Inside The Nation Of Islam's Unique Take On Ramadan

Eric Muhammad delivers a riveting examination of fasting practices within the Nation of Islam, drawing sharp distinctions between the traditional December fast established by Elijah Muhammad and the Ramadan observances practiced in Orthodox Islam and newer NOI factions.

With remarkable clarity, Muhammad explains how the Nation of Islam's December fast represents something fundamentally different from Ramadan - not merely in timing but in spiritual purpose. While Ramadan celebrates the revelation of the Holy Quran, the December fast specifically counters Christmas celebrations and consumer culture. "The Ramadan fast is 100% about the revelation of the Holy Quran. The December fast is 100% about Christmas; it is an anti-Christmas fast," he explains with piercing precision.

The conversation takes an unexpected turn as Muhammad details what he perceives as a gradual shift away from the original teachings of Elijah Muhammad within Louis Farrakhan's organization, particularly after 1986. He argues that adopting Ramadan fasting while abandoning the December fast reflects a deeper theological transformation - one that changes the very concept of God within the movement. "When you change the God, you change the religion," he states, explaining how this alters everything from dietary practices to cultural identity.

Muhammad doesn't hold back in his assessment that many contemporary followers have maintained the external symbols of NOI - "bean pies and bow ties" - while gradually adopting Orthodox Islamic principles that run counter to Elijah Muhammad's teachings. His passionate defense of maintaining the original practices stems from a deep conviction that Black Americans deserve their own distinct religious and cultural identity rather than adopting Arabic or European traditions.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:17

all right, all right. Everybody out there is rMT, the people's fitness professional, alongside, oh, my co-host. I forgot he's not here. I always forget my co-host isn't here this evening. Sundays he doesn't do Sundays, he can't. But I'm here and I got the brother Eric Muhammad on the check-in with us. Peace to the brother Eric Muhammad, asiatic soldier. Shalom to you. Thank you for showing up this evening. I really appreciate it. Three people on the live right now. As soon as we we we hop on, that's peace right there. They like to see brother eric muhammad. What's going on? I've been. I've been the more they got the moors in the building. That's peace. Today we're going to talk about Ramadan from the Nation of Islam's perspective and you know that's why he's here. So first off, I would like to say peace to Brother Eric Muhammad. How are you doing this evening?

Speaker 2: 1:17

Fine. All praise is due to Allah for the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, peace to the gods, islam to the Moors and greetings to everyone, what matter, what your persuasion may be.

Speaker 1: 1:29

Indeed, indeed. So I just want to let everyone know. Just a little jokey joke I got the tie on the shirt and tie on because brother Eric Muhammad is on today. So you know I got to look sharp, but no one knows. You know, my bottom half is sweatpants, so let's go into it. Let's go into it. So, ramadan, you know Ramadan is exactly how many days. I just want to make sure I'm right. I don't want to just say the wrong thing. I'm writing this out. I don't want to just say the wrong thing.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Well, brother, I'm not an expert on Orthodox Islam, but I believe the Ramadan fast is 30 days in length.

Speaker 1: 2:21

Right it all goes according to the moon, the cycle of the moon is the complete cycle of the moon. Got you, got you. Ok, so now I have? I have the holy quran. Here I have, uh, theology of time our savior has arrived, the fall of america. Here I have how to eat to live, everything. Well, not everything. I'm missing, I think, a book or two, um which how to eat to live do you have?

Speaker 2: 2:41

Do you have them both or just one? Both Excellent, excellent.

Speaker 1: 2:47

Yes sir, yes sir, Now to go into Ramadan. Before we go into Ramadan, I want to talk about dietary law for the Nation of Islam. And you know, how do you see these books, how to Eat, to Live. And also Nation of Islam's meditation, fasting, fasting periods, you know, in the year books how to Eat to Live.

Speaker 2: 3:27

I don't want to be overly philosophical or ideological, but the actual title is something we need to pay attention to. The actual title of both of those books are or is From God in Person. How to Eat to live, by the most honorable Elijah Muhammad. There's an emphasis placed on the fact that this teaching on how to eat to live comes from God himself in person, and that would be Master Farad Muhammad.

Speaker 2: 4:00

In how to eat to live in book one I believe it's on page 45, the messenger introduces us to our particular fast, which is the fast in December, why and how we fast in December, and he explains why we fast in December as opposed to fasting with the Orthodox Islamic world during the fast of Ramadan. So our fast is a different fast. Their fast is 30 days, our fast is 31 days. Okay, during their fast they can eat as often as they please, as long as the sun is not up. We can only eat one meal a day, which is how we eat any other day, except for those of us who have graduated to every other and every three days. So in our fast also, we don't eat any land animals. They get to eat the flesh of the meaning of their fast is different than the meaning of ours. The objective that they are trying to accomplish is different than the objective that we are trying, and their fast is a sign of one thing, whereas our fast is a sign of something else.

