Ancient Egyptian Civilization Black Muslim History

The Pharaoh of Musa عليه السلام

It's around 1525 BC. Now you have Ramses or his son. This is the pharaoh of Moses. This is the one that had a God complex that wanted his face all over Egypt. And that became a tyrant, you know, the perfect tyrant. Okay, but before his time, amazing achievements. I was shocked. I was literally shocked to find the achievements, especially in what they call the old kingdom in the pyramid time.

Greek Recognition of Egyptian Achievement

Because I remember when the Olympics were held in Athens some years ago. And, you know, they have the opening ceremony, the Greeks marched out. And they said, we the Greeks, we, you know, we began geometry and math and science, you know, philosophy, everything began with the Greeks. Okay, but the ancient Greeks were not racist. The ancient Greeks and the Romans recognized that they got their civilization from the Egyptians and later the Phoenicians. And the Egyptians were dark skinned people with woolly hair. That's how they described them.

Okay, explain that description again. What is exactly dark skinned people with curly woolly hair?

That's how they described them. And they literally worship some of them. Because think about this. Now, the Greeks coming out of what they call their dark ages. And finally, you know, into they organize their Olympics. This is around the 700s BC. And now a great civilization is there. There is the Great Pyramid of Giza. And they come in contact, you know, with people who have amazing understanding of mathematics, physics, and science. And the Egyptians shared their knowledge with them, the Greeks studied under them, and were able to make their own achievements. But the reality is, it was 1000s of years before them, that everything was in place.

The Great Pyramid of Giza: Engineering Marvel

Somebody would say, well, how can you say something like this? Let's look at the Great Pyramid in Giza. The Great Pyramid of Giza, which is built for Khufu. And this is, you know, this pyramid is coming somewhere around 2500 BC. And this is built for Khufu. And this pyramid, you can consider it to be the greatest building ever made by human beings.

Why the Great Pyramid is Humanity's Greatest Structure

Now, this is a bold statement. Why would I say something like this? Because around 2500 BC, there was no structure, anything like that in the world. People were living in villages, and the city states began with some palaces and whatever. This building has got 2,300,000 blocks of granite. These blocks of between 2.5 to 70 tons. They were cut out in a place called Aswan, which is in the south. Remember, the south is high, and the north, and they were cut out in Aswan, that's where the granite is. And they were taken in boats, and they were put into place, and there's no cement.

If we want to build a building with little bricks, we put cement and we have a, you know, plane, we have to make it even. They built it with no cement, perfect cuts, okay? And this whole concept of people, you know, carrying slaves, carrying the blocks on their head, that's not possible. How can you carry 70 tons on your head? It's science you're talking about, physics. Their level of science is unbelievable.

Modern Attempts to Replicate Ancient Egyptian Technology

We still don't really know how they did it today. We don't know how they did it. The Japanese even came in with their equipment in the 60s, and they tried to cut out the blocks and use a technology, but the sand came in, it destroyed all their equipment. They don't know how the ancient Egyptians did this.

The Mathematical Precision of the Pyramid

Look at this building. In the one structure, there is enough for 30 Empire State Buildings. That's in New York, right? The Empire State Building was a great structure. There is enough granite to build all of the churches and cathedrals in England from the time of Christ until now in one building.

The corners of the pyramid are perfect right angles, so there goes your geometry and all your math, right? This is 2,500 BC, long before the Greeks. The corners are perfect right angles. If you take the perimeter of the pyramid, and then you divide it into the height of the pyramid twice, you have what is called this universal equation called pi, and the pi equation, this is a universal equation used by mathematicians and engineers, so the ancient Egyptians knew about pi. They had all the angles. They had everything in place.

The African Origins of This Achievement

This is an amazing structure that they actually put there, and so this flies in the face of the racist concepts that Africa has done nothing for the onward flow of civilization because at that time, the ancient Egyptians were basically the people from the south, and then there were the people in the north as well. It's the Ethiopian people, some called the Anu people, the Nubians, who initiated the society, and then they dealt with the people in the delta, right, and so they united themselves, and they formed this civilization.

There are no people who have come in from Persia or Babylonia at that time. The Greeks and the Romans, there was no Romans. The Greeks hadn't even formed their city-states. People in France and in Scandinavia and England, they were living in caves, so this is the ancient world, and this completely flies in the face of racism.

