EP26 - My Earth Is Spacious

In this episode of 'The Family Ties,' co-hosts Frank Abdul Shaheed & 
 Faridah Abdul-Tawwab Brown explore the cultural and spiritual journey of Faridah and her family in Medina Baye, Senegal. They discuss the significance of their daughters' experience memorizing the Quran and the importance of preserving family values and obedience to the Creator. Faridah vividly describes the contrasting landscapes and the community's spirit in Senegal, drawing parallels between their surroundings and inner cities in America. They highlight the role of family and community in shaping a healthy society and emphasize the need for a return to cultural and spiritual roots for personal and communal upliftment.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:55 Farida's Journey to Senegal
01:48 The Quran Memorization Program
05:34 Challenges and Reflections on Family Life
07:20 Exploring Senegal: Landscapes and Culture
14:48 Comparing Life in Senegal and America
16:29 The Role of Scripture and Community
21:29 The Importance of Family and Community Support
34:12 The African American Experience and Spirituality
52:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

This podcast is about family life as a means to address current problems in American society. A scripture based African American perspective. 

Welcome to The Family Ties, a Prescription for Society.
 Through this experience we invite you to join us in an exploration of the concept of family ties as a prescription for society.
 
 YOUR HOSTS:  Frank Abdul Shaheed &
 Faridah Abdul-Tawwab Brown
 
 This episode was edited by Darryl D Anderson of AMG - Ambassador Media Group visit https://www.ambassador-mediagroup.com/
__________________________________
Music Credit
Back Home by Ghostrifter Official | https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Copyright 2024

Transcript

Frank: 0:16

Peace be upon the family, as we welcome you to another experience of The Family Ties, a prescription for society. I am your co host, Frank Abdul Shahid.

Faridah: 0:26

And I am your co host, Farida Abdul Tawab Brown. Before we get started, don't forget to subscribe so you can stay up to date and get all the latest episodes.

Frank: 0:36

Welcome back to another. Fantastic episode. Farida, it's good to have you back as my co host today. How are you?

Faridah: 0:42

It is good to be back here with you. And I don't know if you can hear anything in my background. I'm hearing a call to, of urgency in yours, Frank.

Frank: 0:53

Yes,

Faridah: 0:54

I can hear the ambulances. And just a short while ago, I heard some ambulances in my background, where I'm joining you from the neighborhood of Medina by in the city of Cowlack here in the beautiful country of Senegal and West Africa. And so it's a pleasure to join you and our listening audience. So I want to invite you to join us and embark on this conversation together today from two different sides of

Frank: 1:21

the Atlantic ocean. Absolutely. So if I may ask, are you there on business? Are you there just on pleasure? Are you by yourself or, you know, what is the company that you're keeping in that wonderful city in Seattle, Senegal? I'm sorry.

Faridah: 1:33

Ah uh, the, the company that I am keeping currently. And so I am here with two of my daughters, my two younger daughters, and they're here. my sister and her family including her two daughters. So the four cousins we have brought them here to Senegal for the next nine months, you know, a period of gestation to study and memorize the Quran, which is the scripture of the Muslims. And so, of course, for those of you who know, it is a scripture that was revealed in the Arabic language. And so they will have to read and then memorize. the, the Koran, the word of God in the Arabic language until the plan is for them to study and the program runs from early in the morning from the early morning prayer, fadjor and they study with breaks for lunch. And You know, breaks for rest and nap and things of that nature until the final prayer of the day, which is Isha at nighttime. So they do that for five days a week. And then the weekend is on begins on Wednesday afternoon. They get out of school early on Wednesday at one and their weekend is actually Thursday and Friday. So yes. So, and then they return after Maghrib, after the sunset prayer on Friday. So Saturday and Sunday are school days for them.

Frank: 2:51

Hmm. That's very interesting. So the love

Faridah: 2:53

of the Quran and wanting to to memorize it, to be keepers of the Quran is the desire of our daughters that has brought us here to Senegal.

Frank: 3:02

Wonderful. And I will say that that is a wonderful Desire that your daughters have, and I would say a very natural desire to want to have their, to strengthen their relationship with their creator and, and ultimately be the obedient creation that he created them to be. And I must say what a wonderful. Job the parents have done to be able to put their children in a situation at a very young age to one, be able to travel to, to be able to travel abroad. And three also to be able to have create these lifelong experiences in their youth, to be able to shape and form them as they become adults and understanding their responsibility in this creation. So kudos to the parents for you guys sacrificing your desire to Once you satisfy your child's curiosity and their development. So great job, parents.

