October 2, 2024 • 54 mins
In this insightful episode of 'The Family Ties,' co-hosts Frank Abdul Shaheed &
Faridah Abdul-Tawwab Brown discuss the importance of embracing seasonal changes, both in nature and in our lives. They delve into the current political discourse around immigration, emphasizing the need for a community that is charitable and secure. Using examples from the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad's leadership in Medina, they highlight the role of family, community, and shared responsibilities in building a 'City of Light.' Through personal stories and historical references, the hosts explore themes of spiritual and material migration, the duality of human nature, and the responsibilities we have towards our neighbors. The episode ultimately encourages listeners to adopt a mindset that aligns with scriptural values and work towards the collective establishment of human dignity and excellence.
00:00 Welcome to The Family Ties
00:50 Autumn Reflections and Personal Insights
04:50 The City of Light and Community Security
06:57 Keys to Community Security and Immigration
15:19 The Role of Charity and Responsibility
23:14 Family as the Foundation of Society
40:58 Historical Lessons and Spiritual Guidance
52:29 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions
This podcast is about family life as a means to address current problems in American society. A scripture based African American perspective.
Welcome to The Family Ties, a Prescription for Society.
Through this experience we invite you to join us in an exploration of the concept of family ties as a prescription for society.
YOUR HOSTS: Frank Abdul Shaheed &
Faridah Abdul-Tawwab Brown
This episode was recorded and edited by Darryl D Anderson of AMG - Ambassador Media Group visit https://www.ambassador-mediagroup.com/
__________________________________
Music Credit
Back Home by Ghostrifter Official | https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Copyright 2024
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Frank (00:15):
Peace be upon the family, as we welcome you to another
experience of The Family Ties, aprescription for society.
I am your co host, Frank AbdulShahid.
Faridah (00:26):
And I am your co host, Farida Abdul Tawab Brown.
Before we get started, don'tforget to subscribe so you can
stay up to date and get all theAll the latest episodes,
Frank (00:36):
welcome back to another fantastic, hopefully episode
with my dear co hosts, sisterFarida.
It's a pleasure to have youback.
How are you?
Faridah (00:45):
I am well, it is a pleasure to be back and to be
here with you.
I am well enjoying the, I guessthe new newness of autumn.
I was going to say the vestigesof summer, but autumn is upon
us.
My favorite season of the year.
Frank (01:02):
Yes.
I'm more of a spring guy becauseI'm looking forward to the new
growth and a new life.
And, and those types of things,as I get into autumn, I'm
thinking about, Oh, I'm going tohave to go into another five
months of cold.
Oh no.
Faridah (01:17):
See, you know, I'm not even thinking of winter at that
point.
I'm just thinking of the beauty,the magnificent beauty, you
know, as a new Englander, youknow, born and raised in, in
Boston, Massachusetts.
So the awesomeness, theresplendence of the beauty of
the turning leaves is justamazing.
And then that little nip in theair, you go from steamy summer
(01:38):
nights to the coolness ofautumn.
And it always signifies changeto me.
And I guess, because it'sassociated with the beginning of
the school year, September,around that time, I think it
always was associated in my mindwith new beginnings.
In a similar manner to spring,but just, I guess, in that idea
of intellectual growth andmaking new friends, that kind of
(02:01):
thing.
Frank (02:02):
Well, as I'm looking back on some of the literature that I
used to read, a lot of CharlesDickens and those types of
great, authors that we had toread while we were in high
school and going through school,I think of like the cold, dark
winter was the name of a book orsomething similar to that.
But if it's cold and it's darkand it's winter, then in my
mind, I'm thinking, well, thenthere must be a sunset and this
(02:25):
has to be autumn, which isinteresting because when you
look at the sun rise in thespring, you, sometimes you may
be blessed to see.
Some color in the sky, but oftenyou don't really see a lot of
colors in the dawn of the dayIt's just very bright.
The color sky is usually veryblue and it's just very clear
(02:48):
Just a clear time of day, butnormally when autumn comes or
the sunset comes that's when yousee the streaks of colors where
you tend to see them also in thetrees during the Setting of the
Sun during the seasons known asautumn, which I found very
interesting and beautiful aswell
Faridah (03:05):
Yes, you know, I read a poem once that described autumn,
the magnificence.
It described autumn as the thetime of year when the trees and
nature was going through thesecycles that were closed, like
you said.
It was a harbinger of of winter,you know, of death in a sense.
(03:25):
But it was that period in lifewhere the mature trees, the
fullness, they're revealingtheir full beauty and color.
And I, I find that reminiscent,I think of people like my
mother, you know, in the, the,the, the, you know, near the end
of her life, she was giving ofher beauty.
She was giving of her knowledgeand her wisdom and and
(03:46):
everything that she had gainedon this earth and the beauty in
that was showing and she wasgiving it to those around her.
And I think of autumn in thatway, in that same, a similar
manner, the beauty of thoseleaves turning.
Frank (03:59):
There is a song called the autumn leaves.
And my favorite version of it isby The Temptations.
Now, they never released thesong.
They just happened to do arendition of it on a The Ed
Sullivan Show, actually.
But that version of The AutumnLeaves, I just really loved it.
that, that version, plus I'm aTemptations fan anyway, but the,
(04:21):
the, the, the song itself justgives you a greater appreciation
of autumn and how our life isreflective of going through a
period of autumn as well.
Faridah (04:32):
Yeah.
I must say that my, my favoriteversion is Nat King Cole and you
know, of, of that song.
So we both enjoy it fromdifferent different places on
the musical spectrum, if youwill.
Frank (04:43):
Yes.
But they're all, all adignified.
Taste and everything.
So,
Faridah (04:49):
yes,
Frank (04:50):
well, you know, in previous episodes, you know, we,
we wanted to just reinforce whatwe want to do to use this
platform for what our voice isdesigned to be.
For what interests we have andjust want to make sure that our
listening audience understandswhy we're using this platform
(05:13):
and using our voice and reallyencouraging them to look deeply
into themselves and find a way.
Find a way for them, for theirvoice to be heard, their actions
to be seen.
So that way we all have thisuniversal design for ourselves
and we all have a collectivedestiny and to ensure that we
(05:34):
all are on the path to thatcollective destiny.
So we, we mentioned about thiscity of light.
On a previous podcast and, andhow the city of light just
embodies the hopes and dreamsand aspirations of the soul and
the material coming together tohave this establishment, the
good establishment as we, as wementioned before.
(05:56):
So we, we want to continue inthat, that vein of, of
determining what the city oflight is.
should be and how we should takesteps to try to develop
ourselves and taking stepstowards that city.
Faridah (06:13):
I have a question for you in light of that.
And I think it's a veryimportant, like you said, we're,
we're trying to establish whatit is that we are doing with
this voice.
And it's very important to theboth of us that you know, that
you, as our, our listeningaudience understand that this is
a movement that we'd like tobuild.
You know, that's, that isawakening the purpose within and
(06:36):
calling on all of us to, to findthat light inside, connect it
with the light of guidance fromour creator and, and set this
city on in light, you know lightthe city up with our individual
lights.
And so in light of that, I wouldI would like to ask you what are
the keys?
(06:57):
You know, I would like us toconsider what are the keys to
the security of a community.
And I asked that in light aswell of the recent political
political conversation thatwe've been involved in.
Most recently it's come to thefore in a recent debate between
the two two of the presidentialcandidates in this November,
(07:18):
2024 election.
Of course there are othercandidates, green party
candidates and, and others, butthe two nominees from the
democratic and Republicanparties and in that debate
conversation has come up.
around the immigrant communityin this country.
And we know that that's a hottopic and, you know, a hot
button issue right now in ourcountry because our cities have
(07:40):
been darkened.
The light in our cities and inour, ourselves, our homes, our,
our families have been darkenedin a way.
And there's a darknesssurrounding this national
conversation that we're havingaround immigration.
So can you discuss that a bitin, in light of the keys to the
security of a community?
Frank (08:01):
Absolutely.
I will do my best
Faridah (08:05):
as you do well every week.
Frank (08:09):
Thank you.
The check is in the mail.
When I think of security, Ithink of a security guard.
And normally a security guardwould have three things on him.
He would normally have a pen.
He would normally have aflashlight and he would normally
have a set of keys.
(08:32):
And one particular person Iheard, and many years ago said
that the more keys you have onyour key ring, the more it shows
your level of managingresponsibility.
So so we're talking about thekeys to security of, of, of a
city coming to a city orcommunity.
(08:52):
I wanted to throw that in, but Iwant to, I want to talk about
this political climate aboutimmigrants.
So, interestingly, man's life isdesigned to grow.
We're designed to go.
We're not designed to staystill.
We're not a stagnant creation.
We're designed to traverse.
(09:13):
We're designed to, to, to gomany places and do many things.
So there's always a movement togo somewhere, to leave
something, to go to something.
One of those very.
Early inscriptions on the soulof man was God himself, our
creator created man to find him,which means you have to leave
(09:38):
something to find something.
So it's already in our natureto, to leave one point, to go to
another point.
Normally, in that level ofprogression, it's for to build.
Upon something very rarely, doyou ever see us in a situation
where we're trying to, we'releaving something to get away
(09:58):
from something, but even if weare getting away from something
is because it's denying us anopportunity to build something.
So the, the motivation in us andour spirit and our soul is to
leave one thing to go someplaceelse to discover, to find a
better place.
Understanding a bettersituation, a better
establishment.
(10:18):
So when I hear the language ofour political situation
regarding immigrants, it's givenus the picture of a people who
wanting to take from somethingversus them wanting to establish
(10:41):
their best life to contribute tosomething.
So the very symbol of freedom inAmerica is The Statue of
Liberty, and we know that on theStatue of Liberty, what is the
quote on the Statue of Liberty?
You know, give me your, yourtie, your core, your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free,to breathe life free, freedom
(11:06):
expression.
This is what America is calledthe humanity too.
This is the established, this isthe place for you to have your
best life, the America.
As we know it to be, but thelanguage of the political people
suggest something otherwise.
(11:26):
And it's something that we haveto be very careful on when we're
looking at this, this picture ofimmigrants.
And as I said, I wanted to paintthe picture to say that already
in our nature, we're designed tomove to a better establishment.
