Topic: A Love Supreme [Chapter 3]
Text:A LOVE SUPREME:
Chapter 3
by MALIK BELAL
September 24, 1981
He had become very attracted to Islam. Yet during his studies in some books on history he read were Arab Muslims had swept down on African lands and carried the people away as slaves. This troubled him deeply, and he did not want to trade in one form of oppression '' white Christianity'' for another, ''Arab imperialism''.He sought out the Imam. He found him at the weight pit, doing sets of bench presses. For some reason, the Imam was in a very good mood; joking, laughing, and speaking loudly. Later, when the time seemed appropriate, he brought up the subject of racism and slavery in Islam.
The Imam's gaze seemed to turn inward, then outward. Far outward, even beyond the golden-orange light of the setting sun and for a brief moment he seemed to be free of the concrete walls and razor wire fences that surrounded them. ''Islam never calls one to exploit anyone. And the Muslim is forbidden to allocate superiority or inferiority because of class, gender, or color. However, in spite of this, there will always be individuals and groups of individuals, who are ruled by greed, rather than by faith and obedience to their Creator. And sadly, there have been too many instances where some faithless and hypocritical individuals have done their dirt under the disguise of Islam.''
Malik noticed that the Imam seemed uncomfortable. This did not appear to be an issue that he relished discussing. He was not avoiding the subject, but it was obvious that he was seething with a quiet rage.
A strong wind, coming from the west, swept down upon them and turned their heads around. The western horizon was ablaze; giving off glorious orange hues. Soon the Imam would excuse himself for magreb prayer. '' The prophet is recorded to have said that during the latter days, the sun would rise in the west.''
Malik looked at the brilliant sphere of the sun, al-shamus. It seemed to hang suspended in the midst of time. The vibrant orange color was gone now, and it shone forth in an amazing radiance of pure , untinted light; which illuminated the heavens around it. And although it was evening, the time of the setting sun; To Malik it seemed to signal the start of a new day, instead of signifying the end of a dying one.
''I believe that the prophet was not only speaking of the physical sun, or the physical light that the sun throws off. I believe that he was
referring to the light of Islam. The divinely sanctioned light of truth and righteousness.''
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