Things Ain t Good in the Hood

Things Ain't Good in the 'Hood

Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Introduction

It is now my pleasure to introduce Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Imam Wahhaj is the Imam of Masjid al-Taqwa in New York and is well known among Muslims in North America as a dynamic speaker and tireless supporter of Islamic causes. He received Imam training at Umm al-Qura University of Mecca and has become a national and international speaker on Islam.

He has served as Vice President of ISNA since 1997 and has served on Majlis Ash-Shura since 1987. He is a past member of ISNA's planning committee and has served as a member of the Board of Advisors for the North American Islamic Trust. He also is a member of the Board of Advisors for the American Muslim Council.

Imam Wahhaj has appeared on several national television talk shows and interviews, especially about his anti-drug campaigns. Imam Wahhaj will be discussing things that aren't good in the hood. As-salamu alaykum.

Opening Remarks

Our brothers and sisters, I'm very thankful to Allah the Almighty to have the great privilege to address you this afternoon for a few moments.

The Hood and MANA Organization

And I want to talk about the hood. A few years ago, we started an organization called MANA, the Muslim Alliance of North America. And the reason we started this organization, we thought that there was a segment of the Muslim Ummah that was underserved, and that is the inner city, African American, Latino American, indigenous Muslims.

And so we decided to do something about it. Some of the Muslim leaders came together to try to address some of the issues in the inner city. I wanna take a moment and talk about the Islamic perspective of justice and the Islamic position of dealing with the issues in the inner city, because it's not just one issue, there's a few issues.

The Cultural Revolution and Self-Love

Number one, I remember in the 60s, and some of the older people like Dr. Sherman Jackson, the old people, they know what I'm talking about. We had what is called a cultural revolution. And there was an issue in the

black community, and that was a lack of love for themselves.

So we had a cultural revolution. Sheikh Shibli, you should have seen me in 1969 when I joined the Nation of Islam. I had a big Afro. My Afro was so big, you can land a plane on it. Why? Because there was a cultural revolution. Years before that, black men would conk their hair, they would fry their hair.

If you remember the movie Malcolm X, and Denzel Washington played Malcolm X, he would have in the beginning, his hair was conked. But when we had this cultural revolution, it changed and black people began to love themselves. Even in their songs, you would hear them sing, I am black and I'm proud.

I remember James Brown sang a song, please forgive the grammar. I don't want nobody to give me nothing. Open up the door and I'll get it myself. It was a cultural revolution, and black people began to change their dress and they would wear dashikis because it was a cultural revolution.

Islam and Self-Love

"[He is the One Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills.]"

It is Allah who created you in the wombs as He pleased. So if Allah was pleased to make me a black man, I was happy to be a black man. So black people began to love themselves.

Islamic Justice

So Islam came to deal with the inequalities in the neighborhood. Allah deals with it several ways, and I wanna talk about three or four ways, inshallah. Justice.

"[Indeed, Allah does not wrong [anyone] by an atom's weight.]"

Allah is not unjust, even in the weight of an atom, Allah is not unjust. And not only is Allah not unjust, but He makes sure that those, the people that are not unjust, He says in this Hadith Qudsi

Oh, my servants, I have made prohibited on me injustice, and therefore, I order you not to be unjust to one another. So as servants of Allah, we came to understand that Allah loves justice. And so therefore, Islam came to bring justice.

Employment and Justice in America

I remember listening to the speech of our beloved president about jobs. And I thought about it. You know, black people for a long time have had chronic unemployment, but nobody talked about it. But then when it became a problem in the major community, then everybody is talking about it, justice.

The Case of Bridgewater, New Jersey

When you get a chance, I want you to go home or go into your hotel, and I want you to Google a city called Bridgewater, New Jersey. Sheikh Shibli knows about it. Bridgewater, New Jersey. It's a city that have 17 churches, a convent, a Jewish synagogue, two Hindu temples, and a Sikh temple, but not one masjid.

The Muslims bought a property 7.6 acres and they wanted to build a masjid there. So they applied to the city council, seeking permission to build a masjid there. The people in the area didn't want the Muslims there. So they came to a public forum. And so the city, Bridgewater, New Jersey, decided to change the law, thus prohibiting the Muslims from opening up a masjid in that area.

So the Muslims couldn't open a masjid. I want you to put that there right here for a moment. It's called Masjid Falah in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Put that right there and leave it there. Leave that injustice there for a moment.

The Example of Memphis, Tennessee

During the month of Ramadan, I was blessed to go to Memphis, Tennessee. You know what happened in Memphis, Tennessee? Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in that city. So Muslims there, they bought 31 acres of land and they wanted to build a masjid there. And there was a church there called Heart Song Church.

