LETS SHOW AND PROVE: I FEEL LIKE BUILDING WITH THE FIVE PERCENT LESSONS

LETS SHOW AND PROVE: I FEEL LIKE BUILDING WITH THE FIVE PERCENT LESSONS

By Fahim A. Knight-El

I have not had a good Build in some time and this caused me last week to pullout my ‘120 (degree) Lessons’ and started studying them as I once did some years ago. I must admit to my reading audience, I feel like a closet Five Percenter (may be I view myself more of an honorary member) who belongs to the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE) because I have been a student of the "120 Lessons" for a very long time and it is this affinity that has kept me close to this culture in spirit and thought. However, it has been years since I attended my last Parliament, which was held in Asbury Park and Neptune, New Jersey (New Jerusalem). Also, just the other night, I started reading Michael Muhammad Knight's book titled, "Why I Am a Five Percenter", let me set the stage for my readers relative to Michael Muhammad Knight who considers himself to be a Five Percenter.  Firstly, he is a Caucasian who is also known in the NGE circles as "Azreal Wisdom"; I cite his racial and ethnic nationality because the Nation of Gods and Earths is commonly viewed as a Black Nationalist organization (and as an offshoot of its forerunner organization the Nation of Islam) by mainstream media—the thought of a 'white god' cannot be phantom by some of the black gods that I have spoken with, but there are others who have accepted Michael Muhammad Knight as a brother Five Percenter and he has the rights and privilege to attend Parliaments and free range to let knowledge be born. What he doesn't fully have is the raw street credentials that most of the Gods have attained which is always a plus on the street category side of things.  

Michael Muhammad Knight (Azreal) based on reading and assessing his history and relationship with the Nation of Gods and Earths that probably began in 2004, he seems to have won credibility amongst some of the leading Five Percenters over at the Allah School in Mecca, which is the Headquarters of the Five Percenters located in the heart of Harlem (MECCA) its address is as follows: Allah School In Mecca 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.; New York, NY 10027. Knight has a serious intellectual and academic advantage over many grassroots members of the Nation of Gods and Earths because of his high level of literacy and academic training. His formal academic training was seen in his research investigative book titled, "The Five Percenters: Islam, Hip-Hop and the Gods of New York", and if nothing else his scholarship has rescued the Nation of Gods and Earths from being a fringed organization that has lingered in obscurity relative to the academic community and now because of his academic treatise more so-called mainstream scholars are starting to take a serious interest in this fifty year old organization that has for the most part existed under the radar (the black community has always been very aware of the existences of the Five Percenters better known today as NGE). Let me also be clear about this Build my somewhat focus on Michael Muhammad Knight is not written with the intent of overshadowing the NGE with this white NGE scholar and leave my readers with the idea that he is a central focal point of the Five Percenters movement because he is not and I could have approached this article from many different directions minus my attention given to Knight.  

However, Michael Muhammad Knight is a serious student of religion and is, perhaps unmatched by most NGE members when it comes to having a knowledge of comparative religion. He also, has a serious grasp on traditional Islam—Sunnism, Shia, Sufi and other mystic Islamic theologies; yet, reading his book you get the feeling that he is entrapped by the mathematical truths, high science and the unorthodox path to enlightenment offered in the culture of the Nation of Gods and Earths. I believe in heart and mind inside the NGE, Knight found a level of conscious peace that he could not find in Sunni Islam; and although, many of the tenets contradicts what he had previously accepted and come to believe as a Sunni Muslim (nevertheless he views himself as a Five Percenter). However, the NGE seem to have a gravitational pull toward his inner spirit and it didn't matter about the conviction of his Shahada (the Muslim openly attest that there is no God, but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger). He seemed to have rationalized the Nation of Gods and Earths' body of philosophical school of thought as being equal to the Isma'ilis or seeing the NGE as a modern version of many of the Sufi Persian mystics schools of thought; perhaps to Knight these black street poets are viewed in the same realm of the writer of the "The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran and possess the philosophical insight of a Jean-Paul Sartre or Rene Descartes.

I think Knight has found a sense of spiritual and intellectual comfort in the esoteric, Gnostic and occult interpretation of the "Supreme Mathematics", ‘Supreme Alphabet’, ‘The Student Enrollment (1-10)’,  ‘The Lost Found Muslim Lesson No.1 (1-14)’, ‘English Lesson No. C-1 (1-36)’,  ‘The Lost Found Muslim Lesson No.2 (1-40)’, ‘The Actual Facts’, etc., and he seemed torn between, perhaps his association with traditional orthodox Islam and his affinity towards this so-called movement that has been perceived by traditional Islam as being defined as heretic in its teachings and philosophy. I will never abandon the 'Lessons' regardless of how mainstream Islam view them and I think that would be Michael Muhammad Knight’s sentiments as well.