Faridah: 3:58

Well, I, I must say, as we close every show the praise belongs to God. So I, I appreciate your acknowledgement of the, the hard work and the sacrifice that goes into supporting your children, your, you know, your young person's dreams for their life, particularly when they are dreams and desires that want to get them through. Thank you. take them closer to the creator of all the worlds. So we are, we are grateful that we did have this opportunity. And I would say just to add there that there are so many different places in which to study the Quran, but you know, including at home in the United States of America. But we did think this was a unique opportunity. We had heard from some friends of the family, particularly you know who had children who had studied here, young men and young women. Particularly those with daughters and sons who have come back and they have memorized the Qur'an and now they it has enriched their relationship with the Creator. So that, that's what, that was the most important thing. You know, there are people who will memorize but it doesn't reach their hearts. And all of these young people came back with a real love for the Qur'an and they also came back with a sense that they had to continually Purify themselves and their intentions because they were now preservers of God's word. So they began to see themselves as as vessels and not just you know, reciters, but they saw themselves as vessels securing God's word, hopefully into the next generation. So I will say there are Quran schools everywhere, but we thought this might be a unique experience for them to do so overseas, as you said.

Frank: 5:33

Yes. So we, you know, in this. And this podcast the family ties, the prescription for society, you know, we've, we've stressed countless times about coming to a conclusion about, and a consciousness about us having a a debt. A, an awareness we owe our creator, our obedience, and as we are striving to be more obedient servants of him he will bless us with insight for us to be able to have our best life, the life that he created for us, where we are in our lives. So part of what we've been talking about was what are, what are those things that challenges? The family life, what channel, what are the challenges of the family life that are preventing us to establish the good life, the good life that's universal everywhere for all of creation, the good life. What are some of those challenges that we've always said, and we've always stated, and we're going to state it again today, that our obedience to our creator is the first step, having that sense of obedience, that good nature, that good moral compass is the foundation for the beginnings. Of the good family life. So I know, as you said, you are in Senegal and Senegal looks completely different than New York city, Washington, DC, any Metro, Metropolitan city in America. It looks completely different. Every place has their own unique set of circumstances, but I would say that every place. Where there are humans there, there is a commonality of suffering and, and issues that we must all address, address. So, What does it look like in Senegal where you are? Medina by the city specifically that you are currently, you know, what does the landscape look like there? And do you think that landscape adds or do you think it challenges the family life?

Faridah: 7:39

That's an excellent question. I'd like to take you with me with us actually. Both you as my co host and our listening audience. I'd like to take you with us as we, we landed you know, we landed at the airport just outside of Dakar, Senegal. And as you said, we began this journey brought us to Senegal with a unique set of circumstances, a unique landscape. And with a somewhat distant, but sentimental connection to to our family as, as an African American family to, in terms of the ancestral. connection given the slave trade and our birth and reality as a new people here in the Western hemisphere, here in the United States of America, or what became the United States of America. And so there, there is that sentimental connection that kind of hits you. We, we flew actually from Dulles airport and we had a connection in Casablanca, Morocco. And we left Casablanca and we flew south to south, southeast to Senegal. And as we were entering, you know, about 30 minutes out, we flew over the desert. And this is I have never seen, you know, the, the sand dunes. It brought to me, it brought to mind, the picture of my mind the landscape that our prophet Muhammad prayers and peace be upon him that he lived in and which he traversed during the, the days of his childhood and also the, during the days of his message mission to deliver the message of, of peace. monotheism and the oneness of humanity to to humanity. And so it brought that to mind and it brought to mind the, the traversing, the hijra, the migrations that are made. And of course we do not have the intention to stay here longer than a nine month period, but it is a migration of sorts in that we are leaving what is comfortable for us, what is known to us, particularly our children, and going to a place where that we will. And already have faced certain difficulty. So getting off of the plane outside of the car, it you, you know, you can see the ocean as well when you're flying into the airport there in Senegal. And one of the things that it reminded us of is immediately is that transatlantic voyage

Frank: 10:03

that

Faridah: 10:03

our ancestors took. And you can't, help but to be aware of it and to feel it. There is a we, we went to, to eat at a restaurant maybe two days after we arrived and we were in a beach town. The name of the town is Sali. And we went to the beach and there was a restaurant on the beach. And then after we ate, the sun was setting, we're standing on the beach and it's just, I mean, the, it recalling what it must have been like

Frank: 10:32

to

Faridah: 10:32

leave your home, to not know where you were going to go, what was happening to you, what your destiny was, and to know that as a sign, as a witness to the mercy of the creator of the heavens and the earth, that an entirely new people would be born. And centuries later, that's what we're Some of those new descendants of that new people that was born would return to these shores with a mind shaped by scripture, a mind shaped specifically by the Qur'an, ready to not just, share in the wealth, meaning the, the sharing and the teaching of the Qur'an that the people of Medina Baye and Senegal have to share. But to also impart something of what God produced in us as an African American people returning to these shores, being both a symbol, a witness, and a manifestation of God's mercy to mankind and his purpose for mankind to lead us to the establishment of the just order.

