Nation
of Gods & Earths (5 Percenters)
The Nation of Gods and Earths, sometimes referred to as NGE or NOGE, the Five-Percent Nation, or the Five Percenters is an American organization founded in 1964 in
theHarlem section of the borough
of Manhattan, New York City, by Clarence 13X (born Clarence Edward Smith), a former student
of Malcolm X, who left his mosque because he disagreed with
the Nation of Islam over the nature and identity of God (Allah).[1] Members of the organization call themselves Five
Percenters, which reflects their belief that ten percent of the people of the
world know the truth of existence, and those elites opt to keep 85 percent of the world in ignorance and under their
controlling thumb. The remaining percentage are those who know the truth and
are determined to enlighten the rest. They are the Five Percent Nation.[1]
Initially,
the Nation of Gods and Earths was viewed as little more than an off-shoot of
the Nation of Islam (NOI). However, while the Nation of Gods and Earths has
been characterized as an organization, an institution, a religion, or even a
gang, representatives of the Nation teach that Islam is a natural way of
living. The New York City areas ofHarlem ("Mecca") and Brooklyn ("Medina") are named after notable
Islamic cities by members of the organization.[2][3]
The
Nation of Gods and Earths teaches that black people are the original people of
the planet Earth, and therefore they are the fathers (Gods) and mothers
(Earths) of civilization.[1]The Nation believes that the science of Supreme
Mathematics is the key to understanding man's relationship to the universe. The
Nation does not believe in a traditional God but instead believes that the
Asiatic Blackman is God [sic] and his proper name is Allah, an acronym for
Arm, Leg, Leg, Arm, Head.[1] As stated in an article by Naeem Mohaiemen,
Five Percenters were the innovators behind early hip-hop slang, including
"'sup, G?" (originally "G" means God, not gangsta),
"Word is bond," "Break it down," "Peace," "droppin'
science," and "represent."[3]
Founding
The
Nation of Gods and Earths was founded by Clarence 13X after he left the Nation of Islam's Temple Number Seven in Harlem, New York (the
same temple where Malcolm X was a minister from 1960
to 1963). Multiple stories exist as to why Clarence and the NOI parted ways:
some have him refusing to give up gambling; others have him questioning the
unique divinity of Wallace Fard Muhammad, whom the NOI deified as the True and Living God in person; or
questioning his position as God due to the belief that Fard was born of a Caucasian mother.[citation needed] The story states that Clarence was then disciplined by the NOI and excommunicated in 1963, but another version of events says that
he left on his own free will along with Abu Shahid,[4] who agreed with Clarence's questioning of
Wallace Fard Muhammad. That same year Clarence met James Howell, a sea
merchant, who would later become Justice, and Clarence's closest associate
until his death.[5]
Clarence
proselytized the streets of Harlem to teach others his views based on his
interpretation of NOI teachings. After failing to reach elder adults whom he
saw as already set in their ways, he found success with the disenfranchised
street youth.[6][7][8][9][10][11] This young group formed the First Nine Born of
what officially became the 5% Nation of Gods and Earths on October 10, 1964. In
December of that year, Clarence was shot in a basement gambling den called the
Hole. After surviving the shooting, he assumed the name Allah, and, according
to some, boasted that he was immortal.[4]
He
taught the 120 Lessons to his young followers (who came to refer to him as the
Father), but instead of teaching them to be Muslims, he taught them that they
were God the same way he was. The women who came into Clarence 13X’s growing
movement to study along with the males were taught they were symbolic of the
planet Earth, because it is the planet on which God produces life (hence the
female practitioners using Earth as their title). The NGE does not consider
itself a religion—its position is that it makes no sense to be religious or to
worship or deify anyone or anything outside of oneself when adherents
themselves are the highest power in the known universe, both collectively and
individually.[citation needed]
In
addition to the 120 Lessons, the Clarence 13X taught a system he developed
called Supreme Mathematics, which can be compared to a version of the Jewish
mystical traditions of Kabbalah or even more closely Gematria,
or the Arabic Abjad numerals. In
this system, the numbers from one to nine, and zero all represent principles
and concepts. Coming together to discuss the Supreme Mathematics is the most
fundamental regimen of the NGE. Whenever members meet, they discuss about the
Supreme Mathematics and 120 Lessons. This dialogue is referred to by the NGE as
Building, which is the eighth degree of the Supreme Mathematics. Gods and
Earths can build their minds, which means to elevate or add on to the knowledge
one has. Building also refers to the building of their physical bodies, their
financial status, or institutions, among much more that the principle of
Building can represent.[citation needed]
Teachings
Basis
Representatives
of the Nation of Gods and Earths view themselves (black men of their Nation) as
their own God (both individually and collectively as the Original Man).[7] Gods and Earths sometimes refer to themselves as scientists, implying their search for knowledge and proof.[12] In recent years the Nation has sought
constitutional protection for their identity as a God-centered culture.
