truly believe in God
and seek to understand what you believe, you find a way to connect things that appear to
be diverse and different. Because, if we can connect Indians and Mexicans and Blacks
and Whites, who appear to be different then what can you do to connect Hebrews,
Muslims, and Christians. It should be easier to connect those who believe in God than
those who are culturally and racially different. Tonight, we are going to overcome all of
that.
42.
I am sure you will agree with me that there is a great problem with man. I am not talking
about color, now. The White man has a problem and is a problem to himself and others.
Listen. Wait a minute. Now here comes that racism. No, no, no, you just be quiet.
43.
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 IndianNative
Americanis a problem to himself. All human beings are suffering from a problem and
the problem is not somebody else; the problem is yourself.
44.
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?
45.
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 dont
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.
46.
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.
~63~

47.
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 cant let the devil do this. I mean, this devil raises a lot of hell, doesnt 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,
and you can strangle the hell out of him tonight.
48.
The Holy Quran 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.
49.
The Holy Quran again teaches us that man thinks himself to be self-sufficient. He
doesnt 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 dont 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.
50.
I went into the sweat lodge with our Native American Brothers and Sisters. If you have
never had that experienceit 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.
51.
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.
52.
And even those who think they dont 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 Quran
or something divine. They dont 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.
53.
And the Holy Quran 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
~64~

hours and 40 minutes. We will be flying at a 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
doesnt recognize that there is another Power here. He (thinks he) is the power.
54.
Listen to me carefully. That word, I, that personal pronoun I, represents

independence. I will do this. I will say that.... Dont worry, just as good as done. I
will take care of it. Its the ninth letter of the alphabet. The number nine (9) represents
completion.
55.
Man is complete, yet he is incomplete, but he does not want to recognize his
incompleteness. He is not sufficient, but he wants to think that he is self-sufficient, so his
thinking of his self-sufficiency and his completeness damages his perception of reality.
So he says, I will see you tomorrow. Oh, yes, the money I owe you. I will pay you on
the weekend.
56.
Brothers and Sisters, we cannot speak independently of God. We have no control of

tomorrow. We must always recognize Allah and remember our need of Him and our
complete dependence upon Him, lest we abort our development. The moment you say
I and you dont think there is another Power and you dont recognize that there is
another Power, you are setting up a state of mind, an attitude, that will abort your own
meeting (with God) and start you on a degenerative road.
57.
Listen. The Bible says, when you speak, say I will do thus and so, if it be the Will of
God. The Quran says, when you speak, say, I will do thus and so, InshaAllah (if it be
the Will of God). 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 will permit it,
so we must acknowledge Him, lest we make a serious mistake and abort our own
progressive development and improvement in character.
58.
Moses is given to you (the biblical Moses) and me as an example. Here is a man that
God chose; a man that God taught; a man that God empowered; a man that led his people
out of Egypt into the wilderness. He used a rod that God gave him with Power and
Majesty, but he was overcome and said, must I smite the rock and bring forth water?
And God said, What is this? What is wrong with you, Moses? What do you mean, must
you smite? Have you forgotten Me? Moses quickly repented. He said, Oh, I am
sorry. God said, Its too late. For this, Moses, I am going to deny you the Promised
Land.
~65~

59.
Now, here is a man who served God faithfully, but spoke independently of God, because
power has a way of making you forget. See, you that lust for power, you that have it; you
that lust for fame, you that have it; you that lust for money, you that have it; you that have
some of these things that most of us strive for; once you have it and people admire you,
there is a tendency to forget Who it is that you are dependent upon. When you forget,
you lose something. Moses (biblical Moses) lost the Promised Land. What will you
lose? See, you lose the Promised Meeting with God, by thinking that you and I can do,
on our own.
60.
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 Quran teaches us that Allah loves not any self-conceited boaster,
who goes about the land exultingly. In fact, the Holy Quran says the most hateful sound
to God is the braying of an ass. Even if He gave the ass a voice, He doesnt like to hear
it. When you talk like the jackass, going about in the land exultingly, a 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.
61.
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 dont you bow down and recognize
that there is somebody bigger than you?
62.
Now. This part of the lecture is really the heart of it. This is very difficult and I want you
to pay attention.
63.
In this Quran, 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.
64.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave us a very clear interpretation of this Quranic
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
~66~

