Is the White Man Still the Devil?

THE NATION OF ISLAM,

MYTHS VS. REALITIES:

by Dr. Abdul Salaam

DEDICATION
To those men and women who, beginning in 1934, joined with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to help him lift the
hearts and minds of a downtrodden and enslaved people known as Negroes to a level of pride in themselves and a
willingness to do for self at a record level and in record time. They are the people who bore the scorn and ridicule
heaped upon them by their own kind and others for their willingness to stand up for themselves and be labeled as Black
people and Muslims at a time when both terms were unpopular. It is dedicated to the people, the late Imam Warith
Deen Mohammad, shortly after ascendency to his role as the leader of the Nation of Islam in 1975 designated The
Pioneers. It was an apt term for a committed people, who, along with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, created the
psychological space in America for the ease of acceptance of Islam in its more correct form once presented.

FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK

Man is absolutely the most favored creature; even to the point that it was saidwhich is truethat he is favored over
the angels. The preference of man lies in his intellect. The intellect of man is what raised his status, and made him
superior to all creatures. Therefore, it is necessary to understand this intellect and accordingly it is necessary to know
what is thinking, and what is the method of thinking? This is because this reality designated as thinking is what gives
the intellect its value, and what brings those elaborate fruits, with which life revives and man revives. The whole
universe, including everything, even the inanimate beings, plants and animals, revive.
Sciences, arts, literature, philosophy, jurisprudence, language and knowledge are themselves the output of the mind,
and consequently the output of Thinking. Therefore, it is necessary for the sake of man, life and the whole universe,
that the reality of the mind is comprehended, and the reality of thinking and the method of thinking be comprehended
accordingly.
Sheikh Taqiuddin al-Nabhani, Thinking

SIGNS FOR THOSE WHO THINK

It is God who raised the heavens without any supports that you can see, and He is firmly established on the throne (of
authority). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law). Each one runs (its course) for a term appointed. He
governs all that exists. Clearly does He explain these Signs in detail that you may believe with certainty in the meeting
with your Lord.
And it is He who spread out the earth and placed on it firm mountains and running waters, and created two sexes of
every [kind of] plant. He draws the Night as a veil over the Day. Verily, in these things there are Signs for those who
think.
Holy Quran, 13:2-3

SEEK KNOWLEDGE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, God will
cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one
who seeks knowledge. The inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and (even) the fish in the deep waters will ask
forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned over the devout is like that of the moon, on the night
when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave (no
monetary inheritance), they leave only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1631

PREFACE
Little did I realize back in 1958 when I became a member of the Nation of Islam that I was destined to partake in and
then write about it from the unique perspective that I have attempted in this bookit is a history of a time, an era of
immense and significant change wrought in America among a people once thought of as the dregs of American
society, the so-called Negro. It was a change that spilled over into other parts of the world among like-minded people
of color. This era, as I conceive it, extended roughly from July 1930 with the appearance of a person yet to be
specifically identified, but spoken most often of today as Master Fard Muhammad, to February 1975, ending with the
death of his star pupil the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
It took more than nine years to bring this book to print primarily because of my own time constraints as a busy
dental practitioner and the time it took to review the massive amount of information I have accumulated over the years,
and extract from it those things that I thought would be meaningful to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Certainly
for me, the revisiting of the past and the time I spent with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was especially rewarding.
Among other things, I made a special effort to take you as the reader back to those times by sharing with you a few of
the personal letters I received from him. They have a flavor of their own. And since they are so special, in order to be
sure you could partake of their content, I made a point of placing in the appendix scanned copies of the original letters,
which may not have been clearly legible in a reduced format. I then placed within the body of the book the content or
excerpts from each letter so as to be clearly understood, readable, and appreciated in its proper context. Clearly this is
one of the features that makes this publication unique. I hope you enjoy and, more importantly, learn from my meager
efforts.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Alhamdu-illah. Alhamdu-illah. Alhamdu-illah. This is an Arabic phrase that translates as All praise is due Allah
[God]. All praise is due Allah [God]. All praise is due Allah [God]. As a Muslim, I can think of no more appropriate
way to acknowledge and give thanks for whatever good and beneficial results that may come from this book than to
begin by thanking the Creator who makes all things possible.
After my own dedicated efforts over the years, the book would have to be overseen and finally completed with the
help of others than myself who had faith in the project and its purpose. There is not a long list of people to name as
active participants with me in this endeavor. But to those who did, I owe a debt of gratitude. I can start with my
Muslim brother, Abdul Bin Asad. I can count more than fifty years in which our lives interacted, both during the time
we functioned as officials within the Nation of Islam and were active participants within the circle of Islam, as we
know it today. His intimate knowledge of the Nation of Islam of old was immensely helpful to me as I sorted through,
and ran past him, some of the details of days gone by that found a place in this book. I certainly owe a big hunk of
thanks to OModele Jeanette Rouselle, editor extraordinaire, whose unerring eye for a smooth flow of the text in her
capacity for editing and proofing has given me great solace as I, thanks to her, confidently charge forth into the highly
crowded field of publishing.
If youre impressed with the cover design and layout of this book, then join me in applauding the design staff of the
Sheikh Muhammad Ashraf Publishing Company of Pakistan, about whom more will be said in the book itself. I
presented the basic idea of what I had in mind to a local graphic designer who then crafted the idea into an elegant
black-and-white presentation. At my request, the Sheikh Muhammad Ashraf designers took that basic design, added a
few touches of color here and there, some minor format changes and voila! we have what you seea wonderful
example of East and West working together. We need more of that kind of cooperation.
On my journey from the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to Islam in the manner portrayed in this
book, I was fortunate enough to meet, spend time with, and learn from a number of very knowledgeable Muslim
brothers over fifteen years, who willingly shared their in-depth understanding of Islam with me. There were many, but
the one I turned to time and time again as I searched through the Holy Quran for the appropriate quotes and text to
support my positions when I thought it necessary was Mohammad Malkawi. Not being a student of Arabic myself, it
became incumbent upon me to consult with those who are. So as I tread through the theologically difficult terrain in
the chapter where I laid out what I felt was a fair description of the devil in the Islamic sense, I turned to Mohammad
Malkawi, a Muslim brother with a superb understanding of the Holy Quran and Islam whose native language is
Arabic. He has been invaluable as a consultant who prevented me from going too far astray in translating and other
Islamic matters. Just prior to my book going into print, Mohammad Malkawi wrote what I sense will become a
classic. For anyone who really wishes to learn more about Islam, in the sense I admire and accept most, in a format
rarely presented so comprehensively for both Muslims and the general public, then I urge you to read Fall of
Capitalism and Rise of Islam by Mohammad Malkawi, Xlibris Corporation. I must also acknowledge the debt I owe to
Muhammad Yusuf another Muslim brother steeped in Islamic understanding, who readily shared it and his knowledge
with me and others. I am indebted to him for designing the flowchart found herein as a diagrammatic representation of
the systems of Islam.
I would be remiss not to make mention of my Muslim brother, Jesus Muhammad Ali, grandson of the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad, a gifted artist who served over the years as a loyal grandson, growing particularly close to his
grandfather during the waning years of his life and ultimately was an especially valuable source of information during
the frequent interchanges we have had over the years.
My thanks are extended here to John Ali, who served as secretary of Muhammads Temple #7 in New York City
during part of the tenure of Malcolm X. He and his wife shared the same house with Malcolm and his wife for a time.
Ali brought a close-up insight that clearly added to the portrait I drew of Malcolm X in that chapter that even with the
voluminous material written about Malcolm X might otherwise have been missed. His value to my efforts was further
amplified because of another inside picture he provided me based on his service as the national secretary of the Nation
of Islam for a substantial period of time under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He still speaks of him as The
Messenger. I dont. As we exchanged views numerous times about those momentous days, a picture emerged that
served to reinforce my own understanding of the selfless, untiring efforts and work ethic that led to the success of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad as an exemplary, much beloved leader and teacher.

INTRODUCTION
For some time now, friends, acquaintances, Muslims, and family members who know of my intimate relationship over
the years with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and the Nation of Islam have suggested that I put in
writing many of the thoughts, ideas, and understanding I recall related to those very unusual days and times. Many
wanted to know what was it like to sit at the table of a man that in the February 1960 issue of Readers Digest had
been labeled the most powerful Black man in America.
Below is a photograph of Muhammad Ali, myself (Dr. Abdul Salaam), Secretary Maceo Hazziez, and Minister Louis
Farrakhan, both of Temple #7, New York City, at the time this photo was taken, and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
talking to us at the dinner table, while we listened attentively to every word he spoke. This is how most dinner
conversations were, with the exception that on many occasions, I found this as an opportunity to ask questions that
many of his followers were reluctant to ask. As you can see from the facial expressions, those who visited
occasionally would sit in awe, soaking up every word he spoke as though they were priceless pearls. In fact this was
the usual reaction of most visitors, whether they were followers or not. Let me get back to the subject as to what
motivated me to write this book.

Top, L-R: Muhammad Ali, Dr. Abdul Salaam, Maceo Hazziez

Bottom, L-R: Minister Louis Farrakhan, Honorable Elijah Muhammad photo from Facebook.comDominiques Photos)

I think what finally motivated me was a visit I made to London in August 2003. I had been invited there to speak at
a conference titled British or Muslim: An Identity Crisis.
As I prepared my subject matter, it became fairly clear to me that although I was going to speak to what was
primarily an audience of Muslims (more than seventy-five hundred and fifty are reported to have attended), many,
though born in England, stemmed from Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Pakistani extraction. They could not have
really experienced the kind of loss of identity, the kind of degrading slavery as did blacks in America. As a
consequence, much of the underlying impetus for my accepting what I thought was Islam under the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad began resurfacing. It was a powerful reemergence of some very unusual activities and events in my life.
As a consequence, as the lead speaker, I found I was more prepared to deal with the subject matter being proposed in
a manner considerably different than the other speakers, not the British or Muslim part (not being born in Britain) but
the problem of identity.
Thanks to the Creator, Allah (God), I have now spent many years working with due diligence to further my
understanding of Islam as related to the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Subsequent to
the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, I spent eighteen years (1957 to 1975) as a follower of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad prior to his passing, questioning him in-depth, always with great respect and concern
for what I believed to be Islam and Truth. I will deal with some of those questions-and-answer sessions in greater
depth in the ensuing chapters. I became convinced in the latter part of his life, he himself understood that he had gone
as far as he could with what he taught. He himself personally stated, as many other than myself can bear witness, that
someone after him would teach the people the true religion of Islam. I never heard him say who. What he brought and

clearly stated was that his message was a call to the Black man in America, a wake-up call. It was an introduction to
certain Islamic terms and certain levels of Islamic understanding that were peculiar to what his own development
sprang from and to what he himself would be about for the majority of his life.
By and large, the people to whom he brought his message had little or no knowledge whatsoever of true Islam and
had no way of really testing and analyzing whether or not what he brought was true or false insofar as Islam itself is
concerned. Both the man himself and many years would have to pass and a great influx of Muslims from other lands
had to come to America and those already in America had to come out of the closet before such terms as Islam,
Muslim, Allah, Muhammad, Hadith, Haji, and other Islamic terminology would become part of the vocabulary of
the people and start to take on their more Islamicly correct meaning. In fact, the Holy Quran itself, the sacred book of
the Muslim world, was very difficult to obtain here until at the urging of a brother I met, Booker 7X, a member of
what was then Muhammads Temple # 7 in New York City and very much interested in import and export activities,
inspired by the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, convinced me to broaden the activities of a company I
had formed in 1959 for some other activities. The Specialty Promotions Company Inc. began to import and distribute
the Holy Quran in the United States. In subsequent years, due to the great demand for the book, and inspired by the
teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, I was able to convince the copyright holders of the Muhammad Ali
translation to grant my company the rights to print it in large quantities in America, 1979 to 1985. See the appendix for
an image of the publishers page of that book.
I must repeat because it is important to understand that during the reign of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, there
was no easily discernible or obtainable vehicle by which full understanding could come until Allah (God) had willed
that Islam should reach these shores and take root in North America in greater abundance in its more nearly correct
form. It took the harrowing, unfortunate, un-Islamic events of September 11, 2001, witnessed by the destruction of
the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to jar the American psyche into the knowledge there is something called
Islam rising from the dead, so to speak. Even so, from my limited perspective, Islam still has yet to become firmly
rerooted or shown itself in its most Quranically correct form here or anyplace else in the world at the time of this
writing. But rest assured, it is on its way for Allah (God) Himself has said in the Holy Quran:
They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the
disbelievers may be adverse.
Holy Quran 61:8
He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion that He may make it overcome the
religions, all of them though the polytheist be adverse.
Holy Quran 61:9
And Allah (God) speaks the Truth!
People, myself included, who were first exposed to what the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad taught were labeled
Negroes, niggers, colored folks, coons, and shines, among other things, and we had been thoroughly robbed of the
knowledge of ourselves and of others. Today, I consider it most correct to label what he taught as the teachings of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that he called Islam. Clearly what I will have to put forth then, having made a
distinction between Islam and the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, is what I mean by the more
correct form of Islam in at least a readily understandable, but certainly not exhaustive form. I am very excited about
having the opportunity to do that.
Bit by bit, it became clear to me during the waning years of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads life that the
limitations of that message he had delivered had become increasingly clear to him. When I queried him (which I
frequently did) on what seemed to me to be certain inconsistencies in what we called the lessons, a series of
questions and answers that the members of the Nation of Islam were to memorize and accept as factual information,
his answer would be, Brother, that was my first lesson. Now we have grown far beyond that. My answers today would
be much better.
In the introduction to the very first lesson entitled Lost Found Muslim: Lesson No. 1, we were warned, although
we did not pay too much attention to it at that time, these answers are nearly correct. It was not strange or
unexpected then that prior to his death, he had discontinued the issuance of those lessons. Does it make sense to
continue building ones life around something that is nearly correct when the real thing, the Holy Quran, that entity
that is 100 percent correct with no doubt in it comes along, and you can now fully explore it? Not hardly!
For whatever reason, God had so decreed that special period in history in which the message of the (Honorable)

Elijah Muhammad found its way into the hearts and mindsand yes, behaviorof hundreds of thousands, if not
millions of people was to draw to a close prior to the time any of us thought it would. We had been given to
understand that he would live to be at least one hundred twenty to one hundred and twenty-five years of age. That
same message, in the same powerful way it was delivered, was never again to achieve the same dynamism as it did
with him.
Yes, it is true that Malcolm X, in that initial period of his prominence, could deliver the message more forcefully,
more eloquently, more emotionally laden than could the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. The wisdom and
psychologically gripping impact of the message itselfThe white man is the deviland all that it entailed hinted at
earlier by such personalities as Noble Drew Ali and even as far back as David Walker reemerged within the teachings
of W. F. Muhammad, then became finely tuned and was played to the hilt by Malcolm X under the tutelage of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I need to say that again so you dont miss what Im saying: The wisdom and
psychologically gripping impact of the message itselfThe white man is the deviland all that it entailed
hinted at earlier by such personalities as Noble Drew Ali and even as far back as David Walker in his Appeal
to the Coloured Citizens of the World (S. Wilentz, New York: Hill and Wang 1999) reemerged again within the
teachings of W. F. Muhammad, then became finely tuned and was played to the hilt by Malcolm X under the
tutelage of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
After the death of Malcolm, almost instantaneously, Minister Louis Farrakhan, another dynamic, charismatic
speaker, reached center stage. He too put forth fragments of that same message, but the message was that of Minister
Louis Farrakhan, not the full message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. That shouldnt surprise anyone. The
message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad has never ceased to be his message, for his time and as he himself so
often stated, no one could follow or teach what he taught, as he taught it, beyond what he had taught, if one wished to
claim it as the message or teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
When asked by a group of press people at a press conference in his home in 1972, Have you designated a
successor for yourself? as printed in the Muhammad Speaks newspaper, his reply was, I do not do that. I did not
choose myself. God chose me, and if he wants a successor, he will choose that one. I have heard that same question
put to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad on several occasions and he would patiently say, After I have taught you the
knowledge of God and self, brother, who else is going to teach you? What will they teach you?
Well, there was and is indeed much to teach after his passing, for although he taught us the name of God (Allah), he
did not really teach the true nature and understanding of Allah (God) in the way that we have an opportunity to
know it today.
Thirty-four years after his demise, it is eminently clear to those who wish to take the time to think about it, examine
their situation and the information available to us today, that when the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad died, for all
practical purposes, the most potent form of that very powerful message and the time in which it was to be taught
passed with him. This was attested to by the fact that the very next day after his passing, when his son, now known
as Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, ascended to leadership, an entirely different era and kind of teachingwhat was
designed to be Islam in a much truer sensebegan to emerge. It was initially designated the Second Resurrection.
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad is said officially to have passed on February 25, 1975. Although I did visit him
once in the hospital about ten days before his passing, my notes show the last day I spent with him, when he was still
pretty much himself, was at the dinner table at his home in Chicago. It was the evening of December 16, 1974, where
I was a regular invited guest at the dinner table of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It was my habit to take notes at
the dinner table on these occasions, and my notes show that, as usual, many topics were touched upon, but one
comment made by him stands out the most. He was asked by one of the ministers present, Minister Theodore GX,
about the celebrating of birthdays since he (Minister Theodore GX) stated his own birthday was on December 16, the
day of that meeting.
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad said he was not interested in birthdays since he was not born of this world. He
said he had read in prophecy that there is a destruction to take place of this world and he wanted no part of it. He had
said on many occasions he had no specific documentation of the day he himself was born. As we will show, hopefully
within the text of this publication itself, his entire life was spent bringing mentally dead, culturally and socially deprived
people back to life. For those of us who I would say were blessed to come into the knowledge of ourselves and
recognize that our and every human beings true religion and nature is Islam should certainly be appreciative for the
work, for the magnificent social work of that man who gave his life for what, I think initially, he believed to be the
truth and indeed embodied much of what is the truth in it. This truth, dealt with a specific area of understanding and

factual information specific to describing the miserable state and condition of the people once labeled as so-called
American Negroes, lost from their original religion, language, and own kind.
I have already quoted a statement the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad made about birthdays, his own included. Yet it
seems that some time or another, many of those persons considering themselves researchers, historians, and the like
blankly stated that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was born on October 7, 1897. I have also seen October 10 cited.
Where did those specific dates come from? All the information available to me from personal inquiries and probing of
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself says otherwise. Yet many who did not know him, never having questioned
him, have picked up assumptive information from others, promoted it as fact, and passed it on as such. It is a misuse
of time binding, a formulation from General Semantics to be discussed in a little more detail later. These assertions are
just plain and simply untrue. Let me make a point here that substantiates my position that the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad himself said he did not know his true calendar birthday. Research by some historians made claims that
documentation of his date of birth was written in the family Bible, as was common practice in the South in his- time,
and that Bible was destroyed in a fire. I heard such a statement made by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself
many times. As a consequence, he would only say, I believe it was sometime near the end of September. Some say
October. I remember hearing clearlySeptember.
Well, why that choice? There are many of what I would now call his-stories that the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad had put forth to support the position that he was the Messenger of Allah (God) and a manifestation of the
fulfillment of the history of many of the prophets of the Bible. One such story was of Jesus that he taught was the
real true history of Jesus. That true history he taught is not to be found in the Bible and anywhere else for that
matter, except in what he presented. Some people anxious to capitalize on the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad have even reproduced what he taught of this history in book form to sell to the unwary public.
Another myth. We should not be overly concerned about this since there are few figures in recorded history about
whom less is really known but who is more written about than Jesus. Every year the scholars and historians come up
with another hypothesis and movie after movie about the life, birth, and death of Jesus. In many of his teachings, the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad put forth that three quarters of the history of the biblical Jesus was speaking of
himself. The his-story he put forth, which is also said to come from his teacher, Fard Muhammad, says that we do
not know the true birthday of Jesus, which is historically truewe dont. Im sure that is not a shocker for the
thinking Christian.
In the story put forth by Elijah Muhammad from Fard Muhammad, it is said that Jesus was born sometime
possibly the third or fourth week in September. You got it? He was buttressing his own position. Here then, I have laid
out a small aspect, a start of where I am goingthe demythologization of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. A
summary statement here then is in order as, I repeat, if the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad said he did not know what
his specific birth date was (and as I have already stated, I heard him say that many times), why should we give him
one? We know a true written birth record does not exist. If he himself had this uncertainty, I suggest to you that when
an author gives a firm date as the birth date of the manOctober 7it is illustrative of the many items of guesswork
and erroneous information and myths that fill the pages of the many works supposedly documenting the life and times
of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. This is particularly true of much of the garbage that fills
the pages of the files found in Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents. The FBI is an agency that openly
declared its intent was to destabilize and destroy the Nation of Islam. So myth versus reality. Reality: the exact date,
calendar day of the birth of Elijah Muhammad, born Elijah Poole, is uncertain. Myth: guess, estimate, assumption
October 7. Is this a big deal? No, but it is an unnecessary, careless assumption that unless corrected will tend to be
listed in the history books, as it so often is now, as fact. Its not. To put the best face on it, just say any specific date
is just an arbitrary assumption. But before I get too far afield, let me return to the motivation, I would say the urge, the
desire, the push that all but forced me to sit down at my computer and compose these words.
As I stated earlier, I was a lead speaker at this Islamic conference held in Birmingham, England, and I was
somewhat surprised to find that there was an unbelievable interest in Malcolm X (Al Hajji Malik El-Shabazz), his
conversion to the REAL ISLAMdid I know him, and what could I tell them about him. Well, as Allah (God) would
have it, I had known him. In fact, as mentioned earlier, I knew him pretty well. I had performed a number of dental
procedures for him including the extraction of a wisdom tooth and closed an unsightly gap he had between his two
upper front teeth, which considerably changed his appearance (see appendix).
My first meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was a result of a personal letter of introduction Malcolm
gave to me to take with me when I went to Chicago for my very first meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.

As was the case in so many areas of the country at that time, Malcolm was very busy going from place to place trying
to reseed, revitalize, or start making known the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in a designated city.
Such was the case in Newark, New Jersey. This was in 1957 and 1958 before what was called a Temple in those days
was given a number: Temple #25. Malcolm was authorized by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to come to Newark
and teach where a lively group of people who were already members of the Nation of Islam and already had their X
had come together to associate themselves with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and start a Temple.
After becoming a member of the Nation of Islam, it was frequently my job to introduce Malcolm to the audience
before he made his presentation. To me, and the vast majority of followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad,
Malcolm X was just Malcolm X, one of the more eloquent ministers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammadno big
deal. He was just one minister among many who were closely allied to and stated they would be willing to die for the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He just happened to have been blessed with an unusually forceful and gripping way of
presenting the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. In addition to which, he had been given the title of
National Representative and the opportunity to showcase that talent. But as we will show later, he had to have
something of worth with which to showcase that talent in a most impactful form. That something of worth was the
teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that he called Islam.
It quickly became apparent that certainly there in England (and here too as I began to look closely), the life of
Malcolm X seemed to have taken on a very special and revered significance of its own, particularly so for the more
orthodox body of Muslims and the general African American population as well. He had become bigger than life, even
exceeding in reputation and meaningfulness for those ignorant of the real story, the story of the one who taught him
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I also found to use the term Honorable prior to mentioning the name Elijah
Muhammad was quite distasteful to the Muslims there as well as it is here to many of the Muslims who were born of
Muslim parents of foreign extraction or who themselves came into the knowledge of Islam outside of the direct
influence of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It is also true that the greater preponderance of people who did not
know or follow him when he was alive speak of him as Elijah Muhammad today. This kind of dichotomy has
motivated me to look at my own use and choice of terms and to deal with this issue at some length. In Websters Third
International Dictionary, the word Honorable, like many words, is defined in several ways. One of its most frequent
uses is listed in this fashion: Being of high imminence or dignity. Used in the United States as a title or a mode of
reference for members of Congress and of State legislatures cabinet offices and their assistants commissioners of
bureaus, heads of state departments, judges, mayors of cities, and various other high government officials. Another
attached meaning for this term is stated as doing credit to the possessor consistent with an untarnished reputation
characterized by integrity in all his dealings.
There are a number of other definitions, but it is from the latter of these listed here that I have made a selection that
is most appropriate to how I consider and will be using the term Honorable in this book. We need to understand that
meanings are attached to words by the human nervous system. A word, of and by itself, is just thata word, a sound,
a symbol, black marks on paper.
Until we (the human being), taking advantage of our uniquely created nervous systems with our ability to make
sounds and form symbols (writing), assign them meaning, words of and by themselves do not have meaning. A
meaning must be attached and mutually agreed on in general by those persons using such terms for that language for it
to serve as an effective mode of communication. This is one of the reasons we often see so many different definitions
in the dictionary given as a meaning for the same word. It further helps to understand why so often people can be in a
discussion and use a word to mean one thing by their use of it, but someone else hearing that same word may attach
an altogether different meaning to it, then, before we know what or how it happened, we are faced with a dispute or
misunderstanding, and yes, sometimes even a physical encounter.
This is true of all languages. Let me discuss this Honorable a bit further for you will find Mr. Muhammad
addressed in several ways throughout this book: the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad, no parenthesis before Honorable and even occasionally just Mr. Muhammad or Elijah Muhammad. Okay.
So why write the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad with the Honorable parenthesized rather than just plain Elijah
Muhammad or straight-up the Honorable Elijah Muhammad? Whats the deal here? The man should either be described
as Honorable or just by his name. He cant be both the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and just Elijah Muhammad, right?
Well, not exactly. I touched on some of my reasoning earlier as I presented to you a dictionary definition of Honorable
and I introduced you to some aspects of General Semantics, sketchy though it was. Later, we will revisit this issue in a
more detailed fashion.

The man who so warmly greeted me the very first time I met him, whose followers then and now address him as
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, was addressed and referred to by me as just Mr. Muhammad. At that time, I had not
yet formally joined the Nation of Islam, so I had not yet adopted the habit of speaking of him as the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad and certainly not Dear Holy Apostle, a title often used to address him by many during his reign. It was not
a generally applied title among the public, but those close to him (eventually, including myself), I would say, had fallen
into the habit of addressing him that wayDear Holy Apostle.
Words frequently act to trigger violent reactions in people who have not learned how important it is to recognize that
the word is not the thing and labeling something in a particular way does not change the nonverbal characteristic of
whatever it may be that we are talking about. Lets take what I have witnessed to be a very common expression
among street people in many of the neighborhoods I know of and what is commonly heard as part of the language of
our people, even as young as four and five years of age. You morfucr you, or among the older group, That mo
rfucr aint sht! Now dont get all proper on me. We hear this kind of language all the time. Ive heard parents
talk to children that way. In fact, I have been in some environments where it appears some people dont know how to
talk without that kind of language (and worst) being part of every other sentence uttered. And, hey look, such
language has become so commonplace in this culture that generally speaking, most people pay it no attention unless it
comes within the context of a violent argument. Now if we take either of the phrases literally, that is, if we assume the
person so labeled commits such a deed with their own mother, those people should not be welcome among any
morally conscious, self-respecting people, having knowledge about such activities. But lets be real, here. Though I
would like to think most of us would find such an act horrific and unacceptable, there are reports that some people do
such things. Its called incest. But it could be someone elses mother, huh? Language is not infrequently uncertain. The
above example is pretty gross, and though it certainly makes the point, lets very quickly move up to a higher level.
During the 2004 Democratic Convention, Senator Joseph Lieberman was introduced as the Honorable Joseph
Lieberman just prior to his speech. Well, that seems to be all right and a proper announcement if we accept the above
dictionary definition. He is a congressman. When one goes to court and the judge enters into the room, the bailiff says,
All rise, the Honorable Judge So-and-So presidingand you better rise! We also know it is not unheard-of to read in
the newspaper or hear on the news that the same Honorable Judge So-and-So that we had to rise for has been
indicted for bribery. But the question here, of course, is where does Elijah Muhammad fit into all of this? He did not
himself require us to call him or give himself the title Honorable. At the beginning of his mission, we do not find him
labeled the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Its all about context folks, context. (I will elaborate on context further in
a bit.) The point here is that once one honestly sorts out Elijah Muhammads behavior, his dedication to what he was
about, once he began what he perceived to be his mission and put it into the context of the time and the condition of
the people he spent his life serving thereafter, I say one should have no problem with just saying the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. I dont. No parenthesis needed. It just naturally came about. But I am committing myself to bringing you
into another way of looking at the world, a way of perceiving the world and your, my, and everyone elses place in it in
the most exciting and meaningful way that a human being can sense and behave in it. I hope, with the help of Allah
(God), to bring into view, to the best of my ability, the tranquility that can be achieved by each and every human being
with a sound and rational mind, the role ISLAM, when correctly understood, can play in your life.

As I proceedthus, we will move into another context, an Islamic context, and within it, the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad becomes the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammador maybe just Elijah Muhammad. You then have to sort that
out with the tools to be provided. The (Honorable) is parenthesized so you can drop Honorable out of your reading if
you wish, as you grasp, or as some already feel they have already grasped certain Islamic realities when laid out. That
suggest perhaps you best give pause to bestowing the title Honorable in such a context. He taught us Allah (God) is a
man. Is that Honorable? In Islam, its shirk.

He fathered children outside the general knowledge of most of his followers without publicly acknowledging the
women who birthed them as his wives. Is that honorable? But if you are a reader who just has to say or read the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad because you have known him as an honorable man, or you still consider him as your
leader, the Honorable, though parenthesized, is there for you too. Just dont panic one way or the other. When your
reading is done and the last page is turned, evaluate what has been presented to you. Remember, the first leaf of this
book deals with THINKING!
Have we not made for him a pair of eyes, and a tongue and pair of lips, and shown him the two

ways (good and evil)?

Holy Quran 90:8-10.
We will get back to this issue again.
As stated earlier, this book deals primarily with my personal experiences within the Nation of Islam and with my
close relationship to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X. Since so many readers start a book by scanning
through its pages very quickly, it is fitting that I have placed the photographs that follow right up front (from the gitgo as they say in the hood) since you will not find them in any other publication in the format that I am presenting
here. I want to be sure you dont miss this.
We see in the above photo, Elijah Muhammad talking to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in what appears to be a very
intense and serious conversation (Photo courtesy of Lowell Riley). According to Jabir (Herbert) Muhammad, the son
of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (now deceased, and present at the meeting) stated that Dr. King and his father
came to an agreement whereas the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam (NOI) would continue its
efforts to uplift the African American community economically and that Dr. King would continue with the civil rights
movement and its spiritual aspect. We should not overlook the significance of this agreement since Dr. King was not a
Muslim and most certainly the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was not a Christian. Both of these leaders represented the
black consciousness of that era and were in the forefront to uplift the African American. This unity of ideals and
purpose is a fact intentionally overlooked by the powers responsible for recording or reporting such information.
In the bottom photo, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and other prominent and noteworthy leaders who were in the
forefront of the civil rights movement joining hands and willing to work together to solve some of the inequities facing
African Americans. Listed in this photo we find Dr. Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor and a former United States
ambassador; Dr. Ralph Abernathy, seen constantly with Dr. King; Hosea Williams, from Atlanta, Georgia, another close
associate of Dr. King; and Bernard Lee, a notable attorney for the civil rights movement (Photo courtesy of Lowell
Riley). These people certainly were not joining hands just to pose for a picture. All of them, including Dr. King, were
showing their support for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and his program to uplift the African American community.
We can find no such evidence of this kind of support for Malcolm.
It should also be noted that even though Malcolm gained most of his notoriety while a member of the Nation of
Islam, he failed to make any noteworthy progress as a leader among the African American community. Malcolm was
never held in such esteem as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad among any significant or well-recognized leaders, be
they civil rights, religious, political, or otherwise, yet he is listed as a great African American leader, regardless of the
fact that he did very little to change African American consciousness or their condition beyond what he had
accomplished under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad as a member of the Nation of Islam. Apparently
the writers of history want to write out or belittle the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam as well as
its accomplishments, disregarding the fact that there has been no comparable, social, psychological, or economical
equivalent during or after that period among African Americans.
Malcolms organization died with him, due to the fact that he had no significant following, nor was he able to
establish any recognizable institutions to carry out his program. I will cover this subject in-depth in the chapter about
Malcolm. We cannot overlook the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Andrew Young, and Reverend Ralph
Abernathy are listed among the most influential African Americans of the civil rights movement, especially during the
so-called Black History Month, but the name and the accomplishments of the Honorable Elijah is missing and not
mentioned among the educational institutions in America.
Lets see now where was I? Oh, yes, let us return to my motivation for doing this book.
I found myself often engaged in tweaking the understanding and correcting the misunderstanding of those persons
who had started labeling Malcolm a martyr for Islam. Then finally, apparently because of the dynamism of my
presentation in England and my substantial knowledge of the subject matter, I was recommended as a good person to
interview about the history of Islam in America and Malcolm X to two South African radio stations. One was two
hours in length, an hour presentation, and an hour of questions and answers. The time went fast. The second was just
an hour in length to discuss somewhat the same issues, but on that occasion, the question of the greatness of Malcolm
X seemed to consistently surface and I had to lay that issue to rest. Immediately after the broadcast terminated, the
host said to me, Dr. Salaam, that was one of the most fascinating presentations I have ever heard. I think you should
immediately go to your computer and sit down and write a book, entitle it The Demythologization of Malcolm X, The
Nation of Islam, and The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, or something like that. I have added An Islamic
Perspective.

PROLOGUE
I was a regular invited guest at the dinner table of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It was my habit to take notes
at the dinner table on these occasions, and my notes show that as usual many topics were touched upon, but on this
particular occasion, one comment made by him stands out the most. He was asked by one of the ministers present,
Minister Theodore GX, about the celebrating of birthdays since he, Minister Theodore GX, stated his own birthday was
on December 16, the day of that meeting. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad said he was not interested in birthdays
since, he said, he was not born of this world. He said he had read in prophecy that there is a destruction to take place
of this world and he wants no part of it. It was the evening of December 16, 1974, just sixty-nine days before his
passing.
As usual in Chicago during February, the wind was brisk and the temperature hovering around freezing. Yet a large
crowd of people, Muslims, non-Muslims, black people and white people, newspaper columnists, magazine writers,
radio and TV station personnel had gathered in anticipation of hearing the annual Saviours Day address of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the venerable leader of the Nation of Islam, a man that Readers Digest had at one time
labeled the Most Powerful Black Man in America. All underwent the usual search procedure and were then escorted
to their respective locations within the meeting hall, one section having already been reserved for the so-called VIPs
(Very Important People) and the press.
Seated on the podium could be seen an array of Nation of Islam ministers who had been invited to speak, a
sprinkling of the graduating class from Muhammads University of Islam and Sister Clara Muhammad, the wellknown, long-time only publicly acknowledged wife of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad at that time. Seated next to
her was Sister Tynetta Denar, now known as Mother Tynetta Muhammad, the mother of three sons and one daughter
fathered by Elijah Muhammad. One of the sons, Ishmael Muhammad, is best known as the assistant minister to
Minister Louis Farrakhan at the presently named Mosque Maryam in Chicago. It should be noted that our present-day
understanding is such that Sister Tynetta Muhammad, Sister Evelyn Muhammad, Sister Ola Muhammad, Sister June
Muhammad, and Sister Lucille Muhammad, all of whom are known to have borne children fathered by Elijah
Muhammad, are today frequently labeled as his wives.
Nonetheless, though some may be offended by this disclosure, during the lifetime of Elijah Muhammad, there was
no public acknowledgment by Elijah Muhammad of any of them as wives. My commitment in this writing is to the
best of my ability present facts, not myths and misinformation. In this publication, I will not be dealing with, though I
am aware of, the controversy surrounding this issue.

Front row: L-R: Dr. Abdul Alim Shabazz, formerly known as Dr. Lonnie X Cross, PhD in mathematics, former minister of Muhammad Temple of
Islam #4 in Washington, D.C.; Minister Jerimiah Shabazz, (now deceased), former minister of mosques #12 in Philadelphia and Temple #15 in
Atlanta, Georgia; Minister Louis X, now known as Minister Louis Farrakhan, present leader of the Nation of Islam. Next to him sits two students
from the University of Islam, one being the grandson of Elijah Muhammad, now known as Jesus Muhammad Ali. To his left, Sister Clara
Muhammad, wife of the Honorable Elijh Muhammad, and next to her sits then Sister Tynetta Denar, now known as Mother Tynetta Muhammad.(
photos above & below by Dr. Abdul Salaam)

Attentive section of the MGT (Muslim Girl Training) class. On the front row, first sister to the right is a sister (Velora Najeeb, now deceased), who
for a long time was the personal assistant to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who became very powerful in that post.