It's something in us that movesus there.
Our nature moves us there.
Our spirit moves us there.
And ultimately our mind willmove us there for us to now
(11:49):
establish our physicalestablishment in this new land
or this new environment or thisnew knowledge or this new
circumstance.
So I wanted to just to beginwith there and see what you
thought your thoughts are.
in response to that, havingsecuring the keys for a secure
(12:11):
city or community.
Faridah (12:12):
So, yeah, you, you, you brought up a lot, but I think
the idea of, of movement, of thenecessity of movement I think
that one of the things that wehave to focus on is this There
was a very important,enlightening teaching that, that
(12:33):
made reference to the, the pointof departure being very being
critical to understandingmigration or immigration.
And I think it's criticalbecause we're told in the, the
Quran.
in the scripture of the Muslimsthat migrate, we're told,
migrate in the way of God.
(12:55):
And so it's very important whatthe intention is behind a
migration, a movement.
And so whether you're actuallytalking about a physical
migration, the immigrants whoare being painted with a, a, a,
a brush.
Frank (13:10):
That is
Faridah (13:11):
a broad brush that is almost entirely negative in our
current you know, in the, thecurrent political discourse that
that brush is, is very negative.
It's very broad and it is alsoevoking not scriptural guidance.
or even having a reference to,you know, our history, as you
(13:35):
pointed out, you know, lookingat the Statue of Liberty and the
poem that's inscribed upon thebase of the Statue of Liberty
that speaks to the impulse andthe, the exhortation to charity,
to security, for those who haveto flee, who are looking for
relief from some situation thatoppresses human dignity or
(13:57):
doesn't make space for humandignity.
So whether you're speaking aboutthe, the migrant who is moving
physically away from ageographical location and a
reality that oppresses their,their very being and their
ability to have a healthy,dignified human life.
Or speaking to the reality ofthe necessity to migrate again,
(14:20):
this point of departure tomigrate in one's disposition
away from a reality that isoppressive and which and seeks
to undermine the, the humandignity and the expressions of
human dignity.
And I think that the key tosecurity that is inherent in
that or the keys to securitythat are inherent in that is
(14:43):
that migration inherent in thatis a struggle, right?
To move from one place toanother, even in one's
mentality, even in theirpsychology or their spirit, it
requires a struggle and itrequires an effort and a
standing.
It also requires a communityneighborly needs.
(15:06):
It requires care.
It requires offering harbor orit offers harboring or safety.
Right.
And so you cannot have onewithout the other.
And so immigration is aninvitation for those of us who
have something to offer to begenerous with that.
(15:26):
If the, if the migration is onthe part of somebody who is
moving out of a place thatoppresses the human spirit and
doesn't make way or a pathway orroom for human dignity to be
secured, then any human being orany institution in society is
(15:49):
required, if one follows thelogic of scripture, is required
to offer safe harbor.
Frank (15:56):
Yes.
Faridah (15:56):
For that individual or that thinking.
And so I think those two thingsare key to the security of any
community.
And I think it's telling thatwe're being invited away from
that picture, that guidance thatscripture gives us in our
current Our current politicaldiscourse when we, when we're
looking at actual physical andmaterial migration.
Frank (16:19):
Yes.
So once again with this podcast,we want to make sure that our
listening audience, you know,just understands that how
language has been formed to, tofree us.
And at the same time, we'vetalked about this duality is
also was created and used in away that wasn't intended, and it
(16:43):
now has put us in an oppressive,oppressive state.
So it is our duty to, to loveone another.
It's already in us to do it, youknow, but, but as a support for
that our creator has put insociety and put in, in nature.
This relationship, and we see itin many forms in, in, in, in
(17:04):
society and in creation, havingthe responsibility of being one
who is secure means that it justdoesn't stay with you.
Part of the security is toensure that which is around you
has the same benefit as well.
The, the one who is immigratingor leaving a circumstance and
(17:27):
wanting to come into anothercircumstance understands that
even in that level of conditionthat they're in, that there's a
certain responsibility that theyhave as well.
So each party has to respecttheir level of responsibility.
So that way these tworesponsibilities never.
Never rubbing against eachother.
(17:48):
They're never in conflict witheach other.
They are actually following thesame logic.
It's just that they're both indifferent positions, but the
logic is the same.
So when we talking aboutsecuring a situation and I'm a
neighbor, I am in my community,I'm just in my neighborhood.
I have to understand that myneighbor next to me, I have to,
(18:12):
in order for my security to besafe to true have to have.
To have true security that Ihave to ensure that the ones
next to me has the same resourceor the same access to the
resource.
So ultimately it is for me toshare if it's not knowledge, it
could be material, it could bespiritual.
It could be a host of things,but I have to share that because
(18:33):
that is my responsibility.
To share that level of what Ihave to ensure that the security
stays where it is, the personwho is seeking freedom, the
person who is seeking liberationunderstands that should
understand that coming into thatcondition offers you the
responsibility to maintain thatfreedom and liberation, which
(18:57):
means that you have to pick upanother burden or pick up
another responsibility to ensurethat that freedom stays free.
With others.
So as, as the Statue of Libertysays, give me, you know, you
want to come to, to breathefree, to be, to breathe freely.
So to, to put it all together,they work together.
(19:17):
So the one who has, and the onewho doesn't have worked so
closely together that you don'tknow who has and who doesn't.
That's the picture.
Faridah (19:26):
Yes.
Frank (19:26):
That should be the picture.
You shouldn't know who thewealthy person on your
neighborhood is because you guysshould be working together in
such unity that you don't know.
You all look the same.
It's a uniform picture and withthis immigration language,
that's what the responsibilityof those who have are obligated
(19:48):
to those who don't have.
So in America, the picture isthis as American citizens,
we're, we're, something is beingtaken away from us because
immigrants are coming.
So now I have a certaindisposition towards the
immigrant that won't help thembe successful, which ultimately
will take away my security inthe long run.
(20:10):
So we have to redefine whatthese responsibilities are and
have the, have to be aware ofwhat the language is and be able
to decipher the language to getthe best results.
Faridah (20:21):
So you're, you're I, I love the beauty of, of, of the
logic of scripture, because whatyou're describing in, in, in
reorienting us to these conceptsthat in their guided that the
guidance has been there for, youknow, thousands of years and
(20:44):
we're looking at this idea ofloving thy neighbor.
as thyself, right?
We're looking at the, this ideathat what, if there's enough for
one, there's enough for two.
That we're told in the Quranthat if you spend in the way of,
of, of God, like for, with yourintentions to be pleasing to
(21:06):
your creator, then you willnever lose.
It's like loaning.
to God alone so that when youare giving of what you have and
remembering that everything thatwe have is a gift and a bounty
from God anyway.
Right?
The creator is the one who hasprovided this.
There is a, in, in the Quran,we're told that, that God is the
(21:27):
best of providers.
And so the reality of what'sgoing on.
of taking from what He hasprovided.
Not meaning that we don'tunderstand and respect the idea
of ownership and understand thatwe are stewards of the wealth
and material possessions thatGod gives us, but understanding
that ultimately this is all aprovision from Him.
(21:50):
And so we're supposed to utilizewhat we have.
Like you said, the right handshould give so that the left
hand doesn't even know that it'sgiving.
The, the neighborhood should befunctioning in a way that You
understand what your neighborneeds and you are racing in a
race with others to provide whatyour neighbor needs.
(22:12):
In what, in what way, you know,we have this critique in our
country.
Well, that person's supposed topull themselves up by their
bootstraps and, you know, weshouldn't be, you know, you
should, you shouldn't give themso much that they become
dependent.
Well, when a baby.
is learning to stand when youwatch them, when you observe
them doing this thing that's intheir spirit, they're watching
(22:33):
everyone around them, walking,moving, getting to the things
that they want being able tomove away quickly from one point
to another.
They see that and they want thatfor themselves.
So that's a desire to stand inand establish oneself.
They often need help.
Mm-Hmm.
the baby will hold ontosomething, a table, a couch, a
(22:54):
a, a person's leg.
Their, their mother's arm.
Their father's finger.
Right.
And they will use this tostabilize themselves as they're
standing.
And once they have had thepractice and they're in, in the
habit of doing it, then theywalk on their own.
That's the process.
That's the process for all ofhumanity.
And so I will take this back tolooking at the, the, the, the
(23:19):
model for this for humanity Andit's in the family because it's
in the family where you realizethat we are, we are, we have a
model for healthyinterdependence.
Healthy interdependence beginswithin the family unit.
And as we all know, the title ofthis show is family ties, a
(23:41):
prescription for society.
What you're describing as youtalk about immigration and the,
the need.
that we have as, as, as, aspeople, as American citizens to
migrate, to immigrate from ourway of thinking, the way we
currently construct that this isa battle over resources and
(24:03):
there's not enough for me.
So how can there be enough forthese migrants who need my
resources as well?
And then it becomes this mightyfight over these limited
resources when God himself hasprovided enough resources for
every human being.
It's just about management,right?
And it's about, and those, thoseideals, that way of seeing it,
(24:27):
of course, it's in scripture,it's in guidance, but it is
modeled in the beautiful examplethat God has given us in the
formation of family life.
When the husband and wife cometogether The husband, especially
when the wife is pregnant andshe's carrying children and she
has these young children who aredependent on her very body for
(24:48):
nourishment and sustenance,there is a responsibility upon
that mother to, to take care ofher body.
and her spirit and her mind sothat that child can be healthy.
And there's a responsibility onthe father to go out and provide
material resources and alsospiritual guidance and emotional
(25:09):
support as that process ishappening.
So they're both dependent on oneanother.
They cannot stand.
She cannot stand in her role asa nurturer of human life without
the support.
of a husband and father who, whotakes his role seriously and
gives out of what he's beenprovided.
And he cannot stand in his roleas a provider and a leader for
(25:33):
his family.
If he does not have anunderstanding of the value of
what his wife is doing innurturing and carrying his
future.
his establishment within herbody, both literally, literally
and metaphorically.
And so within the family, that'swhen sisters and brothers, we
learned how to rely on oneanother.
(25:54):
When you're down, when you needsomething to eat, when one
person is sick, the others helpone another.
It's in the family unit, thehealthy family unit that we
learned that we have to rely onone another.