even though a mischief-maker has become the ruler by My permission, nevertheless, at
the end of the mischief making and bloodshed there is something that will wipe away the
pain of his rule.... I know what you know not.
65.
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 Gods 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.
66.
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?
67.
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.
68.
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 fame too fast; what happens to them? 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
~67~

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.
69.
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 didnt 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 wouldnt 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.
70.
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. Dont look at
anybody else; look at yourself, because I am talking to you.
71.
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 dont get attention, we break the party up. If the organization
wont recognize my tremendous skill and ability, Ill break the organization up. Look at
you. If the church wont recognize that I can sing better than anybody in the choir and
give me a solo, then the hell with the choir, Ill 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.
72.
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.
73.
Again, I am quoting from the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran 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 dont 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 didnt give
me what I wanted! I am hungry! I want to be changed; not tomorrow, right now! And if
~68~

you dont change me, Ill raise so much hell, nobody in this house will sleep! The infant
is a creature of emotion.
74.
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.
75.
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.
76.
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 dont know
what to do with them. Poor father, he is just out there. He just plants the seed and runs
away. He doesnt 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.
77.
School is not schoolit 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.
78.
Churchthat 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 Governmentthat 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 caused the shedding of blood,
because there is ignorance in the parents; there is ignorance in the schools; there is
ignorance in the church; there is ignorance in the government. In fact, children rule over
us.
79.
Each of us has great potential, but a just and balanced home, governed by wisdom, fosters
that potential. However, when the home or the society develops one child 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,
~69~

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 Look
making devils. Now, wait a minute. My God, Farrakhan, this is terrible.
80.
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, its the devil. Yes, the devil in you. You dont 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.
81.
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 perfect reflection of Himself. 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.
82.
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, dont let that little girl put that stuff over on
you. He said, Her mama didnt 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.
83.
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 and the power of the mind.
84.
There are things that you instinctively know are right; you dont 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 shouldnt
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
~70~

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 dont feel anything, you are dead morally, dead
spiritually and you are an animal in your so-called human existence.
85.
We live in a world that is spiritually and morally undeveloped and mans 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.
86.
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 werent 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; an enemy to His Will for
themselves, as well as each other. They had become shaitan, satan or Devil.
87.
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 babys 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.
88.
There is but one life and that is Divine Life. All life comes from water, is that right?
Water is H2O, 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
~71~

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.
89.
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.
90.
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 it with an intelligent,
enlightened, mature mind, you become a devil.
91.
We have reached the point, or place in time, where the childlike, mischievous, bloodshedding nature of man is threatening his own existence. Mans desire to become the
center has ruined his own world.
92.
Now, I am going to speak specifically to Caucasian peoplewithout 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 wont recognize Him, with your proud, arrogant,
haughty, self-conceited, boastful, mischief making, blood-shedding malice.
93.
It is this childishness that produces racism. Well, my color is better than yours. See, I
am white. Or, the reverse, My color is better than yours, I am Black. Well, the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that Black is beautiful. It is; it should be to you.
But, if you take that to the extreme, you will become what you condemn. If Black is so
beautiful, and you are so supreme, how can you walk with the Indians? How can you
walk with the Chicanos? How can you walk with another human being? If Black is
supreme, then you want to be where? Above everybody. The center of everything. You
aint got nothin to say, Indian, because I am supreme today. I am the Black man.
Well, you aint so Black. Well, Im Black enough. Then it starts getting ridiculous.
Chinese people saying, Its time for the slanted-eyed people to rule. Only rice-eaters
rule today. Mexicans say, No, no, no. Its tortilla time. These are children. These
little children playing childlike games with the Divine Force of Life. You cannot do it.
~72~