Speaker 1: 5:52

Can you, can you expound on that? Their fast is a sign of one thing, your fast is a sign of another thing?

Speaker 2: 6:17

Now, their fast is a sign of the 6,020 years, the 72,241 months, the 1,000,000, no, 1,000,000, what is it? 1,000,000,? I forgot the number. 2,197,000, I believe 351 days of devils being on our planet. The devil was given 6,000 years to rule the original black people of the earth and their fast of Ramadan actually signifies the 6,000 years of darkness, of eating, feasting until the bright day of truth comes, which is the 7,000th year after the 6,000 years of white rule and the coming of God in person, master Farad Muhammad. Whereas our fast signifies that we, the black men in the hells of North America, represent the end. We are the sign that we are the end of the signs of fasting and Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca. So their fast signifies that which leads to us receiving the knowledge of self for the first time in 400 years of oppression in America and receiving the knowledge of the true reality of God for the first time in 66 trillion years, since the deportation of the moon since the deportation of the moon.

Speaker 1: 8:09

Wow, okay, okay, that was that was. I didn't think you were going to go there with that. That's a whole subject on its own.

Speaker 1: 8:14

Yes it is, I don't. Okay, all right, we're going to stick to the topic. Okay, so back to. So. That was cleared up. Good, good answers. Now, as far as Ramadan is concerned and the Nation of Islam, how, how, how would you say, some people from the Nation of Islam, you know, do the regular fasting as like al-Islam, as Orthodox Islam, and they would do the 30 days of, what did you say, 31 days of fasting from the Nation of Islam. Do they do both? How does it work?

Speaker 2: 9:36

It's an excellent question. I know this is a lot for some of us to have to digest mentally, and I wish it wasn't like that, but the bottom line is the Nation of Islam is the number one threat to the white man's power to rule Black people. It has been since 1930. And, that being the case, it is the white man's number one objective to create as much confusion and misinformation with respect to the Nation of Islam as he possibly can. So this means the white man would be an absolute fool to allow the ability to identify the nation of Islam to be simple. I see a bow tie, I see a bean pie. It must be the nation of Islam. Stop not realizing that the white man is the devil. The white man does not play checkers. The white man plays chess. This is why there are so many different factions of the nation of Islam. I said that to make this point.

Speaker 2: 10:52

The nation of Islam is the teaching, the preaching and the practice of Master Farad Muhammad, as represented by the most honorable Elijah Muhammad. If it's not from Master Farad Muhammad and if it's not by only Elijah Muhammad, it's not the nation of Islam. And I'm sorry if you see a bow tie and a bean pie and you want it to be as simple as well. That's the nation of Islam. Guess what it's not. You got a lot of fake nations of Islam out here.

Speaker 2: 11:36

We who follow the most honorable Elijah Muhammad are the only nation of Islam. There are others, yes, with other leaders, other teachings, other practices, but they're not the real nation of Islam. The real nation of Islam is whatever it was when the most honorable Elijah Muhammad departed, in February of 1975. Now, saying all of that, we don't fast in the month of Ramadan. In both those books From God in person, Master Farad Muhammad, how to Eat to Live, by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, In book one, the messenger says for quite a few years I have prescribed the fast in December instead of the month of Ramadan. That travels throughout the year.

Speaker 1: 12:38

You said page 45, right.

Speaker 2: 12:40

I believe it's page 45. Why and how we fast in December.

Speaker 1: 12:46

Yeah, I've chosen for quite a few years the months of December for my followers to fast, as in a month of Ramadan. It serves as a sign that we, the lost and found nation, are the end of all signs pertaining to the pilgrimage and fasting in a month of Ramadan.

Speaker 2: 13:07

Exactly Now in book two. Can you give me a second?

Speaker 1: 13:14

Okay.

Speaker 2: 13:19

I don't have a sweatpants Me reaching to my bag. I got it. I got it. I happen to be reading how to Eat to Live, book one, and book two, as a reading assignment this month, together with the True History of Master Farad Muhammad. Those are the three books I'm reading as my assignment for this month, so that's why I have them in my laptop bag Now. On page 55, you can see I got it highlighted On page 55, if you go down to the one, two, three, fourth paragraph and you go down to the third sentence on the right, it says we are not taking the month of Ramadan, as prescribed in the Holy Quran.

