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The Nation of Islam: The Chosen People
John Cody Roedel
One of the largest movements of Muslims in America has been the Nation of
Islam. When this name was mentioned, many Muslims used shy to away from
associating with it. This is due to a lot of their actions since their foundation in 1930.
Originally created by Wallace D. Fard in Detroit and rising in status by Elijah
Muhammad in 1934, the organization’s goal was the advancement of the
underprivileged African American in social status (Owens, A.1). Since then, their
actions show them as more of a supremacy group than an Islamic sect. This is an
organization that many Americans associate Muslims with, leading to a very large
number of misconceptions. The biggest problem that arises with the Nation of Islam
being an Islamic group is that they haven’t always practiced Islam to its fullest
extent, making it difficult to be called a Nation of Islam.
In order to understand how this straying from Islam happened, it is
important to look how it began. Founder of the Nation of Islam Wallace D. Fard
made his living as a travelling salesman, selling silks from Africa; he also spread his
beliefs of Black independence and segregation while he worked (Owen, A.1). One
individual Fard met during this time was Elijah Poole, who was interested in Fard’s
“Lost-Found Nation of Islam” (Owen, A.1). “Their mission was to have the black man
love himself, lift himself up, and end ‘white world supremacy’” (Laremont, 38). This
was in 1930, a time where African Americans were still struggling due to racism and
lack of rights as well as being poor and unemployed from the Great Depression.
Therefore, the idea of Africans being the chosen people of God (or Allah) was
something positive to cling on to. It provided a path of hope. A truth Fard revealed
to Elijah was that Yakub, an evil scientist of the tribe of Shabazz created the white
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John Cody Roedel
race, and that all white individuals were evil (Austin, 57-58). This is the first time
the Nation of Islam deviates from traditional Islamic beliefs on two accounts: Yakub
and his synthesis of the original white people does not ever appear in the Qur’an
and racism is forbidden (Laremont, 38). By using the story of Yakub of the lost Tribe
of Shabazz (where all men originated from) creating all evil in the form of white
men, Fard appealed to “science “ to persuade his audience (Allen, 10). Oddly enough,
Fard was not even of African descent, for he was Arabian (and a light skinned
Arabian at that!) (Austin, 57).
While Fard was the one who initially created the Nation of Islam, Elijah Poole
is the one who stoked the flames. He changed his last name to Muhammad and
became the ‘Messenger of Allah’ (Laremont, 39). When Fard disappeared in 1934
(an event surrounded in controversy), Elijah became the new leader of the Nation of
Islam. Under Elijah, temples were set up across the nation, small businesses were
created and acquired, and the plight for economic independence from whites
continued to grow; this made the Nation of Islam the richest, solely black
organization in America (Ogbar, 79). It targeted recruitment from prisons and poor
African American communities in order to give those individuals a feeling of
empowerment and loyalty (Laremont, 34). Elijah Muhammad spread the Nation’s
beliefs that all of mankind originated from Africa and were all born under the
Islamic God (Laremont, 35, 36). He made sure to emphasize that mankind
originating from Africa meant that the message of the Nation of Islam was solely for
those of African descent. Again, this is a complete misrepresentation of the teachings
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John Cody Roedel
of the Qur’an and the Islamic faith. The Qur’an was written to be universal to all
races in order for everyone to be enlightened.
One of the most well known proponents of the Nation of Islam was Malcolm
X. He joined the Nation upon his release from prison in 1952 and rose through the
ranks quickly (Claude, 56). He became one of Elijah Muhammad’s most trusted
ministers and helped raise the Nation of Islam to the highest status it would achieve
in the 1950s and 1960s, from 400 members to over 40,000 (Ogbar, 80. Allen, 11).
One of his most prevalent beliefs, which differed from Elijah’s views, was that Allah
would restore to black race to the prosperity that they deserved. (Laremont, 40). In
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, the theme of God’s justice is always prevalent.
Malcolm X had used the Bible story of the Hebrews’ liberation to explain why
African Americans needed separation from whites (Laremont, 40). By doing this, he
is actually violating the first pillar of Islam: he is giving credence that there is
another God.
Continuing on the subject of race, Malcolm taught Elijah’s message about the
Original People. The Original People were the Asiatic Black Nation who originally
was what most people would say resembled Arabians; they went into the jungles of
Africa, which led to their decline in civilization (Austin, 57). The Asiatic Black Nation
included all races (except white people, who were created by Yakub as was stated
previously) and they were all originally born as Muslims (Austin, 58). However, the
Nation of Islam did not allow Middle Easterners or Asians into their temples (Austin,
62). Once again, not allowing an entire race of people to enter an Islamic temple
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when they are themselves Muslim is clearly an act of racism and such actions are
not allowed by the teachings of the Qur’an.