A kind of buzz was in the air around the uncertainty as to whether or not the Honorable Elijah Muhammad would be
making the address himself or his national representative, Minister Malcolm X. As a well-known personality and
official in the Nation of Islam at that time, I was pretty much free to move about on the floor as I saw fit with
minimum interference. I had not too long before this event was scheduled purchased a not-too-common 8mm sound
camera, so I was already in place with my camera focused on the rostrum in full anticipation and preparation of
whatever was to follow. It was generally known, for some time now, that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad had been
suffering with bronchitis. Yet there had been many occasions when Mr. Muhammad had made his way to an event
even though it was reported that his health was so bad it was fully expected he could not participate. Thus, there was
relative uncertainty as to what to expect on that dayFebruary 26, 1963.
As the meeting began, one by one, various ministers of the Nation of Islam rose to address the crowd, and then
finally, Minister James Shabazz, the minister of Muhammads Temple #2 in Chicago (now deceased), came to the
podium to call forth Minister Malcolm X. Malcolm took his position behind the podium. The Honorable Elijah
Muhammad had not arrived.
The uncertainty was over.
Malcolm was to speak.
I started my camera.
Malcolm said, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked me to say to you for the first time in thirty-odd years, I the
[Honorable] Elijah Muhammad am not able to be with you. The cold weather produces severe setbacks for me.
Nevertheless I am with you in spirit hoping and praying Almighty Allahs [God] richest blessings be with you. You
make the address, Malcolm, but brother, I dont want you to minimize or forget or de-emphasized in any way, shape,
or form what has to be said. Dont try to be polite just to please the people. Tell them the truth just like it is. So if I
make mistakes up here tonight, there is one mistake I wont make. I wont fail to tell you the truth to the best of my
ability just like it is. We need to understand the power of this little black man, the one known to you and I as the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad that is attracting black people today from all over the world. Attracting us together.
Attracting us towards him and those of us that have been made attracted towards him have been made attracted to
each other. This is beautiful. And in being attracted together by the presence in America of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad, it has created and it is perpetuating among us the spirit of brotherhood and the spirit of unity that the
white man has been trying to destroy for the past four hundred years.
You are here tonight from everywhere. All of you arent Muslims. You dont have to be a Muslim to follow Mr.
Muhammad. All you need is some sense! [Laughter and heavy applause.] Lets understand. Many of you are Baptist,
yet you follow Mr. Muhammad. He teaches Islam. Why Islam? Because according to the Holy Quran, that is our
natural religion. The Holy Quran that is the bible the white man does not want you and me to have a knowledge of the
Holy Quranthe bible of the Islamic religion, the bible that has been hidden from us for a long, long time. This is the
one that has been hidden from us [holds up the Holy Quran], this one [holds up the Christian Bible] was never hidden
from us. The white man will stick this one [Bible] all up in your nose. He will let you have one in all your houses, all
your rooms [laughter].
We have here on the stage students from our school [Muhammads University of Islampoints to students sitting

on rostrum]. No juvenile delinquency in our school; no dropouts in our school; nobody in our school with an
inferiority complex, knees knocking, head scratching, every time they see a white man. No, our students are taught to
throw their shoulders back, hold their heads high, taught to stick their chest out. Am I right or wrong? [Audience loud:
Youre right, Brother Minister. Teach!) You cant find any more intelligent students anywhere in Chicago. Why you
wish you had a school like ours! [More applause.] The reason the white man doesnt like our school is because he
cant control it; he cant stick his grimy fingers in it; he cant put his poisonous textbooks in it. He cant teach us
about little black sambo! [Audience: Thats right, Brother Minister. Teach on em!]
Sister Clara Muhammad, the Honorable Elijah Muhammads beloved wife, long known to be a staunch supporter of
Muhammad University of Islam schools, sitting on the rostrum directly behind Malcolm, was clearly pleased with that
statement as could be seen by the broad smile on her face. Malcolm continued, What the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
is telling us is to stop leaning on the white man and walk for ourselves. Thats all. In spite of the anti-Muslim
propaganda, you hear it on the TV, on the radio, in the newspaper, just sheer anti-Muslim propaganda. We dont mind
because we know youre smarter than that. You can read between the lines. You can see between the black and the
white. You can think for yourself. You know when the man is telling the truth and when the man is telling a lie. So
despite their propaganda, still the followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad represent the fastest-growing religious
group in the entire Western hemisphere and were glad youre here to see, to listen for yourself, to see for yourself, to
think for yourself so you can judge the work for yourself. Why should you want to pattern yourself after the white
man? Why should you want to paint your lips to make them look thin? Apes have thin lips. Why do you want those
kinds of lips? You straighten your hair. Apes have straight hair. You want to look like a monkey? Who taught you to
hate yourself? Who taught you to hate your skin so much youre bleaching up trying to get like the white man? He
taught you to hate your hair. He taught you to hate your mouth. He taught you to hate your skin. He taught you to hate
yourself from your head to your feet. No-o-o-o, the white man is the greatest hate teacher that ever walked the earth!
Then he has the audacity, the audacity mind you, to call the Honorable Elijah Muhammad a hate teacher. Why nothing
but a dog would have such audacity. Nothing but a dog. (Audience stood up, loud, continued applause.) More of like
content followed.
At this point in time clearly for Malcolm, the members of the Nation of Islam, and probably many who
sympathized with the Nation of Islam, THE WHITE MAN WAS THE DEVIL.
This fiery brother was a man I knew, the man who introduced me to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He was in
my home and I in his. We rode and joked together. I learned a great deal about human relations from him. This was the
man the world had very much come to know and this was the man who a bit more than two years later fell victim to
circumstances, separated from the Nation of Islam, and was finally assassinateda mere thirty-nine years of age. This
is one of the men highly revered by many in the black community and even by many in the orthodox Muslim
community, but considered by many in the Nation of Islam at the time of his departure as a hypocrite, a turncoat, an
ingrate. How did the Honorable Elijah Muhammad see him? How did I then and now see them both? What about the
Nation of Islam then and now? Read on.

CHAPTER 1
THE NATION OF ISLAM1 IS NOT THE NATION OF ISLAM2 IS NOT THE NATION OF ISLAM3

A Critical Look at Our Use of Language

Much of what is put forth here is autobiographical in nature. This is so because I sometimes wonder what were the
things that I thought important in my earlier years that established a mind-set that influenced my decision to become a
member of the Nation of Islam. The one I designate as Nation of Islam1. Technically, we should designate the Nation
of Islam that commenced under Fard Muhammad in Detroit, Michigan, prior to the entrance of the man first known as
Elijah Poole into its ranks as the Nation of Islam0. The subscript is a designation taken advantage of under a General
Semantics formulation known as indexing. It allows one to use a symbol or word that looks or spells the same as
another (Nation of Islam) but carries a warning that though the symbols or words used appear identical to one another,
they do not carry the same meaning or value. But that gets to be a bit too cumbersome, so we wont bother with that
kind of detail for the moment. Just hold tight and bear with me as we develop clear terminology for the language
choices we will be charting in our process of separating myths from reality.
We all have biases and wear filters of some sort. None of us are born with innate prejudicesjust instincts, drives
(organic needs), and the genetic makeup to be human. It is generally agreed by the sociologists and psychologists
that what forms us, develops our personalities so to speak, is generally conceded to be a function of the interaction
between our environment, culture, and the endowed genetic makeup we are born with. It is not my intention to get
into any heavy footnoted psychological babble here, just plain generally understood information available in any book
about human behavior. As I get further along, I will spend quite a bit more time discussing the peculiar and unusual
makeup of the African American in general (or black man in America, if thats your thing). It will help to understand
why the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad were so effective among many of us and, at the same time,
met so much resistance among others. To further help the reader along in the understanding of where I am coming
from, I consider it a must to introduce you to a way of thinking and understanding that ranks just below Islam and
the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad as an influencing factor in my life. I have already used the term,
but I need to talk a bit more about. It is labeled General Semantics.
I first became interested in General Semantics when, in 1975, I became the Organization President of the Nation of
Islam under Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. The Nation of Islam was first founded by Fard Muhammad, a.k.a. W. F.
Muhammad, and later given its final form and growth by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Please understand it was
definitely not the Nation of Islam we know today under the leadership of Minister Louis Farrakhan, which I designate
as Nation of Islam2, a mathematical way of making a clear distinction between the old and the new. There are some
substantial differences in style, as well as administration. Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, spoken of prior to 1975 and
early into his own administration as Minister Wallace Muhammad, after 1975 for a short time, known as the supreme
minister and then the chief minister, had his own version of the Nation of Islam.

(photo by Alif Muhammad) Minister Wallace 0. Muhammad (1975). later known as Imam W. 0. Mohammad in one of his familiar poses at that

time to portray his saying Man means Mind.

Early on, one of Minister Wallace Muhammads most frequent statements during his lectures was that when one
finds the term Man in biblical scripture, it most commonly means Mind. As a result of that early interpretation,
which I was told could be found in an early edition of some dictionaries, right or wrong, Man means mind became
a common expression in his early teachings. Here, he was then, attaching a meaning to a term that was not generally
defined in such a manner. Second, he would with equal frequency say, Words make people. I have always been a
student of knowledge and language and those kinds of phrases caught my attention and aroused my curiosity. During
this early era of his administration, I had been chosen by him to function as what was designated the Organization
President, a heretofore unknown position in the Nation of Islam1, and since I wished to do all I could to help and keep
up with the terminology he was using, I had to ask myself, where was the chief minister coming from with those
kinds of meanings attached to words that generally meant something else to the rest of us? Then one day, a mail
announcement came across my desk advertising this seminar that would be discussing language and its effect on
human behavior. It was called General Semantics.
Bang! just what I was looking for!
I registered for the course. It was two weeks in length, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with break only for meals.
Even back then, I saw no reason to pass up this opportunity that Allah (God) had dropped right in my lap to gain a
further understanding of what is certainly one of human beings most precious gifts from the Creatorhis ability to
use language, to formulate signs and symbols, to bind time and communicate one to another. We already know, it is
almost universally agreed by all knowledgeable Islamic scholars that the very first revelation to Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) was as follows:
Read in the name of thy Lord who creates
Creates man from a clot,
Read and thy Lord is Most Generous
Who taught by the pen (Emphasis mine)
Taught man what he knew not
Holy Quran 96:1-5, Muhammad Ali translation.
In some translations, the Arabic term Iqra (first word here), which is translated read in this translation, may be
translated as proclaim in others.
Al-hamduillah is a frequently used Arabic phrase that means All praise is due to Allah [God], the Creator.
I must say, in addition to my first love, ISLAM, my interaction with General Semantics most definitely gave me the
entrance into a better understanding of the world about us and how we assess it, sometimes correctly and oftentimes
incorrectly, through our nervous systems and language. Once I gained a thorough understanding of General
Semantics, my outlook on things took a giant leap and General Semantics became another milestone in my life. That
was thirty-five years ago. I have been very active within that discipline ever since. So much so, in fact, that I have
participated in several teaching sessions myself with the Institute of General Semantics and I was a presenter at the
International Conference of General Semantics in November 2003. The subject of my presentation was Religion
[Islam, of course] as a Belief System.
General Semantics is defined in many ways by the students of that discipline, but for our purposes here and to best
describe the way I most usually think of it, lets define it this way: General Semantics is not the study of words or the
study of meaning as these terms are ordinarily understood. It is more nearly correct to say that General Semantics is
concerned with the assumptions underlying symbol systems and the personal and cultural effects of their use. It is
concerned with the pervasive problem of the relation of language to reality, of word to fact, of theory to description,
and of description to data, of the observer to the observed, of the knower to the knowable. It is concerned with the
role of language in relation to predictability and evaluation, and so in relation to the control of events and to personal
adjustment, social integration, and to the sanity of the species. A mouthful, huh? Relax, my friend. We will ease the
language burden as we go.
General Semantics was founded by Alfred Korzybski, who was said to be, among other things, a Polish count and
mathematician. His work began as far back as 1922. His seminal work and discussion of the subject can be found in
his book Science and Sanity, a rather ponderous, difficult-to-read publication first published in 1933. There further
exists an entity known as the Institute of General Semantics, which as of 2004 represented a merging of the group
first founded by Alfred Korzybski, the Institute of General Semantics, and the International Society of General

Semantics, following the same principles that functioned primarily out of the West Coast. It is now headquartered in
Forest Hills, NY. 11375 .
In order to bring you to a satisfactory level of understanding about General Semantics, you will have to be a bit
patient. The discipline is not particularly complicated or complex, but it does deal with some ways of looking at things
that most people find uncomfortable and indeed initially find it difficult to accept. Yet the formulations put forth by
General Semantics are sound.
In General Semantics, most of us prefer to use the term formulations rather than concepts. Let me tell you a little
bit more about the why of that choice. It will serve as a kind of sideways introduction to some General Semantics
understanding. The term formulation has as its root another word form. The general use of the word formulation
tends to push one to ask what you are talking about. How was it formed, and who formed it? We are looking then for
some kind of way to identify what is being fed to us in real terms, in something more easily identifiable in the world
outside our skins. I would designate the word concept as fuzzy. It is as though something just materialized out of the
air. It doesnt prompt us to ask, where did this thing being offered to us come from? Who gave it to us?
I cant overemphasize this way of looking at things. This recommendation will take on even greater meaning, when
later on, we get into the importance of what we call daleels (a proof based on something from the Holy Quran or
other sound Islamic sources identifying what is being characterized as Islamic and sound ahadith (a hadith is most
simply defined as a tradition or saying of the Prophet [PBUH], the plural of which is ahadith). Even before starting my
writings, I inserted on the earliest pages of this book a few paragraphs that should serve to give you some indication of
how important I consider it is to think, to ponder, to ask questions. Allah (God) in the Holy Quran continually urges
humankind to do just that.
Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed
signs for men of understanding.
TMQ 3:190
Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah (God), they would
surely have found within it many contradictions.
TMQ 4:82
Tell Me! The water that you drink, is it you who causes it to come down from the rain clouds, or are We
the Cause for it to come down?
TMQ 56:68-69
He is created from a fluid poured forth; proceeding from between the back bone and the ribs.
TMQ 86:6-7
Do they not look at the camels, how they are created? And at the heaven, how it is raised? And the
mountains, how they are rooted and fixed firm? And at the earth, how it is spread out?
TMQ 88:17-20
(TMQ stands for The Meaning of the Quran as variously translated by some)
In all of these ayats (verses), Allah (God) directs the human being to think and analyze in order to build the Aqeedah
(belief), the very basic foundational truths of Islam within themselves through a definite conviction. Thus, the method
that Islam encourages in pursuing knowledge is based upon the intellect and entails thinking, research, and analysis. It
is NOT to be built upon blind faith, emotional belief, or submission without discussion. Listen with a jaundiced eye to
those who offer you platitudes, emotional tirades, or baseless arguments. Just because one can speak a little Arabic
doesnt impress me. In Islam, if you consider yourself a student of the religion, a Muslim, one anxious to please
ALLAH (GOD), then seeking knowledge and understanding is a sure way to get His attention.
Let me briefly expand on some items from my studies in General Semantics that fit in the context of what I am
trying to do here as simply as I can, hopefully without misrepresenting the discipline.
In my introduction, I briefly outlined something about how I think of language and words. In this chapter, lets
explore that position a bit further. I have developed from working with General Semantics, two phrases that many
people who have been around me in studied conversations have become familiar with. One is Life is full of little details.
The other is Words dont mean, only people mean. On the Life is full of little details saying, with just a passing
thought, Im sure you can become comfortable with that. Its a clear statement of fact. You just may not have thought

too much about it as a meaningful statement about life, but you should have no trouble bearing witness to the fact that
the statement is truelife is indeed full of little details. On the Words dont mean, only people mean bit, I can
understand if initially you have a problem with that. I can hear you saying, Look, Salaam, just what is your problem,
man? Dont you realize that there are tons of dictionaries that ascribe meanings to words? Yep, I sure do, but where
did those meanings come from? How are dictionaries compiled, and why is it that so often you find a single word with
a definition about a half a page or more long? You might find it an interesting study to investigate how dictionaries are
compiled. In brief, the listing found in the average dictionary represents the filtering or sorting out of how words are
most commonly used by the population in a particular field of study or culture.
A learned group of people gather for the specific purpose of studying these usages as found in the literature and
among the people using such terms and then couple them with an associated meaning according to their use. Those
words then become the content of a dictionary. Sometimes there are so many meanings associated with a word that it
can even create a problem for you in your decision making. Which one shall I pick? Generally speaking, most of us
choose the one that most fits what we are trying to say or that reinforces a position we have taken about something. Is
that not so? And what about the words that have not yet found their way into the dictionary?
The words, sounds, noises, symbols, etc., that we use to communicate with one another are not the THINGS
THEMSELVES. They are only symbolic representation of the THINGS. Thus an important point in General Semantics
that is very useful to remember is that whatever we say about something, we can always say more. Thats the nature
of language. Note in an above sentence I used the term etc. It is symbolic of the fact that there is something else to
follow. I have used this device in this book at the end of chapters to remind you that whatever I said, there is also
more to say, there is always something left out, thus: ETC. So we are going to have to learn and discuss something
about a very important tool for understanding language and sorting out its meaning known as context. I said earlier
that I was going to talk a bit more about context, so lets do it now. Lets say a bit more about context and relate it to
some aspects of what this book is about, language, scripture, religion, Islam.
In my introduction, I made mention of a trip I made to England where I was invited to speak at an Islamic
conference. (Thats probably why I have been on the air travel watch list ever since.) There was a lot of prepublicity generated about the conference in an effort to generate interest and attendance by those sponsoring the
conference. I recall there was an unfortunate choice of language in a phrase that was used in one of those advertising
pieces that the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) did not like. It was a quotation from the Holy Quran that had
to do with actions Muslims should take in any battle to protect themselves. In order to do everything it could to turn
away attendance at the upcoming conference, the BBC television arm invited one of the principals of the group
sponsoring the conference to appear on one of its talk shows for the expressed purpose of discussing that particular
phrase alone, with none of the context accompanying it.
The idea, of course, was to inflame the hearts and minds of the listeners to make them believe that what was said,
that Muslims must do in the heat of battle, as any armed force would do, is to annihilate the enemy, and that was what
Islam and the Holy Quran was all about. The host of the program did everything he could to nail the brother to the
cross based on one out of context quote. In this post 9/11 atmosphere, such stereotyping and misleading
characterizations are commonplace. The predilection to do such things is not peculiar just to the British. There are a
number of out of context quotes from the Holy Quran being lifted by Christian Evangelical ministers right here in
America with the sole purpose of coloring Islam and Muslims as terrorists, hate mongers, and killers. Now let me try
something on you as I have to get back to the promised context discussion. What do you think of the following
statements?
When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away
many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the
Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you. And when the
LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them.
You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2
When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. If it agrees to make peace
with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and
shall serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall
besiege it. When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the
edge of the sword. Only the women and the children and the animals and all that is in the city, all its

spoil, you shall take as booty for yourself; and you shall use the spoil of your enemies which the LORD
your God has given you . . . Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as
an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes.
Deuteronomy 20:10-17
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man
intimately. But all the girls who have not known man intimately spare for yourselves.
Numbers 31:17-18
Even in the New Testament we read the following statements attributed to
Jesus saying to his disciples:
I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what
he does have shall be taken away.
But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my
presence.
Luke 19:26-27
Do not think that I have come to send peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. I am
sent to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law.
Matthew 10:34-35
How do you feel about those biblical commandments?
Muslims believe in all prophets sent by Allah (God), including Jesus, a fact many Christians do not know. Islam
cautions us not to misuse or misinterpret the religious texts of other faiths in order to defame them. So if I were to
take the above quotationsall from what the Christians call the Holy Biblein an attempt to defame Christianity, it
would not be in keeping with one of our Quranic injunctions that says,
Call men to the path of your Lord with wisdom and mild exhortation. Reason with them in the most
courteous manner. Your Lord knows best those who stray from His Path and best knows those who are
rightly guided. (Holy Quran 16:125)
Even in recent times, Muslims have and are facing genocidal campaigns in Bosnia, Kosova, Chechnia, Kashmir, and
Palestinebut they have not questioned Judaism as such, just the acts of those who claim they are following Judaism.
And Muslims themselves must also be cautioned in the same way so that Holy Quran passages are not taken out of
context to prove some off-the-wall point they wish to make that does not have sufficient corroboration from within
the Holy Quran itself, the Sunnah, Qiyas, or Ijima, four authoritative sources as directives and guidance for correct
Islamic understanding and behavior.
Now let us go back again to reemphasize something mentioned earlier about words and language. Whenever we
discuss and describe something using language, it is very important to understand that the word itself is not the same
as the thing being described. Although the ability to use words, symbols, language, etc., is a gift from the Creator,
words are human inventions, but the ability to use them is a gift from Allah (God).
Example: The word for the container of what I am publishing here, what you are holding in your hand, and reading
is referred to as a book. Thats English. In Arabic, it is spoken of as kitab and similarly livre in French. (Using
English symbols, this is labeled as a transliteration here, since Arabic has symbols itself that are entirely foreign to
the English language.)
This book itself, this material object that you are reading, has no idea what we call it. It doesnt care. It is what it
is. Period. It is not a word! What I am saying here clearly is not designed to minimize language, the spoken word. No.
The point I will be endeavoring to make over and over again is how important it is to use language carefully and
thoughtfully if you wish to transfer meaning from yourself (I like to say from your own nervous system to someone
elses nervous system) to someone else in such a way that comprehension can occur in a suitably similar way. It is
pretty much impossible for the transference of meaning to be exactly the same for someone else as it is for you. For
the brothers and sisters in the hood (and elsewhere too, lets not just always indict the people in the hood), it is
important to understand that everybody you dont like is not to be considered a mrfucr, a far too commonly used
term.
For me then, I will be content and hopeful that it will please Allah (God) if I can help you understand the difference

between much of what has been (and is still being) labeled ISLAM and ISLAM itself. In this publication, my primary
focus will of course be on understandings how the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, a teaching that I
am comfortable in saying that I knew as well as anyone, and better than most, having spent many years in both
questioning and teaching myself what he put forth, differs from the religion of Islam as embodied in its original
sources, the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Let me make a very important point that derives from an understanding of some of the principles of General
Semantics. An important aspect of understanding the nature of the world about us can be better appreciated if we learn
to recognize that considerable problems can accrue in the portrayal of something when we identify it by the use of the
term is, with no further qualifications. For me (or anyone) to say Islam is such and such a thing, like Islam is the
religion of peace, for example, which is often used to describe Islam by Muslims as well as others intent upon
offsetting acts legitimately carried out or conducted and mandated by Islam that are not peaceful and which may
offend another culture or group of people, is to badly distort the reality of the complete and true picture of Islam. I
have provided for your viewing a flowcharta map, if you willdrawn by a Muslim brother I consider to really be a
scholar, very knowledgeable in both the Arabic language, the Quran and the Sunnah, and Islamic terminology in
general. He is a very humble brother that I owe a great deal of credit to for furthering my understanding of Islam.
View the chart, if you will, in silent contemplation. It is not Islam, but I want you to consider it as providing a useful
graphic way of thinking of how to describe and think of Islam as a complete and total way of life! For the Muslim, we
need to think of Islam as the way we should live our lives, not as a static nonliving label. I could easily write books
about each box of the chart, and it would still be incorrect to say that this is Islam.

Even this excellent flowchart is representative of no more than an introduction to the systems of Islam. In a wellknown hadith, Aisha (ra) the beloved wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was once asked to describe Prophet
Muhammad. Her answer was He is the Holy Quran walking. For those persons not familiar with this kind of
analogy, what I am saying, again, is that language itself, descriptive or otherwise, is not identical with the thing itself as
it exists in the real world. I infer that for Aisha, what she chose to say was the most explicit way she could find to
describe the characteristics of the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad. Aisha is saying look at the man. What he is
about is best seen by observing, by watching, by sensing the actions of the man as he moves about in the real
world. She was saying any words she might chose to describe him were just words. He was a living piece of flesh, an
example of how those who really wanted to know might best begin to grapple with the language of the Holy Quran in
a more meaningful way, what, in her understanding, would be the best way for the inquirer to know and internalize the
answer to the questionWhat is the prophet like? Clearly, if just the reading of the Holy Quran itself were all that is

necessary to understand and behave correctly on every aspect of it, there would have been no need for a Messenger
who was made to specifically act and make clear the language of the book. If this man thought of as the Messenger
of Allah (God) acted any old way and said any old thing just as any other human being would do, the label the
Messenger of Allah (God) would clearly be inappropriate and clear for all to see that to be the case.
A mistake made by many people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, comes into play by confusing words, statements,
pronouncements, symbols, etc., with the things of the world as they exist in a non-language form. Said another way,
an acceptance and confusion of words with reality as though the words themselves exactly mirror the nonverbal world
can be a mistake of major proportions. Yet it is a frequently occurring transgression. Alfred Korzybski, the founder of
General Semantics, says in his groundbreaking book Science and Sanity that those of us who function in such a way
who equate words with things can be characterized as persons acting in an UNSANE way. Im sorry to report
there are a lot of UNSANE people about and I (rarely I hope) sometimes fall into that category myself.
Our best proof for the need to understand the importance of not confusing words, labels, with unique individuals,
I find embodied in one of many passages of the Holy Quran quoted below. Some of Prophet Muhammads (PBUH)
most avowed enemies are frequently listed as the Jews. Not his only enemy. One enemy, a member of his own tribe,
the Quraish, Abu Lahab, an Arab, is agreed upon by most Quranic commentators to have been his archenemy. Yet
there is a passage in the Holy Quran that occurs in more than one place that says, Surely those who believe and
those who are Jews and the Christians and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah [God] the Last Day and
does good, they have their reward with their Lord and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve (Holy
Quran 2:62).
There are some slight variations in the translation of this passage among the many English translations available (I
have twelve), but the point I am making here and that is made by Allah (God) and picked up by all the translators is
that, finally, it is not the label per se that makes the difference (Jew, Christian, Sabian), it is only the distinct individual
and his or her actions that gets weighed. One of the translators in his commentary said, The above passage which
recurs several times in the Quran, lays down a fundamental doctrine of Islam. With a breadth of vision unparalleled
in any other religious faith, the idea of salvation is here made conditional upon three elements only: belief in God,
belief in the Day of Judgment, and righteous action in life (Muhammad Asad, trans., The Message of the Quran, p.
14, footnote 50).
Another translator said about this same passage, This verse strikes at the root of the idea of a favored Nation,
whose members alone may be entitled to salvation. The subject is introduced here to show that even the Jews,
notwithstanding their transgressions which had made them deserving of Divine wrath, were entitled to a goodly reward
if they believed and did good deeds. It should be borne in mind that as shown in verse 19, belief in Allah [God] and
the Last Day is equivalent to belief in Islam as the true Religion. The statement made amounts to this, that salvation
can not be obtained by mere lip profession by any people, not even by the Muslims unless they adhere to a true belief
and do good deeds (Muhammad Ali, trans., p. 31, footnote 104, sixth ed.).
Actually, there is an even more appropriate understanding about that particular ayat (2:62) once one begins to
recognize that since many things in the Holy Quran were revealed in the context of questions put to Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) on issues that needed to be dealt with at a particular point in time, context must be considered. As
I understand and have researched it, that particular ayat was revealed to clarify the fact that prior to the time Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) received the Holy Quran, there were certainly people who had received other messages from
other prophets and Messengers. Some Messengers and Prophets, says the Holy Quran, Allah had mentioned and
some he had not mentioned (40:78).
Those persons who followed their Messengers and books in their time would be judged according to that time and
their behavior. Once the coming of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), however, we have a different story. His message
succeeded all others, and so the Jews, Christians, and Sabians (it appears that there are still a few Sabians around)
should now be following Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They arent (Ali Al-Timimi, Abrahamic Faiths: Clarifying
Misconceptions, Islaam.com).
Remember, labels are just thatlabels. They should best be considered generalizations about the real world. In the
real world, nothing is 100% percent identical with something elsenothing! Even so-called identical twins are not
identical in every aspect of their being.
You will hear such statements from me again and again as I continue to develop the distinction between Islam and
the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. By calling something Islam or representing an act to be in the
name of Islam, to think of countries or states even though they may be populated by a majority of Muslims as a true

Islamic state just by designating the state as such would be a mistake. Muslims first and foremost should be intelligent
and perceptive enough to realize that all of those countries today being represented as Muslim have very little to do
with Islam, in the sense that Islam should really be understood. In fact, many at the leadership level are actually at the
forefront of working against Islam. I am hopeful, too, that non-Muslims seeking the Creator with all their heart, who
really come into the correct understanding of what the true nature of Islam is really about, will realize that too and stop
giving the Muslims such a hard time. Islam is most certainly not to be equated with the acts of individuals, whether
they call themselves Muslims or not, who participate in violent acts that cause the death of innocent people. The Holy
Quran clearly states anyone who kills a human being that has not been ordered to do so by Allah, it is as though he
has killed all of humanity.
Allah (God) has given the Muslims a clear reference that defines the Islamic system in its structure and details. The
Muslims should take the initiative first to understand their system in order to present the correct Islamic ideas to the
non-Muslims as well, so as to make it impossible for anyone to sell us anything in the name of Islam and get away
with it. If the Muslims continue to insist that Islam is general principles with no details, a bag of rituals, an emotional
high fueled by rhetoric, that Islam has nothing to do with political life, a pointless series of jihad, then we can blame
no one but ourselves if somebody fills in the details for us in the name of Islam.
Later in this book, we will be using this same methodology and understanding to examine the works of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It will be useful in helping us to unravel the misunderstandings, the myths that have
arisen as to the reasons he was so successful in what he set about accomplishingthe raising of a large segment of a
forgotten, mentally and spiritually dead people to a place of prominence and respect in the world. But why, though he
clearly pointed them in that direction, he failed to establish Islam in its correct form during his lifetime.
ETC.

CHAPTER 2
SOMETHING OF MY EARLY YEARS
MY STORY

I consider myself blessed to have been born to a wonderful mother and father who were born and raised in North
Carolina. I learned in a sketchy form that my father and one of his brothers had taken the position when threatened and
accosted by some white Carolinians, I aint gonna take that kind of sh from you, in their younger days. My
grandfather had to rush them out of the area to prevent an incident. I never learned the details. Both my mother and
father then moved to Newark, New Jersey, in 1927, where my two brothers and I were born. My youngest brother
died at the age of two from pneumonia, but I still have one brother that I love dearly who, at the time of this writing, is
still alive. He considers himself a Christian. My fathers name was Theodore Roosevelt McCallum (how do you think
he came by that?), but everyone always called him Rose for some reason or other. My mothers name was Katie
Florence.
It was my parents habit to keep close ties with their relatives in North Carolina, so they returned to North Carolina
frequently, usually in the summertime so that my brother and I could also develop family ties and spend the summer
with my grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I found I also had an older sister, on my fathers side, who resided in North
Carolina (Im sorry to say, she passed during the writing of this book). I still remember those carefree summer days
spent in North Carolina, a very, very rural area situated between two small towns, Roland and Maxton. One had to
travel along a dirt road to reach my grandparents home. I had the pleasure of visiting there only a year or two ago
and, even at that time, had to travel a dirt road to reach the old, now-abandoned house.
My father would always drive us there, and I recall vividly the fact that once we passed the Mason Dixon line (a
233-mile boundary line established in October 1767 between the slave states of the South and the free states of the
NorthMaryland and Delaware at the time), everything was divided into white and colored. There were almost no
places we could stop to eat along the way, so we always took plenty of food with uschicken and the like. I also
remember, too, that once past the Mason Dixon line, and traveling on the highways and byways, we inevitably took
Route 1 prior to the development of interstate highways. As we passed homes, where our people would be sitting out
on the porches or out in the fields, they would always wave to us, whether they knew us or not. A kind of friendly
gesture, a kind of natural bonding that has long since been lost, but Im sure those persons who made the same kind
of trips we did fifty, sixty, or seventy years ago can identify with what Im saying here.
By and large, during my visits to North Carolina, there was almost no reason for me to interact with Caucasians
(white people, so as not to confuse anyone) except when we went to town. Let me tell you about one of those
occasions when I did have to deal with them. We usually went to visit the South in the summertime; during our school
vacation and during those times, it was quite hot there. While in town one day, I saw a little white boy coming out of a
confectionery store licking on a snow cone and I decided I would like one of them. I went into the store alone and told
the man behind the counter that I would like the same thing the little white boy had. I was about ten or eleven years
old. The man behind the counter said he didnt have any more, but I was looking right at the ingredients for making
one right in front of him.
Remember now, I was from the North, Newark, New Jersey, where that kind of outright refusal to be served was
not so readily apparent, so I stood there telling the man he must have misunderstood me. I said, There is what I want
right in front of you. The man could see that this little nigger just didnt know what was going on, and he began to
approach me. Just at that moment, my uncle who had brought me to town came into the store, witnessed what was
going on, and quickly grabbed me by the hand and pulled me out. I was still protesting, explaining to my uncle that I
just wanted one of those snow cones that I saw and the guy wouldnt give me one. Im sure I dont have to go on
with this story. I recall it and put it before you here as one of those things that stick with you. It was one of those
things among others that perhaps helped me become very comfortable and accepting it as fact, when in 1957, I heard
Malcolm X say, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us the white man is the devil.
We lived in what was primarily an African American neighborhood (we were called colored people in those days),
but I recall there was one section within a few blocks of us with a fair sprinkling of Caucasians, primarily of Jewish
origin. I recall this well because there were at least two in my elementary school graduation picture. One was Hymie
Feiverson, and the other, Murray Dickson. Both Jews. I still recall their names because we had become great friends.
The memory sticks with me also because prior to reaching the eighth grade, there were at least nine other Caucasian

students in the class, most of them were girls, but they were all pulled out prior to graduation and none of them were
in the graduation picture. Yet most of them did attend the same high school as I did. Hymies and Murrays parents
were not very well-to-do, and they could not afford to move when the others did. I was only thirteen years of age
when I graduated, so I guess I really didnt think too much about it. Hindsight of course brings a clearer picture, as
black folks gather, white folks flee. Same old story.
All the stores in the neighborhood were owned and run by Jews. Most of them seemed to be quite friendly. I
remember with great clarity the store on the corner owned by the man we called Max. I remember him so well
because we could count on him to be, as far as we could tell, fair, and he and his wife were one of my very first
dental patients. They did not live in the neighborhood. The hand laundry for shirts and the like was owned and
operated by the Chinese in those days. I dont recall any sizeable real business owned by African Americans at the
time. I do recall that it was common practice for someone coming into the neighborhood once or twice a week with
either a pushcart or horse and wagon soliciting your junkmetal, cans, bottles, and the like, anything that could be
resold. But even a substantial number of them were Caucasians. Then, too, as I think about it, there were some of our
people coming into the neighborhood selling fruits and/or vegetables from a horse and wagon. Except for barbershops
and a few mom and pop stores, that was about the extent of African American (colored folks) businesses.
I learned with a great shock, when I was only five or six years old, that my father was a handyman, the sweeper
and janitor for Woolworths five-and-ten-cents store. That might be the equivalent of what today we call the dollar
store. Well, why should my learning of his occupation come as such a shock? Let me help you with that.
By and large, most children, in my day, that had a father at home that was considerate and caring thought the sun
rose and set in their dads. Dad could do anything! Compared to most of our friends, my brother and I seemed to lack
for nothing. When Christmas came around, there was always something under the tree, and no matter how hard my
brother and I tried to stay up late to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus putting something under the tree, we never seemed
to be able to catch Mom and Dad playing Santa. Yes, I was raised with the Santa Claus lie. So since my father was
such a great provider, I naturally assumed he had a great job, a big, well-paying job. Then one day, for some reason I
cant recall, my mother had to go to my fathers job, and she took us with her.
When we arrived at Woolworths, it just so happened that my father was standing in front of Woolworths with one
of those dustpans with the long handle attached to it in one hand and a broom in the other, sweeping the trash from in
front of the store. As young as I was, for some reason or other, I felt betrayed, devastated. My dad was surely the
greatest! What was my wonderful dad doing sweeping up in front of somebodys store, with overalls and all on? In
my mind, my dad was supposed to own the store.
My dad passed in 1974, but to this day, that picture, which must have been sixty-eight or so years ago now, still
haunts me. My first statement in this book about my parents was that they were wonderful people. My house was a
kind of gathering place even in early childhood for most of my friends. I recall we were the first people in the
neighborhood to get a TV and when my father purchased his first car. It was a green-and-black 1934. Model T Ford.
He piled us in it and rode up and down the street blowing the horn. That horn would go uggah, uggah! For him, from
that time forward, to own an automobile was his pride and joy. When he passed, he passed on the ownership of a
Cadillac limousine. His last job had been that of a self-employed driver or chauffeur, hiring out for weddings and
funerals.
My father never went past the sixth or seventh grade in school, but he was one of these people who, just by
instinct, could fix things around the house that even after my college education, I hadnt learned to tackle. Understand
what I am saying here now about my dad. Dont just consider it sentimental rambling. Yes, it is my dad that Im
talking about, but Im very much convinced and there are many anecdotes to show and many of us can attest to being
reared by strong parentseither father, mother, or bothwith very little education who themselves had some very
natural gift, some capacity over and above the norm.
They were achievers, who in spite of very little formal education seemed to have the ability to reach out and touch
someone, to motivate, to inspire, to do wondrous things. They even produced results that we cant always explain,
interpret things that seemed beyond us, but as we grow in maturity and our knowledge base, rational understanding
evolves, we learn to put things in their proper perspective. Keep in mind this attribute, this possibility, when further
along we begin to track the growth and in-depth understanding of scriptural terminology demonstrated by the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It didnt have to be divine beyond the fact that all gifts to all of us come from the
Creator.
My mother had a much better education than did my father, a year or two of college, I believe. She spent time with