Frank: 11:28

And

Faridah: 11:28

so we, there in Sali, as I, as you can imagine the picture that I'm painting for you, it's, it's gorgeous. We're beachside, we're in villas, we're walking, you know traveling and you see families, you see women and men, you see you know, you see all types of people. And it's also because it's a beach town and it's closer to Dakar, they're also tourists. So we're seeing Koreans, we're seeing Chinese, we're seeing people from different Arab nations, Lebanon you know, different, different places. And of course, some Americans and many, many French, French people. So that's the landscape. But of course, it's primarily Senegalese. And you know, you're, you meet some Christian Senegalese. You know, one of the, the housekeeper that we had, her name was Suzanne. She was a beautiful soul. And, you know, we met some of them and we saw some of the Catholic churches. And then, of course, we saw primarily Senegal is a predominantly Muslim nation. So it was beautiful for the children and I to see, and the adults in our group, to see people making wudu in the ocean. you know, and that's the preparation, the ablution, the washing up for the prayer and pulling out a prayer rug on the side of the road and making their salat. So that was a beautiful thing to witness. So we drive two and a half to three hours on Sunday out here to Medina Bayh, and Medina Bayh is a neighborhood that's built around this beautiful masjid. Or mosque as, as some people, as it's known to some of us the French word for masjid. So this beautiful masjid and it's been built around a what's the Tijaniyya Sufi order. So this is you know, people come from all over the world basically to learn from a teacher who they you know respect, the highly respect and they come during different festivals, during the Eid festivals and, you know. during you know, the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, prayers and peace be upon him and other times or just to learn the Qur'an or learn the religion. And so as such, it is a center of Islamic learning. And when we got here, the landscape, we are in a hotel that was established. By African American Muslims who have come here and established themselves here as part of this community. The hotel is very lovely. Across the street is a school. But one of the things that we saw here, we were not prepared, any of us, for the amount of the effects of poverty.

Frank: 13:50

that

Faridah: 13:50

that are apparent. They have just come out of the rainy season. We're at the end of the rainy season right now. So they had had a great deal of flooding, which has, you know, there are many dirt roads. So there, there are not many paved roads here in Medina Bay. So all the roads that we traveled on, they have ruts and you can see where the water has worn out and these rivulets in the, in the road. And so it's, it's washed a lot of the trash. There's not there are not many systems. in place yet. From what I understand, Medina Baye has grown exponentially in population over the past few decades. So the infrastructure doesn't seem to be in place to carry, let's say the amount of trash that is amount of trash that is produced by a great number of people. And so that's what you, you see a great deal, this beautiful masjid, this lovely hotel that we're staying in and it's surrounded by the signs of poverty. everywhere. So that's, I, I would like us to sit with that image because in a lot of ways it reminded me of driving through any inner city in America. You know, there, you know, you see the, the beauty of the people, the smiles, the welcoming, you know, I'm, I'm speaking in my broken Wolof, you know, and broken Wolof, a little broken French, you know, very few people speak English. So that's been exciting to get to know people and the people are warm. They're very friendly and outgoing, easy smiles. And I mean, beautiful, beautiful people in every way, you know, inside and out, just gorgeous. And then you see, you know, the trash on the ground and people freely dropping their trash because maybe they don't know where else to put it. The trash cans are overflowing and the goats and the cattle, who are also beautiful. The cattle love, oh my goodness, the white hides. I've not seen animals up close like that so beautifully. But, you know, they're wandering the same streets and they're eating some of the garbage. And it's, it's one of the things that it brings to mind, as it does whenever I'm in any urban center at home in America is what has transpired that those of us who have the guidance of scripture, who have the model of family life, who have the the excellence of the entire creation around us. to help us witness and understand the role of, of tidiness and order and cleanliness and how that plays into our psychological wellness and our emotional wellbeing. And as you said, the establishment of a healthy family life, because in order to have a healthy family life, you have to have healthy individuals. So all of those things just, they, they, they In me, there are a lot of questions that arise and connections that I'm drawing between what I'm seeing here in Senegal and what I see at home, and what is the role of scripture and the learned people. in changing that reality.