And the pastor, a man by the name of Reverend Steve Stone, you know what he decided to do? He built a sign six feet tall. And the sign said, Heart Song Church welcomes Memphis Islamic Center to the neighborhood.

I asked myself the question, why, why he do that? Because I read that he was nervous when they talked about building a masjid, that he was, he got nervous. He was a little bit nervous. And I said to myself, I know why he did it. And I was going to try to find a number to call him to find out why did you make that sign? And as I was reading, I found exactly what I thought I would find.

Brotherhood of Prophets

Our prophet peace and blessing be upon him said (الْأَنْبِيَاءُ إِخْوَةٌ لِعَلَّاتٍ، أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ شَتَّى وَدِينُهُمْ وَاحِدٌ - Al-anbiya'u ikhwatun li 'allatin, ummahatuhum shatta wa dinuhum wahid)

(Sahih al-Bukhari 3443, Sahih Muslim 2365)

He said, the prophets, all of them are brothers. Their mothers are different, but their religion is the same.

And there are some things, brothers and sisters, that in Islam is exactly as it is in Judaism and exactly as it is in Christianity. And I'll give you one example.

The Greatest Commandment

According to the Bible, someone asked Jesus, they said, master, peace and blessing be upon him. Master, which is the first and greatest commandment? He said, the first and greatest commandment is that thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, with all thy love and all thy strength. And then he said, the second commandment is like unto the first, that thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

And I said to myself, that's why the reverend did it. And sure enough, I read a sign and he said, yes, we are trying to follow Jesus in the footsteps of Jesus. And what would Jesus do? He said, Jesus would welcome the Muslims. And then, and then on top of that, on top of the sign, the Christian church opened up their church so that during the month of Ramadan, the Muslims prayed in the Christian church.

Justice Has Its Rewards

Justice. Justice has its rewards. Let's go back here. What's over here? Bridgewater. Alhamdulillah, the Muslims didn't get crazy. You stopped us from opening up the masjid. What you did was wrong. We're gonna fight you. No, no, no, no, no. Calm down.

What did they do? They merely exercised their rights and they went to the federal government and they sued the city and they won. And we had a fundraiser there and raised $200,000 for the masjid there. The masjid in Memphis, Tennessee on the night of Ramadan raised $950,000 for the masjid there.

So brothers and sisters, no, no, no. I'm trying to get us to understand the magnificence of the beauty of Allah, the Almighty. On the one hand, he wants you to push for justice. Yeah, you should push for justice.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Disobedience

And by the way, by the way, you gotta reread Martin Luther King Jr. I love him. I don't know about Imam Zaid and I don't know about, you know, I don't know about Jackson. I don't know about you guys, but I love Martin Luther King Jr. And let me tell you, no, for real. No, I ain't, this is not like no politicking. Serious.

And I disagree. Anybody call him Uncle Tom, you wrong because you don't know that man. That man read a book, an essay. I'm gonna introduce you to a great American, a great philosopher. His name is Henry David Thoreau. You should read him. He wrote, Sheikh Majid, he wrote an essay called Civil Disobedience. Civil Disobedience. You have to read it, Imam. You have to read it. Civil Disobedience.

This essay inspired two people, many people, but these particularly inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. This man, Henry David Thoreau, was a true patriot. He didn't agree with everything about our government, but he was a true patriot.

The Story of Henry David Thoreau

They had, during his time, what is called a poll tax. He was against slavery, and he was against the American-

Mexican War. And he thought that this poll tax was illegal, so therefore, he refused to pay it. And they said, if you don't pay it, we're gonna put you in jail. He said, put me in jail, just like Yusuf, alayhi salat wa salam.

"[He said, “My Lord, prison is more dear to me than that to which they invite me.]"

Oh, my Lord, prison is better for me than what they invite me to. So Yusuf, alayhi salat wa salam, was a man of principle, and Henry David Thoreau was a man of principle. So they put him in jail.

And you know who came to visit him? His great friend. His friend was Ralph Waldo Emerson. You know Ralph Waldo Emerson. He's the one that said that if a man can build a better mousetrap than his neighbor, preach a better sermon, or write a better book, though he writes, though he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his gate, to his door, this one.

So Ralph Waldo Emerson visited him in jail. He said, David, what are you doing in there? David looked at him and said, what are you doing out there? He was a man of principle. Martin Luther King Jr., he went to jail a few times because he was a man of principle.

Fighting for Justice Within Boundaries

"[These are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not transgress them.]"

And these are the boundaries of Allah, don't go past them. And I'm saying to the Muslims, the way we fight here in America, fight for justice, is number one, ourselves be just, and number two, be patient. Now.