us, a housewife during our younger years. But I do recall that she did housework for some white people when we
were in our early teens and once she worked in a foundryhard workto help Dad make ends meet.
From as early as I can remember, my brother and I had to attend church every Sunday. My mother and father were
pillars of their church. Going to church on Sunday was a given, so you might just as well be ready for it. They
considered themselves Methodist and the church I remember most vividly was named St Johns M. E. Church in
Newark. My father and mother were ushers in the church, you know, that group that gathers to march up and down
the aisles with an offering plate in one hand and a white gloved hand nicely folded in the middle of their backs as they
pass the collection plate. So naturally, my brother and I became ushers. We were members of the Boy Scouts and, of
course, steady Sunday school attendees. I used to ask the preacher a lot of questions (that was just my way then, as it
is now), but by and large, I just pretty much took going to church for granted. I attended church pretty consistently,
right up until the time I joined the army. Now, here is another one of those things that grabbed me as a youth and
remains a part of my consciousness. The church had a balcony that housed the choir and the organ. In the balcony
area in the upper-right-hand corner, there was a really HUGE mural of what was reputed to be Jesus. There was no
way you could miss seeing it whether you were upstairs or downstairs. That mural had to be a least twenty feet high
by fifteen feet wide. It was in a multicolored but somewhat muted presentation. You know, a picture of Jesus with the
halo around the head. Cmon now. You know what Im talking about. If you went to church, you had one in your
church too.
Maybe it wasnt as big as ours, but it was there! This white man with brown eyes, long, somewhat wavy, but
mostly straight brown hair (at least I was spared the blond-haired blue-eyed version) was walking on top of the water
holding the hand of a child (a white child, of course) that I would say appeared to be about five or six years of age. In
the background, there was an old sailing ship that appeared to be having some trouble staying afloat. Remember now,
there was nothing but black folks, African Americans (Negroes in those days), attending this church. To this day, I
can see that picture staring out at me. It is indelibly implanted in my brain, vivid, unerasable. Does this kind of thing
ring a bell with anybody? Now, this goes back more than sixty-five or so years from the time of this writing.
Since, I may very well have riled the sensibilities of those persons who envision Jesuswhom the Muslims call Isa
Ibn MaryamJesus, son of Mary (may Allah [God] be pleased with him) as God or the son of God. Let me make an
important point right here and now before going on about him, whom the Christians call Jesus. There is a passage in
the Holy Quran, the sacred book of the Muslims, where Allah (God), roughly translated, says to Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) and consequently to the Muslims, Revile not those [beings] whom they invoke instead of Allah lest they revile
Allah out of spite, and in ignorance: for, goodly indeed have we made their own doings appear unto every community.
In time, [however] unto their sustainer they must return and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they
were doing (Holy Quran 6:108).
One of the translators of this passage (Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Quran) footnotes it this way: This
prohibition of reviling anything that other people hold sacredeven in contravention of the principle of Gods oneness
is expressed in the plural and is, therefore, addressed to all believers. Thus, while Muslims are expected to argue
against the false beliefs of others, they are not allowed to abuse the objects of those beliefs and to hurt thereby the
feelings of their erring fellow men.
Another translator of the Holy Quran, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, goes even further in his commentary on this passage. He
says, A mans actual personal religion depends upon many things: his personal psychology, the background of his life,
his hidden or repressed feelings, tendencies, or history [which psychoanalysis tries to unravel], his hereditary
disposition or antipathies, and all the subtle influences of his education and his environment. How true!
The task before the man of God is: [1] to use any of these that can sub serve the higher ends. [2] to purify such as
have been misused; [3] to introduce new ideas and modes of looking at things; and [4] to combat what is wrong and
can not be mendedall for the purpose of leading to the truth and gradually letting in spiritual light where there was
darkness before. If that is not done with the discretion and skill of a spiritual Teacher, there may not be only a reaction
of obstinacy, but an unseemly show of dishonor to the true God and His truth and doubts would spread among the
weaker brethren whose faith is shallow and infirm. What happens to individuals is true collectively of nations or
groups of people. They think in their self-obsession that their own ideas are right. Allah [God] in His infinite
compassions bears with them and asks those who have purer ideas of faith not to vilify the weakness of their
neighbors lest the neighbors in their turn vilify the real truth and make matters even worse then they were before.
Insofar as there are mistakes, Allah [God] will forgive and send His grace for helping folly and ignorance. Insofar as
there is active evil, He will deal with it in His own way. Of course the righteous man must not hide his light under

a bushel or compromise with evil or refuse to establish right living where he has the power to do so [Emphasis
mine] (Holy Quran, p. 321, footnote 936, A. Yusuf translation).
Okay, Salaam, so whats with this family story? What else are you trying to say? Well, I am not just trying to say,
but I am in fact saying, and want the reader to clearly understand, that I am firmly convinced and can Google up study
after study to document that a strong, well-bonded family structure provides the environment and basic framework
that makes for healthy and sturdy children. It definitively lays the basic groundwork for the development of the kind of
human being that the Creator intended His creation, both male and female, to be. All sound scripture bears witness that
the Creator didnt leave Adam out there fending very long for himself before he gave him that incomparable
companion, Eve. Remember now, it was Adam and Eve, not John and George.
Much of my basic thrust throughout this book will be that the clear and now well-documented history of the
destruction of the family structure visited upon the slave in America, the robbing of our original language and religion,
as so graphically put forth by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, was and continues to be a major factor in the deeprooted, perplexing, psychologically disruptive behavior of so much of the African American population today.
Islam, on the other hand, insists that one respects ones parents, even if you are a Muslim and they are not. As long
as they do not curse your God and your religion, you must respect and honor them. Neither of my parents ever
became Muslims in the formal sense, but I cant recall a single instance where my father struck my mother or even
yelled at her in our presence. Being human beings they must have had their disagreements, but we never knew about
them. I am pleased and blessed to say that today, in spite of the usual sometimes knockdown, drag-out disagreements
that married couples can have, my wife and I, being no exception (for us, not literal knockdown and drag-out
disagreements), she can bear me witness that I have never raised a hand to her nor she to me. At the time of this
writing, we can boast of a fifty-six-year marriage and sixty years of togetherness.
My wonderful wife, Khadijah, comes from a family of eleven children. I knew and got along well with every one of
her brothers and sisters. Her mother and father, too, remained together throughout their married lives. Her mother was
a knockdown, drag-em-out, no-nonsense, speaking-in-tongues, holy-roller preacher. Interestingly enough, my wifes
grandfather was a Caucasian. Do you think she, having parents who were born in Virginia in the early 1900s to a
family that had owned slaves and served as house servants themselves, ever got a chance to sit on her grandfathers
knee and chat with him as grandparents often love to do? Not hardly! When her grandfather died and his legitimate
children found that my wifes grandfather did have some concern for my wifes father, one of his illegitimate children,
they gave him five thousand dollars and a car and told him when the sun rose in Lynchburg the next morning, he and
his family best not be there. Well, you better believe when the sun rose, he nor his family were there. Same old story,
isnt it? My wife has told me that story many a times. It leaves a bitter taste. She, like I, after hearing Malcolm in those
days, had no problem accepting the premise, even though her own grandfather was white, that the white man was
the devil.
Our children have grown up pretty much intact. Thanks to Allah (God), no drug addictions or imprisonments. They
have now produced children and grandchildren of their own.
Let me break the flow of things here for a moment. I think right now is a good place to interrupt, to make what I
think is another very important point that I must share and make clear to you. Whatever you read here is inseparably
embedded in who I was, who I am, and who I am becoming. Everything I write here should be considered a map; it is
my map of the things I have experienced, and now I am attempting to impart those experiences to you in the form of
the written word. The experiences were just that, experiences, nonverbal activities, not words. I am mapping those
experiences for you using language. I, as every mapmaker, am a part of the map whether I like it or not, and whether
you like it or not. Its part of who I am.
Let me see if I can make this a little clearer. I used as part of the heading in this chapter the term MY STORY. What
preceded this point, and what will follow is the inescapable fact that what you have read and will be reading and
attempting to follow as you go is, again, the map I have made of my experiences andthe MAP IS NOT THE
TERRITORY. The map is representative of the territory it is mappingMY STORY! So follow me carefully here now
as I lay out for you what I MEAN, as I attach specific meaning to the term MY STORY.
Humankind can be described in many ways, but for sure, we can say that one of the most apt ways we can
describe ourselves is that as a species we are a storytelling form of life.
Milton Dawes, a well-respected teacher of General Semantics, established for me a very interesting way of looking
at and writing about this mostly human characteristic. With his permission, I have included a few excerpts from the
many observations he has made. He wrote,

Other life forms, in their own way, tell stories, but few of us believe these to be anywhere near as
extensive, as varied and as fanciful as the stories we (humans) tell. We tell ourselves stories about
ourselvessometimes distressing ourselves with our own stories. We tell others stories about our
children, our marriages, our pets, our fears, hopes, beliefs, vacations, and so on. We also make up and tell
each other stories about other story-tellers. We repeat others stories, sometimes in an admiring way,
sometimes to discredit them.
Politicians tell stories they think we want to hear, hoping that we will believe their stories and elect them to
office. Advertisers use words, images, music, etc., to tell us stories extolling the virtues of their clients
products and ser-vices. Revolutionaries tell stories about the good life to come after present leaders are
removed. Scientists tell us stories about their discoveries of some relationships they have explored.
Theologians and religious leaders tell us stories purportedly about God and His/Her relationship with the
world, and about how we should behave toward each other. Philosophers tell us stories, purportedly about
the nature of reality, values, meanings, and so on.
Now, these story-tellers do not usually introduce their stories by saying This is my story. Could it be
that they/we suspect that we/ others would listen differently? In my story [Milton Dawess story], I
visualize a society with an evolved education system, where teachers at all levels would recognize their
roles as story-tellers. They would help students evaluate what they read and hear in terms of degrees
of fantasy and degrees of accurate representation. They would advise students to become more aware
of the stories they tell themselves, and the stories they tell to others. They would also remind students that
there are times to reserve judgment on a story.
When we hear the word story, among the images that might pop up are those of a parent telling a child
a story; children listening attentively to stories in a classroom; stories we read in books; myths, and so on.
We also tend to think of stories as fictionalnot factualbut fanciful and made up. It is part of my story
that we all create, invent and make up stuff. Our everyday conversations, news reports, books and
articles we write, documentaries, etc., are all made upand as such, they also qualify as stories. In my
story, I suggest that we would greatly improve our understanding of ourselves, others, situations we find
ourselves in, and the world around us, if we considered the following:
Anything we read, hear, think, feel, believe, say, write, etc., qualifies as a story. The stories we make up
about someone elses story is not their storyit is our story, about their story. Stories are not objective
reports. Stories will unavoidably be slanted in terms of an individuals age, experiences, state of
mind, beliefs, concerns, motives, world view, values, social standing, and so on. Whatever else a
story is about, it is also a story about the story-teller. It reflects his/her thoughts, feelings, experiences,
understanding, etc. Individuals in the same situation will have different stories to tell.
There are unavoidable gaps in our awareness. Therefore no story tells the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. No story is ever the whole story.
Since we depend on light waves, sound waves, electrochemical impulses etc., for information about
ourselves and about the outside world, our stories will always be out of sync with the specific thing(s) or
item(s) they may be referring to (referrents). Things were going on before our arrival. In a sense, we are
always late on the scene. Stories constituted of relatively static words will necessarily be more or less
inaccurate as an account of a world of change, process and multi-interactions.
As maps are not the territories they represent, as words are not the processes they stand for, stories made
up of words and images are not their referents. Stories are about referents, both inside and outside ones
head.
Stories are sometimes presented to us as opinions, facts, truths, insights, intuitions, gut feelings,
revelations, news, etc.
Milton Dawes is a longtime student and teacher of General Semantics. Further exploration of this essay
and much more by and about Milton can be readily obtained by typing Milton Dawes into the Google search
engine. Dont be shook up when you find his position on God is substantially different than mine, but thats
okay. Weve agreed to disagree on that subject.
Lastly, but very importantly, MY STORY, the book you are reading now, will stop someplace. Is MY STORY here

made up? Yes, of course it is. So are yours! Thats the whole point here. Now dont get uptight. That does not mean
it does not contain factual information. Think of it this way: you and some friends attend an affair, a party, a
dinner, a movie, whatever. Then you sit down and talk about it. Let us say the activity was one and one-half hours
long.
Does anyone sit reciting every detail of the activity just participated in, word for word, activity for activity, for the
entire one and one-half hour that the activity lasted? No, of course not. Each one makes up a short story about it. It
becomes their and/or your story about the event. Its a human process known as abstracting. And believe me, the
more one understands about this process, the more you become conscious of abstracting, the greater are your
chances of grappling with and understanding the real world.
We all must end our stories, but thats not the end of the story. I have revised this writing umpteen times, there is
still more to say, and there is still much left out. Happenings do not start or end just because we start and end them
artificially in our story. There is always an ETC.!
I have paused to say all that I have written above to let the reader know Im not putting forth this book to get into
an argument with anyone. Hostility breeds hostility. What I have written herein is information based whenever possible
on personal experiencesmy ownand those of others that I trust, many of whom had personalities to or knowledge
of the principal characters I will be discussing, Malcolm X and/or the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad as well as the
Nation of Islam. This is why I am saying this is MY STORY and telling you something about me. Its no ego trip.
There will be no righteous preaching or holier than thou pronouncements laid out here. It is the rare one in this
culture that can boast of no skeletons in the closet. The Holy Quran says, If Allah [God] were to punish Men
according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the Earth a single living creature: but He Gives
them respite for a stated term; when their term expires, verily Allah [God] has in His sight all His servants (35:45).
This should not be taken to mean we should not be striving with all our might to avoid evil or bad deeds. Remember
the well-established saying You reap what you sow.
I have tape recordings from table conversations with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that others heard, but I am
the one who recorded themalone as far as I know. Some of that information was shared in something I produced
called the Table Talks of Muhammad, which was sent to some of the laborers in the Nation of Islam at that time, and
some I never transcribed except for some things you will find in this book. I have some movies and videos of activities
that I recorded related to Malcolm that I personally filmed. I am also sure I have some film (now on video) of Malcolm
when he was interviewed by some French news people that I have never seen anywhere else. I will be making a few
quotes from some of that material. So if you dont like or agree with My Story, I mean like, hey, thats all right. Im
not going to fall apart about that. Write YOUR STORY. I have laid my cards on the table and tried to do what the Holy
Quran says:
Invite all to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching. And argue with them in ways that
are best and most gracious; For thy Lord knoweth best who have strayed from His Path and who receive
guidance. (16:125)
Now, back to the early years.
After graduating from grammar school, I happened upon a part-time job when I was only thirteen years of age,
working after school and during the summer in a dental laboratory. I did that for the entire time that I was in high
school, and it was because of my experiences there and the urging of the owner that I decided to become a dentist.
The owner was a Caucasian, a Jew, descriptive terms purposefully inserted here for you to take note.
Though I have heard many describe the discouragement rather than encouragement being spoken to them by their
Caucasian teachers or associates suggesting they accept some menial role in adulthood. Malcolm X, in his
autobiography, talks about the discouragement fostered upon him by his teacher. In my case, except for one specific
instance that I will mention later, that wasnt always my experience. Im sorting out for you as well as myself some of
the factors that may have played a role in my deciding the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had the right message for me
when I first heard it.
Like many neighborhoods today, there were street gangs in neighborhoods when I grew up too, but nothing like
what one witnesses today. I spent a great deal of time with a closely knitted group of friends and I cant say we
represented a gang in any way. Nevertheless, there were gangs in nearby neighborhoods, so one had to learn to
defend oneself. That, fortunately, I learned to do at a young age, so I was never the victim of any gang violence
(which was usually limited to fistfights anyway). After I had a few encounters with some of the so-called tough guys
in the neighborhood gangs, it became clear, Man, you better leave Leo alone. My slave name was Leo McCallum in

those days.
The high school I attended from 1943 to 1947 was named South Side High School at the time of my attendance.
This same high school, in later years, has been given the name Macolm X Shabazz High Schoola misnomer. In the
Nation of Islam, Shabazz was considered an Islamic name, a holy name, but the X nullifies it! Any one
knowledgeable about the history of the Nation of Islam and why those of us who accepted the teachings of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad placed an X after our first name would know that. You dont put an X before an
Islamic or what was considered a holy name. This shows you how much the people who were responsible for naming
the school knew (or did not know) about Malcolm, the Nation of Islam, or Islamic nomenclature. More about this later
too.
Small world that it is, one of my wonderful daughters, Mrs. Valerie Best, who became an educator herself, taught at
that same school for sixteen years.
The high school was pretty well integrated. I was a cheerleader in my sophomore year and a football player in my
junior and senior year. In those days, all of the cheerleaders were male and white (a real drag, huh?) until I joined and
broke the color barrier. I recall formulating a special cheer that was incorporated into the cheerleaders repertoire. It
went like this:
South Side High with a skitty scat, were going to beat those cats and send them back. With a hey de hey
and a hi de ho, were going peck and peck and peck some mo, Hey, hey, our team is red-hot! Hey, hey,
your team is all shot!
This phrase is repeated several times, accompanied by some interesting gyrations. Strange, I still remember that
cheer.
I would characterize race relations at the high school as fairly standard. Since there was a greater preponderance of
white to black students in the school, there were no real face-offs. As an aside, I ran across a class reunion
photograph sitting around here made about fifteen years ago.
There were thirty-eight alumni in the picture. Only twelve were African Americans.
Although interracial mixing was generally accepted, interracial coupling was not! I recall that there was a friend of
mine, closer to my brother than myself since he was in my brothers class, two years ahead of mine, who had what
was characterized as a close relationship with a white girl. It was of course the talk of the school, and Florence, the
girl involved (I wont give her last name although I remember it well), was somewhat ostracized. It didnt seem to
matter too much among the African American students since Rodman, the student involved with her (I remember his
last name too), was considered a nerd by us anyway. What is meant by nerd here is that he was an honor student
and appeared to prefer to associate with Caucasians. I never considered him an outright Uncle Tom, and since he
was a good friend of my brother, we got along fine. Yet I would say he was never really considered to be one of the
boys.
I remember one personal incident regarding myself that still seems to stand out. The school had what was called a
General Organization Assembly, a student body for which a student would be chosen from each class to voice
whatever concerns or ideas they had about the operation of the school. They met about once a month. Generally
speaking, the more popular students with fairly good grades were chosen to represent his or her class. The group had
a faculty adviser, of course, but the meetings were chaired by a student who was elected as President by the school as
a whole. It was a competitive post and any student interested had to campaign for the position.
You had to put up posters, pass out fliers, talk to the students, and that sort of thing. Somehow or other, I just dont
clearly remember how or why, I ended up in a race for the position. I had a fair talent for organizing, had good grades,
and was popular (remember I had been a creative cheerleader and a football player). Somehow or other, I developed a
close relationship with Barbara F., a white girl. She was a good artist and, just out of the blue one day, said she would
help me with my campaigning. Well, that kind of started something, and before long, of course, rumors were flying. I
even remember going to her home one evening and we lay on the floor together side by side composing my campaign
posters. She was composing something, and I was composing something, and we apparently found it convenient and
of little consequence to share a common space with one another so we could share ideas. Her mother was our
chaperone and I got the feeling her mother was somewhat askance about this relationship, but she never said anything
to me about it, and I had enough sense not to keep showing up at her house to create a problem. I won the election,
but it quickly became apparent to both of us that we would have to keep our distance from one another. There was
another white student running for the post who had asked her to help him with his campaign, and when she chose to
help me instead, you might say she let herself in for some real problems.

In my late teen years, I have had both negative and positive experiences in my relationship with Caucasians. Let me
speak of another experience that I vividly recall. After graduating from high school, I was kind of in limbo. Although
my experiences in the dental laboratory field had established at least a leaning to be a dentist, I soon found the actual
reality of my home situation was that my parents were not in a financial position to send me to college, the first step in
making that happen. It so happened that I graduated from high school in February 1947.
World War II was just two years behind us, but the armed services was still actively recruiting volunteers with the
offer of what was known as a GI Bill of Rights, still in vogue at the time. That meant once completing ones term in
the armed service, you could get some kind of financial help in attending college. So as Allah (God) would have it, I
joined the army. Just in time, too, because within two years after that, all such benefits stemming from World War II
were cut off to joining members of the armed service and one had to serve at least three years. I served just eighteen
months.
Prior to going to the service, I had learned to become a fairly proficient dental laboratory technician. Therefore, after
completing basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, I was interviewed and sent to Texas to medical field service
school to become a certified dental laboratory technician at Fort San Houston in San Antonio, Texas.
During my time in the armed services (1947-48), in spite of the fact that we had fought and died in every war that
this country has ever engaged in, all the armed services were completely segregated until President Harry Truman
issued the order for desegregation in late 1948. However, due to cost, Im sure, there was only one medical field
service school for everyone. There were only three African Americans (blacks) in training there. One was a friend that
I had known before I went into the service, and we had enlisted at the same time. The other was a brother about ten
years my senior. He introduced me to smoking marijuana (I did inhale) and street life. I was that third African
American. I was eighteen years old.
I am sure I dont have to tell you about the separateness of things in Texas at that time. Nonetheless, as best I can
recall while in camp, I got along fine with all the white boys in the school since we all shared the same barracks. In
fact, as I recall, I became pretty good friends with a couple of them. We all seemed sad when graduation time came
and we each had to go our separate ways.
After completing the training there, I was of course resegregated and sent to the army base at Silver Springs,
Maryland, and from there, I was assigned to Walter Reed General Hospital dental laboratory in Washington, D.C.,
where I spent most of my dental training career. Once I completed the training at the medical field service school, I
was supposed to become what was called a T5, which stands for a corporal technician (two stripes). All the white
boys received their two stripes. I was ignored even though, having been a dental laboratory technician even before I
went into the service, I was better qualified than all the graduates.
At the lab, they gave me the most menial of jobs, the kinds of tasks I had already learned to do when I worked in
the dental laboratory field before joining the army. Remember now this was 1948 Washington, D.C., and the white
boys held all the boss and high-level jobs at the lab. Nonetheless, I just bided my time and worked my way into various
upper-level positions when I could, even though I was never accorded my proper rank and pay. When I left the
service, I was still a private first class. I havent forgotten that. I served my eighteen months and left at the tender
age of nineteen.
Once out of the service, I was what you might call footloose, that is, I wasnt really tied to anything of note, but
my technical expertise and occasional part-time jobs as a dental laboratory technician did keep me thinking on
dentistry. Fortunately, enlistees at the time I went into the service had been extended what was called the GI Bill of
Rights. It was based on the opportunity offered by the GI Bill of Rights for financial assistance if attending school that
I decided to go to college. Because of its reputation and proximity to me, I chose New York Universitys Washington
Square College. I had taken a college preparatory course in high school and had achieved good grades, so I was
granted the right to take a pre-dental course, and for four years, I hit the books.
Although I had a government subsidy through the World War II GI Bill of Rights, it did not cover outside expenses.
Consequently, I worked in various occupations during the summer months, construction work, grocery warehouse
worker, dental lab technician, busboy, whatever I could find. One of the things I think back on now with mixed
emotions is that I seemed to be a very good gambler playing cards. This was facilitated by the fact that for many years
my parents ran a little mom and pop grocery store and a close group of friends and I spent many weekends in the
back of the store, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning playing poker.
I seemed to win a fair amount of the time, but because I was still hitting the books, frequently, I would let them play
and I would what you call cut the game and study while the others played cards. Gamblers know that meansthe

house man is entitled to take some percentage from the pot of each winners hand. Some of that had to be fed back to
a loser every now and then if he had lost a substantial amount to try and help him stay in the game to try and
recuperate some of his losses. Even so, the houseman always came out ahead.
Im sure my parents were distressed about our using the back of the store like that, but they realized that it gave me
a chance to gain a few bucks to continue to go to school. It was really nothing much more than what I would label a
penny ante game. The most one could bet was two dollars and we were all friends. But now that I think about it,
fifty years ago, two dollars was a lot of money. There were never any fights.
Although I admit to a bit of gambling in those days, I never ventured into hard drugs. A little marijuana perhaps, in
fact my best friend at that time and I found a field where it grew and we had ourselves a little business going for a
while. I remember that I used to keep some of the stuff at home in a hat box and people would come by to purchase
it. My father found our stash one time and threw every bit of it out! Man, I was hot, but I was only nineteen or
twenty years old, I lived in his house, so what was I going to say? He, in his heart, Im sure felt he was protecting and
looking out for me. In hindsight, I have to agree with that. From what I have seen and heard about the street life out
here nowadays, I am not at all hesitant to say that I believe a father who chanced such an act against one of his
children today would be in BIG trouble. He just might get shot!
My four years in college were practically trouble free. I was on the wrestling team (only African American on the
team, of course), made good grades, and minded my own business. I was still a churchgoer but not intently interested
in religion (Christianity) as I heard it in those early years. I do recall with some clarity, one instance in college, when
my English teacher accused me of plagiarism. I had read some works of Carl Sandburg and I was very much
impressed by his writing style.
On this particular occasion, I was required to write a paper and evidently I used a style in my writing that was
reminiscent of Sandburgs. I still remember the staccato style that I usedvery riveting. It was very good. So good,
in fact, that my English teacher accused me of plagiarizing the piece from Sandburg, gave me an F, and called me up
to warn me that plagiarism was a serious charge and I could flunk out of the class. After all, what is this colored
boy doing writing such a great essay?
Well, again thanks to Allah (God), I had written and rewritten the piece several times in my notebook. I was able to
show her how and where I crossed this out and added that and made notes here and there in the margins, etc. (this
was before the days of word processors, of course), definitely demonstrating the composition was my own. She,
then, very reluctantly gave me a D, a barely passing grade when actually, if the piece was so good she thought I had
plagiarized it from Sandburg, it should have been worth an A, right? I asked her about that. She said, Well, the
grammar you used was bad. After all, I could not be accorded the same poetic license accorded to Sandburg.
In the army, I had picked up the bad habit of smoking cigarettes, but through my college years, no arrests, no
addicting drugs, no really bad memoriesbut plenty of girls and plenty of party going. I had not yet met my present
wife, of coursesmile.
June 1952, graduation time. I had successfully completed my pre-dental course at NYU (New York University) and
had to look into entering some dental school. My first choice was NYU Dental School. It had a good reputation, many
of my classmates had been accepted there, and I had been going back and forth from homeNewark, New Jersey, to
New Yorkanyway. Seemed like a natural. No luck. To this day, I dont know why I wasnt accepted there, but I
never fretted too much about it. I had been accepted at Howard University Dental School and Columbia University
School of Oral and Dental Surgery. Im fairly certain my acceptance at Columbia was due to two factors.
I was on the wrestling team while at NYU and the coach was a Cuban, who was himself an alumnus of Columbia,
and said he could make a recommendation for me. It was also during the summer months while I was attending NYU
and working as a dental laboratory technician for a Jewish man, Harry Knopf. Ill never forget him. He was quite a bit
older than I, but for some reason or other, we developed a tight relationship. He was quite instrumental in the early
development of my dental practice. He was a top-notch dental laboratory technician and the once part-owner of the
dental lab I had worked in during my high school years. He worked for his brother, a dentist with an office in
Brooklyn, New York, who was also an alumnus of Columbia. During the summer months, I worked for them. Harrys
brother, Dr. Samuel Knopf, provided me references and that seemed to do it. I could still continue to travel back and
forth home to earn money on the weekends and save some expense. So Columbia it was. I didnt mind working and
my parents were fantastically supportive in spite of their low income.
When I entered Columbia, there were no black students in attendance in the entire dental school. Let me say that
again. THERE WERE NO BLACK FOLKS (AFRICAN AMERICANS, FOR SENSITIVE PEOPLE) IN

COLUMBIA DENTAL SCHOOL WHEN I ENTERED AND THERE WERE NONE IN THE FOUR YEARS OF
STUDENTS BEHIND ME! That meant I was the lone brother there for at least eight years.
Okay, Salaam. So how did you feel about that? How did you get along? As far as Im concerned, to the best of my
recollection, I got along great. I have attended three alumni functions since graduation and have maintained what I
consider an excellent relationship/friendship with one of my classmatesa very fine dentist, Dr. Danny Epstein. Ive
never been a head-scratching, knees-knocking black man around white folks to begin with, so there was no need to be
cowed or concerned about that situation. I even made the Jarvie Honor Society before graduation. This was reserved
for the top five percent of the students in each years class. Since, there were only forty students to a class, this was
an elite group.
The one time I recall when I felt there was bias shown was in the selection of the student who received the reward
for proficiency in prosthetics. As I have mentioned several times, I was a dental laboratory technician for many years
before even attending dental school, so I was quite a bit ahead of the other students when it came to dental laboratory
and prosthodontic-type exercises that had to be done for the patients. My father was what was called my
comprehensive patient. That meant someone who needed many phases of dentistry done and I exceeded the
requirements for the dentistry mandated.
I did many things of an advanced nature for him other students were not allowed to do for their patients. I should
have received the prosthetic award upon graduation. In fact, as I recall, my father was still being serviced by the
original dental procedures I did for him when he passed sixteen years later. I didnt get the prosthetic award, but I was
not too torn up about it. Harry Knopf had said to me, Leo, dont get upset if they pass you up for the award. Believe
me, youre not going to get it. He was Jewish himself and knew something about discrimination. It turned out he
knew what he was talking about.
Things went along smoothly in dental school, all things considered. There were some hard economic times.
Columbia was one of the more expensive schools, but thanks to Allah (God)didnt know God by that name thenI
was able to scrape together the funds to hold things together. Still partying, still girls, still smoking cigarettes. I had to
cut down on the girls, of course, when I met my beautiful wife and got married in 1954, fifty-six years ago now.
WOW!
Now its June 1956, the year of my dental graduation. I had taken the state board examinations for New York and
New Jersey and passed them both, so I was now officially a dentist. I could put that piece of paper on the wall and go
to work, but finding a place where I could hang that piece of paper and equipping it as a dental office would be more
than a notion.
My first choice for a dental office was not far from where I had grown up and located in a fairly nice, established,
general business area. There was already one dental office there run by a Caucasian dentist. I went down to the area to
see what I could rent and got quite a shock. There were empty offices in the area all right, but all of sudden, when I
sought them out, they had all already been spoken for. You know that funny polite language for Nigger, dont you
know you cant rent here?
I was devastated, having grown up really not too far from there. As a high school student, the first dental laboratory
I worked for was in that same area and it had just never occurred to me, a big-wheel dentist, that I couldnt set up
where I wanted to. Well, again Allah (God) to the rescue. I didnt have very much money anyway (no money in fact)
and it had just about burned my parents out, getting me through those last two years of dental school.
My first plan was to start a small practice in my parents home. They had a seven-room home with a store beneath
it. I had some dental supply people look at the possibilities there and we were just about ready to start reconfiguring
the house when I stumbled across the opportunity to purchase the home-office of a physician who was anxious to
move to a more upscale area and was willing to take a mortgage on the house himself. It was just a few houses down
from my old high school. All I needed was a down payment. The huge three-story house with the physicians office
would need very little refurbishing. Bingo!
In those days, it was not very difficult to take your degree to the bank, show you were a bona fide dentist, and get a
loan. That happened. At the very start, I had to also borrow a few dollars from one of my gambling buddies and the
owner of the very first dental laboratory I worked for as a high school student, Emanuel Eichler. He was the person
mentioned earlier who, once I showed the interest and aptitude, had urged me to become a dentist when I was
working for him. Eichler agreed to lend me two hundred dollars to tide me along. He became my lab man of course.
Having been born and raised in Newark, I was well-known in the area and there being very few African American
dentists practicing dentistry in the city, by the summer of 1957 and early 1958, though it was rough at first, my

practice had begun to develop slowly but steadily. I had continued relationships with Harry Knopf, his family, some of
his fiends, and others that I had known and worked with in the dental laboratory became patients of mine. There were
still a fair number of Caucasians living in the neighborhood where I had started my practice that also joined the
practice. My wife was working at the Internal Revenue Service to help things along. At that time, we had four children
between ustwo boys and two girlsand we found ourselves still part of our early group of friends. As often as
possible, we were all still participating in many social activities, partying, celebrating Christmas, etc. We werent heavy
churchgoers at that time, but we still pretty much considered ourselves good Christians.
I was now twenty-six years of age. Up until this time, the word Islam and Muhammad was just something in the
history books. The term ALLAH was just heard when you went to one of these funny movies like The Thief of
Bagdad or some other stereotypical movies about Arabs. You know, somebody begging in the street, alms for the love
of Allah, somebody flying around the city on a flying carpet, Lawrence of Arabia, that kind of stuff. Pay close
attention to what I just laid out for you. I have now completed twenty years of school, eight years in grammar
(elementary) school, four years of high school, four years of college, and four years of dental school, but knew
virtually nothing about Islam. Zip. Zero. Nothing.
Im emphasizing this point because with all of this education, worldly knowledge, you would think I would
know something about one of the major religions of the world, wouldnt you? Zip. Zero. Nothing. Now if that was my
state of knowledge about Islam, how much understanding do you think the man in the street had, especially black
folks for whom a full education was almost a luxury? Yet as we will go into shortly, it has clearly been documented by
a host of researchers and scholars that vast numbers of the slaves brought to this country were Muslims. Remember
Alex Haleys Roots? What happened? Well discuss that.
As I recall, it was sometime in 1957 that one of my closest early childhood friends had come home from serving in
the Merchant Marines as a cook. He stopped in to see us, we renewed our friendship, and he started coming to the
house quite regularly, requested a room, and started living with us. Spencer, that was my friends name, used to do a
lot of the cooking. One day, out of the clear blue sky, he started telling my wife and me we should get rid of the pork
we were storing in the refrigerator. You know what our response was, dont you?
Spencer, have you lost your mind? You want us to throw out all that good ham, sausage, and bacon we have in the
refrigerator? Weve got to get rid of our pork chops? Youve got to be kidding.
He wasnt. So my wife and I listened to learn what was going on with him. It took a bit longer to throw out the
pork.
We soon learned that there was a group of men and women in Newark who for some time had been closely
following the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad via some articles that were appearing in a black-owned
newspaper called the Pittsburgh Courier and the Amsterdam News (a New York-based publication). Some of them had
already processed to the point of receiving their Xs. They were generally referred to as The Council of Brothers.
The articles were entitled Mr. Muhammad Speaks in the Pittsburgh Courier and The Islamic World in the
Amsterdam News. These articles presented the writings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself about his views
of black-white relationships and what he called Islam.
Spencer, under the influence of this group of brothers, had started reading those articles and began bringing them
around to the house for me to read. To the best of my knowledge, most of these articles, if not all of them, after
receiving permission from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to do so, were later compiled and edited by John Ali and
published by the Nation of Islam. John Ali served as the national secretary of the Nation of Islam from 1960 to 1970.
Books such as Message to the Blackman, Our Savior Has Arrived and The Fall of America resulted from this
compilation. Books such as How to Eat to Live, volumes 1 and 2, emerged from the columns dictated by the
Honorable Muhammad for the newspaper Muhammad Speaks.
This early group of Muslims in Newark had also begun to meet in one of the couples home where they began
sharing some of their understanding about the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad with my wife and me
and anyone who would come to listen. In addition to that, Malcolm X had also been assigned to be the minister in New
York City (Temple #7). That was only about a fortyto fifty-minute ride from Newark and Spencer had been going
over to hear him.
All right now, lets picture this. I am now a DOCTOR OF DENTAL SURGERY. I am a graduate of Columbia
University School of Oral and Dental Surgery with honors starting to build a prosperous dental practice. Im having no
overt problems with white folks. In fact, some of them had, as already mentioned, given me considerable support. And
now, here are a bunch of nuts coming around saying that some guy named Elijah Muhammad is saying to all black

folks (then being called So-Called Negroes by Mr. Muhammad) that white peoplemen, women, children, babies, and
allare the DEVIL! You got that?
This uneducated man, who by his own admission never even completed elementary school, is saying to all that will
listen and writing in a public newspaper for all to read that Christianity is not our religion, that something called Islam
is our religion, and that by nature, we are Muslims.
Well, all of that, of course, was fairly easy to dismissat firstsince there was no precedent for accepting such
information in any of my religious, social, or educational experience. Then the brothers started asking me.
Doctor, youve got all these degrees and stuff, what did you say your name is? Id puff up, of course, and say,
My name is Dr. Leo McCallum. Hmm hum. Theyd say, And, Doctor, where did you say you got that name from?
Now tell me about your language. Do you speak any language other than English? Do you even know or have any idea
what language you or the people you originated from, the people who were your ancestors, the people who were
kidnapped by the slave masters and brought here spoke? Doctor, what do you know about your original religion before
the slave master brought our ancestors here? Do you think when the slave master brought us here, we were
Christians?
Now, Im sweating. I didnt have good answers for what they were asking me, education and all. And of course,
these brothers are really rubbing it in here because they were already comfortable with a better understanding of
themselves, while this DOCTOR doesnt stop to think about the fact that he is wearing the name of his foreparents
slave master. Let me insert an interesting piece of information here. While doing some research for this book, I was
rummaging through a special drawer in which I found stashed away in my scrapbook relating to my early years in the
Nation of Islam this tidbit: It was in the Pittsburg Courier, the newspaper that was printing articles by the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad at that time (1956-1958). It was headlined: 250,000 Churchgoers, $45,000,000 in Property.
The byline read Alice A. Dunnigan.
WASHINGTON, D.C.Since the early days of slavery, the church has been a more popular institution
for the masses of the Negro than the school or the lodge. (Authors note: Thats what we were called
thenNEGROES.) History states that not one of the original cargo of slaves, who landed in Jamestown,
Virginia in 1619, was a member of the Christian Faith. Today, however (1957), probably less than one out
of every hundred Negroes in the United States, who adheres to a religious faith, subscribes to any but a
Christian belief.
You got that?
Now my curiosity is aroused, my feelings hurt, and my pride wounded. So I say to myself, Doc, you really need to
learn more about what these people are saying. Youre not going to let a bunch of street people make you look
ignorant, are you?
And thus it began. I started attending some of the meetings at the home of one of the early Newark converts
Brother Solomon X and his wife. I listened quite intently and, as always, asked a lot of questions. I was referred to the
weekly articles being written by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhamad at that time and began to look forward to them with
great anticipation. This was in early 1957.
I still have many of the articles. I laminated many of them to preserve them from deterioration because they became
precious gems of knowledge for me, not only because I was reading this really strange stuff that I had no previous
information about, but on the opposite side of each article, purposefully done or not, was an article by J. A. Rogers,
one of the premier historians and authors of African American (black) history of that day. I came to know him
personally when I started a black history and Islamic books bookstore in New York 1964. As a consequence of J. A.
Rogers articles, there was considerable reinforcement of the position of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
The newspaper, at first, many times just printed the articles, but it was not long before a disclaimer appeared as the
Editors Note that read: The opinions in this column in no manner reflect the editorial policy or beliefs of The Owner.
The views are those of the author.
In sorting through these articles, the first one I appear to have laminated, though Im relatively certain I had started
reading them before that time, was dated April 18, 1957. Let me list a few of the titles of these early articles for you to
give you a flavor or what I was reading and what was being sequentially printed. I have found among my old Nation
of Islam materials a book with all of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads Amsterdam News articles in it, but I see no
need to list them all. What follows is not necessarily the same sequence in which they occurred, but most of what is
listed here is material saved from 1957-1958 and represents weekly columns.

