THE NATION OF ISLAM
ABSTRACT
This paper will take a look at the rise of the Nation of Islam and its influence in
the African-American community. This paper will discuss the origins, history, basic
doctrines and key figures of the Nation of Islam and how Christians can witness to its
members.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
The History and Key Figures of the Nation of Islam ..................................................1
Elijah Muhammad ...............................................................................................1
Malcolm X ..........................................................................................................6
Minister Louis Farrakhan ....................................................................................8
Wallace Deen Muhammad ..................................................................................9
BASIC DOCTRINES OF THE NATION OF ISLAM......................................................13
THE ATTRACTION OF THE NATION OF ISLAM ......................................................15
WITNESSING TO BLACK MUSLIMS ...........................................................................16
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................18
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................19
iii
THE NATION OF ISLAM
The United States of America has had several Islamic movements over the
years. Some have been orthodox and acceptable in mainstream Islam, while others have
been more unorthodox and rejected by the orthodox. One such movement that arose
during the twentieth-century and is still going strong is the Nation of Islam (NOI).
The History and Key Figures of the Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam was founded July 4, 1930, in a poor community of
Detroit, Michigan, called “Black Bottom”. It was founded by Fard Muhmmad (who was
a white), a peddler of clothing and silk. Fard, (also referred to as W.D. Fard, Wallace D.
Fard, W. Fard Muhammad, Fard Muhammad, Walli Fard or Mr. Fard) later known by
earlier converts as Master Fard Muhammad, was born in Mecca, Arabia on February 26,
1877. He said that his father was a wise black scientist who prepared him for his
mission.1 His mother was an Armenian blonde-haired woman whom he referred to as the
“devil”. Fard Muhammad was well-versed in the Bible, Qur’an, history, mathematics,
and astronomy. He spoke sixteen languages and wrote fluently in ten.
Elijah Muhammad
Fard Muhammad taught that God is black, the white man is the devil, and the
black race is the supreme race. He began to attract many African-American followers,
1
Alexis Johnson, I Was a Minister in the Nation of Islam (Enumclaw, WA:
WinePress Publihsing, 2009), 44.
1
2
including Elijah Poole, who had moved to Detroit with his wife Clara in 1923 to find
work in factories. Elijah Poole was born October 7, 1897, in Sandersville, Georgia to
William Poole, who was a black Baptist preacher. He was the 7th of thirteen children and
was called “Elijah the Prophet” by his grandfather when he was just a little boy. Poole
only achieved a third grade education and as he grew up, he witnessed the extreme racism
and oppression of blacks at the hands of whites firsthand. This would shape his view of
Christianity, which was the religion that the white oppressors professed. These
experiences left scars on him and also paved the way for his receptivity to the teachings
of Fard Muhammad.
After moving to Detroit, Elijah Poole witnessed even more violence directed at
blacks by the hands of whites, fortifying his views even more. He would eventually
become a part of Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association, where he
found identity purpose, and an avenue through which he could interpret his experiences
in Georgia and Detroit. Tsoukalas writes: “This as well served to push Elijah to final
separation from the Christian church with which he had earlier struggled during his days
in the South.2
In 1924, Elijah Poole joined the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, the black version
of the Masonic Lodges that began in England in 1717. Being a Mason was another
avenue for black men to gain a sense of belonging and find structure. It was there that
many sociological and spiritual needs were met for the average black living in Detroit in
the 1920’s. However for Poole, something was still missing.
2
Steven Tsoukalas, The Nation of Islam: Understanding the 'Black Muslims'
(Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2001), 51.
3
In Fard Muhammad, Poole found his “savior”3, and about a year after the
founding of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam by Fard Muhammad, Elijah Poole joined and
