by Eric Ture Muhammad

CHICAGO—"The Honorable Elijah Muhammad once said that we must do what He (Allah) is ordering us to do. He is forcing everyone to bow down to the Divine Unity that they espouse to teach," said Mother Tynnetta Muhammad, speaking on the significance of Imam’s Warith Deen Muhammad’s participation during the Feb. 26 Jumu’ah prayer service held at the McCormick Place.

"You cannot be successful until you have united all the family, not just the family of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, but all nations are family," Mother Tynnetta concluded.

Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, to the delight of all attending Jumu’ah prayer, spoke of how important it was to him that he was present. "I had a very important meeting that I had agreed to be to, so I had to be there and I was hoping that it would be concluded in time for me to come here and see you before you concluded your meeting here," he commented to thousands in attendance. Imam Mohammed was committed to performing Jumu’ah prayer in North Chicago. Afterwards, he came to the Saviours’ Day prayer service offering his greetings to the believers. The respected Muslim leader and son of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad also expressed his heartfelt wishes for a speedy restoration of health to the Honorable Louis Farrakhan. In addition, expressed his desire to see the ummah (the brotherhood of Islam) in unity.

"Being one who has studied the history of the Nation of Islam and have taken it to heart, I believe that this was the part in history that we all have been waiting for," said Baltimore Minister Carlos Muhammad. "Seeing Imam Warith Deen Mohammed come into the Jumu’ah prayer service to be here with us and we with him, shows that we are now ready to go forth with the greatest growth and development."

"I felt the sincere effort and struggle the Nation (of Islam) has put forth in representing its position and teaching," exclaimed Dr. Ahmed M. El Hattab, assistant secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). "In this way, I am so very inspired. Our future is so much brighter than our past. I will consider myself from this point on a soldier for keeping the ummah united."

"Overall, I felt it was the greatest Saviours’ Day that I ever attended. Min. Farrakhan took us from A to Z," commented Min. Abdul Karriem Muhammad of Plainfield, N.J. The key to the success of this year’s event ushering in the new millennium, he said, is Min. Farrakhan’s ability to heal wounds.

"I am so happy that he restored Min. Malcolm X to a lofty place. Malcolm was my first teacher and it hurt me so much when the rift and split came," he said. During his address in a very emotional moment, Min. Farrakhan told the audience that the dearest place held in his heart after these two men, Master Fard Muhammad and the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, was Min. Malcolm X.

A pioneer in the rebuilding effort of the Nation of Islam, Min. Karriem added that the Minister’s explanation concerning the parents of Master Fard Muhammad left room for all peoples of the earth to embrace each other. "Some one asked the question, ‘Is there a healing balm in Gilead?’ The answer is yes, and the name of the balm is Min. Louis Farrakhan," he said.

Min. Abdul Akbar Muhammad, the international representative for Min. Farrakhan, intimated how dear the weekend, particularly the Imam’s presence, was to him. "The spirit (in Jumu’ah) was beautiful and everybody was fighting back tears. I made a report to Min. Farrakhan and I told him about the spirit I felt amongst the believers."

Reflecting on how Allah’s hands were on the affairs of the Muslims, Min. Akbar said he felt that the service in itself was going a little overtime. "But that is why you have to be patient. Because if Bro. (Sheikh) Tijani (Ben Omar) had not talked that long, the Imam would have missed the whole engagement."

He also shared the uniqueness of his relationship to the work of both Imam Mohammed and Min. Farrakhan. "My first trip overseas to Africa, to Europe and to Turkey was under the leadership of Imam Mohammed. I had traveled to the Caribbean but I had never crossed the Atlantic Ocean. It was not until 1976 that I made my first trip. It started then." Since that time the well-traveled minister said he has visited over 110 countries in the world.

"I pray Allah we can all see that we have a man in our midst who has power to bring about a spiritual resurrection in us which will be followed by a demonstration of healing in the physical body," stated Southern Regional Minister Ava Muhammad.

Photo: Mother Khadijah Farrakhan welcome Imam Warith Deen Mohammed.