Is THEM Guilty of Shirk? - Dr. Wesley Muhammad

19.] Imam Salim Mu‟min Black sheep and white sheep.
In religion black symbolizes the purity of nature and white symbolizes the purity of the intellect. We born
black in our original nature, the nature of fitr. As this nature become enlightened, that is white enter...s
into the nature, we become whiter and whiter until at a point man no longer depends upon his nature. He
then depends upon his intellect. He moves further and further away from his original nature thinking that
he can make it on his own, with his own intellect. This is the white sheep entering the black sheep until
you see no more black sheep. The rest of the hadith you should be able to get.
Maa kathaba al-fu‘aadu maa r‘aa [The heart did not lie about what is saw]. The believer senses
his Lord in his heart. Surely he saw one of the great signs of His Lord. Have you seen Lat, and Uzza? And
Manat the other third? Are the idols that... the people were worshipping Lat, Uzza, or Manat?
Is Fard Muhammad Allah? Is the Honorable Elijah Muhammad Allah? Or is this whole movement of the
Muslim American experience a great sign of Allah. Meaning this movement belongs to Allah.
20.] Dr Wesley Muhammad - Thoughts on Bro Mubaashir Uqdah‟s „Reply To Dr Wesley
Muhammad Part I‟
ASA Bro Mubaashir. Thank you for your kind words regarding my doctoral dissertation and thank you
for the time you have put in to this dialogue with me. For me as well this exchange has been interesting,
informative and beneficial. I have not yet had the opportunity to read your Reply Part II, though I
skimmed it. I would, though, very much like to express some thoughts regarding Part I of your Reply.
There are four main arguments of yours in this Reply that I must comment on:
1.] The Black Sheep/White Sheep reference in the hadith I quoted has no racial reference and no
‗corruption of Islam‘ is hinted at there. Rather, the reference is only to the positive, Qur‘an-predicted
phenomenon of non-Arabs in general entering Islam, to their benefit and, presumably, to the benefit of
the religion itself.
2.] The invisible, incorporeal god that now characterizes orthodox Muslim theology preceded al-Ghazzali
by centuries. This fact is proved, you argue, by the debate which I document in my dissertation among
the Sahaba regarding the Prophet‘s Ru‘ya or Vision of Allah. The fact that some of the Black Arabs
allegedly appeared on the ‗negative‘ side of the debate is, you suggest, proof that the invisible, incorporeal,
non-anthropomorphic deity of the Persian al-Ghazzali actually goes back to some of the Black Arabs
themselves.
3.] The whole idea of anthropomorphism is ‗pre-scientific‘. In your version of world history, which
allegedly ―shows a progression of human belief and knowledge from its early superstitious and pagan
understanding of the planet and world we live in to a more rational, scientific, and educated
understanding of ourselves and our world,‖ anthropomorphism is such a pagan and superstitious
understanding that characterizes the pre-scientific world of the intellectual brutes of yesterday. Our more
modern acquisition of education, science and reason forces an abandonment of anthropomorphism. This,
you say, is History 101.
4.] You further suggest that it was the Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle who
―ushered in an age of reason‖ and helped lead humanity – the intellectual brutes of Ancient Greece,
India, Africa, and Asia – away from their pagan and idolatrous ways. The Qur‘an, the Holy Prophet, and
the Muslim Ummah all espoused the same type of god as did the Greek philosophers, and therefore
further helped bring the world out of the dark ages of superstitious and pagan anthropomorphism.
58