The Nation of Gods and Earth is considered to be a secularized culture with no system of clergy and/or clerics or systematic theology or philosophical edicts and tenets, which is not mandated and/or governed by a hierarchy leadership presiding as supreme Master Teacher or leader over the Nation of Gods and Earths (the Gods proud themselves of their Free Thinking, Independent and Sovereign minds, which to manifest and explore the truth without dogmatic boundaries). Thus, each God has Freewill to study and interpreted ‘120 Lessons’ as they please and tap into the mathematical sciences and master the Universal Intelligence to build and let knowledge be born. They don’t look to Chicago, Mecca, Rome, or Jerusalem for guidance—praying and turning to the East is not obligatory and they do not look to be led by Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam or any other religious cleric. The true Five Percenters respect Farrakhan and the Black Muslim teachings, but they adamantly reject being labeled and classified as Muslims and members of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam.

However, former NGE members such as Dr. Wesley Muhammad (aka True Islam) who authored the book titled, "The Book of God: An Encyclopedia of Proof that the Black Man is God" has straddled the fence and has made attempts to bridge the gap between the Nation of Gods and Earths and Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam. Dr. Wesley Muhammad/True Islam now serves as a spokesman in the Nation of Islam and they have formed a quasi NGE ciphers called the ALLAH TEAM and subgroups called the Five Percent Nation of Islam that also includes Wakeel Allah who authored two definitive volumes on Father Allah and the Five Percent Nation both titled, "In the Name of Allah Vol. 2: A History of Clarence 13X and the Five Percenters". Father Allah is probably turning over in his grave and denouncing Dr. Wesley Muhammad (True Islam) and Wakeel Allah for mixing mathematical truth (quantitative science that can be counted and measured) with unscientific theology (faith that often lacks reasoning) in their attempt to synthesize the Five Percent teachings into some formal Islamic school of thought (most Nation of Gods and Earths members reject any such notion).

Yet, as I have written in the past that both the Nation of Gods and Earths and the Nation of Islam shares a fundamental document called the "Supreme Wisdom Lessons" and other knowledge that originated with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. The Nation of Islam has a sacred theological value associated with the 'Lessons' these 'Lessons' originally were only given to registered Muslims and the NGE view the 'Lessons' as a philosophical secular set of catechisms that requires a full range of interpretations and definitely not limited to the theology of the Nation of Islam. Many of the Gods who are 50 years and older and even some younger Gods attained this knowledge in the American correctional and penal institutions. But do not think for once that there is not an apologists body of Nation of Gods and Earths scholars that represents the intelligentsia in particular, writers such as Allah Jihad who authored a definitive book on the NGE titled, "The Immortal Birth" and "Knowledge of Self: A Collection of Wisdom on the Science of Everything in Life" authored by Supreme Understanding; edited by Sunez Allah and CBS Alife Allah; they represent legitimate voices inside the Nation of Gods and Earths and have undergone the study of the 'Lessons' in which this is also seen in another work co-authored by CBS Alife Allah and Supreme Understanding titled, "The Science of Self". There are some less flattering works such as "Gods, Earths and 85ers" authored by Pen Black.

I do think in this new era of research and publishing, it has allowed the NGE message to be better communicated amongst the general public because since the assassination of Father Allah in 1969 up until the last ten years, it was difficult finding a body of collective Five Percent history in book form (even the '120 Lessons' were often disseminated from scattered and piecemeal documents). I personally was first introduced to the teachings and 'Lessons' of the Five Percent Nation from a brother who had done time in prison in which the 'Lessons' were often being transferred by another God via orally and/or who had handwritten copies of the ‘Lessons’ or were photostat copied. The Hip-Hop community poets and rappers such as Wu-Tang Clan, Big Daddy Kane, King Sun, Lakim Shabazz,  Nas, Brand Nubian and Lord Jamar, Erik B and Rakim, Method Man, Erykah Badu, Poor Righteous Teachers, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Roots, Busta Rhymes, Jay Electronica, King Sun, etc., who have been either members and/or sympathizers to the philosophical ideology of the Nation of Gods and Earths; they are the true ‘clerics’.

