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An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad
The compelling biography of Elijah Muhammad. The visionary leader whose ideals and political actions have shaped a century of African-American History.
Elijah Muhammed, the founding father of The Nation of Islam and the forbear to Louis Farrahkhan, has no emerged as one of the most significan black leaders of this century. Claude Andrew Clegg II examines Muhammad's life from his birth in 1897 in Georgia, to his creation of the American Nation of Islam, to his final split with Malcolm X. Through this brilliant biography, we are finally able to understand the origins of Islam and black nationalism that has helped form the consciousness of African-American society for the last half-century.
Elijah Muhammed, the founding father of The Nation of Islam and the forbear to Louis Farrahkhan, has no emerged as one of the most significan black leaders of this century. Claude Andrew Clegg II examines Muhammad's life from his birth in 1897 in Georgia, to his creation of the American Nation of Islam, to his final split with Malcolm X. Through this brilliant biography, we are finally able to understand the origins of Islam and black nationalism that has helped form the consciousness of African-American society for the last half-century.
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
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December 28, 2023
26,000 YEARS
There are a lot of books about racism in America. I read two, the blazingly angry Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi, and The Wrath to Come by Sarah Churchwell, also written with white-hot intensity; and I also read Manning Marable’s exhaustive terrific biography of Malcolm X. This excellent book fits perfectly together with those three, another piece in the difficult jigsaw puzzle of America in the 20th century.
The story of Elijah Muhammed is the story of the Nation of Islam. He was the supreme leader from 1934 to 1975 .
In these early years, everything the NOI did, everything it believed, was a reaction to the profound racism black people experienced every day – just to mention one statistic, from a peak of 161 lynchings in 1892, there were still 24 in 1933. Elijah Muhammed said that by the age of 20 he had witnessed three lynchings. He said :
I’ve seen enough of the white man's brutality to last me 26,000 years
So it is perhaps not surprising he preached a religion that condemned white people as devils and looked forward to the day when all black people could live lives in their own national homeland without any contact with white people. Sounds extreme, but the emotional logic is right there in front of your face.
Muhammed called for a place in the Western hemisphere for African-Americans to establish an independent state. He admitted that the American government would probably not accede to this demand.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS FARD
The founder of the Nation of Islam was a very mysterious man named Wallace Fard Muhammed. They think he was born around 1877 and that in his life he used over 50 aliases. His first 50 years are obscure, then he arrived in Detroit in 1930 and over four years he created the movement known as the Nation of Islam, inventing its complicated and weird theology, renaming all his reportedly 8000 followers by X-ing out their slave names, and discovering his successor Elijah Muhammed; but then he got into some heavy trouble with the cops who told him to leave town and not come back in 1932. Two years later he vanished and no one since has ever turned up any information on what happened to him.
You have to say it’s very impressive, starting up a new religion in three years with a complete radical ideology, one that still flourishes nearly 100 years later.
Fard Muhammed constructed an elaborate world history explaining how it came to be that once the black man (which he called the “original” man) ruled the earth and then the white man came along and enslaved him. Like, what happened? * The explanation he came up with sounded like science fiction – there was a renegade evil black scientist named Yacub who for murky rebellious reasons created by means of genetic experimentation a completely white race of people. (It’s way more complicated than that of course.) Professor Clegg tries so very hard to maintain a scholarly Wikipedialike neutral tone to his detailed exposition of the Nation’s beliefs, but he can’t refrain sometimes from comments such as this :
The myth of Yacub’s creation of the white race and the murderous, deceitful and evil nature attributed to whites by the NOI has given it the distinction of being the most racially chauvinistic black organisation in the history of the United States… his [Fard’s] doctrines were a tragic variation of the ideas of Hitler, racist eugenicists, and other racial purists of his day…. To some, the Muslim history of the Black Nation made perfect sense and explained a great many things; to others it was sheer lunacy
The author clearly states that this creation myth was a product of “the imagination of Fard Muhammed”. There was also an elaborate Judgement Day scenario in which the white race would be condemned and the black race saved by a giant spaceship called the Mother Plane. Professor Clegg says :
Perhaps second only to the Yacub myth, the Mother Plane story was the most peculiar element of the theology of the Nation. Unless one was predisposed to believe in flying saucers, this tale could hardly be told without raising serious doubts even among the most open minded of listeners….