was soon given a new name – Elijah Karriem (“noble”). Elihjah was Muhammad’s best
student. Fard Muhammad later changed Elijah Karriem’s name to Elijah Muhammad. In
1930, Elijah Muhhamd was chosen to be the Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam.
This did not set well with some of the leaders of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam and
strife began to arise within the ranks until the disappearance of Fard Muhammad in 1934.
No one knows for sure what happened to him and several theories have been set forth to
explain his disappearance. According to the Nation of Islam, he left because he said that
his job had been finished. Before his disappearance though, he again changed Elijah
Karriem’s name – this time to Elijah Muhammad.
Fard Muhammad left the Nation of Islam under the control of Elijah
Muhammad and he also gave him his lessons and teachings, as well as the Qur’an written
in Arabic. Controversies, police investigations, defections, schisms and battles within the
ranks and death threats marked the early years of Elijah Muhammad’s leadership of the
NOI.4 Chicago eventually became the headquarters of the Nation of Islam, where it
remains to this day.
After Fard Muhammad’s departure, Elijah began to deify Fard Muhammad,
telling his followers and the world that Fard was not merely a prophet. He began to teach
that Fard was Allah in person, the Mahdi of the Muslim world and the Christian Messiah.
Elijah Muhammad declared that he was the messenger of Allah, the Elijah of Malachi
3
Tsoukalas, 51.
4
Tsoukalas, 59.
4
3:1, 4:5-6. His teachings included the mental resurrection (versus physical resurrection)
of the dead. He called blacks “so-called Negroes” and sought to establish a separate state
or territory for his own people. In 1934, he began to publish a weekly newspaper based
in Detroit, called The Final Call to Islam, which provided lessons and information
regarding the coming of a Messiah.
Under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, the Nation of Islam experienced
significant growth. There was economic development and businesses were developed – a
bakery, grocery store, car-repair shop, Laundromat, cleaning plant, dress shop and
haberdashery. Farmland was purchased as well, producing beef, lamb, produce,
chickens, eggs, and dairy products.5 A clothing factory produced clothes (sold in their
own stores) that was created from materials produced by their own farms. The Nation of
Islam also built houses and apartment buildings. Programs established. He united with
other black leaders and established a black bank called Guarantee Bank.
The Nation of Islam also maintained a printing press that produced a weekly
newspaper called Mr. Muhammad Speaks launched in 1961. Circulation of this paper
grew to approximately one million copies a week by 1972. From this publication,
thousands of jobs were created, including editor-in-chief, managing editor, managers,
staff writers, graphic designers, drivers, newspaper salesmen, tractor trailer drivers, office
workers and warehouse workers.6 Trade was established with Middle Eastern and Asian
countries and all over Africa, with the NOI importing shiploads of fish for Black
5
Alexis Johnson, I Was a Minister in the Nation of Islam (Enumclaw, WA:
WinePress Publihsing, 2009), 46.
6
Johnson, 47.
5
Muslims to sell in their own markets. By 1972, the Nation of Islam owned business
worth approximately eighty million dollars.7
Under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, the Nation of Islam established
educational programs. Muhammad University of Islam was established and private
schools were set up throughout the United States. Subjects taught ranged from a basic
education to Arabic, astronomy, mathematics, science and engineering. The history and
beliefs of the Nation of Islam were taught in all NOI universities and schools.
The Nation of Islam also maintained a printing press that produced a weekly newspaper
called Mr. Muhammad Speaks launched in 1961. Circulation of this paper grew to
approximately one million copies a week by 1972. From this publication, thousands of
jobs were created, including editor-in-chief, managing editor, managers, staff writers,
graphic designers, drivers, newspaper salesmen, tractor trailer drivers, office workers and
warehouse workers.8 Trade was established with Middle Eastern and Asian countries and
all over Africa, with the NOI importing shiploads of fish for Black Muslims to sell in
their own markets. By 1972, the Nation of Islam owned business worth approximately
eighty million dollars.9
Under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, the Nation of Islam established
educational programs. Muhammad University of Islam was established and private