SOME LISTINGS OF A FEW EARLY COLUMNS

March 8, 1959The Significance of Prayer. This article starts off with a quotation from the Holy Quran 22:4143:
41. Those who, if We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor rate and enjoin
good and forbid evil. And Allahs in the end of affairs.
42. And if they reject thee, already before them did the people of Noah and Ad and Thamud reject
(prophets)
43. And the People of Abraham and the people of Lot.
I find even now this article when read is literally indistinguishable from one written by a person whom one would
feel is a learned Muslim, bordering even upon the possibility of being labeled a scholar. Interestingly enough, this article
and the next two that followed, March 15 and 22, all starting with quotations from the Holy Quran, were both about
Prayer in Islam and were said to be authored by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He most certainly had to get the
kinds of things he put forth in those articles, from his studies of the material that had been given or suggested to him
by his teacher, Fard Muhammad.
The quotations were taken from the Maulana Muhammad Ali translation of the Holy Quran, the one he most often
quoted. The publication of this material about prayer was clear evidence he knew about the prayer service and its
importance in Islam. Yet although I had seen him perform the complete prayer service himself at home and although
that understanding was presented to the Muslims not only in these columns but in a little small prayer book that you
received when you became a registered member of the Nation of Islam at the time I registered, the complete and
formal Islamic prayer service per se, as critical as it is to the total internalization of Islam for a Muslim, was never
really taught by him or his ministers as a must do. An early sign here of an Islamic disconnect.
It should be understood that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself never told his followers that the complete
prayer service itself was incorrect for them. I have already pointed out above that in some of his early newspaper
columns, he talked about the importance of prayer. He just never pushed it the way he did most of his teachings. I
dont know what happened in any other Temple, but I distinctly remember that I had talked Akbar Muhammad, the
youngest son of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, into making a tape for me of the complete prayer service. He had
become fairly proficient in Arabic (thanks to the urging of his father) and, back as far as 1960, could clearly be seen
leaning toward the more orthodox form of Islam.
I wanted the tape so that I could present it to Minister James 3X (later known as James Shabazz and assassinated in
1973), who was then the minister of Muhammads Temple #25 in Newark, New Jersey, to be used to teach the prayer
service there. I had started importing Islamic literature as far back as 1959 through the corporate entity I had formed
at the time, The Specialty Promotions Co. Inc., and so I, too, was studying some aspects of Islam beyond the
teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Minister James 3X, understandably, firmly refused to allow its use in
the Temple as a form of instruction for prayer because no such clear directive had come from the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad to instruct him to do so.
I did not push it.
Most of the members of the Nation of Islam, at that time, never really learned how to perform a complete prayer
service, although even nonMuslims know Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day. In fact, in todays world
of high visibility and television coverage, you would think about the only thing Muslims do is pray and commit some
kind of terrorist activity. Almost without exception, when- a scene of a gathering of Muslims is portrayed, one hears
the adhan (the Muslim call to prayer) in the background and a panoramic view of Muslims performing the prayer
service. If not that, with the advent of the uprisings in Iraq, you may witness a scene of untrained Muslim civilians
brandishing weapons and seemingly celebrating something or other. But let us keep in mind that in the case of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, his goals were pretty much already set. His stated aim was to clean up the black men
and women in America and make them or, more succinctly, point them in the direction of Islam and being Muslims.
It was certain that those of us who became his followers had very little understanding what it meant to be a Muslim
in the Quranic sense, beyond the meaning the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad gave to the term. One should not be
surprised then that the formal Muslim prayer service was not actually installed in the Temple. Yes, Temple. Thats
what some of the early meeting places were called. I must point out in all fairness, however, that although the prayer
service being spoken about here was not pushed by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, I have learned there were a
number of temples where some of the officials did set up a prayer teaching service.

Brother Abdul Bin Asad, who was what was known as a captain in the hierarchical structure of the Temple in
Atlanta, Georgia, at that time, and to whom I gave all my laminated Pittsburg Courier articles for his help, says he did
teach and the brothers did to some extent practice prayer. I also made a film where the prayer service itself was
demonstrated by some sisters at an event in Newark, led by Sister Captain Clotelle, who was the MGT (Muslim Girls
Training) captain at the time. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad made it emphatic that his position was that all the little
storefronts, converted churches, homes, and whatnots that his followers were meeting in during those early days were
not fit to be called mosques (Masajid is the correct Arabic transliterated way of saying the plural of mosque). He did
later acquiesce to the use of the term mosque, but initially the term was Temple. To my knowledge, there was never an
official Jumuah service per se established during the reign of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
The established day for Jumuah throughout the Muslim world is Friday. There was a meeting that all the followers
were charged with attending on Fridays, but it was a Friday evening meeting like the Wednesday and Sunday meetings
for some kind of teaching to the Muslims and those persons (designated as lost-founds) who had been invited in to
hear the message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. The Jumuah service is a definite Quranically called for
must service for any group that wished to identify themselves as Muslims. The lack, thereof, in the temples
controlled by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad is another example of a clear-cut Islamic disconnect between Islam
and the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. But, again, Im ahead of myself. Well discuss these issues in
more depth later.
Now, back to the column listings:
March 30 1958The So-Called Negroes Salvation Is In The True Religion, Islam. Started with a quote from
the Holy Quran 47:1-2 (Maulana Muhammad Ali translation):
1. Those who disbelieve and turn (men) from Allahs way, He will destroy their works.
2. And those who believe and do good, and believe in that which has been revealed to Muhammadand it is the
Truth from their LordHe will remove their evil from them and improve their condition.
Nowhere was Master Fard Muhammad mentioned in this article. April 1957Universal Corruption
April 5 1958TIME
April 12 1958Truth To Be Delivered at All Costs. Article started with quotation from the Holy Quran 5:67:
O Messenger, deliver that which has been revealed to thee from thy Lord: and if thou do (it) not, thou hast
not delivered His message. And Allah will protect thee from men. Surely Allah guides not the disbelieving
people.
April 17, 1958Article not titled but now we are starting to be asked about entertaining the idea that God could
be a man! In the article, a question is asked, Can God be a Mystery God and yet send prophets to represent
HIMSELF? As I see it (Dr. AS), that question is easily answered now, of course, as we come into a better knowledge
of Allah and the Holy Quran, Allah (God) points out since humans are not angels, there would be no point in sending
an angel to them.
Say: Had there been in the earth angels walking about secure, We would have sent down to them from the
heaven an angel as Messenger. (Holy Quran 17:95)
April 28, 1958You Must Accept Allah and the True Religion of Islam or Suffer the Chastisement of
Almighty God Allah. (There is nothing said about Fard Muhammad in that entire article.)
May 3, 1958The Truth (Islam) Is Rejected by the Black Preachers of Christianity.
May 24, 1959Not titled but the article starts off in bold type, saying, Did God Say That He Was a Mystery
God or Did Someone Say It of Him? Did God Say He Was a Spirit or Did Someone Say It of Him?
Now clear indications of what we now speak of today as shirk (equating someone with God, a grievous sin in
Islam) begins to emerge. I can say that now of course, but in those days, I wouldnt have even known how to look up
shirk in an English dictionary and I doubt shirk in the Islamic sense was even there anyway. A closer look at shirk
reveals it to be a rather weighty concept, but for simplicity here, we can say there is general agreement, among the
Islamically knowledgeable, that shirk is considered to be of four kinds: (1) A belief in the plurality of gods, (2) A belief
that other things possess the attributes of the Divine Being, (3) The belief that Allah (God) is either a father or a son,
(4) The belief that others can do what is ascribable only to Allah (God). Holy Quran 112 (Al-Ikhlas), one of the
shortest yet most recited chapters, makes it very plain how Allah (God) tells us he is to be perceived. A short but more
exhaustive discussion of this subject can be found in A Dictionary of Islam by Thomas Patrick Hughes.
In July 1958, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad used a few articles to discuss the differences between the Holy

Quran and the Bible. Much of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad early on was based on biblical
scripture, and he knew the Bible well. Both his father and grandfather had been preachers. The people he came to
teach and had to deal with knew next to nothing about the Holy Quran. They were buried in the Bible and loudly
calling on Jesus as the Lord and Savior. Yet early on and throughout his teachings, he was cautioning the reader to
beware of the Bible as the graveyard of my people. He plainly stated that Fard Muhammad, his teacher, had plainly
told him the Bible was a poison book, and one day as Muslims, there would be no need to teach the Bible at all.
Thus it was, even in the early days, the veracity and value of the Holy Quran, in Arabic, as the standard by which we
must learn to judge, was being forcibly put forth even though the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself did not
know any appreciable amount of Arabic. Keep this very important point in mind. Since the original Holy Quran that
is clearly documented to be the word of the Creator was revealed in the Arabic language, any interpretation put forth
by non-Arabic-speaking Elijah Muhammad would have to be the result of what he abstracted from whatever English
language Quran(s) he used, right? Well get back to this very important issue.
So now, Im being educated and entranced by the seemingly clear logic of this mans presentation that essentially
went unchallenged. I dont mean to say that no one put forth a challenge. Most of the So-Called Negro leadership, like
Roy Wilkins and others, particularly Christian ministers, and some Orthodox Islamic groups, took a swipe at him.
What I am saying is it appeared no one was able to put forth a successful challenge. In fact, in the same newspaper,
the editor had evidently been pressured to print the counter articles of a Christian preacher who was pitifully lacking in
his ability to offset or successfully challenge the message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He tried going after
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad personally. He had no answer for the argument put forth.
The Nation of Islam just kept growing. The message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had begun to take on
wings. As early as 1954, Malcolm X, an exceptionally gifted speaker and nonstop worker for the Nation of Islam,
through whom I came to know and had arranged for me to meet the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in 1957, was
moving about the country teaching hard and had motivated many of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads ministers to
follow suit. For a short time, even Malcolm had a column entitled GODS ANGRY MEN. Now several other
newspapersthe Los Angeles Herald Dispatch, the Newark, New Jersey, Herald News, and the Amsterdam News
many of which had been little more than throwaway newspapers, had taken to printing the articles, and brothers all
over the country were selling them. Those newspapers having deemed it in their financial interest to print the articles
began to reap great profits and gained widespread dissemination. Due to the great interest generated in those weekly
columns of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, even black newspapers were beginning to gain an audience.
The brothers who had accepted the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad kept coming over to the house
belittling my education, and the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was putting down some tough stuff in his writings. I
recall distinctly that one of the brothers that we called Earl Warner would come and sit quietly in my living room. He
and others were there at the request of my friend Spencer, then a roomer with me, who had first introduced my wife
and me to the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He use to bring with him some of what we called the
lessons that were being sent from Chicago to those people who had accepted the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. Each question and answer was to be learned by heart, recited to an official in charge, and then one could
receive the next lesson.
Every now and then, he would somewhat surreptitiously show me one of the questions and answers that he had
received. He did it as though this was a special favor for me, since no one, not a member of the Nation of Islam, was
really supposed to have access to this special materialand believe me, as I will lay out for you as I go, for that day
and time, special material it was! The one that sticks most in mind, at the moment, is a question from what was
termed the Student Enrollment, Question #2. Who is the Colored man? Answer: The Colored Man is the Caucasian,
So-Called White Man, Yakubs grafted devil, skunk of the planet Earth.
Whoa! Who is this Yakub? Now this was turning things completely around. Were not those people like myself
labeled as blacks or African Americans today called colored back then? Yes, we were1957, 1958. Where was this
man getting this weird stuff from? I was asking myself.
Then came the knockout blow.
The brothers position was, well, youre a good Christian and come from a good Christian family, right? Although I
was not much of an attendant at the church right then, I certainly knew a great deal (I thought) about Christianity and
certainly, at least in a non-extreme way, had come to accept Jesus as a prophet and the son of God. The Methodist,
the branch of Christianity my parents and grandparents seemed to be attached to, did not put him forth as God, so I
had to say yes. They told me to go to the Bible and read St. John 8:44, in the King James Version. I did. It reads

(speaking to the Jews),

Ye are of your father, the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh
of his own for he is a liar and the father of it.
So now the reality of the devil and the possibility the white man may be him starts to creep into my mind.
I felt compelled to learn more. And there was considerably more to learn. Still is.
Keep in mind now that this was the 1950s. Emmett Till had been brutally murdered in 1955. The deed was so
dastardly that as late as May of 2005, the Chicago Tribune revisited the crime by reporting on the front page that
efforts were even then, fifty-five years later, being made to bring some to justice, whom it was felt, had escaped the
hangmans noose. Till had been kidnapped in the middle of the night from his uncles home, and soon after, his badly
beaten and disfigured body was found in the Tallahatchie River. He had been tied with barbed wire to a large fan
from a cotton gina fourteen-year-old youngster!
The segregation and humiliation of those of us the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had labeled the so-called Negro
was still the order of the day. Thurgood Marshall and his NAACP team of lawyers had gone to court and, in the Brown
v. the Board of Education ruling, had won in the Supreme Court of the United States, the case against the devastating,
crippling separate but equal doctrine, then enforced in the educational system throughout the country. Nevertheless, it
made no difference to those white folks who had not even the slightest intention of changing anything. It would still be
years before what was supposed to be integration would start to appear, and white folks still called us unhesitatingly
boy or nigger.
The Civil Rights Movement had yet to sweep the country. I could run down an entire litany of things that were still
happening to us. Just as the man Ive already told you of in North Carolina who didnt want to and in fact refused to
sell me a snow cone when I was but eight or nine years old, he or those like him were still on the scene. To such, my
hard-earned doctor of dental surgery (DDS) degree didnt mean a thing. I still would have been unable to get the snow
cone. I was still a nigger!
After reading many of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads articles, week after week, and attending some of the
house meetings with the Newark Muslims, most of whom could not answer my probing questions, and the persistent
urging of my friend Spencer, I decided to go to New York to hear Malcolm. So one Sunday afternoon, my wife and I
got in the car and drove to the New York Temple. The Temple, then known as Muhammads Temple #7, was located
on the corner of Lenox Avenue and 116th Street. Today, having been rehabilitated after a fire bombing subsequent to
the death of Malcolm X, it is now called Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, courtesy of Imam W. D. Mohammad, and is
located in the same place. Meetings were held on the third floor, 2:00 p.m. on Sundays and 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays
and Fridays. It was a meeting, I suspect, I will never forget. Let me explain.
From that time until today, at all of what was called Muhammads Temple of Islam, one had to undergo a search
procedure. Men and women are separated. The women and men go into separate areas and are searched, somewhat
thoroughly, by the respective person on that post. I was asked to remove everything from my pockets but money, and
any item that might conceivably be considered to be a weapon was checked, even fingernail files. Well, I wasnt too
charmed by the idea of being searched, but I never found it a big deal. My wife, on the other hand, literally hates it
then and now.
Okay, so I managed to get through the search procedure, went inside, and was ushered to a seat. We had arrived
early since we were told the Temple was usually crowded. The people on post were instructed to seat those persons
who had signed in as first timers or visitors as close to the front as possible. That still seems to be the case. Brothers
are seated on one side and sisters on the other. After a few minutes, one of the brothers came and tapped me on the
shoulder and asked me if I could step to the back. I went to the back to see what was happening, and for the first
time, I met the brother known as Captain Joseph (later named Yusuf Shah, now deceased). He informed me that my
wife had refused to be searched, and as a consequence, she would not be allowed to attend the meeting. We would
have to leave.
Well, after traveling all the way to New York from Newark, I certainly wanted to at least hear this man called
Minister Malcolm X, but I certainly wasnt going to abandon my wife to do so. So we gathered our things and left. I
could see she was pretty upset, but on the way back to the car, I convinced her that we should at least stay for this
meeting since we had come so far. After a little coaxing she agreed and we returned. Both Captain Joseph and the
Sister Captain Clotelle were as nice as they could be when we returned and seated us with no fuss. I learned later, he
immediately gained a respect for me and I for him. Little did we know, or even think, that before too much time would

pass, she would be the first secretary of the new soon-to-be Temple in Newark, New Jersey, and remain so for twelve
years, and I would be the first official captain of the Fruit of Islam (FOI). Allah is the Best Knower.
So there I was. Im once again seated in a meeting place, a religious meeting, certainly unlike any I had ever
attended, a search procedure, men on one side and women on the other. Neatly dressed men in suits, white shirts, and
bow ties were standing about the walls. Two of them were posted in front of the rostrum, one on each side, standing
at attention, looking as if they had just finished drinking a bottle of vinegar. On the womens side, only one or two
sisters are posted along the walls, dressed in long mostly white dresses, with their hair completely covered.
Now get this: on the podium (the speakers platform), there is a blackboard (see page 56). This blackboard has
some real inflammatory things painted on it. On one side of the blackboard, we have this representation of the
American flag, and just beneath it, in bold white letters, we find the term CHRISTIANITY, and immediately beneath
that, a white cross, and beneath that, the writing Slavery, Suffering and Death. On the other side of the
blackboard at the same level of the American flag is the representation of another flag I had never seen before, a red
flag with a crescent and a star in the middle of the curved part of the crescent and the term ISLAM in bold white
letters just beneath it. Beneath this was the writing Freedom, Justice and Equality. Between these two flags could
be found written in bold white caps WHICH ONE WILL SURVIVE THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON? Just below
this statement and situated between the two flags could be found a depiction of a black man hanging from a treea
lynching! Picture that now, if you will please. It stares out at you at all times.
Now, a young well-dressed brother, close haircut, suit and tie, steps up to the mike and opens the meetinga kind
of welcome speech assuring you that you are in the right place and everything you hear will be good for you. He
spends about five to six minutes preparing the audience for the main speaker. Then, asking that the audience to
welcome the main speaker, he steps aside, and rising to speak amid a burst of applause comes the minister of
Muhammads Temple #7Minister Malcolm X!
I can still visualize that meeting. Little did I realize at that time that in the not-too-distant future, I myself would be
one of those persons who on many occasions would introduce and speak glowingly of this now-famous figure
Malcolm X. Nor would I have speculated that I would be the dentist who considerably modified his appearance by
what we would call cosmetic dentistry today. At that time, it was a routine dental procedure achieved by closing a
rather substantial gap between his two front teeth by the use of crowns. I found myself looking at this fair-skinned
tall, thin young-looking brother (I would say Malcolm was about thirty-two or thirty-three years old about that time)
with reddish brown hair, closely cut, and a loosely hanging dark-colored suit. I later learned Malcolm generally
preferred dark, blue, or gray suits, single-breasted, loose-hanging. I cant really say I remember exactly what
Malcolms topic was that day, but many things were pointed at me, in the sense that educated people were as blind,
deaf, and dumb, if not more so, than the average so-called Negro.

It became apparent that my friend Spencer had briefed Captain Joseph that I (a dentist) was in the audience and
Joseph had sent a note to the minister accordingly. I know this to be so because once I became a captain myself and
learned the protocol, I learned it as standard operating procedure to notify the presiding minister about anyone or
anything of note that the minister might want to mention during his talk. One thing I am sure of, the talk was hardhitting, and as would be the case, from that very first meeting onward, I stood up to ask questions.
I have never been one to just take things that I couldnt get a grip on right off the bat and not question them. It was
that way then, and it is now, and it was that way when I met the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Whenever I went to a
meeting, I asked questions, probing, in-depth questions. That continued throughout my entire time in the Nation of
Islam. Malcolm and the administration there had learned I was a professional mana dentistso I would say I was
given a fair amount of leeway in the continual barrage of questions I would throw at Minister Malcolm, some not
always respectful. It also was apparent that there were no degreed dentists or physicians who had openly declared
themselves to be members of the Nation of Islam at that time.
If there were, they were never made known to me. I read somewhere while researching material for this book, that
a physician chose to become an open member in 1959-60, but I never met him, so I cant bear witness to that.
I myself was incorrectly identified as a physician and my name misspelled in E. Essien Udoms Black Nationalism, a
book I consider to be one of the more unbiased early studies of the Nation of Islam up until 1962. I will be using some
quotes from it later, but it is now considerably dated and embodies a fair number of inaccuracies. If, however, you
wish to busy yourself with the details of what it was like to enter into the Nation of Islam, particularly in Chicago, and
the details attendant thereto, I unhesitatingly recommend E. Essien Udoms book.
Let me step outside myself a moment, back up, and look in hindsight for you at what was happening to both males
and females entering these premises. From the very git-go, to put it in street language, anyone who attended what
was styled to be Muhammads Temple of Islam had to immediately become involved in a conditioning procedureto
make it very clear, at Muhammads Temple of Islam, someone is clearly in chargenot youand if you wanted to
learn more about or participate in what this group was about, it was very much necessary that you submit to its
protocol and procedures, no matter who you were.
Lets go back over this procedure again as we start with the search. The officials in charge dont say you have an
option as to whether or not to be searched, and if you rather not undergo the search, you can still go inside. No.
Forget that. Unless you were a top official of the Temple, minister, captain, or secretary, either you went through the
search procedure or you didnt get in. Period. Once inside, youre looking at these sour-faced brothers standing post.
Up on the podium, in plain sight, there was this blackboard, which we have included here in an illustration, Old
Glory, that you had to pledge allegiance to throughout your entire elementary education, each time you attended an

assembly meeting. It is still the case in many public meetings. The flag was being identified with SLAVERY,
SUFFERING AND DEATH. The only religion almost all of us ever knew, Christianity, was tied in with this, as well as
being indicted as sponsors of Slavery, Suffering and Death.
Dont overlook what Im saying here.
Early on, a subtle filtering is taking place. A certain percentage of people entering into this type of environment
simply wont return. A perceived insult to the American flag may turn them off. Many are frightened by that. There
are people who may have sensitive jobs (my wife, for example, was working with the Internal Revenue Service at the
time) and may be concerned about how that would affect their employment if someone learned they had attended such
a meeting. The search procedure is certainly offensive and invasive. My father, for example, was very offended by the
search procedure on the two occasions I can recall he went to a meetingonce, when I was speaking, and once
when the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad came to Newark. Both times I had to stand with him through the search. It is
a turnoff for many and another Islamic disconnect.
I have been in many Islamic countries and attended many mosques. I have made the required trip to hajj and never
once was I searched when attending any mosque. Then of course, there were (are) the lovers of white folks. To call
white folks devils left (leaves?) many of our people thoroughly shaken. The entire paradigm, the carefully orchestrated
way of ordering behavior initially said to be crafted by W. F. Muhammad, the man labeled after his disappearance as
Allah in Person, later modified and added to by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, was not happenstance. It wasnt
a Lets try this and see what happens, fly-by-night affair. The teachings of Elijah Muhammad was/is one of the most
powerful psychologically gripping ideologies ever crafted to move a people, specifically those persons labeled as socalled Negroes, from a position of powerlessness and inferiority to the opposite extreme of thinking they were fully
akin to God himself in the most intimate wayGods themselves.
Lets go on.
Having gotten a fair taste of what was being offered at that first meeting as a new way of life, something being
called Islam, and wanting to know more about it, my wife and I made a point of attending the Sunday meetings in
New York. Newark had not yet come into its own. Though my wife never became comfortable with the search
procedure, she learned to tolerate it for a while. The New York meetings became rather eventful and meaningful
meetings.
One of my daughters, then called Patricia (Sharonda now), had also strangely enough become very interested in
what was going on here. I say strangely enough because as a youngster, I would say to be polite, she was somewhat
rebellious, but she took to this teaching like a fish to water. We had a chance to interact with some of the New York
brothers and sisters and found them to be polite and knowledgeable about what they considered they were a part of
what they thought (and I thought) was Islam.
The events were even more memorable, as I recall, because there was a small restaurant up the street from the
Temple, which we usually attended after the meeting. The restaurant was small, but it had on the menu some
unbelievably delicious soupbean soup and piebean pie, two items that had become inextricably part of the lore of
the Nation of Islam. Sister Lana, the sister who later became the cook for the Muhammad Ali entourage, knew how to
make a bean pie that would make you eat until you were bloated. We took them home, three and four at a time, until
Spencer, who was a cook himself, taught my wife, an excellent cook in her own right, how to make them. Then, too,
occasionally Malcolm would come to the restaurant and that always made for an event. As I look back now to those
many years ago, bonds were being built that were never to be broken. Even after the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad and the splitting of the community, those bonds built among the brothers and sisters, now frequently
referred to as the Pioneers, courtesy of Imam W. Deen Mohammad, through common hardships, travails, and the
teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, those bonds still persist among many of us.
It was not long, as I recall about four weeks or so after I had begun to attend meetings in New York, that Malcolm
suggested to me that if I really wanted answers for all those questions I was throwing at him, it would be best that I
visit with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself. That was great by me, and although I had not yet become a
registered member of the Nation of Islam, it was arranged. Malcolm gave me a personal letter of introduction to
present once I arrived in Chicago. I made my airplane reservation on Capitol Airlines (now defunct), fifty-six dollars
round trip (if I remember correctly), got on the plane, and headed for Chicago. Little did I know that fateful day would
change my and my immediate familys lives forever.
The three-and-one-halfto four-hour flight (in 1957) to Chicago was relatively uneventful.
I wasnt quite sure what to expect. I had been given a phone contact, and so upon my arrival that afternoon, I called

the home of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and was told that my appointment had been established for dinner the
next day. Dinner at the home of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was routinely set for four p.m. I was advised that
someone would pick me up from the hotel that was recommended for the nightThe Pershing. That is where I stayed
that night. At that time, it was located on South Cottage Grove Avenue, between Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth streets. It
is no longer there. There was also a nightclub there known as the Pershing Room, and Ahmad Jamal was the featured
musician. I had always been a jazz fan even in high school, and I made a point of attending his performance that
evening. He had just come into his own with what is still one of my all-time favoritesPoinciana. The evening
remains memorable. It went fast enough, but the arrival of the next day just seemed to be dragging. After a somewhat
restless night, I arose the next morning and went outside just to walk around a bit to see what I could learn about
Chicago.
I had been told there was a Muslim-owned restaurant on Seventy-first Street, so I found my way over there,
introduced myself to some of the brothers on the premises, and had a cup of coffee. I really hadnt completely gotten
into that one-meal-a-day thing yet that was being advocated by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, but my anticipation
of meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was such that I really wasnt hungry, just a bit nervous. Having
heard so much about the Nation of Islam from the brothers in Newark, I was expecting a much-larger place, but it
was just a small restaurant and it remained all there was until the construction of the Salaam restaurant on the corner
of Eighty-third Street and S. Cottage Grove Avenue many years later (a senior citizen residence stands there now
2010). I hurried back to the hotel to make sure I would be there for the person who was supposed to pick me up.
Sure enough, about four p.m., the man known as the supreme captain of the Nation of Islam, Raymond Sharrief
(deceasedMay 2004), picked me up and drove me to 4847 South Woodlawn Avenue. From that meeting until the
time of his death, I would characterize Raymond Sharrief as one of the most compassionate, soft-spoken, and
considerate persons I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He had been well-taught.
The home of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that I first arrived at was located in Hyde Park at 4847 S.
Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. He later built himself a rather unique home right next door at 4855 S.
Woodlawn Avenue. At the time of this writing, when he is in town, it is considered to be the Chicago residence of
Minister Louis Farrakhan. Minister Farrakhan rescued it from tax defaults (thats another story). The present members
of the Nation of Islam, under the leadership of Minister Farrakhan, call it, alternately, the Palace or the National House.
It appears to serve many purposesincluding a kind of reception house for hosting VIPs and invited guests. The
home at 4847 is presently the resident of an attorney. The door to the common entrance at 4847 is located on the
south side of the house. One had to walk about twenty or so yards before arriving at the front door. This I did.
I was greeted and searched at the door by a very mild-mannered brother who I came to know as Brother Albert. I
guess Allah (God) kept any real serious molesters from coming through that front door because I dont believe
through all the years that I came to know Brother Albert that he could whip a fly. I was ushered into a little alcove, and
within just a few minutes, I was ushered into the dining room and greeted by this man who had begun to create a real
stir in what I learned later to call the Hells of North America.
Well, okay now, Salaam. Tell us about it. Were you nervous? Did you get tongue-tied? You were now in the
presence of the man all the brothers and sisters in Newark, in New York, and many places throughout the country
were oooh-ing and aaah-ing about. Just how did you feel? At the time of this writing, that was fifty-two years ago. Do
you remember? Oh yeah. Youd better believe I remember, so let me capsulate for you very briefly what the feeling
was like and what the man was like before I move on using what you might view as a description from non-Muslims,
which might be considered more objective than my own. His uniqueness and special qualities, in my own view, will be
revisited and enlarged upon as I go.
Lets use something that I will never forget to give you a sense of what it was like to meet this truly remarkable
man. This came from a well-known and respected Chicago TV journalist Harry Porterfield after an interview he
participated in with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I remember the very interesting way he described the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad after that meeting. He said, Theres a kind of I dont know quite what it is in his presence. It just
sits in the air, this feeling; because you could see everybody that was standing around was just giving him the greatest
respect. And, that respect just kind of filled the air around him. It was just that kind of energy that you felt. If you had
any disrespect in your mind or heart prior to meeting him, once you were in his presence it just left you. Not that you
were frightened of his bodyguards or the people there around him. It was just what you sensed in him; his whole
demeanor, his whole confidence in what he was saying, what he believed in, and how comfortable he was in
answering anything we put before him. Thats the way Harry Porterfield described him, and he added, It was just

that way with anybody that I knew that knew or met him. They always left with that experience of wonderment.
Let me add another item about the persona of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I was in a conversation with
someone, a notable historian, and I was telling him about this incident and how this TV journalist had described the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He had a great deal of information about the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad because of
his research. He said, Let me ask you a question about what you are saying. This draws on theology. I remember in
the New Testament when Christ goes into the Temple, the folk were upset with him because he was a man who spoke
with authority. That is, he spoke as if he did not have to base what he said upon prior prophets. He spoke with
authority. And that is what someone who embodies authority or speaks with authority creates, almost an aura in a way.
And that is what some people have said to me is the way the Honorable Elijah Muhammad behaved. He spoke to you
with authority whether you were a Muslim or not. Would you agree with that?
I had to agree with him. It was true. There was an aura about him that I never failed to experience from that very
first meeting until the last day I saw him. I simply must add this from my own collection and for another view of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, a testimony to and a clear illustration of the character of the man. The illustration is
probably more properly placed in a time frame in which I had known the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad for quite a
while, which I had not at this time, but I think it is appropriate as part of the point being made here. Here it is;
Yearly, on February 26, a special activity took place, and in some places still takes place, that is labeled as Saviours
Day. It commemorates the said-to-be birthday of the man Elijah Muhammad styled as God, Allah in Person, with the
more familiar term given him of Master Fard Muhammad. I cover the activity in more detail in this writing later. For
my purpose here, I want to make the point that this was a gift-giving day, a day in which special collections of money
and sundry other things were put together as a special presentation to and for the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I,
like everyone, of course, made contributions as required, but because as time went by I had developed a rather unique
and certainly different relationship with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad compared to many, I wanted to do
something different.
I had heard him say on a number of occasions as on that day how he was almost overwhelmed by the generosity of
his followers. In his room at home were such things as silk shirts, expensive jewelry, diamond cuff links, etc., that he
dare not even wear, for fear some of his followers would think the same things would be okay for themselves, even
when they couldnt afford it. He never made any great show of material luxuries. As I will touch on a little later in this
writing, I had become an importer and distributor of various items related to Islam, the Middle East, and black history.
What came to my attention was an unusual representation of the Holy Quran. It was a complete, beautifully inscribed,
multicolored, all-Arabic rendition on glossy paper in the form of a scroll, about two feet wide by three feet long. I
believe it came from Turkey, but at any rate, it was decidedly different from anything I had seen before. It immediately
came to me that this would be an ideal Saviours Day gift. I had it carefully framed in a beautiful mahogany frame and
presented it to him. In the appendix this book, as I had promised as a display of its uniqueness, I include a number of
personal letters to me from the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. In a display of warm gratitude for the gift he sent to
me, I have reproduced herein one such unsolicited letter (see appendix).
Hold up, theres more. It turned out this was not just a kind of matter-offact formality he felt he needed to
perform. As proof of his true regard for the gift, it was prominently displayed on the living room wall of his home at
4847 South Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago for all to see. That fact was further documented in an article in Muhammad
Speaks, where a picture of the framed Holy Quran was clearly seen hanging on the wall above the seated Elijah
Muhammad during a rare 1972 interview. He had allowed a few newspaper reporters to interview him about his
mission. I was hoping I could reproduce a good picture of that for you here, as the picture is also displayed on the
front page of a small twenty-seven-page booklet entitled Elijah Muhammad Meets the Press. I have reproduced a poorquality copy of it here for you as I was unable to obtain the original photo. Fuzzy though it is, you can see the item of
which I speak. It makes the point. Now tell me again, Salaam, what did you say that item is? A framed rendition of an
all-Arabic Quran.
ETC.

