THE TRUE MEANING OF HIRAM ABIFF AND THE VEILED SYMBOLISM

THE TRUE MEANING OF HIRAM ABIFF AND THE VEILED SYMBOLISM

By Fahim A. Knight-El

Let me start this article off with a physics axiom, which goes something like this: 'for every action requires an opposite and equal direct reaction'. I had authored an article on the subject of Hiram Abiff about ten years ago, but it is one of those Masonic topics that seem to always invoke curiosity amongst Freemasons and non-Masons alike, and therefore, with this writing, I have committed myself to dedicating another article to the greatest mythological and symbolic Grand Master ever recorded in Masonic history. There have been many treatise and books written on Hiram Abiff, but many of the prior scholarly explanations and analysis giving have always focused either on the esoteric, occult or Gnostic interpretations of Hiram Abiff—it still remains as one of the most misunderstood topics in the Freemasonic ideological worldview, which is the interpretation of Hiram Abiff and its the deeper relations and Masonic connections to a long lost people that is missing. So, I have always offered an interpretation that upstaged the Eurocentric and Western scholars’ perspective on Hiram Abiff by personifying him and demystifying this Nubian grand master as being directly tied to the history and legacy of the black man and woman of America; my citations and scholarly authority begins with the advent of Chattel Slavery and the dehumanization of African people—surely the motives and objectives of Hiram Abiff experiences bears close similarities to the so-called American Negro experience. This interpretation has always been met with resistance from white supremacy Masons and from Negro Masons as well who lacks the knowledge of self. No, other people historically fit the depiction and legacy of the symbolic Hiram Abiff Masonic character than the so-called American Negro ex-slave who arrived to North America in 1555.  I was blessed and invested with “Supreme Wisdom” and this has always giving me a clear intellectual advantage over most Negro Masons and Caucasian Masons, thus, I am not making an arrogant statement, but many of my pundits have not met Messenger Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X,  Prophet Noble Drew Ali, Dr. Malachi York, Marcus Garvey, Father Allah (Clarence13X), etc.

What is Masonry? Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols and to understand Masonry, one must become a serious student of symbolism and allegory (in particular having a keen knowledge base of the sciences of etymology and epistemology). Albert Churchward who authored the book titled, Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man and Manly P. Hall (the scholar Hall was a 33rd degree Masons and had written a number of books on the origin of Freemasonry) who authored the book titled, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Gerald Massey who authored book titled, Ancient Egypt the Light of the World and The Book of Beginnings and Godfrey Higgins book titled,  Anacalypsis, etc., all of these are pieces to the Masonic puzzle. The above mentioned scholars are white scholars who have bear witness to the ancient knowledge being originated out of Kemet and the world owes a debt of gratitude to the original African man and African woman who stood as the fathers and mothers of civilization. They objectively and with an unbiased fervor traced the origin of science, language, supreme deities, religion, architecture, folklore, medicine, mathematics, engineering, etc., to Kemet or Ancient Egypt and this is why Freemasonry as a system of academics and learning is heavily rooted in the Seven Schools of Liberal Arts and five schools of architecture styles (these systems of learning predated the Romans and the Greeks—Plato, Aristotle and Socrates borrowed their philosophical ideals from the Nubians of ancient Kemet (Egypt), which teaches us that Hiram Abiff is an old protype that was first seen and observed in the teachings of Asur, Heru and Aset—the radiant sun and resurrection of the dead.

He was a learned man and was commissioned and entrusted by King Solomon to construct a Temple that would have majesty and valor of the great architecture styles seen in Egypt and make Jerusalem and this Temple special in design and reverence, because this edifice would be seen and embraced by the major three world religions being Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Jerusalem is considered the third holiest city in Islam behind Mecca and Medina).  If Muslims cannot make Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca or Medina than according to many of the Hadith writers, Jerusalem is considered acceptable in the eyesight of Allah (God); perhaps I need to be teaching this to my brothers of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (the Potentates, Chief Rabbans, High Priest and Prophets, Oriental Guides, etc.). The Shriners, Masons, Muslims and the Islamic world do not have a clue about what it's truly meant to touch and kiss the black stone, which was placed in the Kaaba (the great Mosque) by Abraham and his son Ishmael according to the Holy Qu'ran Sharrieff.  And those of us who have acquired the knowledge of self have the duty and responsibility to teach the world and rescue our history from these Arab imposters who have ethno-racial lineages to the Semites and are not the original inhabitants of Saudi Arabia (which was separated by the man made Suez Canal from Africa and the white man renamed this territory the 'Middle East" but in my study of true geography there is no such place called the Middle East, it is only a part of North East Africa).

