THE NATION OF ISLAM
FRIDAY CLASS
WEEK179
ACCEPTING
RESPONSIBILITY
For Our Failure
By
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
KEY WORD LIST
What does failure mean?
The definition of a failure is the act of falling short of the goal or a person who hasn't achieved what they set out to.
What does responsibility mean?
The definition of a responsibility is an obligation or duty.
What does rear mean?
to put upright; elevate
to build; erect
to grow or breed (animals or plants)
to bring up by educating, nurturing, training, etc.
What does it mean to qualify?
To qualify is to be entitled to something or to fit the requirements of something, or to modify or soften a statement
or action.
What does stewardship mean?
Stewardship is taking care of something like a large household, the arrangements for a group or the resources of
a community.
What does malcontents mean?
Malcontent means dissatisfied with existing conditions.
What does derelict mean?
The definition of derelict is something that has become deserted or neglected or a person who is grossly
negligent in fulfilling his duties; Derelict is defined as a person who has no assets, home, property or job.
What does abandon mean?
Abandon is defined as to leave something behind; totally free and unhindered expression; to leave, as in danger or
out of necessity; forsake; desert.
What is a mistake? What is an error?
A mistake is an unintentional departure from what is right; an error is an intentional departure from what we know
is right.
ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY
For Our Failure
By
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.
"Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of men, The King of men, The God of men, From the evil of the
whisperings of the slinking (devil), Who whispers into the hearts of men,
From among the jinn and the men."
Holy Quran (Sura 114 verses 1-6)
There are no parents who are free of mistakes or errors in the rearing of their children. It is sad
that we can go to colleges and universities to receive degrees that tell us that we are qualified to
work in our various fields of endeavor, but, the most important endeavor, which is the building of
human life through the skill of parenting does not seem to matter in our quest for the acquisition of
knowledge. There are no courses offered in high school or college that will allow us to become
proficient in this skill. Yet, all of us will eventually become parents. Doctors who make mistakes or
errors can leave their patients permanently wounded or even dead. Lawyers who make mistakes
can cause their clients to suffer great loss, even the loss of life. Builders who make mistakes can
cause what they build to crumble and fall.
What happens when we make errors or mistakes in the rearing of our children?
In my travels promoting the Million Family March, I am seeing the beauty of American cities and the
billions and trillions of dollars that are being spent to make these cities some of the most beautiful
and attractive that can be found anywhere in the world, but, all of these cities are peopled with
persons who are the victims of mistakes and errors in the stewardship of their lives, either by their
parents, teachers, pastors or the institutions of the society in general.
To see a human being made in the image and likeness of Allah (God) lying under a bridge, or
keeping warm on a cold winters night on a grate with a cardboard covering; then, to see the many,
many homeless persons in America, the derelicts, the malcontents, the prisoners, the social
misfits, those who suffer mental illness. This society has misplaced values and priorities. This
world places more value on things than on people. More money is spent on things than on the
proper cultivation of the people. Parents are abandoning the responsibility of rearing their children
to go out into the workplace to make money to buy things, leaving the children to be nurtured by the
filth and ignorance that is bombarding their minds through television, radio, magazines, and
newspapers. There is no doubt in my mind that parents generally love their children, but, our
overwhelming ignorance disallows that natural love to become a creative force that would guide
the development of our offspring. Therefore, parents look at their children and say, "I did the best
that I could," but, they also often ask the question, "Where did I go wrong or what did I do wrong?"
There is no child, or grownup who reads this article, who in thinking back on their childhood does
not remember some injustice done to them by their parents that marked them and stays with them
even though they have reached maturity and beyond, but, the remedy for all mistakes is found in
the verses of the Quran that opened this article, "I seek refuge in the Lord of men." The word Lord,
or Rabb, in Arabic means nurturer or nourisher. All of us as children have sought refuge in our
mothers, because all of us have been nurtured or nourished by our mothers, and, each of us when
we felt troubled in our infancy or youth sought refuge and comfort in our mothers. This is why, next
to the worship of Allah (God), and, obedience to His Messengers and Prophets, the honor and
respect of mother is of prime importance. Yet, all of our mothers have made mistakes in rearing us.
All of them in ignorance have neglected some of our needs that would have made us more
psychologically and emotionally secure.
In our growth and development, we outgrow the need to seek nurturing from our mothers, then, we
look at the "King of men." If we take the "King of men" to mean the political leaders that govern the
political life of the individual or the nation, we grow to look at our leaders and to seek refuge in
them from those things in society that ill effect our growth and development. Yet, we are
dissatisfied, for, none of our political leaders; none of the rules and laws that politicians made to
govern our lives has offered us the total security and peace that our nature cries out for. There is
no mother, no teacher, no politician, and no leader who has led or taught us and has not made
mistakes or errors.
A mistake is an unintentional departure from what is right; an error is an intentional departure from
what we know is right. These errors and mistakes hinder the full growth and development of the
person, so, we outgrow the need to seek refuge in our leaders, political and otherwise, but to seek
refuge in the "God of men" is the ultimate place of refuge, for, no matter what mistakes or errors
were made in the parenting of our children; no matter how our children were neglected and not
corrected, when we get to Allah (God) we have reached Him who is perfect; we have reached Him
who suffices all needs; we have reached Him who is the end of all excuses that we make for our
failures in life, blaming these failures on those who have stewarded our lives and in some way
have failed.
The greatest gift that any parent can give a child is to give that child the knowledge of Allah (God).
At some point in our lives, we have all called on Him, oft-times when we are in great trouble. At that
time, we promised Allah (God) that if He saved us from the predicament that we were in, that we
would straighten out our lives and serve Him for the rest of our lives. This tells us that in nature our
duty is to serve our Creator. However, to turn our lives over to Him, and, to feed on the perfection of
His Word is to begin the process of rectifying all of the mistakes and errors that have been made
by those who have stewarded our lives and have been the guardians of our rights.
No matter what failure, we as parents have made in the rearing of our children, if, or when our
children learn to seek refuge in the "God of men," they will be freed from the whispering of a
slinking devil that whispers into their hearts from the emotion of our anger, pain, envy, jealousy,
fear, grief and, from the whispering of others who try to comfort us in our negativity against our
parents, teachers, and leaders, by encouraging us in our condemnation of them. When our children
see errors or mistakes in their parents, politicians, leaders; when our children see weakness in
leaders, when we seek refuge in Allah (God), the God of men, we will cease to blame others for any
failures in our life, but, we will take the responsibility that Allah (God) gave us when He gave us life,
and, that is, to take charge of our lives and to live our lives in accord with the Will and the Way of
Allah (God).
Thank you for reading these few words.
STEP 3: Check Your Understanding
The following questions are for discussion at the conclusion of the study session. The remaining questions can
be completed at your own pace as you continue your study at home. You can use your book if you need help
answering the questions. Write your answers on a sheet of paper.
Questions For Discussion:
1. Where can we go to qualify for parenthood? Who do we look to as an example
and a guide? Explain your answer.
2. What does it mean to rear children?
3. What happens when we make errors or mistakes in the rearing of our children?
4. What is the irony of the beauty of American cities and the condition of the people
that inhabit the cities?
5. What does this world value? What does God value?
6. What is the result of the abandonment of children by many parents? What is
often the result of the neglect of childrens needs?
7. Where should we seek refuge? Why?
8. What is the greatest gift that any parent can give to a child?
9. How does one rear a child according to the will and way of Allah (God)?
10.What must we do when we see weaknesses in our parents, teachers, etc?
Explain.