The Ongoing Legacy of African Achievement

So in order for us to, you know, take this in, we have to realize there's a great deception, and black people today, African people still have this ability within them. When you look at, for instance, the basketball, I like basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving comes down, he throws a pass, right, and it's forming this arc, and LeBron James comes in the air, grabs it, and puts it in. You have to have this understanding of geometry. You literally are dealing with angles and arcs, and then his body reaches up, he grabs it with one hand, slam dunks, you understand, and then takes his stand. This is amazing. This is a mathematician. That's a scientist, and not only is it a theoretical scientist, it's a practical scientist.

Modern Examples of African Scientific Achievement

So that ability still lies within us, and that is the reason why African people did so much, even in the United States and in the Caribbean, the cotton gin in the South, you know, so many structures, you know, in NASA, in Cape Canaveral, there were black women even involved, you know, in high mathematics. There's actually a document, or I think a film that's about to come out about that. Right, you know, which was basically, you know, speaking about these hidden figures, which is an amazing movie showing even the black women, how they involved one young woman, had an amazing mind in math.

This is not a freak of nature. This is part of, you know, civilization and history, and that's the reason why we're saying, especially in Black History Month, from an Islamic perspective, when we look at Islam, we're not talking about a religion or way of life that began with Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم),we're talking about monotheism from the time of Adam (عليه السلام) the first man. We're talking about monotheism and, you know, positive relationship with civilization and with the universe. This is what we're talking about about Islam.

Evidence of Tawheed in Ancient Egypt

And so the ancient Egyptians had Islam, you can even go back to the old kingdom, and there was one sage called Ptahhotep. Ptahhotep, in the old kingdom, he wrote about the belief in one God. He has some amazing writings, which is clear that he's talking about one God.

Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Monotheistic Pharaohs

You also look just before the time of Moses or Musa (عليه السلام) there was a pharaoh called Akhenaten. His wife was called Nefertiti. She's famous, you see the head of Nefertiti. She was the one who first developed feminine hygiene products and cosmetics. That's where it began, right? All that makeup and everything is Nefertiti, is ancient Egypt.

And so Akhenaten, you know, he worshipped the power really behind the sun. Some people try to say he was a sun worshipper. When you look at the Psalms of Akhenaten, you will see some amazing things. You can see that who he's talking about, the eternal God, and he's talking about the creator of the heavens and the earth.

Musa's (عليه السلام) Egyptian Education

And so this belief in one God, this is an interesting concept. Because Musa (عليه السلام) he grew up in Egypt, and he had an Egyptian education. So he must have come in contact with these teachings as well. So he was being prepped, molded in a sense, you know, to take on this monotheism. And it is when he flees from Egypt, and then goes to the mountaintop and then receives revelation. Now it comes into light, you know, it's manifesting.

Understanding Tawheed Across Civilizations

That's interesting, because I think for many of us, the concept of Tawheed in and of itself, looks a particular way. For us, Tawheed is, you know, five times a day Salah, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the concepts in the Sharia, which Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came with. But when you examine ancient history, and you look at civilizations, which, you know, we believe, perhaps had a tint of Tawheed to them. I mean, their Sharia didn't look like ours, right?

The Oromo Example: Waaqeffanna

It's funny you mentioned that, because my background is from Oromo. I'm Oromo, and in Oromo culture, there was a religion before Islam, before Christianity called Waaqeffanna. And Waaqeffanna, literally, when you translate it, it's like, it means to worship one, right? The concept behind it is to worship one. So they worship Waaq, who to them is like a black God who looks like them, and who, you know, they thank during times of harvest, and stuff like that.

So now, obviously, it's an expired faith when you look at it in comparison to what we have. It's something that you wouldn't examine. But the essence of it is, it looks like it's founded within Tawheed, right? You can see that the concept of one God is stressed, that there's one God worthy of worship, one God worthy of thanking and sacrificing for.

Recognizing Tawheed in Different Cultural Contexts

So, I mean, obviously, even when we examine the history of other civilizations through our own lens, as Muslims, it might look a bit skewed, and we think, oh, and they were fire worshippers or whatever. But perhaps they were practicing a faith, which was indeed Tawheed, and it was something which is pleasing to Allah at that time.

Universal Monotheism: Evidence from Around the World

Well, this is interesting, because, you know, I had the same passion to sort of find this Tawheed and culture. And I visited 62 countries. And when I traveled to the countries, I would go to the museums, to the archives, and I would speak with the scholars.

