Estimated reading time: 16 minute(s)
by Fudia Muhammad
Most have heard the old idiom, she’s got a ‘bun in the oven’ and may not have given it much thought beyond the obvious; a reference to an expectant mother – the bun is a baby and the oven is her womb. Sounds simple enough, right?
During his How to Give Birth to a God lecture series, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan referenced this common idiom to demonstrate a profound point of importance. When we are baking bread or cake in the oven, we are very careful of how we handle the oven because if we bump the oven or open the door too soon; our bread or cake may fall and be ruined beyond repair. A pregnant woman is like this. She must be handled gently, with the utmost care; so that the baby she is making will not fall from a potential god to a devil. We must be careful of everything we see, hear, ingest and experience because all can have an effect on the baby, one way or another.
Consider Mary (Maryam), the mother of Jesus, and examine the sacrifice she had to make in order to give birth to Jesus, a perfect example of a man who is at one with Allah (God). It required sacrifice. According to the dictionary, to ‘sacrifice’ means, “to forfeit something for something else considered of greater value.” Mary withdrew herself to a remote place away from her family and friends because she considered her child to be of “greater value” for the entire world and could not risk anyone interfering with his life. What is the lesson for women today?
Expectant mothers must take an honest assessment of their family and friends and those with whom they interact and ask themselves if they create an environment contrary to the type of child they are trying to produce. Are they supportive of the mother’s desires? Are they conscious of her pregnancy and are willing to refrain from profanity or vulgarity in her presence? Are they encouraging when sometimes she gets weak and the sacrifice seems too much? If her answer to these questions is, ‘No,’ then her circle of family and friends are creating a contrary and harmful environment for her unborn baby. She must make the sacrifice of keeping her distance from those negative influencers for the duration of her pregnancy or until she sees evidence that they will respect her wishes.
This is a huge sacrifice, but our babies are more than worth it. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said, “How we relate to circumstances surrounding our pregnancy determines certain character traits in the child which is known as your prenatal influence.” We must do whatever it takes to see that our prenatal influence is uplifting.
As soon as we find out that we are pregnant, we should inform our spouse. The Holy Qur’an says that it is unlawful for us to conceal what Allah (God) has created in our wombs. Then, in time, we should tell those who need to know. Pregnancy is not a disease or a defect that we should hide or be ashamed. But at the same time, there is no need to make an announcement on the worldwide web; just share with those within your sphere. The time will eventually come when we will not be able to hide our condition no matter how hard we try. The reason we want people who will have regular contact with us to know that we are pregnant is because we desire for them to be mindful of how they behave when they are around an expectant mother. If one is not aware of the pregnancy, it is difficult to hold them accountable when they constantly ask us to accompany them to view the latest horror flick, smile!
Heaven and hell are not places we go after death, but they are two conditions of life. Heaven and hell are established on earth; depending on the condition of the individuals that inhabit this space. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan wrote, “Heaven represents a state of peace where the citizens of heaven live in accordance with the laws, rules, statutes or commandments of Allah (God). This is also called in the scripture, the Kingdom of God. Again, it is also called the hereafter. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that the hereafter means ‘here’ on the earth ‘after’ the works of Satan are destroyed. Some Islamic scholars say that the hereafter is a continuation of this life. Only it is lived on a higher plane.”
The woman’s mind is one of the laboratories that produce the new world. Our children must be conceived in righteousness. The consequences of conception in the back seat of a car filled with thoughts of lust and filth have led to generations inclined to lust and filth.
We do not have to allow this hellish condition to continue for one more day. Whatever our mind can conceive, if we are a Believer, it can become reality. The 23rd Psalms reads, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that this means that we will never want for anything that we cannot have; the only condition is that we believe that we can have it. In her book, The Women in Islam Educational Series: Part 3, Mother Tynnetta Muhammad wrote, “Whatever our brains are capable of thinking, we can bring into existence.” Just think about that, because this extends to the womb. Whatever a mother is capable of thinking; whatever she wants to produce from her womb, it is easy for Allah (God) to give it to her if she believes. A believing woman is a force of nature – she has limitless potential and can produce a god every time.
(Sister Fudia Muhammad is a member of Muhammad Mosque No. 64 in Austin, Texas. She is married to Student Minister Robert L. Muhammad and they have been blessed with four children. Sister Fudia holds a Master’s degree in Education – she is a writer, an educator and an advocate for God-centered child-rearing. https://www.givebirthtoagod.com/)