Another extremely bold element of Fard’s belief system was that Christianity was identified as the religion of the white devil and totally rejected. In Fard’s origin story Jesus was the second prophet sent by Allah after Moses, and he was a black man who built the city of Jerusalem and was killed by bounty hunters and was not crucified. The true teaching of Jesus was Islam but the white people falsified history. (The Pope was the head of that conspiracy.) The third prophet sent was Mohammed and then Allah much later saw that the black enslaved people in America needed a fourth prophet, and so sent Fard Muhammed.
The point of this whole enterprise was to enable black people in America to regain their original culture, names, strength and intelligence, and rejoin the Tribe of Shabazz and prepare for the judgment of the white race which will surely come soon.
ELIJAH
He began life as Elijah Poole, seventh son of a sharecropper in a small town in Georgia in the year of 1897. He moved to Detroit, as thousands did, finally encountering Fard Muhammed’s group at the age of 34. He was converted and, for sure, although uneducated, and not a great orator, and a physically small man too, he must have had a quiet charisma, because in a short while Fard realised that it was Elijah who should lead the Nation when he departed the scene, in 1933/4.
Elijah didn’t change much of what Fard taught except for one massive detail : he identified Fard as Allah himself (p123). That is, not a prophet from Allah, but Allah in person. Right there is why orthodox Muslims would reject the NOI teachings as blasphemous. But it took a long time for Elijah to get any grasp of what actual Islam preached, even though he used the Qu’ran all the time; and likewise it took a long time for orthodox Muslims to notice the Nation of Islam. When they did, neither wanted to fall out with the other, so most of the time they politely ignored a whole herd of elephants that were in every room.
Occasionally there would be hotheads who would get mad at Elijah. One orthodox Muslim quoted by a Chicago newspaper “denounced Muhammed as a fraud and a convicted criminal who taught racial hatred contrary to the true teachings of Islam”. But mostly the heat that Elijah brought down was from the usual cops and FBI and hostile press, and that was because the fiery speechifying and the disciplined strength of the Nation of Islam made them all nervous.
QUIET RADICALISM
They were consistent and firm : the black people of America have to do it for themselves, no one is going to help them. They therefore built slowly and painstakingly a string of businesses and told their followers to buy only from those where possible. They got tremendous respect, even, grudgingly, from white opponents. They were a refuge for a lot of people who had been living dissolute lives.
ELIJAH MAKES A HAJJ
This was a big turning point – in 1959 he toured Middle Eastern countries for the first time and performed the hajj. His travels confronted him with some unpalatable facts, such as
In Saudi Arabia and the Holy City itself, African blacks were being legally held as slaves by Arab Muslims p124
At the same time, the Muslim clerics who met Elijah realised that he was preaching some strange belief system that wasn’t Islamic at all. This was awkward all round.
BACK IN THE USA
By now it was the Civil Rights era. Black people “who had risked life and limb” struggling for civil rights and desegregation looked on with horror as Elijah Muhammed made it clear in speech after speech that integration was wrong, the races should be physically separate, Christianity was a trick and any dealings with the US government in the form of voting or education were useless. All other African American leaders, like Martin Luther King, were “hungry for a place among the white race instead of their own race” and had ”turned many potential freedom-fighting Negroes into contented, docile slaves” p131. Not too many people slagged off Martin Luther King, but Elijah did.
This thinking culminated in a horrible period of rapprochement between the Nation of Islam and two white groups, the American Nazi Party and – believe it or not – the KKK. Well, once again, the logic was plain to see – the white groups wanted total racial segregation and so did the Nation. It led to several NOI meetings being attended by the Nazis (in full regalia) or the Klan. Elijah was trying to figure whether they could work something out. In the end, they didn’t.
MALCOLM X
This is where the story gets positively Shakespearean – the doting loving father sees his favourite son betray him, but the favourite son believes in his heart he is rescuing his beloved father from tragic error.
Malcolm came to the view that Elijah’s resolute rejection of any political involvement was a big mistake, and essentially, the NOI was not fighting for black people as it should but was waiting for some kind of divine intervention, which was not going to happen. Elijah stuck to his principles – no dealing with the (white) devil.
Aside from that there was a lot of paranoia about who was going to succeed Elijah. It was complicated.
