The Nation of Islam is an African American political and new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930. Its stated goals are to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans. Its official newspaper is The Final Call. The Nation of Islam does not see itself as a traditional religion, but rather an advocacy group seeking self-improvement for African Americans. The organization adopts some Islamic practices and beliefs, though it also has differences from mainstream Islam.
The Nation of Islam teaches that Allah appeared in the form of Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930 to African Americans as the long-awaited Messiah. Fard chose his assistant minister Elijah Muhammad to succeed him as head of the organization in 1934. The Nation of Islam believes that Elijah Muhammad was sent as a messenger and apostle to the African American people who have been oppressed by white Americans. After Elijah Muhammad’s death in 1975, his son Warith Deen Muhammad steered the organization toward mainstream Islam and orthodoxy. In 1977, Louis Farrakhan rejected this and reinstituted the name Nation of Islam for his organization, which retained the original teachings, practices and traditions.
The Nation of Islam has received a great deal of criticism for its anti-white theology, which many view as black supremacist or anti-Semitic. It has also been criticized for rejecting orthodox tenets of Islam, for maintaining beliefs viewed as unorthodox, such as the claim that Fard Muhammad was Allah himself. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the NOI as a hate group, stating: “Its theology of innate black superiority over whites and the deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric of its leaders have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate.” Others defend the group and Louis Farrakhan as speaking truth to power.
Though usually classified as an Islamic group, the NOI’s theology deviates from mainstream Islam in several key areas. In its view of God, instead of the Islamic figure of Allah, the NOI teaches that God, referred to as Allah, appeared in the form of Master W. Fard Muhammad for three and a half years and taught that he was Allah personified. The group refers to Fard as the Mahdi, the long-awaited redeemer of Islam. It regards the prophet Elijah Muhammad as the final messenger after Fard.
While it agrees with normative Islam on the existence of a single eternal God, the NOI denies the traditional Islamic view of Muhammad as the last prophet. The Nation teaches that its founder, Master Fard Muhammad, is Allah’s prophet for the black race. It views blacks as Allah’s chosen people and advocates the building of a separate nation for them. The NOI disagrees with the traditional Islamic view of afterlife, denying the orthodox view of the Day of Resurrection and instead teaching that the dead will be resurrected on earth once it has been purified of white people.
The NOI doctrine sees white society as innately evil, while the black people are considered divine and redeemable. NOI theology identifies white people with evil and ingrained iniquity, considering them guilty of historic crimes committed against black people. It preaches that the path to salvation is for the black race to convert to its form of Islam and follow Elijah Muhammad’s teachings, atone for past sins and return to their original innocence. The NOI views Muhammad’s teachings as having the ability to improve the spiritual, mental and economic condition of African Americans. It promotes black self-empowerment and black nationalism.
The group is estimated to have between twenty and fifty thousand members and hundreds of mosques and study groups in over 120 American cities. The NOI is currently led by Louis Farrakhan, who assumed leadership in 1981. Due to its views, which differ from mainstream Islam, the NOI is classified as a sect of Islam by Muslim scholars.
While the NOI emphasizes its basis in Islam, it differs notably from mainstream Islamic beliefs and practices. It rejects the orthodox view of Muslims that Allah is unique and incomparable, regarding Allah instead to refer to Wallace Fard Muhammad, a black man who founded the NOI in 1930. He is believed to have incarnated Allah periodically, so Fard is therefore considered to be an incarnation of Allah. But he is not immortal; he is believed to have died in 1975.
The NOI denies the Islamic day of resurrection, instead teaching that the dead will be resurrected by Allah and cleansed of their white enemies on Earth before entering heaven. The NOI’s creed states: “There is no God but Allah, Master Fard Muhammad is His Messenger.” While it shares the normative Islamic prohibition of pork and alcohol, the NOI has additional prohibitions, including tobacco, drug abuse and gambling. The NOI is financed primarily through membership donations, as the giving of zakah contributions for the benefit of the community is a key Islamic principle promoted by the group.
Fard founded the NOI and served as its first leader. After his disappearance in 1934, Elijah Muhammad assumed leadership and codified the theology and mythology supporting the NOI doctrine. Elijah Muhammad led the NOI for over forty years, directing the major growth of the movement before dying in 1975. His son Warith Deen Muhammad then assumed leadership and brought the organization to closer alignment with mainstream Islam. This shift opposed the group’s longstanding theology; Louis Farrakhan led a splinter group that retained the original beliefs. After Warith’s death, Farrakhan became head of a reorganized Nation of Islam.
Under Farrakhan’s leadership, the NOI continued its economic program and worked to recruit urban minorities by preaching an enhanced form of Islam. It has fostered an anti-establishment theology that promotes black nationalism and appeals to poor urban blacks. Its national leaders have met with leaders worldwide, including Muammar Gaddafi, Yasser Arafat, and Kim Jong-il. Domestic leaders are generally met with hostility or indifference by mainstream powers.
The NOI theology of God is different from mainstream Islam. In NOI doctrine, Allah appeared in the form of Master Fard Muhammad, and maintains a corporeal form. Fard was a human being who achieved godhood, not a primordial power who created the world. The NOI’s position on race sets it apart from mainstream Islam. While Islam teaches racial equality, the NOI preaches black racial superiority and that whites were created as a “race of devils” for blacks to overcome. The white race was produced thousands of years ago in a breeding process between black Africans and white-skinned Albinos.
This process was designed by evil African scientists named Yakub. Their human experiments took 600 years to develop the race of white-skinned blue-eyed devils. This theology serves to enhance feelings of racial superiority in NOI members, and helps justify racial separation. Fard taught his followers that blacks were the original human beings and are gods. In contrast, whites were bred to be the enemies of blacks, conceived for evil by an evil scientist. The NOI doctrine of Yakub runs contrary to traditional Islamic teaching, not supported by either mainstream Islamic or Christian scholarship.