Photo reproduced from old issue of Muhammad Speaks

CHAPTER 3
ELIJAH POOLE TO ELIJAH MUHAMMAD

I hope you have been able to work your way through the unfamiliar territory of General Semantics, as I have
portrayed it to you in the preceding pages with a fair degree of comfort and understanding. It will be important as we
move forward into grappling with this phenomenon known as the Nation of Islam brought about primarily by the
teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. If not, please go back and familiarize yourself with the kind of language
I have been usingthe introduction to the map is not the territory, the word is not the thing, etc., General
Semantics formulations, important to understanding what now follows.
All this earlier Dr. Salaam, Dr. Leo McCallum, history about myself is not an ego trip. It is who I was, am, and am
now becoming. Nothing remains the same. Of the few things we can say with certainty, one is that change is forever
with us. Dr. Leo P. McCallum (1956), Dr. Leo PX (1958, the first name I assumed after becoming a member of the
Nation of Islam), and Dr. Abdul Salaam (2013) are very different.
America and the world in 1957 are not the same America in 2009, nor the same world in 2013. This brother who
was just setting his eyes on the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad for the first time was Dr. Leo McCallum (1957), a
twenty-eight-year-old young professional man quite comfortable with himself, his family, friends, and lifestyle up until
he began interacting with the kind of information that was emerging from the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It was
this rather small in stature, fair-skinned, tending toward balding man, wearing a dark blue suit and a bow tie who was
now standing before me, wearing one of the most pleasant smiles you could imagine, whom I encountered, who
would irrevocably change my vision. He gently shook my hand and said, Ah, yes, this is the doctor who has come
here to question us about what we are teaching. A gentle reminder that Malcolm had already told him that I was a
questioner and he was expecting me.
The man whom I was standing before on that fateful day in 1957 was (as I have described) not the man he was in
1930-31, the year he is said to have met with his mentor, his teacher, the man he labeled Allah in Person, variously
known as Prophet W. D. Fard, Master Fard Muhammad, W. F. Muhammad, and reportedly a number of other aliases.
He, too, was ever growing and frequently said to me, once I became his friend, having listed me as such by
autographing my copy of How to Eat to Live and asking question after question about his teaching and his teacher.
Doctor, the lessons with the questions and answers I gave to you from Allah, Master Fard Muhammad, that you and
my followers have been learning, were my first lessons and my first answers to them. Today, there is no end to what I
understand and can tell you about those lessons.
We now know, of course, Allah (God) had already written that his further formal elaboration and updating of those
lessons was not to be. But once he got underway and in to it, so to speak, warming up to questions being put to him
about that which he was teaching, the lessons, etc., he would literally glow with excitement and happiness as he
explored almost any aspect of the subject matter being put before him. In every way then, he was going beyond the
minimal understanding of those lessons first issued in the 1930s. It was his world, his paradigm, and as long as you
dealt and questioned him within that frame of reference, you had no win. He was master of that level of understanding.
But let us understand, he could not always do that. A look back at this mans own history, growth, and development
that has now been explored and written about over and over again by researcher after researcher, fascinated by the
work and accomplishments of this unique individual, tells us something of what was once a vastly different person.
For the purposes of this book, let us look at some aspects of this growth and development. Remember please, I am
not writing this book in search, like many did, of a PhD (doctor of philosophy) in any university setting. As a
consequence, one will not find this book heavily footnoted or bundled with an extensive bibliography. This may
disappoint those of that leaning. Im sorry about that, but I cant afford to be bothered by that. At the time of this
writing, I am eighty years old, so I dont see myself as having time for that. I am about what I am about, and I am
comfortable with it. This book is designed for easy, informal reading with patches of in-depth observations so that
varying readers will understand I can write with some depth too. Others have preceded me, and I am hopeful many
others will follow me on what I have found to be a fulfilling journey. My BS and DDS degrees (bachelor of science
and doctor of dental surgery) suit me just fine. The PhD I am concerned about is one of Personal Human
Development. Thats whats exciting for me. What excites you? This is not at all meant to deprecate the researchers,
authors, historians, etc., before me who have undoubtedly spent hours and gone to great expense to provide some
insight into the historical significance of the truly unique entity known as the Nation of Islam that developed and

flourished under the equally unique man, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Indeed no matter how much is written,
there is always more to be said. There will always be ETC. Clearly, what I am providing here is more of a personal
account, of a particular time, place, and individual as I saw and see it. What I am suggesting here is that if you want to
take what I perceive as a distinctly different look at the Nation of Islam under the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad,
come lets do it together. Each reader is certainly going to have his/her opinion, but for me, I know what I write here
is real for I have been there and done that. There is already a lot material related to this subject matter out there. I
found one of the more in-depth historical studies of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, though not always the most
accurate, to be The Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad by Dr. Claude A. Clegg. II, complete
with a family tree. I found it interesting and fairly honest. In sharp contrast to Dr. Cleggs book comes another book I
have read, using all kinds of references and innuendoes to distort his life and bolster a vehement hate for the mans
work and legacy authored by Karl Evanzz, titled The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad. I am rarely
bothered by most peoples biases. We all have them, but as I see it, Evanzz was so out of line and just plain wrong in
some of the statements he made about the man that I felt compelled to write a review of his book for Amazon.com, an
online bookseller. Let me reproduce what I said. It is appropriate in the context of where I am coming fromthe
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, myths versus realities. I wrote,
The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad
A Bad Joke, January 23, 2000
By profession, I am a dentist and as far as I have been able to determine, the first Health Professional to
openly accept the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I was personally introduced to him by
Malcolm X, whom I sometime opened the lecture for, when he began his first series of lectures in
Newark, New Jersey. I was in Newark, where for a time I functioned as a captain in the Nation of Islam
(1958-59). I was the dentist for both. I was the first and only Organization President of the Nation of
Islam under Imam Warith D. Mohammed 1975-1976. I have had my own and my wifes FBI file secured
under the Freedom of Information Act. It covered a period of more than 10 years and it is two inches
thick. (You will find reproduction of some of those pages later in this bookDr. AS note.) So, I can tell
you a great deal about the distortion of history, if you rely on such information and thats primarily what
Evanzz did in his withering attack and imaginative writings about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and
many notable Black(?), African American(?), Negro(?) figures that he could dredge up some negative
information about. He ibided us to death from sources which are questionable to begin with. The
American public (including myself I guess) as taxpaying citizens, underwrote part of the expense of the
cost of tapping my phone. I set the information forth up front first, so readers will understand I am not
coming out of an emotional bag. I know what Im talking about. Im not a member of the present-day
Nation of Islam, but I know Minister Farrakhan well and have for more than forty years. The distortions,
outright lies and misinformation is so outrageous that Im having substantial difficulty composing this
review. ITS VERY CLEAR THAT MR. EVANZZ HAS AN INTENSE HATRED FOR THE HONORABLE
ELIJAH MUHAMMAD and his efforts throughout most of his adult life; a man who gave Black people the
backbone to stand up for themselves and their own kind. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad pointed out in
a crystal clear manner how thoroughly slavery and the slave master had worked to destroy the very
humanity of Black people in America. Or should I say African Americans or should I say So-Called
American Negroes or just plain Negro? Who popularized Black? Which would Mr. Evanzz choose and
why? Probably Other.
But let me make a few specific remarks that go right to the core of his distortions and fantasies. He
frequently states that such and such a thing rattled, stunned, shook up, or set back the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad. Cmon now. Give me a break! Obviously he never met the man and so the poor
brother doesnt have a clue. How are you going to shake up, stun or rattle a man who even at the time he
was about to embark on what he considered to be his mission knew that he was going to be beset by all
kind of difficulties and hardships? You dont have to be a genius to know that when you are going to set
out to raise the consciousness and esteem of a people calling themselves Negroes (and worse), totally
dead to a knowledge of themselves and others, hard-hearted, rebellious and lovers of white folks you had
better prepare for a battle. So whose terms are stunned, rattled, shook up, etc.?
Another example. As God would have it, when the Honorable Elijah Muhammad came to Newark, N. J.,
to speak he came to my home and spent time there prior to going to the auditorium to speak. It has

always been my spirit to question many things and that included the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Im
embarrassed when I think back on it, that here was an international leader about to go to speak to
thousands of people and he must have had a thousand things on his mind and there I was asking him
about how he felt about his trip to Newark. How was he going to go in? Which route did he think best to
take and why. All kinds of questions. I got some very beautiful and meaningful answers of course but my
point is Evanzzs description of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad about some threat on his life if he were
to appear in Newark, Muhammad was frightened by the letter, says Evanzz. The inability of the police
to intervene had Muhammad rattled (page 191see, I can make notes too) was totally fabricated. This
kind of assumptive writing resonates throughout the book. Was Mr. Evanzz there to see Muhammad
rattled? I could go on and on, chapter by chapter, carefully dissecting and exposing the ludicrous
positions taken by what must be a mind twisted with hate but I dont think it necessary. An examination
of THE FULL WORK AND LIFE OF THE HONORABLE MUHAMMAD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. Nobody
is perfect or even close to it. Neither was Elijah Muhammad. On a positive note, if you would like to find
a lot of historical sources in Black History and reading matter that you dont wish to search out yourself,
check out his bibliography. A lot of work was done there. Are there some truths in the book? Of course
there are but they are so covered over with negative commentary rather than factual data as to be almost
useless. My final comment. Please dont waste your time reading this book unless you enjoy gossip and
half truths.
I noted that this review was done in the year 2000. My, how time flies. I had to go online to find it since it was no
longer in my computer database. I was surprised to see at least forty reviews on this garbage. Most of them giving a
thumbs-down on the book. But there were some glowing reviews also, suggesting that here was a true expose of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad and his Nation of Islam. And hey look, there is nothing that will get you a quicker best
seller in this culture than an expose right? People are still trying to dig up scandal about Princess Diana. I recall not too
long ago, one of my patients, a very highly educated man, came to the office carrying the book. He knew I was a
Muslim, of course, and he wanted some of my views. His perspective as a non-Muslim was that he found the book
interesting. That could be classified as what I would call a noncommittal response. After a few pointed comments
from me, he was able to see the things he would have ordinarily missed that gave him a more concise way of shaping
his understanding.
I learned something from his point of view as well. We will go on past this now, my biases are showing, but I have
already told you this is my story and my biases are going to be embedded herein, even when they are not so obvious.
As a practitioner of General Semantics, I know and admit that. Far too many people think that their point of view is
it. Man, let me give you the bottom line, they say or, Im going to be perfectly objective about this. I say, BS!
That is a difficult thing to first see, understand, and then get past. We are part and parcel of everything we say, do, or
write. We never escape ourselves. In General Semantics, this is referred to as self reflexive. The material world out
there pays us no mind. We best learn how to be in tune with it if we want to get the best it offers. To a very
substantial extent, that means learning the difference between facts and assumptions. That brings to mind a statement
said to be attributed to the late Senator Patrick Moynihan to the effect, Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but
not their own facts. I also like anecdotes, so let me put one in place here what hopefully the reader will find a bit
humorous, but makes a point germane to what Im saying in what might be an easier way to understand. It involves
three baseball umpires who were discussing how they felt about their way of calling balls and strikes:
One umpire said, thinking he was fair, I calls them likes I sees them. Another one sure he was right on
the money said, I calls them like they is. The third, more enlightened, general semantically oriented
umpire said, Until I calls um, they aint.
On a very serious note, let me bring into play some Islamic understanding on this point. This need to make a
distinction between the nature of the world about us, set into motion and under the complete control of and fully
responsive to the Creator alone, is embodied in a hadith. For nonMuslims, when we speak of a hadith, we are
referring to what is popularly known and understood in Islam to be an act or saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The study of the Sunnah or Ahadith (Ahadith being the plural of Hadith) is a science in itself. Here is a paraphrase of
that hadith: There was an incident where an eclipse occurred after the death of Ibrahim, the son the Prophet [PBUH].
Some people began to mistakenly connect the occurrence of the eclipse to this incident. The Prophet [PBUH]
immediately corrected their understanding by explaining to the people that they should not connect any natural
phenomenon with the process of life and death because there is no relationship between the two. He told the Sahabah

[the companions of the Prophet], Both the sun and the moon are signs of Allah, and they do not have their eclipse due
to the birth or death of any individual.
Another approach to looking at the life of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad is embodied in the book The Evolution
of the Nation of Islam. The book was authored by one of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads grandsons, Jesus
Muhammad Ali (Esa Muhammad, initially known as Herbert Muhammad Jr.), one of the sons of Jabir (Herbert)
Muhammad. Within its pages for those persons looking for some intimate and accurate details about the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad himself, you will find some interesting reading matter much that will parallel my own recollections
about some personal aspects of his life. Not surprisingly, there will be some overlap perhaps between some of the
material found in his book and what I will be presenting. I have some problems with the flow of material in his book
and the lack of editing. I had begun working with the brother myself in his first efforts, but it soon became apparent to
me, he preferred to go his own way, so he did. Minister Louis Farrakhan made the comment to me that he could
hardly put it down because it gave him such an intimate view of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in a way he did not
have the opportunity to gain himself. So from that point of view, you might find it useful. The author is one of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammads grandsons, so the biases will be fairly obvious.
Another book rushed into completion in 1971 by Bernard Cushmeer (now Jabril Muhammad) does indeed deal with
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad) at length, but I would have to characterize it now as a decided public relations
gambit for the Messengership of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I say now because at the time of its
compilation, I was personally very much involved in its coming into being. It was never publicly supported by the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I must make mention of a plethora of books being publicized, advertised, and sold said
to be authored by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. A search on the Internet will bring up quite a few. Many of them
are even copyrighted as though the editors or compilers of such works need to protect the work of the man from
being copied or widely disseminated without them getting a cut. I find that bothersome. He wouldnt have liked that.
Since my old bookstore, Books & Things, used to bind for sale copies of Muhammad Speaks, I have on my shelf
even now a bound book in a bright red cover that contained both Message to the Blackman and volume 1 of How to
Eat to Live. I showed it to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad one day, since I thought it would be a good idea for his
followers to have such information in a single volume and we were set up to do that. He immediately disapproved of it.
So it should be clearly understood that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself never personally authored a single
book! He certainly authored a lot of articles and speeches, so what is being offered as by Elijah Muhammad today is
a misrepresentation of sorts. A compilation of old articles from his newspaper writings, speeches, and lectures
(particularly The Theology of Time), radio broadcasts, etc., put together by someone as a book, yes, but I repeat, not a
book dictated, compiled, and/or written by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself for sale to others as though from
himself. No.
All of the most well-known publications related to his workMessage to the Blackman, Our Savior Has Arrived,
The Fall of America, How to Eat to Live (volumes 1 and 2)represent the assemblage of articles written by the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad during his reign that had been published in the newspaper Muhammad Speaks. Some of
these were from even earlier publications, including the Pittsburg Courier or Amsterdam News. The once national
secretary of the Nation of Islam, John Ali, during his time as secretary, had sought and received permission from the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to gather such material, edit it, and then see to it that it was published in book form.
This material was then copyrighted by Muhammads Temple #2. The books were widely sold by the FOI (Fruit of
Islam) and others within the Nation of Islam for fundraising to help support much of the work done by the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
I can comfortably say that like the endorsements used by many politicians running for office nowadays who say
when an ad is run in their name I approve this messagethe only books the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad clearly
endorsed and approved of were Message to the Blackman, Our Savior Has Arrived, Fall of America, How to Eat to
Live (volumes 1 and 2), and The Supreme Wisdom (volumes 1 and 2). I have purposefully left out a small publication
that early on1950s, perhaps 60swas more like a booklet than a formal book. It was called the Muslim Daily
Prayers, and it was issued to people as they received their X.
Upon the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and the dissolution of the Nation of Islam by his successor
and son, Imam W. D. Mohammad, the publication, sale, and dissemination of the books after a few months was
abruptly discontinued. I remember it well because my own bookstore in Chicago at the time housed for a while in
what was known as the Pioneer Building that once stood on the corner of Seventy-eighth Street and S. Cottage Grove
Avenue was operated by one of my sons and my wife. My wife, Khadija, was responsible during the first few months

of the new administration for continuing the sale of the books under the auspices of an immediate family member,
Jabir Muhammad (now deceased). He was for a short while, the administrator of the estate of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. (That too is a long story!) Imam W. D. Mohammad had decided the income from the sales of those
books rightly belonged to the sons of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad (excluding himself), with all proceeds going to
them.
Let us embark now on some aspects of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads life that I came to know and wish to
highlight and focus on for the purpose of this book. Remember, I am going for demythologization, that is, debunking
myths, the taking of another look at what he said and represented as Islam. Some say AlIslam, but lets not get
bogged down in that semantic tangle. Im talking about the same thing and what has been said and thought about the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad by others that has certain mythological tones to it. Let me give you a specific example
here.
When I first came to Chicago in June 1970, I had to wait until October before the building, which would house my
first dental office in Chicago at 640 E. Seventy-ninth Street was completed. My office was on the second floor and
what was called Temple #2 clothing store occupied the entire ground floor. Since one of the specific reasons I came to
Chicago was to maintain the dental health of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, which I had been coming back and
forth to Chicago to do prior to the loss of my original office in Newark, I had a lot of time on my hands. As a
consequence of my relationship with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, I was given the honor and privilege of dining
with him nightly, those four months before my office opened and many months thereafter with some few exceptions.
I saw and heard a lot of things on those occasions that I will go into later, but from the perspective of myth versus
reality, let me provide just one short example here as part of my focus.
There were many occasions when Muslims, who were from other parts of the country, working in an official
capacity within the framework of the Nation of Islam (we called them laborers), would be invited to dine at the table
with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. What I am writing about now was one of those occasions. On the occasion I
remember so vividly, a sister labeled as the captain (in the hierarchical structure of the Nation of Islam, she was over
the sisters at her local Temple) was invited to dinner. I can still see her sitting there as though it was yesterday. The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad always sat at the head of the table, of course, and this sister was sitting there at the
dinner table looking at the Honorable Elijah Muhammad with her mouth just hanging open. She was so awed by being
at the table with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that she was just beside herself. She sat there staring at him
transfixed. She had to be told to eat! You see, she considered herself to be sitting at the table with the Messenger of
Allah (God). She was consumed by the very idea that she was in the presence of a man that had talked with God
himself! And she clearly believed it! Today, of course, we know that was not true in the sense in which it was
promoted. So how did that come about? How did so many of us go for that myth?
Keep reading.
The man that came to be known as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, the Lamb without
spot or blemish, Dear Holy Apostle, the man who staked firm claim to and built his life around the assertion that he had
talked with and been taught by God himself (styled as Master Fard Muhammad) over roughly three and one-half years,
is reliably reported to have been born in Sandersville, Georgia, to William Poole and Mariah Hall in 1897exact month
and day uncertain. We wrote about the mythology surrounding the birth date earlier. He was the seventh of thirteen
children (Sam, Charles, William Jr., Tommie, Kallatt, Johnnie, James, John, Hattie, Lula, Annie, and Emma) born to
Marie and William Poole. I can remember only personally meeting two of his brothers, John and James, and two of his
sisters, Annie, for sure, and Lula, I think.
At the age of nineteen, he had become a forty-cent-a-day plowboy. It is said that he received only a fourth-grade
level of education. He taught himself to read from the Bible. Take note of thisfor this low level of formal education
has given rise to much speculation and puzzlement. How did a man with essentially no formal education rise to a level
that enabled him to successfully challenge and hold his own with some of the best minds in the country when it came
to understanding and dealing with the psychological devastation and mind-warping deprivation that had been undergone
by the black people in America and the failings of the then present Islamic world? Where did these skills and such
information come from?
This second male child in the family of thirteen was given the name Elijah Poole. Again, for demythologization
purposes, there is no credible evidence he was ever named Robert Poole as I have read in one publication. I have not
personally interviewed any of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads brothers and sisters, so I do not intend to portray in
any depth what his early life was like within his family among his siblings. There are some writers who claim they

have done that. As mentioned above, I did know one of his older sisters, Sister Annie, since she stayed with him in
Chicago and was frequently at the dinner table with us. I would characterize her as one of the most soft-spoken,
mildest-mannered persons I have ever met. On the occasions I had to observe the interactions between her and her
brother, he seemed to hold her in great esteem.
Once a person attains a position of eminence, myths about their earlier life grow quickly. Meaning becomes attached
to behavior or happenings that no meaning would have ever been attached to had the person not become important
kind of self-fulfilling prophecies. We have to be careful about those kinds of things when it comes to Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) as well. I feel justified in saying that there is no human being about whom more has reliably been
reported than Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Yet well-studied and rooted scholars remind us that Prophet Muhammad
was clearly a human being too. He could and did make mistakes as all human beings do in his personal life, but the
Creator shielded him from doing so when it came to those things that he was sent to do and tells us so it would be
clear just how Allah wants us to live as Muslims under the banner of Islam. Thus what he did prior to being anointed a
prophet, Allahs (God) last Messenger, might be of interest, but there is no need to assume that those pre-prophet
things and activities, though often reported on too, have to be considered musts for the Muslims. In fact, a lot of
demythologization needs to be done there too. So, too, needs to be the case with Elijah Muhammad. It was reported
by one author, for example, that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads mother claimed that she had a vision when she
was just seven years old (?), that she would one day give birth to a male child of preeminent stature and importance.
During his lifetime, this youth would come into contact with a great power, perhaps a divine presence which would
change the course of human affairs. It also went on to say that she held on to this vision, this prophecy, for a
lifetime (Claude Andrew Clegg III, An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad, St. Martins Press,
19, p. 6).
It has been said that he was seen as very special by his brothers and sisters and was often sought after for advice
and balance. All that may very well be, but I dont wish to perpetuate any myths, and I am not saying they are, but my
concern is what kind of experiences did he have while growing up that effectively molded his view of the world and
the people in itparticularly white people. That has a great deal to do with the kind of man he became.
In my thrust to correct much of the misinformation and mythical beliefs put forth about this man, another personal
experience comes to mind. I told you about the behavior of the sister at the table with the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. I mentioned earlier on that I had quite a bit of time on my hands when I first came to Chicago before my
office was ready for occupation. To make what I thought was good use of some of this time, I prevailed on the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to support me in my visits (at my own expense) to some of his temples to bring him
some report as to what some of the ministers were sensing among the people in their charge. I usually combined those
visits with an opportunity to make a Sunday lecture about the teachings to the body of people there. That would kill
two birds with one stone, so to speak.
I would present some aspect of the teachings in a way the local minister might not be able to because I was so often
at the table with and being taught by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself. Then I would spend some private time
with the minister to find out if there was anything he had not had an opportunity to report to the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad that he might like some help on. I can still see and hear this one minister who said to me while we were
sitting on the rostrum together prior to my presentation, Brother Doctor, youre the dentist for the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad, right? I said, Yes, sir. He asked, Is it true that you can work on the Messenger and he doesnt even
need anesthesia? I mean, like, I was stunned. I looked at the brother and could see he was really serious. I had a hard
time keeping a straight face. I quietly said, No, brother. Thats not the case. If I tried to do something like that, I
wouldnt be his dentist very long.
Sounds unbelievable, doesnt it? Myth versus reality.
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear or read such things as this is where did such information come
from, and how was it reported? The quote about the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads mother was footnoted, but I still
could not decipher its origin. One of the things the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad taught is that we should be thorough
in our analysis of what is put before us as truth. The way he used to put it was Lets get at the root of the thing. My
Islamic studies have heightened that need even further in my search for clarity and Truth, an elusive abstraction at
best, and so the need for enlightened thought must take center stage.
So what do we really know about how Elijah Poole who came to be known as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the
Messenger of Allah? Do we like really know anything for sure that rings of something solidly based about Master
W.F. Muhammad, the man said to be God himself, other than what the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and a few stray

reports have told us? A man who came suddenly and it is said by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself spent
roughly three and one-half years teaching him and then disappeared. I mean, like, really disappeared! He disappeared as
suddenly and mysteriously as he appeared. I am very comfortable that we can just about summarily dismiss much of
the garbage and guesswork put forth in some highly questionable publications and even the FBI reports relating to the
character of Fard Muhammad.
During that period of time, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad publicly declared in a Muhammad Speaks newspaper
that the FBI reports were lies and he challenged anyone to prove otherwise. We know where the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad said this mysterious person came from and some of the things he is reputed to have been about, but is it
possible there is a little yeast in these reports? How accurate are those earlier reports? Its very important to ask that
question and that importance will come further into view down the line when we dig a little further into the General
Semantics term time binding. But for now, lets keep pushing ahead as we take a closer look at the evolution of Elijah
Poole to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
It is well established from many immediate family members that I spoke with that Elijah Poole and from the lips of
the man himself who later came to be known as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad always leaned toward separating
truth from falsehood among the Christian preachers he listened to in his early years, including his father and
grandfather. I have a note in my notebook dated October 14, 1974, where I have jotted down some of his
reminiscences about those days. In a general talk, he said, I use to listen to so-called country prophets as they came
around the house. After listening and studying them for a long time, I learned to tell who came close to telling the truth
and who were outright liars without effort.
Clearly, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had a great deal of natural talent, ability, and spiritual leanings. I found a
statement that I had written down from a conversation with him in which he said it was from reading the Bible he
found himself. There seems to be a great deal of evidence that demonstrates much of what we thought came from
Fard Muhammad actually came from the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Lets insert one thing at the moment that
comes to mind as I move forward to develop some understanding about the early life and experiences of Elijah Poole.
In an earlier chapter, we discussed what one would find upon first entering many of the temples. We went so far as
to include a picture of the blackboard that usually sat on the rostrum whenever the minister spoke. If you refer back to
that picture of the blackboard, youll find between the American flag and the Islamic flag, the depiction of a lynching,
a depiction of a black man hanging from a tree, a not uncommon occurrence during the life and times of Elijah Poole.
Having researched and made inquiries about the origin of that blackboard, I have found no credible evidence that states
just how the blackboard was designed or by whom, nor when and where it first made its appearance. I did see a note
somewhere that I cant document at the moment when Elijah Muhammad says he saw it at one of the early meetings
he attended. But since I cant document that, lets leave it alone for now. If someone has some documented evidence
as to its origingreat, I welcome it, and if Allah blesses me to continue writing on this subject, lets get it out there as
part of the more complete understanding of the origins and unfolding of the Nation of Islam.
We do know lynching certainly occurred during the time. One he spoke of occurred in Cordele, Georgia, where
Elijah Poole and his parents and family had relocated from Sandersville, Georgia. He spoke of having witnessed a
hanging, a lynching, the unforgettable sight of a friend he had known hanging from a tree in the hanged brothers own
neighborhood. He reports as best he can remember that he was about ten years old. The youth hanging from the tree
had been accused of raping a white woman. Note I didnt say he had been accused and then taken to court and
legitimately tried and found guilty of that crime. No. Oftentimes in those days, one need only be accused of something.
Whether it was true or not, if you were black and the person accusing you of any such deed was white, that was it. It
was a done deal! You had no win.
Do I really need to make a lot of footnote references and bibliography about this kind of thing happening? Are any
readers of this publication so ignorant today about American history, African American history that they do not know
of such things or are surprised by any such report? I hope not. If you are, just get on the Internet, go to Google or any
search engine and type in African American History or Slavery in America or Blacks in America, etc., enough material
with links will come up to keep you reading for the next year. In fact, in a contemporary sense, it was just a few years
ago (May 2005) that a reopening of the case of Emmett Till was undertaken. A fourteen-year-old black youth who had
been accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi was killed, mutilated, beaten unmercifully, almost beyond
recognition, and then dumped in a river. The perpetrators of this unbelievably cruel act were known, all tried and all
found innocent by an all-white jury. Absolutely nothing new about that. Now this wasnt back in the 1800s. This was
in 1955! (Documented in Death of Innocence: The Emmett Till Story by Christopher Benson.)

During the time I was writing this book, a feature story aired on Nightline, a nightly nationally syndicated TV
program, entitled Invisible Casualties, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The primary focus of the program was to
detail what kind of impact, the witnessing of the scene of killings, the brutalization of one human being by another
death, dismembered human beings, corpses, and the kind of psychic stress caused to those who either witnessed or
participated in such activities. Discussion in this particular instance was about Iraq, but the same kind of events and
action can be said to function and impact the very soul of human beings in any such activity. The affected were
labeled and spoken of as invisible casualtiesan apt description. Lets, for a moment, liken the kinds of things that
take place on the battlefield to the kinds of things that many, many black people witnessed during the time of slavery,
immediately after slavery and for some years thereafter, particularly in the Deep South. What are the kinds of things
that Elijah Poole witnessed? How did it affect him? What were getting at here are the kinds of things that clearly
effected and disturbed Elijah Poole, a concerned, scripturally oriented youth.
As we move into this mode of thinking, I would like each of my readers to take a kind of virtual journey with me.
Think on your past life so as to engender those experiences that were the kinds that still stick with you, the kinds of
things that were humiliating, perhaps degrading, dehumanizing, embarrassing, the kinds of things that perhaps you
would rather forget but cant. Recalling such incidents, I suspect would not be too difficult for any African American,
black person, that lived in or spent time visiting in the South during the days of Jim Crow.
In those days, the South was a place where below the Mason Dixon, you could not even go to the toilet or stop at a
restaurant to purchase a meal, not to even think of going into a hotel and resting your tired body, held back by the sign
reading Colored not allowed. Have you ever been robbed, mistreated, willfully beaten? If so, how do you feel when
you recall these incidents? Did you see the miniseries on television that has now become a classic called Roots,
produced and written by Alex Haley, also the author of the Autobiography of Malcolm X? There was a scene in it in
which one of the main characters whose own original African name was Kunta Kinte was hung from a tree and then
unmercifully whipped by an agent of the slave master to force him to totally forget and dismiss his own original family
name to accept a name change. If you saw this scene in that miniseries, how did you feel about that? Can you still see
it dancing around in your brain? In this virtual journey were talking about, imagine yourself to be an actual real live
witness to such a scene because such things did take place. Would that be hard to take? Would it be safe to assume
that would make an indelible impression on you, in fact, would it be too far-fetched to say it would be burned into
your very soul? I have already brought to your attention in an earlier chapter what I would consider a minor experience
of my own. It was about a refusal by a white clerk in a store in North Carolina to sell me a snow cone. No big deal.
Yet I recall it as vividly as though it were yesterday.
Ive made the point early on in this writing, I was writing about this guy Leo McCallum, me, and some of his
interpersonal experiences, not as an ego trip, or because I had nothing else to write about. No. Im talking about real
live things, real live emotions that the human being is subject to and will be affected by based on his very nature. I am
writing from personal experiencesmany of them. Im a human being. Hopefully, so are you. And so was Elijah
Poole. We do not grow up in vacuums. There is always some sort of culture, some sort of context, a definitive
environment we are born intosome people, some ways of thinking, things that were here before we were ever
thought of and will be here long after we are gone. Let me bring to your attention another aspect of such times before
I move on.
An article in the June 26, 2005, edition of the Chicago Tribune was printed under the byline of Clarence Paige.
Clarence Paige is one of the editorial contributors to that newspaper. Using figures stated to have come from
Alabamas Tuskegee University research, which is said to have been documenting mob murders for more than a
century, Paige said they wrote that more than 4,700 lynchings occurred between 1882 and 1968. If that newspaper
uses the figure 4,700, that probably means at least twice that amount actually occurred. The 4,700 number is likely a
guesstimate. In a powerful book, Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America by Hilton Als, Jon Lewis,
Leon F. Litwack, edited by James Allen, one can find graphic photos demonstrating the sadistic pleasure many whites
seemed to have derived from attending lynching parties, smiling, cavorting, eating, and drinking, while, as famed jazz
singer Billie Holiday used to bemoan, there was strange fruit hanging from a poplar tree.
Many of the pictures in this book would have to be described as nothing less than savage, gut-wrenching, and
profoundly disturbing. The photos bear witness to the almost unbelievable depravity of man against man. Picture after
picture of charred and mutilated bodies of the dead can bring you to tears, and the depraved, gleeful, lust-filled faces
of the lynch mobs has one asking, What kind of people are these? Not too difficult to see the white man as the devil
therein, is it?

I found it almost ironic when the American public was shown pictures of burned and hanging bodies of soldiers and
other foreigners being kicked about and seemingly rejoiced over in Iraqbarbaric scenes indeed. And then, the
question echoed by much of the American press, Why do they hate us? Good question. Why do they hate us indeed
those in foreign lands who are thought to do so? Moreover, who is this they, and who is this us? May I now ask,
what did the black man, the slave, the helpless men, women, and children do that from 1882 to 1968, there were
4,700 documented lynchings? There is absolutely no way to justify such acts. None! It is easy to understand why we
called and believed that the white man was the devil.
Any big changes today? Yes, but Im not so sure that is because the white man has changed or maybe because we
have our share of guns nowadays too? I must make a quick note here in all fairnessin this bloodthirsty world we
occupy today, such scenes are not uncommon by all kinds of people black against black as well. Witness as of 2005
what is going on in Sudan, what about the now well-known kidnappings, debauchery, and raping taking place in many
places in Africaagain, black against black. So lets not get unbalanced here. We cant get all tore up as though this is
just the white mans thing. Have you not witnessed, heard, read about, or even been the victim of black-on-black
crime in your own neighborhood?
So maybe the white man alone is not the devil?
However, remember now, the General Semantics principle I have introduced you to: The map is not the territory.
The picture of something is not the same as the thing itself. It is not synonymous with the activity when witnessed as
an activity in the real world. No, I havent forgotten what Im about here. Were working with context. We are taking
you back to a kind of activitya lynching Elijah Poole had borne witness to in person! So if you have the book alluded
to and you had this sinking feeling in your stomach just as I did just looking at the pictures, imagine what kind or
neurological shock there was for Elijah Poole and all those black folks so unfortunate as to witness that kind of event
itself. Are you starting to get where Im coming from?
Elijah Poole, not yet Elijah Muhammad, left Cordele, Georgia, for Detroit in 1923. He was somewhat uncertain of
the exact time, but in answer to some of my questioning, he did recall to me that after witnessing lynching and
discrimination and the brutality constantly being heaped upon our people such as described earlier, he knew he had to
leave.
He was vague about the number of years he went to school. So that too was unclear. So lets demythologize that.
What I heard was that it was somewhere between the fourth and eighth grade. The ministers of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad, me included, used this information to bolster the position of the Muslims that the depth of wisdom and
understanding he demonstrated certainly did not come from the white man. It was also a point used to liken him to
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the unlettered prophet said to be unable to either read or write. The (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad, however, was demonstrably able to both read and write clearly. Let me, like right now, dismiss any myths
about that. As mentioned earlier, he autographed and wrote a salutation for me in How to Eat to Live and signed many
of his letters sent to me.
I reiterate, we need to see Elijah Poole in the context of his time. There are volumes of books about the kinds of
disruptive, desperate, heartbreaking experiences suffered by the thousands upon thousands of our people, then
generally labeled as Negroes. There was an exodus of millions of African Americans who formed an ongoing
migratory chain from all parts of the SouthMississippi, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and the likeheading to
points east, north, and west. Wherever they stopped, history documents for us; there was no relief to be found from
the menial degrading existence of a people up from slavery physically, but not really out of slavery mentally, from the
time of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation that so-called freed us, right up until today.
Some important changes have taken place in the lives and times of the former slaves. Indeed, changes such as the
outlawing of overt racial discrimination, greater educational and job opportunities, voting rights, etc., have to some
extent blunted the kinds of historical realities that provided the framework for the scathing outpouring of the teachings
of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Hey, even during the time of this writing, a man of color (black man? African
American? Certainly not Negro, maybe Other?) as of January 20, 2009, became President of the United States
something many of us never thought would happen during our lifetime.
Those are just some of the reasons that the success of the teaching of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad cant be
achieved today in the same sense it was in the 1930s when he first introduced us to what was to become his lifes
work. And of course, very importantly, the absence of the unique characteristics, personality, and genius of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself makes all the difference in the world. So, maybe, now those of us who were
locked into this the white man is the devil thing have to rethink that position. But dont play all of those teachings

cheap. Even today, there is much demonstrably clear evidence that the core of his teachings relating to black-white
relationships in this country and beyond is loaded with facts. That was one of the reasons it had such power and
attracted so many.
For example, when entering into the Nation of Islam, one received a series of lessons. Among those lessons was
one entitled English Lesson C-1. One of the questions proposed in that lesson that we were to learn by heart and then
recite was Why does he love the Devil? The he in the lesson was speaking specifically of and addressed to those
persons who were labeled as Negroes. I remember one Sunday while I was teaching at the Temple that for some
reason or other that lesson came to mind. It was the responsibility of those of us who spoke at the Temple in Chicago
called Muhammads Temple #2, directly under the guidance of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, to first report to him
prior to going out to the Temple to deliver the lecture for that day and say to him what we intended to tell the audience,
teach about, you might say.
I dont clearly recall my saying to him that I would be discussing that particular lesson, but somehow or other, it
came to my mind as I spoke that Sunday. Blasting the devil could always get you a few rounds of applause. The
answer to the question in the English Lesson C-1, as it was given to us, was simply put, He loves the devil because
the devil gives him nothing. Well, what did that mean to us? For me that day, and I vividly recall this because the
audience really responded to the way I dealt with this answer, I put it this way: The so-called Negro loves the Devil
because the Devil gives him nothing indeed. The Devil so-called freed us from slavery, promised us 40 acres and a
mule and gave us what? Nothing. He took our original meaningful names like Sharif, Muhammad, Karim, Salaam,
Muwwakkil, and gave us his names such as Roundtree, Culpepper, Fish, Byrd, Faunteroy, Smiley, Higgenbottom,
Jacksonnames reminiscent of what? Nothing! He took our original religion, Islam, and gave us not the true teachings
of Jesus (peace be upon him) but histhe slave mastersChristianityNothing! He robbed us of everything that we
once held dear and replaced it with what? Nothing! In that day, of course when we used the term devil we were
talking about the white man. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad chuckled with glee when that tape was played for him
at the dinner table that evening and said to me, Brother, you got it right that time.
African Americans took extraordinary and courageous measures as individuals and collectively to obtain their
freedom. African slaves in America fought for their freedom relentlessly from their capture throughout their
enslavement.
However, even their eventual emancipation was credited to a white manAbraham Lincoln.
I have before me at the moment the book Unwritten History of Slavery (Microcard editions, Washington, D.C.,
1968). It is reputed to be various autobiographical accounts of Negro ex-slaves, originally issued in 1945 as a 322page, softbound, processed volume by the Social Science Institute, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, and was
designated as Social Science Source Document No. 1. It makes for interesting reading and very definitely gives an
excellent perch from which to gather a better understanding of why the message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
found willing listeners among the descendents of slaves. So for our purposes here, let me offer a few excerpts from it
and a few chapter headings. Before doing so, however, I would like to make note of what my longtime tennis partner
Lerone Bennett Jr. would characterize as the perpetuation of a myth depicted on the cover of this now aged book, first
printed in 1945. Note the depiction on the cover of a slave with presumably his wife (?) and two small children behind
him, kneeling down, kissing the hand of Abraham Lincoln! How about that! (See illustration.)
So whats the big deal about that, you might ask? Read Lerone Bennett, Jr.s Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincolns
White Dream. Though some would disagree, Lerone Bennett Jr. skillfully picks apart the myth that good old Abe was
the great savior and emancipator for the slave. Nothing could be further from the truth, says Mr. Bennett. After
scanning Bennetts book, I have some sympathy for his position, and because I have witnessed firsthand how myths
grow, both good and bad, Im making, an understanding of that kind of phenomena as it relates to the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, a part of my message here.
Lets keep moving.
Some Items from the Table of Contents of
Unwritten History of Slavery

Slaves Have No Souls

Know Nothing About Slavery But Whipping Niggers
Mulatto Whom Owners Treated Like Family Members
Every Thursday Was Whipping Day for Slaves
My Mother Was the Smartest Black Woman in Eden

 One of Dr. Gales Free Niggers

Out of the thirty-seven chapters listed in the book, I picked the seven listed above to illustrate a point I wish to
make. It is a broad-based one. I was careful to disclose my biases during the writing of this publication in several
ways. It started right off the bat when I placed as part of the title of this book From an Islamic Perspective.