Well, in 1965 as we know, Malcolm was assassinated, and although three NOI members were later convicted of the crime, Professor Clegg is less than clear, unusually, about whether any order was given by Elijah Muhammed. On the one hand, nothing major happened in the NOI without Elijah’s approval; on the other hand, it was completely out of character, he was not a leader who threatened people with violence. His hair-raising rhetoric was in complete contrast to his gentle demeanour. He was unusual.
THIS REVIEW IS WAY TOO LONG
It is a most fascinating story, that’s my excuse, and this book is a brilliant piece of original detailed research. Highly recommended.
*I was reminded of a more succinct story from Jomo Kenyatta. He said : “When the white man came here we had the land and he had the Bible. Then he taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened our eyes, he had the land and we had the Bible.”
There are a lot of books about racism in America. I read two, the blazingly angry Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi, and The Wrath to Come by Sarah Churchwell, also written with white-hot intensity; and I also read Manning Marable’s exhaustive terrific biography of Malcolm X. This excellent book fits perfectly together with those three, another piece in the difficult jigsaw puzzle of America in the 20th century.
The story of Elijah Muhammed is the story of the Nation of Islam. He was the supreme leader from 1934 to 1975 .
In these early years, everything the NOI did, everything it believed, was a reaction to the profound racism black people experienced every day – just to mention one statistic, from a peak of 161 lynchings in 1892, there were still 24 in 1933. Elijah Muhammed said that by the age of 20 he had witnessed three lynchings. He said :
I’ve seen enough of the white man's brutality to last me 26,000 years
So it is perhaps not surprising he preached a religion that condemned white people as devils and looked forward to the day when all black people could live lives in their own national homeland without any contact with white people. Sounds extreme, but the emotional logic is right there in front of your face.
Muhammed called for a place in the Western hemisphere for African-Americans to establish an independent state. He admitted that the American government would probably not accede to this demand.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS FARD
The founder of the Nation of Islam was a very mysterious man named Wallace Fard Muhammed. They think he was born around 1877 and that in his life he used over 50 aliases. His first 50 years are obscure, then he arrived in Detroit in 1930 and over four years he created the movement known as the Nation of Islam, inventing its complicated and weird theology, renaming all his reportedly 8000 followers by X-ing out their slave names, and discovering his successor Elijah Muhammed; but then he got into some heavy trouble with the cops who told him to leave town and not come back in 1932. Two years later he vanished and no one since has ever turned up any information on what happened to him.
You have to say it’s very impressive, starting up a new religion in three years with a complete radical ideology, one that still flourishes nearly 100 years later.
Fard Muhammed constructed an elaborate world history explaining how it came to be that once the black man (which he called the “original” man) ruled the earth and then the white man came along and enslaved him. Like, what happened? * The explanation he came up with sounded like science fiction – there was a renegade evil black scientist named Yacub who for murky rebellious reasons created by means of genetic experimentation a completely white race of people. (It’s way more complicated than that of course.) Professor Clegg tries so very hard to maintain a scholarly Wikipedialike neutral tone to his detailed exposition of the Nation’s beliefs, but he can’t refrain sometimes from comments such as this :
The myth of Yacub’s creation of the white race and the murderous, deceitful and evil nature attributed to whites by the NOI has given it the distinction of being the most racially chauvinistic black organisation in the history of the United States… his [Fard’s] doctrines were a tragic variation of the ideas of Hitler, racist eugenicists, and other racial purists of his day…. To some, the Muslim history of the Black Nation made perfect sense and explained a great many things; to others it was sheer lunacy
The author clearly states that this creation myth was a product of “the imagination of Fard Muhammed”. There was also an elaborate Judgement Day scenario in which the white race would be condemned and the black race saved by a giant spaceship called the Mother Plane. Professor Clegg says :
Perhaps second only to the Yacub myth, the Mother Plane story was the most peculiar element of the theology of the Nation. Unless one was predisposed to believe in flying saucers, this tale could hardly be told without raising serious doubts even among the most open minded of listeners….
Another extremely bold element of Fard’s belief system was that Christianity was identified as the religion of the white devil and totally rejected. In Fard’s origin story Jesus was the second prophet sent by Allah after Moses, and he was a black man who built the city of Jerusalem and was killed by bounty hunters and was not crucified. The true teaching of Jesus was Islam but the white people falsified history. (The Pope was the head of that conspiracy.) The third prophet sent was Mohammed and then Allah much later saw that the black enslaved people in America needed a fourth prophet, and so sent Fard Muhammed.