Speaker 2: 14:25

We take the Christians' month, december, the 12th month instead of the ninth month. When I began following Minister Farrakhan because I did not know he was not following the messenger when I began following Minister Farrakhan in 1983, we fasted in December. Then, in 1986, he went over to the Middle East. He went over there with a suit and a bow tie and came back with a bed sheet and a towel on his head and he started talking about we're going to fast in Ramadan now.

Speaker 1: 15:14

Then can we, can we stop there? Yes, yes, we can okay, now, how is that put into the teachings? How is that is? Was it? Was it, uh, agreed upon between a certain few? Or was it agreed upon by the congregation, if you will, or the members? How? How would you just come back from a trip and start to say you know what? We're going to start fasting and Ramadan.

Speaker 2: 15:42

The same way. You go to Mecca on a trip after 12 or 13 years of teaching that the white man is the devil, and start eating porridge with your fingers and swapping spit in the porridge with white Muslims and then talk about, you know, the most honorable Elijah Muhammad lied and you're not going to make any sweeping statements against white people and when you come back to America, you're going to teach Islam as it is taught over there. It's just one of those things. Brother Minister Farrakhan made that decision and everybody went with it, except those who decided that he had deviated and decided they were going to leave his movement and go join other nations of Islam that they thought would be more legitimate, and other nations of Islam that they thought would be more legitimate. The bottom line is it was time for him to compromise in his mind, and that's what he did. If things had been going the way that he wanted them to go and please pardon me for this long answer if things were going the way that he wanted them to go, he wouldn't have made that move. Everybody is not built like me. I will get up in front of that camera, not giving the first damn how many of the chairs are empty, and I'm going to teach Elijah, the whole Elijah and nothing but Elijah, and that's it. But when you are, minister Louis Farrakhan, and you're trying to grow, and being as strict on the teaching of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad as you presently are being is not bringing you the membership, is not bringing you the growth that you want. Because, at the end of the day, if it were not for the fact that we had such a willingness to deviate from the most honorable Elijah Muhammad, wallace Dean Muhammad wouldn't have been able to change the whole thing. We would have bucked him, but we didn't. We were willing to accept the changes that he made.

Speaker 2: 18:01

And so here's Minister Louis Farrakhan leaving Wallace Dean Muhammad and going back to quote, unquote, the teachings of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad, and you have this large movement that is opposing you. You're not getting the growth that you want, and so you have to start compromising with that other Islam that you're trying to come up against. And so that's what he did. He made that decision and we went with it. So in 1986, we started fasting in Ramadan to answer your question and in December oh OK, we did the Ramadan and we did the December. We did that for some years, until the policy became the Ramadan fast is mandatory, but the December fast is optional.

Speaker 2: 19:00

I hope some new Jack Farrakhan followers who are mad at me right now are listening to what I'm saying. You don't know why I am like I am. You don't know why people feel the way that they feel and move the way that they move. It's because we have more years in this than you. You just in here loving Farrakhan. You don't know the deal. Those of us who go back far enough know this man ain't right. So at the end of the day, december became optional and ultimately not even optional.

Speaker 2: 19:38

Now it's strictly Ramadan and the Ramadan fast, as I explained, has a different meaning. You find the meaning in the Holy Quran, in chapter two, verse 185. It says that Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed, you know. And then it talks about how good the Quran is and it says therefore, whoever is present in the month shall fast therein, but if you're sick or on a journey, you fast a light number of other days. So the Ramadan fast is specifically about the Holy Quran being revealed. That's what it's about and how great a book of wisdom the Holy Quran is. Our fast has nothing to do with the revelation of the Holy Quran. Two, the most honorable Elijah Muhammad specifically says I'm not asking you to fast because some great revelation was given to some other prophet. I'm only asking you to fast to break you away from the false worship of the birth of Jesus during the month of December. During the month of December, I know, I know.

Speaker 1: 21:06

Yo, this is a science, right here. It's a psychological science, like, okay, this is something that we need, okay, okay, okay, check, check and that's in. Is that in the books? You said that's in book two book two. That's in book two and what page is that? If you can't find it, it's all good, trust me it's highlighted.

Speaker 2: 21:40

Okay, page 52. Now to give you, to give you some background, we're gonna go to the absolute bottom of page 51.

Speaker 1: 21:58

I see.

Speaker 2: 21:59

It says, of course and it's talking about fasting in Ramadan.

Speaker 2: 22:03

It says, of course, this is the Arab way in their religious belief, that they should fast, but I do say that it is not necessary to fast to get something that you have already received, meaning the Holy Quran.

