Ahmad Eldridge Cleaver Interview - Mecca, Saudi Arabia 02-24-2016

Juwayriyah's questions for you:

1. How did your parents' activism affect your life (childhood and
adulthood)? My parent's activism had on effect on me since my birth; born & lived
in Algeria/sister born in N. Korea/lived in France visited China, Vietnam and many far
away lands as a child of revolutionaries in exile. Our childrens' books were about
Malcolm X, Nat Turner, Denmark Vessey, Marcus Garvey, full of heroes and sheroes
from Black history. We were directly taught to question, stand up for your rights,
fight injustice, say the truth without fear & that slavery has modern forms which
must be dismantled. As an adult, this background brings respect from many as well
as fear & suspicion from the misled & oppressors of today.

2. As a teacher, if you could teach every Muslim one thing, what would it
be? Hold on to the unbreakable rope to ALLAH, the beauty of Islam, the Qur'an &
the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be
Upon him), & make it the most important focus in your life. Understand it from the
words of Muhammad, the Messenger of ALLAH (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH
be Upon him), his companions, the Sahaba, & the generation immediately after
them, the Tabien. From them you will find the purest perfect practice of Islam, that
is right & correct for all times & all places. Be wary of the many different & strange
new ways that some people practice & are widespread in the East & in the West.
For example,~ extremist Sufi practices ~ extremist al-Qaeda/ISIS/Boko Haram
murderers of innocent people who falsely say they are fighting for Islam ~ extremist
Secularists who promote their own be just like everybody else interpretation of
Islam & others. the Prophet Muhammad, (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be
Upon him), said: "I have left among you two matters. If you hold fast to them, you
shall never be misguided: Allah's Book and His Prophets Sunnah. (Al-Bayhaqi, Al-
Sunan al-Kubra, hadith 20108; al-Hakim, and in al-Muwatta') " And in the Noble
Qur'an, Allah said: " Obey Allah and the Prophet so that you may be given mercy. "
Surah al-'Imran 3:133

3. What are some ways that Muslims can introduce literacy to younger
generations? Using stories, stories from the Qur'an and in the Hadith & reading
them as a family story time. Then getting the youth to summarize & express
themselves vocally re: what they learned & liked from the stories & what is the
moral of the story? Then the next step is for them to express it in written form. Seek
to introduce literacy in fun ways, fun learning for the youth. Read as a family, the
Qur'anic stories of Yusef Qur'an 12: 1-103, Zulqarnayn 18: 83-101, the story of Essa
3:35-62, 19:1-37 the stories of Musa & his brother Haroun & the Pharaoh of Egypt
28:2-50, 20:9-99 & the stories of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace
& Blessings of ALLAH be Upon Them all) In addition to traditional Qur'an reading,
memorization & recitation.
4. Can you explain social justice from Islamic point of view? Equality in the
servitude of God as said by Dr. Mbaye Lo, of Duke Islamic Studies Center at Duke
University. The Prophet (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be Upon him) said:
There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an
Arab. Neither is the white superior over the black, nor is the black superior over the
white except by piety." (Sahih Bukhari Hadith 1623, 1626, 6361) Justice in the
highest & perfect form is to hold unto the principles of Islam & the example of the
Prophet (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be Upon him) with sincere worship,
revolving our lives around 5 prayers a day, treating your family, friends, neighbors
& strangers in a fair, kind way. And not to lift your hand except to stop someone
from doing wrong to others or yourself. The Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace &
Blessings of ALLAH be Upon him) said: Help your brother, whether he is an
oppressor or he is oppressed. The Prophet (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be
Upon him) was asked: It is right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we
help him if he is an oppressor? He replied: By preventing him from oppressing
others. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 624)

