 Elijah Muhammad standing behind microphones at podium / World Telegram & Sun photo by Stanley Wolfson.
(larger image) Elijah Poole, the man who taught and eventually ordered the assassination Malcolm X, was born in Sandersville, Georgia, as one of 13 children of Willie Poole, Sr. (1868–1942), a Baptist pastor, and Mariah Hall (1873–1958). They were related to the prestigious Swint family. Both were sharecroppers. At the age of 16, Poole left home and traveled about the United States. As an adult, he joined briefly the very first Muslim organization in the US, the Moorish Science Temple of America, and their Black (or Moor, as they prefer to be called, since Black they believe is defined as "dead") leader and prophet, Noble Drew Ali, believed to be Jesus reincarnated into Mohammed who wrote the Holy Qur'an to himself (Noble Drew Ali). Poole was known as a Moslem, as opposed to Muslim. For a period of time, the Nation of Islam referred to themselves as "Moslems," and their leaders, W.D. Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad as "Mohammed." Elijah was given the name Elijah Poole-Bey, since the Moorish Science Temple of America permits people to retain their birth name but adds as an addendum either "Bey" or "El" to the end. "El" or "Bey" is bestowed upon the individual based upon his or her personality. In 1917, Elijah Muhammad married Clara Evans, later to be known as Sister Clara Muhammad. In 1923, he finally settled in Detroit, Michigan where he worked in an automobile factory. The young Elijah Poole apparently witnessed three murders (lynchings) of Blacks by Whites before the age of 20. Elijah Poole joined the Moorish Science Temple of America under "Prophet" Noble Drew Ali, as described in his lecture series and book Theology of Time. Noble Drew Ali taught that the Garden of Eden was where all humanity, starting from "prophet" Adam as well as Eve, was birthed, which is present-day Mecca, and is really a part of Africa. Ali taught that Black people came from three tribes, Ali, El, and Bey. He claimed to be Jesus reincarnated into Mohammed of 1,400 years ago who was then reincarnated into Noble Drew Ali who will then be reincarnated again until he returns as the "soul plane" and "the essence." Noble Drew Ali also claimed he was the only one entitled to bear the last name "Ali" without a suffix, since he came from that tribe. He or one of his spiritual leaders, sheiks (shayks), were the only ones that would add the suffix to followers' names, Bey, or El, based upon that individual's personality. Elijah Poole received the suffix "Bey", hence changing his name to Elijah Poole-Bey. Eventually, Elijah Poole left the Moorish Science Temple of America. In the early 1930s, Poole became acquainted with W.D. Fard (Wallace Dodd, or David Ford) Muhammad, also known as Wallace Dodd Fard Muhammad. Fard Muhammad received the Moslem suffix "El", making his name David Ford-El. It has been alleged that Wallace was a member, a prominent spiritual leader, and a sheik (or shaykh) in the Moorish Science Temple of America which maintains that the Black man is a god, the Black woman a goddess, and there is a supreme God, Allah. Service times for the Moorish Science Temple of America were on Sundays at 2:00 p.m., and on Fridays at 8:00 p.m., etc. This identical data was reproduced by W.D. Fard Muhammad in the Nation of Islam. After Noble Drew Ali's death, David Ford-El claimed to be the "prophet of Allah," Noble Drew Ali reincarnated. Since Noble Drew Ali and Fard were alive at the same time, this is in contrast to the basic tenant of reincarnation. Elijah Muhammad referred to Master Fard Muhammad as "Allah in person". Master W.D. (Wallace Dodd) Fard Muhammad working as a peddler, already established the Allah's Temple of Islam in Detroit. The beliefs taught by Fard, although similar to orthodox Islam in some ways, differed from it in various essentials, and added a key element geared toward the Black nationalism started by Marcus Garvey. Instead of fulfilling the requirement of Islam to visit the holy city of Mecca at least once in a person's life, Nation of Islam members gather for a meeting once a year, on so-called Saviour's Day, in Chicago, Illinois. One of the present leaders of the Nation of Islam, Minister Louis Farrakhan, permits people to watch Saviour's Day from different satellite cities and from the comfort of their own home via the Internet instead of making their hajj (pilgrimage) by traveling to Chicago (also labeled Medina) since Detroit is referred to as Mecca (where "Master" Fard Muhammad ostensibly unearthed the "New Islam" to the Black man). Scholars have identified a wide range of possible influences on Fard's theology, including Sufism, the teachings of the contemporary Noble Drew Ali of the Moorish Science Temple of America as aforementioned, Jehovah's Witnesses (in their door-to-door and street outreach by selling the Muhammad Speaks and Final Call newspapers), Egyptology, Numerology, Eastern mysticism, Black Nationalism, the earlier ideas of economic independence and having a separate nation as espoused by Marcus Garvey, and many more. According to Elijah Muhammad, Fard was Allah (God) in Person, and a fulfillment of the prophecies of both the Mahdi of the Muslims in the Qur'an, and the Messiah in the Bible - the second coming of the Son of Man according to the Bible, long awaited by the Christians. They greet and reply to each other with alternative versions of the common Arabic phrases, "As-salaamu' Alaikum," and "Walaikumu as-salaam" by instead saying, "As-salaam Alaikum," and "Walaikum Salaam." Elijah Muhammad and Farrakhan used to say "Quwan" (Qu'w'an). The latter instead now says, "Qur'an." On May 26, 1931, local authorities ordered Fard (David Ford-El) out of Detroit, Michigan. He left. By 1934, no record of him exists, save for the late exclamation by Warith Deen Mohammed in the 90s that he was, in fact, an Arab-American living in Oakland, California, who died in 1995. Robert Poole, renamed Elijah Karriem and eventually Elijah Muhammad by Fard, became the successor to the Nation of Islam and the Supreme Minister. In 1942, Elijah Muhammad was arrested in Washington, D.C. 