Dr. Wesley Muhammad is a Nation of Islam minister and scholar (under Minister Louis Farrakhan) and a former Five Percenter (and/or member of the Nation of Gods and Earths) who use to go by the name of Brother True Islam. I purchased his book a few years ago titled, Black Arabia and the African Origin of Islam and he covers some of the Asiatic, Hijaz (ancient Saudi Arabia) history and the ethno racial lineages of those original dark skinned tribes who were connected to the Maghreb region of North Africa in which I have found Brother Muhammad's research and work valuable and relevant. He also authored another good book titled, The Book of God: An Encyclopedia of Proof that the Black Man is God that also possesses a lot of good ancient Nubian history. Dr. Yosef A.A. Ben Jochannan first published the Book titled, Black man of the Nile and His Family in around 1973. Here is the first point of clarity; the Arabs did not arrive nor invade Kemet (ancient Egypt) until the 8th Century A.D. which means the greatness of Kemet and the Egyptian Mystery Systems were not destroyed by the Arabs, because they did not arrive into Kemet until A.D. within the modern era.  But Egypt had been under assault by the Semites (Jews in particular) Phoenicians, Romans, Assyrians,  Greeks, etc., (long before Arab colonist and enslavers arrived). Yet, that is not to suggest that upon the Arabs arrival that they did not desecrate the sacred temples and claim the history of Kemet as their own and simultaneously and erroneously claimed kinship to the original Nubians who occupied Kemet and all of North Africa.

The Greeks had occupied Egypt (Kemet) thousands of years before the Arabs. These so-called Arabs were a mix and miscegenated people, but the original inhabitants of Egypt were dark skinned, broad nosed and kinky hair "Negroids", but through race mixing the Arabs (Indo-Europeans) in which Saudi Arabia over periods of time became more mulatto in skin color and due to European imperialism the once geographically connected Arabia, which was part and parcel of the original continent of Africa (what Dr. Yosef Ben Jochannan called Akebuland) was separated and was geographically reclassified as being part of the so-called Middle East. They were not Asiatics in the truest sense of ethnic-race classification, but Elijah Muhammad and Noble Drew Ali both called us the Asiatic black man. The Arabs did not destroy the Egyptian mystery system, yet they co-opted our history and culture by stealing our birthrights in which Dr. Chancellor Williams in his book titled, The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D does a thorough analysis of recording how the dark skinned Nubians were pushed out of Lower Egypt southward and light skinned imposters settled and begin to occupy Kemet and white European scholars have systematically whiten Egypt in order to claim this great civilization as their own; most of this was done prior to the Arabs arrival in the late 600s-700s  A.D. Their main objective was to impose Islam (missionaries) on the indigenous people of that region and exploit the commercial interest they had in these black lands, which were rich in natural resources.

We will one day soon be like the first Muezzin (caller to prayer and have the responsibility of bringing all of humanity back to the path of God known as the Great Architect of the Universe). Bilal Ibn Rabah who was a dark skinned Ethiopian slave who converted to Islam and became one of Prophet Muhammad's closes companions and he had this melodious voice and Muhammad gave him the duty to call the faithful to prayer (the black man of America is that symbolic one), the Prophet was even recorded as saying that he saw Bilal footsteps entering heaven before his very own. Some of the enlightened world knows that Freemasonry will continue to play a huge role in world affairs, because it is so intertwined in the social, political and economic affairs of humanity. The New Age movements and those who search out ancients texts and who like the Sufis (the highest form of mystic Islam) and Hindus and Jews who became more inspired by the teachings of the Kabbalah and see the value and credibility in mystical teachings in Freemasonry as one of those schools of thought that will continue to lead one to various paths of understanding relative to spirituality—outside of religion and faith traditions. The enlightenment is forever evolving and new interpretations of Masonic Speculative knowledge will continue to be needed in order to build upon some of the unfinished Masonic work that became disrupted and stagnated when the horrid crime took place at the building of  King Solomon's Temple and it was to teach us deeper moral lessons about human behavior and how brotherhood has to be strengthen by a cabletow that was stronger than any physical string or rope, but it must be rooted in the best of human character and strengthen by unconditional love (you are your brothers keepers).  

