Mother is the First Teacher

by Sister Deborah L. Muhammad

Sister Da'Moiselle and her baby Daa'Iyah Muhammad

As Muslims we begin all public speech by acknowledging God and asking Him to speech through us.  So I would like to being by saying In the Name of God, whom we call Allah in the Arabic Language, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful God and in the name of Moses, Jesus, Prophet Muhammad and all of Gods prophets (may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon them all). I give him thanks for His Divine intervention in the affairs of the Black man and especially the Black women in America in the Person of Fard Muhammad, Who was and is a Master Teacher, Who taught a Master Teacher – The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, The Messenger of God to you and I.  If it were not for these two great and worthy men, we would not have the one in our midst who is teaching, training, reforming and uplifting the Black woman today.  That one is none other than The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.  I would like to greet you and offer to you a simple prayer of peace as we say it in the Arabic Language As-Salaam Alaikum!

I pray Allah that you have had a wonderful, productive and enlightening day from one sister to another sister.  I would like to thank Dr. Toni Muhammad for her vision and love for Black women to organize such an event in the Lafayette area.  I would like to thank her for inviting me to participate and share with you of what I have been given of The Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad through his student The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan about the role of the woman as the first teacher to all human beings.

I have been asked to give a short presentation on this most serious topic: The Woman is the First Teacher.  I don’t know if you have ever given any consideration about how important you are to the development of civilization.  I know we say that the Black Women is the Mother of Civilization but do we really understand what we are saying?  Look at the world today!  What do you see?  You see a world filled with sin, hatred, lying, killing, stealing, lust, greed and just overall moral decay.  Are you the mother of this Civilization?  In short the Answer is YES!  YES-we have produced this world by our improper view of ourselves as women, our lack of love and respect for our role in society and our role as mothers who are indeed the shapers of the world in which we live.  However, we can reverse this trend over night IF we change our thinking.  But how can we change course?  The answer is simple – Give Birth to Gods.  Jesus in the Bible told us that, “We are all gods – children of the Most High God.”

Sisters the formation of the god within our children and offspring begins before we conceive life in the womb or the female organ, it begins in the wombs of our minds all the way back to when God formed us in our mother’s wombs and progresses through our childhood – when we dream and plan for what type of children we want to have, what will their names be, how will they look, etc.  That is why girls play with dolls.  They are playing make believe in anticipation of the real.  And that is the same way we have to prepare, give birth to and rear our children.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said during a lecture he entitled “The Proper View of the Woman in Building a Family,”

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to us that, as the earth is 75% water and 25% land, 75% of His Mission is with the female. His words correspond exactly to the saying of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) that, mother is honored three times before father is honored once. Why is this so? It is only when we have produced a reformed female, filled with the love and spirit of Allah (God) that we will be able to produce a SUPERIOR NATION. Likewise, the female is so important because she is the first nurse and the first teacher of the child.

There is a saying, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." If Satan’s hand is on the female that rocks the cradle, then, through that hand, Satan rules the world. The converse is also true. If Allah’s (God’s) hand is on the female that rocks the cradle, then, Allah (God) through that female will bring into existence and rule the new world.

We can see that the present world in which we live is ruled by Satan. All of the efforts to protect the female from Satan’s hand have failed. Therefore, through the female, Satan’s power is shaping the children of the present world order. This is why a knowledgeable, God-fearing, spirit- filled woman is the base of Allah’s (God’s) new world order and the Kingdom of Heaven. For, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us, "Where there are no decent women, there are no decent men. For, the woman is the mother of civilization."

How then can the woman take her proper and rightful place without exposure to that knowledge which will cultivate all aspects of her being. In order for the female to produce a great future for us, she must be filled with the desire for knowledge, specifically the knowledge of Allah (God) and His Word. Any society that deprives the female of the deepest aspect of the study of the Word of Allah (God) is a society that will not approach the potential of its greatness. For, only when we have a highly spiritual and moral woman, educated, cultivated, cultured and refined will she be able to bring into existence a civilization bearing these same fine qualities and characteristics.