Speaker 2: 22:24

Then he says we should all thank Allah and be grateful to Allah for giving us the truth, or the great revelation, holy Quran, that will guide us into a clearer truth than we have had in the past. This is the part I wanted to get to, though, but I wanted to give you that background. Then he says these words so I am not asking my followers to fast in the month of December because of the birth of a prophet Jesus nor do we want to worship his birth or worship because some great revelation was sent down to another prophet. No, it is just to keep my followers from worshiping falsehood instead of truth and to prevent them from spending their money in the falsehood instead of truth, and to prevent them from spending their money in the falsehood instead of true, and to prevent them from spending their money in the falsehood of Santa Claus. Nothing to do with the Quran. It's right there, though. It's right there, brother.

Speaker 1: 23:36

Oh man, okay, let's build there. Brother. Oh man, okay, let's build. All right, so, wow, wow, okay. So now, as far as the I'm going to, let's talk specifically Minister Farrakhan's I'm going to say faction.

Speaker 2: 23:56

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 23:59

So they participate in Ramadan.

Speaker 2: 24:03

Absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 24:08

Okay, it's becoming more and more clear. Okay, so they fast during Ramadan and they drop the one in December.

Speaker 2: 24:19

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 24:22

But that would be totally contrary to the teachings, though.

Speaker 2: 24:26

Absolutely. But If they wear a bow tie, eat a bean pie and mention the name of Elijah Muhammad, we're going to think they're the nation of Islam. And because there's more of them than those of us who really are the nation of Islam, so they must be the nation of Islam. This is the ridiculous way we think. You know, everybody knows Please pardon me for interrupting you like that, I didn't mean to do that. Everybody knows that when you pick up the books of Elijah Muhammad and read them and look at the followers of Louis Farrakhan, listen to them, you're not getting the same thing, you're not seeing the same thing as what the books say, but yet you identify them as the nation of Islam. So, in other words, the nation of Islam has become bean pies and bow ties. It's no longer what Elijah Muhammad said, it's no longer what Elijah Muhammad did, it's no longer what his movement was. It's wherever there are bean pies and bow ties and final call newspapers.

Speaker 1: 25:42

Right. So, um, I had a question. Now, final calls newspaper bow tie, blah, blah, blah. Right, um. So they ditched, for lack of better term, the fast in December. What else did the Farrakhan faction of NOI ditch? Are they still? Are they? Are they reading a Quran? Um, are they still dealing with how to eat to live? Are they? Do you know about that?

Speaker 2: 26:17

Yes.

Speaker 1: 26:17

I have been going since 19. I'm sorry, go ahead supreme wisdom as well, did they?

Speaker 2: 26:24

you know, I spoke to one one um muslim from the nation of islam a while back, uh, and he said he didn't really know supreme wisdom like that well, I have to be honest with you, I can't blame all of that on Minister Farrakhan, and when I was there I knew all my lessons I had 120 in the first year of my joining but it was because Minister Keith Muhammad, the brother who brought me in the Nation of Islam, of Islam, was born and raised in it and so him not being connected as much as those who were actually running the temple. The way that he chose to represent the most honorable Elijah Muhammad was much more based on his birth, his adolescence and his training. When the messenger was still here. He didn't know what else to do, so he just followed the way he would have followed if the messenger was still here. He wasn't connected, so the changes that were being made, he wasn't keeping up with them, and I thank Allah that he didn't, because he put me in the lessons.

Speaker 2: 27:44

Unfortunately, there has always been a time when we as the Muslims, as far as I know, we're not as much in our lessons as we should have been, and this is the number one thing that five percenters, the nation of gods and earth, this is the number one thing that they used to beat us over the head about. We didn't know our lessons. Fortunately I did and that's why I had such a good relationship with any five percenters that I came in contact with. So they haven't totally like put the lessons down. It wouldn't be wise. If they did, then we would experience more growth because people would be able to see more of a distinction. So if you are trying to block the growth and spread of the true teaching and practice of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, you have to be as a vaccine. You have to give just enough of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad's teaching and program to teach people or to reach people and keep people who want to be with the program and teaching of the messenger, so that you can lead them away from the teaching and program of the messenger gradually. After Wallace D Muhammad making a sharp turn away, if you want to pull people away, you can't make the same sharp turn Wallace made, because that's already been done and we'll peep that right away. So you got to be more slick with it, you have to be more gradual with it, and this is what is going on right now. And so the main course of study and this is for those who love Farrakhan, if you just happen to be watching this live broadcast and you want to stick a Phillips head screwdriver in one of my eyes. And you want to stick a Phillips head screwdriver in one of my eyes because you think I'm just a disgruntled player, hater of your beloved leader, farrakhan? Stop playing, okay. I'm a 63-year-old man. I don't have time for that foolishness, right? I've been Muslim 42 years. This ain't player hate. It just is what it is.

