The following is reprinted from already transcribed notes dated 6-16-74
*Unless specified, otherwise, all answers are given by The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Messenger of "Allah"
Our discussion ended in the last table talks relating to intelligent behavior in the public particularly as it related to the Sisters. Our last question and answer was:
Sister: What should you do if a Lost Found Man comes up to you to ask you about Islam.
Answer: Tell him where the Temple is. Don't stand out there trying to tell him anything. Sometimes you find characters out there telling other characters, he talk with them old Muslim Sisters. Don't believe it? O.K. here comes one of them now, watch me. This is just a disgrace. Just tell them 5355 South Greenwood Avenue.
Sister: Dear Apostle, I was at a gas station across the street from the Salaam Restaurant and you know they have contact with the Brothers and if they want a chance to learn about Islam there is the Salaam Restaurant and Your Supermarket. Well after getting my change, He wanted to start up idle conversation.
Answer: That's right. That's all it was for. While he talks with you, he weighs you. He watches your actions and watches your words, He wasn't peculiar about that answer at all, he just wanted to weigh you out.
Sister: All praise is due to Allah that you have taught us that they would try us like that out there.
Answer: You have to be careful or you will be the loser out there...A person when they're converted, which they will be, will say, "that sister over there, I know her, I talked to her about this and that, and I was just seeing if the teaching is the Truth that she shouldn't be out there talking to strangers ", when he will tell her about tomorrow.
Brother: They (The Lost Found) can quote the law better than you can.
Answer: Indeed they can. "I didn't know you Muslims were supposed to do this or do that." Yes Sir, they will come up quoting law better than you can. That shows you how well he is watching you and they are never watching for good.
Note: In this same category a conversation arose at another time relating also to the passing of conversation between brother and sister Believers as well. Here is the general gist (although not the all of the words) of the conversation.
Sister: Dear Apostle, I heard the Minister teaching something about brothers and sisters giving each other the greeting, but I was on post and I didn't hear all of it. Would you mind going into that point.
Answer: Brothers should not be shouting all up and down or across the street "As Salaam Alaikum", to the sisters. If they do, the sisters should act as if they don't hear them. Remember, that today the Lost Found knows the greetings just as well as you do and you might not ever know with whom you are speaking. You might also notice that this greeting from brothers and sisters may sometimes be used in a "flirty" way. We must caution the brothers and sisters against such things.
A GENERAL COMMENT BY THE MESSENGER:
We have to be careful of this old evil time. Just like the Holy Qu-ran teaches us, jealousy and envy, It will destroy you. We are reaching an available state of our teaching and our work. We must be careful of that. We don't pay any attention to people who envy us or are jealous of our accomplishments. We just go ahead in The Name of Allah praying for Him to give us more progress.
Question Exactly how did Muhammad Ibn Abdullah come by The Qu-ran? Many of the Scholars teach that he went up into a cave in the Mountain and under profound meditation a voice came to him and he went back and began to recite the Qur-an. This then is how Revelation came to him and thus as it came to him he recited The Book from Time to Time. Some of the Scholars say this Revelation came from the Angel Gabriel, yet none of the Scholars even began to touch on the subject that you so beautifully explained for us that is there is "The God saying" I am Allah The Best Knower And The sometime use of The Word "we" coming from Allah.
Answer: Yes, brother, It is clear when you study it right here in The beginning of the The Qu-ran, that Muhammad (Ibn Abdullah) was in a similar way like others before the real Muhammad. He heard voices like others. They heard voices say, The Lord saith unto them speak so and so but they did not see the speaker of the voice. So Muhammad was the same but he was not the right man for the Resurrection. In the Resurrection God is in Person. The Last Messenger meets God face to face. He knows Him as He is.
Brother: This is substantiated in the Bible alright but does it come through in the Qu-ran, Dear Apostle? For example The Qu-ran is constantly referring to that one who says I am the Last of the Prophets, and there is none after me. I am the Seal. I think this accounts for the Reason so many of the old Muslims get lost in the Qu-ran and will not accept you.
Answer: But that can't be the Muhammad of 1400 years ago. He didn't resurrect The Dead. We are The Dead.
Sister: Dear Apostle, I was reading the Holy Quran a few weeks ago and I am not certain but I think it was in The Chapter under The Star and The Footnote mentions there that Muhammad was taught by God in person (see Chapter 53 of The Holy Qu-ran - Footnote 2374-5th edition) face to face and we know they don't say that about Muhammad 1400 years ago.
Answer: That's right and these Scholars always writing about Muhammad, they won't pick that part up. That shows they are opposed to anyone claiming this office but Muhammad of 1400 years ago. The writer, Muhammad Ali in his footnote points out that some of the Scholars think that it was the Angel Gabriel speaking to Muhammad but he points out it was God Himself. See, this couldn't be the right Muhammad since he was pointed out only as hearing voices. The Holy Qur'an teaches that the Saints hear voices too, but this doesn't make them Prophets. Now remember that for this is beautiful. They (The Saints) hear voices too, but that doesn't make them Prophets. We have people in this old evil time that want you to believe they have been inspired by God just in an old dream. "You know I dreamed such and such a thing, I want to tell my dream." But in the Holy Qur'an such acts are condemned; it is very well put there to keep down anything like that which came up in Moses' time, a lot of diviners and a lot of dreamers. Isaiah's Teaching prophecy this same point: he says if you dream a dream, tell a dream. Don't try to make it other than what it is by calling it a Vision. This is what most of them would like for you to do, that is consider their dream a Vision. I didn't have a dream they say, I had a vision and I saw such and such a thing and I heard the Lord say so and so...They do that today in order to claim divinity. So the Bible is right when it warns us that if you have a dream just say I dreamed so and so, don't try to make it some kind of divine vision. I asked the Savior about dreams and He said Brother, we don't pay any attention to dreams. Now think over this.
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