When we see a Ruffian spirit begin to rise in our personal lives, Masonic Houses, we should not allow any deviations from practicing the true landmarks of Freemasonry and never allow the type of spirit of betrayal to take root, it will negatively impact our Masonic organizational structure and it was betrayal that led to the premature death of our Grand Master Hiram Abiff (now, in the Biblical book of Kings the Hiram from the land of Tyree) and the Masonic Hiram Abiff are not the same individuals.  And our story is mere allegory, which is pointing us towards mastering all the principles giving to us in our understanding of the foundation of Freemasonry that comes from living by the principles of Morality, Friendship and Brotherly Love. Building that true temple that Yeshuaa Ben Yosef (Jesus the son of Joseph) talked about which was building a temple, that wasn't an external and/or physical temple, but building the temple having spiritual value and not material value this alone should force us to always seek the higher elevation of using our knowledge to create a new paradigm (the greatest temple is constructed from within, the human spirit and soul which leads us to true immortality). I will always challenge my Masonic brothers to be better students of the knowledge and work to move beyond just being engulfed in the social—I refuse to have allowed myself to being raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular on the square and then allow myself to be deposited back into the grave of ignorance (or darkness and voluntarily put on the blindfold)  once you were raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular, it took you out of the coffin and stood you up 90 degrees upright to a living perpendicular (no more blindfold, awakened to enlightenment—this symbolically represented a new birth and a resurrection from the dead).

My brothers, we must allow our personal path and journey to always lead us to having and open mind and use our acquisition of this great mythical and mystic knowledge to better humanity and ourselves (you received a substitute word because we were taught at the death of Grand Master Hiram Abiff the true master word was forever lost, but it is our present day duty to search out the lost word by being good students of Masonry). There lie the value of character and ethics, this is the ultimate fiber that will strengthen and hold Masonry together along with knowing how to apply the working tools and implement the square and compass to enlighten the world with truth and direction beyond our commitment to our York Rite and Scottish Rite houses. The working tools should serve as a moral compass to give humanity direction, it becomes useless to have all this wisdom and knowledge that have been passed down through the ages by ancient master teachers, gurus and sages and we allow our obligation of never to reveal and always conceal the teachings and secrets of Masonry to deny us the right and privilege to help awaken those that sleep (I too will not violate my oath but what manner of man would hide his light under a bushel basket).      

The symbolic story of Hiram Abiff, is one of the world's best kept secrets in the world of white supremacy ideals, they only give us the symbolic teachings of the greatest grand master ever recorded in the ritualistic teachings of Blue Lodge Masonry, but the true interpretation of the Hiram Abiff story was never revealed to the black man (there are Caucasian Masons of even much higher degrees than 33rd who bow down in private to the origin of the black man being God and they worship you in secrecy) because this Masonic folklore gives way to a people who were hit in the head at the East Gate (Africa) and were forcibly brought on a westerly course and was ultimately murdered and buried in shallow grave in which three of the major perpetrators were England, France and America that posed as principal perpetrators. It was their imperialism, colonialism and Chattel Slavery via the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Middle Passage that led to the final blow to murdering the real Hiram Abiff, the so-called black man of Africa and North America (this blow caused us to lose our land, names, God, culture, Folkways and Mores).

The above mentioned three European white nations (have hid and buried some of our ancient knowledge, identity and wisdom in secret vaults (and in international libraries and museums) in white Grand Lodges in Europe, America, Canada, Australia, etc., have committed themselves to never allowing the true Hiram Abiff story to be revealed and some of it is even hidden in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Turkey. These four Muslim and Islamic nations have had a long history of involvement in Freemasonry in spit of its so-called Middle East adherents of having to survive in nations that have historically viewed Freemasonry as heretic; both Sunni and Shia Islamic nations have outlawed Freemasonry as being anti-Islamic and those caught practicing Freemasonry in some of these Muslim societies would become subjects of Sharia law and killed.

I have now had the privy (by invitation) to sit in various Masonic meetings of international implications and have discussed Masonry with some of the best Masonic intellectuals and Masonic scholars in the world within these research societies and they know our history better than we know our own history. I have challenged their often white supremacy worldview and shared with them an Africancentered view of the ancient craft of Freemasonry; I have always done this unapologetically. The three Masonic Ruffians who conspired against the Master Builder Hiram Abiff had motives and objectives of stealing the masterful architecture plans—blueprints and drawings that were inspired by God and fraudulent tried to obtained the Master Mason password. What you do not know, they were not just architecture drawings, but they were scrolls (that delved into the high sciences of mathematics, astronomy and physics in which had been passed down by the Kemetic master builders who built the pyramids and other sacred structures in accordance with the universal laws), which were divinely inspired and although they represented some aspect of Sacred Geometry (this knowledge was much more than right angles and perpendiculars).