The Hip-Hop artists have served as the greatest ambassadors of conveying and teaching the ‘Lessons’ in a poetic genre and acquainting us with the NGE social and political views through musical lyrics. Many years ago, I became intrigued with the ‘Student Enrollment’ question: "Who is the 5% in the Poor Part of the Earth?" ANS: “They are the poor, righteous Teachers, who do not believe in the teachings of the 10%, and are all-wise; and know who the Living God is; and Teach that the Living God is the Son of man, the supreme being, the (black man) of Asia; and Teach Freedom, Justice and Equality to all the human family of the planet Earth. Otherwise known as: Civilized People. Also are: Muslim and Muslim Sons".

I like to reflect a lot in particular, when I find myself at a quiet moment and this allows me to physically enter into a spiritual space, which also allows me to tap into my subconscious reality and it drives me to embrace I SELF LORD AM MASTER (I.S.L.A.M).  I live in North Carolina, which has four seasons (spring, summer, fall and winter), I have over the years observed the beauty, we find in nature in particular, during the Fall or Autumn time in North Carolina as you travel west from the mountainous regions in and around Ashville, North Carolina during the months of October and early November—the range and hues of the leaves on the trees changing colors (bright yellow, orange, red, rust, brown, olive, etc.) and falling back to the earth, it is a stunning sight—nature at its best. It's one of the most beautiful metamorphosis that takes place in the scheme of nature that you would ever want to see (the time clock is relevant to the natural schisms of the positioning of the solar system). And as those leaves in the western part of the state continues to change colors and fall back to the earth—there is a continuance of the same natural occurrence taking place as you travel from West to East, the changing in nature starts to accelerate on its own timetable in the central and eastern region of North Carolina as well. 

Thus, duplicating the same natural phenomenon that takes place initially and early on in the mountainous region of the state. It is a very pictorial time of the year and people travel from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the external beauty of the various rays of colors relative to the leaves changing and the evolution of the seasons (it represents the perfect example of life and death). The earth is approximately 5 billion years old and this ecological paradigm must be as old as the earth itself. The teachings tell us that God self willed himself out of total triple darkness and from an atom of Light over 76 trillion years ago. Question # 9: ‘Why does the Devil teach the eighty-Five Percent that a mystery God brings all this?’ ANS. "To conceal the True God, which is the Son of man, and make slaves out of the 85% by keeping them worshipping something he knows they cannot see (invisible) and he lives and makes himself rich from their labor. The 85% knows that it rains, hails and snows; also, hears it thunder above his head, but they do not try to learn who is it that causes all this to happen—by letting the 5% teach them. He believes in the 10% on face value".

When we study our Solar Facts we are taught that, "Out of all of the Planets in the Solar Facts, only the Earth has a distance and a relative position with respect to the Sun that Born the Same, which is Understanding. This Understanding is the Resonance at which Life is manifest in this Solar System, which Fruit of the Seed of Knowledge shown on the Planet Earth. In fact, the Planet Earths attribute as far as distance is Born Understanding, or which is Borning a Child into existence. This not to say that Life can not exist on the other planets, or other points of view of the Light of the Sun of Man, its just that the Life that does exist in these other points of view has extra challenges of maintaining such a conditions to allow Life to flourish."

Wow, as a philosophical thinkers my mind is constantly turning just like the earth turns on her Axis and we who live in this part of the western hemisphere starts to receive lesser Sun Light (27 million degrees) as the earth begins its tilt away (23.5 degrees) from the sun, which is 93 million miles away from the earth, it is the degree of this tilt that starts the regeneration process of allowing death to occur in nature in order for that which is new to evolve and come to life (resurrection) in due season relative to how the earth orbits around the sun (that complete itself at 365 days). The days in the winter time gets shorter and the nights get longer as we in western hemisphere move closer toward the winter solstice (nature gives the appearance of death). This is the universal law of cause and affect; it also represents the scientific challenge to the question of, ‘who is that mystery God?’ ANS: "There is not a mystery God. The Son of man has searched for that mystery God for trillions of years and was unable to find a mystery God. So they have agreed that the only God is the Son of man. So they lose no time searching for that that does not exist" (Reference: Elijah Muhammad and Father Allah Lost-Found Muslim Lesson # 2. 1-40).