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. Elijah Muhammad was sent to a federal prison for four years. Teachings At the time, the doctrine Elijah Muhammad taught was widely viewed as a black separatist doctrine. He taught that blacks were the original people on the Earth and had been tricked out of their power, conquered and oppressed by the Caucasian people via a global system of white supremacy. He further taught that the white race was produced through a series of genetic breeding experiments conducted by a Dr. Yakub, which yielded the lighter species of human beings. According to the official platform, as stated by Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam demands, "a full and complete freedom, equal justice under the law applied equally to all, regardless of race or class or color and equal membership in society with the best in civilized society." The alternative, "justifies our demand for complete separation in a state or territory of our own." The Nation of Islam ("NOI") teaches that black people must develop independence in society, economics, religion, and nationhood. The teachings of the NOI denounce drinking, gambling, physical abuse of anyone, and the inability to protect one's family from attacks by violent White America. Unlike many other black leaders in mid-twentieth century America, Elijah Muhammad believed that it made more sense to seek aid from independent African nations rather than going overseas to Africa. Muhammad preached that Allah would cause a holocaust to happen wherein White America would be destroyed, and faithful followers of Islam in America would be ushered to safe areas, later to emerge as conquerors and settlers of a new world. Leadership History Simultaneously, Elijah 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 claim 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. One of whom Elijah Muhammad would influence was Malcolm X, formerly known as Malcolm Little. Malcolm X lived a very criminal life before his conversion to Islam while in prison. Malcolm X went on to become the greatest spokesman for the NOI before an eventual split from Muhammad and the NOI, credited with enrolling thousands of African-American young men to the NOI. The influence of Elijah Muhammad on Malcolm's life and teachings was indelible. Malcolm X developed his speaking and political outlook within the NOI and under Elijah Muhammad's tutelage. Louis Farrakhan studied under Malcolm and eventually took control of the New York mosque, Muhammad's Temple of Islam No. 7, which Malcolm formerly led, going on to become the NOI's first national spokesman (or national representative) after Malcolm's departure. The second national spokesman of the NOI until Elijah Muhammad's death was Minister Louis Farrakhan (formerly known as Minister Louis X, and former assistant minister to Malcolm X in Massachusetts). A rift between Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X became public when Minister Malcolm X learned Elijah Muhammad's son, Warith Deen Mohammed (formerly known as Wallace Muhammad) that his father was having sexual affairs with various young NOI women working in the Chicago temple, and from Elijah's trysts, he had fathered several children. A year later, Min. Malcolm X was forced out of NOI originally for 90 days before Elijah Muhammad deemed it permanent, ostensibly for disobeying an order not to comment on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Presciently Malcolm X stated that "I am probably a dead man already." Legacy With the death of Elijah 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 Sunni Islam and began to accept white members. Such shifts away from the original black nationalist teachings of Elijah Muhammad soon caused a split within the organization, as some members preferred to espouse his original teachings. This resulted in several splinter groups, among whom is the Five Percenters, formerly known as the Five Percent Nation of Islam, whose beliefs ventured further from mainstream Islam than that of the NOI. 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 splinter groups led by Elijah Muhammad's ex-daughter-in-law's new husband, Silis Muhammad (who are both attorneys and former teachers) who established and incorporated the "the Lost-Found Nation of Islam" in 1977, and Elijah Muhammad's second and last National Representative before his death, Louis Farrakhan who established and incorporated it in 1978 under the name, "Final Call, Inc." Years later, Dr. Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's widow, accused Minister Farrakhan of taking part in her husband's murder. Following this, Ms. Shabazz and the Min. Farrakhan appeared to have reached a reconciliation. This was verified at the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C, where although the official estimates of crowd numbers are significantly lower than one million, several hundreds of thousands (predominantly Black men) peacefully attended. Ms. Shabazz attended this event, and she was seated on the stage near the podium, along with several other attendees. Warith Deen Muhammad once said in a speech that his father wanted him to change the direction of the NOI into a more orthodox view. Warith said that his father started out preaching black separatism in the beginning because black people needed to show pride in themselves as a people before they could enter into a more orthodox form of Islam. In the early 1990s the city of Detroit, Michigan, added the name "Elijah Muhammad Blvd." to its Linwood Avenue neighborhood. One of Muhammad's grandsons, Ozier Muhammad, is a photographer for The New York Times who has won a Pulitzer Prize. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Elijah Muhammad on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. Footnotes - An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad
- Message to the Blackman in America. p. 13
- New York Times, February 26, 1975, p.1
- Message to the Blackman, Elijah Muhammad, 1965]
- Dorothy Blake Fardan, Yakub and the Origins of White Supremacy, Lushena Books, 2001
- Alex Haley, The autobiography of Malcolm X, The Random House Publishing Group, 1964
- http://www.noi.org/muslim_program.htm The Muslim Program
- Message to the Blackman, Elijah Muhammad, 1965]
- Muhammad, Elijah. Message to the Blackman in America. (p. 35) Atlanta, GA. Messenger Elijah Muhammad Propagation Society. 1997
- Malcolm X: Make It Plain 1994 PBS documentary
- The New York Times: How Race is Lived in America: Photographer's Journals
- Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-963-8.
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