The point of this whole enterprise was to enable black people in America to regain their original culture, names, strength and intelligence, and rejoin the Tribe of Shabazz and prepare for the judgment of the white race which will surely come soon.
ELIJAH
He began life as Elijah Poole, seventh son of a sharecropper in a small town in Georgia in the year of 1897. He moved to Detroit, as thousands did, finally encountering Fard Muhammed’s group at the age of 34. He was converted and, for sure, although uneducated, and not a great orator, and a physically small man too, he must have had a quiet charisma, because in a short while Fard realised that it was Elijah who should lead the Nation when he departed the scene, in 1933/4.
Elijah didn’t change much of what Fard taught except for one massive detail : he identified Fard as Allah himself (p123). That is, not a prophet from Allah, but Allah in person. Right there is why orthodox Muslims would reject the NOI teachings as blasphemous. But it took a long time for Elijah to get any grasp of what actual Islam preached, even though he used the Qu’ran all the time; and likewise it took a long time for orthodox Muslims to notice the Nation of Islam. When they did, neither wanted to fall out with the other, so most of the time they politely ignored a whole herd of elephants that were in every room.
Occasionally there would be hotheads who would get mad at Elijah. One orthodox Muslim quoted by a Chicago newspaper “denounced Muhammed as a fraud and a convicted criminal who taught racial hatred contrary to the true teachings of Islam”. But mostly the heat that Elijah brought down was from the usual cops and FBI and hostile press, and that was because the fiery speechifying and the disciplined strength of the Nation of Islam made them all nervous.
QUIET RADICALISM
They were consistent and firm : the black people of America have to do it for themselves, no one is going to help them. They therefore built slowly and painstakingly a string of businesses and told their followers to buy only from those where possible. They got tremendous respect, even, grudgingly, from white opponents. They were a refuge for a lot of people who had been living dissolute lives.
ELIJAH MAKES A HAJJ
This was a big turning point – in 1959 he toured Middle Eastern countries for the first time and performed the hajj. His travels confronted him with some unpalatable facts, such as
In Saudi Arabia and the Holy City itself, African blacks were being legally held as slaves by Arab Muslims p124
At the same time, the Muslim clerics who met Elijah realised that he was preaching some strange belief system that wasn’t Islamic at all. This was awkward all round.
BACK IN THE USA
By now it was the Civil Rights era. Black people “who had risked life and limb” struggling for civil rights and desegregation looked on with horror as Elijah Muhammed made it clear in speech after speech that integration was wrong, the races should be physically separate, Christianity was a trick and any dealings with the US government in the form of voting or education were useless. All other African American leaders, like Martin Luther King, were “hungry for a place among the white race instead of their own race” and had ”turned many potential freedom-fighting Negroes into contented, docile slaves” p131. Not too many people slagged off Martin Luther King, but Elijah did.
This thinking culminated in a horrible period of rapprochement between the Nation of Islam and two white groups, the American Nazi Party and – believe it or not – the KKK. Well, once again, the logic was plain to see – the white groups wanted total racial segregation and so did the Nation. It led to several NOI meetings being attended by the Nazis (in full regalia) or the Klan. Elijah was trying to figure whether they could work something out. In the end, they didn’t.
MALCOLM X
This is where the story gets positively Shakespearean – the doting loving father sees his favourite son betray him, but the favourite son believes in his heart he is rescuing his beloved father from tragic error.
Malcolm came to the view that Elijah’s resolute rejection of any political involvement was a big mistake, and essentially, the NOI was not fighting for black people as it should but was waiting for some kind of divine intervention, which was not going to happen. Elijah stuck to his principles – no dealing with the (white) devil.
Aside from that there was a lot of paranoia about who was going to succeed Elijah. It was complicated.
Well, in 1965 as we know, Malcolm was assassinated, and although three NOI members were later convicted of the crime, Professor Clegg is less than clear, unusually, about whether any order was given by Elijah Muhammed. On the one hand, nothing major happened in the NOI without Elijah’s approval; on the other hand, it was completely out of character, he was not a leader who threatened people with violence. His hair-raising rhetoric was in complete contrast to his gentle demeanour. He was unusual.