This has messed you up, White folks. And it will mess you up, Black man. We cannot
play that kind of game.
94.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught you Blackness, because the Caucasian had
made you hate what God had created you to be. He didnt teach us Blackness for us to be
another mischief-making devil in the name of Blackness.
95.
Sexism: Im a man. I run this thing. Get in the home where you belong, woman. Shut
up! You dont speak here. Cook! Sew! And, above all, have babies. That is a hell of a
mischief-making role to put a woman in and make her a thing. And you, with your
silly self, you go along with it.
96.
Here is a man who dresses you up like a piece of meat and you dont care to be anything
but a piece of meat for a man to look at and measure. Im 36-23-42. Sex is a created
thing that man, in his mischievous, childlike nature, wants to abuse now. Look at you
little devils. We are messed up.
97.
My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty. I can see President Reagan now, standing
there with his hand over his heart, tears running out of his eyes, as the Statue of Liberty is
lit; a big overgrown, child. Mischief-making child! What makes America greater than
any other nation? Nationalism is a curse when you put your nation above others. It is
righteousness that exalteth a nation, not technology. You are not righteousness, you are a
self-inflated, self-conceited, selfish, self-centered, vain, egotistical, proud, arrogant sixday-old child.
98.
More gold! More gold! Anybody got gold? Well, Ill take the gold. Alright, you
Indians, I marched you all out West, put you on the worst land I could put you on, now I
find that you have the last energy resources in America. Indians, I am coming after you
one more time. I want the oil; I want the uranium; I want the gas; and I dont care how
many human lives, how many babies I kill, because I am a mischief-making, bloodshedding child. I am a Devil in human form.
99.
I know that there are 22 million Black people in South Africa, but we Whites, we have
the right to take this land. We have the right! We built these cities, we built these towns.
These niggers didnt do anything! Get in the mines and get the gold! Get in the mines
and get the diamonds! Thats all you are good for. Your human life, your human
potential, means nothing. You are Black! You are a devil. This is Satan Botha talking,
Satan Thatcher talking. They are deliberating over our lives. Satan, Devil, Beast in
human forms. I thought you stopped calling people devils. I call you what you are.
~73~

100.
I do not say this with hate; I want you to see that you are facing the challenge of your life,
because now your White racism is producing a backlash. Now, Black people want to
assert their Blackness and they have a better rap. You tried to make us think we are
inferior, but when a Black man says, I am the Original Man, you cannot deny it. You
cannot say that we are making up a lie. How can we be inferior, and we produced you
(you didnt produce us)? How could we be inferior and your genes have their origins in
our genetic structure? How could we be inferior and we slept in order to allow you to
rule? We are waking up, now, you cannot rule us any more.
101.
So the Yellow Man is coming up, asserting his power today. The Brown Man, in Japan is
coming up, asserting his power, today. The Black Man, in Africa, the Caribbean,
America, and the Isles of the Pacific, is coming up today, reaching for his power. But, it
is a childlike reaching that is producing bloodshed and more bloodshed. But God said, I
know what you know not.
102.
I know that he is a Mischief-maker, but he can come out of that. I know he is a little
devil now, but I am going to make him a God after a while. Yes, he is going to fulfill all
of the evil that he can do, until he is dissatisfied with his own rebelliousness. He is going
to long for a change and that is when I will come. I will come in the fullness of Time. I
will come after the works of Satan. And I will offer Man a chance to redeem himself.
Look at it, Brothers and Sisters. This is your Bible, really, opened up in front of your
eyes. When the Bible talks about the resurrection of the dead, it is not talking about
people coming up out of cemeteries, it is talking about the Divine Light of God coming
up out of you after it has been frozen in the death of a childlike existence.
103.
In my conclusion: Adam fell and Adams fall is only a picture of mans fall from his
Divine position with God. Adam was no shallow creature. Adam was a man who had
power over angels. He was born to take Gods place in the rulership over this domain;
born with that potential. But he disobeyed; he transgressed and he fell. Fall does not
mean he fell out of the heaven onto the Earth. Fall means when you fall from your
spiritual power, your moral make-up. You become an animal in human form. That is a
fall, Brothers and Sisters. And I suggest to you, with deep respect, that Humanity has
fallen and become cheap, base animals in human form.
104.
You could not do the things that you do, if you were not an animal in human form. You
dont steal from another human being. You dont beat up an old man or hit an old woman
in the head. This is not White people doing this; this is you, Black man, doing this to
yourself. You dont take a young girl and throw her down in an alley and rape her. She is
not offering herself to you; that is the act of an animal, a sick, depraved mind. You are a
~74~