Frank: 16:47

What a very vivid picture you've painted. Very vivid. It seems as if you go from one landscape to another landscape almost instantaneous in the process, right in the same area. You know, more or less. So, so in scripture specifically in, in the Qur'an it is revealed in the Qur'an that from, from a single pair was created male and female and that they spread throughout the earth. You know, God made us in nations and tribes to, to exist throughout the world. Throughout the world and in our existence for us to have a very unique expression, everyone wasn't created to have the same expression, your circumstances, your environment, the, the climate the trade access to water, all of these different things are designed to create a different. Expression from a group of people. So we are encouraged to seek out each other because we have something unique that we can offer one another and they have something unique to offer us as well. So we are encouraged in the, in scripture to, to travel, to travel the land. Look, look at those who have gone before you and look at those who are even in your immediate time and just look at their situation and try to determine what it is, how you both can benefit. From one another. Now you have any, the the fortunate situation of going to Africa where many of us don't. I, I saw research not too long ago that said that less than 40 percent of Americans and we're talking about Second generation Americans. Third generation Americans don't have a passport. The majority of people who have passports in America are those who are maybe first generations or those who have A strong connection with their family ties throughout the world, but for the majority of Americans who third, fourth generations, they don't even have passports. So we don't really get to travel and see. So for us, we're fighting for our own expression, where we are and the nature of what man's creation has had in these inner inner cities today is we're constantly fighting each other versus trying to learn from one another right next door to us, our own neighbor. To determine for us what's good for us. So we, we, we fight, we fight at home and we can't get along with people. We want certain people out of our neighborhoods. We know we have this segregationist type of mentality because we can't see benefit from my own neighbor who don't look like us or don't have the same expression, but often when we travel and see it. You know, our sensitivities change almost, almost instantaneously, because now we see a different environment. Our mind comes out of the natural environment that man has created for himself, that he thinks is natural and goes to the actual natural environment of the earth. And we see that the people in Medina by their circumstance is a lot worse than our circumstances here back in America, and that should sensitize us in a way, not only to them, but to our own situation. And how we have neglected maintaining and protecting the innocence and the ability of the family to be able to solve our own issues and not only solve them, but, but provide services that would uplift humanity altogether that you mentioned. They don't have any infrastructure there. Ultimately the infrastructure has to be pressed upon the government by the people. It shouldn't be the other way around because the government sees it as a monetary thing. How can I make money? I'll, I'll provide infrastructure to this particular city because I can make money for it versus the people in the city saying, look, we demand these services. We want to have our best life and having our best life. It gives the best picture of those who come to visit us for them to now invest. In our circumstances, in our situation, so it's the way we tend to look at our situation and the people indigenous seem to look at their situation to determine what resources and what's resources from the government that they get to help sustain their life. So from the picture you painted, I almost can see. Detroit, Michigan. In a sense. Yes, I can almost see parts of Baltimore, Maryland in a sense. And like I said, any inner city, as you said, any inner city you can see that the decadence of the city is because of a lack of resources and a lack of determination to maintain in the ties of family. So But I would like for you to kind of, if you don't mind, talk a little bit more about just the nature of the people. Like, do they understand that they're in a very poverty type of environment? Are they witnessing to it or is this just their life and they're just making the best out of it?

Faridah: 21:47

I, I think, I think it's, it's their life. It's what, it's what they know. I think every human being has within them this Or many human beings have within them this desire, this aspiration to to establish oneself and one's family on a more sound footing. So in that in that respect, I think that there are plenty of young entrepreneurial people who, you know, there are many businesses here, many. That is one thing that I can say is, is different from a Detroit, a Baltimore, Dorchester, Roxbury, you know, in Boston, is that the, the entrepreneurial spirit, even if the shop is, you know, eight feet by eight feet, you know, six feet by 12 feet, there are shops, stalls, and not just in the marketplaces, but lining the streets. And of course, because it's very hot here, a lot of times what we witnessed when we got here, we've only been in Medina by for about a you know, this is our second day here. So God willing, I will have more to share, you know, the longer, you know, we'll spend a significant amount of time here. But what I did notice is that, you know, in the evening, evening, especially as the sun goes down, it's cooler. It's a lot more comfortable for people to move about. They're out and they're shopping and that, you know, they go to the masjid, the adhan is called, you hear the adhan called, and the Quran recited, so there are reminders of the true picture. And I can say that that is different from our reality in America. Because as we spoke of on an earlier podcast episode of this podcast, we talked about not wanting my best life or your best life, but we want the best life.

Frank: 23:33

Yes.