THIS REVIEW IS WAY TOO LONG
It is a most fascinating story, that’s my excuse, and this book is a brilliant piece of original detailed research. Highly recommended.
*I was reminded of a more succinct story from Jomo Kenyatta. He said : “When the white man came here we had the land and he had the Bible. Then he taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened our eyes, he had the land and we had the Bible.”
August 27, 2010
Clegg outlines the life of Elijah Muhmmad from his humble beginnings in Sandersville, GA to his days as a factory worker in Hamtramck, MI to WD Fard's selection of him as his messenger to the lost-found in the North America.
A very balanced assessment of his life, he seeks to neither vilify the man nor laud him with praise. Instead Clegg gives an account of Elijah's life that is accessible, one that can easily be read in the historical context of the era of American history which he lived in; this is definitely a positive about this monograph, the author sets the stage for Unlike the autobiography of Malcolm X, in which you feel that for some reason or another key info is being left out, this work leaves you with a holistic view of Elijah's life decisions in light of his environment, something that other biographers of Islamic and Psuedo-Islamic personalities have failed to do.
His theology and what informed it is covered to a satisfiable depth, and to my surprise much of what is popularly thought of as the later machinations of Elijah are actually the teachings and organizational structure laid out by WD Fard. How this theology was expanded upon, and how its effects were curbed by circumstance and opportunity gives great insight into Elijah Muhammad as a social leader first and foremost, and as a religious leader secondly.
His relationship with Fard is touched upon, but not in enough detail to understand how Fard groomed him to be "The Messenger". The reader is left wondering if his succession was really a matter of divine providence or was a power struggle, or a culmination of both. Allegations of Fard and Elijah's involvement in the Moorish Science Temple is hardly dealt with at all, and Clara Muhammad's role in enticing her husband to follow Fard is only lightly touched upon.
Additionaly, Fard's identity is not dealt with in enough detail, leaving the reader wanting to know more about this mysterious figure. It would have been extremely useful to read some of the personal correspondence between the two (which can be viewed on the internet) to gain a greater appreciation for the love and respect the "Messenger" showed for his "Savior". Until the end of his days he claimed to receive revelation from Fard, hearing his voice like "thunder from the sky". Interestingly enough, there is enough information outlining Fard that one really could suppose that he was of South Asian origin, as WD Muhammad has said, he was most probably Pakistani. WD Muhammad's claim to have spoken to Fard (either in person or on the phone) is not dealt with at all, making the man's identity all the more a mystery. Could Elijah's frequent trips to Pakistan be evidence of Fard's origins and outcome? Did the "Asiatic Black man" simply return to the sub-continent after the USA got too hot for him?
The book deals with many facets of Elijah's life, some of which were eye-opening. We learn about Elijah the man, Elijah the Messenger, Elijah the entrepreneur, and Elijah the father-figure. The pit-falls mentioned of the Nation's management structure and business acumen are enough to wake any idealist of the movement up to reality; that the NOI was and is no more different than most religious organizations.
Elijah as father-figure is especially important, as it explains not only the man's great ability to motivate his followers and nurture their innate abilities, but explains the nepotism that became inherent to the organization in its later years, as well as the changes WD Muhammad tried to make after his succession to leadership upon his father's death.
Sadly however, Elijah the thinker is never touched upon. We never get a clear enough reading of Elijah's psyche and thoughts, we are never able to see his thought process of read his mind. Although mental health problems are alluded to when discussing his imprisonment, no analysis of his personality is given in-depth.
Elijah the movement is the most outstanding part of this book. He successfully protected his "brand" until his death, and was hands down the most successful Black leader of his time, perhaps in the history of the US.
This work is recommended to anyone that thinks they have Elijah Muhammad figured out, and is definitely a credit to the legacy of this man, about whom I am sure a much longer work could be written.
I haven't read Karl Evanzz work on him as of yet, but afterward I am sure there will be much to compare and contrast.
A very balanced assessment of his life, he seeks to neither vilify the man nor laud him with praise. Instead Clegg gives an account of Elijah's life that is accessible, one that can easily be read in the historical context of the era of American history which he lived in; this is definitely a positive about this monograph, the author sets the stage for Unlike the autobiography of Malcolm X, in which you feel that for some reason or another key info is being left out, this work leaves you with a holistic view of Elijah's life decisions in light of his environment, something that other biographers of Islamic and Psuedo-Islamic personalities have failed to do.