Speaker 2: 30:20

The bottom line is this here your course of study. Since 1986, I was there, I know what I'm talking about your course of study has been self-improvement the basis for community development. That's your course of study. You have had maybe 21 study guides. When I went to the temple on Wednesday night and Friday night for study group, we studied from the books of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad. There were no study guides, but in 1986, minister Farrakhan took us out of the books of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad and put us in study guides based on the Holy Quran. In his introduction to his new course of study for us, he literally said that he's taking us deeper into the Holy Quran and that after he gets us I'm going to use some slang, pardon me after he gets our weight up in the Holy Quran, then he's going to take us back to the messenger's books. We never made it back to the messenger's books, right?

Speaker 2: 32:04

That the change can be seen in is there's a different God in Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam. It's a different God. It's not Master Farad Muhammad. I'm sorry, get mad if you want, but it's not Master Farad Muhammad. It's Allah, the Eternal, the first God from trillions and trillions of years ago. Well, that has never been the God of the Nation of Islam until Farrakhan made that.

Speaker 2: 32:28

The God of the Nation of Islam, the God of the Nation of Islam, is Wallace Farad Muhammad, born February, the 26th 1877. That's the God of the nation of Islam. That man, human being, is who we worship. That man is who hears our prayers, that man is who answers our prayers. But Farrakhan, in study guide number 19, says pray to Allah, the eternal, the first God. And that master Farad Muhammad can't be the originator, because he was born in 1877 and the creation was already here.

Speaker 2: 33:10

Once you change the God, you have changed the religion. How do you have a religion that is the same as another religion but it's not the same God? That makes no sense If the God has changed from Master Farad Muhammad to a God before Master Farad Muhammad, then the Islam has changed from the Islam of Master Farad Muhammad to an Islam of another God before Master Farad Muhammad. You changed the religion. Once you change the God, you now have changed the messenger, because Elijah Muhammad is not the messenger of a God from trillions of years ago. So now Elijah Muhammad is not the messenger. So if Master Farad Muhammad is not our God, elijah Muhammad is not our messenger, then Islam as taught by the that we are gradually being led into or have gradually been led into, and so this is why that movement has a national email now. And, minister Carlos Muhammad, yes, I kid you not. Yes, sir, they have a national email, sultan.

Speaker 1: 34:48

Mohammed, I don't mean to laugh, but it's just like whoa, whoa, whoa man.

Speaker 2: 34:54

Yes, can we just do our own thing? We're just doing our own thing, brother.

Speaker 1: 35:01

No, I'm saying can we as our own people, can we have our own culture?

Speaker 2: 35:05

Oh no, sir, we got to be Arabs.

Speaker 1: 35:07

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:08

Or Europeans, right, yeah, we got to be Arabs or Europeans. If we Christians, we got to be white folks. Yeah, we got to be Sam Jones, fred Smith. We can't be black, have our own names and language and culture and be Christians. No, we got to be white folks. And if we Muslims, we got to be.

Speaker 1: 35:29

Arabs Right, we can't have our own prophets.

Speaker 2: 35:32

We can't have our own messenger. No, sir, right, we can't have our own God. God can't be the black man. God has to be a spirit. He got to be up in the sky somewhere. He can't be the black brother right next to you. It can't be that every time you look in the face of a black man, you're looking at God. No, that's ours.

Speaker 2: 35:53

We can't have that. We got to have the Arab's religion. Yes, sir, so we have a different God in these other factions. Most of these factions, no matter what faction it is, will tell you whoever is the leader of that faction, he's Allah. Now he's the God. Now he's the supreme being, now no longer Master Farad Muhammad, he is the supreme being. That's what's going on now. So when you change the God, you change the religion. You change the religion, you change the whole program. Peace, brother benevolent.

Speaker 1: 36:36

Peace, peace, benevolent, peace, peace Brother.

Speaker 2: 36:38

Benevolent, I mean, you changed the whole thing. But if you keep the bow tie on or if you think that none of us who are sticking strict to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad are having enough success, you get fooled by how empty the chairs are when we're teaching and you get comfortable and you think you can switch to colored shirts and straight ties. What ends up happening is you find out, much to your surprise, that there are people who are attracted to this voice of the old ways from the old days. Then you start having to put your white shirt back on, you start having to put your bow tie back on, you start having to talk a little more about Master Farad Muhammad. You start having to go out in the streets and marching and doing all this militant black stuff. You got to do all of that because somebody out here is teaching the pure teachings of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad and you have to distract anybody from them by showing them.

