True Wealth: The ability to give

If I wanted to take advice from a Hip Hop artist, would I lean toward rapper like 50 cent or Russell Simmons? Although both are excellent businessmen, I would bet on Russell Simmons every time! Why? His intention. The spirit behind his intention was something I could relate to AND appreciate when I met him briefly a few years ago. Back then, his book, Do You! had recently been released and quickly became a best seller. I was impressed, not just with the business advice given in the book, but the spiritual components and sincere desire to see people improve themselves and feel good about who they are. In essence, to serve more and “Do you!" I am looking forward to reading his new book, Super Rich!
In his writings, Mr. Simmons tends to focus on 5 key items, which Jet lays out in its December 27, 2010 edition. The five things he focuses on are:

• Take care of yourself(Have healthy eating and exercise habits

• Mediate to get in touch with your truth

• Try to master one thing at a time

• Change your perception (Ex. He said, “If you think you’re poor then you are.”)

• Lastly, become a better "Giver" and "Servant"

I believe this last suggestion is key. It is the key practice I see in three other people I admire: My mother Eva Flowers, Oprah Winfrey and The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Their intention is to serve and to improve the lives of others. What is that power behind their intention? Love.
Virtue Magazine would like to follow in the footsteps of these great ones by being of service to the businesses of our brothers and sisters. Each issue, we plan to have a “V-list”, a list for Businesses and people with Valuable services and products which will be featured in every issue of Virtue, in a “yellow pages-like section,” and also featured on Virtue’s website. Do you want people to be able to order your product all year round, not just Saviours' Day or Holy Day of Atonement? Are you a barber or do you make bean pies? Wouldn't it be nice to have a listing of Businesses around the Nation? Do you want THOUSANDS to know about your business?

The V-List, at a glance, will allow people to look up The Final Call, Newell Apparel, which features designs by Mother Khadijah Muhammad, Everlasting Spring Water, Dreambean, a bean chip, soup and flour company and many more. If we don’t support and promote our own businesses, no one else will.

What do you need to do to be on the V-List?
1. Have a valuable service or product.
2. Visit www.virtuemag.com
3. Click on Online store in the upper left hand corner.
4. Click on V-list button and pay only $25 to have your Name, business, website or email and phone number listed. Easy and inexpensive!!! What a wonderful Service! Register for the on the online of V-List by Feb. 1, 2011 and you will receive a FREE virtue magazine and may win an opportunity for your business to be featured in a story in Virtue Today Magazine.

(If you don't have a business and you just want to wish someone Happy Birthday, Anniversary etc., you may pay on the site and Email the "Happy Day" wish OR mail in the payment and listing to: Virtue Magazine, P.O. Box 61402,Raleigh, NC 27661 (For more information, call (510) 815-4591 or visit http://www.virtuemag.com/. The deadline for the V-List is February 1, 2011.)
Order now for the current special, Buy One magazine, Get One FREE at www.virtuemag.com's online store.)

Act Like a Lady and Dress Like a Queen

Should we, as Black women, keep our clothes on? Historically, “undressing” ourselves hasn’t benefited us much. When Lisa Bonet, of the Cosby Show, did a nude scene in a movie, her career took a downfall. When Janet Jackson had the “wardrobe malfunction,” her career stalled. Even Halle Berry, who had nude scenes and won an Oscar for her role in Monster’s Ball, still isn’t considered on the level of an Angela Bassett. One sister who recovered from her “nude scandal” was Vanessa Williams, the former Miss America who was de-crowned because of her nude pictures that showed up in a men’s magazine. I think we need to teach our daughters to be proud of their bodies by taking care of it and exercising and eating right. (I talk about this in the upcoming issue of Virtue Magazine at www.virtuemag.com). We would do our daughters an even better service by teaching them how to develop their God-given qualities and demonstrate to them that their true power is using their God-given talents and being of service to humanity, not displaying our bodies for the world to see.

Recently, Jada Pickett-Smith poses nude on the cover Essence Magazine and states that she did this to show her daughter how to be proud of her body. Now I wish Jada would have shared her workout secrets; that’s what she should have discussed(smile) and how she helps to educate her children. We are so much more than our bodies. Erykah Badu disrobes, until completely nude, in her music video, “Window Seat.” Now, Erykah, I believe will “recover” from this particular incident because her intent didn’t appear to be sexually stimulating, but mentally provoking. However, knowing the mind of men today, very few men were trying to “analyze” her message. I was asked recently in an interview for the e-zine H2H, the following questions, “What are your thoughts about these statements that almost imply "feminine liberation"? Do you believe the way these two women, in particular, went about this could have been done differently without taking their clothes off? Please explain. Do you believe that images such as the above give the girls and even women who look up to these particular celebrities mixed signals in what it means to be a proud Black woman?”