sick people and you need a doctor. This Black and proud stuff is not where its at
anymore, Brothers. You are sick and you need a doctor. You need to come up out of that
condition because you have become an enemy to yourself.
105.
The Old Testament is a testament of Law. Moses brought a law. You dont give laws to a
righteous people. Look at his law: thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not kill. What kind of people is this?
106.
God gave Moses a law for this world. As long as that law existed, the wickedness of man
was kept under the wrap of a righteous law. But, when Nimrod broke the civilization of
Moses, he broke the law. Once there was no law, wickedness rushed out of the peoples
souls, because they were wicked and the law made them look right.
107.
Jesus came into the world and the people said, He doesnt come preaching the law.
They were so dark in their minds, they killed him. Now, we are 6,000 years from Adam.
We are at the end of the law. God doesnt come to control you with law. Law is only a
cover for your wickedness, it does not make you better. Listen!
108.
I just came from Mecca, in Arabia. If you fornicate, they will cut your head off. If you
steal, they will chop your hand off. They dont have a lot of stealing and there is not a lot
of fornication and adultery. That doesnt mean that people dont want to do it, though. It
is just that the price is too high. So, they think about it all night long. And when they get
on that plane going to London and Paris, they take off those holy garments and put on
their jeans. The sheiks are in the disco; they fornicate, commit adultery, and do anything
that they are big enough to do. Then, when they return to Saudi Arabia, they are holierthan-thou.
109.
You see, law is a cover for hypocrisy. It makes you look right when you are wrong. It is
hell on the inside. This is why Jesus said that he that lusts after a woman in his heart has
already committed the act; Jesus was not interested in you looking good on the outside,
he was interested in purifying man from the inside and the law will never do that. Some
one has to grow a man out of this childlike stage. And what is the Force that grows,
evolves, feeds, nurtures, nourishes?
110.
The New Testament is called the testament of Love. And so, Love replaces Law. Man
gets a period of Grace and in that Grace there is Love. If that is rejected, then comes
Destruction.
111.
Now, what I am saying to you, when I speak to the Jews, is not hatred. I am concerned
that you do not end up being destroyed by God. I am saying to you, that what you have
done to the Palestinians is wrong. You dont like me. What did I do? I say, Youre
~75~