For those of you who are not Muslims, you should understand that one of the prayers a Muslim makes for
himself/herself and hopes to be the case is that he/she does not die except as a Muslim. I take that position and so,
where I constantly try to come from, in all I do, is learn what would be the appropriate fashion to act, think, say, or do
as a Muslim. I am very much aware that there are frequent occasions in which I fall short of such, and I suspect
occasions when I fall short that I am not even aware of since living in a non-Islamic environment on an ongoing basis,
especially the one prevalent in this country does not help one behave in a completely Islamic fashion. I will also be
further honing in on the myth versus reality theme. The available evidence is that Elijah Poole had no way of
discerning what was by the book, in other words, Islamically correct behavior any more than 99 percent of the
people he came to teach at the time he began his journey toward what he labeled Islam. He did, however, know and
experienced personally some of what the narratives laid out in those autobiographical sketches described, even if it was
in a somewhat less gross form, not being a slave himself.
Even though the one who came to teach him and others was known by several names, the one most often used that
I became most familiar with, Fard Muhammad, brought a distinctly different kind of ideology. It could never
completely displace the deep-seated, scorching hurt inside, experienced by Elijah Poole and those early converts to his
and Fard Muhammads teachings. What came so forcefully spewing out to us thus was ALL white folks are devils,
young ones, old ones, baby ones; it didnt matter. But was there another side of the story? Even these ex-slave
narratives listed above and described further along here hinted perhaps using the term ALL was stretching things a bit
far and we clearly now must accept as knowledgeable Muslims, such a pronouncement was clearly incorrect. As you
will learn as we progress in this writing, just as the evolution of Elijah Poole to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,
Messenger of Allah, took place during his reign as the leader of the Nation of Islam, so too did the thrust of his
teachings. In his last public Saviours Day address in 1974, he pointed to what by all physical characteristics was a
white man who was sitting impassively on the rostrum behind him in the same way he did in the few instances I
was present when he dined with us at the house. He spoke highly of this person (a Turkish brother) not at any time
even hinting or suggesting in any way that this man was a devil.
Let us see if we can get back and tie in some of those autobiographical narratives listed above with where I am
going here. In the chapter One of Dr. Gales Free Niggers can be found this short to-the-point descriptive
statement:
Then there was old Sam Watkinshe would ship their husbands (slaves) out of Dade and get in with their

wives. One man said he stood it as long as he could and one morning he just stood outside, and when he
got with his wife he just choked him to death. He said he knew it was death, but it was death anyhow; so
he just killed him. They hanged him. There has always been a law in Tennessee that if a Negro kills a
white man it means death. Now, mind you, all of the colored women didnt have to have white men, some
did it because they wanted to and some were forced. They had a horror of going to Mississippi and they
would do anything to keep from it. A white woman would have a maid sometimes, who was nice-looking,
and she would keep her and her son would have children by her. Of course the mixed blood, you couldnt
expect much from them. The meanest thing they did was selling babies from the mothers breast, but all
of them did not do that [Emphasis mine]. The man across the street and our folks seemed a little more
enlightened. It just seemed that some of them would buy a woman with children just to sell her away.
They would tell her to take the market wagon into town and when she got there they would sell her, and
she would not know what he was taking her for until he started selling her.
Doesnt make you feel too good reading that kind of stuff, does it? Lets try another one. Slightly different tone.
Mulatto Whom Owners Treated Like Family Member
My grandmother was stole from Spain and brought here, and they made a slave out of her. I remember
mother crying and mistress got in bed with her. She slept right with mother. We had trundle beds then.
My mother was kind of the boss around there about things around the house. Mistress daughter in law
didnt like it a bit, cause mother was bossing things. Mistress finally picked out a place for us and built us
a house. We stayed there until after the War come up. We did know nothing about hard slavery. We stayed
right where Mistress did. I was named for her, Margaret Lavine; they call me Maggie now. I was kinda
small and I cant remember very much, but I know we didnt have no hard time. I played with the
white children all the time [Emphasis mine].
The excerpts from the book quoted above really make for interesting reading and I highly recommend it as much of
it ties into points I wish to make, but we must move on for there is another side to these stories as well.
This other side, is introduced to some extent in the recognition that there are at least two sides to every story.
Thus, although we understandably feel something akin to horror and anger when we read and learn of some of the
abuses and atrocities undergone by slaves, there were among the slaves those who, all things considered, thought they
had it pretty good. Among such people were the slave drivers. We dont hear or read as much about the slave driver as
we do about the common slaves themselves, but if there was a real everyday force to be dealt with on a plantation of
any size, it was the slave driver. For those of you who would like to delve more into the important, delicate, and vital
role played by the slave driver, I invite you to read for one The New York Review of Books: A Special Supplement:
American Slaves and Their History by Eugene Genovese. Lerone Bennett Jr. also makes some telling points in his
publication Before the Mayflower. For my purposes, having obtained permission to do so, let me reproduce a passage
or two from the New York Review Supplement:
Finally, we must consider another misunderstood group of slavesthe drivers. These black slave foremen were
chosen by the master to work under his direction or that of an overseer and to keep the hands moving. They would
rouse the field slaves in the morning and check their cabins at night; would take responsibility for their performance;
and often would be the ones to lay the whip across their backs. In the existing literature the drivers appear as ogres,
monsters, betrayers, and sadists. Sometimes they were. Yet Mrs. Willie Lee Rose, in her book, Rehearsal for
Reconstruction, notes that it was the drivers in the Sea Islands who kept the plantations together after the masters had
fled the approach of the Yankees, who kept up discipline, and who led the blacks during those difficult days. Now, it is
obvious that if the drivers were as they are reported to have been, they would have had their throats cut as soon as
their white protectors had left. In my own researches for the war years I have found repeatedly, almost monotonously,
that when the slaves fled the plantations or else took over plantations deserted by the whites, the drivers emerged as
the leaders. Moreover, the runaway records from the North and from Canada reveal that a number of drivers were
among those who successfully escaped the South.
This is not a book about the horrors, good times, or bad times about slavery per se. The references and insertions of
others are designed to make the point that those of us who are the descendants of slaves in this country by the very
nature of that historical happening emerged thoroughly scarred, so much so we have yet to emerge from the scalding
bath of that institution. The cry of We must unite is the ongoing slogan of the sometimes self-appointed, sometimes
media-appointed, and infrequently popularly appointed black leaders. But it doesnt happen. There was an unbelievably

magnificent gathering of black men at the clearly historic Million Man March galvanized by Minister Louis Farrakhan
as far back as 1995.
The really mind-blowing thing about that march, that gathering, was the total lack of any meaningful reported
misconducts, arrests, shooting, hell raising, or anything of the sort so often part and parcel of any gathering of black
folks less than one-third that size. To use a bit of biblical terminology, surely God held back the winds for that
march. Now as I write these lines, a ten-year commemoration of that march has just taken place, but what can we
document to have been the palpable results of the first one? Yes, I cant help but believe Allah (God) held back the
winds as stated, but for what reason? Since I dont hallucinate about God sending me some special message, I can
only make assumptions about his purpose if it is not clearly stated in some universally accepted scriptural format, so
for me, I ask questions. Have the statistics that would allow us to accurately depict a drop in black men going to
prison been put before us that give us a reason to rejoice? Has pimping the black woman, even teenagers, ceased? Is
their less abusing among us? Has the killing stopped or even appreciably slowed?
Just today (October 16, 2005), I read with dismay and sadness in the Chicago Tribune about the snuffing out of the
lives of three African Americans in Chicago, one woman and two men all under thirty years of age. We can multiply
this figure over and over again in every large (and small too, maybe?) city in America with a sickening familiarity day
after dayand thats only what has been reported! Both the Bible and the Holy Quran put before us that God does not
change the condition of a people until they first change whats in their hearts. Heart in scriptural terminology here most
usually translates to a demonstrable change in behavior, a change in ones way of thinking for the better. When that
doesnt happen after, God has shown a clear relenting in his wrath for a time, and I am suggesting the peace and calm
of that march was a relenting, clear sign for us that indeed if we do not continue to demonstrate we can come together
in a peaceful format, look out! Hell will soon break loose. Of course we know the Honorable Elijah Muhammads
position on marches during his reign.
It was clearly stated by Malcolm X in a film interview given to a reporter from Paris, France, who had come to
interview Malcolm for a documentary they claimed they were going to produce (dont know if they ever did) that I
recorded in back of the Audubon auditorium just prior to a speech Malcolm gave there in 1962. I was watching and
listening to it again just the other day. I havent gotten to the chapter on Malcolm yet, but let me drop a few items on
youcoming attractions, a kind of preview of things to come. This interview was around the time of the historic
Martin Luther King Jr. march on Washington, D.C. Malcolm, when asked how the Muslims felt about the march, said
the Muslims dont think marching on Washington will solve the problems confronted by the black people in this
country. So what happened to us? What kind of people had we become during the lifetime of Elijah Poole? How were
the hearts and minds of so many people effectively and demonstrably changed by this Elijah Poole, who was to
become within the span of just a few short years the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah?
All of this writing about slavery and barely scratching the surface now takes its place. History bears witness that the
human being is not born with a slave mentality. If you want a human being born of a normal mother and father, one
that has learned to develop some knowledge of some sense of himself or herself to be a slave, you have to make him
or her a slave. That person must be groomed for, degraded, beaten into, shaped, and formed both mentally and
physically to obtain slavehood. (I just invented that word, but I think you know what I mean.) I think research can
easily bear me witness that embedded within the very soul of every normal human being is the will and full desire to be
free. Allah (God) put it there. In the Holy Quran, Allah says, I have created mankind and the jinn that they may
worship me (51:56). Not the rich, not the movie idols, not the rappers, not men or women, just Allah. It has further
been said that there are two very definite ways you can eradicate particular communities.
Either you annihilate its members physically, or destroy their culture, language, and beliefs. We know what happened
to the Native Americans. All of that and then some happened to our ancestors that were stolen or sold by others from
our homeland and made that now infamous, horrific middle passage to another land.
Okay, I have sketchily given you the matrix in which Elijah Poole was born. Now we must go further. No human, if
they are to survive, are born outside a community of people. People develop and live in some sort of culture; they live
in environments. The environment may be supportive or destructive, but no one survives as human without in some
way absorbing and/or being affected by the sights, sounds, symbols, in which they are embedded. We know that Elijah
Poole, after leaving the South, came to a more congested, more metropolitan, more socially active areahe came to
Detroit, Michigan. He was the contemporary of Marcus Garvey, to whom we can probably attribute the Honorable
Elijah Muhammads position about the need for some land in his What the Muslims Want and What the Muslims
Believe program, still present I believe in the current Nation of Islams paper The Final Call. Garveys statement was

as follows:
We believe that the black people should have a country of their own where they should be given the fullest
opportunity to develop politically, socially and industrially. The black people should not be encouraged to remain in
white peoples countries and expect to be Presidents, Governors, Mayors, Senators, Congressmen, Judges and social
and industrial leaders. We believe that with the rising ambition of the Negro, if a country is not provided for him in
another 50 or 100 years, there will be a terrible clash that will end disastrously to him and disgrace our civilization. We
desire to prevent such a clash by pointing the Negro to a home of his own. We feel that all well disposed and broad
minded white men will aid in this direction. It is because of this belief no doubt that my Negro enemies, so as to
prejudice me further in the opinion of the public, wickedly state that I am a member of the Ku Klux Klan, even though
I am a black man.
This passage was taken from The Negros Greatest Enemy, published in Current History (September 1923), and
was Marcus Garveys most extensive autobiographical statement, and the first to be written for the American public. It
was written during his incarceration in the Tombs Prison in New York City. Up you mighty people [Nation], you can
accomplish what you will, was not a rallying cry first uttered by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It can be found
in the framework of the work of Marcus Garvey and his United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). In addition,
there was Noble Drew Ali and many others who espoused and organized around similar philosophies. Black men, who
for reasons we have already hinted at but wont be going into with any detail here, awakened to the need for
themselves and the need to arouse their own kind, to stand up and shake off the yoke and mind-numbing effects of
slavery. For those of you wanting to learn more about the roots of Islam in America and some of the Islamic
offerings and personalities in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, I found Islam in the African-American
Experience, second edition by Richard Brent Turner, Indiana University Press, to be one of the more well done and
thorough offerings. There are a few others.
In spite of the rising tide of black awareness in Detroit and elsewhere in America, the poor in both education and
material substance had to focus their attention on just plain old-fashioned survival. That is as true now as it was true
then. Such was the plight of Elijah Poole, who was both poorly educated and economically poor. By the time of his
arrival in Detroit, he had a family, no good job possibilities, and had taken to drink. All the talk about Islam and
returning to Africa, and heaven in the bye and bye means very little to people functioning on the lowest rung of
Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs. I said I wouldnt be going into a lot of psychological stuff, but having
mentioned Maslow and hierarchy of needs, I think it would be a disservice to the reader if I dont at least relate some
of his material to what I am proposing here.
The basis of Abraham Maslows theory, first proposed in 1943, is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied
needs and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before the motivation arises to satisfy higher needs, or even
give them much attention. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs:
Physiological
Safety
Love
Esteem or self-actualization
Physiological needs must be the first need that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly: simply put
food, shelter, and clothing. In his theory it is a generally accepted notion that unless one can first meet and satisfy the
basic needslower-level need, as Maslow describes itphysiologic, he will become stagnant. He called these needs
deficiency needs. Maslow postulated that as long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving
toward growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy, while preventing gratification makes us sick or
act evilly. So the physiologic needs must first be satisfied before we can move on to the next level.
While Maslows hierarchy makes sense intuitively, some say there is a lack of really firm evidence to support its
strict hierarchy. Thats why even after all this time, it is spoken of as a theory, rather than a law of physiology. In
fact, some say research contradicts the order of needs specified by the model. For example, some cultures appear to
place social needs before any others. Maslows hierarchy also has difficulty explaining cases such as the starving
artist in which a person neglects physical needs in pursuit of aesthetic or spiritual needs. Finally, there is little
evidence to suggest that people are motivated to satisfy exclusively one need at a time, except in situations where
needs conflict (www.envisionsoftware.com/ar-ticles/Maslow-needs-hierarchy).
Even though Maslows hierarchy lacks firm scientific support, it is very well-known and is the first theory of
motivation to which many people are exposed. I have exposed you, my readers, to these ideas because I am proposing

at least two things. The circumstances and motivational level of Elijah Poole was no higher than Maslows first level
he had to provide food shelter and clothing for himself and his family so the rest of the blah, blah, blah around him,
even if he heard it, had little or no meaning for him.
Yet from an Islamic perspective, there is something else at work here with some parallels to Maslows hierarchy.
Islam reminds us that there are some basic instincts and organic needs that are part and parcel of every human being.
Clearly, a basic instinct exists for survival, which might be equated to Maslows physiological needs, a basic instinct
exists for reproduction (the sex drive) and a basic instinct exists for worship.
Even when man did not know what to worship and how to worship until Allah sent him Messengers, he postulated
something and found some way to worship something, be it idols, the sun, animals, other human beings, what have
you. The striving is always there to satisfy the instinct, the drive to worship. I want you to sense then that in spite of
the worldly condition of Elijah Poole that placed him pretty much very close to the lowest level within Maslows
hierarchy of the needs scheme of things, that need to worship, that need for spiritual attainment embedded in him and
all of us, placed there by the Creator himself, does not cease to exist.
There is evidence that these same factors were operative in the development of many groups from among the
descendants of slaves throughout the country at that time. It was not exclusive to the development of the Nation of
Islam. A not fully appreciated influence of the drive for freedom from influences of the white man in denigrating the
black man was Black Judaism, which itself took many forms. For more information on the vital role played by black
Judaism in all its forms, see Black Judaism: Story of an American Movement by James E. Landing (Carolina Academic
Press). But were into examining the life of Elijah Poole, so now let us see what happens when Elijah Poole is placed in
a situation that would allow him to effect some change, allow him to get up and get something done and fulfill what he
found to be a more satisfying way, his need to worship. Lets see what we know about what happened to him once
brought into contact in the Detroit of the 1930s, with one whom he came to designate as God, Allah in Personmost
often spoken of by those who took up his messageMr. W. F. Muhammad.
ETC.

CHAPTER 4
W. D. FARD? FARD MOHAMMED?
W. F. MUHAMMAD?
MASTER FARD MUHAMMAD? PROFESSOR FORD?

Lets, right off the bat, set into motion some very important demythologization. Within the established Islamic frame of
reference, the Muslim who wishes to maintain his/her true Islamic identity (as defined by the Holy Quran, the Sunnah
of Prophet Muhammad, and all the truthful and knowledgeable scholars of Islam) and wishes to remain within the
wide circle of Islam as Muslims and not cross the boundaries into disbelief, then understands and declares this: LA
ILLAHA ILALLAH, MUHAMMAD RASUL ULLAHTHERE IS NO GOD (No deity worthy of worship) BUT
ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD IBN ABDULLAH IS HIS MESSENGER. PERIOD. NO IFS, NO ANDS, NO BUTS.
NOT EVEN THERE IS NO GOD BUT GOD. EVEN THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED INCOMPLETE. To say there
is no God but God, which one author has titled his book, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of
Islam by Reza Aslan (Random House), is like saying there is no dentist but dentist. Clearly, for any declared Muslim,
the recognition needs to be that there is no God but ALLAH. Period. Im equally uncomfortable with what has
appeared in some literature over the last five or six years. The point of concern is the ongoing referral to Allah when
referred to as God by the strange designation of Gd. As I understand it, this terminology, instituted by the late leader
Imam W. D. Mohammad whom I knew very well, and had great respect for over forty-five years, is now used by his
followers in their writings because God spelled backward is dog and thats disrespectful. It was said as a backup, the
Jews feel the same way. The JEWS feel the same way? Now really, from an Islamic point of view, thats a good
reason NOT to do it. To me, to adopt such a term is both unnecessary and unproductive.
Thanks to Allah for those who accepted the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad we learned the name of
GodALLAHand he insisted that we stick to that. I can assure you Dr. Abdul Salaam is distinct, unique, and not the
same as every other dentist. If you are going to separate me out from all the other dentists, you have to say at least my
name at a minimum as a start for the clarity of identification. In the Holy Quran, the one and only Creator takes the
time to clearly state the specific name by which he prefers to be called over and over again, Allah. We have no excuse
for failing to say that. I cant emphasize this point enough and when I move into a bit more depth in Islamic
understanding, I will revisit this point. Now, remember my concept on languageWords dont mean, only people
mean.
I used to say and teach, as did all the followers and ministers for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, All praise is due
to Allah, who came in the person of Master Fard Muhammad, to whom all holy praises are due. We forever thank him
for giving us a divine leader, teacher, and guide in the person of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. (Astaghfirullah, an
Arabic term meaning I seek the forgiveness of Allah.) Im saying astaghfirullah now, but I didnt say it when I was a
follower of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammaddid not even know the word. At almost all of the major meetings in
which Elijah Muhammad participated, there was generally a huge banner hung somewhere that read, There Is No God
But Allah and Muhammad Is His Apostle. So we used the word Allah. We used the word Muhammad. We used
the word Messenger and Apostle, but we certainly were not referring in the truest sense to the ALLAH of the Holy
Quran, who cannot be described in words other than He has chosen for himself in the Holy Quran and in the Sunnah
(teachings of Prophet MuhammadPBUH). And we were not talking about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The he and
the we terminology we find in the Holy Quran, once we learn something about Arabic, has a whole different
connotation from the misunderstanding that so frequently follows when one language is translated to another.
Unfortunately, I still hear many who do not really appreciate these often very important distinctions grossly distorting
the correct Islamic understanding. Well, then who is this Master Fard Muhammad?
For startersmyth versus reality. FARD MUHAMMAD IS NOT, I REPEAT, IS NOT ALLAH (GOD)! I will be
stating this over and over again. He neither is, and was never, a prophet in the sense of men sent and commissioned
directly from Allah (God) to bring a specific message, one of a kind, from God to humanity. In that arena, every
Muslim has to bear witness to the fact that Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH) of 1,400 odd years ago was the
LAST PROPHET, if one wishes to consider themselves in the circle of Islam. No more after him.
For an excellent guide as to how best understand when one has stepped outside the broad circle of Islam, I refer
you to On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam, originally found in Abu Hamid alGhazalis Faysal alTafriqa and now translated by Sherman A. Jackson (Oxford Press). But let me warn you, its tough reading, and you

best have your thesaurus, and your Arabic dictionary, Usul al Fiqh, and a few volumes of books on Islamic
jurisprudence, understanding Madhabs, etc., if you want to gain some kind of clarity on the subject.
I was discussing my intent to write this book with a number of brothers I consider scholars of the religion and from
whom I have learned a great deal. They said, To make it clear, since it is expected that this book is going to be
available long after youre gone, do like one author described what Malcolm X had a habit of doing and saying make it
plain not just where I was within the framework of the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad and what a
meaningful experience that was, but where I am NOW! La illaha, Muhammad Rasul-allah. I am reminded of the
verse in the Holy Quran where Allah asked Jesus,
O Jesus, son of Mary, didst thou say to men, Take me and my mother for two Gods besides Allah? He
will say: Glory be to Thee! It was not for me to say what I had no right to [say], If I had said it, Thou
wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy mind.
Surely Thou are the great Knower of the unseen (Holy Quran 5:116).
If Allah (God) asks one of his major prophets, did he set someone up besides him, as Muslims, it goes without
saying once knowledge has come, we have to be very careful to leave no stone unturned that we bear witness, La
illaha illallahThere is no God, no deity, worthy of worship but Allah.
Well once again, Salaam, then who is this W. F. Muhammad, this Master Fard Muhammad? Who is this human
being that Elijah Poole decided he would deify and give to those who followed him as God in person. Maybe it will help
if I start out with a clear declaration that Fard Muhammad is said to have passed on to Elijah Poole who had become
Elijah Karriem, Elijah Mohammad, and finally, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Lets start out with that set of
questions asked and statements made.
It was called English Lesson C-1.
1. My name is W. F. Mohammed. (Note the spelling Mohammed used originally.)
2. I came to North America by myself.
3. My uncle was brought over here by the trader three hundred seventy-nine years ago.
4. My uncle cannot talk his own language.
5. He does not know that he is my uncle.
6. He likes the devil because the devil gives him nothing.
7. Why does he like the devil?
8. Because the devil put fear in him when he was a little boy.
9. Why does he fear now since he is a big man?
10. Because the devil taught him to eat the wrong food.
11. Does that have anything to do with the above question, no. 10?
12. Yes, sir, that makes him other than his own self.
13. What is his own self?
14. His own self is a righteous Muslim.
15. Are there any Muslims other than righteous?
16. I beg your pardon, I have never heard of one.
17. How many Muslim sons are there in North America?
18. Approximately three million.
19. How many original Muslims are there in North America?
20. A little over seventeen million.
21. Did I hear you say that some of the seventeen million do not know they are Muslims?
22. YES, sir.
23. I hardly believe that, unless they are blind, deaf, and dumb.
24. Well, they were made blind, deaf, and dumb by the devil when they were babies.
25. CAN THE DEVIL FOOL A MUSLIM?

26. NOT NOWADAYS.

27. Do you mean to say that the devil fooled them three hundred seventy-nine years ago?
28. Yes, the TRADER made an interpretation that they would receive GOLD for their labor more than they were
receiving in their own country.
29. Then, did they receive gold?
30. NO. The trader disappeared and there was no one that could speak their own language.
31. Then what happened?
32. WELL, they wanted to go to their own country, but they could not swim nine thousand miles.
33. Why didnt their own people come and get them?
34. Because their own people did not know that they were here.
35. When did their own people find out that they were here?
36. Approximately sixty years ago.
Note the term DEVIL is a recurring one here. So clearly, the Devil and the white man are one and the same at that
time and, in that writing, said to be produced and issued by W. F. Mohammed himself.
Around and out of this (and other) lessons, an entire community and organization was born. A community, an
organization, a nation frequently characterized even by those outside the Nation of Islam as the most powerful
organization of black men and women that had ever risen on the shores of North Americabar none. I can still see
and hear the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, when asked, fleshing out this lesson right down to the choice of the title
English Lesson C-1. Note the first six numbered items are straight out-and-out statements, then what followed
thereafter from 7 to 36 were questions and answers. Good stuff. I typed some things out about English Lesson C-1
and have it pasted in my notebook where I also placed answers to questions I asked of him. I am not going to go into
any detail here, as the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad did with me and those who were at his dinner table. This was but
one of the many occasions of dinner with Mr. Muhammad, when and where I frequently put questions to him. I have
already shown you in a single instance how I used some of this material when I was teaching earlier on. But without
a doubt, you can find general examples of its use in some of the major compilations of the writings of the (Honorable)
Elijah MuhammadMessage to the Blackman, Our Saviour Has Arrived, The Fall of America, etc. You wont find the
explanation of the title of that lesson in those writings, but I can see him as though it were yesterday, as he sat at the
head of his dinner table enjoying the challenge of my asking him why English Lesson C-1. Why not A-1, since A
certainly precedes C? I did record his answer to my inquiry on an old small reel-to-reel tape recorder, transcribed it,
printed it out, and it was dispatched from Chicago with the answer to a number of other questions I had put to him. It
went out as part of a series that I had entitled Table Talks of Muhammad just for those who were called the Laborers
(minister, captain, and secretary) at that time. For various good reasons, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had
discontinued English Lesson C-1 and other lessons issued prior to his passing, so I consider further explanation of
them pass except for historical purposes, especially since Elijah Muhammad himself discontinued their distribution.
Yeah, yeah, okay, Salaam, but you still havent answered the question who was this Master Fard Muhammad or
Mohammad. Well, we have to keep going.
I have within reaching distance right now, as part of my source and research material for this book, many
publications that perpetuate myths, made-up stories, guesses, and outright lies about W. F. Mohammad. Some made
honest efforts to search the murky past that this man emerged from. I do not classify any of them as particularly
successful. Let me give you an example. There is one book that I dont want to name (you might buy it) because I
found it such a distorted portrayal of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. In it, they suggest
more than fifteen aliases for Fard Mohammad. Which one is correct? The author buttresses his arguments over and
over again with FBI reports and questionable documents and then ignores many of his own claimed discoveries that
discredit the FBI. The director of the FBI, at that time, was the infamous J. Edgar Hoover, who conceived the Hoover
Plan, a diabolical plot demonstrating that the man was obsessed with discrediting and destroying the Nation of Islam.
With Hoover, it was definitely by any means necessary. Of course, the records now show how evil and racist the
man was as he went after every black group and leader he could, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Little did I
dream, when I was so deeply involved in the Nation of Islam, things would come into my hands to support this
position. I have a thick book that I obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, relevant pages of which have been
reproduced in this book that sustain my position. They were the result of my wife and I being spied on while officials

of the Nation of Islam in Newark, New Jersey. Further on, I have reproduced for your viewing, as well, copies of
newspaper accounts and documents from the files of the FBI, openly showing that they purposefully just made up
stuff, put into their own distribution channels as leaks and exposs to discredit both the Nation of Islam and W. F.
Mohammad.
Now let me be forthright and honest here as I have tried to be throughout this writing. This chapter relating to W. F.
Muhammad, name used here because it was the name on the form letter I had to write to get my X, will be
comparatively short because the information that I personally have about him came to me only through the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad. The rest of the references that we read about him have been passed on second, third, fourth hand,
right on down the line. Thus, you can go to any publication dealing with Islam in America that mentions the Nation of
Islam and Fard Muhammad and read what I have read, and you can take it or leave it. You can go online to Google or
any search engine, type in Nation of Islam, and you will have many months worth of reading and links you can go
through. However, since I am talking about myths versus realities, I can say a few things that debunk very clearly
some of the misinformation that is out there, having spoken at length over many years as I have with the very man,
Elijah Muhammad, who lifted W. F. Mohammad to Godhood, so to speak. Let me give you a few examples of some of
the material that is out there.
In an online article entitled Emergence of Islam in the African-American Community by Adam Edgerly and Carl
Ellis, this quote appears:
The second of these disciples was Wali D. Fard, a mysterious White man of Turkish origins, also known
as Aka Wali Fard Mohammad. Fard established the Temple of Islam headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.
In the above writing, the authors are discussing Noble Drew Ali and are suggesting that Wali D. Fard (W. F.
Mohammad) was one of Noble Drew Alis disciples. A disciple of Noble Drew Ali? Not hardly. Knowledgeable about
him? Yes. Perhaps. There is some evidence of that but not a disciple. As a parallel to this kind of guesswork and wild
speculation, there is a passage in James A. Landings fine work already cited, BLACK JUDAISM: Story of an
American Movement in his chapter entitled Black Jews and Black Muslims, that reads:
Although Howard Brotzs interesting speculation that Rabbis Arnold Ford went not to Ethiopia but to
Detroit and became Wallace Ford, the prophet and the Messenger to Elijah Poole, [such speculation] has
now proved to have been interesting speculation but false.
At least this author took the time to check this out to conclude it was false.
I know for sure that Elijah Muhammad never taught that W. F. Mohammad was a white man. Thats clear. If he
had, he would have been contradicting himself, since one of the cornerstones of his teaching was that the white man is
the devil. It was important, said Elijah Muhammad, for Fard Mohammad to look like a white man. Only his mother,
again according to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, who had been especially chosen and prepared to birth him so
that he could travel easily among both white and black with minimum suspicion, was white. It was said his coloring
was such that whites could take him as a white man and black people, more trusting of what was told to them by
white people than by blacks, would be more likely to take the time to listen. His father was a black man, a God, in fact,
claimed Elijah Muhammad, and for sure, that made W. F. Muhammad a black man. That point was intrinsic to the
teaching because according to the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, that gave Fard the opportunity to
walk among both groups.
It has changed a bit today, but I think we can generally agree that when a black person and a white person marry
(or maybe just live together?), no matter which one is black or white, the couple generally found themselves more
comfortable and more quickly accepted in a black neighborhood rather than a white one. This very much relates to the
general psychological conditioning of blacks by whites. The feeling was (and is?) that, in general nowthere is always
an exception to blanket statementsamong blacks, whatever it is the black man might be known for doing, the white
man can do it better. And I dont have to run around trying to find a book that I can use as a reference to footnote
that. Im eighty years old, educated, was in the service, and had spent time in many parts of the country and world to
say, Been there and done that, seen it for myself so Im the reference. And sad as it is to say so, there is some truth
to that. There are many things, particularly in the professions and in the academic world that whites can do better than
blacks because blacks very simply have not been afforded the opportunity on a level playing field to learn and
participate in many centers of higher learning as have whites. So when you say the establishment, who do you think
you are going to find therein? It is very clear that even women have felt the sting of this kind of discrimination. Let us
be clear here now. Im not saying it is a question of the lack of the innate ability to accomplish anything, any other
ethnic group can accomplish. No, Im not saying that at all. Its a question of the lack of OPPORTUNITY afforded us

to do whatever our abilities will allow that has held us back so badly. And yes, going through the kind of slavery we
did, as a people certainly, didnt help.
ETC.

CHAPTER 5
THE MYTH BEGINS

Now finally, lets get to the nitty-gritty about Wallace Fard Mohammed. Anyone who knows a Muslim from the
Islamic world, the Holy City Mecca where W. F. Mohammed was supposedly birthed, an Arab with the name Wallace?
Wali, okay. But Wallace? Maybe, but I dont think so. So what are we supposed to do with that? And remember,
initially now it wasnt Muhammad at all, but Mohammed. Even Elijah Poole first became Mohammed before becoming
Muhammad. In fact, in a conversation I was having with Jabir Muhammad, the third eldest son of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad, he said they used to be called MuckMud! Yes, MuckMud. A kind of Ebonics for Muhammad. Not
for long, but that was the case for a while, Jabir told me, until his father made the change. I heard Imam W. D.
Mohammed say the same thing in a speech on December 25, 2005, at what was billed as the Annual Seerah
Conference at Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in New York.
Now pay attention to some selections from the reproduction of the Final Call newspaper dated August 18, 1935,
that I have provided for you. Is Elijah Mohammed in that photo anyplace?
There were a goodly number of mixed messages therein. For example, the Final Call to Islam newspaper, published
weekly by Elijah Mohammed, minister of Islam in North America, included here. Note how W. F. Muhammad was
referenced at that time Prophet Fard Mohammed, Prophet W. D. Fard, who hails from the Holy City Mecca. And
again, Let us remember that this same Jesus [Assia] prophesied the last great Prophet [Prophet Fard Mohammed]
would seek and find the brother that was lost and he called this lost brother a sheep. Another quote: And if, thy
[our] people Israel [of Islam] be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee [because of
ignorance] and shall return [to our own kind] and confess thy name [which is Allah] and pray [the Moslems prayer
(Emphasis mine)] and make supplication earnestly confess that Islam is the right religion and that there is no God but
Allah and his Prophet Fard Mohammed is his Prophet [Emphasis mine] before thee.
Once more now, from an article titled A Happy Moslem by John Muhammad that concludes with Each one has
his own, for Islam is the Light of the World and W. D. Fard is our Prophet. Even Elijah Mohammad is using this same
type of terminology. As a subtitle to one of his articles, he writes, Prophet Fard Mohammad Is the Comforter. But
after carefully surveying these old scraps of that newspaper, look what I stumbled upon in an article by Elijah
Mohammad in the August 18, 1934, edition of the Final Call.

It was listed as being published weekly by ELIJAH MOHAMMED, Minister of Islam in North America, whom we
later came to know as The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. And where is Elijah Mohammad in
this photo? I took a magnifying glass to scan the photo and still could not find him, but maybe hes there. The picture
is somewhat fuzzy. This quote comes one year earlier than the other quote. Elijah Mohammed published in an article
entitled A Warning to the Blackman of America:

Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad for our day of deliverance is come. No longer are we in the
bondage of ignorance of that which we originally possessed. The dead are rising, the sick are being
healed, yea, the blind are seeing, the deaf are hearing and the prisoners are being freed, because our
SAVIOUR is in the midst of us and is doing great things. He will make everyone that hates him and
disregards his call confess that he is God [Emphasis mine]. He is our salvation. Fear you not, oh my
people, and be not ashamed, for your former sins are forgiven. Only return unto your own kind and
acknowledge him [Fard Mohammed] who has powerto deliver us from our enemy and give us back the
religion of our fathers and the Holy Prophets. Come unto him and receive YOUR HOLY NAMES and lay
aside the names that the devil forced upon our forefathers, whom he held in slavery for 310 years.
Well now. What do we have here? Prophet? Messenger? Savior? Allah? The statement He will make everyone that
hates him and disregards his call confess that he is God has the first inkling I found of the direction Elijah Mohammed
finally took, the establishment of Fard Mohammed as God, that was soon to split apart those early followers and cause
Elijah Mohammed to flee for his life.
So how did Elijah Poole get into this mix?
One of the things I had to constantly reckon with and rationalize, if you will, was this idea of God being a man as I
began early on to interact with the Nation of Islams belief system. Now I suspect that would not be such a big leap
had I been in one of the Christian branches that equates Jesus with God. Although its generally a Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost concept with them, the Jesus-God-Man equation is not too big of a leap. That was not the case for me. I
said early on that I grew up in a Methodist church, and of course, as in all of Christianity, Jesus IS a BIG thing. But in
the Methodist church I attended, there was not a Jesus-God-Man equation I had to reckon with. Thus it was,
whenever I was around the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad) and could get a chance to do so, I went about probing this
Allah came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad premise that Elijah Muhammad had established. And although
I was around him for more times than I can count during the eighteen years I followed him before his death, it was
not a subject you could probe too deeply into. You would just have to wait until he opened up the subject in some way.
In a notebook that I usually carried with me when I went to the house, I have a note written on January 13, 1974,
that represents a comment he made at the dinner table when he heard a tape of one of his ministers teaching about
Fard Muhammad. He was somewhat disturbed about what he heard. I never saw him really, really angry, but you
could tell when you best keep quiet. He said, Brother, tell the ministers [I had started a ministers class for the major
ministers with his approval that came monthly to bring their reports to Chicago] there is no need for them to try to
represent Master Fard Muhammad, his birth, his family, or anything else relative to him except for the fact that he gave
us a Messenger.
On July 7, 1974, I tried probing the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad (again) as to how he first learned about Master
Fard Muhammad. Let me quickly insert here, before I forget, because I have been using the term MASTER Fard
Muhammad as though that was one of his early titles. It wasnt. That MASTER part was added by the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad and was sometimes used when referring to Fard Muhammad. This title was concurred with by
Imam W. D. Mohammad, the son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who succeeded him on his death, whom I heard
say, He was referring to Fard Muhammad as Master Fard Muhammad because he was a MASTER TEACHER, a man
both cunning, knowledgeable, and skilled in his understanding of the so-called American Negro and the state of our
condition at the time he was among us.
Now, as I was saying.
Since somehow or other, the subject of Fard Muhammad had come up at the table, I kind of timidly asked, Dear
Holy Apostle, how did you first meet the Savior? Here again, let us be careful. Early on when Elijah Poole first entered
into the Nation of Islam, he, like all the other members of the Nation of Islam at that time, referred to W. F.
Muhammad as noted in the manner seen in the original Final Call newspaperFard Mohammed or the PROPHET
and/or OUR SAVIOR. But once Elijah Poole had become Elijah MUHAMMAD (the Messenger of Allah), it became
MUHAMMAD is HIS APOSTLE (see photo), I only heard him refer to Fard as Allah or the Savior. His wife, Sister
Clara Muhammad, according to her grandson, Jesus Muhammad Ali, named at birth Herbert Muhammad Jr., said he
never heard his grandmother refer to Fard Muhammad as Allah, only as the Savior. Neither did I.
Clara Muhammad, in the early years of my visits to the house, was routinely quietly and regally seated at the dinner
table with the rest of us, but of course, her grandson knew her much longer and more intimately than I did, so I used
his statement as one more authoritative than my own. Jabir Muhammad has stated that he recalls one time at the dinner
table, Sister Clara Muhammad (his mother) herself, in one of her rare interjections into talks at the dinner table, said to

her husband, Elijah Muhammad, that she never heard Fard Muhammad refer to himself as Allah, and as a
consequence, she never did. Hey! Dont downplay what I have written here. Remember she knew of Fard Muhammad
not only before her husband, Elijah Poole, but all during the entire span of time that Fard was among them.

