Text Box: Text Box: M.A.L.I.Muslim American Logic Institute
Text Box: ENGINEERING OUR ECONOMY (Part 1) By Mubaashir Uqdah Much is made about the importance of economic strength in the successful development of a society and its people. To fulfill our mission, the supporters of Imam W. Deen Mohammed must develop economic strength, and this does not happen by chance. Ultimately, our economic fate rests in the hands of Allah, but it is our belief that by patiently persevering in the path of His guidance, success through engineering is our destiny. Imam Mohammed states on page 119 of his excellent book Islam’s Climate for Business Success (also referred to in this article as ‘his book’), “G-d wants us to plan our future; He doesn’t want us to have a situation where everything is by chance. We don’t live by chance, we plan for our tomorrows. We plan for our children’s tomorrows. G-d wants us to plan for the future of our society.” We must ask ourselves, “do we have an economic plan or strategy? Do we know what our economic plan or strategy is? Are we participating in that plan or strategy?” It is important to realize that there is a different psychology operating when you believe you are supporting a person’s business effort and when you believe you are participating in an economic plan or strategy designed to bring power to your society. As Imam Mohammed tells us, we have to plan for our individual business life and we have to plan for our society’s economic life. The purpose of this article is to discuss the concept of economics in general, aspects of what is considered an Islamic economy, aspects of Imam Mohammed’s philosophy towards business as seen through his book and the example of his business initiatives, additional suggestions for the supporters of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, all interwoven with the guidance of Deen Al-Fitra. In Sura 3: Ayat 190 (Yusuf Ali Translation), Allah says, “Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.” In the wisdom of the knowledge body called Imam W. Deen Mohammed, earth is symbolic of the material world. The earth is a huge ball of material; all material things are created from it and all material things are returned to it, and are recycled and reused. Since the earth gives birth to the material life of man and the material life of man gives birth to the economy, we can say the earth gives birth to the economy. Therefore, we are able to find instructive wisdom and guidance in the earth for the task of engineering our economy on the pattern of creation. The material life of man has a relationship to the economy of man. When the economy is doing well, the material life of the society does well. When the economy is broken, the material life of the society breaks down. It is no secret that the material life of the African American is in serious need of repair. It is well known that many of our ills, sociological and psychological, stem from a broken material life. Yet, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, African American spending power in the American economy is projected to be 853 billion dollars in the year 2007. It is evident that the African American does not understand the nature of his economy and African American leadership has not shown the determination, wisdom, influence and power to galvanize the strength of our people in an organized economic development effort. As a consequence, we are unable to direct the African American economy for the benefit and advancement of our people. Supporters of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, upon growth into the new mind, are to become the next evolutionary development in the African American people. Imam Mohammed proclaimed that we are a new people on this earth. This new people, this new mind, must come to know what an economy is, develop the ability to define, create, and harness our own economy, then lead the way in constructing and harnessing a true African American economy that serves as the engine for the evolution of our next stage of development. The next stage of evolution in the African American is a mentality and culture that produces group achievement. Up from slavery and Jim Crow, we have produced many individuals that have achieved success and have benefited themselves and humanity. African Americans have yet to produce a community that works together cooperatively and productively to achieve great results for ourselves and for humanity. Imam Mohammed refers to this next evolutionary step as New Africa, a model community working for the good of all humanity. Many believed that the Nation of Islam, under the honorable Elijah Muhammad, was that next evolutionary step. There was a picture of unity on the economic front, the educational front with the University of Islam private school system, and as an advocate for the unity and uplift of our people. All of this was tied to distinct, easily recognized symbols, the close haircut, bow-tie, and the sisters in all-white. The Muslims, as a community, looked better and were producing better results on all fronts than the rest of the African American communities. Hence, there was an ascension of the Nation as a foremost force in African American life, because most African Americans began to see us as that next evolutionary step, the group model. However, the bigger and more influential the Nation of Islam grew, the more the wrong focus began to dominate and corruption set in. The emphasis on uplifting and rebuilding the human being inside of the African American for the benefit of all humanity became subordinate to obtaining black power for the sake of replacing the white