CHICAGO�(http://www.finalcall.com)-Twenty-five years after the departure of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and a separation in the family of the Nation of Islam, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and Imam W. Deen Mohammed stood together Feb. 27 in a sold-out United Center, declaring their unity, speaking of the universal nature of Islam, the need for changing lives abroad and the need to transform lives at home.

There was also a call for the Muslim world to help spread Islam in the western hemisphere by aiding indigenous Muslims who know the mentality and speak the cultural and historic "language" of the West.

"The Imam and I will be together until death overtakes us and we will work together for the cause of Islam. We will work together for the establishment of Islam; not only among our people, but to establish Islam in the Americas," said Min. Farrakhan, whose entrance and embrace of Imam Mohammed ignited thunderous applause, and resounding cheers.

"Allah-U-Akbar! (God is great!)" rang out, and many wiped joyous tears from their eyes as the two men hugged and kissed one another on the cheek.

"Let us work as Muslims to serve the will of God for the benefit of all people on this earth. And let the African Americans who have suffered a very peculiar experience, a very strange experience�slavery, racism, discrimination, charged with not being full human beings. But we have survived all of that to be here today," said Imam Mohammed, who opened his remarks with expressions of brotherhood for Min. Farrakhan.

Allah (God), in the Holy Qur�an, says Muslims are one community and should not be divided and says all human beings started from a single source and will return to that source, he said.

Prophet Muhammad of Arabia, peace be upon him, is called a mercy to all the worlds by Allah (God), Imam Mohammed noted. "If our leader is a mercy to all the worlds, then we must care about all the worlds, and also follow him with that mercy, and extend it to all the worlds," he said.

The stadium where the Chicago Bulls play was crowded from floor to ceiling, from VIP seats on the main floor to seats high above the floor, and behind the stage. Outside, long lines formed early, but by the afternoon, ticket windows displayed signs reading "sold out." Gates on both sides of the arena were jammed with huge, but orderly and courteous crowds.

The podium on stage inside resembled the U.S. Capitol, with a huge photo of the Million Man March serving as a backdrop. Min. Farrakhan�s appearance was the first time many followers and the public had seen him since he spoke at Saviours� Day 1999. The Minister took a near year-long sabbatical after complications arose from prostate cancer treatment, and had a near death experience.

"I love Prophet Muhammad and I know that he is the end of the prophets, and I know that the Qur�an is the final book that was brought to the human being to prepare us for the life of the hereafter; but I don�t think that Allah would be pleased with me if I embraced the Prophet Muhammad and disrespected the man that suffered to bring me up to a position where I could see the prophet, respect the prophet, follow the prophet and be a true servant of the prophet," said the Minister, sharing why he chose to rebuild the work of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad 25-years-ago, as the Imam moved toward "orthodox" Islam.

"Thanks to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, who no one can deny has done a great work in North America, for the upliftment of Black people. So much so that many scholars, scientists and thinkers who have benefited from the wisdom of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad are now getting a richer, more vibrant knowledge of our history which is causing us to begin to love ourselves. And now the love of our neighbor is gradually becoming easier," said Min. Farrakhan, as he explained the importance of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and his teacher, Master Fard Muhammad.

"Now there�s been a lot of talk about Him (Master Fard Muhammad). I never met him, but I knew what I heard and what his servant taught�that he came to befriend us and start us on the process called resurrection. ... We give praise and thanks to Allah forever for His coming, for without His coming and His guidance, I and the Nation of Islam would not be here today for you to admire," said Min. Farrakhan.

Master Fard Muhammad fulfilled a hadith, or saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), that Islam started and would return as a stranger, a stranger that would correct those who had become corrupt and deviated, the Minister said.

"By the grace of Allah, we are here to correct that which is corrupt and that which has deviated," he continued, saying God sent a man who put Blacks on the road to righteousness, Islam, and leading the world to the proper path. That mission of resurrecting fallen humanity also belongs to Muslims, Christians and Jews, the Minister added.

"Everybody here should recommit their lives and their selves to save themselves, their families, and their people out of a world that is doomed by Allah," said Min. Farrakhan, urging the Muslim world to help him and Imam Mohammed spread Islam in the West, where 500 million people have never heard the message.

Prophet Muhammad said three generations after him would not be of him, and the sun would rise in the West. With Arabs in pursuit of power and wealth, the western powers helped corrupt the world of Islam, and the ummah, or community, is divided, Min. Farrakhan noted.

"We need your help. But you can�t guide us. You don�t know how to guide us to wake up the man in America. That�s not your job. Your job is to help those of us whom Allah has guided and given that message," Min. Farrakhan insisted.

Imam Mohammed rose from his seat, walked over to Min. Farrakhan, touched his arm, and said: "Allah is with you." The audience erupted in an electric frenzy, as the microphone picked up those words.

"Allah-U-Akbar!" Min. Farrakhan shouted. "Allah-U-Akbar! Allah-U-Akbar! Alla-a-a-ah-U-akbar!!" the crowd roared in response.

Min. Farrakhan also responded to rumors of "change" spawned by widespread distortions and misreports in the media.

"I can never abandon you who are the reason for my existence. For 45 years of my life and even before I came into consciousness, you have always been the focus of my mind. � I stand before you today proudly as a Black man, never to abandon you; never to alter the course but to fight for justice for you until justice flows down the mountain like a mighty stream, and the forces of injustice are destroyed from the face of the earth," he said.

"You, as a people, should never doubt me after my years of service to you, that I would abandon you for somebody else or for a wider mission."

Blacks are destined by prophecy to lead the world back to God, which means having a universal mission and a duty to warn the U.S. government to repent, Min. Farrakhan continued.

A divine law produces those who are born to fulfill the longing for freedom, justice and equality felt by their people, he said, citing words from the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.

"I and my brother (Imam Mohammed), I and we have no choice in this matter. I am yoked to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. I can�t cut him loose, don�t want to cut him loose. .... Beyond that I am yoked to Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, and I am yoked to Jesus, and above all I am yoked to Allah in this assignment," he said.