wrong. I didnt do anything against you. I am like your mother. A good Jewish mother
will spank you when you are wrong. A good Jewish mother does not care whether you
desire a thing; if it is wrong, she will speak against it. You may dislike her for a while,
but you will get over it. But Brother Farrakhan is Black. I dont look like your Jewish
mother, but I am better than she is by you, because you are wrong, and I must tell you
that! Whether you like me or not is irrelevant and immaterial. But, if you will come
back from your wicked ways and grow up, you can return to God. You cannot force
yourself on Him as the chosen people! God chooses whom He pleases and He doesnt
choose you today! That is all that I am saying. Unless you choose Him! If you choose
Him and will submit and return and repent, then alright, come on in! But dont attack
Farrakhan! Death to Farrakhan! Death to me? For what?!
112.
You dont want me in the Valley. What is so precious in the Valley that you dont want
me here? You are, according to what I heard on the news, ranked Number 5 in the
country in dope. You should want me all over the Valley.
113.
You think that man is physical, so you feed him physical things, and you think that he is
satisfied. You cheapen women. You give them a fur coat: Here, baby. Wear this fur
coat, darling. Here is a diamond ring, put it on, sweetheart. Bless your heart. Honey,
what else do you want? And you walk away and tell your friends, I know that she
loves me. Then you find her in bed with someone else and you wonder why. It wasnt
the diamond ring; it wasnt the fur coat. You have misjudged reality.
114.
When you get away from God, you misperceive. You think she is a thing, so you give her
things. But her essence is the Essence of God. She cannot be satisfied with things.
You have to give her what her soul is born and created to feed on, and it cannot feed on
things; it feeds on the spiritual essence in a man that is made by the nature of God to
complement what is in her nature. Listen, Black man, and listen, all men!
115.
You are not a thing and she is not a thing; therefore, material things cannot satisfy us.
When I look at the mountain, it is a thing. But it is a thing of magnificence, because I
see God, and I say, Glory to the God Who created her! Look at the beautiful trees; look
at the insects; look at the life here. This is magnificent. So what does it do? It feeds
something in you that makes you want to go behind the veil of the mountain, the veil of
the valley, the veil of the flower, to see the reality behind the veil; and the Reality is God.
116.
And so, Beloved, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; for she has become a habitation of devils;
a hole of every foul spirit and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird. Babylon is
talking about America, specifically, but the condition of the whole world, generally. It is
a habitation of devils and a cage for every hateful bird and a hole for every foul spirit.
~76~

117.
Go out in the street. There are people drunk, filled with drugs; they hate you because you
are Black, you hate them because they are White, or Mexican or Indian. I listen to the
cheap remarks that one passes against another. It is wrong to degrade another human
being who is already degraded. You cant call him a nigger and degrade him; you cant
call a Mexican a spic and degrade him; he is already degraded. He is a devil. He has
degraded himself; he has become an animal. You cant call a White man a honky and
degrade him; he is already degraded. He is a devil. He deprived you of what God
wanted you to have; therefore, in depriving you, he deprived himself. He is an enemy to
God and he is an enemy to himself. You have become an enemy to God and an enemy to
yourself. No one is holding you back; it is you. You are in your own way.
118.
A habitation of devils. I did not come to Phoenix to add to these problems, but to use
the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to help solve these problems. And so,
until we can face ourselves, until we struggle for self-improvement, self-development,
then we cannot see the good in ourselves; therefore, we will not see the good in others.
And it is only when you can see the good in yourself, see the good in one another, that
you can start building a true community.
119.
You will start building better homes when you understand, parent, that you have a duty.
You can hardly fulfill your duty, because you have to work. Who is watching your
children? You are working, man; she is working. What are the babies doing? What of
those children? Who is guiding them? Who is helping them and nurturing them;
fostering them? The street!
120.
Send them to school, and what do they find there? A racist school! A White-centered
school! I cannot send my babies to school and you are going to extol your race over all
other people as though we are just also rans on the Planet! How is that good for your
babies minds? We ought to either change the schools or take our children out of them,
because the more your children get a racist, sexist, materialist education, their ability to
run the race of life will fail them. Their teachers have failed in the race of life, the
government has failed in the race of life; therefore, they are unfit for the stewardship of
the Life Force in human beings.
121.
Beloved, economic development must become a reality and we cannot look to the
government to do it for us.
122.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt started welfare and welfare was alright, but when you keep a
medicine going beyond the time, it begins to kill the patient. Welfare has grown to mean
farewell to productive living. No human being can be self-gratified waiting for a check
to come on the first of the month. This is degrading to the human spirit. It robs us of the
~77~