man’s rule with our own rule. Hence, as we got more money, power, and influence, financial abuse, the abuse of power, and the emphasis on black rather than on the human essence in the black skin opened the way for Shaitan to exploit human weaknesses that were growing within our core. Corrupt governmental influences helped set the Nation on a course for internal corrosion and increased racial conflict, which plays directly into the hands of those who practice the principle of divide and conquer. Fortunately, Imam Mohammed was wise enough and able to change the direction of the Nation of Islam without incurring the kind of damage that would have occurred if the Nation had followed its course to its logical conclusion. We suffered serious losses for sure, but Imam Mohammed controlled the transformational surgery rather than the hostile outside practitioners that were planning to disfigure us. He retranslated our lives and rebuilt us anew. It was truly an amazing transformation and accomplishment. In his wonderful book, he emphasizes the role of individual right-mindedness as the foundation of economic success. He explains how the correct concept of Islam produces a moral foundation in the individual. Thus, when our economic power rises again the individuals that are leading that rise are more resistant to corruption and the abuse of power. The Nation of Islam was a mighty sign of what that group model can look like and Imam Mohammed has positioned his followers to become the real thing. Make no mistake about it; the same problem of corruption that affected the Nation of Islam exists in the Muslim world. We need only look at the governments in Africa and the Middle East to witness the Imam’s concern. How can Saudi Arabia be so wealthy and its population so poor? Are the ruling elite planning their business future on sound motivations or is personal success and status dominating their hearts? According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), created by Congress in 1977 as a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, the average income per person in Saudi Arabia in 2001 was $12,200. The average income per person in Israel in 2001 was $18,148. It is not enough to strive for power and strength, for power and strength guided by the wrong motivations leads to corruption and destruction. On page 93 of his book, Imam Mohammed states, “the worst greed is dominance. It is the greed for power over others. Those with that greed will sell everything – their mothers, their babies, and everything – to keep themselves in a superior position over others.” This motivation can be seen when those in authority over us have no plan for our future. When they are comfortable in their positions of leadership they will have no real action plans that lead to progress for the society. They will only have plans that strengthen their own position of leadership and the tribe that supports them. Imam W. Deen Mohammed devotes over 50% of the discussion in his book to the need for building our business future upon the foundation of sound motivations. Our Imam has taught us that the big ball of material called the earth is held up in space by an invisible force. He told us it was held up by faith. Why did he say this? Allah says in Qur’an, Sura 21: Ayat 33, “It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon (by extension, the earth): Each swims or floats along its orbit.” The word Sabaha carries the meanings of to swim, to float, to spread (as in, to glide). The word Subhana (highly glorified) also comes from Sabaha. Let’s look at the connection. We swim in the water, we float on the water and we can glide along the water. John baptized in the water, Jesus walked on the water, and we perform ablution with water. Imam Mohammed has explained to us the connection between water (as a symbol) and the purified and clean moral nature of the human. By keeping our material life immersed in a moral foundation, it will float along its course, never sinking or falling out of its orbit. Truly, Subhanallah, highly glorified is Allah, who makes huge material bodies float effortlessly upon an invisible force along courses exactly computed (Yusuf Ali translation, Sura 55: Ayat 5). What is so beautiful about the Arabic here is that the word for orbit (Falaka) also carries the meaning of ship and is the same word used when the Qur'an refers to Noah’s ship (Ark). This tells us that not only are the planets floating on “water”, but the orbit (path) itself is a vessel traveling on the “water” carrying you to safety. The followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed must come to understand our economy, obtain a critical measure of coordination of that economy and engineer it to enhance our productivity. After achieving a degree of mastery over our own economy, we must then strategize to coordinate the African American economy, involving non-Muslim African Americans into our effort and expanding the benefits coming to us and going out to the larger African American community. Upon redirecting a sizeable portion of the wealth of the African American into more productive purposes, we will have the material capacity to fuel the good and productive life activities of our people and begin affecting the larger American society in the direction of that which is good. We will be a force to reckon with for the promotion of all that is good and against all that is bad, as long as we keep the goodness and innocence of human nature (Adam) as the foundation of our life, particularly our economic life. Continue Part 2

M.A.L.I. Magazine:

Applying Teachings of Imam W.D. Mohammed

By Mubaashir Uqdah