According to the Five Percenter Newspaper, "God first means that it is no longer a
judicial argument; centered means everything we do is about God. Culture is the
practices and principles of a people at any given time."[13]
The
teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths are passed on through a modern oral
tradition. The advancement of a God or Earth is based on his or her
memorization, recitation, comprehension, and practical application of the
Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet and also the 120 Lessons,
sometimes referred to as degrees, a revised version of the Supreme Wisdom
lessons of the NOI, originally written by Wallace Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad.[6][9][14] The first literary Anthology Knowledge of Self: A Collection of Wisdom on the
Science of Everything in Life has been published of the teachings of the Nation of Gods and
Earths by Supreme Understanding.[15] [16]
Origin of Five-Percent
title
The
term Five Percent comes from NOI doctrine that sees the world's population
divided into three groups: 85% of the people are blind to the knowledge of
themselves and God, while 10% of the people know the truth, but teach a lie for
their personal gain; seen as part of this 10% are religious leaders that teach
that God is an incorporeal being (hence the term
mystery God). The 10% can also include the governments of the world that
deceive and mislead the majority of the world through most of the available
media outlets. The remaining 5% are the Poor Righteous Teachers—those who do
not subscribe to the teachings of the 10%, as they know and teach that God is
the Asiatic Blackman.
The Universal Language
Supreme Mathematics
The
Supreme Mathematics is a system of understanding numerals alongside concepts and qualitative
representations that are used along with the Supreme Alphabet.[9][14] The Supreme Mathematics is thought to be the
highest system of mathematics in the NGE, used to give
qualitative value to numbers in addition to quantity. For example, the numeral
1 symbolizes Knowledge, 2 symbolizes Wisdom, 3 represents Understanding, 4
represents Culture/Freedom, 5 represents Power/Refinement, 6 represents Equality,
7 represents God, 8 represents Build/Destroy, 9 represents Born, 0 represents
Cipher. The system (similar to numerology),
is claimed to maximize a person's logical thinking in order to solve life's
problems.[citation needed]
Supreme Alphabet
The
Supreme Alphabet is a system of interpreting text and finding deeper meaning
from the NOI Lessons by assigning actual meanings to the letters of the Latin script. For example, the first letter, A, stands for
Allah; the 12th letter, L, stands for Love, Hell, or [live] Right; and the 13th
letter, M, stands for Master. The corresponding mathematical number of each
letter is also important to the alphabet's use. This symbolic alphabet was
developed with assistance from Justice by Father Allah after splitting from the
Nation of Islam, after which he developed his Supreme Understanding.[6][7][9][14][17]
The Twelve Jewels
The
Twelve Jewels are considered a companion to the Supreme Mathematics and the
Supreme Alphabet, as axioms by which one should live.[citation needed]
1.