Photo by Dr. Abdul Salaam

Saviours Day 1963, showing Minister Nathaniel Muhammad, front row, third from the left (second oldest son of
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad), seated next to and conferring with Malcolm X. Also seen is Minister James
Shabazz, chief assistant to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in Chicago, Minister Jerimiah Shabazz, and Sister Clara
Muhammad just prior to the talk by Malcolm X. Pay particular attention to the large banner above stating
MUHAMMAD IS HIS APOSTLE.
There are several versions of what ensued between Elijah Poole and W. F. Mohammad during that first encounter.
Note my choice of terms for these two men, Elijah Poole and W. F. Mohammad. To stay within a historically accurate
perspective, I am trying here as best I can to take you back with me to 1931, and at that time as indicated early on,
that was how they were labeled.
Lets continue with the pathway I started here using my own personal notes on questions I put to the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad because that is how he was referred to when I put these questions to him. The question again:
Dear Holy Apostle, how did you meet the Savior? My notes read,
The Messengers first visit to the Temple was of his own accord. He heard that someone was having a
meeting of an Islamic nature. Abdul Muhammad and Osman Ali were teaching. They both served as
ministers. The secretary was Eugene Ali. The Messenger tried to reach the Savior the first time, but there
were too many people around him. It was the second meeting that the Messenger reached the Savior. It
was then that he went back and registered with the Secretary. In those days, you need only give the
Secretary your name to join up. The change to the writing of the letter was established later by Allah to
teach the people to write.
Then, I wrote that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad said to me that on that second visit he was able to get close
enough to Fard to say to him, You are that Jesus to come. He then said that Fard said to him, Yes, but only you and
I know that. He was told to keep that to himself until Fard himself was no longer around.
That was the extent of my note. The question yet unanswered in an authentic, undisputed manner is, was there any
other exchange between these two at that moment? Remember this statement of fact: Whatever they said to one
another, at this point in time, other than what he told me and a few others about that exchange, we can not
authoritatively with any high level of certainty say for sure other than what has been stated. No one can.

There were no tape recorders, cameras, or video recorders there. All reports are second-, third-, fourth-hand, and so
on down the line.
So what else has been reported as having been said? The thing that is now usually put forth by those who say they
heard him speak on this subject vary considerably.
Heres one for example. One day in 1931 Elijah Poole attended one of Fard Muhammads sermons. While talking to
Fard after the meeting Poole said, I know who you are, youre God himself. Fard whispered to Poole, Thats right
but dont tell it now. It is not time for me to be known, wrote Clifton E. Marsh in The Lost Found Nation of Islam in
America (Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Md.) in his footnote to have come from Muhammad Speaks special issue in
1972. There are some parallels here to my notes, but the critical difference is the statement that Elijah Poole spoke of
and to Fard as though he (Fard) was God.
Heres another: You are that one we read in the Bible that he would come in the last day under the name . . . Jesus.
You are that one? (Claude Andrew Clegg III, An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad, St.
Martins Press, New York, NY, 1997).
There are some similarities to my own notes here as well. Please pay attention to the imaginative context in which
the author places this statement. Clegg wrote, Fard was probably shocked by what Elijah told him when they shook
hands, and then continued, Caught off guard, Fard paused and looked deep into Elijahs eyes with a very serious
gaze. He then smiled and whispered into Elijahs ear, Yes I am the one but who knows that but yourself and be quiet.
In an almost paternal way, he touched Elijah on the shoulder and pushed him away ostensibly concerned with what
others may have overheard them say. Clegg then himself footnoted this passage and attributed it to Sahib, Nation of
Islam, 91-92, E. Muhammad, History 2.
Since we need to be concerned about accuracy around such an important event, as I see it, in this search for
accuracy, it is incumbent upon the reporter to carefully sift through hearsay and then position it before the reader as
inferences, facts, or fiction, if it can be so determined. So how should we take the inference Fard was probably
shocked? Well now, really? And how about looked deep into Elijahs eyes with a very serious gaze. Hmmm. I
guess someone had a camera there after all, took a close-up shot of the meeting, and we just arent fortunate enough
to be privy to that photograph showing this very serious gaze?
But theres more from Clegg quoting others, I just dont care to pass on such maybes. I think my point is made
and why I stick as closely as practical to my own personal knowledge of things.
Such loose writing and reporting of so many historical events of those times is very common place. Lets take a
look at some more really imaginative writing by a real teller of fairy tales. Very early on in this writing, I very politely
expressed my contempt for this authors disregard for the truth, and unfortunately, since I have to quote him, I must
disclose the source of my quote. Lets start with some of his loose talk. To begin with, he hypothesizes that Elijah
Pooles first encounter with Fard was due to Pooles wife, Clara, being so excited after hearing one of Fards lectures
herself that she rushed home to tell Elijah about him and the incredible message he had delivered that evening, but
Elijah was too ill to think of anything but his own health. Since Elijah wouldnt go to meet the prophet, Clara decided to
bring the prophet to meet Elijah (Karl Evanzz, The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, Pantheon
Books, NY, 1999, p. 71).
So now, according to this author, Elijah Pooles first interaction with Fard was arranged by Pooles wife, Clara. He
then states, Clara Poole fixed a meal. Now my statement: Really? And did they then all sit down, have dinner, talk,
and live happily ever after? They lived happily ever after is of course dripping with sarcasm and purposefully
inserted by me, though clearly not true, to bring to mind what a fairy tale this was. With a lot of other embroidering of
this meeting, Evanzz concludes in relation to the subject at hand that after listening to Fard for more than three hours
at his home, Elijah said, I was a student of the Bible. I recognized him to be the person the Bible predicted would
come two thousand years after Jesuss death. It came to me the first time I laid eyes on him. Evanzz used as a
footnote for the above reporting: Elijah Muhammad, Current Biography, 1972. I went to the Internet (Google) to
search out this reference and could not find it in any specific fashion, although it might be hidden there somewhere,
since there were roughly 644 items with varying links to this subject. But I can say with a fair degree of certainty that
based on my pursuit of this aspect of the Fard / Elijah Poole link, with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself, as
regard to the above account of that initial meeting, somebody should stop smoking that funny-smelling stuff if they are
going to do some serious writing.
It has been reliably reported by immediate family members that Sister Clara Muhammad knew of Fard Muhammad
prior to his first meeting with her husband. All right, but not in the setting established by Evanzz. Herbert Muhammad

Jr., a.k.a. Jesus Muhammad Ali, the grandson of Clara Muhammad reported she told him that Fard had come by the
house and asked about her husband. In his book The Evolution of the Nation of Islam, in 2002, p. 31, he put it this
way:
One of grandmothers friends brought a man around to the house who sold fabrics and a red clothe that
some of them were putting in their windows. Grandmother told of how she was sitting on her porch one
afternoon, when she first saw The Savior (a reference she would use emphatically), Master W. D. Fard
Muhammad. He looked like a poor white man.
His first question was, Where is brother [Grandfather]? Her reply: Hes in the house sleep lying across
the bed drunk as a coot. Grandfather had taken to heavy drinking of alcohol. Master Fard, then extended
them an invitation to come to one of the Sunday hall meetings.
It goes on to say finally, Having no one to keep the children, Grandfather and Grandmother were not able to attend
the meeting together. Grandfather arrived at the Sunday meeting hall, an afternoon that would change our family
forever, upon his first opportunity to hear Master Fard Muhammads address. Right after the lecture concluded,
Grandfather, like many others, approached the speaker to shake his hand for acceptance. At that point Grandfather
acknowledged Fard as the Deliverer to our people [Emphasis mine]. Please note also that I didnt make a
mistake in the quotes from the book. What I placed here is the way it reads. Unfortunately, my brother had some
glaring grammatical errors and poor sentence construction throughout his book.
Contrast this to Evanzzs description in his book The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, page 71,
where he said in describing Fards demeanor when he first made his appearance at the home of Elijah and Clara Poole:
Who looked like an East Indian or perhaps a Caucasian with an enviable tan. His neatly trimmed hair was
ebony black, with every strand in place. His dark pupils were so hypnotic that few women were willing to
settle for a mere handshake. His perfect white teeth were framed by a captivating gentle smile. He dressed
like a fashion model: his dark blue pinstriped suit appeared to be tailor-made, and a maroon fez gave him
the look of a distinguished diplomat.
Remember my Life is full of little details saying? Where did Evanzz get such details? Do I have to say more?
A few more words about this mysterious we-dont-really-know-what-to-callhim person who has been described
in some unbelievably weird ways. C. Eric Lincoln has gone as far as stating what he said was found in the New
Crusader (Chicago) August 15, 1959, page 1, to the effect that an investigation of the Black Muslim Movement refers
to Fard Muhammad as a Turkish born Nazi agent [who] worked for Hitler in World War II (The Black Muslims in
America, Beacon Press, 1961, p. 12).
Are there a few other things we can accept as facts? Well, maybe. I do know that the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad told me and many others that he and Fard Muhammad became very close to one another and Fard spent
almost three and one-half years teaching him personally outside the earshot of many of the others, who were faithful
followers and members of the early Nation of Islam.
It has been documented from many sources and certainly put forth by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself
that Fard is said to have first made his appearance in Detroit on July 4, 1930, in an area known as Paradise Valley
(Black Bottom) and he sold silk and other like items to the black inhabitants of that area in order to get their attention.
It is agreed that over a period of time he gained the confidence of enough people in the area by teaching them about
things such as eating the proper foods, raised their self-esteem, and began introducing them to Islamic terminology.
There is no clear evidence that he spent any measurable amount of time teaching them the true nature of Islam in the
sense that it was brought by Prophet Muhammad. In fact, if we accept what the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad gave
us as originating with Fard Mohammad, there were some very serious distortions. We would have to say with him
then the myths that became the bulwark of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad began. Let me give you
an example of what I mean by a very serious distortion from the lessons that were issued by the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad to those persons who became his followers at least in the time frame that I accepted (1957). There is a
lesson designated as Lost Found Moslem Lesson No. 2. Yes, Moslem, not Muslim, a later designation. I have a copy
here before me. It is in booklet form and it says, This lesson is answered very near correct and all students should
read it and study until he or she can recite it by heart. Prophet W. D. Fard. It then goes on to say, FIRST
EXAMINATION ASSIGNMENT OF MR. ELIJAH MOHAMMED. It contains forty questions and answers. There
was a time when I knew every one of the questions and answers by heart.
Question 1: Who made the Holy Koran or Bible? How long ago? Will you tell us why does Islam re-new her history

every twenty-five thousand years?

Answer: The Holy Koran or Bible is made by the original people who is Allah, the supreme being or (black man) of
Asia; the Koran will expire in the year twenty-five thousand. Nine thousand and eighty years from the date of this
writing the nation of Islam is all wise and does everything right and exact. The planet Earth, which is the home of
Islam and is approximately twenty-five thousand miles in circumference, so the wise man of the East (black man)
makes history or Koran to equal his home circumference, a year to every mile and thus every time his history lasts
twenty-five thousand years, he re-news it for another twenty-five thousand years. I am aware that grammatically
speaking there should be a comma (,) after from this writing and before the nation of Islam, but thats the
way the material reads in its original version.
To say that the sacred book of the Muslims, the Holy Quranspelled Koran in that lessonknown unquestionably
by Muslims to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Allah (God) Himself, is made by the original
people who is Allah, the supreme being or [black man] of Asia, is a very, very serious distortion indeed. There is
certainly no mystery about the true origin of the Holy Koran (anglicized way of saying Quran) so the myth
versus reality process ends right there on that. We clearly know the origin of the Holy Koran (Quran). We can
now better understand also as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad grew in knowledge and understanding about Islam and
its origins why such lessons were discontinued.
Im not going into that in any detail in a separate way at the moment, but much of the content of those teachings,
lessons, general instructions, and the like left behind by Fard Muhammad will form the backdrop of what follows here
in the demythologization process I hope to accomplish. As I said earlier, the teachings of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad as such, The Message to the Blackman, Our Savior Has Arrived, The Fall of America, How to Eat to
Live, The Theology of Time, and a host of other writings are readily available from dozens of sources if you care to
read them for historical purposes. I have some documents that declare that what was also part of the early lessons or
teachings introduced by Fard Mohammad was something called The Secret Rituals of the Lost Found Nation of
Islam. It has been reported in a number of publications about the Nation of Islam that this was the document in which
a number of statements were embedded that brought about Fards demise as the leader of the Temple when, on
Thanksgiving Day in 1932, one of his followers, Robert Harris, renamed Robert Karriem, committed a human sacrifice
in order to bring himself closer to Allah. Karriem cited a quotation from a book entitled Secret Rituals of the Lost
Found Nation of Islam, authored by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad, which read, The disbeliever must be stabbed
through the heart. This quote, as well as another stating, Every son of Islam must gain a victory from a devil. Four
victories and the son will attain his reward, convinced the Detroit Police Departmentmotivated in part by the antiMuslim hysteria fueled by media coverage of the eventto seek out Fard in conjunction with the murder. (Go to
http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=4650 although it may not still be there.)
I know of no such titled teachings or papers, but that does not mean there was never such a pamphlet or book. I do
know that what was called the lessons (Actual Facts, Student Enrollment, English Lesson No. C-1) was not available
to the general public as such. One would first have to become a member of the Nation of Islam and these things were
then issued in a certain sequence and after following rules. Among those documents, in Lost Found Muslim Lesson
No. 1, there was a similar such statement but nothing about the need to stab someone through the heart.
So let me leave this subject in this way. The most concise and I think accurate description we can give of what we
know about Fard Muhammad, outside of the information given to us by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in his
various publications, speeches, and personal conversations to a few others such as myself, was stated by Ermann D.
Benyon. He is quoted as saying, Although the prophet [Master Fard Muhammad] lived in Detroit from July 4, 1930,
until June 30, 1934, virtually nothing is known about him, save that he came from the East and that he called
the Negroes of North America to enter the Nation of Islam. His very name is uncertain (The Voodoo Cult
among Negro Migrants in Detroit. American Journal of Sociology, XLIII No. 6 [May 1938], p. 896). (I say amen to
that. The emphasis is mine.)
As a personal observation and based on the research I have done and the talks I have had with many of the older
members of the Nation of Islam under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad regarding Fard Muhammad, it is pretty clear to
me that there are many legends concerning both the appearance and disappearance of Fard Muhammad, most of
which remain in the realm of undocumented conjecture and, yes, even a few purposefully concocted lies.
So my answer to the question who was this W. D. Fard? This Fard Mohammad, etc., I can say very clearly that I
do not know who Fard Mohammad was. I say was because I have no reason to believe that if, as we were told by
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, that he was born on February 26, 1877, making him 128 years old, having heard

nothing clearly identifiable with him, that we should say anything other than was. Reread the quote above from
Ermann D. Benyon. I can do no better than that. We can state the negative, that is, we know that whoever he was and
whatever name he finally came to be known by, one thing is for sure he was, again, NOT Allah (God), the Mahdi, or
the Messiah. One does not have to prove a negative.
We do know that Elijah Poole, after what he states was three and one-half years of learning from and intensively
interacting with this man, took him to be someone very special, finally designating him as Allah (God) in Person.
Elijah Poole became Elijah Muhammad, then took that body of information that he first heard in 1931 codified and
internalized it. He internalized it so well, in fact, and emboldened others to do the same so effectively in the short span
of roughly forty years, that history will forever record that hundreds of thousands, yes, I daresay finally millions of
people, who had been brought to America as chattel, slaves, reduced to just short of nothing, robbed thoroughly of the
knowledge of themselves and others, robbed of their original names, God, and religion, were raised to a level of selfrespect and even envy that has yet to be duplicated in America.
In spite of what we can now clearly identify as inconsistencies, additions, inaccuracies, and omissions in that which
was presented as Islam, in spite of the fact that there is no way Fard Mohammad could have been anything other than,
though apparently gifted, another human being, Elijah Muhammad accepted some aspects of what was presented to
him by Fard Mohammad to the extent that he himself became comfortable, bold, and fearless enough to designate
himself as the Messenger of Allah. How did he do that?
First, lets take Fard Mohammad out of the picture. As of sometime in 1934, certainly no later than 1935, hes gone.
Poof!
For years after, even the FBI could neither find nor identify him with any degree of certainty. They just finally gave
up and closed the case.
He had virtually disappeared as mysteriously as he appeared.
Now, as a physical presence, we dont have even Fard Mohammad. The reference to him as Fard Mohammad and
as the prophet somewhere down the line disappears. As time goes by, the designation becomes W. F. Muhammad
and then finally Allah, who came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad. In fact, I personally heard Elijah
Muhammad himself go so far as to characterize Fard Muhammad on many occasions as ALLAH HIMSELF, that one
wiser than the one who created the heavens and the earth (astaghfirullah). In answer to a question I posed to Elijah
Muhammad in September 1958 about the whereabouts of Fard Muhammad along with some others issues I was
concerned about, I have reproducd below some parts of what he wrote in a letter dated September 17, 1958:
Relative to your question on the Divine Supreme, W. F. Muhammad [the initials stand for Wallace Fard]
it is very lengthy to explain and I have not time and space to give it to you as it should be. However, Fard
Muhammad has the meaning of Wali. Fard is also an independent name, outstanding of all the other 100
names. It is not included in the 99 attributes of Allah, for it shows that this is an independent person above
all of the others before him. This also corresponds with the coming and presence of the God in this day
and time, for He shall bring in a New World of Islam. Just as Yakub brought to us a new world out of his
made devils, so shall Mr. Fard Muhammad bring in a New World of Islam based upon truth, Freedom
Justice and Equality. Muhammad means praise-worthy, and One worthy of that praise. This is also an
attribute of Allah.
Concerning your question regarding where the Saviour is todaySpiritually speaking, Allah is always with
those who believe in Him. He is capable of being present here and there too, at the same time, and yet a
real and natural person. According to the Bible and Holy Quran, God is in Heaven in a Holy Place. He does
not stay among the wicked.
From my point of view, just these few statements raise quite a few other questions, such as the reference to Fard in
several different ways. Like Elijah Muhammad, I dont have time and space to get into these things here so Ill just
move on.
For those early years, I have not seen any authentic documents replicated indicating that during the time he spent
among the people, denoting that he was ever designated as W. F. Muhammad. Clearly, that came later. When, I dont
know. I do know that the letter I wrote to get my X was addressed to a W. F. Muhammad. I have a copy of a
number of letters said to have been written by him to E. Mohammad (the Honorable Elijah Muhammad), but they are
all signed W. D. Fard. Note please, I used the term said to have been written by W. D. Fard. I dont know that they
have been authenticated. We do know the name Fard Mohammad just as the man himself remains only as a shadowy

enigma, a historical blip.

ETC.

CHAPTER 6
ITS 1935TROUBLED WATERS
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The year is 1935 and now there is a full-blown entity left behind known as the Nation of Islam, populated by people
who have been led to believe they are really special, that they are those people the Bible was talking about who would
inherit the earth. They believed, just as I initially did, that what W. F. Mohammed taught was Islam. They now
considered themselves to be Muslims.
Me too!
Nay, not just Muslims, but the best of Muslims!
Me too.
They accepted that as their religion. But the one who told them all of this is now gone, never to be heard from in the
same fashion again.
Who are they? What did we then have?
Where did the now-designated minister, Elijah Muhammad, for the then-fledgling Nation of Islam go from there? He
is now the father of seven children: two girls (the older Ethel Muhammad [now deceased] and Lottie Muhammad [now
known as Rayyah]) and five boys (Emanuel Muhammad, the eldest and now deceased; Nathaniel Muhammad;
followed by Jabir [Herbert] Muhammad, now deceased; Elijah Muhammad Jr.; and finally Wallace Muhammad, now
known as Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, now deceased, barely a year old at the time; the last and youngest boy,
Akbar Muhammad, was not yet born).
We might, in passing, glance at myth versus reality long enough here to ask ourselves about the circulated saying
among the early followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that when Fard Mohammad learned of Sister Clara
Mohammads pregnancy, he had someone inscribe on a door the name of the now-deceased leader and founder of the
Mosque Cares, Imam W. D. Mohammed, what was said to be his own name, W. D. Fard. I had heard such a
statement myself but not from Elijah Muhammad. Imam W. Deen Mohammed in the August 4, 2006, issue of Muslim
Journal was quoted as saying, Mr. Fard was still in touch with my mother and father and the small community that
he had started. And he sent my mother the message saying, Take good care of the new arrival. He was meaning me,
the new arrival. Then he was gone.
Imam W. D. Mohammed gave his own birth date as October 30, 1933. He was also quoted as saying in the Muslim
Journal (August 11, 2006) that his sister Rayyah, whose given name was Lottie, would say, Mr. Fard wrote your
name on the door. And I would have to go over it with the chalk to keep it bright. Part of this smacks as mythical to
me in the have to go over it with the chalk to keep it bright aspect. I have also learned that the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammads brother Jam was reputed to have said that there were actually two names recommended, one if the
expected child was a boy and another if the child was a girl.
Emanuel Muhammad, the eldest son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, had also reputedly said there were two
names put forth, but added the names were written on a wall behind the door, not on the door. And so it goes. Im not
concerned enough about the issue myself to spend a lot of time with the report. From my point of view, since W. D.
Fard is not God, whatever he said about the sex of an impending birth had a 50 percent chance of being right or a 50
percent chance of being wrong. No big deal. By making two recommendations, you couldnt be wrong. There were
quite a few items spoken about Mr. Fard in that same issue of the newspaper, his intent, his origin, and other things
that I have never heard. That doesnt mean they are not true, but by the same token, they just may be myths. They
have no corroboration. We have already mentioned the difficulty in pinpointing the origin as well as the details of the
life of W. D. Fard. One best refer to the already-mentioned issues of Muslim Journal (August 4, August 11, and July
28, 2006, issues) for those comments.
For fear you may have jumped to this chapter without going through all the material I have presented beforehand
and, as a consequence, be lost or have taken these chapters out of context. I want to take some time here to bring you
up to date for the best understanding I can give you for the material I have laid out for my readers so far. I would like
to be sure you are still with me. Lets call it a short summary. I dont want to make assumptions that although I know
what I am trying to accomplish by this way of writing, that you will too. I hope so, but in case you dont, this
summary is being inserted before I go any further as to why all the material in chapters 4 and 5 have been interposed
between the time when I first personally met the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and where we are going from here.

The first time I met personally with the one I called Elijah Muhammad, it was out of what you would call curiosity,
processing to get my X, I was not one of his followers. I had no X. I was just a very intellectually curious brother
whose interest had been aroused by a personal friend and some friends of his who had become the Honorable Elijah
Muhammads followers in my hometown of Newark, New Jersey. I was anxious to learn more about this muchadmired and talked-about man and his teachings.
And most of all, I really wanted to get a good look at some of those lessons that the brothers had been talking about.
To further recapitulate my writing here so far, I have told you prior to meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
I had been attending meetings in New York City at what was known as Muhammads Temple #7 where I met Minister
Malcolm X. I interacted with him personally and quizzed him in-depth often enough for him to sense the kinds of
things I was seeking deeper understanding of, and he suggested it would be best if I met with his leader and teacher,
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He made arrangements for me to do so. Let me give you what may be an even
easier way to sense what Im saying.
You know how it is when you are watching a movie and the director of the movie has you interacting with a
particular point in time, and then the movie fades back in time to give you some idea, some salient features of the past
to allow you to better understand why the scene you first saw came to be what it was? Well, I have been writing about
what was, in admittedly a vastly simplified and condensed form, the background of the man, Elijah Muhammad, before
I met him. We will now be going on to further grasp how was it that the very well-appointed home in a landmark area
of Chicago, Illinois Hyde Park, where I first met him, came to be the home of an essentially uneducated man in the
formal sense, born in the once vicious, highly segregated state of Georgia, and who had once been an almost hopeless
alcoholic came to be designated as the Messenger of Allah.
As is so often characteristic of movements built around a specific individual who gathers many people around him,
dedicated to furthering a cause and becoming the center of attention, the emergence of envy and jealousy of such a
person is part and parcel of that circumstance. The period and the events that took place that gave birth to Elijah
Mohammad as the head minister of the 1934, grouping of people in the then Nation of Islam, was no different. Elijah
Poole was not Fard Mohammads first convert. I have already told you in chapter 5 that the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad said to me at that first meeting he attended, a structure was already in place, a teacher other than Fard
Mohammad was already available to teach the people when Fard himself did not come out. In a note dated April 7,
1973, I have jotted down that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad during one of his frequent dinner dissertations said it
was actually about a year after he had been chosen by Fard Mohammad to become head minister, that Fard told the
other members during one of the meetings that he had been chosen and they should follow and obey him. It was
during these times and thereafter that whenever the people saw Fard Mohammad, they saw Elijah Mohammad. He was
always right there beside him. They ate together. They rode together and were almost always seen in one anothers
presence.
The Nation of Islam of the early thirties had already started its disciplinary cycle of restructuring both the physical
and mental frame of reference for the burgeoning converts. Elijah Poole had a brother, Kallat, who had reached the
rank of supreme captain, a position very close to Fard Mohammad in power and authority. Once Fard Mohammad
decided to designate his eager pupil, Elijah Mohammad, to the role of head minister, the crabs in the barrel syndrome
came into play. Im not gonna give up my position for nobodyblock him, pull him down, Im not moving.
Familiar? Remember the history of Marcus Garvey, Noble Drew Ali, men with a penchant and hunger for leading and
reforming colored folks into prideful black folks? So now the existing leadership under Fard Mohammad had to
move aside and accept the new role of the latecomerElijah Mohammadand what he set about after, during, and
certainly even more so, after the departure of his teacher, Fard Mohammad, is historically evident.
ETC.

CHAPTER 7
THE CHASENOWHERE TO HIDE

Lets start this chapter off with one of many tasty tidbits that I was frequently privileged to hear that came at
dinnertime from the mouth of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. During one of his sometimes talkative and
reminiscent moments, he started discussing an encounter that he had experienced once he was on the run. I heard it
many times. It went like this:
I was tired and hungry and had just left the library of Congress in Washington (D.C.) after studying some
of the material that Allah (referring specifically to Fard Muhammad) had given me as an assignment. I
was staying with Bro Minister Benjamin and his wife and I was about to catch a cab to go to the house,
looking about, to see who might be following me. As usual in those days, I was on the run. Then, right
after I got in the cab and before I could shut the door, suddenly one of the hypocrites who was always
following me came up to the cab door, jerked it open, and pointed a gun at me.
I looked right into his eyes. I could see him pull the trigger. The gun failed to go off. He looked at me in a
very frightened way, jumped away from the cab, and ran off.
No myth. A reality.
Let me quote for you another tidbit from the table talks of Muhammad to put you right there at the table, to continue
to give you the flavor so to speak, when he made comments pertinent to this aspect of our discussion. It was on
Tuesday, November 13, 1973, at his home at 4855 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago. The discussion had arisen because
of a question asked by a non-Muslim who was at the table acting as a real estate agent trying to interest the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad in the purchase of some farmland. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad put forth the same talk very
much as he had done with me on another occasion at that same table. The questioner wanted to know how he and
other skilled people could help him. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in his quest to build a Nation, said,
Those are the people right now that I need. And the ones that I am looking for I need them to help me to
push this mighty work on forward that I have begun with. We have to go on and push it forward because
of the wisdom of almighty Allah given to me from himself. And it sounds strange to hear a man talking
about what Allah gave to him, the Almighty. I was with the Almighty for three years and near six months,
brother. I mean night and day without no letup from teaching me and instructing me night and day for
three and near one-half years.
Ive set up with him all night long, not even sleeping a wink. Not for the eye to even go and do like that and sleep.
(The Honorable Elijah Muhammad made a gesture as though trying to close his eyes.) He really made me what I am.
He made me. And after he made me like I am, then he turned me a loose and let the dogs catch me. They raced after
me and I tried to run from the dogs and did run for near seven years. My son here (referring to Elijah Muhammad II
who was at the table) was a baby almost at that time. Well, I ran and I ran from the enemy and hed make them
overtake me sometimes to let me know he was with me that they couldnt do nothing. They would come staring me in
the face and Im staring at them and he couldnt do what he had thought he could do to me when he met me. And I
was expecting what he was under and he is under the power of God. And they could not do anything to me as far as
trying to harm me. So I used to be teaching here back in 32, 33, 34, right here some would sneak out of the Temple
run down and tell the police what I was saying about them. He would tell them that hes up there calling you all the
devils. So the devil would tell them yes and then tell them keep me informed of all theyre doing there. I never cared
what my people would tell the devil up to this very minute. I dont care nothing about that. Now what can he do about
it? He cant do nothing about it. My followers that go to the prisons many places in the country and let them out to go
to the meetings and let them listen to what my ministers will have to say. Its in the Bible that the devil helps the people
to meet their God. And hes doing it.
Even though more than thirty-five years have passed, I still have no difficulty bringing into my minds eye graphic
pictures of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad describing the above and other incidents. It was just one of many such
difficulties, hardships, and harrowing escapes he would describe for those of us who happened to be having dinner
with him when these moods struck. He would muse over such things he recalled that he had to undertake once he
committed himself to furthering the message left with him by his teacher, Fard Mohammad. In fact it wasnt more
than a month ago (February 06) that I awaken and said to my wife, Would you believe it. I had a dream about the

Honorable Elijah Muhammad last night. I recall his describing for some of us at one of our dinner engagements, his
recollections of being pursued by those members of the Nation of Islam in Detroit after the departure of Fard
Mohammad who decided that he (Elijah Muhammad) was to be killed for daring to usurp as it was the position of
some who had preceded him as followers of Fard Mohammad. I have described for you above, pretty much as I can
recall it one of those incidents and the slightly different versions of other incidents as he described them to us.
It was clear to many of the early converts to the Nation of Islam, particularly those preceding Elijah Poole, that Fard
Mohammad himself, although having designated Elijah Poole, first named Elijah Karriem and then Elijah Mohammad, as
his closest and most trusted minister, spending as already quoted from the mouth of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
as much as three and one-half years in a one-on-one interaction with him, never in any clear, ongoing, documented
fashion designated himself as Allah or Elijah Mohammad as the Messenger of Allah. Thus it was as Elijah Mohammad
began to broaden his own base, having been so close to Fard Mohammad in many personal and private situations, and
now referring to Fard Mohammad as Allah in the Person, that disagreement arose and Elijah Mohammad soon became
a target marked for extinction, even by his own brother Kallat. Elijah Mohammad described Kallat as being so intent on
his death that he, Kallat, became unbalanced.
So now, to use the language of the sociologist, we have the first schism in the Nation of Islamin plainer language,
the first of the splits and infighting that was to occur within the ranks of the Nation of Islam before the passing of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
I will not attempt to detail the years and the many activities and happenings that ended finally in the transformation
of Minister Elijah Mohammad in Detroit, Michigan, circa 1930 to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad circa 1957, when
I first met him, except in a very cursory manner.
What immediately follows here, in this short Chase chapter comes from my own personal interaction with him,
from personal conversations and notes made from those conversations. I will also be including a few notes from other
peoples recollections that I know personally who themselves knew him that corroborate or pooh, pooh a lot of the
information, misinformation, and disinformation that is found in books written about him. I do not wish to create any
myths, even inadvertently, of my own. I have already illustrated for you very early on in my review of Karl Evanzzs
misrepresentations in his book, the manner in which I could refute myths, just made-up lies and garbage as I would
call it, about the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
I will point out a few other mistakes and the projection of false information that I personally know of in other
publications as well as we go. Some of it was just passed on by other authors with insufficient concern, time or effort,
to check out everything quoted from secondary sources. Accurate historical research is certainly not a quick and easy
task. It takes years and years if one wishes to give a worthy subject anything like the full justice that might be
deserved. I can bear witness to that myself in my own meager efforts and the years I have taken trying to sort out
truth from fiction in the mountain of material that has been written about both Malcolm X and the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad.
So let us be clear, Im quite comfortable in saying there is NO authorized autobiography or biography, for that
matter, of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that was put before him for his acceptance and approval. As we
explained earlier in this writing, many of the books presently available listed as by The Honorable Elijah Muhammad
were not the result of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad sitting down with pen in hand to produce a book or even have
someone write for him. In fact, The Autobiography of Malcolm X came about as a consequence of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammads refusal to allow Alex Haley, who finally penned The Autobiography of Malcolm X, to do a book on
him. When Malcolm made the request to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad for Haley, he simply told Malcolm no, but
it would be all right if Haley did his (Malcolms) autobiography instead. This comes from a conversation I had with
John Ali who was national secretary for the Nation of Islam and onetime secretary of Temple #7 under Malcolm X.
And we now know, thanks to the dedicated research by Dr. Manning Marable, who for ten years researched the life of
Malcolm X, in preparation for his publication, I would say, magnum opus, about Malcolm X. Some very important
material has been left out of the autobiography, and some of the material is not so autobiographical: The
Undiscovered Malcolm X: Stunning New Info on the Assassination, His Plans to Unite the Civil Rights and Black
Nationalist Movements & the 3 Missing Chapters from His Autobiography Monday, February 21, 2005
(http://www. democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/21/1458213).
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was consistent in his position that you cannot write about a man and wrap up
his history while that man is still alive and performing. You can never tell what tomorrow will bring. That brings me
back to the book written by Bernard Cushmeer, This Is the One We Need Not Look for Another, that I mentioned

earlier. I recall distinctly coming very close to putting myself in an unfavorable position with the (Honorable) Elijah
when I, because I was initially enthusiastic about the book, invested in it and worked closely with Cushmeer at the
time to bring it to fruition. I kept pushing the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to read and approve the book for
publication. He never did for the same reason I mentioned above that he did not allow or authorize Haley or anyone else
to write specifically about him as biography. Im still doing my work, he would say. Cushmeer (now Jabril
Muhammad) published the book anyway. As far as I can determine, it was never really successful. Small wonder for it
seems now, by the present-day writing of this same author, there seems to be Another.
That too is a long story so, in-shallah (Be it the will of Allah [God]), we will leave it for our next book.
We can put a wrap on this matter by definitely saying that no matter what we read or learn of what is put forth and
reputed to be a true history of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, since the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad is not with us and will not be returning to dictate his history in full himself, we can never expect to see
hear or read anything but bits and pieces of that segment of history. Of course that includes my take on the subject as
well.
Let me continue with this chase aspect of my writing by cataloging what appears to have been fairly clearly
documented.
We know that the first Muhammads Temple of Islam was numbered 1 and began in Detroit, Michigan. The next
Muhammads Temple was Temple #2. That was begun and headquartered in Chicago. How did that happen? Well,
again we know from the writings, speeches, and table talks of Muhammad that Fard Muhammad was all but chased
out of Detroit by the local authorities. Thereafter, a number of altercations took place between the local police
authorities and that early group of followers. We have already mentioned the Robert Karriem affair in Detroit after
which we learned of Fard Muhammad traveling to Chicago. I am looking at and have laminated to prevent
disintegration a fragmented portion of the March 6, 1935, edition of the Chicago Tribune.
The portions that are still legible have a sub-headline that reads, Hold 45 Alleged Cultists After Riot in Court: One
dead. It appears a seventy-three-year veteran of the police department, a Captain Palezynskis death was caused by
the riotheart failure. Forty-one others were hurt according to the article. There is a picture of six black women
standing in a lineup. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad told us that Fard Muhammad, after he was pushed out of
Detroit, went to Chicago and began a movement there. Elijah Mohammad followed and visited with Fard when Fard
ended up in jail in Chicago.
The way the story goes, as I heard it from the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and others, is that Fard Muhammad
sent for Elijah Mohammad while he was incarcerated so that Elijah Mohammad would know what he was going to be
faced with himself in the years to come. I dont and didnt ever consider Fard Muhammad a prophet since, when I
met the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, he had labeled Fard Muhammad as Allah, but he certainly had that prophecy
right. Elijah Muhammad was indeed incarcerated several times during his life. The chase and the last incarceration
ended when he was imprisoned long term from 1942 to 1947 for refusing to be inducted into the armed services.
We can to some extent trace other movements of Elijah Mohammad, as he moved about the country, as we saw
other temples emerge. The next in evolution was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he spent some time and sparked and
revitalized the emergence of a small but dedicated group of people coming together, finally culminating in Muhammads
Temple #3. I recall the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad speaking with fondness of one of the earliest ministers there,
Minister Sultan Mukk MuddSultan Muhammad, really, but the brother had a big booming voice and he would
frequently describe himself and be described by Elijah Muhammad as Sultan Mukk Mudd!
What was next? Muhammads Temple #4 of course in Washington, D.C. Let me linger here a while because I
personally met the family he lived with while there, a humble, friendly brother, Brother Benjamin (Mitchell) and his
wonderful wife, Claire. Benjamin was a kind of jackleg Christian preacher. By jackleg I mean the kind of preacher
who opens up a little storefront church someplaceand we know there are a ton of themtells the people he woke
up one morning with the knowledge that God had told him to go out and preach to the people and so there he was. No
formal training, no real understanding of scripture or much of anything thing else, yet he or she would say for sure
they know they had the word of Gawd. However, after hearing Elijah Muhammad, he became one of the Nations
ministers and because of everyones knowledge about how he had supported Elijah Muhammad while on the run in
Washington, D.C., he became a real favorite among the believers and ministers as the years went by. Both he and his
wife are now deceased.
Another important point about Elijah Muhammads sojourn in Washington, D.C., relates to his frequent mentioning
of his trips to the Library of Congress to study, gather, and learn more about the 104 (?) books that, it has been said,

his teacher, Fard Muhammad assigned to him for study. Now about these 104 books. Is that myth or reality? Well, my
position is that since the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad mentioned this on several occasions and others have heard him
say so as well, I accept it as a reality. And I also know that the most common belief is that a goodly number of those
books were said to be related to the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam. That explains a lot of things. But on
the other hand, I know of no one that has ever seen or quoted a complete listing of just what these books were by title.
I do know the truth of at least one because I had asked him about it. It is The Life of Muhammad by William Muir, a
book that does its very best to discredit Prophet Muhammad as a true prophet. Let me tell you the story.
Early on in my career as a follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, I had become an importer and distributor of
Islamic literaturesomething else I have to get to in a bit more detail a few chapters down the road here. But for our
purposes here I can say, I asked him if that was one of the books he was to study and if it would be a good idea for
me to start importing them and making them available to the believers even though, being out of print, the book was
hard to find and quite costly once found. Even today, an original copy is very costly. (I have seen an early edition
hardback copy listed for as much as $210 on Amazon.com.) I once had two copies of the early hardback cover
printings myself. One of which I loaned out and it was never returned (you know how that goes). The other one was
stolen from me. I had taken it with me and placed it in my suitcase for further reading when I had arranged for a
cruise on one of my vacations. I had caught a cab (in Miami) from the airport to the port of departure and placed my
bag in the trunk of the cab. When we arrived at the port, the cabdriver gave me only one of my bags and drove off
knowing he still had one of my bags. It was the one containing the book. I was never able to track the driver or
recover the bag and we tried hard. In fact my wife and I were never able to take that cruise since all of our documents
including our passports were in that bag. Be forewarned!
The Honorable Elijah Muhammads immediate reply about making the book available was No, brother. That book
and those I have been assigned are for me, but when my followers hear about some of them, they want them too.
They are not for them. No, brother, he said, That particular book is really poison, and unless you really know
something about, and believe in the religion and love Prophet Muhammad, such books as that will turn you away from
the religion. I personally found the book useful because I already had an extensive library relating to Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH), even though at the time he was not our main focus. Its usefulness to me was based on the fact
that it contains an enormous amount of detail about the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), much of which is true as
isolated facts. Its the spin that the author puts on itwhat he had gatheredthat shows the devilishness at work.
This would be a good place to insert another personal letter to me from the (Honorable Elijah Muhammad as to his
position on Islamic literature in general. He had heard from some of his staff about my selling Islamic literature, who
felt that was out of place, and certainly not altogether in keeping with what he was teaching. It was of course
important to me that I did nothing to displease him, or be what might be considered out of order, in those days as one
of his followers, so of course, I asked him about those sales. The letter posted here was what followed.
MESSENGER OF ALLAH
4847 SOUTH WOODLAWN AVENUE CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60615
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH
October 9, 1969
Dr. Leo P. X McCallum 118 Johnson Avenue
Newark, New Jersey 07108
As-Salaam-Alajkum
In the Name of Almighty Allah, The Most Merciful Saviour, Our Deliverer, Who Came in the Person of Master Fard
Muhammad, to Whom Praises are due forever, Master of the Day of Judgment, To Allah alone do I submit and seek
refuge.
Dear Doctor Leo:
Thank you for your letter of October 6, 1969, and thank you very much for your comments written in the form of
questions. They were good observations, and thank you for taking interest in the Articles that were printed in our
Paper. People will laugh at us if we do not check what is printed.
In regards to your volume of MUHAMMAD, by William Muir, no, Brother, it would not be wise for you to pay