Father Allah was suspended from the Nation of Islam in 1963 or 1964 and went back to the streets of New York on a new mission other than just being an emissary for the Nation of Islam, but to win new recruits and allies for his budding Five Percent Nation; Father Allah and Justice started teaching the babies and the youth on the street corners—not Islam, but began teaching them the 'Lessons'; thus, before Master Fard Muhammad (this mysterious man prior to his disappearance in 1934 adopted many different alias such as W.D Fard, Wali Fard, W.F. Muhammad, Prophet Fard and many other alias); before this mysterious man disappearance he told the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that his name was 'W.F. Muhammad'. He stressed to Elijah that he needed to master and answer the ‘Lessons’ nearly 100 percent correctly before move on to said ‘Lesson’ number 1 (we must study the 'Lessons' to show our self approved). Master Fard Muhammad required that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to commit the 'Lessons' to memory, which was taught in the form of catechism (subsequently all Nation of Islam converts had to learn them in the same manner), because there would come a time that the Devil will take our 'Lessons' from us. Messenger Elijah Muhammad taught that Master Fard Muhammad came as a thief in the night (seeking that which was Lost, which was none other than the so-called American Negro and that Elijah was the first begotten of the dead) who made his presence known on July 4, 1930 in Detroit, Michigan and was a half-original man who was very light skinned and on the surface looked white and Caucasian.

Father Allah Clarence 13X started to question this half-original God who was being taught as having more theological validity than the original man. But in Father Allah’s mind Master Fard Muhammad’s genetic DNA and his lack of melanin content created doubt and suspicion relative to his higher god status because his ethnicity brought into question that he wasn’t a full original Asiatic Black man and this became the bases for Father Allah rationalizing his opposition to Master Fard Muhammad's Godhood status as it was presented in the Nation of Islam. Father Allah went directly to the 'lessons': Question: "Who is the Original Man: ANS: "The Original man is the Asiatic Black man, the Maker, the Owner, the Cream of the planet Earth, Father of Civilization, God of the Universe". 

Yet, in the teachings, it was taught that Master Fard Muhammad gave his racial and ethnic identity of being from Mecca, Saudi Arabia and was from the linage of the Quraish tribe of Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of 1,400 years ago. Fard Muhammad initially did not teach Elijah Muhammad Islam (he initially was given the name Elijah Karriem) but he placed high demands on teaching Elijah to internalize and commit the ‘Supreme Wisdom Lessons’ to memory. The "Lessons" in my opinion, took precedent over the teaching because they were rooted in the science of the Universal Intelligence. Elijah Muhammad has stated that Master Fard Muhammad taught him day and night for 3 1/2 years and he and the Master had an enjoining room and he got up late one night to peep through the key hold to see if Master Fard Muhammad was asleep—only to see Master Fard Muhammad peeping back at him.

Some historians have argued that it was two things that got Father Allah (Clarence 13X) excommunicated and kicked out of the Nation of Islam—his so-called blatant disrespect for the "Restrictive Laws of Islam", which was a set of rules established by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that governed moral and ethical conduct of the believers who received their 'X' and became registered Muslims in Muhammad’s Holy Temple of Islam and the Nation of Islam. Minister Malcolm X was head of Temple # 7 (Harlem, New York) when Father Allah joined the Temple (Father Allah's wife actually joined the Temple before he did) and by all accounts Minister Malcolm X and Captain Yusuf Shah (Captain Joseph) were strict disciplinarians and governed the Temple in an authoritarian manner. Some have written and even living eyewitness testimonies have stated that Clarence 13X loved to gamble and consume alcohol, smoked cigarettes and marijuana, as well as chased women, which went against the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's strict code of conduct teachings. It was alleged that it was Minister Malcolm X who placed him in F-Class and suspended him for un-Islamic conduct.  

The Nation of Gods and Earths (Five Percent Nation) founded by Father Allah (Clarence 13X) who gave us the ‘120 Lessons’ as a tool to be used to go after the eighty-five percent (85%) those who were made blind, deaf and dumb to the knowledge of self.  And in my discourse, I strive to be Right and Exact with the understanding that all truth is based on mathematical reasoning and irrefutable logic that can be proven in no limit of time, then it begs to reason that all truthful knowledge is interconnected and interrelated (okay lets show and prove).

Fahim A. Knight-El Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of goodwill, of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolism and reinterpreted the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlightened world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight-EL can be reached at fahimknight@ yahoo.com. Copyright © 1999 – 2014

Stay Awake Until We Meet Again,

Fahim A. Knight-El