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Let us define the word teacher.

In education, a teacher is a person who provides schooling for others. A teacher who facilitates education for an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher at state-funded schools must first obtain professional qualifications or credentials from a university or college. These professional qualifications may include the study of pedagogy, the science of teaching. Teachers will have to continue their education after they receive their degree from a college or university. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study which covers a standardized curriculum.

What is education?

Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.

Etymologically, the word education is derived from educare (Latin) "bring up", which is related to educere "bring out", "bring forth what is within", "bring out potential" and ducere, "to lead".

The questions and challenge that I pose to each one of us both young girls and the youthful women (no matter your age: 8-80):

1.    What are our credentials to teach or be teacher of our babies?

2.    What University did we attend to learn about rearing our children?

3.    What are the methods or as we say in the field of education, what is the pedagogy or science of teaching our babies.

4.    What is our curriculum?

As a member of the Nation of Islam under the leadership of The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan we enroll in a class designed by and given to us from God.  It is called the MGT and GCC.  That stands for Muslim Girls’ Training and General Civilization Class. In this class we approach our studies as little girls so that God- Who is the Master Teacher, can grow us into His Woman – The Women of God. He is our teacher and we are His students.  In this class we learn How to Keep House, How to Rear Our Children, How to Take Care of Our Husband, Sew, Cook and In General How to Act at Home and Abroad.  The Training Units were named by Our Prophet and Leader of Islam – W.D. Fard.

We learn in the class how to rear our children.  Rearing our children refers to “Bringing UP” our children from one stage of development to the next until they become little gods. 

When God teaches you how to do anything, you are well qualified. We should seek approval from God in how we rear our children.  What did God say about the matter?  In the Bible it say rear a child up in the way they should go and when they reach a certain level of maturity they will not depart from it.  In other words, what goes in comes out at some point.  If you put lies in, lies come out.  If you put bad food in, bad health comes out.  If you put evil thoughts in, evil actions come out.  Or if you put God in God comes out. 

In the Nation of Islam our school is called the University of Islam.  Islam is the Arabic word for Peace.  This is our education and re-education institution for ALL – young and old.  God is the Headmaster of our school.  There is no one who knows more than God.  He is the Supreme Being and the Best Knower.  We must enter His educational institution in order to learn what he wants us to know.  Do I mean that you have to come to Baton Rouge to enroll in our school?  Why of course not.  God’s University is the entire Creation.  Study nature and life itself and you will know God’s Divine Will for the human being.

How are we teaching our babies and by what methods?  The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered a lecture series in 1984 called “How to Give Birth to God.”  I suggest that we all have that wisdom in our video and audio library. He taught us as women and men how to begin to prepare our minds and our bodies to be co-creators with God to give birth to children of God. He told us how to begin to eat certain foods before you conceived to produce a certain type of life – a superior life.  He taught us how to think about the process and what we should focus our attention on before and during pregnancy.  He even touched on the mind we should have during love-making when the first spark of life is produced that will grow into a reflection of the love of God that you to have and the love for each other that you have.  We have a method or a science of education to produce children with a greater capacity for good and great works in the Name of God.

And lastly what are we teaching our babies, both when they are in the womb and when they are infants?

Every thought that you as a mother think goes into the development of the child’s being.  You have the ability to start teaching your baby before he or she is born.  Read, read, read, read.  Most importantly read Holy Scriptures.  Read the Bible or Holy Qur’an daily.  Listen to the words of God.  Meditate on high goals of life.  If you want your baby to become a mathematician, start working math problems. Or maybe a poet.  Start reading and writing poetry.  Perhaps you want a pianist.  Start listening to and learn how to play the piano while you are pregnant and your child will come out with a leaning towards playing the piano.

I would like to briefly share with you some interesting facts about infant brain development and then I will close my talk for today. 