And so once you take that,understanding in practice, that
scriptural guidance in practicein a very meaningful way, in a
way that's modeled in our actualcreation.
(26:17):
Then we take that and we, we,we, we use it at, on the
neighborhood level.
Yes, we care for our neighbors,the community level.
We care for our community andultimately the level of the
human family.
Frank (26:30):
Yes.
Very well.
Very well.
I love that picture.
It's just a beautiful picture.
The picture of family has alwaysbeen a beautiful picture.
So in the climate that we're innow, you know, you mentioned the
pull yourself up by thebootstraps.
Yes.
I've always.
Yes.
Marveled over that particularsaying, because it suggests that
(26:53):
a person who hasn't done it islazy that that's, that's been
the connotation with that, thatthat person is lazy if you don't
put yourself up by thebootstrap.
Look, I'm successful.
I put myself up by thebootstraps.
Well, as you.
Painted the picture about achild wanting to stand up
oftentimes, if not, every timethe child looks for a structure
(27:15):
that has already establisheditself for them to stand up.
So once again, as a child,you're not even, you can't even
birth yourself.
Something has to birth you.
So at any point in your life,did you ever think you could do
it by yourself?
You're getting the wrongpicture.
So that pull yourself up by thebootstraps is just another way
(27:39):
to deceive man out of his good,his good life.
And his good mind is good sensesto, to want to be arrogant to
the point where it's just you.
And if it ain't, if you can't doit, then, then you can't do it
or it can't get done.
So, yes, right.
So a child needs structures andwe need structures in our
(28:01):
community, and this is whatsecures the community.
This is we looking for thosesecurities in the community.
So we mentioned once before in aprevious episode about.
The city of light, and wementioned a particular city, the
city is Medina and the properterm for it is Medina Al
Munarwa, which means the city oflight or enlightenment.
(28:24):
And we referenced that Muhammad,the prophet, the prayers and
peace be upon him, who receivedthe Quran and established the
life in that city as an examplefor all of humanity.
That's the example.
What, what, what made it thecity of light?
He put a requirement on theresidents of that particular
(28:45):
city to accept.
The immigrants who were cominginto his city, and he was one of
those immigrants.
He wasn't originally from thatcity, but he was invited to move
to live there.
And he brought along those whohad the same sensitivities as
himself, as well as the peoplewho have already secured the
city to come to the city aswell.
(29:07):
But his requirement was to.
Share and share alike as mygrandmother's always say share
and share alike To share andshare alike meaning that you
should open your your heart.
You should open your resources.
You should open everything up toAccept what's coming because
(29:28):
that's a shared Dispositions, ashared idea, ideal, and it's a
shared, a common identity thatthey want for a common solution
or a common goal or focus.
And then those who were comingwith him understood that there
was a requirement on them aswell.
If I had to.
(29:50):
Which means that now we bothhave one that you can't
overburden the person who'saccepting you just because you
you've come into a newsituation, which means initially
what we talked about is thedisposition of leaving in the
first place.
to have the best life.
You're now coming into asituation where you can have
(30:12):
that best life, but in that bestlife, there are requirements and
there are rules and regulationsand obligations as well.
So for, in order for us to havethis city of enlightenment, then
we all must have the samedisposition.
And the disposition is to becharitable because charity
begins at home.
Faridah (30:28):
Yes.
Frank (30:29):
And it spreads abroad.
These are, these are lessonsthat we learned even before we
even knew what they wereconnected to.
It was just in the environmentand we just knew these things.
So when we heard grandma say,share and share alike, we
understood what that was.
We might've been a little angrybecause I had two Mary Jane
taffies that I wanted to eat onmy own, but I had to share one
(30:50):
with my brother knowing fullwell, he's at the age where his
teeth is falling out anyway,because he's about to get his
adult teeth.
I still had to share and sharealike.
So.
These are just life lessons, andwe have to have the disposition
to accept and also have thatdisposition to go forward.
Faridah (31:07):
You are so correct.
I have my own share and sharealike story in it.
As you said, these are importantlifelong lessons that we learn
in the bosoms of our childhood,you know, in our families.
And my mother, who also happenedto be my first grade teacher.
She, she my sister and I, youknow, I am a twin.
(31:27):
And so we, our, our birthdayfalls in May.
So that's during the course ofthe school year.
So that we, she brought a cakein and, you know, our classmates
are going to sing happy birthdayto us.
And, you know, the twins areturning seven and, you know, we
were so excited until my motherinformed us that we were going
to be sharing our cake with aclass, a classmate of ours who
(31:48):
had done had some type ofremarkable academic achievement
that she was super proud of.
And we were, we were stunnedwith what we have to share a
birthday cake.
And of course he's there smilinglike, yeah, I get to blow out
the candles too.
We were yeah, we were notimpressed with that lesson at
the age of seven, but it hasread, it's stuck with us.
We knew it was something we hadto do.
(32:09):
And that lesson, you know, has,has lived with us for a lifetime
and we understood.
You know, I understood theimportance of sharing what you
have, even if it doesn't feelgood in the moment, that
charitable spirit is aboutgiving you know, even if you can
feel that it would have beenmore comfortable.
(32:30):
for you to have it all foryourself.
You realize that the greatergood is being served, the
happiness.
And when we saw the joy on hisface, when we knew that he was
being celebrated for somethingthat he had accomplished, I
mean, that did feel good, youknow, it really did.
And that felt good even to achild.
And so I think going back tothis idea, you know, you're,
(32:50):
you're really Honing in on theidea that everything is created
in payers, that there's aduality, that there is a success
in the, the only way that thecommunity can function as a
whole is for both the, the themigrant, the one who has
traveled
Frank (33:10):
Mm-hmm.
Faridah (33:10):
For a righteous reason.
And again, like you said, there,there, there are there are
regulations built in to thisidea.
Even when you talked about, youmade reference to Muhammad the
Prophet, prayers and peace beupon him and his his command to
the believers to support oneanother and enter into a
relationship where they wouldeven inherit from one another.
(33:32):
But that wasn't to go on for alifetime.
It was, to to, to help them asthe child does, as the baby does
to stand on their feet.
And then once they are thatdrive, and that's a way that
supports the human.
There was even one companion ofthe prophet prayers and peace be
upon him at that time, who feltso strongly about, you know,
standing on his own two feetthat he, you know, he went out
(33:54):
and he, he, he worked and hewent to the market and he worked
really hard so that he wouldn'thave to end up relying on, on
his partner.
But that was just to show thatyou don't kill the spirit of the
human being to stand in andestablish on their own by giving
them the natural supports thatare necessary.
But you will do that if you doit in a way, you know, if you,
(34:16):
if you keep holding up the babyforever, the baby will never
want to learn to walk.
So one of the other the, the,the built in supports in this
process is also to vet themigrant.
For their intention to leave.
Remember again, the Qur'ansaying that, you know, you
migrate in the way of God.
You know, if you've been takenfrom your home, if you're not
able to secure your humandignity, then that should be
(34:38):
that liberation that you'relooking for, for the human
spirit, that should berecognized by anyone who is
already secure.
And we have an obligation tohelp them secure it.
Frank (34:50):
Yes.
We
Faridah (34:50):
have that obligation that exists in us.
And as you said, the communitycannot flourish without that
charitable nature and thatstriving for the establishment
of the human dignity.
Frank (35:04):
Absolutely.
And, and the thing that I loveabout our audience is they're so
patient with us and thesestories that we tell because
these stories are sodevelopmental and, you know, and
we just want to make sure thatwe are connecting with the
audience and just to let themknow that these.
Life lessons have, have formedin us and developed us as well.
(35:26):
So my mother, I have to, I haveto bring this up and mom, you
know, the, there is no questionmy love for you, but I have to
bring this story up mom.
So my mother birthday is onDecember 24th.
So oftentimes she wouldn't getgifts on the 25th, so she would
(35:46):
just get on the 24th and theywere, she was in such a poor
situation, not having resourcesthat oftentimes she wouldn't get
anything for either day.
So her aunt used to bake her acoconut cake, a three layer
coconut cake.
And let me tell you, you, youcan't beat scratch.
Nothing beats scratch.
I just want everybody tounderstand that.
(36:08):
And for those of us who havethe.
Palate to remember the, the,what scratch does that, that
you've, you've been blessed.
So she would make my mother acoconut cake and that was her
birthday gift.
So when we came along and ofcourse, you know, 20, December
24th came along and she got thiscoconut cake and my mother said,
(36:31):
you guys can't have any.
Like, what are you talkingabout?
Are you telling us we need toshare our stuff, but we can't
handle coconut cake.
She said, because this isn't mybirthday cake.
This is my birthday gift.
You don't share your gift, youshare the cake.
And I was like, really, Ma?
(36:51):
Okay.
So what we would do is when shewould go to work, we would cut
the cake in like such thinslices that she wouldn't know,
but, but as children thinking wegetting away with stuff, she
knew it.
But but I will say this, I justwant to say this for the record,
my mother gave of everything.
It's just, we just couldn't getnone of that birthday cake, but
I just want to go.
Since you talked about birthdaycakes and stuff like that, but
(37:13):
that was her birthday gift.
Not her cake.
That was a
Faridah (37:16):
gift.
It reminds me of that episode ofthe Cosby show where Cliff was
cutting and he was eating thecake.
He wasn't supposed to then.
So he cut it out the middle, puta piece of paper towel in and
covered it with frosting.
He was just about as slick asyou guys were.
But no, I, I, I do thinkreturning, you know, like, Like
you said, these stories developus and they happen within the
(37:39):
womb of the family.
So we cannot overemphasize thefact that the family is the
prescription for society, thatthe guidance that we have, the
light that we want to awaken inall of us, there is a flame
there that's in our hearts thatwas put out.
put there by the creator of allthe worlds.
And then he designed this unit,this entity, this institution of
(38:00):
the family to help us grow thatlight to protect it.
You know, when you first light aflame, you know, you've got to
protect it from too much oxygen.
It needs a little bit of oxygen.
to light.
But if you put too much oxygenon it, initially it will blow
the flame out.
So the family unit is where thatflame is protected, protected
from too much oxygen, protectedfrom the winds of the world so
(38:23):
that it can, it can develop and,and remain strong and pure in
its light and its warmth untilit is ready to, to help go out
and light others, ignite otherflames.
