Nation of Islam

Origins of the Nation

Nation of Islam historians state that Master Wallace Fard Muhammad began teaching about Islam to Black Americans in 1931. The Nation's founder has been variously referred to as W. D. Fard, Mr. Muhammad, the son of man, the great Mahdi, and Master Fard Muhammad—a name more commonly used by the Nation today. His title, master, as explained by the Nation, refers to his ability to rehabilitate Black men and women from the wretched and debilitating experience of slavery. Black Americans, according to Mr. Muhammad, had to be reprogrammed about their life, their place in the world, and their place in the universe.

Mr. Muhammad's Islam included the study of biological science, including genetics, mathematics, and actual/factual measurements of the earth, in addition to traditional Islam. Mr. Muhammad's knowledge became a testament of who he was and why he came to America, according to the Nation. On the last page of every issue of the Final Call, under “What the Muslims Believe,” No. 12 states that they believe that Master Fard Muhammad is God in Person and is the “Messiah” of the Christians and the “Mahdi” of the Muslims. The Nation proclaims that Mr. Muhammad is indeed the one prophesied in the Holy Bible and Holy Koran.

Basic Teachings

Mr. Muhammad instructed Elijah on how to use this knowledge to free the Black man's mind from mental and spiritual death and from the bondage of slavery and White society. Therefore, not only did Mr. Muhammad demonstrate that he possessed knowledge that identified him as superior; he also used his knowledge to bring about the liberation of Black Americans. The Nation considered these works as clear proof that Mr. Muhammad was the Mahdi or Messiah of the Black Americans. In many respects, this brand of Islam was the combination of Black spirituality and liberation theology that entailed powerful philosophical, spiritual, and psychological mechanisms combined with social, political, and economic thrust. Converts learned about traditional Islam, to live for the here and now, self-defense skills, knowledge of God and the devil, and cooperative economics.

The Nation reversed the negative tenets of White racism. The Nation claimed that the Black man is God and the White man is the devil. The Nation proposed that the United States give territory to Black Americans. The Nation challenged the racial identification and classification of Black Americans. These teachings attracted many African Americans and demanded that White America pay attention.

Furthermore, Nation of Islam historians contend that the Nation is not an offshoot of its predecessors, Noble Drew Ali's Moorish Science Temple or the Honorable Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The significance of Islam in American history has long been underrated, a not uncommon dilemma. The faith of Islam persisted in [Page 943]African American culture, since many Africans brought Islam with them to the New World and remained faithful to its teachings. Islam has emerged among Africans in America again and again, yet never more permanently and significantly than in the Nation of Islam.

...