Elijah Muhummad was born Elijah Poole in Sandersville,
Georgia as one of 13 children of tenant farmers who
were former slaves. At the age of 16 he left home
and traveled about America. In 1923 he finally
settled in Detroit, Mich. where he worked at an
automobile factory. In the early 1930s, a time of
severe economic distress, he became acquainted
with a W.D. Fard (Wali Farad, Master Farad
Muhammad) and his life changed forever. Fard,
then working as a peddler, had already established
his Temple of Islam in Detroit. The beliefs taught by
Fard though similar to "orthodox" Islam, spoke
directly to Black people and attempted to meet
their needs. It called for complete Black separation
from whites whom it viewed as the sworn enemies
of Blacks and humanity. The Nation of Islam
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
woman, moral wrongs, and the inability to protect
one's family from attacks by violent white America.
Upon Fard's disappearance in 1934, Elijah
Muhammad became the successor to the NOI and
became Supreme Minister. The teachings of the
NOI and Elijah Muhammad would have a profound
impact on Black American life. In a small amount
of time the small organization became well known
throughout the United States, buying land, opening
businesses, and increasing its growth. Its strict
moral discipline, devout religious adherence,
healthy lifestyle, and seemingly miraculous ability
to convert even the most corrupt individuals, drew
many to its ranks. One of those that Elijah would
bring into the light was an ex-convict who the world
would know as Malcolm X. Elijah would gain world
recognition as his teachings were spread through
his still well read book, Message to the Black Man.
With the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, the
NOI went through a brief period of upheaval. Under
the guidance of his son, Wallace 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
religious teachings of Eligh Muhammad, soon
caused a split within the organization. It was not
long before splinter groups emerged to once again
carry on Elijah's teachings. Though they number
quite a few, the most well known are most likely
the more "street-based" 5% Nation of Islam and the
Nation of Islam under Minister Louis Farrakhan.
The NOI under Minister Louis Farrakhan has been
a driving force in Black Nationalistic political
thought since the 1980s. Most noticeably, it was
instrumental in the calling and organizing of the
now historic Million Man March of 1995. Through
the decades Elijah Muhammad's messages of
self-help, self-sufficiency, self-defense, and self-love
have shaped deeply the path of Black Nationalism
and to a lesser degree Pan-Africanism. His legacy
continues today as his teachings create converts
throughout America and the Black world.