Faridah: 23:34

And that is the life that God, the creator of heavens and the earth has decreed for us. It's the life that the young people you know, that we spoke with on a previous episode, that they are striving, they're awakening to their purpose within that context. And that is going into the heavens and the earth and observing and bringing benefit out of it so that not only do they grow and do they benefit, but that they bring benefit to the larger society. So that. reality, that picture of the human being. I think that there is a clearer picture of that here in Medina Baye. What, why do I say that? Oftentimes, as you know currently in our country, we are, we are being, our children are being taught through popular culture and also in their schools, that there is, that there are many different pictures for the correct establishment of the human family. And any one of those pictures based on desires is correct, is appropriate, and should be supported. When, of course, we know that there is One picture of the excellence of the human family that begins with two, a man and a woman committing to one another in marriage, being supported by their family units and the larger community and building community neighborhood life, community life and human society based on that model of concentric rings of support. all based around the coming together of man and woman.

Frank: 25:06

Yes.

Faridah: 25:07

That picture is whole. That picture is in the forefront here in, in Senegal. It is safeguarded in Medina by, in a way that it is not in at home in the United States of America. So there are pictures of what the successful human family looks like that have not yet been challenged. in their truth and in their reality, in their depiction of reality. And I think, so you'll see family units, you see fathers and mothers, so many people, you know, they're kind of looking you know, they ask you, Oh, where are you from? And what about your husband? And what about your father? And what about, so they're asking you, and they're assuming that all of these family, familial relationships are intact. Yes. That's an assumption. because that's the picture on which they're operating. And I cannot underestimate how important that is, particularly with respect to the sense of, of safety, you know, you walk down. So the, the difference also that's manifest, and I like to get your response to this is that we're walking at night. You know, from the hotel to the school building where the dormitory is and the classes are held for this, the African American Islamic Institute, the Legacy Academy. And, you know, we're asking for directions and people are helping. They're going out of their way to help us with a smile. They leave their home. They'll walk us to the next corner. There's this person's house and there's the school. The children in the street are helping. young men are helping. And so, of course, we were with my brother in law. So it was a man with us. But at times we were a little bit separated because I had to you know, kind of fall back and stay with the straggling teenagers. You know, those of you who are parents know that sometimes our young adults tend to straggle, but even in that case I did, I, I never felt unsafe, you know, the young men would give the greetings of peace. Peace be upon you. Assalamualaikum. I never felt unsafe at all. That comes from having the picture intact of having men who model for their sons and the other young men what manhood looks like in its presence. So is there a lot of poverty? Yes. Are there some things in terms of material establishment that need to be done differently? A lot. a lot. And as a spiritual center, I believe that the Al Islam is meant, it's a way of life. It's not supposed to be lived in the ritual. It's not supposed to stay in the masjid. It's supposed to have a clear and edifying effect on all human institutions. And so I think as a spiritual center, we should be seeing a lot better out of that. But I would say that the, the sense of security and safety. and peace that I felt as a woman. Now that I'm speaking as a woman traveling that that I did, I would not feel the same way traveling through Dorchester, Roxbury, some parts of Baltimore, DC, Southeast DC, Southwest, you know, I would not feel the same way. And I think it's directly attributable to the picture of the human family being clear and intact.