Well, I answered that I had no regrets for featuring Erykah Badu on the cover of Virtue Magazine, not once, but two times. The first was back in 2005. She was on the cover of Virtue with Minister Farrakhan and Sister Minister Donna Farrakhan in honor of her being a co-convener for the Millions More Movement.(E-zine downloads of Virtue magazine are available at www.virtuemag.com) We had her on the cover in honor of her generosity, which is a virtuous quality. She took the time to attend rallies with Minister Farrakhan to help make the march a success. The second time we had her on the cover was in honor of our 5th year Anniversary and to thank her for being our first “Celebrity” cover model. She sent me a quote via her publicist and said, “When you uplift women, you uplift the world. Sista Muhammad is doing just that and my hat goes off to her.” – Erykah Badu.

Now both of these sisters had their reasons for undressing. I think we can show pride in our body without undressing. I don’t think, we as black women, have a problem undressing. Look at BET. Again, we are being given a “limited” view of what is the true “essence” of our beauty. Minister Farrakhan said in Study Guide #19 “All of you that believe are Beautiful to God. He(God) has the Power to take your belief and turn it into absolutely indescribable beauty.” What is a virtue? It is a good or admirable quality. What are the qualities of a virtuous woman listed in Proverbs 31? It says a virtuous woman has the quality of being strong(“strength and honor are her clothing), God-fearing, hardworking, generous(“she reacheth forth her hands to the needy) and kind.

Virtue Magazine is here to help EMPOWER women and show them that we ALL have virtue or one of these good qualities in us. It is not limited to just being chaste. Can a prostitute get rewarded for being generous and feeding the hungry? Absolutely. Nevertheless, we as original women can have the potential to be the epitome of beauty, class and intelligence. Minister Farrakhan asked in a meeting once if women were willing to “protect their virtue.”

Our virtue, or our “spirit or essence of good” needs to be protected. Granted, no one is “holier than thou” and we have all fallen short in the eyes of God. Well, someone may say, not me! I am still a Virgin! Well, have you been self-righteous? Have you looked down upon someone else? Even self-righteousness is a sin. I think we need to teach our daughters to listen to truth and be honest and forgiving to ourselves.

I remember one day my daughter told me one of her classmates said she was ugly. I said, “Is it true? Are you ugly?” She said, “No.” I said, ”It is a lie, right?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “Do we listen to lies?” She said, “No, we don’t listen to lies. I am pretty.” Sometimes we have to walk our daughters through the logic. Women need to understand that we have to help set the moral tone and standard for our family. As difficult as it may be, and it is, we cannot let our loneliness or disappointment to cause us to seek approval from a man by offering ourselves. We see examples of this in our own lives and the lives of celebrities like Fantasia also. Most men will take advantage of us and not give us another thought. A committed man will stick with you. But many of men our too spiritually immature to see our value(or their own), so it is up to us to show and demonstrate our value by securing ourselves and leave men alone who are not willing to make a commitment to us.

We need to teach our young girls to be committed to God. HE is the one that blesses us. When all is said and done, HE(God)is always with us. All we have to do is “act like a lady, and dress like a Queen.”

(Need ideas on how to “Act like a Lady and Dress like a Queen?" Attend the workshops and fabulous fashion show that will be held at the world famous Celebrity Centre International in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, August 28th. Workshops are from 8 a.m. -2 p.m. and the Fashion show is at 5 p.m. Queen Aminah’s Clothing and others will be featured. Virtue Today Magazine is the Media Sponsor for Mosque #27 M.G.T. & G.C.C’s 9th Women’s Conference. The Keynote address will be held at Muhammad’s Mosque No. 27 located at 5350 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90043. Doors open at 10 a.m. For more info, visit www.mgtofmosque27.com/itinerary.html)

How to Lose Weight and avoid the Metabolism Myth

By Audrey Muhammad

In the past few months, I have received couple questions in regards to losing weight through body building. One question stated, “According to some health practitioners, it is best to eat every 2 hours to increase your metabolic rate which will help you burn fat quickly. If this is so, do I need to follow this system for a while until my rate increases then go back to eating 1 meal a day once I have my desired weight? By eating 1 meal everyday-will cause me only to maintain the weight, isn't it better to eat smaller meals every 2 hrs than to sit down and eat 1 huge meal that's bound to put you to sleep? Based on your studies of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and your profession, will you give me some advice regarding increasing your metabolic rate to lose weight, maintaining weight and eating small meals vs. one meal to build muscle.”