Interestingly enough, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam in 1964 due to its
radical nature and began to practice something that is more recognizable, Sunni
Islam (Allen, 14). One specific reason was due to the racial exclusion and
discrimination Elijah demanded from the Nation (Laremont, 37). Shortly after his
departure, he started the Muslim Mosque Incorporated and the Organization of
Afro-Americn Unity (Allen, 14). Malcolm was not really recognized for his newfound
religious practices; however, he still was a huge influence on the black pride
movement, even after his death in 1965 (Ogbar, 80). The minister that took Malcolm
X’s place was Louis Farrakhan, a huge supporter for Elijah Muhammad.
When Elijah Muhammad died ten years later in 1975, his son Wallace
Muhammad assumed the role of Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam. (Owens,
A.1) After renaming the organization several times (and eventually settling on
American Muslim Mission), he set the organization on a new path; He disliked the
racial segregation his father dreamed of. He set out to make his organization what
appears to be a more orthodox version of Islam than the Nation of Islam was. This
new mission only lasted a short while before minister Louis Farrakhan broke off
from the American Muslim Mission and rebuilt the Nation of Islam as it was (Owens,
A.1). Farrakhan was not the only one and other organizations formed by renegade
American Muslim Missioners were the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, the United
Nation of Islam, The Fiver Percenters, and a Nation of Islam founded under John
Muhammad (Elijah Muhammad’s brother) (Allen, 3). Wallace Muhammad changed
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John Cody Roedel
his name to Warith Deen Muhammad and is evangelical, essentially disappearing
from the secular world after a period of time (Allen, 2)
Farrakhan was the only deserter who found success, which most likely was
because he focused his beliefs to match the original Nation of Islam as best he could.
There were 12 principles upon which he rebuilt the Nation around. Two of these
principles are in direct violation of Islamic beliefs. “We believe that this is time in
history for the separation of the so-called Negroes and the so-called white
Americans” (Laremont, 44). Once again, the Qur’an forbids racism, so separation
based upon race is forbidden (Laremont, 37). The second principle in violation is,
“We believe that Allah appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July
1930; the long awaited ‘Messiah’ of the Christians and ‘Mahdi’ of the Muslims”
(Laremont, 44). This is wrong for Muslims to believe for multiple reasons. First,
there is only one Allah; claiming Fard is Allah is a huge deviation from orthodox
Islam and the Qur’an. Secondly, it implies that Elijah Muhammad was then
Fard’s/Allah’s last messenger. This violates Islamic beliefs because Muhammad is
supposed to be the last messenger; this is stated within shahada, the first Pillar of
Islam (which is then restated as part of salah, the second Pillar of Islam).
While the Nation of Islam was a Muslim group for the advancement of
African Americans, it falls very far from orthodox Islam. As pointed out multiple
times, the Nation of Islam was very selective in its membership for a very long time.
They had specifically called for segregation from white Americans and then didn’t
allow other races to join the organization. The Qur'an (49:13) says:
“Oh Mankind! We made you
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John Cody Roedel
From our thoughts into a couple and
We made you
Into Nations and Tribes so that you would know one another
But the most honoured among you
Will be those who have God and who are righteous
Because God knows all and is well informed.”
The Muslim Scholars conclude that this forbids racial discrimination (Laremont, 38).
Another instance where the Nation of Islam falls far from orthodox Islam is in their
goal. The ‘white world supremacy’ mentioned earlier begins with the myth of Yakub,
which was also touched on earlier. It is entirely a myth since it does not appear in
the Qur’an at all and it is heretical for its blatant racism that is forbidden in the
Qur’an. The very core message of the Nation of Islam is therefore unjust and
forbidden based upon the Qur’an, the staple and backbone of the entire Muslim
faith.
