Elijah Muhammad

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Elijah Muhammad (October 1897–February 25, 1975) led the largely African-American spiritual and political organization, the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975.

1 Early life
2 Teachings
3 Legacy
4 References
5 External links

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Early life

Muhammad was born Elijah Poole in Sandersville, Georgia as one of 13 children of tenant farmers (share croppers) who were former slaves. At the age of 16 he left home and traveled about America, and in 1917 would be wedded to Clara Evans, later to be known as Mother Clara Muhammad. In 1923 he finally settled in Detroit, Michigan where he worked at an automobile factory. The young Mr. Poole apparently witnessed three lynchings before the age of twenty, no doubt contributing to his grim evaluation of whites.<ref>An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad</ref>

In the early 1930s, Muhammad became acquainted with a W.D. Fard a.k.a Wallace Fard Muhammad who considered himself Allah incarnated.

Fard, then working as a peddler, had already established his Temple of Islam in Detroit. The beliefs taught by Fard though derived from orthodox Islam, had many differences. Many have summed this theology as a blend of Sufi Islam, the teachings of the contemporary Noble Drew Ali of the Moorish Science Temple, Egyptology, Numerology, Eastern mysticism, Black Nationalism, the earlier ideas of economic independence as espoused by Marcus Garvey, and more.

Upon Fard's "mysterious" disappearance in 1934 (in fact, he was arrested and deported), Elijah Poole, now calling himself Elijah Muhammad, became the successor to the NOI and Supreme Minister. In 1942, Muhammad was arrested in Chicago on charges of sedition and violation of the Selective Service Act. He was cleared of the sedition charges, but was convicted of the others, specifically for instructing his followers to avoid the draft. Muhammad was sent to Federal prison for four years.<ref>New York Times, February 26, 1975, p.1</ref>

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Teachings

Muhammad taught what is often considered a racist doctrine, following and later expanding upon Fard's religion. He taught that blacks were the first people of the Earth but had been tricked out of their power and oppressed by whites, who were a genetically created race of troublemakers. These teachings appealed to many black people. Muhammad took white supremacy and turned it on its head. If whites said blacks were inferior, he would assert instead that whites were the inferior ones. If whites said blacks were cursed, he would state instead that whites were cursed. If whites said "black" was associated with bad, he would say instead "white" was associated with bad.

Believing white culture to be in essence the sworn enemy of blacks, the Nation of Islam preached complete separation from white society. The NOI demanded black independence in economics, religion, and nationhood. The teachings of the NOI regularly denounced black men, especially for drinking, gambling, physical abuse of black women, moral wrongs, and the inability to protect their own family (especially black women in regard to sexual abuse/exploitation) from attacks by violent white America.

Simultaneously, Muhammad showed pride in his ability to stand equal with whites, and was willing to work with them when this would further the aims of the NOI. He apparently would brag that he lived in a mostly white neighborhood, and he allowed George Lincoln Rockwell of the American Nazi Party to address the NOI, at a time when both organizations were opposed to racial integration. Unlike other black leaders in America (including his disciple Malcolm X), Muhammad eschewed any ties to Africa.<ref>An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad</ref>

The teachings of the NOI and Muhammad would have a profound impact on black American life. In a small amount of time the organization became well known throughout the United States, buying land, opening businesses, building schools, and increasing its numbers. Its strict moral discipline, devout religious adherence, healthy lifestyle, and seemingly miraculous ability to convert even those individuals deemed "beyond hope", drew many to its ranks. Image:Elijahmalcolm.jpg

One of those Muhammad would influence was an ex-convict whom the world would come to know as Malcolm X. Though he would later leave the NOI, the influence of Muhammad on Malcolm's life was undeniable. The young Malcolm developed his speaking and political outlook within the NOI and under Muhammad's near-direct tutelage.

In the late 1950s, rumors began to circulate that Muhammad had fathered eight children by six young women who worked for the NOI. This was strictly opposed to his own teachings. Malcolm X met with these women in the early 1960s, as they were preparing to sue Muhammad for child support, and believed their claims. This was an important cause of his break with the Nation of Islam.

The subsequent assassination of Malcolm X, and the suspicions of NOI involvement, would forever tarnish Muhammad and his group. Muhammad managed to hold onto recognition however, as his teachings were spread through his still well read books, Message to the Blackman in America, How To Eat To Live, and his newspaper, Muhammad Speaks.

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Legacy

With the death of Muhammad in 1975, the NOI went through a brief period of upheaval. Under the guidance of his son, Warith Deen Muhammad, the NOI was moved into the mainstream of "orthodox" Islam and even began to accept white members. Such shifts away from the original black-nationalist teachings of Muhammad soon caused a split within the organization, as some members preferred to espouse Muhammad's original teachings. The best known splinter group is probably the 5%'ers. The original organization under Warith Deen changed its name to the Muslim American Society. The name and ideology of the Nation of Islam was appropriated by a splinter group led by one of Muhammad's disciples, Louis Farrakhan, who re-established it in 1978.

Muhammad and the NOI's messages of self-help, self-sufficiency, self-defense, and self-love have shaped deeply the path of black politics. Later groups such as the Black Panthers party were thought to even fashion their ten-point program in part from the NOI's "What the Muslims Want" ideology.

Figures that found inspiration from Muhammad's teachings included Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, boxer Muhammad Ali, Clarence 13X and artists like the Poor Righteous Teachers and Wu Tang. And even those who broke with his teachings admit that he is a key factor in Islam among black Americans, be it orthodox or otherwise.

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