Almost finished. By the way, it doesn't mean that you're a great American because you agree with everything that our administration does, our president does. That's not, and that's why Martin Luther King said, really, that's why he said, sometimes people confuse dissent with disloyalty. You're not being disloyal when you differ with your government, and you have to.

Obedience Only in What is Right

I remember once the Prophet Muhammad said, peace and blessing be upon him, he sent out an expedition. And he appointed a man from the Ansar, and he said, you should obey him. So they went out. This man became angry. He became angry at these men, and he said, did the Prophet say obey me? They said, yes. He said, I order you to build a fire, and they built the fire. And then he said, I order you to go in the fire.

And when he said that, they started looking at one another. They said, you know, we came to Islam to avoid the fire. So they were debating the issue, and the fire went out, and the man's anger abated. And the word went back to the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him.

And the Prophet said

Fareed Zakaria and Immigration

Now I want to, tell you about an article that I read recently, in Newsweek magazine that had an effect on me. You ever hear of the name Fareed Zakaria from CNN? Brilliant man, brilliant man. I read his articles. I watch him on CNN on Sundays. You should listen to him.

Now he's a Muslim, you know, but he doesn't advertise that he's a Muslim. He's very, very bright, very, extremely bright and articulate. And he got the job not because he's a Muslim, but he got the job despite being a Muslim. Smart and articulate. He read an article that impressed me, that had an effect on me.

He said, I am an American, not by the accident of birth, but because I chose to be here. Did you know that we have almost 40 million immigrants in America? We have more immigrants in America than all of the nations of the world combined. What is it about America that make people come here? What is it about America that make 10,750,000 undocumented so-called illegal immigrants come here? What is it about America that make people even risk their lives to come here?

No, you don't have to be ashamed of being in America. You don't have to have an American. You don't have to have an ambivalence. Well, what should I think about America? No, this is your country. You should love it if you born here.

Loving America by Choice

Now, I am a Muslim by choice and an American by birth, but not only am I an American by birth, I am also American by choice because if I didn't like it here, I'd get up and I'd go wherever I wanna go. But the fact is I'm here because this is my country and I'm gonna fight to make it better.

The Constitution and A More Perfect Union

I want you to take one moment, take one moment and let's look at the constitution. No, in fact, don't look at the constitution. Let's look at the preamble of the constitution. No, don't even look at the whole preamble. Just look at one phrase. We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, in order to form a more perfect union.

Ain't perfect. Since the beginning of the constitution, we have had 27 amendments and the 13th amendment, the 13th amendment, freedom for everybody, freedom for the black man. It was the abolition of slavery. When the constitution was first written, they didn't have in mind women, they didn't have in mind black people, but it's changed.

Personal Tests from Allah

Justice is coming because people, people make things happen by the will of God. It's people that stand up.

Now, let me close with this. Three incidents has happened to me the last few years. One happened just yesterday. And Allah is a way of testing you. I don't know if you remember, Sheikh Tariq, you didn't know this in 1986. You weren't around here. You were born, but you weren't around here.

And we had a very famous case, and maybe Imam Zaid remembers, a young man, 23 years old, named Michael Griffith in New York City. Him and three other African-Americans were driving in an area called Howard Beach, and their car broke down. And they got out of the car and walked three miles trying to get help. And when they came to Howard Beach, a white mob, youngsters, saw them and started chasing them. And this young man, Michael Griffith, ran to his death. He ran on the highway and the car killed him.

And some of these people were indicted and went to jail. And I remember, Allah is my witness. What I'm telling you is the truth. I used to go past that area at night, Howard Beach, and I would drive my car down Linden Boulevard. And I remember, as I was passing that area, I said, those people won't do that to me. If that was me, I ain't gonna run. I'm gonna fight them.

Wallahi, as soon as I said that, my car stopped. Wallahi. And I said, hey, what's this? I thought for a minute. I said, oh, Allah, I got it. I got you. I got your point. I turned the car and it started. True story.

The Drug Dealer Incident

Other one, 1989, Wednesday night, I'm in my office. We're gonna have an aqeeqah. And I'm preparing the khutbah for Friday. And I remember the title, wallahi (وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى - Wa ta'awanu 'ala al-birri wa at-taqwa). (Quran 5:2)

Help one another in righteousness and the fear of Allah. And I was writing all the verses from the Quran and all the hadith, how we should help one another. And the moment I did that and wrote all the verses, a Muslim came that I never met before named, I think, I forgot his name, from Palestine. He said, Imam Siraj, I need your help. Some drug dealers took over my building. And I need your help. I went to the police and they could do nothing. I went several times. He started crying, I need your help.

I decided at that moment, I'm gonna do one or two things. I'm gonna either help him or not help him. But if I'm not gonna help him, I'm not gonna give that khutbah. You get my point? I don't wanna be hypocrite.