The Nation of Islam has actually recognized that they aren’t fully Islamic in
practice and have been trying to change this image, especially during the expansions
by Malcolm X (Allen,12). One issue that they really focused on was adhering to the 5
Pillars of Islam. Members of importance in the Nation were becoming more
educated as leaders and educated about Islam, including Elijah himself; Elijah
specifically became more acquainted with the Qur’an (Allen, 12). In the 1950s, Elijah
had instructed the Nation to pray 5 times a day and to read the Qur’an and then in
1959, Elijah completed the fifth Pillar of Islam by taking the hajj to Mecca (Austin,
59). Since the inception of the Nation of Islam, charity to the Nation of Islam was
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John Cody Roedel
accepted (Clegg, 51). In 1970, the Nation began practicing sawm during the month of
Ramadan (Austin, 59). However, they do not follow the Pillars of Islam as the rest of
the Islamic world does or as Elijah had suggested. While recitation of the first Pillar
is stated in daily prayers, it is still flawed due to their beliefs on Fard and Elijah.
According to the second Pillar, prayer must be conducted five times per day. While
Elijah encouraged five times a day, the Nation of Islam requires only three times per
day (Laremont, 47). The Nation of Islam also doesn’t adhere to the lunar month of
Ramadan and instead practice ‘December fast,’ which is not observed in any other
form of Islam (Laremont, 47). While Elijah did complete the hajj for his lifetime, it is
not a requirement of the Nation of Islam (Laremont, 47), rather unlike the rest of the
Islamic world. Afterward, Elijah no longer believed that “the Arab material world as
a fit example for black Americans” (Allen, 13).
However, in the Nation of Islam’s unorthodox and un-Islamic beliefs, they
have had benefits for those who followed their practices. As with many other
Muslim groups, drinking was seen as a sin. Elijah also declared dancing, smoking,
and swearing as impermissible and had to be given up (Clegg, 51). Part of their goal
was to improve the lifestyle of its members, which it effectively did. The Nation saw
education as a weak point in skills for low-income African American Muslims and
began teaching the basic subjects of schools (minus what was accepted as history)
in the temples (Clegg, 51). Farrkhan even made a “non-harassment” agreement with
the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s in the South and even received praise from other white
supremacist groups in the 1980s (Allen, 5-6).
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John Cody Roedel
In 1947, Elijah even pushed the Nation to provide job opportunities to
African American Muslims through a grocery store, restaurant, and bakery that they
had opened (Clegg, 50). By 1976, the Nation of Islam had reached a worth around
$46 million, which sadly didn’t last long before the Nation of Islam was out of cash
(Allen, 15). When unable to get money from Arab nations on terms both parties
could agree to, Farrakhan eventually accepted contracts from the American
government (Allen, 19). While this seems insignificant since the Nation of Islam is in
America, the government was one of their main enemies. The United States
government was controlled by the white men and was the very thing were seeking
segregation from (one of their main beliefs, as previously discussed). This
cooperation marked a large turning point in the way the Nation of Islam operated
but also presented Farrakhan with the problem of not eliciting a negative response
from old members while conforming to orthodox Islamic practices (Allen, 20). In the
end, Farrakhan has been moving further from Fard’s messages for the Nation of
Islam and has been working to make it into an economic empire (Allen, 20).
“A sizable number of Blacks, even those who never joined the Nation,
nevertheless depended on the Nation to voice out loud what many of them could
only afford amongst themselves” (Owens, A.1). While the methods of the Nation of
Islam may be racist and heretical in the eyes of the rest of Islam as well as the United
States, it is hard to argue that the end result has not been positive for African
Americans since the 1930s. While they might deviate from Islam in many ways, the
Nation of Islam is still a sect of Islam in its own eyes and has changed the face of the
United States since its inception for the better in its advancement for minorities.
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John Cody Roedel
Citations
Allen, Ernest. “Religious Heterodoxy and Nationalist Tradition: The Continuing
Evolution of the Nation of Islam.” The Black Scholar. 16.3-4 (1997): 2-34.
Austin, Algernon. "Rethinking race and the Nation of Islam, 1930-1975." Ethic and
Racial Studies 26.1 Jan. (2003): 52-69.
Clegg, Claude A. "Rebuilding the Nation: The life and work of Elijah Muhammad,
1946-1954." The Black Scholar 26.3-4 (1996): 49-59.
Laremont, Ricardo R. "Race, Islam, and Politics: Differing visions among Black
American Muslims." Journal of Islamic Studies 10.1 (1999): 33-49.
Ogbar, Jeffrey. “An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad.” The
Journal of Negro History 83.1 (1998): 79-81
Owens, Keith A. "BLACK RAGE, BLACK POWER; The Nation of Islam; Made In
Detroit; A local movement made a lasting national impact." Michigan
Chronicle 22 Feb. 2006: A.1.
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