ability to struggle to attain our own potential. We are only self-gratified when we earn
our own way. So we must develop to the point where we can say Farewell to welfare.
123.
With 206 billion dollars coming to Black people every year, there is no reason why we
cannot say farewell to welfare. But we dont produce any of the things we consume.
So we sit around and laugh and make mockery of the Arabs, the Jews, the Chinese, the
Koreans and others who are in our neighborhood, serving our needs; but we refuse to
serve our own needs. Therefore, they take the money out of our community into their
communities. They live in Paradise Valley while you live in South Phoenix, in a terrible
condition. We have got to turn this around.
124.
We have decided that we are going to produce some products that we spend money for
every day. We have got to get some of that money back into our own hands to build
institutions that serve our peoples needs. Indian, Mexican, Chicano, Blackwe must
serve our own community.
125.
I was on the Indian reservation and they said to me, Brother Farrakhan, why dont you
come and set up businesses on the reservations? I said, No. And they said, Why
not? I said, If I did that, I would be no better than any other exploiter. I said, What
we will do is come and help you set up your own businesses; then you make the money
from your people because that is what we will be doing for our people. We cannot
condemn exploitation and then become exploiters.
126.
You know, you must wash and clean if you are going to come out of this condition. Bad
smelling and bad acting people, nasty and dirty, is not going to make it. You must clean
up. Jesus said, Wash and be clean.
127.
So, we have come out with a new product called Clean N Fresh. Brand-spanking new.
Herbal Essence Shampoo. Clean your hair; keep it clean. Dont have your hair in the
condition where lice like you, stay with you; cling to you, because you are unclean. And
when you put the shampoo on, you must get the conditioner. You must keep your hair in
good condition. This is a one-two punch. And it will knock out the dandruff and all
that bad conditioning of your hair and make it soft and easy to manage. It is a good
product, Brother and Sister. And we are coming into the Valley with a line of products.
We want to offer you a chance to sell these products and earn a living and make some
money to better your condition. Self-improvement must also mean economic
advancement.
~78~

128.
Here is a wonderful roll-on deodorant; a beautiful shower and bath liquid soap; a
beautiful hand and body lotion. Here is a conditioner and hair dress. Brothers and
Sisters, this is the first of a line of products.
129.
Within the next few months, we are coming out with a Power Plus line of detergents
for household use. Our brothers and sisters who are out of a job, we want to create a job
for you. We will teach you how to sell and you go. And the commissions you make on
selling these products will begin to add to your own life. This is only the beginning. It is
a humble beginning. It is not what we want, but we must start someplace. When we
start, can you imagine the money coming from this?
130.
We want to help the school system in Phoenix, but we also want to build a school system
that is a model for the school system that we desire to help. We must build our own
hospitals. The Mexicans, the Indians, the Blacks; we must have our own hospitals. We
cannot let others experiment on us. We must care for ourselves, then God will bless the
child that has his own.
131.
And so, dear beloved Brothers and Sisters, I conclude by saying to each of you you
and I we must come out of an animal or carnal existence. We must become moral and
act upon that which is morally right. Community development is not building buildings.
Community development is building people and linking people with people.
132.
The strife is oer and the battle done. The victory of life is won. All glory to that risen
Son, Allelujah! What strife is oer? The struggle to meet with God. That struggle is
oer, the ascendant child of the Creator. Now, we can say, Praise be to God! We have
come from being animals and little demons and we have become godly and godlike.
133.
The challenge to Chicano people is not to look for the enemy elsewhere. Conquer the
enemy within. When you conquer the enemy within, no enemy outside of you is more
powerful, or is able to weaken you.
134.
Native Americans, it is not the White man that made you fall. It is you who fell from
Grandfather. And, in your fall, according to Indian tradition, the man the two-legged
man is weaker than the four-legged, creeping things. Not because by nature you are
made that way, but because in your fall you are less than that. So, take on the wings of
the eagle. Do not look to the eagle to carry your prayers to God alone, look at the eagle
as a symbol of where you can fly if you mount up on the wings of knowledge and power
and conquer the weakness of yourself that cause you to fall in the beginning.
135.
White people. You must struggle against this self-centered thing. You must struggle
please listen against this thing that makes you feel that White must always be on top
~79~