And so I, I wanted to returnjust to the idea of immigration
because While this currentpolitical discourse reminds us
of how far we have traveled as,as a people from the guidance of
(38:51):
scripture.
in our response to the, theimmigration crisis that we're
experiencing in this nation.
You have so beautifully remindedus, eloquently reminded us that
that is the responsibility, theobligation of charity that is
married with that desire in thehuman being to do whatever needs
(39:13):
to be done to move and evolve.
And, and come out of the placeswhere your human dignity is
attacked, that that effort tostrive and establish has to be
married with the, the, theeffort to be charitable.
And when those two things aremarried, then the human
community can offer security.
for, for dignity.
(39:34):
And I think, so what I wanted toask you about next is this, this
current conversation has pointedus to a reality that we have
been trying to address with thisshow.
And that is that there is anemigration necessary from our
current disposition as Americansand as as a people, that we need
(39:59):
to emigrate from thisdisposition in our minds that is
reflected in our brokenfamilies, in our neglected
communities, in our lack ofestablishment.
We have plenty of individual,like economic establishment.
We have plenty of individualswho are wealthy beyond, you
(40:21):
know, you know, their wildestdreams.
And we have plenty ofindividuals who might have
individual family life wherethey are financially secure.
But as a community, we arelacking financial stability, the
ability to sit at the table ofhuman brotherhood and say, we
have something material to offerin by way of supporting.
(40:45):
humanity in its movement towardthe destiny.
So I, I'd like us to talk alittle bit about how we can
segue now into this, this notionthat we're trying to cultivate
in our listeners.
to start this flame of amovement toward establishing
this ethical army based onscriptural guidance and
(41:05):
scriptural values that willstruggle and move, migrate in
this movement toward theestablishment of human
excellence and the protectionand security of human dignity.
And it has to be married withthe supports, the charitable
supports that help that Thatidea come into recognition.
(41:28):
So I'd like to talk a little bitabout how we can do that
mentally or what is the, whatare, what are the realities in
our history?
We know we have the greatmigration, a physical migration
of our people.
We also have a migration from inthe nation of Islam experience
of a people out of America.
Separating themselves from theAmerican context and then
(41:48):
eventually a re entry.
So you can talk, can you talk alittle bit about, about this
idea that we must do this in ourdisposition?
Frank (41:56):
Yes.
So I was going to address thefact that, you know, history is
Probably our best teacher.
We have enough in, in man'shistory that we can look back
and every issue that we're facedwith today, we've already faced
before, and there has been someindication of a particular
(42:16):
pathway for us to get throughthe process.
We mentioned this dualityearlier.
So in, in the, in, in wanting togrow, there, there are pains.
That you have to go through inorder to grow you know, a
childbirth is one of those, oneof those great situations that
(42:37):
in the process of the pain, youfind the relief and the joy in
the pain.
If you never go through it, thenyou never find it.
A child doesn't know how strongthey are until they stand.
A child doesn't know what hismuscles can do until they
exercise them.
And in that exercise, and youfind yourself lifting a heavy
(42:58):
burden or heavy, something heavythat you feel like you can't
overcome it.
And that's when enlightenmentcomes.
That's when the connect, thecommunication comes for you to
determine what are next stepsfor me to be able to manage
what's in front of me, thisburden in front of me, whether
it's, you know, family life,whether it's a child, it doesn't
matter, but that's when itcomes.
(43:20):
So in the duality, we find theanswer.
So our history tells us that weare a people who are strong in
spirit.
And they'll tell you thatAfrican American age is real
spiritual people.
They, you know, they, they gotthe spirit, they closer to the
Lord, you know, and evendifferent ethnic groups will
look at African Americans saywe're closer to God than any
(43:41):
other group of people just byour display of our spiritual
being.
But you referenced the nation ofIslam as a, as a, another
picture as well, where we seethat this group of people, not
only with the spirit, They alsohad material establishments as
well, and they merged the two.
So we have a history of thathappening.
(44:03):
We also have the history ofRosewood, the history of Tulsa,
the history of all thesedifferent places where we see
our life established in themidst of hell.
That's all around us.
We've been able to establish ourlife, stand up and establish the
best life for our people.
So it's not beyond us to dothese things.
History tells us we can do thesethings, but the issue is we need
(44:26):
to be able to use ourspirituality to guide us to our
mentalist, our mentalestablishment.
So use the, use the history ofman.
To help us use the history ofAfrican Americans in America to
help you use the history of apeople determined to not want a
(44:48):
subpar life.
And we see that.
We see that in, in a, in aperson by themselves.
So how do they not have a subparlife?
They look for a mate.
They look for a partnership.
They look for something to cometogether to create the
abundance.
It's already in our nature to,to, to want to be together
anyway.
(45:08):
So if it's just a man and awoman wanting to be together to
create a life.
That's one level of it, but it'salso two families coming
together to create even greaterlife and that's called community
life It's already in ourdisposition to do these things
and that's the trajectory thatwe need to be on as we're
working our way To get throughthese in these issues of not
(45:30):
having the proper supports andwanting to be the best community
we can.
We have them.
We just have to grab them andstand upon them.
Faridah (45:42):
You know the, the picture that you just painted
for us is it's one that Icarried within my heart and in
my disposition as a human being.
And I think it's one that alwayssaw my story First, as a human
being, as a daughter of Adam inseeing that my parents, my first
(46:06):
father had a fall, if you will,you know, or in his ignorance or
his impressionable nature.
Frank (46:15):
Yes.
Faridah (46:15):
I like, I like that.
Was deceived.
Right?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
So, and, but it is in that verynature.
God has written his salvationinto his nature because that
very nature that's impressed,that can be impressed upon, upon
by the enemy of man.
is also prone to the, the followthe excellence in its pattern
(46:43):
and follow the guidance that Godhas promised for mankind and
delivered over the course of oursojourn as human beings.
So in that example, being thedaughter of Adam, I already have
a picture that I was designed todo difficult things.
Yes.
That, that my excellence as youcited so beautifully before that
(47:06):
it is in the, the, the liftingand the climbing and the
asserting and establishingoneself that the child
recognizes their strength andwhat they're capable of.
It's, it's in that picture ofAdam, that beautiful picture of
Adam, that I see that I amdestined for success.
That, that's written into myvery nature.
And then in my particular, sothat's my picture as a, as a
(47:29):
human, my universal picture as ahuman being that Farida had.
And then I had the particularpicture.
of myself as an AfricanAmerican, the very particular
picture and that experience thatyou just laid out so beautifully
about our sojourn in this nationand our, our, our evolution as a
(47:50):
people and our, our birth as apeople.
And that too was an example, notof anything to be ashamed of,
but it was an example of theresilience of the human spirit.
And what happens when a humanbeing who has been denied.
every support that human beingsneed to establish themselves
(48:11):
when that has been stripped awayfrom them, denied over and over
again in almost every iterationthat is possible from, from
chattel slavery to Jim Crow lawsand, and, and mores.
that when that person who hashad everything denied, when that
people who has had everythingdenied, then receives the favor
(48:35):
of God by way of guidance, thatin that lies the, the
redemption.
And so, and the result, right?
And so that's the picture ofmyself.
that I had.
I have, I've always carriedwithin my heart, that picture of
the duality of the ability, thestruggle, that my excellence is
only made apparent through mystruggle and that the mercy of
(48:59):
God is expressed through me andthrough other human beings as
charity to my fellow man.
And so when those two aremarried, that picture gave me an
Excellent sense of self.
And so this is the picture thatI think is capable of being
established in a child when theyhave knowledgeable and faithful
parents, which I was blessed tohave.
(49:21):
And so, yeah, go ahead.
Frank (49:23):
No, no, I'm saying, I'm guessing the grants.
Faridah (49:25):
Yeah.
And so I just wanted to say tothat, that I think sometimes we
get so dis we can becomedisheartened by the darkness.
In which we see our people rightnow, our communities, right?
We're like, oh, where's the, thedarkness is here.
How will we ever get the light?
Well, God says that the morningis coming, right?
(49:46):
That, that in the alternation ofday and night, there are signs
for those who have wisdom andunderstanding.
So the, the.
The light is on, the daylight iscoming.
It's promised.
All we have to do is work hardfor it and be willing to move
from one place to another, fromone disposition to another, from
(50:07):
one understanding to another andmarry that as you so beautifully
stated with the husband andwife, you choose a mate, will
you marry that with theimperative?
to always give of what you have,because that's a loan to God.
So with that, those two thingsin force, we will overcome.
(50:27):
Too much has been given to us.
So we are exhorting you, ourlistening audience to reflect on
that deeply.
This is your inheritance as ahuman being.
And this is our inheritancespecifically as an African
American people who have beengiven guidance by a merciful,
merciful, merciful God.
We're capable of turning thisthing around and we will do it
(50:51):
with his help.
Frank (50:52):
Yes.
And in the Quran God says thathe won't change the disposition
of a person until they firstchange what's bothering them,
which means that you have to,that's a, that's a immigration
right there.
You're, you're moving off of aparticular sensitivity or lack
thereof to something that's morebeneficial for you to invite.
(51:16):
God's help in which is alreadythere.
You just haven't, you justdecided, well, you just haven't
accepted it.
So the covenant that, that Godhas established with us is the
premise.
It is the first step.
It is what's, what's holding us.
That is the supports for us tostand in our places to hold up
(51:37):
and create the security in thecities that we lived.
As long as we stayed with thecovenant.
Then the help will always be tous and just want to quickly put
picture what the Quran talksabout rain and it says the rain
lightly falls to the earth andthen some things you see
abundance and growth and, and,and, and, and benefit into other
(52:00):
things is just like a barren,nothing.
Nothing like a rock that doesn'tgive anything we're always in
the same environment.
We just have to be sensitive inthe environment to be able to
use what God has blessed uswith.
And that's always having theconsciousness of the covenant
that we are assigned.
And I'm subscribed to that he ofhis benefit to us.
Faridah (52:24):
Yes, we are.
Yes, we are.
Frank (52:28):
Yes.
So once again, we are verythankful for this wonderful
opportunity to address thiswonderful audience that's
constantly growing.
I must say.