So we decided to help him. We got about 20 brothers. We went there and we knocked on the door, but the drug dealers had taken over his apartment. He said, who is this? I said, it's the Muslims and we come to get our brothers home. And the guy in the back said, it's the Muslims. Don't do nothing stupid.

Wallahi. These are drug dealers. These are Muslims, don't do nothing stupid. 10 of them came out there and they left and gave the place back to the brother. My point is, Allah gonna test us.

The Broken Car Window

Now, Friday morning, 6.30 in the morning, I'm getting ready, man. Gonna go to the masjid, right? And my stepson says, I went outside and someone broke into your car. In the khutbah, what I was talking about, we have to be patient. Muslims have to be patient, right? We should be patient.

Boom! Somebody broke into my car, busted my window, messed up everything. And I said to myself, boy, if I had me a bat, if I had me a bat, if I caught that boy, I would work him over. Said, Siraj, what about the khutbah? Oh yeah, all right. He said, Allah test you, Allah test you.

So brothers and sisters, we gotta be people, you know, of justice and fairness and we gotta treat everybody right. And I close with this.

Elevation of the Poor in Islam

You know, poor people, you know what Allah did with poor people? You know, everybody look down on poor people. But Allah and his messenger elevated poor people. For instance, the prophet said, peace and blessing be upon him, said, I looked in paradise and I saw that the majority of the inhabitants were poor. (Sahih al-Bukhari 3241, Sahih Muslim 2737)

The prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, said (يَدْخُلُ الْفُقَرَاءُ الْجَنَّةَ قَبْلَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ بِخَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ - Yadkhulu al-fuqara'u al-jannata qabla al-aghniya'i bi khamsi mi'ati 'am). (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 2353)

And poor people should enter Jannah 500 years before the rich people. So those kinds of things. You know, it's like, okay, ain't so bad to be poor. You know, it's an attitude.

Zakat and Caring for the Poor

And number two, the people that have, Allah give them great reward for those who give. Zakat, Muslim giving zakat, that ain't nothing new. All the prophets had that. All the people had to give zakat. All the people have to give up their wealth to help the poor.

And brothers and sisters, I'm telling you, if we would pay more attention to those in need, Allah will make this a better country. I promise you, it will make us better as Muslims and it'll make America a better country. If we'd be concerned, we'd be concerned about people that are less than us.

Loving All People

And you know what the key is? The key is, man, being concerned about everybody. Wallahi, I'm not like this anymore. I love black people. Allah's my witness. I love black people. I love them. They're my people. But you know, Allah has made me to love everybody. I'm on the plane. I talk to everybody. I don't care what you are. You're white, you're black. I mean, and I love people. I asked Allah to help me to love people.

So anybody, anybody I see, I talk to. Even the brothers, the bums on the street. Honestly, people come to me and say, mister, you got some money? And let me tell you something, I'm not stupid. I'm from the hood. I know game.

Street Encounters and Wisdom

I ran into a guy the other day, man. We come from the masjid. I was in the masjid for fajr. So I'm coming out of the masjid and I go get my newspaper. And this guy said, you know, can I get some money? I said, what you need money for? I'm going to ask you, what you need money for? I'm going to go on a train. Yeah, where you going? I got to go to Manhattan. Why you got to go to Manhattan? He said, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.

He couldn't tell me why he was going to Manhattan. All he had to say is, you know, I'm going for a job interview. I would have given him the money. All you got to do is tell me you want something to eat. You know what I do? There's a restaurant right next door. I said, brother, you want something to eat? Come on, I'll take you.

When they said, no, no, it's OK. Then I know you don't want money to eat. You want some money for some crack. And I ain't giving you no money for no crack. You understand? But you have to be concerned, like the prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, was concerned with everybody. Everybody.

The Universal Message of the Prophet

And this is why black people in Africa can say, you know what? Muhammad is my messenger. Or the white man in Germany can say, Muhammad is my messenger. Or someone in Asia say, Muhammad is my messenger. Why?

Yes, say, oh, mankind, that I am the messenger of Allah to all of you.

So we, as the people, as the followers of the prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, can't just love our people. You can't just love the people from Switzerland. You can't just love the people from Lebanon, or from Egypt, or from Africa, man. You know, listen, listen, Mr. Professor Jackson, you can't just love people in the hood, man. You've got to love everybody.

Conclusion

So brothers and sisters, I love you, man. And let's make America better. Let's be patient. Be patient. Let's make America better. And the way you make America better, open up your mouths. Don't be afraid. Don't be ashamed. But be patient. Thank you.

As-salamu alaykum.