In ancient China, I visited China, and they said in Mandarin Chinese, they have a concept called Shang Ti, which is the great cosmic spirit. You'll find in ancient societies all over the world, ancient India, they say the Vedas, the early Sanskrit writings, were actually talking about one God.

African Names for the One God

In Africa, where I lived for 10 years, especially in southern Africa, it was amazing, because, you know, similarly to what you find in Oromo culture, in every African culture, there's a word for the great cosmic spirit. It's a special word. And I found in the south, for instance, amongst the Zulu people, Umdali, amongst the Sotho, Ramasedi, amongst the Xhosa people, Kamata.

So you find this concept of one God, you know, in the Congo region, in West Africa, amongst the Yoruba people, amongst the Ashanti people. So you find this concept of one God, and it's amazing, the Yoruba descriptions, this is Nigeria, of one God, of God being the all-wise, Al-Hakim, right? And, you know, the great one, Al-Kabir. The descriptions, the names and descriptions of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

The Nubian and Ethiopian Connection

This is the knowledge, we believe, that the ancient Nubians, or the Anu people, who are coming from that area of Sudan, Ethiopia, maybe some of your grandparents, you know, actually, you know, and we're talking about way back now, 3,500 BC, Ta-Seti. So it is our belief that, like all people in ancient times, they had the belief in one God. There were some who worship idols, there are some who worship the sun, some who worship themselves, but that concept, that unity concept, existed from the beginning of time.

Monotheism in the Americas

And it's so beautiful to see it. I found amongst the native people in the Americas, that Tauhid was very powerful. Amongst the Mi'kmaq people in Newfoundland, and when Jacques Cartier first came into Canada, Canadian region, and he found the Mi'kmaq, their concept is called Niskam. And the elders of the Mi'kmaq people who live in Newfoundland area, that's the eastern side of Canada, their concept of God is very similar to the Egyptian, to the Islamic concept. And the way they describe God is like the 99 names of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). It's amazing.

The Cherokee nation had a definite belief in the one God. And they used to turn and face east and make their prayers. They had a definite belief in one God, Dr. Robert Crane, who was a part Cherokee. He did a lot of interesting writings. So you find this concept of the great spirit throughout the Americas.

Monotheism in Ancient Mexico and Europe

The ancient Mexicans had a person, a description of him as almost like a prophet. They even described this person. I was even in Scotland at one point in Glasgow, doing a program with a Scottish Muslim. And they were talking about before the time of the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that there was a man who came into

the northern region of the British Isles and Scotland. And he was talking about one God. So we believe that that even came into Europe, that they had the belief in one God as well.

Egypt as the Center of Ancient Civilization

So this is a universal concept. And when we look at the universal concept, we have to go back to Africa. Because the Egyptians, people in the Nile, they were the first organized society. And you can go back in ancient times and you can look the level of the Egyptians, black African people was astounding.

Making Africa Great Again

So when we say in America that we want to make America great, African people need to say, we need to make Africa great again. We need to make African people great again, not in a negative way, but in a way where they will again take that lead in developing civilization and making astounding achievements.

The Responsibility of the Next Generation

It's not enough for us now to be throwing a football or to be slam dunking. We have to take that knowledge and put it into practice to let the children know that that mind that you have, don't throw it away with drugs, don't throw it away with fornication and adultery and crime, but use that mind in a positive way like the ancient Egyptians and Ethiopians did and make the achievements that African people have done from the beginning of time.

Inspiring Young Black Muslims

And I think that's really an amazing jumping off point because I think part of the reasoning behind this discussion is to also inspire people and to have young black Muslim children and otherwise just acknowledge that they do come from something greater. I think part of the confusion and identity crisis a lot of young black people have living in this day and age is we feel like we are nothing.

I remember growing up and the only time black or African people were ever spoken about was in the context of slavery. And you think that that's where your civilization has begun, your history is that. But to acknowledge that no, you are a part of something greater, you are and have been involved in one of the greatest civilizations of society is an empowering notion. And I think you infusing that with Islam is something that only is going to heighten that sense of responsibility that we can do something greater.

Egypt and the Coming of Islam

So back to Egypt, what else did you find? I mean, obviously your study there has been so extensive. Any other things that you found fascinating in relation to especially Islamic history?

The Mediterranean Struggle for Monotheism

Well, again, what I found is that the mind of the Egyptians, of those living on the Nile Valley, it continued on because when the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came as the last prophet, the stage had been set in the Mediterranean basin. There was a struggle for monotheism.