And and we look forward to theopportunities coming very soon
that we're able to interact withour audience to define and
(52:49):
redefine some of our.
Our concepts and some of ourdirections and some of our
issues and those things, becausewe want to make sure that we are
at a step and extension of ouraudience, and we want to make
sure we represent you guys verywell.
So we thank you for yourpatience, your listening and for
your.
And with that, Farda, the praiseis for God.
(53:13):
We have moved one step closer tothat wonderful destination
excellence.
Faridah (53:19):
One step at a time.
Until next time, let us remainconscious of our creator, of the
sacred relationship of parentand child and of the family ties
that bind us.
Subscribe to the podcast.
And come back next time for anew episode of the family ties
Frank (53:37):
from Frank Abdul Shahid
Faridah (53:40):
and Farida Abdul Tawab Brown.
Peace be upon the family.
Peace be upon the family, as we welcome you to another
experience of The Family Ties, aprescription for society.
I am your co host, Frank AbdulShahid.
Faridah (00:26):
And I am your co host, Farida Abdul Tawab Brown.
Before we get started, don'tforget to subscribe so you can
stay up to date and get all theAll the latest episodes,
Frank (00:36):
welcome back to another fantastic, hopefully episode
with my dear co hosts, sisterFarida.
It's a pleasure to have youback.
How are you?
Faridah (00:45):
I am well, it is a pleasure to be back and to be
here with you.
I am well enjoying the, I guessthe new newness of autumn.
I was going to say the vestigesof summer, but autumn is upon
us.
My favorite season of the year.
Frank (01:02):
Yes.
I'm more of a spring guy becauseI'm looking forward to the new
growth and a new life.
And, and those types of things,as I get into autumn, I'm
thinking about, Oh, I'm going tohave to go into another five
months of cold.
Oh no.
Faridah (01:17):
See, you know, I'm not even thinking of winter at that
point.
I'm just thinking of the beauty,the magnificent beauty, you
know, as a new Englander, youknow, born and raised in, in
Boston, Massachusetts.
So the awesomeness, theresplendence of the beauty of
the turning leaves is justamazing.
And then that little nip in theair, you go from steamy summer
(01:38):
nights to the coolness ofautumn.
And it always signifies changeto me.
And I guess, because it'sassociated with the beginning of
the school year, September,around that time, I think it
always was associated in my mindwith new beginnings.
In a similar manner to spring,but just, I guess, in that idea
of intellectual growth andmaking new friends, that kind of
(02:01):
thing.
Frank (02:02):
Well, as I'm looking back on some of the literature that I
used to read, a lot of CharlesDickens and those types of
great, authors that we had toread while we were in high
school and going through school,I think of like the cold, dark
winter was the name of a book orsomething similar to that.
But if it's cold and it's darkand it's winter, then in my
mind, I'm thinking, well, thenthere must be a sunset and this
(02:25):
has to be autumn, which isinteresting because when you
look at the sun rise in thespring, you, sometimes you may
be blessed to see.
Some color in the sky, but oftenyou don't really see a lot of
colors in the dawn of the dayIt's just very bright.
The color sky is usually veryblue and it's just very clear
(02:48):
Just a clear time of day, butnormally when autumn comes or
the sunset comes that's when yousee the streaks of colors where
you tend to see them also in thetrees during the Setting of the
Sun during the seasons known asautumn, which I found very
interesting and beautiful aswell
Faridah (03:05):
Yes, you know, I read a poem once that described autumn,
the magnificence.
It described autumn as the thetime of year when the trees and
nature was going through thesecycles that were closed, like
you said.
It was a harbinger of of winter,you know, of death in a sense.
(03:25):
But it was that period in lifewhere the mature trees, the
fullness, they're revealingtheir full beauty and color.
And I, I find that reminiscent,I think of people like my
mother, you know, in the, the,the, the, you know, near the end
of her life, she was giving ofher beauty.
She was giving of her knowledgeand her wisdom and and
(03:46):
everything that she had gainedon this earth and the beauty in
that was showing and she wasgiving it to those around her.
And I think of autumn in thatway, in that same, a similar
manner, the beauty of thoseleaves turning.
Frank (03:59):
There is a song called the autumn leaves.
And my favorite version of it isby The Temptations.
Now, they never released thesong.
They just happened to do arendition of it on a The Ed
Sullivan Show, actually.
But that version of The AutumnLeaves, I just really loved it.
that, that version, plus I'm aTemptations fan anyway, but the,
(04:21):
the, the, the song itself justgives you a greater appreciation
of autumn and how our life isreflective of going through a
period of autumn as well.
Faridah (04:32):
Yeah.
I must say that my, my favoriteversion is Nat King Cole and you
know, of, of that song.
So we both enjoy it fromdifferent different places on
the musical spectrum, if youwill.
Frank (04:43):
Yes.
But they're all, all adignified.
Taste and everything.
So,
Faridah (04:49):
yes,
Frank (04:50):
well, you know, in previous episodes, you know, we,
we wanted to just reinforce whatwe want to do to use this
platform for what our voice isdesigned to be.
For what interests we have andjust want to make sure that our
listening audience understandswhy we're using this platform
(05:13):
and using our voice and reallyencouraging them to look deeply
into themselves and find a way.
Find a way for them, for theirvoice to be heard, their actions
to be seen.
So that way we all have thisuniversal design for ourselves
and we all have a collectivedestiny and to ensure that we
(05:34):
all are on the path to thatcollective destiny.
So we, we mentioned about thiscity of light.
On a previous podcast and, andhow the city of light just
embodies the hopes and dreamsand aspirations of the soul and
the material coming together tohave this establishment, the
good establishment as we, as wementioned before.
(05:56):
So we, we want to continue inthat, that vein of, of
determining what the city oflight is.
should be and how we should takesteps to try to develop
ourselves and taking stepstowards that city.
Faridah (06:13):
I have a question for you in light of that.
And I think it's a veryimportant, like you said, we're,
we're trying to establish whatit is that we are doing with
this voice.
And it's very important to theboth of us that you know, that
you, as our, our listeningaudience understand that this is
a movement that we'd like tobuild.
You know, that's, that isawakening the purpose within and
(06:36):
calling on all of us to, to findthat light inside, connect it
with the light of guidance fromour creator and, and set this
city on in light, you know lightthe city up with our individual
lights.
And so in light of that, I wouldI would like to ask you what are
the keys?
(06:57):
You know, I would like us toconsider what are the keys to
the security of a community.
And I asked that in light aswell of the recent political
political conversation thatwe've been involved in.
Most recently it's come to thefore in a recent debate between
the two two of the presidentialcandidates in this November,
(07:18):
2024 election.
Of course there are othercandidates, green party
candidates and, and others, butthe two nominees from the
democratic and Republicanparties and in that debate
conversation has come up.
around the immigrant communityin this country.
And we know that that's a hottopic and, you know, a hot
button issue right now in ourcountry because our cities have
(07:40):
been darkened.
The light in our cities and inour, ourselves, our homes, our,
our families have been darkenedin a way.
And there's a darknesssurrounding this national
conversation that we're havingaround immigration.
So can you discuss that a bitin, in light of the keys to the
security of a community?
Frank (08:01):
Absolutely.
I will do my best
Faridah (08:05):
as you do well every week.
Frank (08:09):
Thank you.
The check is in the mail.
When I think of security, Ithink of a security guard.
And normally a security guardwould have three things on him.
He would normally have a pen.
He would normally have aflashlight and he would normally
have a set of keys.
(08:32):
And one particular person Iheard, and many years ago said
that the more keys you have onyour key ring, the more it shows
your level of managingresponsibility.
So so we're talking about thekeys to security of, of, of a
city coming to a city orcommunity.
(08:52):
I wanted to throw that in, but Iwant to, I want to talk about
this political climate aboutimmigrants.
So, interestingly, man's life isdesigned to grow.
We're designed to go.
We're not designed to staystill.
We're not a stagnant creation.
We're designed to traverse.
(09:13):
We're designed to, to, to gomany places and do many things.
So there's always a movement togo somewhere, to leave
something, to go to something.
One of those very.
Early inscriptions on the soulof man was God himself, our
creator created man to find him,which means you have to leave
(09:38):
something to find something.
So it's already in our natureto, to leave one point, to go to
another point.
Normally, in that level ofprogression, it's for to build.
Upon something very rarely, doyou ever see us in a situation
where we're trying to, we'releaving something to get away
(09:58):
from something, but even if weare getting away from something
is because it's denying us anopportunity to build something.
So the, the motivation in us andour spirit and our soul is to
leave one thing to go someplaceelse to discover, to find a
better place.
Understanding a bettersituation, a better
establishment.
(10:18):
So when I hear the language ofour political situation
regarding immigrants, it's givenus the picture of a people who
wanting to take from somethingversus them wanting to establish
(10:41):
their best life to contribute tosomething.
So the very symbol of freedom inAmerica is The Statue of
Liberty, and we know that on theStatue of Liberty, what is the
quote on the Statue of Liberty?
You know, give me your, yourtie, your core, your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free,to breathe life free, freedom
(11:06):
expression.
This is what America is calledthe humanity too.
This is the established, this isthe place for you to have your
best life, the America.
As we know it to be, but thelanguage of the political people
suggest something otherwise.
(11:26):
And it's something that we haveto be very careful on when we're
looking at this, this picture ofimmigrants.
And as I said, I wanted to paintthe picture to say that already
in our nature, we're designed tomove to a better establishment.
It's something in us that movesus there.
Our nature moves us there.
Our spirit moves us there.
And ultimately our mind willmove us there for us to now
(11:49):
establish our physicalestablishment in this new land
or this new environment or thisnew knowledge or this new
circumstance.
So I wanted to just to beginwith there and see what you
thought your thoughts are.
in response to that, havingsecuring the keys for a secure
(12:11):
city or community.
Faridah (12:12):
So, yeah, you, you, you brought up a lot, but I think
the idea of, of movement, of thenecessity of movement I think
that one of the things that wehave to focus on is this There
was a very important,enlightening teaching that, that
(12:33):
made reference to the, the pointof departure being very being
critical to understandingmigration or immigration.
And I think it's criticalbecause we're told in the, the
Quran.
in the scripture of the Muslimsthat migrate, we're told,
migrate in the way of God.
