Excerpts from Imam Jamil Al-Amin's book "Revolution By The Book: The Rap Is Live"
by the volunteer staff of Justice for All

"It is criminal that, in the 1990's, we still approach struggle…sloganeering, saying, "by any means necessary," as if that's a program. Or, "we shall overcome," as if that's a program. Slogans are not programs. We must define the means which will bring about change. This can be found in…[what] Allah has brought for us in the Qur'an and in the example of the Prophet. Our revolution must be according to what Almighty God revealed.

The struggle is an ongoing process…When the first slave rebelled against being a slave, he gave an alternative to slavery that has been built upon until now. That's struggle; and there have been many movements in the struggle--the abolitionist movement, the antislavery movement, the civil rights movement,…but, the struggle still goes on.

The mission of a believer in Islam is totally different from coexisting or being a part of the system. The prevailing morals are wrong. Their ethics are wrong. Western philosophy…has reduced man to food, clothing, shelter, and the sex drive, which means he doesn't have a spirit…Successful struggle requires a Divine program. Allah has provided that program."

From "God's Diet" (Chapter Four pp. 43-47)

Allah enjoins upon us, as the fourth pillar, fasting, He says He has commanded fasting that we may learn self-restraint. He has commanded fasting as He commanded it upon people before us, that we may learn self-restraint, that we may "tattaqoon", experience God-consciousness; that we may learn to guard against evil.

Fasting - that you may learn to guard against evil. Fasting - that you may increase in your remembrance of Allah, for in fasting Muslims give up things that are lawful; Muslims give up food and drink; they give up the conjugal rights they have with their spouses. Muslims give up these things, during the hours of fasting, to gain God-consciousness; to come to a deeper understanding of their religion, of their Lord.

In this manner, therefore, a Muslim increases his remembrance of Allah, concentrating on pure and good things. This gives him an opportunity to purge himself of other things that are unclean. Fasting is a tool, a program. Fasting - so that ye me learn self-restraint and appreciate what is of real benefit.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in dealing with fasting, said, "Know that there is a charity for everything, and the charity that you pay for your health is the fast." What needs to be understood in this is that there is a charity for everything; that is to say, there is something one must give up, donate, expend, for everything in life that's good and agreeable. And the charity that you pay for your health is the fast.

In the physical sense, fasting allows you to gain health. It helps you promote health. Fasting produces a spiritual state which, in turn, generates the mental state, the proper conduct, the guidance and understanding that leads one to think act and eat correctly. "Fasting is good for you, if you only knew."

When Koop was Surgeon General in this country, he did a report that many have been his undoing. For the summation of his report brought out that the greatest cause of disease in this country is gluttony, is overeating. To repeat, the greatest cause of disease in this country is gluttony, overeating.

Who says that a man has to eat three meals a day to be healthy? The Prophet (PBUH) pointed out that the Muslim eats in one intestine; an unbeliever, an atheist, eats in seven. This is telling us that the spiritual state of a human being impacts on his appetite; that an ungodly person is going to be mastered by his appetite, to the point that he cannot control it, to the point that his appetite becomes destructive.

Allah commands Muslims to fast every year during the month of Ramadhan. Who is best equipped to survive famine? A man who has to eat three meals a day or a man who can fast for thirty days? The answer is obviously a person who engages in a fast for thirty days; if the time of fasting exceeds twelve hours, then in the thirty days a person will have abstained from food and drink for over 15 days.

What we have to do, on the surface, is to begin to examine the food chain and see the poisons that have been introduced into our diet. For example, we look and we ask ourselves; what is a preservative and why are preservatives necessary?

Digestion begins in the mouth, because there are certain bacteria in the mouth. When you chew, digestion begins; chewing aids the breaking down of food even before it reaches the stomach. When the food that is introduced into your system has preservatives in it, when they have introduced chemicals into the food, the process of digestion is inhibited, is obstructed; the body cannot perform its natural process. The preservatives keep you from being able to do what you normally do when chewing. So, the food goes into your body in a state not ready for digestion, and it still possesses chemicals as it continues into your system.

In the stomach, other bacteria that are brought forth for the breakdown of food come to attack the food. However, they are unable to attack it successfully, because of the chemicals. The beneficial bacteria are unable to function properly, so there is a waste that begins to accumulate in the body.

The place for waste in the body is the colon. So therefore, a process of toxic waste accumulation in the colon begins. Chemically treated waste builds up, and if it is collected and accumulated long enough in the colon, and if the toxicity of the stuff is such that it is capable of causing the cell to mutate, then what you have is cancer. That's all cancer is, mutation of the cells. The mutant cells begin to devour other cells, and begin to feed on the body itself. That's what cancer deals with.

In dealing with meat, Allah has decreed, concerning any animal that dies, that within three days of the death of that animal there are certain signs that set in on that animal to allow you to know that it is not palatable, that you should not eat it. It begins to give off an odor, and it begins to change color.

However, an economic decision is mad concerning meat that has to be moved from Chicago to New York. To insure long shelf life, they say, "Let's put preservatives in it." That's the same as embalming it, just like you embalm bodies. "Let's embalm the cows to make more bread."

Even before the animal is killed, there are certain hormones that are used, again based on economic decisions. Certain hormones are shot into the body of the animals to make them reproduce out of cycle, or to make them big, or tender, to yield more and softer meat when killed. But, what happens to the hormones? They are not removed in the process of cooking. Where do the hormones end up?

They put certain chemicals in the meat to retard spoilage. What is retarding spoilage? That means they keep the bacteria, which normally emerges to break down the tissue, from being able to do their work; they keep them from breaking down the tissue.

Now, you have old meat that doesn't look or smell bad. But, what happens to the chemicals when you eat the meat? They are not removed because you cook it. What happens to them? And remember, they are toxic chemicals; so what happens?

It is said that the hormone that is most commonly used in the meat industry is estrogen, which is a female hormone. And it is said that estrogen is introduced into the male animal directly. When this is done, the male begins to develop bosoms. We look at all this with a blind eye; we look but we don't see the kinds of things the society is doing; we play like we don't have an understanding of what is happening.

What happens in terms of those hormones when they are introduced into the male? We see that the male begins to take on feminine characteristics. He takes on an affinity for feminine things. He wasn't so pierce his ears, he wants to get manicures. He becomes conscious of the feminine side of life, soft things.

What happens in terms of these hormones when they are introduced into the female? In Puerto Rico, a few years ago, it was observed among 8-year-old girls that they began to develop bosoms. Also, their menstrual cycles had begun at eight years old. What was the cause of it? The question was asked, "Maybe it's in the food?" So they traced back and found out that it was in the pork the young girls were eating. The girls had been eating pigs which had been given hormones, pigs injected in order to stimulate their growth and their reproductive process or cycle. In eating this meat, the girls were affected because the hormones were not leaving the meats.

When the pork was removed from their diet, the process reversed itself, and they became normal eight-year-old girls.

Therefore, the whole sense of being aware of God's creation, of having taqwa, includes knowing what you eat, because you are what you eat. This awareness begins with an increased consciousness of the Creator, of his laws, and of the obligations placed on humanity. Fasting is good for you if you but knew.

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