The Council of Nicaea and Arius

And going back to 325 AD, we're going up now to AD, Constantine called the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD. And he organized Christianity in the belief in the Trinity. But one of the great bishops was named Arius. And he was a Libyan bishop who was teaching in Alexandria in Egypt. And he refused to accept this. He believed in one God. He believed that Jesus was a prophet. He did not accept Trinity or multiplicity of God or the divinity of Christ.

And he was executed. And his followers, you know, were executed as well, hundreds and thousands of them. But it is these people who scattered in the area of Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa. These people were the ones who, when the final message came, they were overjoyed because they were standing for the belief in one God.

Preparation for the Final Message

You even find Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ran into a monk when he was on the road, that the monk was there trying to see if there's anybody who has this belief in one God. Is there a final messenger coming? Where did the monk get his understanding from? This was being carried on. This monotheism was being carried on in the Mediterranean basin. And really, the last prophet is coming up.

The Islamic Conquest of Egypt

And so when the Romans, you know, attacked the Muslims and the Muslims defeated them, the first place they looked at after Syria and Palestine was Egypt, because the Nile Valley has always been and will always be one of the centers of world civilization. And so when the famous Sahabi, Amr ibn al-As, when they entered into Egypt, it was the Arian people, believers in one God amongst the Egyptians, the Coptic people, who according to all historians, assisted the Muslims against the Romans.

So it was a local, it was a rebellion against the Roman rule and the Muslims took over the land and continued across North Africa. But Egypt became a center of Islamic learning and continued on as one of the great centers of learning.

The Continuation of Egyptian Excellence

The Egyptian mind, that same mind of building pyramids, of philosophy, it entered into Arabic language, it entered into Islamic studies. And so you see some of the great scholars of Islam, Imam al-Shafi'i himself, one of the great scholars of Islam, Imam al-Suyuti, and so many scholars there developing their work in Cairo and

along the Nile region, Alexandria and then going across North Africa. You know, so many of the scholars develop in that region.

The Extension of Ancient Civilization

And so it's an extension, it's an extension of an ancient civilization. And it's important for us to understand that again, human beings are all connected together, but there are certain high points and we're all extensions of each other. And if we can connect the ancient times to our present world, we'll have a totally different concept.

When we look at Africa itself, when we look at African people, we will not look at savage people, uncivilized, uneducated, terrible in math, but we will look at people who in ancient times were the rulers of much of the world, who set the pace for the modern civilizations that we are living in, and who had the belief in one god and the belief in many different gods within their society.

Exposing Historical Deception

It's a whole part of the world that we need to understand. One of the shocking things that dishonest European historians and writers did is that in order to cover up the ancient Egyptians, they first tried to say that the Egyptians who built the pyramids were light-skinned people.

The Three Kingdoms: Old, Middle, and New

Now when you look at the dynasties, you'll see the old kingdom, this is 3000 BC, then you see the middle kingdom, this is coming, you know, around 2000. Then you see the new kingdom, which is coming, you know, right before AD, and that is when the Romans came in and when the Greeks came in. And so when the Romans came in, you find that they imitated the Egyptians, and so Cleopatra was a title.

There was a number of Cleopatras, and they were actually people of European descent. So there were European people who were sitting in the thrones like the pharaohs, and much of the artifacts and mummies that you get in the museums are from the new kingdom. It's not from the old kingdom, so it's the new kingdom.

The Confusion of Historical Periods

So people get confused, and they say, well, these are Egyptian things. Yes, but these are after 3000 years had gone by of their major pyramid building, 5000 years of their civilization, then these people come in right at the end, right? And so that was the first lie, that they are Indo-European people.

The "Ancient Aliens" Deception

The second lie, which is even greater than that, is that they said, we cannot attribute this civilization to black African people, so we will say it was aliens who flew down on earth, built the pyramids, right, and then flew back in space. And so now you have children watching Stargate and other programs thinking, no, this pyramid

couldn't be black people. How can they build something like that? It's an alien who came down, subjugated the people, built a pyramid, and then flew back out in space. That makes more sense.

The Importance of Studying Real History

But the hardcore evidence, and that's where our young people need to study history. Don't get caught up with the story of the aliens, or the story of the mutant creatures, right? No, let us get caught up with the history of our peoples, history of humanity, the great achievements made in Africa. And that is the reason why Carter G. Woodson and the people developed Black History Month, and that was, you know, to highlight these achievements.