Mainstream Islam holds that all humans descend from Adam and Eve. They regard Muhammad as the last prophet sent by God. NOI theology, on the other hand, teaches that its founder Master Fard Muhammad is a savior sent by Allah to redeem the black race in America. Fard is considered to be the long-awaited Messiah, known as the Mahdi in Islam. The NOI teaches that God will destroy the existing world order and evil white civilization in order to establish a paradise of righteous black people. When the end of times arrives, NOI theology holds that blacks will rule the recreated Earth as gods.
Islam generally views Jesus Christ as a divinely inspired prophet. The NOI, however, teaches that Jesus was not the son of God, but rather a prophet who was persecuted by white Jews. The NOI holds Jesus escaped death on the cross and later returned to the East to live in Japan, where he married and died at 106 years of age. NOI theology portrays Jesus as trying to save the Jews, but they rejected him. Jesus warned that the white race would claim divine status and rule over all people. He prophesied that the Black Nation in North America would produce the God that saves the world.
The Nation of Islam, then, serves as the vanguard for Allah’s nation prophesied by Jesus. In NOI eschatology, God will bring about a cataclysmic end to the old order of this world. The NOI teaches a prophecy of a massive UFO called The Wheel or Mother Plane appearing in the heavens one day to destroy the United States and the white race. Farrakhan teaches that Ezekiel’s vision refers to this spaceship that will bring about divine judgment. After destroying white America, God will establish a Kingdom of Islam in the U.S., where NOI members will be permitted to enter.
The Nation of Islam has received a great deal of criticism. It has been condemned for promoting black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and anti-LGBT views. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies it as a hate group. But supporters defend Louis Farrakhan and the NOI as speaking truth to white power and seeking African American empowerment. The group has improved conditions in many black communities through reducing substance abuse and criminality. And its message of black self-reliance has resonated with many.
The NOI has been criticized for its theology promoting ideas of innate black superiority over the white “race of devils.” Founder Wallace Fard Muhammad labeled whites as morally weak and inherently prone to wickedness. The group teaches that white people have dominated blacks and committed crimes against them since the start of white civilization in Europe. NOI theology blames whites for their role as slave traders and views the suffering of African Americans as God’s punishment of America.
The NOI has also faced criticism regarding anti-Semitism, with accusations of promoting Jewish conspiracy theories. Its theology blames wealthy Jews for the slave trade and views Jews as wicked deceivers of the black race. Fard referred to the commercial system as the “tricknollegy” of the Jews, intended to deceive God’s chosen people. NOI ministers have continued to promote Jewish conspiracies controlling the banking, legal and entertainment industries. Elijah Muhammad claimed the FBI was composed of wealthy Jews persecuting blacks and Muslims.
Many have also condemned anti-LGBT rhetoric by NOI leaders over the decades. Its theology promotes heterosexual marriage, while homosexuality is viewed as unnatural. Fard and Elijah Muhammad considered it a crime against nature created by evil whites. Farrakhan likewise has made anti-gay statements, such as referring to homosexuality as “sinful behavior” promoted by Jews to control black male masculinity. The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified NOI as a hate group since 1997 in part due to its anti-LGBT teachings.
Supporters of the NOI argue the group promotes important values and addresses issues facing the black community. Advocates point to NOI’s success in reforming criminals and substance abusers. Its focus on moral discipline, family values and self-reliance provides an appealing message for many. NOI’s theology of innate black nobility offers a sense of pride missing in racist white society. Critics respond that white racism should be resolved through interracial cooperation and black self-empowerment, without promoting ideas of racial superiority.
The NOI brought stability and purpose to many black urban communities afflicted by poverty and violence. It is credited with rehabilitating drug dealers, criminals and gang members into productive citizens. The group strongly promotes self-reliance and moral discipline, a welcome message to many blacks seeking identity and faith. NOI leaders point to their economic program’s success in fostering entrepreneurship and wealth building among members. Community outreach efforts provide food, clothing and counseling to the black needy.
Advocates argue its theology brings a sense of black empowerment against dehumanizing white racism. They say it provides oppressed African Americans with a healthy worldview affirming their innate human dignity. Supporters defend NOI messages as promoting virtue in society and obedience to moral law. They view its black nationalism as a legitimate response to historic white racism used to justify slavery, segregation and discrimination. Fard and Elijah Muhammad are seen as human prophets divinely anointed to uplift their persecuted people.
Critics argue the NOI’s theology promotes a worldview of innate racial differences that is flawed and morally wrong. They say its doctrine of the evilness of white people fosters racial division instead of goodwill. Mainstream civil rights leaders emphasize interracial cooperation, equal opportunity laws and civic participation as solutions to racism. They say focusing on colorblindness and shared humanity is preferable to racial separatism. Critics argue the NOI’s theology of God incarnate in Wallace Fard is unorthodox and blasphemous to mainstream Muslims. And they say its eschatology of racial Armageddon goes against God’s universal love for all people.
In conclusion, the Nation of Islam is an African American religious movement founded in 1930, combining elements of Islam with race-based theology and mythology. It regards blacks as God’s chosen people and advocates black nationalism, while promoting ideas of white wickedness and Jewish conspiracy. Despite criticisms of racism and unorthodoxy, NOI theology appeals to some blacks attracted to its message of self-reliance and empowerment. The group is estimated to have tens of thousands of members and a theology significantly different from mainstream Islam. The NOI continues to be led by Louis Farrakhan, who advocates black advancement separate from white society.