(12:55):
And so it's very important whatthe intention is behind a
migration, a movement.
And so whether you're actuallytalking about a physical
migration, the immigrants whoare being painted with a, a, a,
a brush.
Frank (13:10):
That is
Faridah (13:11):
a broad brush that is almost entirely negative in our
current you know, in the, thecurrent political discourse that
that brush is, is very negative.
It's very broad and it is alsoevoking not scriptural guidance.
or even having a reference to,you know, our history, as you
(13:35):
pointed out, you know, lookingat the Statue of Liberty and the
poem that's inscribed upon thebase of the Statue of Liberty
that speaks to the impulse andthe, the exhortation to charity,
to security, for those who haveto flee, who are looking for
relief from some situation thatoppresses human dignity or
(13:57):
doesn't make space for humandignity.
So whether you're speaking aboutthe, the migrant who is moving
physically away from ageographical location and a
reality that oppresses their,their very being and their
ability to have a healthy,dignified human life.
Or speaking to the reality ofthe necessity to migrate again,
(14:20):
this point of departure tomigrate in one's disposition
away from a reality that isoppressive and which and seeks
to undermine the, the humandignity and the expressions of
human dignity.
And I think that the key tosecurity that is inherent in
that or the keys to securitythat are inherent in that is
(14:43):
that migration inherent in thatis a struggle, right?
To move from one place toanother, even in one's
mentality, even in theirpsychology or their spirit, it
requires a struggle and itrequires an effort and a
standing.
It also requires a communityneighborly needs.
(15:06):
It requires care.
It requires offering harbor orit offers harboring or safety.
Right.
And so you cannot have onewithout the other.
And so immigration is aninvitation for those of us who
have something to offer to begenerous with that.
(15:26):
If the, if the migration is onthe part of somebody who is
moving out of a place thatoppresses the human spirit and
doesn't make way or a pathway orroom for human dignity to be
secured, then any human being orany institution in society is
(15:49):
required, if one follows thelogic of scripture, is required
to offer safe harbor.
Frank (15:56):
Yes.
Faridah (15:56):
For that individual or that thinking.
And so I think those two thingsare key to the security of any
community.
And I think it's telling thatwe're being invited away from
that picture, that guidance thatscripture gives us in our
current Our current politicaldiscourse when we, when we're
looking at actual physical andmaterial migration.
Frank (16:19):
Yes.
So once again with this podcast,we want to make sure that our
listening audience, you know,just understands that how
language has been formed to, tofree us.
And at the same time, we'vetalked about this duality is
also was created and used in away that wasn't intended, and it
(16:43):
now has put us in an oppressive,oppressive state.
So it is our duty to, to loveone another.
It's already in us to do it, youknow, but, but as a support for
that our creator has put insociety and put in, in nature.
This relationship, and we see itin many forms in, in, in, in
(17:04):
society and in creation, havingthe responsibility of being one
who is secure means that it justdoesn't stay with you.
Part of the security is toensure that which is around you
has the same benefit as well.
The, the one who is immigratingor leaving a circumstance and
(17:27):
wanting to come into anothercircumstance understands that
even in that level of conditionthat they're in, that there's a
certain responsibility that theyhave as well.
So each party has to respecttheir level of responsibility.
So that way these tworesponsibilities never.
Never rubbing against eachother.
(17:48):
They're never in conflict witheach other.
They are actually following thesame logic.
It's just that they're both indifferent positions, but the
logic is the same.
So when we talking aboutsecuring a situation and I'm a
neighbor, I am in my community,I'm just in my neighborhood.
I have to understand that myneighbor next to me, I have to,
(18:12):
in order for my security to besafe to true have to have.
To have true security that Ihave to ensure that the ones
next to me has the same resourceor the same access to the
resource.
So ultimately it is for me toshare if it's not knowledge, it
could be material, it could bespiritual.
It could be a host of things,but I have to share that because
(18:33):
that is my responsibility.
To share that level of what Ihave to ensure that the security
stays where it is, the personwho is seeking freedom, the
person who is seeking liberationunderstands that should
understand that coming into thatcondition offers you the
responsibility to maintain thatfreedom and liberation, which
(18:57):
means that you have to pick upanother burden or pick up
another responsibility to ensurethat that freedom stays free.
With others.
So as, as the Statue of Libertysays, give me, you know, you
want to come to, to breathefree, to be, to breathe freely.
So to, to put it all together,they work together.
(19:17):
So the one who has, and the onewho doesn't have worked so
closely together that you don'tknow who has and who doesn't.
That's the picture.
Faridah (19:26):
Yes.
Frank (19:26):
That should be the picture.
You shouldn't know who thewealthy person on your
neighborhood is because you guysshould be working together in
such unity that you don't know.
You all look the same.
It's a uniform picture and withthis immigration language,
that's what the responsibilityof those who have are obligated
(19:48):
to those who don't have.
So in America, the picture isthis as American citizens,
we're, we're, something is beingtaken away from us because
immigrants are coming.
So now I have a certaindisposition towards the
immigrant that won't help thembe successful, which ultimately
will take away my security inthe long run.
(20:10):
So we have to redefine whatthese responsibilities are and
have the, have to be aware ofwhat the language is and be able
to decipher the language to getthe best results.
Faridah (20:21):
So you're, you're I, I love the beauty of, of, of the
logic of scripture, because whatyou're describing in, in, in
reorienting us to these conceptsthat in their guided that the
guidance has been there for, youknow, thousands of years and
(20:44):
we're looking at this idea ofloving thy neighbor.
as thyself, right?
We're looking at the, this ideathat what, if there's enough for
one, there's enough for two.
That we're told in the Quranthat if you spend in the way of,
of, of God, like for, with yourintentions to be pleasing to
(21:06):
your creator, then you willnever lose.
It's like loaning.
to God alone so that when youare giving of what you have and
remembering that everything thatwe have is a gift and a bounty
from God anyway.
Right?
The creator is the one who hasprovided this.
There is a, in, in the Quran,we're told that, that God is the
(21:27):
best of providers.
And so the reality of what'sgoing on.
of taking from what He hasprovided.
Not meaning that we don'tunderstand and respect the idea
of ownership and understand thatwe are stewards of the wealth
and material possessions thatGod gives us, but understanding
that ultimately this is all aprovision from Him.
(21:50):
And so we're supposed to utilizewhat we have.
Like you said, the right handshould give so that the left
hand doesn't even know that it'sgiving.
The, the neighborhood should befunctioning in a way that You
understand what your neighborneeds and you are racing in a
race with others to provide whatyour neighbor needs.
(22:12):
In what, in what way, you know,we have this critique in our
country.
Well, that person's supposed topull themselves up by their
bootstraps and, you know, weshouldn't be, you know, you
should, you shouldn't give themso much that they become
dependent.
Well, when a baby.
is learning to stand when youwatch them, when you observe
them doing this thing that's intheir spirit, they're watching
(22:33):
everyone around them, walking,moving, getting to the things
that they want being able tomove away quickly from one point
to another.
They see that and they want thatfor themselves.
So that's a desire to stand inand establish oneself.
They often need help.
Mm-Hmm.
the baby will hold ontosomething, a table, a couch, a
(22:54):
a, a person's leg.
Their, their mother's arm.
Their father's finger.
Right.
And they will use this tostabilize themselves as they're
standing.
And once they have had thepractice and they're in, in the
habit of doing it, then theywalk on their own.
That's the process.
That's the process for all ofhumanity.
And so I will take this back tolooking at the, the, the, the
(23:19):
model for this for humanity Andit's in the family because it's
in the family where you realizethat we are, we are, we have a
model for healthyinterdependence.
Healthy interdependence beginswithin the family unit.
And as we all know, the title ofthis show is family ties, a
(23:41):
prescription for society.
What you're describing as youtalk about immigration and the,
the need.
that we have as, as, as, aspeople, as American citizens to
migrate, to immigrate from ourway of thinking, the way we
currently construct that this isa battle over resources and
(24:03):
there's not enough for me.
So how can there be enough forthese migrants who need my
resources as well?
And then it becomes this mightyfight over these limited
resources when God himself hasprovided enough resources for
every human being.
It's just about management,right?
And it's about, and those, thoseideals, that way of seeing it,
(24:27):
of course, it's in scripture,it's in guidance, but it is
modeled in the beautiful examplethat God has given us in the
formation of family life.
When the husband and wife cometogether The husband, especially
when the wife is pregnant andshe's carrying children and she
has these young children who aredependent on her very body for
(24:48):
nourishment and sustenance,there is a responsibility upon
that mother to, to take care ofher body.
and her spirit and her mind sothat that child can be healthy.
And there's a responsibility onthe father to go out and provide
material resources and alsospiritual guidance and emotional
(25:09):
support as that process ishappening.
So they're both dependent on oneanother.
They cannot stand.
She cannot stand in her role asa nurturer of human life without
the support.
of a husband and father who, whotakes his role seriously and
gives out of what he's beenprovided.
And he cannot stand in his roleas a provider and a leader for
(25:33):
his family.
If he does not have anunderstanding of the value of
what his wife is doing innurturing and carrying his
future.
his establishment within herbody, both literally, literally
and metaphorically.
And so within the family, that'swhen sisters and brothers, we
learned how to rely on oneanother.
(25:54):
When you're down, when you needsomething to eat, when one
person is sick, the others helpone another.
It's in the family unit, thehealthy family unit that we
learned that we have to rely onone another.
And so once you take that,understanding in practice, that
scriptural guidance in practicein a very meaningful way, in a
way that's modeled in our actualcreation.
(26:17):
Then we take that and we, we,we, we use it at, on the
neighborhood level.
Yes, we care for our neighbors,the community level.
We care for our community andultimately the level of the
human family.
Frank (26:30):
Yes.
Very well.
Very well.
I love that picture.
It's just a beautiful picture.
The picture of family has alwaysbeen a beautiful picture.
So in the climate that we're innow, you know, you mentioned the
pull yourself up by thebootstraps.
Yes.
I've always.
Yes.
Marveled over that particularsaying, because it suggests that
(26:53):
a person who hasn't done it islazy that that's, that's been
the connotation with that, thatthat person is lazy if you don't
put yourself up by thebootstrap.
