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FinalCall.com News
Business & Money
Supreme Planning, In Business (Part II)
By Cedric Muhammad
Updated Apr 23, 2008 - 10:38:00 AM
Thinking Like God
“A (long) respite will I grant them: truly powerful is My plan.” --Holy Qur’an, Surah 68:45 (Yusef Ali translation)
“And when We make people taste of mercy after an affliction touches them, lo! they devise plans against Our messages. Say: Allah is quicker to plan. Surely Our messengers write down what you plan.” --Holy Qur’an Surah 10: 21 (Maulana Muhammad Ali translation)
“Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?” --Holy Qur’an, Surah 5:91 (A. Yusuf Ali translation)
“...Thus did We plan for the sake of Joseph...” --Holy, Qur’an, A portion of Surah 12: 76 (Maulana Muhammad Ali translation)
“Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war.” --Bible, Proverbs 20:18 (New King James Version)
Whether you are a Believer in God or not, just think over why the Bible and Holy Qur’an — among other books of scripture and wisdom — are so popular. Can anyone deny that a major factor that makes both of these books so popular is their ability to provide insight into human affairs; solve certain problems; or prepare one for future events?
The Bible and Holy Qur’an contain historical records and predictions regarding the future. These predictions are referred to generally as prophecy.
Read 1 Peter Chapter 1 verses 19 to 21. Prophecy is called a sure or reliable word and is compared to light shining in a dark place.
All of what the Bible and Holy Qur’an contain — whether historical record, future predictions, words of wisdom, or beautiful allegories and parables — are part of a Plan.
In sum, that Plan revolves around God’s finding, redemption, raising and salvation of an enslaved and oppressed people into complete, even perfect development, and eventual communion with the Supreme Being.
This Plan, contained within the Holy Qur’an and Bible is very sophisticated, yet written on one level or another so that all can understand it — whether they accept it or not, to guide their lives.
Think carefully over what sciences are involved in writing the scriptures. A key to approaching this kind of thought is to study the words of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan regarding the nature of the Word of God and how and why it is important for people to understand It.
In Closing The Gap, Min. Farrakhan says, “The word of God that came to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was a word that was designed to fit the condition of our minds at that time but a deeper study of that same word, would disentangle us from a limited understanding of what we thought we understood when we first heard that word. Through the plain language and the metaphorical language, which is the language that uses nature and the creatures of God to describe characteristics of human beings and nations; the forces of nature; the wind; the weather; aspects of zoology; aspects of botany; aspect of anthropology; aspects of meteorology; aspects of physics and chemistry and science, all of this language is used in scripture to couch and hide even truth, as well as to give a mind that is not yet ready for deeper aspects of truth enough to free that mind; to start a movement toward the deeper understanding of what God had in mind when He revealed what He revealed.”
Look at the sciences that the Minister refers to as being in scripture - zoology, botany, anthropology, meteorology, physics and chemistry.
All of these are involved in the writing of this great Plan of Salvation.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad stated that his Teacher, Master Fard Muhammad understood this Plan better than anyone. He said that Master Fard Muhammad taught him not only the interpretation of the scriptures but the root of the Wisdom that produced them. He also said that Master Fard Muhammad taught him not only the understanding of the scriptures but also every ‘hint and nod’ regarding them; and that the prophecies were written in a manner so that their fulfillment could take place in a way that would protect the innocent, ignorant, and righteous, while confusing the guilty, evil, and wickedly wise.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad openly stated what many scholars of theology and religion continue to prove and verify — that the Bible had been tampered with and mistranslated and that it would have to be re-interpreted if man and mankind were to not be snared by its falsehoods. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that while the more accurate translations of the Bible can be found in Hebrew and Greek, he wrote that it would take God Himself, or one taught by Him to properly explain its true meaning and teach the interpretation of its prophecies.
Today, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan stands on and represents the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s exegesis of scripture to the entire world.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that Master Fard Muhammad studied for 42 years to deliver Black people and raise them up from their enslaved and oppressed status. At Saviours’ Day 1973, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad publicly stated this particular aspect of the study and education of Master Fard Muhammad, led by the Beautiful and Brilliant Father of Master Fard Muhammad, “So He said to me that He was taken by His father after He was born (His father) went looking for very good books that contained great words of wisdom spoken by great kings and all great people. He said He (His father) would get a word from this one and a word or two from that one, which were put away in a secret, and He would take it (the word) and bring it to Him. He paid people high prices for such words on the history of such and such a man.”
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught that Master Fard Muhammad knew by heart, the History of the last 150,000 years and that he could speak 16 different languages and write in 10 languages. He also stated that Master Fard Muhammad knew the language of the birds.
Study the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s “The Resurrection of the Dead - The Greatness of Master Fard Muhammad”
(http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_1324.shtml)
Why should we know any or all of this?
One of the reasons is that it better helps us understand the Plan of God and the course of instruction that we are on, and are to get. There are three stages to this course of instruction, as outlined by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
*****
A benefit to gaining more respect for the Plan of God, the sciences involved in the writing and understanding of the scriptures, and the education of Master Fard Muhammad, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan is that it helps us understand how to plan and work with one another in our personal, social and business affairs.
Think of how desire and ideas arise in the scriptures. Look at how those desires and ideas are formed into plans and schemes for good or evil. Look at how God marshals forces to cooperate with His Plan. Study in the scriptures how debate and dialogue take place and how disagreements are ironed out or rupture the unity of those who work together. Look at how those who oppose God and those with Him do the same. Consider or review the characteristics, and personality types of the best and worse helpers in this Plan, and the dynamics that lead to success, failure, disappointment, and even betrayal. Reflect over the difficulty factors that every plan described in the scriptures faces. Analyze what enables the most special Prophets, helpers and communities overcome these difficulty factors, and what causes some to be overcome by the same.
Although very few may have considered it, all of the above illuminates and informs this guidance from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s ‘Is Entrepreneurship For You?’: “In business, there are no guarantees. There is simply no way to eliminate all the risks associated with starting a small business - but you can improve your chances of success with good planning, preparation, and insight. Start by evaluating your strengths and weaknesses as a potential owner and manager of a small business.”
Thinking like the God of the scriptures will help you throughout every stage of business.
(Cedric Muhammad is a business and political economist who advises entrepreneurs and small businesses through his company, CM Cap (http://www.cmcap.com/). He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]. His weekly “Cedric Muhammad and Black Coffee Program” can be viewed every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST at The Black Coffee Channel by visiting http://www.blackcoffeechannel.com/.)