His theology and what informed it is covered to a satisfiable depth, and to my surprise much of what is popularly thought of as the later machinations of Elijah are actually the teachings and organizational structure laid out by WD Fard. How this theology was expanded upon, and how its effects were curbed by circumstance and opportunity gives great insight into Elijah Muhammad as a social leader first and foremost, and as a religious leader secondly.
His relationship with Fard is touched upon, but not in enough detail to understand how Fard groomed him to be "The Messenger". The reader is left wondering if his succession was really a matter of divine providence or was a power struggle, or a culmination of both. Allegations of Fard and Elijah's involvement in the Moorish Science Temple is hardly dealt with at all, and Clara Muhammad's role in enticing her husband to follow Fard is only lightly touched upon.
Additionaly, Fard's identity is not dealt with in enough detail, leaving the reader wanting to know more about this mysterious figure. It would have been extremely useful to read some of the personal correspondence between the two (which can be viewed on the internet) to gain a greater appreciation for the love and respect the "Messenger" showed for his "Savior". Until the end of his days he claimed to receive revelation from Fard, hearing his voice like "thunder from the sky". Interestingly enough, there is enough information outlining Fard that one really could suppose that he was of South Asian origin, as WD Muhammad has said, he was most probably Pakistani. WD Muhammad's claim to have spoken to Fard (either in person or on the phone) is not dealt with at all, making the man's identity all the more a mystery. Could Elijah's frequent trips to Pakistan be evidence of Fard's origins and outcome? Did the "Asiatic Black man" simply return to the sub-continent after the USA got too hot for him?
The book deals with many facets of Elijah's life, some of which were eye-opening. We learn about Elijah the man, Elijah the Messenger, Elijah the entrepreneur, and Elijah the father-figure. The pit-falls mentioned of the Nation's management structure and business acumen are enough to wake any idealist of the movement up to reality; that the NOI was and is no more different than most religious organizations.
Elijah as father-figure is especially important, as it explains not only the man's great ability to motivate his followers and nurture their innate abilities, but explains the nepotism that became inherent to the organization in its later years, as well as the changes WD Muhammad tried to make after his succession to leadership upon his father's death.
Sadly however, Elijah the thinker is never touched upon. We never get a clear enough reading of Elijah's psyche and thoughts, we are never able to see his thought process of read his mind. Although mental health problems are alluded to when discussing his imprisonment, no analysis of his personality is given in-depth.
Elijah the movement is the most outstanding part of this book. He successfully protected his "brand" until his death, and was hands down the most successful Black leader of his time, perhaps in the history of the US.
This work is recommended to anyone that thinks they have Elijah Muhammad figured out, and is definitely a credit to the legacy of this man, about whom I am sure a much longer work could be written.
I haven't read Karl Evanzz work on him as of yet, but afterward I am sure there will be much to compare and contrast.
March 11, 2022
Interesting biography of a controversial figure, written to provide historical context with minimal bias. Controversial figures are often judged by a black and white (no pun intended) lens. The book gives a nuanced insight into Elijah Muhammad's legacy. Muhammad inspired a sense of racial pride that very few other leaders could match. At the same time, he used his position for illicit sexual purposes. This book tells both sides of his story.
February 18, 2015
I could totally understand why Elijah Muhammad fell for this "religion". But it puzzled me why it continues today. But having said that I found the book really, really interesting.
August 16, 2016
Fascinating read excellent research.
September 26, 2019
Claude Andrew Clegg III has done us a great service in writing this most significant book. Who has never heard of Elijah Muhammad, Malcom X, Muhammad Ali and Louis Farrakhan? This work instructs the reader as to the history of these individuals and their connection to the Nation of Islam.
Clegg goes into great details as to what events influenced Elijah Poole to be an important part of the launch of the NOI. One cannot ignore the horrid mistreatment of blacks by whites in America especially in the South post-civil war and way beyond. Experiencing the effects of Jim Crowe laws, observing lynchings, poverty among blacks and joblessness, Poole was compelled to follow Fard Muhammad with his black supremacist ideology as they worked together to found the Nation.