Look, I'm successful.
I put myself up by thebootstraps.
Well, as you.
Painted the picture about achild wanting to stand up
oftentimes, if not, every timethe child looks for a structure
(27:15):
that has already establisheditself for them to stand up.
So once again, as a child,you're not even, you can't even
birth yourself.
Something has to birth you.
So at any point in your life,did you ever think you could do
it by yourself?
You're getting the wrongpicture.
So that pull yourself up by thebootstraps is just another way
(27:39):
to deceive man out of his good,his good life.
And his good mind is good sensesto, to want to be arrogant to
the point where it's just you.
And if it ain't, if you can't doit, then, then you can't do it
or it can't get done.
So, yes, right.
So a child needs structures andwe need structures in our
(28:01):
community, and this is whatsecures the community.
This is we looking for thosesecurities in the community.
So we mentioned once before in aprevious episode about.
The city of light, and wementioned a particular city, the
city is Medina and the properterm for it is Medina Al
Munarwa, which means the city oflight or enlightenment.
(28:24):
And we referenced that Muhammad,the prophet, the prayers and
peace be upon him, who receivedthe Quran and established the
life in that city as an examplefor all of humanity.
That's the example.
What, what, what made it thecity of light?
He put a requirement on theresidents of that particular
(28:45):
city to accept.
The immigrants who were cominginto his city, and he was one of
those immigrants.
He wasn't originally from thatcity, but he was invited to move
to live there.
And he brought along those whohad the same sensitivities as
himself, as well as the peoplewho have already secured the
city to come to the city aswell.
(29:07):
But his requirement was to.
Share and share alike as mygrandmother's always say share
and share alike To share andshare alike meaning that you
should open your your heart.
You should open your resources.
You should open everything up toAccept what's coming because
(29:28):
that's a shared Dispositions, ashared idea, ideal, and it's a
shared, a common identity thatthey want for a common solution
or a common goal or focus.
And then those who were comingwith him understood that there
was a requirement on them aswell.
If I had to.
(29:50):
Which means that now we bothhave one that you can't
overburden the person who'saccepting you just because you
you've come into a newsituation, which means initially
what we talked about is thedisposition of leaving in the
first place.
to have the best life.
You're now coming into asituation where you can have
(30:12):
that best life, but in that bestlife, there are requirements and
there are rules and regulationsand obligations as well.
So for, in order for us to havethis city of enlightenment, then
we all must have the samedisposition.
And the disposition is to becharitable because charity
begins at home.
Faridah (30:28):
Yes.
Frank (30:29):
And it spreads abroad.
These are, these are lessonsthat we learned even before we
even knew what they wereconnected to.
It was just in the environmentand we just knew these things.
So when we heard grandma say,share and share alike, we
understood what that was.
We might've been a little angrybecause I had two Mary Jane
taffies that I wanted to eat onmy own, but I had to share one
(30:50):
with my brother knowing fullwell, he's at the age where his
teeth is falling out anyway,because he's about to get his
adult teeth.
I still had to share and sharealike.
So.
These are just life lessons, andwe have to have the disposition
to accept and also have thatdisposition to go forward.
Faridah (31:07):
You are so correct.
I have my own share and sharealike story in it.
As you said, these are importantlifelong lessons that we learn
in the bosoms of our childhood,you know, in our families.
And my mother, who also happenedto be my first grade teacher.
She, she my sister and I, youknow, I am a twin.
(31:27):
And so we, our, our birthdayfalls in May.
So that's during the course ofthe school year.
So that we, she brought a cakein and, you know, our classmates
are going to sing happy birthdayto us.
And, you know, the twins areturning seven and, you know, we
were so excited until my motherinformed us that we were going
to be sharing our cake with aclass, a classmate of ours who
(31:48):
had done had some type ofremarkable academic achievement
that she was super proud of.
And we were, we were stunnedwith what we have to share a
birthday cake.
And of course he's there smilinglike, yeah, I get to blow out
the candles too.
We were yeah, we were notimpressed with that lesson at
the age of seven, but it hasread, it's stuck with us.
We knew it was something we hadto do.
(32:09):
And that lesson, you know, has,has lived with us for a lifetime
and we understood.
You know, I understood theimportance of sharing what you
have, even if it doesn't feelgood in the moment, that
charitable spirit is aboutgiving you know, even if you can
feel that it would have beenmore comfortable.
(32:30):
for you to have it all foryourself.
You realize that the greatergood is being served, the
happiness.
And when we saw the joy on hisface, when we knew that he was
being celebrated for somethingthat he had accomplished, I
mean, that did feel good, youknow, it really did.
And that felt good even to achild.
And so I think going back tothis idea, you know, you're,
(32:50):
you're really Honing in on theidea that everything is created
in payers, that there's aduality, that there is a success
in the, the only way that thecommunity can function as a
whole is for both the, the themigrant, the one who has
traveled
Frank (33:10):
Mm-hmm.
Faridah (33:10):
For a righteous reason.
And again, like you said, there,there, there are there are
regulations built in to thisidea.
Even when you talked about, youmade reference to Muhammad the
Prophet, prayers and peace beupon him and his his command to
the believers to support oneanother and enter into a
relationship where they wouldeven inherit from one another.
(33:32):
But that wasn't to go on for alifetime.
It was, to to, to help them asthe child does, as the baby does
to stand on their feet.
And then once they are thatdrive, and that's a way that
supports the human.
There was even one companion ofthe prophet prayers and peace be
upon him at that time, who feltso strongly about, you know,
standing on his own two feetthat he, you know, he went out
(33:54):
and he, he, he worked and hewent to the market and he worked
really hard so that he wouldn'thave to end up relying on, on
his partner.
But that was just to show thatyou don't kill the spirit of the
human being to stand in andestablish on their own by giving
them the natural supports thatare necessary.
But you will do that if you doit in a way, you know, if you,
(34:16):
if you keep holding up the babyforever, the baby will never
want to learn to walk.
So one of the other the, the,the built in supports in this
process is also to vet themigrant.
For their intention to leave.
Remember again, the Qur'ansaying that, you know, you
migrate in the way of God.
You know, if you've been takenfrom your home, if you're not
able to secure your humandignity, then that should be
(34:38):
that liberation that you'relooking for, for the human
spirit, that should berecognized by anyone who is
already secure.
And we have an obligation tohelp them secure it.
Frank (34:50):
Yes.
We
Faridah (34:50):
have that obligation that exists in us.
And as you said, the communitycannot flourish without that
charitable nature and thatstriving for the establishment
of the human dignity.
Frank (35:04):
Absolutely.
And, and the thing that I loveabout our audience is they're so
patient with us and thesestories that we tell because
these stories are sodevelopmental and, you know, and
we just want to make sure thatwe are connecting with the
audience and just to let themknow that these.
Life lessons have, have formedin us and developed us as well.
(35:26):
So my mother, I have to, I haveto bring this up and mom, you
know, the, there is no questionmy love for you, but I have to
bring this story up mom.
So my mother birthday is onDecember 24th.
So oftentimes she wouldn't getgifts on the 25th, so she would
(35:46):
just get on the 24th and theywere, she was in such a poor
situation, not having resourcesthat oftentimes she wouldn't get
anything for either day.
So her aunt used to bake her acoconut cake, a three layer
coconut cake.
And let me tell you, you, youcan't beat scratch.
Nothing beats scratch.
I just want everybody tounderstand that.
(36:08):
And for those of us who havethe.
Palate to remember the, the,what scratch does that, that
you've, you've been blessed.
So she would make my mother acoconut cake and that was her
birthday gift.
So when we came along and ofcourse, you know, 20, December
24th came along and she got thiscoconut cake and my mother said,
(36:31):
you guys can't have any.
Like, what are you talkingabout?
Are you telling us we need toshare our stuff, but we can't
handle coconut cake.
She said, because this isn't mybirthday cake.
This is my birthday gift.
You don't share your gift, youshare the cake.
And I was like, really, Ma?
(36:51):
Okay.
So what we would do is when shewould go to work, we would cut
the cake in like such thinslices that she wouldn't know,
but, but as children thinking wegetting away with stuff, she
knew it.
But but I will say this, I justwant to say this for the record,
my mother gave of everything.
It's just, we just couldn't getnone of that birthday cake, but
I just want to go.
Since you talked about birthdaycakes and stuff like that, but
(37:13):
that was her birthday gift.
Not her cake.
That was a
Faridah (37:16):
gift.
It reminds me of that episode ofthe Cosby show where Cliff was
cutting and he was eating thecake.
He wasn't supposed to then.
So he cut it out the middle, puta piece of paper towel in and
covered it with frosting.
He was just about as slick asyou guys were.
But no, I, I, I do thinkreturning, you know, like, Like
you said, these stories developus and they happen within the
(37:39):
womb of the family.
So we cannot overemphasize thefact that the family is the
prescription for society, thatthe guidance that we have, the
light that we want to awaken inall of us, there is a flame
there that's in our hearts thatwas put out.
put there by the creator of allthe worlds.
And then he designed this unit,this entity, this institution of
(38:00):
the family to help us grow thatlight to protect it.
You know, when you first light aflame, you know, you've got to
protect it from too much oxygen.
It needs a little bit of oxygen.
to light.
But if you put too much oxygenon it, initially it will blow
the flame out.
So the family unit is where thatflame is protected, protected
from too much oxygen, protectedfrom the winds of the world so
(38:23):
that it can, it can develop and,and remain strong and pure in
its light and its warmth untilit is ready to, to help go out
and light others, ignite otherflames.
And so I, I wanted to returnjust to the idea of immigration
because While this currentpolitical discourse reminds us
of how far we have traveled as,as a people from the guidance of
(38:51):
scripture.
in our response to the, theimmigration crisis that we're
experiencing in this nation.
You have so beautifully remindedus, eloquently reminded us that
that is the responsibility, theobligation of charity that is
married with that desire in thehuman being to do whatever needs
(39:13):
to be done to move and evolve.
And, and come out of the placeswhere your human dignity is
attacked, that that effort tostrive and establish has to be
married with the, the, theeffort to be charitable.
And when those two things aremarried, then the human
community can offer security.
for, for dignity.
(39:34):
And I think, so what I wanted toask you about next is this, this
current conversation has pointedus to a reality that we have
been trying to address with thisshow.