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Please consider the following facts about the brain of an infant.

·         Your infant's brain has the ability to grow at an impeccable rate. By birth, it is one quarter of its adult size and by the age of 3, it will grow to be 80% of an adults.

o   Learn how your baby's brain works and how stimulation helps infant brain development for long-term growth and health.

·         At birth, an infant's brain is one of the only organs that is not fully developed. It has recently been researched, that genetics no longer play the only role in infant brain development; a baby's environment does as well. It is now known that sensory stimulation and neural pathway connections are major factors that lead to healthy brain function

Infant Brain Development

·         A newborn baby's brain is only about one-quarter of that of their mom's or dad's. By the time they are five years of age, their brain size will be 90% of their parents' brain size. An infant's brain develops at an amazing rate and research shows that the physical and emotional experiences they have in the first five years of their life directly reflect their learning ability and brain growth the rest of their life. Sensory neurons and synapses are directly responsible for this dramatic and rapid brain growth.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that Master Fard Muhammad, his teacher, knew what he was born to due at the age of six. Think about that!  If we would take rearing our children as seriously as Master Fard Muhammad’s parents did, what could you and I produce?  We could produce another Jesus, Muhammad or Moses or even a Barak Obama if that’s what we desire. It was something that each one of these great men’s mothers put in them that made them the men they became. Or even a Michele Obama.  We see her mother and we can witness what she put in her daughter.  Michele is intelligent, graceful, cultured, refined and beautiful.  She is a lady!  And she was smart enough to marry a man who was going to the top of the latter of success in this worlds life.  What are we teaching our daughters? Child-rearing has become a lost art in our community and we must go back to our roots.

Just a few more points and I will be finished.

The Role of Sensory Neurons in Infant Development

·         Billions of brain cells, or neurons, are formed throughout the first stages of fetal development and through birth.

·         When an infant is born, the only part of the brain that is very developed is the brain stem. This part of the brain controls functions such as; kicking, sleeping, rooting, crying and feeding.

·         Right after birth, an infant's brain begins making over a trillion neuron connections, or synapses which are used to transmit information based on various life experiences. Stimulation through the senses of touch, hearing, seeing, smelling, and tasting directly affect the sensory neurons and help in establishing these connections. ACCORDING TO RESEARCH, AN INFANT'S BRAIN IS PRODUCING 2-3 MILLION SYNAPSES PER SECOND! WOW!

·         The more frequently the neuron connections are used, the more they retain information and the stronger they become. If some of the neural pathways are not used, they will end up dying out (this is called pruning). This is a necessary step in the brain development process for it prevents "overload" so to speak. Once these synapses gain strength and are noted by the brain that these are the pathways of important information, they become protected by a myelin sheath (a natural insulating material) that helps in sending messages to the brain even faster.

In other words, learning at this early age in development comes from repetition, practice and exposure.  Your child will not become Mozart necessarily if you listened to his music once or twice while you were pregnant or if you play it for him or her every now and then.  You have to listen to the music, show them pictures of pianos and musical notes or strike the key of a piano every day so they are familiar with the sound and tone of the keys, notes and cords.

·         This process occurs mostly with the neurons and synapses that control a baby's sensory areas such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. Many of these "new" connections help infants to reach important milestones such as color vision, develop a pincer grasp, or strive for parent attachment.

Importance of Positive Sensory Stimulation

According to Janet Doman, one of the authors of, How Smart Is Your Baby?: Develop and Nurture Your Newborn's Full Potential, "a newborn baby is functionally blind, deaf and insensate." She believes that it is up to the parents to use sensory stimulation to develop the sensory pathways that lead to proper brain development and function. Using positive sensory stimulation (through all five senses) in brief intervals will help these sensory pathways to become strong and therefore will achieve a sense of permanent learning.