In regards to increasing your metabolic rate, the main component
that increases your metabolic rate is exercise and building muscle. If eating every couple of hours was the key, then this society would be full of skinny people as opposed to the huge number of obese people that exist today. Eating every couple of hours or "jumpstarting” your metabolism in the morning by eating breakfast is because you are causing your "stomach muscles" to start working. It takes “energy” to digest food. Keep in mind that “metabolism is the energy expended by the body to maintain itself (for example, through breathing, digestion, and excretion). If you want to really increase your metabolic rate, exercise is the key.

The real question is "Do I want to be slender, look younger
and be healthier or do I want to just be slender. Practicing “how to eat
to live” will help us look years younger because we are not practicing a way of eating that robs our body of its vitality. In How to Eat To Live Book II it mentions, “Every meal that we put in our bodies has some poison in it. And, some of our food, as I have said in this book, takes 36 hours to digest. If we do not wait until our previous meal has been digested we add a new meal to the previous meal we have new poison, in its full strength, to aid the dying poison of the previous meal or to help it revive in strength; and we will continue to be sick(39). Eating every two hours will definitely increase the amount of toxins in your body. When does your body have time to digest the food?

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad states that "some of us eat so often and so much at a time that it actually has a tendency to make us small and skinny because we never allow time for the previous meal to digest and distribute the vitamins and proteins into the proper places and throughout our bloodstream. Rest, given to the digestive system of our bodies, is the thing that prolongs our lives. (How to Eat to Live Bk. I 27).

Either a person's body is doesn't get the nourishment it needs or he or she is exercising 1 hour or more a day to compensate for the several small meals. Who says you have to stuff yourself in one meal? If you take your time when you are eating and you are eating a balanced meal of protein, good fat and carbohydrate you should be fine. However if you are eating a meal high in carbohydrates such as Spaghetti with garlic bread, you are more likely feel tired. Can you eat your bean soup, salad and main course in moderate portions that will not make you "sleepy” because your body is using so much energy to digest the food. Sometimes, we just don't know when to stop eating.

One of the BEST foods to incorporate in a meal after a workout is the navy bean. A cup of navy beans provides about 15 grams of protein and are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. The bean pie is a wonderful family dessert or you can give a child bean chips to go with their lunch sandwich. For more information on navy bean products (bean chips, bean flour etc.) visit http://www.trybeanpie.com/.

What else can you have after a workout? Have you tried incorporating a glass of pure milk at the end of a meal,” which is something, I was told, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad often made
available after a meal. Why a glass of pure milk? A glass of milk has a nice combination of calcium, carbohydrates and protein. A typical glass of whole organic milk (which I recommend for brothers) has approximately 150 calories 8 grams of protein.). What you eat accounts for about 80% of your success in a workout plan. God willing, more will be explained on this topic at another point in time. I bring this up because often health practitioners advocate eating 5 or 6 small meals a day to lose weight and to gain weight. Which one is it? Do I study more if I want to pass the class or do I study more if I want to fail the class? The logic isn't there. Until it is, "eat to live"—one good meal a day.

(Audrey Muhammad, a certified fitness instructor, is the author of Get Fit To Live: Be Your Best You! available at http://www.getfit2live.org/. Buy the book and get the Get Fit CD for FREE!. Please consult a physician before beginning any new workout or dietary plan. Send questions and comments to AudreyMuhammad@hotmail.com or call (510) 815-4591. Get Fit To Live: Be Your Best You! available at http://www.getfit2live.org/. Buy the book and get the Get Fit CD for FREE!)


Bean Pie Recipe

3 cups of sugar 3 cups cooked Navy beans
½ pound unsalted butter mashed through food strainer
2 Tbsps. Cinnamon (may substitute carrots or butter-
2 Tbsps. Corn starch nut squash)
5 well-beaten eggs 5 drops of natural yellow food color
2 cups evaporated milk 1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. lemon extract 1 tsp. vanilla flavor

Directions: Heat oven to 450. In medium-size bowl cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time: beat to blend. Add beans, beat. Ad milk, food coloring and extracts. Blend well; pour into pie shell and bake until filling has set well. (Want to make an Easy bean pie? Order a bean pie mix at www.trybeanpie.com)

How to Create A Vision Plan (Part I)

“Where There Is No Vision, The People Perish.”

By Donald M. Muhammad

Guide for Married and Courting Couples to Building a Healthy and Productive Family VISION PLAN.

According to studies, one of the largest contributors to marital problems is unmet expectations. Often couples, both married and courting, are not on the same page when it comes to what is expected of one another as well as expectations of what a good marriage and family life looks like. Consequently, dissatisfaction and disappointment creeps in as we try to ‘feel’ our way through life’s challenges.