Speaker 2: 37:47

Look at us, we're greater in numbers. Look how good we march. Look how good we, whatever we do. And hey, listen, you know Master Farah Muhammad, moshe Ambalaji Muhammad Meanwhile, that's the brother who trained me in the ministry. Right there, minister Kevin.

Speaker 2: 38:06

Meanwhile yes, sir. Meanwhile you got a different God, you got a different religion. You have a whole different program. The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said and all of this is related to Ramadan the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said we want nothing short of complete separation in a territory of our own.

Speaker 2: 38:37

Well, minister Farrakhan said on Meet the Press in the 1990s that point number four, that demands separation and independence, is a last resort. Some of you who hate me wasn't even born in the 1990s. But you're going to tell me about Islam. But you're going to tell me about Islam. I watched him say that. I was watching the interview when he said it. He said point number four is the last resort. If you look at it above, point number four is points one, two and three and if we can get those within the context of America, there's no need for point number four. But the most honorable Elijah Muhammad said we want nothing short of point number four. Now I don't know exactly where that is in message to the black man, but it's there, it's right in message to the black man. How do you let this man say separation is a last resort when you know good and well that ain't what the messenger taught?

Speaker 1: 39:43

Maybe he forgot, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 39:46

He didn't forget. He's leading us to orthodox Islam, because militant Black nationalist Islam, radical Black separatist Islam, radical Black Separatist Islam, revolutionary Pan-Africanist Islam does not bring the membership and therefore does not bring the money, the mothership. It does not bring the money and the fame that Orthodox Islam would bring. And so when you're struggling to get people to accept an Islam that goes against the grain, you're under a lot of pressure to compromise and start going along to get along. And that's what he's doing, because he ain't built like me. Period. I don't care who doesn't join, I don't care who doesn't like, I don't care what nobody does. I'm with Elijah, if nobody's with Elijah, because it ain't about fame, it ain't about money, it ain't about members, it ain't about large audiences when I get ready to speak, it's about what I believe and what I stand on. I don't care who doesn't stand on it with me.

Speaker 1: 41:18

Yeah, I got to respect it. I got to respect it. Yeah, I gotta respect it. So now, emam, they have an EMAM and you know, underneath the Farrakhan faction, and they practice, they take part in Ramadan, they basically X'd out the December fasting. So what do they do? That is of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad.

Speaker 2: 41:46

Bean pies and bow ties. I'm sorry, Bean pies and bow ties, brother. You know they will get on the corner, to whatever degree they do, and push final call newspapers. They will push their bean pies and sell their fruit cups with their bean pies and newspapers. They will march. You know they'll drill. They're excellent military drillers. You know, no hate, they're excellent at the military drill. They're excellent military drillers. No hate, they're excellent at the military drill.

Speaker 2: 42:19

I mean, they know how to play Nation of Islam. They know how to play Nation of Islam to look like it and halfway sound like it, while they're slowly but steadily and the pace is picking up now slowly but steadily headed towards Orthodox Islam. Like I started to say earlier, their former minister of their mosque number six, I believe Baltimore Maryland, I believe that's mosque number six. I'm not Baltimore Maryland, I believe that's my number six, Not sure. Ok, who used to be minister Carlos Muhammad is now email something, something, something. I don't know what his Arabic name is, but he's now an email. But you'll see videos on the Internet of the FOI under him in the streets in formation, looking sharp as hell. You know what I mean Drilling and whatnot. Brother, stop playing. I don't give a damn how sharp you look in them suits, them shirts and them ties and how militant you playing your leader of your mosque is an E-man, stop it.

Speaker 1: 43:44

So why do you think that they're going? So what you said was basically you think they're going in that direction due to finance.

Speaker 2: 43:53

Oh, it's no question about it. There's two things that make. I ain't going to use that word until the video is over, and then I'm damn sure I'm going to use it. But there's two, two things that make N word stupid money and women. And you need money to get women and you need money to get women. Ok, OK, OK.

Speaker 1: 44:23

I like that. Ok, so now to go back into Ramadan.

Speaker 2: 44:27

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 44:29

How does the fasting work in the month of December? You eat one meal a day, and how does it work?

Speaker 2: 44:42

You eat one meal a day, which is what you are supposed to be eating, though the overwhelming majority of us don't do it. We don't do it, but you're supposed to eat one meal a day, like you do any other month, except for you don't eat it until the sun goes down and before it comes back up, and so during the month of December, we refrain from eating or drinking anything during the daylight hours. We refrain from if we're married, we refrain from handling any grown folks business with our spouses during the daylight hours. No food, no drink, no sex during the daylight hours, and when the sun goes down, we get down on all three levels when the sun goes down. Now, we, the followers of messenger Elijah Muhammad, also refrain from the eating of land, meats, land, animals.