Frank: 28:25

Very poignant. That's a very poignant description. So the innocence, the innocence is something that's raw, is something that's not refined, but it's not being used either. It is waiting for use for you to use it in a manner that it is designed and created to be. For the benefit of all people, that's the innocence and that's the, the, the thing that drives a very healthy society to be able to identify what the innocence is. And once you identify the innocence, now you can protect that innocence. But also in the same picture, there's also the ability, the ability is the energy that's designed to convert that innocence into a a functionable matter, a functional process that will get give life, give strength, give sustainability to what you have already established. That's the ability. So a healthy family. We'll nurture both of those things and keep those things close to one another. So when it comes time for both to interact with each other, they get the best idea of what the next step should look like. So you mentioned the people there who are speaking when people are walking down the street manners. You know, you're, you're be able to identify something because you're not responding to something that you see, you know, there was a time in America where you didn't walk past somebody when I was speaking to them, there was, there was a time in America where men would just, they wouldn't even go out of their way to protect the women. It was just a sense in the street that if I see a woman coming, I either step out of her way, I give her the right away, I escort her to her car, escort her to where she needs to go. That's me protecting the innocence. That was already naturally there. The women on the other side would see the men and would respond to the men. They were the ability in the neighborhood, so they would give them whatever benefit they could give them to assist them and them constantly being the ability in the neighborhood to strengthen the neighborhood. So women wouldn't talk bad to God men and men wouldn't talk bad to women. So regardless. Of the economic situation. So for our history in America, the great Northern migration, where many from the South African Americans specifically moved to the North. Because they want to have jobs, they want to get out of a situation where they could provide for their family. Often the government will set up housing for them, ultimately known as projects, you know, housing projects, those types of things that we are currently attribute to, you know, low income. Living, but during those times, we had a sense of the ability and innocence that we didn't have a disrespect of our neighborhood or our environment. We took care of it. The, the, they would clean the steps. There wasn't any garbage on the ground. People would speak. The children would speak to the adults. The adults would have kind of words to the children. They will make pathways for the children, for them to live their best life. Many of them came to the north. To make sure that their children can have a better opportunity. That was their sacrifice. But somehow or another, we've lost that we've lost that in a sense, in our pursuit of materialism and our pursuit of having an identity that removes us from the best life because we now have been influenced by individualism. So the refreshing part of it is that it's innate in us. It's there. It's there. But barriers have prevented that expression to be what they needs to be. So when you hear it and you see it is definitely a refreshing thing. So we just have to get back to opening up these pathways in these families to allow Children to have their. Greatest expression for them to understand where they are in the context of neighborhood and community life and family life as well. So that's why we began this podcast episode with, you know, honoring the parents who given their children an opportunity to, to traverse the earth, to get away from the environments and the influence that they naturally have where they are and kind of see how other people interact. And, and, and then you get a sense of appreciation for what you have and understanding that your mother. Is the one who you owe your allegiance to and not just your birth mother. But your matter, mother, mother, matter, mother earth, the mother who created me in this form, I owe that to them because they are the ones who have wrecked, I recognize my innocence through them and then ultimately acknowledging that and now going forward with the ability. for me to be the best. So in these family situations we have to get back to recognizing that and possibly being able to be a force in the world with the spiritual guidance that we get from our moral compass that God has created for us.

Faridah: 33:38

Wow. I, I couldn't have summarize that any better. You know, you pointing to the ability and the, the, the, the nurture and and putting those two things together and how they manifest in the world and the environments and the parents making these pathways, you know, as the, the leaders in the family and in the society. I think I want to go back to a word you used and that was environment. And you know, as we hear, you know, on this podcast are focused on the family as a prescription for society. I think it's important, particularly for for all of human beings to look at the role that we address this on another episode of Migration, immigration, leaving one place. And what was, what's the intention when you leave that place? What is the spirit or the disposition when you leave that place to go to another? And then who is receiving you in that place? And how do they play into creating an environment that is conducive to human excellence? And of course we spoke about that in at some length in the context of the American immigration crisis that we have going on today. But it is a human phenomenon. And so even as I said, I, I referred to this trip here as a not a migration because we plan to come back. This is a visiting. This is a, as, as you mentioned in the Quran God tells us to he says, my earth is spacious. It is. You know, and so, so travel this earth so that you may worship me so that in even the travel there's a form of the if you bring with it your humility if you bring on your travels a spirit of of obedience then you will be worshiping the creator. You will draw closer to your creator by this encounter with what is not known to you. And he tells us also what you, you cited earlier, that we were created in tribes and nations so that we may know one another, we may recognize one another. And so this is so important to the human endeavor, even to this picture that you're painting about the, the ability being secured. I, I look at it and I, I liken it, as you said, to the migration that African Americans made from out of our circumstance of not just economic oppression, but the oppression of the, the human soul that our circumstances were so circumscribed by terror. You know, we throw around the word terrorism a lot today. Terrorism is real. We have experienced it in our past, particularly up from slavery. We have experienced the terrorism that sought to preserve the status quo, that sought to preserve a power balance, a power imbalance that would leave African American people at the bottom of the economic totem pole and, and leave those who are in charge of society at the top. And so that migration was in some part an effort to remove ourselves from that, that cycle of terror and oppression that would keep us in that position, locked into that position. But when you describe moving to the North and we see what happened within generations, just as I may see know, maybe unsanitary conditions or garbage, litter not having an infrastructure here to handle that here in Medina Baye. I look at the detritus of, or detritus that's one of my reading vocabulary words I encounter very often, but it's, it's the waste of our society, of our human consumption, right? We, we see that in the form of our families, our young people who have been driven to undermine their own progress as human beings because they don't have an environment that would take that their natural state of excellence and shepherd it to it toward its destiny. Because that's essentially what a community is. And the family is the first unit for that. The family unit is supposed to take the beautiful and excellent nature of that new human being. And it's supposed to protect it, to train it until it gets to its maturity. So that it can fulfill its, its purpose here on earth. So when the family breaks down, when the neighborhood breaks down, when the community breaks down, what you see is waste. We see wasted lives. We see young people ending up in the criminal justice system. We see families that, you know, have two and three fathers, and the children don't know their, their own father, and the mothers don't have support for raising these families. And and we have violence and self harm, and we have a lack of education. We have a lack of discipline that leads us to a situation where we're, you know, We don't provide for our own needs. And on the other side of the ocean, we, we see sometimes not quite the same disrepair of the human life, but we see a lack of ability to establish a reality for the majority of the people where they can live in human dignity. And the one thing that I, I think of when I think of this, this traversing from the South to the North for the African American people is that in his wisdom and his plan, we are tested in this life. But God had a plan for the people who were denied everything. And part of that plan was that moving up out of our native, our motherland of the South, out of that motherland, we wanted to move to a fatherland, a place where we established ourselves. We wanted to move to the home, the place of our birth, to the place of our establishment. And in these Northern urban centers, that's exactly what happened. So even though we've seen the, the combustibility, this veritable atomic bomb that has gone off where we see our, our entire units as a people exploding, because we have with, with both positive and detrimental energy we also found our salvation in the message of a new people who would be brought to scriptural thinking as a definition, as a defining characteristic of who they are. And that people will provide both in Detroit and Baltimore and Newark, New Jersey, that same adherence to and, and living by the, the word of God, the scripture of God will also bring guidance and leadership to other parts of the world. including Medina Baye in Senegal.