and it is somehow degrading if someone of another race ascends to a position of glory.
This is wrong. If you refuse to struggle, your whole world will come down as it is
coming down around you and it will never rise again. While there is time, why not admit
your fault? Repent of it. Struggle against the weakness of your self, because you do not
have an excuse; God has raised a prophet in every nation, and you Caucasians, have had
prophets. So, you have had examples of moral conduct of what you could become if you
would struggle. If you do not struggle, then God will end your world.
136.
Black man and Black woman, there is nobody to blame. Yes, the White people brought
us into slavery. Very good. But, who ordained it? See, if you want to blame somebody,
why not blame God? You dont have the heart, do you? Because God is good, isnt He?
He wouldnt let White folks do this to youbut He did. What did they do it to us for?
You have to struggle to prove there is character in you, Black man. And that is why the
last will be the first. And that is why the stone that the builders rejected is going to be the
headstone of the corner. It is the Lords doing and it is marvelous in our sight. You
have no excuse, Black people. Nobody to blame. Look within and conquer the enemy of
self that makes you an opposer of your own journey toward God. And you put that
internal enemy to flight. There is no external enemy that could handle you.
137.
The challenge now is yours and mine. I hope that you and I will be able to say like Jesus,
the strife is oer.... The battle is done, man. The victory of life is won; I got it. I made
it. Not number one in football, not number one in singing, dancing and clowning, not
number one in this and that, but the victory of life, meaning that the Divine Life that God
gave you, you finally have connected to the Source of it.
138.
And now you have become one with God, so there is no more struggle, no more strife,
the battle is over, the victory is won and you have become a risen child of that Creator
that has ascended to the heights. Then we can say, Alleluia, for Praise belongs to God!
Thank you all for listening and may God bless you as I greet you in peace,
As-Salaam Alaikum.
~80~

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Self-Improvement

THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN

The Final Call, Inc.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

LECTURE: SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT .. 55

Minister Louis Farrakhan

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL.

Nay, I swear by the day of resurrection!

Opening Letter From The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

Opening Letter From The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

A BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE COURSE

A Brief Commentary On The Course

A Brief Commentary On The Course

A Brief Commentary On The Course

STARTING A STUDY SESSION

Mixed Feelings & Controversy: How Do We Handle It?

Mixed Feelings & Controversy: How Do We Handle It?

A definition of view: Manner of looking at things; opinion; judgment; belief;

We are looking at the development of the prophets.

Mixed Feelings & Controversy: How Do We Handle It?

The study group coordinator should be first to give an example. Choose a

5. State briefly how you think this course could be improved.

GROUP / CIRCLE # __________

(Delivered in Phoenix, Arizona September 21, 1986)

Self-Improvement: The Basis For Community Development

THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

I have chosen for my subject: SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

When we get to Mecca, we say, labaika Allah-umma labaika Here I am O Allah, in

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

He is the Perfect Example of human potential. Therefore, he should be shown to men,

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The Black man is a problem; he is a problem to himself and he is a problem to others.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Listen to me carefully. That word, I, that personal pronoun I, represents

Brothers and Sisters, we cannot speak independently of God. We have no control of

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

I am going to place a ruler... In Hebrew, ruler means Elohim or God, Divine

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Churchthat is an institution. The pastor is supposed to educate the congregation in the

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Now, I am going to speak specifically to Caucasian peoplewithout malice, without

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

SELF-IMPROVEMENT: THE BASIS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

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