Economic Resurrection. Halim Quddus

now than ever before, because being part of a community helps us to cope with the challenges of an ever-changing society and world.

      Why is community so important? Because , it's a collective force that pushes people forward. When people unite and work together, major economic breakthroughs can occur. When times get tough and they always do, remember: We can accomplish so little alone and so much together.

      We are a community. We share common ideas and principles. We rise and fall together. Now, it 's time for us to work together to improve our economic plight. There is power in community . As social beings , we are driven to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. This is why people join religious communities, organizations , groups, clubs and associations.

      It 's part of human nature to want to create something that contributes to society and impacts it in a meaningful way. When you provide products and services to your community, you add to the richness of your community.

      THE POWER OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

      Economic Resurrection is about a spirit that lies deep within all of us. It's a spirit that can move us to break through any limitations that hold us back from taking advantage of the opportunities around us. Once tapped into, this spirit can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. This spirit will allow you to prosper and become a powerful force for change in every part of your life -at home, at work, in business, in school and in your community.

      The human spirit is strong and can endure great amounts of pressure. The same spirit that allowed me to overcome the dark forces that weighed me down, is the same spirit that enabled me to create a prosperous lifestyle. Tough economic times can actually help you to experience new levels of economic growth. Isn't that what challenges help us to do? If looked at properly, a great challenge can serve as a great motivator.

      DO FOR SELF

      As a former member of the Nation Of Islam, I was inspired by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad's economic teachings of "DoFor Self '.His leadership helped to awaken the entrepreneur within me. These teachings not only helped me, but they helped thousands of men and woman learn skills that could help them to create their own economy as they worked to build the Nation Of Islam.

      We owe a great deal to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad , who was not only a great social reformer , but also a wise business leader who addressed the economic ills of African Americans. He built the Nation Of Islam with nothing more than a third grade education and a desire to see his people elevate their standard of living. That kind of commitment deserves both honor and respect.

      ENTREPRENEURS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

      How can we become strong socially if we are economically weak? It 's the lack of money that creates depression , leads to crime, ruin lives and forces people to settle for less. The teachings of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad produced conscious entrepreneurs who wanted to see their community become economically strong. The prosperity of a community depends on it's people's ability to create value. One way of accomplishing this is through manufacturing our own products.

      Once considered a manufacturing superpower, "Made In America" was our identity. We have handed much of our manufacturing power to other countries. This shift has made our own citizens rely on our ability to consume rather than to manufacture products. Americans must find economical ways to start manufacturing more of our own products.

      As I'm thinking about innovation, creativity and manufacturing, I want to tell you about Shahid Abdullah. Here's a man who after working in the financial world, decided upon retirement, that he would step out and live out his dream of creating his own clothing line. After many years of hard work, Shahid launched "The Bilalian "clothing line, which is designed and manufactured in America. Shahid is living proof that's it's never too late to live your dream.

      Manufacturing products in America strengthens our economy by keeping people working. By manufacturing our own products, we'll be able to employ people in our community to get the job done.

      I recently watched a segment of World News , which was about products in people's homes that were manufactured in other countries.

      The participants volunteered to have all of their imported possessions removed from their home. The results? About 1% of what they owned was manufactured in America. If money is going outside of this country to purchase products, how can we expect the American economy to get stronger?

      The same can be said of a community. If the stores in our community are predominately owned by other ethnic groups, how can our community become strong economically ? Our community will never become strong economically as long as our money goes outside our community.

      We hear so much about an entrepreneur, but what is an entrepreneur? Simply put, an entrepreneur is one who create opportunities. That's what I've been doing for over 30 years and haven't looked back since.

      The path to economic prosperity is not always smooth. Like everyone else, I've faced some tough times. However, I kept pushing, because I knew that I was going through something and would eventually experience a breakthrough. Until you experience your own breakthrough, you have to remain diligent, for as the Qur'an states;

      "Verily with every difficulty, there is relief" (94:6)

      No matter what happens in your life, economically or otherwise, just keep pushing and bear in mind that relief is on the way.

      Just as I've been able to create great opportunities, you too can create opportunities for yourself, your family and your community. Whether it's starting a business or selling a product or service, you can contribute to the economic growth of our community. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book.

      Economic Resurrection is a call to action for people who believe they can turn great ideas into great sources of income that can contribute to the economic rebirth of our community.