Universal Human Achievement

And this is not to say the achievements did not happen in China, in India, in Europe, in the Americas, no. But let's take, you know, a hidden part of history, let's uncover a legacy, and let's give it to the world. And that is where, you know, as a Muslim, as a person of African descent, you know, I celebrate this time.

Expanding Minds Through History

It expands my mind, and I believe it will expand the mind of all children, not just black children. It will help white children to appreciate African Americans, African Caribbean, people from the African continent, they will appreciate that. And when they see LeBron James doing that slam dunk, they'll realize he's a scientist. And he may even be related, you know, to the ancient Egyptians, you know, who built those pyramids.

Appreciating All Civilizations

Yeah, and I think, you know, it's really interesting you mentioned that, because, I mean, obviously, in history, and the way we've been taught, there is an immense amount of respect for European thought, and history, and, you know, philosophy, and art, and culture, and everything that's come out of Europe for the past, you know, 500,000 years. That's what we've been taught, at least in school, is the pinnacle of success, you know, to be like ancient Europeans, or to emulate the work of Shakespeare, or other artists, or other philosophers, other thought.

So it's important, I guess, to acknowledge that that, you know, greatness doesn't just lie in Europe, it does lie in other places in the world, like in Africa, like in Asia, like in, you know, even Latin America and these places.

The Demographic Shift in Modern Egypt

Last thing I want to ask you about, and I think this is an interesting point of discussion, especially in this context, because the history of Egypt in particular, when we look at it, we do acknowledge that, yes, Black people and civilization, you know, did emerge from that region. But now, if you look at Egypt today, and you look at Northern Africa, it is, you know, they're quote-unquote Arabs.

So how did that shift occur? How did it become African dark-skinned people to lighter Arabic-speaking people today? Was there a time in history when that particular change occurred?

The Waves of Conquest

Well, you see that in the New Kingdom, and you're talking about a few hundred years BC and then AD, you start to see Iraqi Babylonians coming in, the Hyksos are coming in. This is a time of actually Ibrahim, Abraham (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam). And so you're talking around, you know, 1,600 BC or so, when Abraham was coming in, 1,640.

Okay, so Hyksos, these are Iraqis coming in, because obviously the Nile Valley is one of the great civilizations. So it's an area of conquest. And then later the Assyrians come in, then later the Greeks come in, Alexander comes in, he conquers the area now called Alexandria. Then the Romans come in, and they conquer the area.

Arab Immigration After Islam

And so when Muslims came, there were many immigrants who came in from the Arabian Peninsula as well, which is primarily a desert. And they want to benefit from the Nile Valley as well. So they immigrated into the area. And, you know, the language then spread into the area. But the reality is, is that Egypt has always been, you know, a part of Africa.

The Genetic Evidence: African Blood

And up until today, it's amazing, because when Sheikh Anta Diop and the scientists looked at the blood types of Egyptians, they found it's basically type B blood, which is an African blood system. It's not type A or anything like the other types. So it's still African blood that the Egyptians have.

Southern Egypt: The Nubian Connection

And especially if you go to the southern Egypt, Aswan, in that region, you'll see the Sudanese type of people, Nubian. So the Egyptians themselves are still an African people. But because they were conquered by Iraqis, Babylonians, Assyrians, Romans, Greeks, Turks, Arabs, it's a mixture you find in Cairo itself.

Egypt as a Melting Pot

But it is still the Nile Valley. The river is flowing from deep in Africa, down into Egypt. It's still the same. But because of the international trade routes, and the routes of conquest, it has become a melting pot as well. But still, it is Africa, and it needs to be considered as part of the African continent, if we separate Africa from Arabia. And I don't really do that. But if we do separate it, it's clearly part of the African continent.

Arabic as a Language, Not a Race

And Arabic, we recognize, is really a language. Amongst Arabic-speaking people, there are light-skinned, there are dark-skinned, there are all types of people. And so, if you look at it from that point of view, you know, it's still another expression of the ancient Egyptian Nubian culture.

Conclusion: Learning from Our History

Well, I think there's definitely a lot to digest. And I hope everyone out there has really benefited and enjoyed this session (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha'a Allah). Stay tuned for the next installment of this particular series, airing next week (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha'a Allah) at the exact same time. And thank you all for watching, for giving us your time and knowledge, and hopefully we'll see you again next time.

"May Allah reward you [with] goodness."

"And peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you."