schools were set up throughout the United States. Subjects taught ranged from a basic
education to Arabic, astronomy, mathematics, science and engineering. The history and
7
Johnson, 48.
8
Johnson, 47.
9
Johnson, 48.
6
beliefs of the Nation of Islam were taught in all NOI universities and schools.
On February 25, 1975, Elijah Muhammad died from congestive heart failure.
He lived to see his organization grow to over several hundred thousand members, with
seventy-six mosques. He also received quite a degree of vindication. The 1973 Illinois
State Legislature adopted a resolution praising Elijah Muhammad and the NOI for their
work in the community and in 1974, then-Chicago mayor Richard Daley appointed
March 29th as “Honorable Elijah Muhammad Day in Chicago.”10
To Nation of Islam members, Elijah Muhammad is a human success story and
more. From poor beginnings in Georgia to leading a mass movement headquartered in
Chicago, he would make his mark in the landscape of Islam in America.
Malcolm X
Born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm Little, son of the Reverend
Earl Little, who was a Baptist minister, started attending Detroit’s Temple No. 1 in 1952.
He witnessed racism firsthand when as a child, his home was burned by the Ku Klux
Klan. He had been orphaned at age thirteen, had gotten involved in drugs and
prostitution in his late teen years and had served a six-year prison term. It was in prison
that Malcolm X became a Muslim.
By 1953 Malcolm, whose name was changed to Malcolm X, had become an
assistant minister in the Nation of Islam. He began to travel all over the country helping
Elijah Muhammad establish Nation of Islam Temples. In June 1954, Elijah Muhammad
appointed Malcolm X as the Minister of New York’s Temple No. 7. Malcolm X had
10
Steven Tsoukalas, The Nation of Islam: Understanding the 'Black Muslims'
(Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2001), 76.
7
gained the trust of Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X had devoted himself
wholeheartedly to Elijah, but this would later change.
Malcolm X became the most vocal and visible advocate of Elijah
Muhammad’s status as prophet and of his most unorthodox teachings of Islam.11 Yet
tensions arose and a power struggle began between other leaders and members of Elijah’s
family and Malcolm. Malcolm received less press in Muhammad Speaks, and his rallies
were less promoted where he had spoken. Malcolm began to hear of rumored affairs
involving Elijah Muhammad and he also learned that his Messenger and Prophet
considered him a threat. Soon after a visit to Elijah in Arizona during April 1963,
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Despite being ordered by Elijah not to
comment on the assassination, Malcolm X commented that it was a case of “the chickens
coming home to roost.” Malcolm X was suspended in 1964 from the Nation of Islam.
On March 8, 1964, Malcolm announced his formal break from the NOI to from
his own black-nationalist group, the Muslim Mosque, Inc. In that year he also made a
pilgrimage to Mecca and changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He later would
form the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), which would include blacks of
all faith. He believed that blacks and whites could be united only after blacks were
united. He continued to speak out against the social injustices faced by blacks in
America, even criticizing the more moderate approach of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the
struggle for civil rights.
The rift between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad was at that point
11
Jr George W. Braswell, Islam - Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 223.
8
irreversible. Malcolm was vilified by the Nation of Islam. He became the target of many
threats. Finally, on February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated as he addressed
about four hundred members of the OAAU in Harlem’s Audubon Auditorium.
Minister Louis Farrakhan
Born Louis Eugene Westcott on May 11, 1933, Louis Abdul Farrakhan was
born in the Caribbean, and his father was from Jamaica. He was raised in the Protestant
Episcopal Church. He attended Winston Salem Teacher’s College in North Carolina. He
later got married in 1953 and joined the NOI in 1955. He served briefly under Malcolm
X in New York and held the office of Lieutenant and Captain of the Fruit of Islam.
After Malcolm X’s murder, Elijah Muhammad named Louis Farrakhan as the
National Representative of the nation of Islam and minister of the NOI Temple No. 7 in
Harlem. He would emerge as a popular representative for Elijah until Elijah’s death in
1975.
When Elijah Muhammad died, his son Wallace Deen Muhammad (also known