The theology of Fard Muhammad is wrought with separatism, black supremacy, white devilry and the need for blacks to become financially independent from whites. On this last call for blacks to become economically independent from whites and self-reliant, the black community has benefited greatly.
Fard Muhammad had his own brand of Islam that was removed from the larger world of al-Islam. Once again, black separatism from whites, even white Muslims became the message of the Nation, greatly expanded upon by Elijah Muhammad.
Clegg goes into great detail regarding the relationship between Elijah Muhammad and Malcom X. Looming in the background, the disciple of Malcom X is Louis X, better known as Louis Farrakhan. Upon Malcom’s assassination, Farrakhan had no problem approving the murder of a man who dared to speak against Elijah Muhammad.
If you want to get beyond the eye grabbing headlines about the Nation of Islam and Farrakhan, this book is a must-read. The amount of little known information about Elijah Muhammad makes this book a necessity to become informed about these issues.
I took a personal interest in antisemitism in relation to the NOI. Other than a few jabs stating Jewish people were behind Civil Rights and desegregation, it became apparent that the current connection of antisemitism to the Nation is mostly due to Farrakhan’s leadership and was not part and parcel of Elijah Muhammad’s teaching. This book will pull the sheep’s clothing off the wolfish identity of Louis X Farrakhan.
Clegg goes into great details as to what events influenced Elijah Poole to be an important part of the launch of the NOI. One cannot ignore the horrid mistreatment of blacks by whites in America especially in the South post-civil war and way beyond. Experiencing the effects of Jim Crowe laws, observing lynchings, poverty among blacks and joblessness, Poole was compelled to follow Fard Muhammad with his black supremacist ideology as they worked together to found the Nation.
The theology of Fard Muhammad is wrought with separatism, black supremacy, white devilry and the need for blacks to become financially independent from whites. On this last call for blacks to become economically independent from whites and self-reliant, the black community has benefited greatly.
Fard Muhammad had his own brand of Islam that was removed from the larger world of al-Islam. Once again, black separatism from whites, even white Muslims became the message of the Nation, greatly expanded upon by Elijah Muhammad.
Clegg goes into great detail regarding the relationship between Elijah Muhammad and Malcom X. Looming in the background, the disciple of Malcom X is Louis X, better known as Louis Farrakhan. Upon Malcom’s assassination, Farrakhan had no problem approving the murder of a man who dared to speak against Elijah Muhammad.
If you want to get beyond the eye grabbing headlines about the Nation of Islam and Farrakhan, this book is a must-read. The amount of little known information about Elijah Muhammad makes this book a necessity to become informed about these issues.
I took a personal interest in antisemitism in relation to the NOI. Other than a few jabs stating Jewish people were behind Civil Rights and desegregation, it became apparent that the current connection of antisemitism to the Nation is mostly due to Farrakhan’s leadership and was not part and parcel of Elijah Muhammad’s teaching. This book will pull the sheep’s clothing off the wolfish identity of Louis X Farrakhan.
October 20, 2023
A book that gives an in depth analysis of the life and developments of Elijah Muhammad and his legacy - the nation of Islam. A broad coverage of topics to a newbie in the field, it seems to offer a somewhat objective view of Muhammad's life and. The book does well in overlapping with the environment as the story is told, this gives context and raises questions for the reader to consider.
January 18, 2012
Mr. Elijah Muhammad (aka The little lamb) was a very intelligent man. His father was a preacher & Elijah Muhammad learnt how to read from his sister who taught him how to read from out of the bible. Elijah muhammad government name is Elijah Poole.when he was a student under Master Farrad Muhammad he was giving the the name Karrem. He later on changed his name to Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad was a very successful business man & teacher during the 1950's. The books in which he authored are still very popular in our day & time you can also find his books through out the prison system amongst those who are trying to mold there life in accords to his teachings. By the way Elijah Muhammad was very educated in matters of theology,mathematic history,freemasonry,health & fitness. The brother was a head of his time!
September 20, 2012
One of the better histories written about the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Although, as with all of them by non-Muslim, there are flaws and misunderstandings, this one comes closer than any other to producing a factual presentation of a history of an important American movement. I do have to commend Clegg for the effort.
May 21, 2016
This book is tremendous. If anyone wanted to read just one book on the Nation of Islam, this would be the one I would recommend.
May 19, 2020
Cray cray.
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