These lessons had a more spiritual meaning, which were passed down to Hiram Abiff who had rightful ownership to this knowledge because he had been properly initiated, entered, passed and raised to the sublime degree (the Ruffians did not have all the signs, tokens and words that would have allowed them to crossover into Joppa); to miss and/or overlook the value of suitable proficiency requirement (is no different then understanding that mathematics is Islam, and Islam is mathematics the knowledge has to be giving and received right and exact) because these lessons were rooted in the ancient mystic knowledge of those who had traveled and studied the mystery schools and had to be self-mastered and understood the wisdom that was revealed in the celestial and terrestrial spheres (represented in the symbolic columns of Jachin and Boaz, which typifies beauty and strength) in which they had organized to steal and was unwilling to continue on road and path less traveled. 

These conspirators also understood that Hiram (the black man) would layout his scientific and knowledge of engineering on the Trestle Board relative to building King Solomon Temple (the timber was transported from Lebanon and it was of special quality and number of labors were astronomical), but this 15 Fellowcraft refusing to following and learning the skill-set of the Operative Masonry who knew how to meltdown brass, and/or precious metals into supporting the decorum and the beautification of the the temple (which according to biblical history was destroyed three times)—they sought to engage in a conspiracy against the Grand Master. The construction was systematically aligned with the spiritual and geographical motions and movements of the Sun (lessons in the winter solstice and summer solstice), which ties Masonry directly to studying and understanding many aspects of the universal order of things, in particular knowing the mathematical and astronomy of the universal order and how the divine laws functions as it relates to the sun, moon and stars (the motions and the divine principles have meanings far beyond the emblematic and many have found deeper meaning into the Zodiacs and numerology).

These Masonic moral lessons were designed to teach us that each degree and the work it involved pursuant to the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason degrees should be taught and met with the highest level of seriousness (and internalized) in which this training is nonnegotiable (it should allow us to travel to foreign lands and territories unimpeded because we have been invested with the proper password and be able to obtain higher wages). The conspirators had only obtained partial knowledge (they were just Fellowcraft and not master Masons), but it would become their lower-self which controls emotions and ego (one of the seven Chakras) that led them to become jealous and envy of the knowledge that our Grand Master Hiram Abiff had obtained and because of this they were not willing to exemplify patience as good students, but they had plans of stealing the architecture knowledge of Hiram Abiff, the master builder.

The Medieval Europeans who were involved in the science trades and craftsmanship were valued because, it determined whether or not they had obtained the necessary workman's skills to be elevated and moved forward in these ancient trade Guilds associations, which would be equivalent to modern day labor unions and each stage of mastering the knowledge, it impacted ones wages (it ultimately determined socio-economic mobility).  The operative skill-set mastering had many incentives and each lesson was predicated on learning and mastering the previous knowledge—Now, lets be clear the Nubian Nile Valley Civilizations of upper and lower Kemet (Egypt) had been engaged in the mystery systems of initiations (and were the originators of Operative Masonry and Speculative Masonry) long before the Europeans who during the Medieval period had become quasi-awakened and even after this initial historical phenomenon they were once again enlightened by the Blackmoors during the 8th century. I am not speaking of Arabs and Berbers; J.A. Rogers who authored a three volume set titled, Sex and Race and if there is any hidden or hard to find ancient historical information about Black civilizations, Rogers ordinary is my go to scholar. He has some very good information on the Moors and their ethno-racial kingdoms before and after the 8th century.

The likes of Imhotep and Akhenaton and the Kemetic history tells us that much of what the Europeans incorporated in England, France and Scotland relative to Freemasonry was stolen and lifted from Kemet. The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) who so-called convened and established the first body of organized Freemasons in the world in 1717, did not give credit nor recognized the Kemetic mystery schools. The Eurocentric mindset has never allowed many of those Europeans of yesterday and today to pay homage to the original master builders in Kemet and Kush. The black man is under the symbolic disguise of symbolism, is the true Hiram Abiff shrouded in mystery and coded in Masonic allegory.

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.