Speaker 2: 45:55

We don't eat any flesh of any animal of the land, because our bodies, the human body, is not designed to digest meat. We're not supposed to eat meat but we do, and so to get us introduced to not eating meat, we refrain from eating any meat during the whole month of December. No wings, no steaks, none of that during the month of December.

Speaker 1: 46:35

OK, now you said we're not designed to eat meat, right?

Speaker 2: 46:39

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 46:41

Now, where did you get that from? How?

Speaker 2: 46:43

to Eat, to Live.

Speaker 1: 46:44

How to Eat to Live.

Speaker 2: 46:45

Yes, it's in both books. Our human bodies are not designed to eat the flesh of animals. It's too hard on our digestive system. We're not supposed to eat meat, but we do.

Speaker 1: 46:59

But it shortens our lifespan, though meat shortens our lifespan okay, now we have some questions from the chat, I think. Uh, ben, I don't know if you're still in, still watching. I've asked many arabs speaking people to give me a reason for fasting during ramadan. Exactly why is there a fast thing at that time of the year? Never got the answer, but I was always encouraged to fast. Would you happen to know why? Like because the fasting period changes every year, right?

Speaker 2: 47:34

right because, right Because the oh the moon.

Speaker 2: 47:36

Right, the lunar year, meaning 12 cycles of the moon, is not equal to one full circuit of the earth around the sun. Mm, hmm. So by the time you get 12 moons, 12 lunar cycles, the Earth has not traveled 100 percent around the sun. It still has another, say, 11 days to go. And so the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, when the Earth will be right back at the point at which it started. It's shorter.

Speaker 2: 48:19

So every year, the month of Ramadan, which is the Muslim equivalent of September. Now, please don't think that what I mean is that Ramadan means September in Arabic. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying the white man has 12 months. The ninth month is September. Well, the Muslims have 12 months. The ninth month is Ramadan, and since the lunar year is shorter, the month of Ramadan falls several days backwards every year, every year. So over the course of 10 years, that month of Ramadan has fallen back many weeks, right? And so sometimes Ramadan is in the hot months, sometimes Ramadan is in the cold months. There are times when Ramadan falls right across December and we still fast in December, but we don't fast the way that they fast.

Speaker 1: 49:18

Right, so now you're fasting for you. You're fasting when the sun's down. I mean you're fasting before the sun comes down.

Speaker 2: 49:30

When the sun comes down, then you eat your one meal. Then you eat your one meal where they are able to eat as many meals as they please. Yes, sir, total difference.

Speaker 1: 49:47

Sorry about that, no problem. Yeah, this, I don't know what's going on. I got this high tech computer and it's like it's just does its own thing. I think it's the Siri on this thing. I don't know what's going on. I got this high-tech computer and it's like it just does its own thing. I think it's the Siri on this thing, I don't know. Anyway, pardon me y'all, to get back to it, the God shall fast Ramadan all year round. I've done it for a whole year, okay, okay, okay, all right Facts. Hold on. Whole year. Okay, okay, okay, all right facts. Uh, hold on facts. Teeth are not meant for eating animals. Parasites, uh, you are. What you eat was really true, not just a riddle. Okay, got you, got you. I have my own thoughts on that, but of course, coming from the five percent nation, we don't eat pork. We don't eat any like, um, shrimp, uh, you know, roaches of the sea and all that kind of stuff yes, sir you know, uh, let me see.

Speaker 1: 50:47

But I have my thoughts on the meat eating um, coming from a fitness professional standpoint yes, sir you know, you know what I mean Um like protein, amino acids and things like that. We really, we really need it. However, there are other alternatives that you can, um you know, use now. Uh, what do we have here? I think that was oh yeah, here we go. Is Ramadan the same thing as fasting or abstinence?

Speaker 2: 51:18

Ramadan, the most honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that when we eat a meal in 24 hours from a previous meal, we're really not not fasting. In order to really be a fast, it would have to be longer. I did, Brother Minister. It would have to be longer than just 24 hours. If you're eating in a 24-hour period, it's going to not actually be a fast. All we're doing during December is abstaining from eating and drinking during the daylight hours. We'll call it a fast, but all we're really doing is abstaining from eating our one meal and drinking anything that goes along with it during the daylight hours. That's all we're doing.

Speaker 1: 52:16

Now, is there anything you want to abstain from, like maybe a certain music or anything like that? You do that.