Knowledge 2. Wisdom 3. Understanding 4. Freedom 5. Justice 6. Equality 7. Food
8. Clothing 9. Shelter 10. Love 11. Peace 12. Happiness
Universal Flag
The
Universal Flag is the group's official trademark, which consists of a sun, moon, star, and the
number seven. According to its doctrine, it represents the Original Family as
the following:
§ Seven—The number held sacred in many ancient and
modern traditions. In Supreme Mathematics, the number seven represents God,
that is, the Original Man, not the mystery god of many organized religions.
§ Sun—Another symbol of the male, Knowledge, the Truth, and the Light.
The points around the sun symbolize the expanding consciousness.
The
eight outer rays (points) of the Sun have also been spoken as representative of
the core components Nation of Gods and Earths’ teachings:
1.
Supreme Mathematics
2.
Supreme Alphabet
3.
Student Enrollment
(1–10)
4.
Lost & Found Muslim
Lesson #1 (1–14)
5.
Lost & Found Muslim
Lesson #2 (1–40)
6.
English Lesson C-1
(1–36)
7.
Actual Facts
8.
Solar Facts
The
last six of these bodies of lessons (1–10 through Solar Facts) are collectively
called 120.
Customs
Gods
and Earths hold events known as Universal Parliaments in various cities—usually
once a month—to build on their interpretation of the Supreme Mathematics,
lessons, and to discuss business concerning the NGE. These meetings usually
take place in public parks and in schoolyards.
The
Show and Prove is an annual event that takes place in the Harlem section of
Manhattan every second weekend in June (on or before the June 13 anniversary of
Smith's assassination). Gods and Earths converge from all over the world at Harriet Tubman Elementary School for this gathering, which
includes a marketplace, performances, and speeches in the school's auditorium
and a science fair in which children participate.
The
Nation generally does not recognize traditional holidays, most notably those associated with religion
such as Christmas or Easter. However, some regions where the Nation is active may hold events
close to dates in honor of Smith's birthday (February 22) or the official
founding of the Nation (October 10).
Dietary
laws of the Five Percent dictate that adherents are forbidden to eat pork or any pork-based by-products. Many take further steps and eschew
meat altogether, often opting for veganism or a raw food diet.
Influence and interactions
City Hall and the Urban
League
The
NGE established a headquarters in the Harlem section of Manhattan. The Allah School in Mecca, previously known as the Street Academy, was
founded in 1966 through theUrban League, with the help of the then-current Republican
mayor of New York, John Lindsay,
and his assistant, Barry Gottehrer. The agreement reached between Smith and the
Urban League was a payment of one dollar a day.[citation needed]
The
first programs instituted in the school contained 10 to 30 youths,
state-certified teachers, and three street workers. Graduates of the street
academy would transfer to an academy of transition and then on to college
preparatory school. The Father disagreed with the program originally instituted
at the Urban League, and so, the curriculum was later turned over to him to
manage, while the daily programs switched to math, English, and self defense.[6]
Conflicts
The
schism between Smith and the NOI led to numerous confrontations. The murder of
Smith in 1969 remains unsolved, but it has been widely blamed on J. Edgar
Hoover's FBICounter Intelligence Program. The group known as Moorish Americans believe the FBI and the New York Police Department were heavily involved. The murder was a blow to the movement, but
according to the direct orders of Clarence before his death, some of his
earliest disciples, a group of nine men who were called the First Nine Born
carried on the teachings, and an acting leadership role was assumed by his
friend Justice. In the years to follow, the Gods and Earths gained a varied
reputation, from being known as outstanding members of and contributors to
their communities who at one time quelled a potential rebellion when Martin Luther King was assassinated, to being called an unruly and confused group of
African-American teenage thugs and even categorized as a gang.[6][8]
The
gang label has caused much trouble for adherents to the teachings of the NGE in
the United States. As the Nation has either gained students within the prison
system or seen those who at least allege adherence to NGE teachings become
incarcerated, the preceding gang reputation brought those with even remote NGE