To address this challenge early on, we’ve provided for you an exercise and activity that is designed to create continuity, agreement and clarity to every marriage and courting couple. Remember the scripture “Where there is no Vision, the people perish?” The following is a very brief outline of the process of developing a Vision/Mission Statement for a couple or family. This is a loose example and guide and should be adjusted based upon the various dynamics that make up every relationship.
Please enjoy this process…


Step 1. Brain Storming – Paint the Picture

Before taking even the first step in building any structure, there is usually a drawing or picture of the completed Structure – The Final Product. Often with buildings the developer will go so far as to paint in trees and bushes and all the amenities the building will posses. Sometimes a miniature model is created complete with miniature people.

Similarly, before writing down anything, you should spend hours upon hours talking and discussing what life will look like years from now. At some point, you may feel like your getting ahead of yourself because of the details that are required in an accurate painting. But you’re only making sure that the picture is clear, accurate and genuinely shared by both parties.

This mental picture or image is made up of both Material and Principled items, such as a House(material) and a Home(immaterial). You could include how many children along with your idea of what they will grow up to become.

It’s important to be very open and honest in this process. Realizing that it’s probably the first time one or either of you have every completed such an exercise, you should be patient with one another and without pressure on conflict, discuss those things that mean the most to you. This exercise is very enlightening as it requires one to develop their Divine Faculties of Imagination, Concentrations, Affirmation and Focus. You’ll likely find this enjoyable and IT SHOULD BE!
Don’t be afraid to Dream Big! We are Believers in the first Perfect God – “So Be Ye Perfect, Even as I Am.”

Subjects to consider: Children: How many?
House/Condo – How many?
Live in the City/Suburb/Country?
Do you have any dream business endeavors?
What are your Educational Pursuits?


From this point of a full and completed picture, we begin to work backwards, using those Divine faculties: visualization, imagination, concentration and affirmation to clothes the ideas – “Where there is not vision, the people perish.” (Look for Part II in the next edition).

(For more information on life-coaching for couples and families, contact masterpeace.coach@gmail.com. Also, consider attending the Nation of Islam’s Single’s Retreat August 19-22, 2010 in Arizona. Look for details in an upcoming issue of The Final Call Newspaper.

What magazine uplifts more women than any other?

“A Nation Can Rise No Higher Than It’s Women” said The Honorable Elijah Muhammad many years ago. Since that is a fact, the upliftment and education of women is extremely important. A magazine that has taken on that task is Virtue Today Magazine.
Virtue Today celebrates its 5th Anniversary by debuting at Saviours’ Day an issue featuring Mother Tynnetta Muhammad on the cover. In her exclusive interview with Virtue Magazine, Mother Tynnetta enlightens readers with the wisdom she was given by her husband, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

This issue also features articles on "How to prepare for a relationship" and "How to create a Vision Plan." This is an AWESOME edition. The fall edition plans to honor strong FOI(Student Ministers, Assistant Ministers, Lieutenants etc.) in the nation that our “virtuous” readers admire.
Along with the Final Call, Virtue has helped to promote and highlight Believers all over the Nation. In the past Virtue has featured:
· Azizah Lisa, singer (Chicago, IL)
· Jesse Muhammad, writer(Houston, TX)
· Vincent Muhammad, writer (Savannah, GA)
· Jamillah Farrakhan, model (Chicago, IL)
· Yonasda Lonewolf, writer and hip-hop artist (Arizona)
· Diana Muhammad, Designer (Sacramento, CA)
· Jennifer Muhammad, Designer (Exclusive Designs)
· Carmen Muhammad, Designer (Al-Nisa Designs)
· QUEEN AMINAH, Designer (Los Angeles, CA)
· Raychelle Muhammad, writer (Houston, TX)
· Dr. Nkenge Muhammad, OB-GYN
· Sadiyah Evangelista, Attorney (Houston, TX)
· Charlene Muhammad, writer (Los Angeles, CA)
· Ava Muhammad, Minister, writer and attorney
· Latonja Styles-Muhammad, writer and marketer (Chicago, IL)
· Lost Sheep, rap group (New York, NY)
· Sister A'isha Muhammad, National Student Capt. (Chicago, IL)
· Charles and Barbara Muhammad, SETT program (Toledo, OH)
· Sew-So Beautiful (Chicago, IL)
Virtue is also the ONLY magazine that gives "The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan" a column in every issue and the ONLY magazine to have featured Mother Khadijah Farrakhan on the cover.

If you know of a “virtuous” woman in your city or would like to see Virtue feature a strong FOI, please email: virtuemagazine@hotmail.com. To order a copy, Send a Money order for $6.95 to Virtue Magazine, P.O. 61402, Raleigh, NC 27661. New Virtue T-Shirts now available! Only $12. For more information about Virtue Today Magazine, visit www.virtuemag.com or call (510) 815-4591.