5. Aside from your own book, what other books would you suggest young
Muslims to have on their bookshelves? ~ The Qur'an 1 of either of 2
Translations: ~The Qur'an Translated by M.A. Abdel Haleem, Oxford World's Classics
or ~ The Noble Quran: Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an in the
English Language, Translated by Muhsin Khan, Dar-us-Salam Publications ~ 40
Hadith of Imam al- Nawawi ~ Riyad al-Saliheen of Imam al- Nawawi ~ Husnul
Muslim (Fortification of the Muslim through remembrance & supplication from the
Qur'aan & the Sunnah) ~ Kitab at-Tauhid, The Book of Monotheism, by Muhammad
bin Abdul Wahhab, Dar-us-Salam Publications ~ Clear Your Doubts About Islam: 50
Answers to Common Questions, Compiled by Saheeh International ~ Youths
Problems, by Sheikh Muhammad Saalih Al-Uthaymeen. ~ Summarized Zad Al-Ma'ad
(Provisions for the Hereafter) by Imam Ibn Qayyim, Dar-us-Salam Publications ~ The
Autobiography of Malcolm X ~ Bid'ah: Understanding The Evil Of Innovation, Abu
Muntasir ibn Mohar 'Ali, International Islamic Publishing House

Umm Juwayriyah's questions for you?

1. Soul On Islam tells your personal journey into Islam and how your
upbringing helped mold you and directed you towards your shahadah.
Why did you feel it was necessary to share your narrative and open up to
the world about your experiences? The consistent spread of Islamophobia and
the popularity of misconceptions about Islam & Muslims have both been intensified
by the war on terror & the effects of misled extremist groups. This dangerous
environment has indeed been one of the reasons that helped to encourage me to
use the word to try to shed light upon the beauty of Islam & dispel the pre-
conceived notions & imagined half-truths that many people have been deceived by.
My small efforts to share the beauty of Islam's eternal principles.
 2. In your book you touch on and clarify a lot of taboo issues such as
hijab, masculinity in Islamic terms, and even polygyny. Why did you feel
the need to address those issues and have you ever encountered
situations where you had to defend them in your own life? Again due to both
the common misconceptions about Islam & Muslims & the spread of ignorant
Islamophobia many have been misled. Partly as a result of the reactionary policies
of the government to some extremist militant groups & the effects of the very bias
media; the hijab, what is a man & masculinity, having more than one wife & other
aspects of the comprehensive holistic way of life of Islam are seen by many non-
Muslims as controversial. Yet, no they are not taboo except in the eyes of people
who are closed minded & refuse to look at new or other ways of thinking, which are
actually from the ancient ways of life. Look at 17 traditional practitioners of 11
different religions in their hijabs.

We are Muslims & we should help to promote ways to open people's eyes to see the
truth & not just accept whatever Fox News says is taboo. These issues are at the
forefront of common international social problems & challenges we all face; such as
teen pregnancy, gay & lesbian marriages and them legally adopting children,
adultery, prostitution & single mothers & children growing up without their fathers.
Indeed life can bring us all challenges to defend these topics with relatives, friends,
neighbors, co-workers & even when giving lectures. The Prophet (May the Peace &
Blessings of Allah be Upon him) said: Every religion has a character and the
character of Islam is modesty. (al-Muwatta' Hadith 3359)
3. As an educator living in the Muslim world what do you feel are some of
the most pressing issues facing Muslim youth and specifically Muslim
girls? Any tips on how we as Muslim parents and educators can work on
them? Most pressing issues facing Muslim
Youth Drugs and alcohol, The lack of Islamic Modesty, the need for Islamic Moral
Guidance based on the Qur'an & Sunnah, Accurately learning the Islamic
Methodology of life & dispelling confusion of how to bring Social Change.
Understanding Real Masculinity & the value of hard work & being Responsible to
family & to society.
Most pressing issues facing Muslim Girls The importance of Islamic Modesty &
a broader understanding of the Aqidah/Beliefs, on Qader/The Divine Preordination &
that all that happens is by ALLAH's will & is already written, including who she will
marry, so don't fret or rush or flirt. Early Training in how to balance life between
family, friends, children, marriage & career.
Parental Tips Open discussions are a must between parents and children, to give
guidance & direction, be approachable parents, affectionate & loving. Children need
to feel in their home environment, a sincere openness to be able to discuss with
their parents any topic. Parents must be good examples & role models &
consistently establish the prayeral-Salat.al-Salat.