affiliation to be designated as security threats in states such as Michigan, New Jersey,
New York, and South Carolina.[18] Literature has been banned from institutions in
these and other states, and inmates have been denied privileges enjoyed by
those of other persuasions. Such rules were relaxed in 2004 in New York to
allow registered sincere adherents to study teachings personally but not share
with unregistered inmates during their incarceration.[19]
The
Nation has vigorously defended itself against these accusations. Its newspaper The Five Percenter condemns the states who impose restrictions on
their practice as those who "attempt to define us in ways that seeks to
criminalize us".[20]
In
Michigan the Nation challenged a ban on the group's literature among prison
inmates after an inmate was designated a security threat until he renounced his
membership. Judge Steven Whalen found no evidence that group advocated violence
and recommended that it be recognized as a legitimate belief system.[21]
In
July 2008, a man in Staten Island, New York already known in the Nation as Black Cream Allah was denied a
legal adoption of the name because a judge felt it was sacrilegious and sounded
like the name of a hip hop record. He has since filed a second petition for the
amended name Original Kreeam Shabazz.[22]
Hip Hop
From
the early 1980s, the Nation of Gods and Earths has propagated its teachings
throughout the United States,
as well as abroad. This spread was in part due to early adherents teaching when
away at college or in the military and, more famously, because of the rise of hip hop music. The main theme of the NGE doctrine spoken on
hip hop records were the teachings that black people were the original or first
human life to walk the planet, that the Blackman is God, the Black Woman is
Earth, and through the inner esoteric powers of the Gods and
Earths, the youth can transform and possess its true potential, which seems to overthrow the overbearing oligarchy by becoming just rulers of themselves. This
especially meshed well with conscious themes found in other golden-age hip hop
recordings.[citation needed]
Early
hip-hop acts affiliated with the Five Percenters, and who spread its teachings
through hip hop, include two MC's of the late 1980s–early ’90s conscious-rap
era—Rakim of Eric B. & Rakim[23] and Big Daddy Kane. These two acts, as well as some of their other
contemporaries, infused Five-Percent teachings and symbolism throughout their
music and videos. This reputation brought fans of Rakim in particular to refer
to him as the God MC. Not soon after Rakim and Kane's heyday rose acts that
were even more explicit with allegiance to the NGE, most notably Brand Nubian, Poor Righteous Teachers, Wu-Tang Clan, Killarmy, Sunz of Man, Gravediggaz, Public Enemy,Godbliss
and Gang Starr. The popularity of these acts sparked a boom of
new NGE students.[citation needed]
Many
MCs employ the technique and terminology of the Supreme Alphabet to create acrostics, acronyms and backronyms in their rhymes. For example, in the song
"Wildflower,"Ghostface Killah rhymes, "I'm God Cipher Divine,"
spelling G-O-D in the Supreme Alphabet.[24][25] Furthermore, Raekwon breaks down the science of his life story on the
track "North Star." rhyming the words "sun, moon, and stars,
rock on". The RZA directly rhymes the twelve pillars of life's
objectives on his later work with Gravediggaz,
rhyming in succession Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Freedom, Justice,
Equality, Food, Clothing, Shelter, Love, Peace, Happiness. He regularly wears
an eight-pointed star pendant, which can notably be seen on the cover of his
album The World According to RZA.
Five
Percenters in New York City were even known as a visible presence at parties around
town during hip hop's formative years of the 1970s. Scene pioneer DJ Kool Herc recalled that while there was a heavy gang
presence in attendance, the Five Percenters were also there as a de facto peace-keeping element.[17]
Other
examples of hip hop and R&B acts who are (or have been) associated with Five
Percent teachings include Busta Rhymes, Digable Planets, Busta Rhymes, J-Live, Nas,[26]Jay Electronica, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, and PRODUX.
In popular culture
Supreme Allah is a fictional character of the HBO drama Oz, a Five Percenter who
is serving time for murdering a man who laughed at him during a dice game. He
often preaches Five Percent philosophy while simultaneously dealing drugs. He
is portrayed by Lord Jamar of the hip hop group Brand Nubian.