As pathways develop, it will be easier for parents to understand the needs of their babies. By providing them with physical, emotional, and cognitive experiences, they will gain much more knowledge to use in the future. They need room for mobility, for hands-on exploration, and for communication in increased intervals and for longer periods of time. By exposing infants to these experiences, they will begin to become more comfortable with the world around them, which will encourage their own sensory stimulation and help to develop a connection with their families.

However, there are negative forms of stimulation that can lead to life-long developmental delays. Neglect, stress, trauma, and abuse are all negative stimuli that can have a tragic effect on brain growth. Studies show, that those infants or children that receive little to no attention and are not exposed to positive, purposeful stimuli by their parents, end up with brains 20 to 30 percent smaller than those who have had those "good" sensory experiences.

The development of an infant’s brain is essential to the life-long learning process and through proper sensory stimulation; your baby will one day turn into a god right before your eyes!

Lastly I will give you some interesting facts about how babies learn.

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·         Babies are learning their native language before birth. This is made possible by the development of hearing as early as 16 weeks gestational age.

·         Many chemical compounds, including those from the mother's diet, pass through the placenta and reach the baby in utero while others flow in the capillaries of the nasal mucosa. By breathing and swallowing amniotic fluid, a baby becomes familiar with the mother's diet, including things like garlic. Even before post-natal exposure to breast milk, babies already know and prefer their own mother's milk. Abrupt changes in her diet during the perinatal period can confuse babies and upset breastfeeding.

·         Traumatic events in neonatal intensive care are indelibly imprinted in memory and intrude on adult life, often in the form of fear.

·         Babies can learn their mother's emotional state. Experiments in Australia revealed that unborn babies were participating in the emotional upset of their mothers watching a disturbing 20-minute segment of a Hollywood movie. When briefly re-exposed to this film up to three months after birth, they still showed recognition of the earlier experience. Studies of a thousand babies whose mothers had experienced various degrees of depression during pregnancy themselves displayed depression at birth and in proportion to the depression scores of their mothers.

Rather than embracing ideas of formal learning, Dr. McCarty feels parents should communicate fully and thoughtfully with their babies in the womb just as they would if they were holding the child in their arms. She offers these five tips for deepening the connection with your baby:

·         Assume your baby is aware of everything you experience through your senses, heart and mind. Include your baby in your daily life.

·         Acknowledge the communication, respond and build the rapport. When they know you are receiving and honoring their communication, trust grows.

·         Most mothers can imagine positive ways of communicating with their babies, but they feel hesitant to connect when things are not great. If you are having a difficult experience or reaction, include your baby. Communicate with your baby; explain that you're feeling stressed; apologize that they are experiencing it too. By recognizing the potential impact on your baby, acknowledging it, empathizing with your baby's experience and moving toward effectively dealing with it, you are helping your baby.

·         Ask for help and what you need from your partner, family, workmates and friends to feel good, be happy and to have the time and space to grow your positive relationship with your baby.

·         If you have regrets about things that happened earlier in the pregnancy, communicate with your baby directly about this. For example, although we know babies want to feel welcomed and wanted, sometimes it takes us a while to feel positive. There is tremendous healing in communicating with your baby about how it really was and how you wished it could have been.

As I close my talk, I want to leave you with this: The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan teaches us that the woman is the most serious of all of God creations.  She – you – are the Key to the Kingdom of God.  It is through your physical and mental womb that we will all enter heaven.  You are the door sisters.  It is though you and me that this world will change.  It can change overnight, if we begin to change our thinking and our actions about ourselves.  We are God’s little girls and we must make Him and Him alone sufficient to meet all our needs.  So don’t let anyone make you feel less than what God made you.  You and I are His laboratory to bring forth His world of Righteousness because you, Sister, are the first teacher of ALL who have ever lived and ALL who will ever live.

May Allah (God) bless us all with the Light of His Understanding as I leave you as I came before you with the greeting and prayer of peace as we say it in the Arabic language.

As-Salaam Alaikum! (Peace Be Unto You)