And that is that there is anemigration necessary from our
current disposition as Americansand as as a people, that we need
(39:59):
to emigrate from thisdisposition in our minds that is
reflected in our brokenfamilies, in our neglected
communities, in our lack ofestablishment.
We have plenty of individual,like economic establishment.
We have plenty of individualswho are wealthy beyond, you
(40:21):
know, you know, their wildestdreams.
And we have plenty ofindividuals who might have
individual family life wherethey are financially secure.
But as a community, we arelacking financial stability, the
ability to sit at the table ofhuman brotherhood and say, we
have something material to offerin by way of supporting.
(40:45):
humanity in its movement towardthe destiny.
So I, I'd like us to talk alittle bit about how we can
segue now into this, this notionthat we're trying to cultivate
in our listeners.
to start this flame of amovement toward establishing
this ethical army based onscriptural guidance and
(41:05):
scriptural values that willstruggle and move, migrate in
this movement toward theestablishment of human
excellence and the protectionand security of human dignity.
And it has to be married withthe supports, the charitable
supports that help that Thatidea come into recognition.
(41:28):
So I'd like to talk a little bitabout how we can do that
mentally or what is the, whatare, what are the realities in
our history?
We know we have the greatmigration, a physical migration
of our people.
We also have a migration from inthe nation of Islam experience
of a people out of America.
Separating themselves from theAmerican context and then
(41:48):
eventually a re entry.
So you can talk, can you talk alittle bit about, about this
idea that we must do this in ourdisposition?
Frank (41:56):
Yes.
So I was going to address thefact that, you know, history is
Probably our best teacher.
We have enough in, in man'shistory that we can look back
and every issue that we're facedwith today, we've already faced
before, and there has been someindication of a particular
(42:16):
pathway for us to get throughthe process.
We mentioned this dualityearlier.
So in, in the, in, in wanting togrow, there, there are pains.
That you have to go through inorder to grow you know, a
childbirth is one of those, oneof those great situations that
(42:37):
in the process of the pain, youfind the relief and the joy in
the pain.
If you never go through it, thenyou never find it.
A child doesn't know how strongthey are until they stand.
A child doesn't know what hismuscles can do until they
exercise them.
And in that exercise, and youfind yourself lifting a heavy
(42:58):
burden or heavy, something heavythat you feel like you can't
overcome it.
And that's when enlightenmentcomes.
That's when the connect, thecommunication comes for you to
determine what are next stepsfor me to be able to manage
what's in front of me, thisburden in front of me, whether
it's, you know, family life,whether it's a child, it doesn't
matter, but that's when itcomes.
(43:20):
So in the duality, we find theanswer.
So our history tells us that weare a people who are strong in
spirit.
And they'll tell you thatAfrican American age is real
spiritual people.
They, you know, they, they gotthe spirit, they closer to the
Lord, you know, and evendifferent ethnic groups will
look at African Americans saywe're closer to God than any
(43:41):
other group of people just byour display of our spiritual
being.
But you referenced the nation ofIslam as a, as a, another
picture as well, where we seethat this group of people, not
only with the spirit, They alsohad material establishments as
well, and they merged the two.
So we have a history of thathappening.
(44:03):
We also have the history ofRosewood, the history of Tulsa,
the history of all thesedifferent places where we see
our life established in themidst of hell.
That's all around us.
We've been able to establish ourlife, stand up and establish the
best life for our people.
So it's not beyond us to dothese things.
History tells us we can do thesethings, but the issue is we need
(44:26):
to be able to use ourspirituality to guide us to our
mentalist, our mentalestablishment.
So use the, use the history ofman.
To help us use the history ofAfrican Americans in America to
help you use the history of apeople determined to not want a
(44:48):
subpar life.
And we see that.
We see that in, in a, in aperson by themselves.
So how do they not have a subparlife?
They look for a mate.
They look for a partnership.
They look for something to cometogether to create the
abundance.
It's already in our nature to,to, to want to be together
anyway.
(45:08):
So if it's just a man and awoman wanting to be together to
create a life.
That's one level of it, but it'salso two families coming
together to create even greaterlife and that's called community
life It's already in ourdisposition to do these things
and that's the trajectory thatwe need to be on as we're
working our way To get throughthese in these issues of not
(45:30):
having the proper supports andwanting to be the best community
we can.
We have them.
We just have to grab them andstand upon them.
Faridah (45:42):
You know the, the picture that you just painted
for us is it's one that Icarried within my heart and in
my disposition as a human being.
And I think it's one that alwayssaw my story First, as a human
being, as a daughter of Adam inseeing that my parents, my first
(46:06):
father had a fall, if you will,you know, or in his ignorance or
his impressionable nature.
Frank (46:15):
Yes.
Faridah (46:15):
I like, I like that.
Was deceived.
Right?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
So, and, but it is in that verynature.
God has written his salvationinto his nature because that
very nature that's impressed,that can be impressed upon, upon
by the enemy of man.
is also prone to the, the followthe excellence in its pattern
(46:43):
and follow the guidance that Godhas promised for mankind and
delivered over the course of oursojourn as human beings.
So in that example, being thedaughter of Adam, I already have
a picture that I was designed todo difficult things.
Yes.
That, that my excellence as youcited so beautifully before that
(47:06):
it is in the, the, the liftingand the climbing and the
asserting and establishingoneself that the child
recognizes their strength andwhat they're capable of.
It's, it's in that picture ofAdam, that beautiful picture of
Adam, that I see that I amdestined for success.
That, that's written into myvery nature.
And then in my particular, sothat's my picture as a, as a
(47:29):
human, my universal picture as ahuman being that Farida had.
And then I had the particularpicture.
of myself as an AfricanAmerican, the very particular
picture and that experience thatyou just laid out so beautifully
about our sojourn in this nationand our, our, our evolution as a
(47:50):
people and our, our birth as apeople.
And that too was an example, notof anything to be ashamed of,
but it was an example of theresilience of the human spirit.
And what happens when a humanbeing who has been denied.
every support that human beingsneed to establish themselves
(48:11):
when that has been stripped awayfrom them, denied over and over
again in almost every iterationthat is possible from, from
chattel slavery to Jim Crow lawsand, and, and mores.
that when that person who hashad everything denied, when that
people who has had everythingdenied, then receives the favor
(48:35):
of God by way of guidance, thatin that lies the, the
redemption.
And so, and the result, right?
And so that's the picture ofmyself.
that I had.
I have, I've always carriedwithin my heart, that picture of
the duality of the ability, thestruggle, that my excellence is
only made apparent through mystruggle and that the mercy of
(48:59):
God is expressed through me andthrough other human beings as
charity to my fellow man.
And so when those two aremarried, that picture gave me an
Excellent sense of self.
And so this is the picture thatI think is capable of being
established in a child when theyhave knowledgeable and faithful
parents, which I was blessed tohave.
(49:21):
And so, yeah, go ahead.
Frank (49:23):
No, no, I'm saying, I'm guessing the grants.
Faridah (49:25):
Yeah.
And so I just wanted to say tothat, that I think sometimes we
get so dis we can becomedisheartened by the darkness.
In which we see our people rightnow, our communities, right?
We're like, oh, where's the, thedarkness is here.
How will we ever get the light?
Well, God says that the morningis coming, right?
(49:46):
That, that in the alternation ofday and night, there are signs
for those who have wisdom andunderstanding.
So the, the.
The light is on, the daylight iscoming.
It's promised.
All we have to do is work hardfor it and be willing to move
from one place to another, fromone disposition to another, from
(50:07):
one understanding to another andmarry that as you so beautifully
stated with the husband andwife, you choose a mate, will
you marry that with theimperative?
to always give of what you have,because that's a loan to God.
So with that, those two thingsin force, we will overcome.
(50:27):
Too much has been given to us.
So we are exhorting you, ourlistening audience to reflect on
that deeply.
This is your inheritance as ahuman being.
And this is our inheritancespecifically as an African
American people who have beengiven guidance by a merciful,
merciful, merciful God.
We're capable of turning thisthing around and we will do it
(50:51):
with his help.
Frank (50:52):
Yes.
And in the Quran God says thathe won't change the disposition
of a person until they firstchange what's bothering them,
which means that you have to,that's a, that's a immigration
right there.
You're, you're moving off of aparticular sensitivity or lack
thereof to something that's morebeneficial for you to invite.
(51:16):
God's help in which is alreadythere.
You just haven't, you justdecided, well, you just haven't
accepted it.
So the covenant that, that Godhas established with us is the
premise.
It is the first step.
It is what's, what's holding us.
That is the supports for us tostand in our places to hold up
(51:37):
and create the security in thecities that we lived.
As long as we stayed with thecovenant.
Then the help will always be tous and just want to quickly put
picture what the Quran talksabout rain and it says the rain
lightly falls to the earth andthen some things you see
abundance and growth and, and,and, and, and benefit into other
(52:00):
things is just like a barren,nothing.
Nothing like a rock that doesn'tgive anything we're always in
the same environment.
We just have to be sensitive inthe environment to be able to
use what God has blessed uswith.
And that's always having theconsciousness of the covenant
that we are assigned.
And I'm subscribed to that he ofhis benefit to us.
Faridah (52:24):
Yes, we are.
Yes, we are.
Frank (52:28):
Yes.
So once again, we are verythankful for this wonderful
opportunity to address thiswonderful audience that's
constantly growing.
I must say.
And and we look forward to theopportunities coming very soon
that we're able to interact withour audience to define and
(52:49):
redefine some of our.
Our concepts and some of ourdirections and some of our
issues and those things, becausewe want to make sure that we are
at a step and extension of ouraudience, and we want to make
sure we represent you guys verywell.
So we thank you for yourpatience, your listening and for
your.
And with that, Farda, the praiseis for God.
(53:13):
We have moved one step closer tothat wonderful destination
excellence.
Faridah (53:19):
One step at a time.
Until next time, let us remainconscious of our creator, of the
sacred relationship of parentand child and of the family ties
that bind us.
Subscribe to the podcast.
And come back next time for anew episode of the family ties
Frank (53:37):
from Frank Abdul Shahid
Faridah (53:40):
and Farida Abdul Tawab Brown.
Peace be upon the family.
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