Notable current and former members and associates of the Five
Percent Nation
§ Erykah Badu - Her Grammy Award-winning song "On & On"
features teachings of the Five Percent Nation[41]
§ Supreme Understanding - also known as Dr. Sujan Dass, he is an author and historian who
obtained his Ph.D from Argosy University at the age of 26
§ Foxx - Student of the Five Percenters. Slam poet
and underground rapper.
Supreme
Alphabet
The Supreme Alphabet is, in the Nation of Gods and Earths, a system of
interpreting text and finding deeper meaning in the original 120 Questions
written by Elijah Muhammadand Wallace Fard Muhammad by assigning meanings to the letters
of the Roman alphabet. It was
developed by Clarence 13X after splitting from the Nation of Islam, after which he
developed his Supreme
Understanding.
Details
§ (A)—Allah:
The "Asiatic Blackman." “Asia” is the body; “attic” is the mind;
“man” is the higher intelligence; a backronym for arm,
leg, leg, arm, head; the Father of the Universe; all in all.
§ (B)—Be or
Born: Be means to exist. To be born is to bring into existence mentally through
the Nation of Gods and Earths, or physically by way of the old Earth’s womb, Life.
§ (C)—Cee or
See: to see is to have insight, to comprehend through the mind’s eye; to see is
to have insight to see through the physical, to understand.
§ (D)—Divine: the
essence of self, Godly by nature, which can neither be added to nor taken away
from; can't say “Allah” without saying “all.” One’s nature is pure and
untampered-with.
§ (E)—equality: knowledge your knowledge, you will deal with
everything within your cipher equally, which gives birth to Wisdom that is
showing and proving. Everything is everything, which equals one. Equality gives
birth to Wisdom, and Mathematics do not
lie.
§ (F)—Father: To
father mentally as well as physically. To father means to further, to further
ones physical and mental development by way of proper education—history and
proper nutrition—diet, the proper foods.
§ (G)—God: The
Original Man, the "Blackman of Asia," the supreme form of life
manifested, the mind of human beings; and humans are here to attain perfection
by building and destroying, which shows and proves that Mathematics do not lie.
§ (H)—He or
Her: those who have the power to build or destroy based on their level of
intelligence.
§ (I)—I or
Islam: Islam is our
Culture not a religion like traditional Islam. We are a culture that lives in
tune with our divine nature. This means to live in tune with the Universe and
the mathematical principles that govern it. We are the essence of the very
universe that surrounds us.
§ (J)—Justice: This is
the Divine balance of the universe. It is the reward or penalty for one's ways
and actions. The rewards for embracing Islam are love, peace, and happiness.
The penalty for living in discord is hell (suffering, stress, lack of
understanding/confusion, mental and physical death due to a life of savagery).
§ (L)—Love Hell or Right (correctly): You would go through hell to make what
you love right. Daily we are given the opportunity to love Hell or Right. It is
the crossroad one faces each and every day. When you chose to love Hell, you
accept your hellish predicament in life. If you chose to love Right, then you
are blessed with the good that is returned for your right actions (Karma = what goes around comes back around/you reap what you sow). Also
L stands for a 90 degree right
angle in
mathematics.
§ (N)-In or Now
Nation: now is the present time, end is the conclusion, nation is a group of
civilized people.
§ (P)—Power: is
the truth, the light & the magnetic juice that keeps the universe in fixed
form.
§ (R)—Rule or Ruler: God is
the only ruler there is by knowledging his building powers & making them
born to all planets of the universe, so that they can go accordingly with
Islam.
§ (U)—You or
Universe and U-N-I-Verse: You are the universe because we are the creators of
the sun, moon & star or man, woman & child.
§ (W)—Wisdom:(Woman)
wisdom is the component of knowledge, while the understanding brings about a
clear picture of both through the eye of true understanding.
§ (X)—Unknown:
Equality is unknown to man everywhere who do not know themselves (85%ers)
§ (Y)—Why:
"Why?" is the question that is most frequently asked by the 85%ers
because they can't Wisdom their Power to Show n Prove Godlyhood
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