Speaker 2: 52:23

We are asked to keep our minds on Master Farad Muhammad and the great guidance that he came to lead us into, you know, to set us on the right path, and we are also encouraged to not engage in any arguing and quarreling and bickering things like that. You know, we want to present an image of sober minded, righteous individuals, of sober-minded, righteous individuals. We want to be totally different from what's going on in the month of December for those that are not followers of the most honorable Elijah Muhammad, and so I wanted to interject this. The Ramadan fast is 100% about the revelation of the Holy Quran. It is a pro-Quran fast. The December fast is 100% about Christmas it is an anti-Christmas fast. So you have two different fasts, two different objects. One is to promote the Holy Quran, one is to oppose the holiday of Christmas.

Speaker 1: 53:41

True, that right there is super deep for so many reasons. The whole mystery Santa Claus ideal gone with the Jesus piece and man, it's saving money, psychological break away from white supremacy it's so much to just that alone.

Speaker 2: 54:11

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 54:13

And this was brought, brought to us by WD Farad.

Speaker 2: 54:18

You say Well, everything we have as the Nation of Islam was brought by WD Farad. And, if I can, I want to interject this. One of the reasons, whether they realize it or not, that those who accuse us of not being real Muslims, one of the reasons is they keep putting the focus on the nation of Islam, on Elijah Muhammad. That's why I love these two books, books From God in Person, master Farad Muhammad, by Elijah Muhammad, messenger of Allah, how to Eat to Live. See, when you keep the focus on Master Farad Muhammad, it takes away a lot of wiggle room. Some people will come and they will say well, elijah Muhammad was part of the Garvey movement. First of all, you don't know what you're talking about. Second of all, you got to show me Master Farad Muhammad as a member of the Garvey movement. But see, you're putting the focus on Elijah Muhammad. Because if you keep the focus on Elijah Muhammad, you can start introducing falsehood into what the most honorable Elijah Muhammad gave us. But when you realize that the source of everything we are is Master Farad Muhammad, then that doesn't allow you to come and say well, elijah Muhammad didn't really know Islam.

Speaker 2: 55:57

Really, master Farad Muhammad is from Mecca, genius, what you think he doesn't know. You got to have a Koran in Arabic. Master Farad Muhammad had a Koran in Arabic, and he's the one that taught us what we know. Well, you got to know the Arabic language. Master Farad Muhammad knew the Arabic language and he still said the black man is God. What's your problem, master Farad Mohammed is from the city of the Arabs that you worship, instead of having enough self-respect to just be yourself, so what's your problem? I mean really, hey, the teaching that the black man is God comes from Mecca, not Elijah from Mecca, not Elijah from Mecca. So stop acting like that's not a Mecca Muslim teaching.

Speaker 1: 57:04

Master.

Speaker 2: 57:05

Farad Muhammad brought it here from Mecca, and the only reason he gave it to us in English is because we no longer speak our native language of Arabic.

Speaker 1: 57:18

Okay, now, before we close, we have one more question.

Speaker 2: 57:22

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 57:27

My question is at the end of the fast, is there anything the NOI does to complete the fast on the first day of January? Grub, if you're one of those, meat lovers like myself.

Speaker 2: 57:49

You go get some curry lamb and you go nuts. All praise is due to Allah for the most honorable Elijah. We're not supposed to, but we are allowed to got you.

Speaker 1: 57:57

Got you on that note. Thank you, brother Eric Muhammad, for coming out this evening. I really appreciate you. Thanks for all, thanks to all the viewers. Don't, please, please? I just need everyone to like, comment, share, subscribe. Mike and I we've been really laxed on the call to action because we just come from that cloth where we're not going to beg people. You know I'm saying, but we're in a different lane now. So comment, share, subscribe, like, hit the bell notifications uh, whatever that thing is the bell notifications so you could be. So you're notified every time we're having a podcast. We're doing seven days a week now, so tune in, we always have something cooking up for you. Peace to everybody. We're also on Spotify, apple, all the streaming platforms, all the streaming platforms, audio and visual. Alright, take it easy. Thank you for coming out, brother. Brother Eric Muhammad.

Speaker 2: 58:56

Thank you, peace, peace.

Speaker 1: 59:08

Thank y'all for support. And thank y'all for support and I really appreciate y'all man. Trust me, man, it's greatly appreciated. I'm bringing y'all man. Trust me, man, it's greatly appreciated. I'm bringing y'all this information seven days a week. I'm working hard for y'all. Hit the comment. Wait, hold up. Comment share, subscribe like. Comment share, subscribe like and I'm out. Peace you.