Frank: 40:29

And that's the prayer of all sincere believers that the true picture is brought into its greatest form into fruition. Absolutely. And you mentioned two terms, motherland and fatherland. Many in the audience may not have had any opportunity to understand hearing those terms. We often refer to Africa as the motherland and Africa is the motherland. But in our sojourn here in America, our experience here in America, many of us have been, have not been given language to let us know that this is our land and this is the land where we establish ourselves and we establish our best picture in this land. As you said, with, with God as the center of our of our life, everything that we plan is from our honoring him and obedience to him and using his revelation that he has given man with to be the focus of our every action. Aspect of our life. So you mentioned there how they had such a beautiful mosque, but yet the houses around the mosque didn't reflect the beauty of the mosque. You know, we don't, we don't want to be a society in which we hold up rituals and keep information locked in rituals so that the common person can't benefit from the scriptural insight that was revealed to man. And that's what it was designed to be. It wasn't designed to be locked. Yeah. In a ritual, but the ritual itself should unlock some things in man to get man to be able to establish themselves in this place in which we call America, which is our fatherland. We will have our best establishment here. The world looks. To America for their determination for what is good for them, they look for America to determine, you know, what is, what is the movement throughout the world and what, and what their sensitivity should be. So yes, America is our fatherland. This is the place where, and as I'm hearing in your background, I'm hearing an individual make a call, making a call to remind us that. Our obedience is to our creator. So whenever we sojourn to do anything and any type of activity, we're always doing it knowing that God sees us. But as the prophet said, Mohammed, the prophet made the prayers and peace be upon him said, and knowing that you should do an act knowing that God sees you, but knowing that you can't see God. He always sees you. And I'm paraphrasing that. So that should be, we call it a God consciousness. Amen. So so when we talk about resources and talk about how life could be better for, for families and unlocking that. Scripture and unlocking that revelation and unlocking what God has provided for, for man, you know, the African American is a sign of that for the whole world that he has the merciful benefactor and the merciful redeemer when, when the billions of Muslims recite that throughout the world. Every day, five times a day, if not more when they recite those two words immediately, they should think of the African American because that's proof that he is the merciful benefactor, merciful redeemer from taking us from our motherland and establishing us in a new land. That's now our fatherland, that we have our best expression. And once again, in that expression is how we lift. Community, the common unity, the common unity of the good life. I'm not your neighbor. If I'm decadent, I won't consider you a neighbor. I will consider you a minister to community. You're not a neighbor. If you're decadent, if you're trash in the place, if you're loud, if you're noisy, you don't have any regard for the, for the people in your neighborhood. You're not a neighbor. You're just in my neighborhood. But those people who do have their sacred regard, they are neighbors, which means that ultimately. Our collective expression should uplift our neighborhood, ultimately our city, ultimately our state, our country, and ultimately the world, but that's based upon our regardfulness to God,

Faridah: 44:49

you know, there's, there's I'm not quite sure how many. of us are familiar with what I'm going to say now, but it is a teaching. I believe it's a universal, it's an understanding that comes from the Quranic thinking of this guided tradition. You know, this community that has come to Islam with a, an independent mind and independent thinking