4. Black American Muslims have had a long and rich history in the United
States. What are your thoughts on Black History Month and in particular
the history of Black American Muslims? Do you think that American Muslim
youth would benefit from learning about prominent Black American
Muslims and their struggles to establish Islam in their lives? Indeed, there is
a history full of figures of morality, shining brave leadership echoing their sacrifices
for justice & battling against a racist system & its continuing injustice. The history of
the African-American Muslims goes back to the time before the establishment of the
USA & still has not been completely accounted for, documented nor passed down to
our next generations & to the larger American community Black, Red, White, Yellow
& Brown. Muslim & non-Muslims. Some excellent works have recently been written
such as "Servants of Allah: African Muslims enslaved in the Americas" by Sylviane
Diouf & Aminah McCloud's "African American Islam" & Edward Curtis' "Islam in Black
America: Identity, Liberation & Difference in African American Islamic Thought", as
well as "Islam & the Black American" by Sherman Jackson. However, still much of
that history remains for our children, to become truly educated scholars uncover it
& then write it down. There is a lot to learn about & benefit from in this special,
unique history of the African-American Muslims.

5. #MuslimGirlsRead is an initiative to help get Muslim girls and women

reading, writing, and ultimately pursuing higher educational fields that
would allow them to teach, control their narratives, and give back to their
communities, enshallah. However, there are many hurdles for them to
overcome inorder to reach those goals. What naseehah would you give to
young Muslim girls living in the inner-cities of America on how to rise
above the Islamophobia and unIslamic trends in the media? My sisters,
educate yourself with concise responses, learn how to refute the lies about Islam;
Read = "Clear Your Doubts About Islam: 50 Answers to Common Questions",
Compiled by Saheeh International." Purify your intentions, make your life & heart's
intention to seek to please ALLAH the Creator & He can with ease bless you to learn
& then to teach, to give back, help others & mold your story in your own voice.
Raise the flag of the dignity of the Muslim woman, the beautiful modesty of being
far removed from foul speech, nakedness, promiscuity & sex outside of the divine
bonds of marriage. Study, read, learn & follow the life examples of the companions
of the Prophet Muhammad, (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be Upon him), &
the Mother's of the believers, his pious wives & the great female scholars of Islam.
Walk a path of keeping yourself far away from mimicking the singers, the actresses
& scantily dressed models who your mothers would not be honored to see.

The Prophet Muhammad, (May the Peace & Blessings of ALLAH be Upon him) said:
"The most beloved of people according to Allah is he who brings most benefit, and
the most beloved of deeds according to Allah the Mighty, the Magnificent, is that
you bring happiness to a fellow Muslim, or relieve him of distress, or pay off his debt
or stave away hunger from him. It is more beloved to me that I walk with my
brother Muslim in his time of need than I stay secluded in the mosque for a month.
Whoever holds back his anger, Allah will cover his faults and whoever suppresses
his fury while being able to execute it, Allah will fill his heart with satisfaction on the
Day of Standing. Whoever walks with his brother Muslim in need until he establishes
that for him, Allah will establish his feet firmly on the day when all feet shall slip.
Indeed, bad character ruins deeds just as vinegar ruins honey." (Tabarani)

6. Who are your top five authors? ~ Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, the
author of Sahih al-Bukhari & many other texts. ~ Ahmad ibn Taymiyah al-Hanbali
the author of over important 600 classical Islamic books. ~ Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, erudite author & student of Ibn Taymiyah. ~ Abu Daud,
Sulaiman ibn Al-Ashath as-Sijistani, the author of Sunan Abu Da'ud & many other
texts. ~ Dr. Mohammad Mustafa Azmi