as Warith Muhammad) became the leader of the Nation of Islam.12 He began to change
the NOI to a form of Islamic orthodoxy. The name of the organization was changed to
the World Community of Al-Islam in the West (later the American Muslim Mission).
They also began to get away from the racial separatism, racism and belief in the divinity
of Wallace Fard Muhammad. Minister of the NOI became imams, and NOI temples
became mosques.13
12
13
Braswell, 228.
Richard Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany
House Publishers, 1997), 627.
9
In 1977 the Honorable Louis Farrakhan broke away from the American
Muslim Mission, and restored the original name and beliefs of the Nation as established
by Elijah Muhammad. On Farrakhan Martin writes, “Farrakhan is a charismatic speaker
who has appeared on television numerous times, s a sough-after speaker by African
American university student groups, and publishes his beliefs and opinions in the Final
Call.”14
To this day, Farrakhan remains a quite popular and trusted figure among
African-Americans. In October of 1995 Farrakhan organized the Million Man March,
which was an event that drew several hundred thousand black men of various
backgrounds to Washington, D.C. to inspire a moral and spiritual rebirth among AfricanAmerican men (85% of the participants in The Million Man March were identified with
the Christian Church).15 According to a New York Times survey from February 28,
1994, 63 percent of African-Americans believed that Farrakhan spoke truth. The
Honorable Louis Farrakhan remains the leader of the Nation of Islam to this day, actively
spreading Allah’s message – just as Elijah Muhammad.
Wallace Deen Muhammad
Wallace Mohammed emerged from the cauldron of religious politics and
internal rivalry that characterized the Black Muslims, as the Nation of Islam members
were called, in the 1960s and 1970s.
Following Malcolm X, who was drifting away from black separatism toward
14
Martin, 627.
15
Johnson, 76.
10
traditional Islam when he was assassinated in 1965, Wallace Mohammed increasingly
favored a nonracial approach to religion, without categorizing white people as devils, as
Elijah Muhammad did. His father excommunicated him several times for this dissidence.
Over the course of his ministry, he would repeatedly called for cooperation between
faiths.
The son was nonetheless unanimously elected supreme minister of the Nation
of Islam after his father’s death in 1975. He pushed his followers toward a more orthodox
faith, emphasizing study of the Koran and the five duties of a Moslem: faith, charity,
prayer five times a day, fasting during Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca. A major
change was rejecting the divinity of the founder of the Nation of Islam, Wallace D. Fard;
a lesser one was relaxing the religion’s strict dress code.
Eventually, the Black Muslims splintered, with the fiery Louis Farrakhan
leading the faction favoring racial separatism. Wallace Mohammed, soft-spoken and
scholarly, led what is thought to be a far larger flock that appeals, in general terms, to
middle-class blacks, according to Contemporary Black Biography, an online reference
book. Over the years, estimates of the group’s size have ranged from 500,000 adherents
to more than 2 million.
In 1976, Mohammed dropped the Nation of Islam name in favor of the World
Community of al-Islam in the West; that was also the year he adopted the title of imam.
Two years later, he changed the name of his organization to the American Muslim
Mission. Later, he encouraged each mosque to be independent under the leadership of the
Muslim American Society, or the Ministry of W. Deen Mohammed.
Wallace Mohammed moved decisively toward the religious mainstream. In
11
1992, he became the first Muslim to deliver the invocation for the United States Senate.
He led prayers at both inaugurals of President Bill Clinton. He addressed a conference of
Muslims and Reform Jews in 1995, and participated in several major interfaith dialogues
with Roman Catholic cardinals. He met with the pope in 1996 and 1999.
Mohammed worked to bring American Muslims into the world’s largest
Islamic orthodoxy, the Sunni branch.
Wallace Deen Mohammad passed away September 9, 2008, due to
complications from diabetes and heart disease. He died at his home in Illinois, not long
after giving a sermon praising Jesus and Muhammad as great leaders.
Basic Doctrines of The Nation of Islam
12
BASIC DOCTRINES OF THE NATION OF ISLAM
The basic doctrines of the Nation of Islam according to Elijah Muhammad
were first outlined in Muhammad Speaks, the weekly newspaper founded by Malcolm
X.16 These doctrines are similar to what the NOI believes today. They are:

There is one God – Allah.

The Qur’an and the scriptures of all the prophets of God.

The truth of the Bible, though it is now corrupted and must be reinterpreted.

Allah’s prophets and their scriptures

Mental resurrection

Judgment, which will take place first in America

Justice, whether under God or not (respect U.S. laws)

Muslims should not fight, especially for the United States military

Allah appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad

Fard was the Christian Messiah and the Muslim Mahdi
The Nation of Islam teaches that the earth and the original Black man were
created by Allah, and that all living blacks are descendants of the tribe of Shabazz. Fifty
thousand years ago, a mad scientist turned tribal members’ hair kinky because he wanted
to make life hard for them. Martin writes that according to NOI doctrine, a 600-year-old
scientist named Yakub was exiled to the island of Patmos and began experimenting with
genetics and created the brown man. Two thousand years later, he created the red man
16
Braswell, 223.
13
14
and in another 200 years he created the yellow man. In another 200 years he created the
white man. This was about 6600 years ago in 4004 B.C.17 According to NOI teaching,
the white man is the devil and has been given 6000 years to rule the earth, a time period
that ended in 1914. Black Muslims believe that Christianity is the white man’s religion
and the Jews are the “brains” behind the white-dominated world.
17
Martin, 629.
15
THE ATTRACTION OF THE NATION OF ISLAM
What’s the attraction to the Nation of Islam? African-American men are
attracted to Islam because they long for structure and order in their lives. The Christian
church offers structure and order in the form of accountability, but this is not always
readily seen.18
Part of The Nation of Islam’s appeal is that they have identified important
issues and found support in many communities. Farrakhan has attacked the welfare
system and criticized the government for spending more money on prisons than on
education. Another part of the Nation of Islam’s appeal is its social work. The Nation of
Islam runs counseling programs for recovering drug addicts, alcoholics and street gang
members. Young men in the Fruit of Islam have patrolled ghetto streets to ward off drug
dealers and users. As Braswell writes, “Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam have
offered African-Americans an alternative for religious and community life.”19
18
Johnson, xi.
19
Braswell, 241.
WITNESSING TO BLACK MUSLIMS
The first thing that anyone must remember in ministering to a Black Muslim is
that there is a need for Christians to address the issue of racism.20 Part of the appeal of
the Nation of Islam is that it addresses the wrongs of racism. Tsoukalas says that if black
Christians, “were more aggressive on the issue of racism, we would see a substantial
decrease of the percentage of blacks, especially youths, entering the NOI.”21 Both black
churches and white churches have to do more to combat racism and improve the plight of
the underprivileged. Programs like prison ministries, one-on-one male mentoring and
surrogate father programs are all programs that produce results and are much needed in
the African-American community.
On an individual level, nonwhites are at an advantage when it comes to
witnessing to a Black Muslim. Knowledge about the Nation of Islam is critical. Once
you have demonstrated a familiarity with the NOI and its history, move to doctrine. The
person you are witnessing to may express resentment and even anger towards
Christianity. The presenter therefore needs to be prepared to do some apologetics. The
NOI is partially justified in it view of Christianity, that slavery and racial oppression were
actually accepted and even committed by many Christians. A distinction should be made
between the actions of men and the actions of Jesus Christ. Reiterate that Christ is
20
Tsoukalas, 157.
21
Tsoukalas, 157.
16
17
neither black nor white, slave nor free, male nor female. Here are some other do’s and
don’ts:22











Do know why you believe what you believe.
Do pray and ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Do show love.
Do listen.
Do share the uniqueness of Christ.
Do share that righteousness comes only through Christ.
Don’t play the role of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t use a King James Bible. Black Muslims believe that the King James Bible
has been “tainted”. Use a New International Version.
Don’t use a marked Bible.
Don’t unwittingly use the word “Trinity”. For Muslims, this word gives the idea
of three gods.
Don’t offend – let the cross offend.
The theology of the NOI is somewhat complicated. There is no formula to follow and the
witness must trust God for the results. The Nation is a works-oriented group. Therefore,
exposure to the Christian doctrine of grace is a very effective strategy to employ in
witnessing to Black Muslims.
22
Tsoukalas, 161.
CONCLUSION
The Nation of Islam arose out of the pain and agony of racism in America to
become a force to be reckoned, especially among African-Americans. Over the years
there have been many changes, from leadership to organizational identity. However, one
thing has been consistent with the Nation of Islam, and that is the appeal to AfricanAmerican males. Christians desiring to witness to Black Muslims need to remember that
the message of grace is one that all can understand, including Black Muslims. We must
stick to that message and know that Bible deals with every issue that concerns them and
also know that God has a plan of restoration for all men. With the proper understanding
and a much care and concern, Christians can relate to and minister to Black Muslims and
win them for the Kingdom of God.
18
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin, Richard. The Kingdom of the Cults. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House
Publishers, 1997.
George W. Braswell, Jr. Islam - Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power. Nashville, TN:
Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996.
Steven Tsoukalas. The Nation of Islam: Understanding the 'Black Muslims'. Phillipsburg,
NJ: P & R Publishing, 2001.
Johnson, Alexis. I Was a Minister in the Nation of Islam. Enumclaw, WA: WinePress
Publihsing, 2009.
Haleem, Abdel, ed. The Qu’ran (Oxford World Classics). Oxford, England: Oxford
University Press, 2008.
Swartley, Keith, Encountering the World of Islam. Waynesboro, GA: Authentic, 2005.
Muhammad, Elijah. History of the Nation of Islam. Phoenix, AZ: Secretarius MEMPS
Ministries, 1993.
19