Frank: 45:22

that

Faridah: 45:22

was preserved in what many saw as an aberration, a proto Islamic movement that was the nation of Islam as taught by Farad Muhammad, as led by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and as purified by. And made clear and brought to its conclusion by Imam Muhammad in terms of taking an independent mind and making it open and available to scripture itself and having that mind in the legacy and in the pathway of African American leaders that were birthed in this tradition. And I say in a sense, yes, Africa is our origin. And so there was something very sentimental tugging at my heart. But as a people, I would honestly say that I think America is both our mother and fatherland because it is America where we were born as a people. We came as, as differing peoples from different tribes and ethnic realities and languages and religions from the continent of Africa, but it was in the bowels of chattel slavery on the shores of what came to be known as the United States. That's where we came from. That our people, this newest people in human history was born. So I think there might be an argument for saying, yes, we were as all of humanity was, our origin was in America, I mean, in Africa and particularly and specifically as a people of African descent, our origin was there, but I think for the African American people, our nativity. Is, is in the, the reality and the history of American chattel slavery and what followed it, but what a good

Frank: 47:12

point, great point,

Faridah: 47:14

You know, great points come from clear thinking from good leaders. Yes. So I, I would, I would say that we can, that's another conversation for another episode, but Okay, so you know, wrapping up this idea, I just would say that the idea that I just wanted to share is that America has so much promise. And even as we speak, we know that our nation is, is supporting some tragedies around the world. You know, that is an active participant and supporter of some very anti human events that are transpiring around the world right now. But what I would say is. The leadership that America provides and the possibility that America secures is the reality that African Americans represent. That this entire experiment as a nation, Allah allowed it to come to be. God allowed this to come to be even with all of its ugliness and pain so that a people could be born to remind humanity of God's mercy. and his hand in taking humanity to its destination.

Frank: 48:27

Yes.

Faridah: 48:27

And without that experience, this would not have happened. So where Americans our, our ancestors in slavery, we're languishing and nobody is. came to rescue, not, not anyone in the Muslim world, not anyone in the Christian world. No one came to rescue this new people were born and secured and safeguarded by the creator himself so that now these people can remind all of humanity about the best that's in us and that the covenant with God is the answer to everything that plagues humanity, including the establishment of the human family.

Frank: 49:04

Yes. Amen. And in the human family is where we'll see the greater mercy. That, that our Lord, our creator gives to man in that picture in the loving relationship between the parents and the loving relationship between the children and the children with the parents in that picture is what we see the greatest expression of, or the purity, I should say, of, of his mercy. to us as a creation. And then from that, we established based upon that particular relationship of those family ties. Absolutely. Can

Faridah: 49:40

I just share that just interject very quickly. I think that even in this trip, you're seeing that picture play out. So, you know, my husband was supposed to be able to, to take them, but he, he had to, his responsibilities to provide for this family took precedence. And so me, you know, their mother, I was there to, you know, as a nurturing presence, as a caretaker in my own right, to be here to help shepherd them through the beginning of this experience, but it would not have been possible without the safeguarding and the provision that, that was provided by their father, my husband. So even in making this happen, we can see the reflection of the beautiful best life that God plans for all of us, even in terms of securing this opportunity. I just wanted to share that.

Frank: 50:28

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. So, you know, we want to, we, once again, we want to applaud those parents and not only just those parents, but anyone, anyone who has contributed to trying to create pathways for families and young children to be able to, to experience life and get the true, the true bounty and a true idea of what life looks like outside of their own circle. You know, we want to thank. Thank God, thank the creator for allowing you to be sensitive enough to be a part of that great, that great process. So, you know, we want to thank you all for that too. Now on a, on a side note, Hey, listen, if you guys want to take a trip to any country you want to and take, you know, a lot of pictures so you can blow it up on your Instagram and Facebook. Hey, do that by all means, you know that is nothing wrong with those, that, that type of activity. But understand that, you know, there is a greater level to that. And the level is what sister Farta just, just recognize about the sacrifices of the parents, wanting to make sure that the children have their best opportunity because they're securing the future for them. So by doing that process, we know in the future, God willing, That the steps have been made, the preparation has been made. So that way, when it comes down for them to take their position, they naturally go right into what they're supposed to do to secure our future as a community. Wonderful. God's blessing has always been upon us. And it's the sensitive ones amongst us are the ones who recognize, and we're the ones who become obedient to that. Well, Farda, The praise is for God always we have moved one step closer to destination excellence

Faridah: 52:15

until next time. Let us remain conscious of our Creator and of the sacred relationship of parent and child and of the family ties that bind us. Subscribe to the podcast and come back next time for a new episode of The Family Ties.

Frank: 52:32

From Frank Abdul Shahid

Faridah: 52:35

and Farida Abdul Tawab Brown.

Frank: 52:39

Peace be upon the family.