$65.00 for that volume. These devil missionaries try to capitalize off of us. And, the Muslims who do not understand
these devil writings will take for granted everything that they say and read it for the truth. The Muslims want every
book that they think I read, but they do not understand these writings at all. I am not advising them to buy any such
books, and you should not put any such books on sale for the Muslims. Muir was an old Christian missionary. And, he
has plenty lies on Muhammad and Islam in his writings. So, do not try to advertise sales of these bookseven if you
were to make $100.00 or $200.00. Do not advertise any book that is not 100% with Islam. If you want to sell books
about Muhammad and Islam, sell the ones that are written by Muslim authors and keep away from selling books on
Islam which are written by Christian authors.
As-Salaam alaiikum
Elijah Muhammad Messenger of Allah
EM/a)j 2x
125
Up until his passing, the Messenger of Allah for members of the Nation of Islam and me, at that time, was the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Unfortunately, for many, that myth still holds true. Yes, he was indeed a Messenger and
indeed The Messenger, if you want to put it that waythe Messenger for Fard Muhammad who he called Allah. Im
writing this book about that. The point I must continually pause to remind you of, as we go through these pages, is my
concern for an Islamic perspective. Any person(s) considering anyone other than Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of
1,400 odd years ago, as that combination of the last prophet and/or the Messenger of Allah in the larger theological
sense, free of all error in his deliverance of Gods Message, is in danger of putting themselves outside the accepted and
clearly demarcated circle of Islam. A good place to learn more about this subject is On the Boundaries of Theological
Tolerance In Islam, Abu Hamid Al-Ghazalis Faysal al-Tafriqa, translated by Sherman A. Jackson (Oxford University
Press). I hasten to add that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad never considered himself a prophet. Anyone who tells
you Elijah Muhammad was projecting himself as a prophet was/is perpetuating a myth. He was very clear about that
and would set you straight in a minute if he heard you refer to him as such. He would say, Brother, we dont need
any more prophets. Why would we need any more prophets when I am coming directly from the mouth of God and
teaching you the true knowledge of God and the Devil?
As already documented, it was Fard Muhammad who, among other things, was referred to as Prophet in the early
days (1930-33).
Now let me make what some might consider a bold statement here, but I intend to back it up.
I have not read everything that has ever been written by and about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, so others may
have made this suggestion as well, but I firmly believe and his history shows that it was while in prison and during the
time he spent in Washington, D.C., that Elijah Muhammad arrived at a specific methodology and outline for continuing
to move forward to carry and expand upon the message Fard Mohammad had left with him. It was the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad who took the basic message left by Fard Mohammad, a message heard by many others between
1930 and 1934, and that was fleshed out a bit more during the time he spent almost solo with Elijah Muhammad.
Muhammad then developed it, shaped it, adjusted it, fine-tuned it, and taught it up until the very end, in such a way
that it became that final powerful doctrine and way of behaving that changed the lives of untold numbers of people
black and white, Muslims and non-Muslims. We will examine the reasons for my arriving at that conclusion in a bit
more detail later, but lets finish up this chase. Just keep this important statement in mind. It came to mind here for me
because of the jolt to my memory when I recall that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself spoke so often of his
visits to and studies in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. It is there that one could have access to literature
not readily available elsewhere, giving Elijah Muhammad the opportunity to spend hours going over some things about
Islam not available to the public at large.
It appears that while on the run, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad did spend some time in my hometown of
Newark, New Jersey, and except for his brief mention of the fact that he had been there, when he learned that was my
hometown, I never asked and consequently never heard much about that during my interactions with him. Newark
was one of the early strongholds of Father Divine and Noble Drew Ali. For a fairly well-done examination of some
aspects of the history of Islam in Newark, New Jersey, and figures such as Noble Drew Ali, Marcus Garvey,
Muhammad Ezaldeen, and other less well-known figures, you can read Islam Among Urban Blacks, Muslims in
Newark, N. J.: A Social History, by Michael Nash (University Press of America Inc., Lanham, Maryland).
Even so-called Prophet Jones spent a fair amount of time there. At the time of my formal entrance into the Nation of

Islam, 1957-58as I mentioned earlier, there were a substantial number of registered followers of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad there, but no formal Temple. However, Malcolm had begun making appearances there once a week
in 1958 to give a lecture on Thursday nights at what was known at that time as the Masonic Auditorium, 188 Belmont
Avenue. The street name has since changed. It was one of the few original places still standing in that neighborhood
during my last visit there in 2007. It was not until the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad sent Minister James 3X (later
designated Minister James Shabazz) to the Jersey area, first Jersey CityTemple #21, and then Newark, that a Temple
was established with a little more structure and regularity.
There were innumerable activities, incidents, and hardships endured by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and those
early followers, particularly his faithful, strong wife, Clara Muhammad, which served to solidify the final position
obtained by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in his journey to become the recognized phenomenon he came to be
even outside of America.
The intimate details of his full life on a purely historical level are not the subject matter of this book and I am hopeful
some family member, careful researcher, or historian will recount those times with more accuracy and concern than I
have read to date. I recall listening to a C-Span book reviewer host as he questioned a biographer of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. The biographer was a Caucasian who had spent, if I remember correctly, more than twenty-five years
compiling a three-volume edition on that well-known figure. By me, as well-known and as an important a historical
figure as was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he certainly did not accomplish the esteem-raising, pride-instilling feats for
the African American people to the level and depth as could be found among the followers and sympathizers of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Dr. Kings followers and sympathizers, by and large, were still comfortable with being called Negroes and getting
close to and integrating with white folks. Now please, please, no hateful e-mails and the like. I do indeed have a great
deal of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King and his dedication and sacrifices for what he believed in, but that wasnt
and isnt my belief system.
The spectacular feats accomplishments, hardships, and heartbreaks of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads strong
wife, Sister Clara Muhammad, alone deserves a volume or two. Although I wont be dealing with her role per se, we
must not give short shrift to that role. She always greeted people with a broad smile, especially if you were a Muslim.
She clearly loved the Muslims, those that followed her husband. On an occasion when I was invited to be speaker to
the graduation class of the Muslim school, called the University of Islam, she was the one who invited me, welcomed
me, and made every aspect of my visit and presentation at the occasion a truly memorable one. For my purposes here,
I wish to continue to focus on a few more key issues that came about as a result of this chase after which we will
get back to my first meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and what followed in that relationship.
As any American history book will show, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Immediately
afterward, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on the Japanese and America entered into World War II. That
time in our history and American history as you would expect created great upheavals both here and abroad. I
purposefully use the term OUR history as black people as distinct from American history in general because just a
cursory study of the American history books of those days clearly demonstrates that black people (called Negroes in
those days) were rarely included in any meaningful, pride-instilling way in American history. As to be expected, a draft
was instituted to conscript men for military serviceeven Negroes. As you might expect, the members of the growing
communities of the Nation of Islam were not at all interested in fighting for the good ole USA and so the dedicated
ones, close followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, did not register for the draft. Nor did he. As a consequence,
Elijah Muhammad, who had traveled under many aliases during the chase was sentenced to five years in prison for
failure to serve in the armed services (draft dodging they called it) of this country. He, along with his oldest son,
Emanuel Muhammad, and a number of other of those brothers who felt as he did, were finally, in July 1943, sentenced
to serve five years at the Federal Corrections Institute in Milan, Michigan.
As I very early on indicated, we must keep in mind in discussing any story, issue, circumstance, etc., that life is full
of little details. So of course, the discussion of the circumstances and kinds of things that Elijah Muhammad
experienced and went through up to and during his prison stay could of course take a volume or two in itself. I have
read a number of publications endeavoring to deal with many of those circumstances. How that information was
gathered and confirmed, I have no way of knowing. For me, however, I must continue along the personal pathway I
have chosen as part of the reason for this writing.
So I personally dont KNOW what Elijah Muhammad went through during those years, except for the things he
would reminisce about from time to time that I was fortunate enough to hear and record in my own being.

For our purposes then, we look at the things confronting him during those years that relate to his clear conviction
that he had a job to do. Since he was in the circumstance, a prison where you cant win and you have plenty of time
on your hands, it became very clear to him that the best thing he could do for himself and others was to spread as
much of the teachings he had imbibed from his own teacher, Fard Muhammad, and better his own ability to grapple
with and learn the English language and history as he could.
Such activity had already started during his time spent in Washington, D.C., at the congressional library, which has
always had a section of old and rare books about almost every historical subject availableparticularly as they related
to other countries and times and certainly the Holy Quran and books about Prophet Muhammad, one I have already
written of here, The Life of Muhammad by William Muir. On a contemporary note (2007), a great hullabaloo was
raised when Keith Ellison, the first Muslim (an African American) to be elected to Congress, chose at his inauguration
to be sworn in using the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran that he used was said to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson.
It was housed at the Library of Congress.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammads prison experience helped him become wiser and more careful in his approaches
to dealing with his adversaries. He frequently mentioned how much more he had learned about the ways of the world
just through that prison circumstance. And although he was not able to procure a Holy Quran per se during his
incarceration, the excerpts and reprints that his faithful wife and stand-in for him with the outside believers, Sister
Clara Muhammad, was able to get to him, he had all he needed to further his growth both in English and that peculiarly
styled teaching that had been given to him by Fard Muhammad that he was calling Islam. I bolster this position with
the fact that considering the common knowledge that Elijah Poole had very little formal education, anyone who was
fortunate enough to engage him in conversation found quickly enough, he could hold his own with the best of
scholars, newsmen, and anyone else. I witnessed this time and time again. But now lets get back to 4847 S.
Woodlawn Avenue as this guy, Dr. Leo McCallum, meets for the first time the person known as the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, and they, for the first of many times to follow, sit down together for dinner.
Okay. Lets take it from the top, so to speak. Were back to September 1958, my first meeting with the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad. What happens next?
ETC.

CHAPTER 8
ON BECOMING A MUSLIM?

What I remember more than anything else about that first meeting was the graciousness of this man, Elijah
Muhammad. The spirit with which I was greeted from that time until the very last time I saw him was almost always a
good one. And so with this first meeting, as with so many thereafter, I was invited into the dinning room and given a
seat just a few seats from his own. He took his place as he always did at the head of the table. The dining room at
4847 S. Woodlawn was roughly thirty by fifty feet. It was furnished with two long tables, side by side, that could
comfortably seat ten to twelve persons at each table. I dont recall everyone who was present for that first dinner,
since I was fairly nervous myself, but I do vividly recall his wife, Sister Clara Muhammad, who whenever she was
present sat in a chair at the side of the table immediately adjoining his. She was generally very quiet and did not often
partake in the conversations. I remember her as a striking, dark-skinned, regal-like figure whose presence could
always be felt. Dinner was served by placing on the dining room table platters containing an assortment of food. There
was a salad dish available along with an assortment of chicken, fish, or beef. A serving of delicious, mouth-watering
bean soup preceded the full meal, followed by desert and coffee, if you so desired. The admonition from the host was
Brother, sister, take all you want, but eat all you take. The hospitality, so clearly demonstrated at the time, was
pretty much the same as the general protocol, layout, and assortment of food from then until the very last meal I had
with him some sixteen years later. I was also destined to learn over the ensuing years that this very same room and
dinner setting served multiple purposes and became an equally important venue for discussions, learning opportunities,
and formulating business agreements that would have ramifications far beyond that small room.
Now, keep in mind that at the time I was just another black man, labeled at that time by the general populous as a
Negro, and by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and his followers as a So-Called Negro. That is, I had no great
enterprise myself that I came to bargain on behalf of and certainly no following. True, I was a professional person of
some stature, but the man already had thousands upon thousands of people hanging on his every word, falling over
backward, seeking time and interviews with him, yet he treated me with great kindness. But look, the fact of the
matter is, anyone that I know of who ever spent some time with him at close quarters or in such surroundings got the
same kind of royal treatmentwhether friend or foe. So as much as I hate to admit it, at that time I dont believe I
was much different in his eyes than many others of his faithful followers. THAT WAS JUST HIS WAY and clearly one
of the reasons he was so deeply loved by so many of his followers. He exuded a feeling of warmth and concern very
rare in people that had gone through what he had gone through and reached the stature he had in life. I never met
Nelson Mandela, but everything I ever read about him brought to mind a likeness to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
In hindsight, I can say without a doubt, when I reached the kind of relationship, as I did in the later years wherein he
felt comfortable in calling me his friend, I felt I had indeed met with a rare achievement and a milestone in my life not
to be forgotten.
I wont pretend that I remember the exact nature of the discussion at that first meeting. That has been, at the time
of this writing, more than fifty-one years ago. Im not about generating myths. I can say, however, with relative
certainty, that it did lay the groundwork for interchanges, question and answers, both in person and through the mail
between myself and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that lasted throughout our relationship. I returned to Newark
with a sense of drive, purpose, and desire to continue with my pursuit to become a bona fide member of the Nation of
Islam (NOI) that I did not have before. The ease with which the Honorable Elijah Muhammad dealt with my questions,
his eagerness to delve into the deeper meaning of what both he and his message was about, reinforced my sense that I
was in the presence of a very perceptive, highly intelligent, clearly exceptional, thoroughly dedicated man, with a sense
of mission, spiritual depth, and purpose that was palpable.
Once I returned to Newark, among the Muslims there, I was an instant celebrity. Why? Because I had met
personally with the leader and none of them (in Newark) had personally met him. The word had even reached New
York, where I had made a point of visiting the Temple there once a week, and of course, to let Malcolm know how
things had went. Clearly, he already knew something about the visit, and from that time until I had completed
processing and he withdrew from the Nation, my access to him was essentially unrestricted.
What did the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad say? Everyone wanted to know. How did you feel? was a frequent
question. What happened? etc.
Before further describing those interesting times, let me discuss with you the process established to become a bona

fide member of the Nation of Islam at the time that I had embarked on becoming a member in February 1958. In fact,
I just noticed, coincidentally perhaps, the very day I chose to write the letter was February 26, Saviours Day, the
most important day for members of the Nation of Islam. I choose my words carefully here. You need to note I said to
become a bona fide member of the Nation of Islam. It would be the same to say to become a follower of Elijah
Muhammad, but it would not be the same if I said the process established to become a Muslim. Big, carefully worded
difference. I know the difference now but didnt know it then. Were back to this Islamic perspective again. To make
it easier to follow my discussion, I have reproduced herein two documents, now more than fifty-one years old, that
set into motion for me what we call processing.
This document addressed to Mr. W. F. Muhammad is the document that everyone had to reproduce, word for
word, exclusively written by the person represented in a form that, as close as humanly possible, mimicked or
duplicated the writing on the document to be sent to the address in the document. For example, since Mr. W. F.
Muhammad in the letter to be reproduced was written a certain way, it was not permissible to print or fancy up in any
form other than that shown on the letter to be duplicated or write Mr. W. F. Muhammad in any form other than that
shown on the letter. You can see by the following reproduction of the letter I wrote that I did not carry out those
instructions in a way the secretaries that were responsible for accepting or rejecting the letter agreed with, so it was
rejected and I had to write it againfollowing the rules. What if you couldnt write? No problem. There were classes
set up for those persons really intent upon becoming members of the Nation of Islam to teach them how to write.
Tedious? Yes. Time consuming? Yes. But were those persons who found people really interested in helping them to get
beyond the poverty-binding level of illiteracy and become part of an ever-growing community of admired black people
who were bonding together to help each other grateful to the Nation of Islam? You better believe they were! Let me
make an aside here and ask an interesting question. Remember my Life is full of little details thing? When did this
letter come into being and who originated-designed it? We know for sure no such thing was necessary during the time
of Fard Muhammad. I had already outlined for you the process at the time Elijah Poole went up to join. The secretary
took your name, told you to come back again the next time, and you were registeredfrequently with a so-called Holy
Name. Elijah Poole first became Elijah Karriem, remember? We further know there was no W. F. Muhammad around
to read the letter, so who read them? The secretarial staff of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, of course. Now
suppose, say, Sister Secretary A. Kareem got a letter and decided in her wisdom (?) that the F in W. F. Muhammad
was not made just the way it should be and Sister Secretary V. Najieb gets the same letter written, as for instance, by
the same person (just a hypothetical situation, of course), would they both agree on whether or not the details of the
writing were satisfactory or too different to pass? Thats a good question, isnt it?
At the time my letter was edited by a Susie Hussain. I have reproduced it here. That was fifty-one years ago.
Contrast that if you will with who I became fifteen years later, a Fruit of Islam, a member who had become so
intertwined with the Nation of Islam and the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that he bestowed on me the name I have
been known by ever since that timeAbdul Salaam (see appendix). That was a rare honor in those days as he rarely
issued a name himself to any of his followers. His response to those anxious to have what we labeled a Holy Name
were pacified by the statement made in the Saviours Day letter that they had writtenthat one day W. F. Muhammad
himself would give them their original name. Thus it is with a bit of pride that I have reproduced here a copy of the
letter sent to me by his secretary, giving me a name.

As I see it, the letter addressed to W. F. Muhammad was a masterful stroke of psychology. It goes right along with
the kind of You must do this the way we say do it instructions that I mentioned earlier on discussing what one had to
do in just entering into the Templesearch, separation, no sleeping, no disturbances, etc.if you wanted to continue
to be into whatever was being put forth. Following the orders or instructions of other black folks was as hard then as
it is today. We know about that. It takes a lot of doing. The culturing or indoctrination of the future members was
continued in the letter. Lets continue examining this document.

Although the letter is addressed to Mr. W. F. Muhammad, the letter starts off not by saying, Dear Mr.
Muhammad. Instead it says, Dear Saviour Allah, Our Deliverer. Whats going on here? Note further the I bear
witness that there is no God but Thee And, that Muhammad is Thy Servant and Apostle. It is in this one sentence that
we see some parallels between what has been established as the very simple requirement for one who wishes to
declare oneself a Muslim and what we find in the Nation of Islam document. But the Nation of Islam document says
there is no God but THEE. So who is this THEE? In the true Islamic sense, the declaration of faith is called the
Shahadatain. The person wishing to enter into the fold of Islam recites the following out loud in Arabic under the
direction of an Imam, generally in a Masjid (mosque) and generally before an audience of Muslims as the witnesses. If
the one who recites does not understand Arabic, the Arabic is translated to the language of the one reciting, and the
one reciting then recites it in his/her own language to be sure its understood:
Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-La hu
Wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasulubu
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is
His servant and His Messenger.

Thats itdone. There are of course some other recommendations and instructions given to the acceptor of the
faith, but for our purposes here, we must be clear about the differences in the pathway or the expression of faith for a
Muslim as established by Allah (not W. F. Muhammad) through his Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), not Elijah
Muhammad and what is set up in the Nation of Islam.
The Allah mentioned in the Nation of Islam document is not the Allah of the Holy Quran. The Nation of Islam
document says there is no God but THEE. So let me ask again, who is this Thee? Let us be real clear about that.
Islams rock-solid foundation and fundamental tenant is the belief in the Unity of God. Everything else hangs on this
belief. The acknowledgment of this through the Shahadatain is the key to the Islam of the Holy Quran. It clearly
follows then that unless one observes this declaration in the correct fashion, one cannot be said to be a Muslim in the
sense established by the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Allah has no partners and
shares none of His powers with anyone or anything. Even Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), whom we consider the
greatest of all the prophets of Allah, was only a human being with no share in Divinity.

Allah is Unique! He is the Creator and Sustainer of all Universes that may exist. Believe me, volumes of books have

been written about the Shahadatain alone. Before leaving this touchy topic, I must make clear some critical issues here.
Early on I took a considerable amount of time and space to lay out what is a vital area of understanding that we must
consistently be aware of, that is part and parcel of the functional makeup of every human being who has been
empowered by the Creator to use language. I covered that concern in a somewhat sketchy way under the topic of
General Semantics in the chapter entitled My Story. If you skipped through that material, I very heavily recommend
and I consider it vital that you go back and reread the material if you wish to best comprehend where I am coming
from, so to speak, in what I write here now, and my approach to the subject matter of this book in general.
My position is that we can say, technically speaking, the witnessed expression of the Shahadatain has been
mandated by Allah as a requirement for declaring ones self a Muslim. But that is just the first step and the language of
that alone is not the end all and be all of being a Muslim. Since (here we go again) the Word is not the thing, to be a
Muslim in the fullest sense of the declaration mandates a behavior commensurate with what the Creator has set forth
in the words of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah (words and actions) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We refer you
again to the answer given by Aisha (ra), the beloved wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in a well-known hadith,
when asked to describe Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Her answer was He is the Holy Quran walking. the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself is known to have extensively studied the Holy Quran (and insisted that we
study it) and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We were not urged to study the Sunnah, but were not
dissuaded from studying it if we chose to do so. It should not be considered strange then that the followers of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in many ways exhibited the behavior of bona fide Muslims. It was the general pattern
and template fostered upon that early group that became the first community of the Nation of Islam by Fard
Muhammad, then nurtured, reshaped, and refined by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, that produced the Islamic-like
behavior so admired by refined, knowledgeable societies. Remember this included the acceptance of his followers as
Muslims by the leadership in many Muslim countries as well, even though those who really understood Islam had
some definite problems with the theology. The belief that what he was bringing his people to, on the whole, was so
close to being Islamic in nature was certainly one of the reasons that he was cleared to go to Mecca to perform hajj.
Unfortunately, there were some vital, must-have aspects of true Islam missing within the teachings of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad that could not help but cause it to fail as a long-term solution to our problems not long after the
passing of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. And he knew that, because he himself was known to have said, My job
is to clean and wake you up [people labeled So-Called Negroes at that time] and put you back on the top of civilization
that you might be accepted by the civilized peoples of the world. Someone else will come to teach you the religion.
Back to Processing (Becoming a Muslim)
So now, we can get an even better sense of what was taking place in the Nation of Islam processing scheme of
things. If one bears witness that there is no God but THEE, and we know this THEE is referring to Allah and W. F.
Muhammad is equated in the Nation of Islam theology with the Allah of the Holy Quran (astaghfirullah), and Elijah
Muhammad is his Messenger, and one has to obey the Allah and His Messenger within the understanding given by the
teachings of Elijah Muhammad, we have a problem. For here the stage is set for the program that is already laid out
and enforced within the ranks of the Nation of Islamnot the Islam of the Holy Quran. For those of us that took this
pledge with sincerity, nothing outside the bounds of that carefully woven theology was to matter, nor did it matter to
those who bonded wholeheartedly to the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. The white man is the devil?
Yes, sir! All of them? Yes, sir! We must have some of this earth we can call our own? Yes, sir! The black man is the
father of civilization and God of the universe? Yes, sir! The black woman is the queen and mother of civilization? Yes,
sir! We must do for self? Yes, sir! Allah came in the person of Master Fard Muhammad? Yes, sir! Etc.
Well what is this I desire to reclaim my own about? Here again, a masterful stroke. Within the message
promulgated by Elijah Muhammad is the declaration by joining the Nation of Islam you are not really joining some kind
of way out unknown entity. Some cult. No, indeed. What you are doing is returning to the fold from which you
originally cameIslam. The powerful message of Elijah Muhammad was thoroughly fortified with some very true
historical information. More and more, it has come to be known that substantial segments of the early slave population
were indeed Muslims. The religion of course then was Islam. Its unarguable that our original names were purposefully
erased from memory and any documents that would help us get back to our original identities. Thus was born the
Brother or Sister So-and-So X until such time as God would restore that which was lost. A powerful and compelling
argumentthen. And may I dare suggest even now?
A question here: On a scale of 0 to 10 for myth versus reality, with 0 being myth (no Muslim) and 10 being clear
realityyes, that made me a Muslim, had I or anyone else who went through the procedure just described as

processing become bona fide Muslims, believers in Islam as outlined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of 1,400 odd years ago? I suspect many would like to make a choice from this scale other
than 0. That would be incorrect. As I have carefully laid out for you, if you want to say youre a Muslim firmly
attached to the worldwide Ummah community of Islam, rejecting Fard Muhammad (W. F. Muhammad) as Allah and
rejecting Elijah Muhammad as the last Messenger of the Allah of the Holy Quran, you must say 0 (zero). PERIOD.
Now back to my reception back home after that first visit with Elijah Muhammad.
I told those that I came in contact with immediately after the meeting how exciting and meaningful my visit with the
man considered at the time as the Messenger of Allah had been. My immediate concern was how could I help get this
much-needed message across. Certainly all my friends needed to hear about this fantastic man and his most relevant
message, the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that he calledand I was callingIslam. My letter to
become a member of the NOI was already being processed. My wife was no problem and ready to join with me. The
children were too young at that time to make any conscious choices so that was a done deal. Now for my friends, the
ones who I grew up with, partied with, played cards with considered my ace boon coons (an idiomatic expression
meaning we considered ourselves very close friends), surely they would be excited, as I was, after having met the
MAN HIMSELF once I started laying it out for them. Right? Wrong! Since my home was a rather large one and had
become the center of attraction for most of our get-togethers, a party was set up at my house as usual. Everybody
was invited expecting to boogie, listen to my always up-to-date assortment of good jazz recordings, and have a good
time. (Boogie was a term used to describe a dance craze at that time analogous to hip-hop.) Little did they know, this
was going to be a different kind of party. I was all fired up, ready to go, dead certain that I was going to convert all
my friends and their wives to Islam. The party started out as usual and then suddenly I stopped the music, turned the
lights up, and told everyone, Hey, look, lets stop and sit down a minute. Theres some thing Ive got to tell you. And
then bang, I went at them with the full force of the teachings starting with Did you know that the white man is the
devil and Jesus was a Muslim?
Whoa! Big mistake! Why?
Since Im intent upon keeping before us an Islamic perspective, already put forth as the subtitle for this
publication, I think now is another good place to interject that kind of thinking in answer to the why do I now consider
my approach a big mistake, although at the time I thought my approach was a sure winner.
Lets go back to this quote from the Holy Quran mentioned earlier.
Call men to the path of your Lord with wisdom and mild exhortation. Reason with them in the most
courteous manner. Your Lord knows best those who stray from His Path and best knows those who are
rightly guided. (Holy Quran 16:125)
There is no compulsion in religion. Righteousness is now distinct from error. He who disbelieves in the
idol and believes in Allah has grasped the firmest tie that will never break. Allah is Hearing, Knowing.
(Holy Quran 2:256, Muhammad Ali Translation)
If we follow the guidance of Allah (God) in going to the people, we cant go wrong. I didnt. In those days, most of
us didnt. We were just gung ho.
If any of my readers are old enough to have been around members of the Nation of Islam, back in the earlier days
(50s, 60s), you know for sure, if you ran into one of us, you were going to hear the hard-hitting teachings of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Guaranteed. Allah is God, you would hear. Not a spook God. The white man is the
devil and was made by grafting from us the black man by one of our scientists named Yakub, came next. That was
then followed by The black man is the father of civilization, God of the universe, and the black woman is the mother
of civilization. In all fairness now to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and his ministers, jumping all over people was
not what we were supposed to be about. The Muslims were told to just invite the people (Lost Founds we called them)
to the Temple where they had to sit and listen to a more systematized approach to the teaching. In that setting, there
was a much-better opportunity to follow the guidance of that ayat of the Holy Quran quoted above and convert the
people. And indeed that was the case. But it was hard to hold back even before getting your X. At the time the
teachings were so powerful and riveting that everyone wanted to be a minister. Me too. My chance came when I
became an assistant minister for Malcolm when he first started coming to Newark, New Jersey, by the request of
many of the Muslims there, anxious to see a consistent teaching and presence developed in the area. But I dont want
to get off course here. More about that later.
So how about my parents? Let me tell you about that. I think its useful because I have this sneaky feeling after
listening to the experiences of other Muslims, who had come into the Nation of Islam, that my parents were probably

very representative of a generation of people. They were born, raised, and programmed by the constraints of living in
the South. They had become so used to the acceptance of their role as second-class citizens from the Southern
experience of segregation and fear of the white man, reinforced by brainwashing images of a white Jesus prominently
posted in the churchthe place where all God-fearing colored folks were supposed to go each and every Sunday
that to openly cross the white man came close to being blasphemy. I certainly must pause here to give some accolades
to the late Imam Warith Deen Mohammad here, who early on in his new administration, after becoming the leader of
the Nation of Islam, February 1975, formed a committee (one of many) with the acronym of CRAID (Committee for
the Removal of All Images that attempt to portray the Divine) in a nave attempt to get Christian preachers to take
down all those pictures of Jesus and Mary that hung in the churches. You can imagine how far we got with that.
You may recall very early on in this writing I made a point of essentially bragging about how lucky I was in having
the kind of parents I did. Good, solid, churchgoing Christians. So although I made a concerted effort to recruit my
friends and anybody that would listen to the ranks of the Nation of Islam, I made almost no conscious effort that I can
recall to recruit my parents outright. I do recall off-handed conversations with my mother and father on separate
occasions, but I never sat down to try to drill into them the teachings. But of course it was very evident to them I had
changed by the kind of company I began to keep my behavioral changes and general attitude. No ongoing partying. I
had stopped smoking and given up church altogether. As they began to sense those changes, I sensed a concern in my
mother, but my father, who was the real silent type, simply asked me one time, why I had abandoned the church and
was going in the direction that I was, and did I feel that he and my mother had somehow or other misled me.
My parents owned a very small mom and pop confectionery store. It wasnt very profitable, but it gave them
something to do, and during my college years, I used to relieve them as the storekeeper on Saturdays and evenings. I
remember very distinctly the circumstances when the question was asked because I had just popped in to see him one
afternoon and was discussing something about the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad with one of the brothers who had
come into the store to purchase something while I was there. It was then, after hearing my discussion with the
brother, that he asked that question. That was a telling moment for me, and I remember it well. My father and I got
along beautifully and I loved him dearly. That gave me the opportunity to really give him my view on why I had
decided to accept the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in a fair amount of depth and that it had nothing
to do with how I had been raised. I reemphasized how thankful I was that I had such a wonderful mother and father
who had raised us with love and kindness, providing for my brother and I with the best they could afford. I gave him
just a little flavor of the teachings and suggested since Malcolm was coming to Newark to teach, he should really go
out and hear it for himself. He did on three occasions. One to hear Malcolm, who I have already mentioned earlier, was
coming to Newark on Thursday evenings to present the teachings.
According to the information listed in my file obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from the FBI,
Malcolm started teaching in Newark at the Masonic Auditorium in April 1958. On that first occasion, I could see how
disappointed my father was, not in the teachings themselves, but because once I had finished processing and became a
member of the Nation of Islam, one of the brothers had assigned me to stand what was called front rostrum. To
stand front rostrum meant that it would be your job to stand at attention in front of the rostrum, the speakers stand,
while the minister spoke. Your job would be to make sure no one would arise to attack the speaker. This takes place at
all of the Temple meetings of the members of the Nation of Islam that I have attended up until today. Many are seated
in front of the rostrum nowadays instead of standing, but the rationale is the same.
Let me make an aside here. Malcolm X, who undoubtedly, was familiar with this protocol, was assassinated while
speaking from the rostrum, where no FOI (Fruit of Islam) guards were posted that evening during the talk, and here I
was a professional man, a dentist, that my father had sacrificed the few pennies he earned for years to help me
through dental school, standing like some kind of guard for a man, Malcolm, teaching that the white man was the
devil. Can you see that? It didnt win any favor for the teachings in his eyes. And the truth of the matter is being who I
was, a professional person, a representative of the kind of people that the (Honorable) Elijah was very much interested
in recruiting to help him in his work, I never should have been posted in that fashion to begin with. And I could have
refused to do so as well, but I was determined to become a true participant and learner in all aspects of this Nation of
Islam thing, so I just did what the brother (acting lieutenant) asked. I was already being looked on with some suspicion
by some of the brothers there with a poor understanding of what the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was really about,
because here was this brother among them with the devils education. The act also highlighted one of the gaps in
understanding among some of the followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that had been given some kind of
authority and no real understanding of what it meant. Well talk more about that when I discuss the role I soon came

into as the first captain of Temple #25 in Newark. New Jersey.

Looking back on it, I can appreciate how my father must have felt. On the second occasion, he might have felt a
little better because on that occasion, instead of standing front rostrum, I had become the opening speaker for
Malcolm. I was the brother whose job it was to build him up and introduce Malcolm to the audience just as the brother
did that I described to you at the very first meeting I attended in New York to hear Malcolm at Muhammads Temple
#7. Malcolm and Captain Joseph were the top officials at Muhammads Temple #7. Captain Joseph was the man in
charge of the general area of instructions as it related to the officials of various temples in the area, other than the
ministers, and made sure that the acting officials in Newark came to know that posting me in that fashion was not
good protocol.
The last occasion in which my father came to learn more about the teachings was to hear the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad himself when he came to Newark to speak. By that time I was a bit higher in the hierarchy and even
spoke myself prior to the address by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I recall I had to go to the front door to escort
my father in because he did not want to be searched. One of the brothers came and got me to tell me my father was at
the front door, so I went outside to assure him that the search was okay, so he could accept it. He did and came
inside. He never openly expressed to me any antagonism as regards to the teachings. As I said, he was the silent type,
but I learned later from one of my uncles, his brother, that he took a bit of pride in me as he watched how quickly I
became a notable in the movement. However, he never did join.
My mother? Well, after a year or so, she just kind of became resigned to the fact that this was just what my wife
and I decided we were going to be about. I recall on one occasion not long after it became clear we were followers of
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, she showed up at the house expressing to us how ashamed she was that we had
done that. She got over it, but she never attended a meeting.
One thing puzzled them for sure. How could I accept the declaration and buy into the white man being the devil,
when both of my parents knew I had very friendly relations with many white people. I attended an all-white dental
school, had been helped financially by some white people, one white man was so close to us and our family that he
even attended my fathers funeral back in 1974, even after I had moved to Chicago.
Back to my friends.
The sudden dropping of the teachings upon them in the way that I did was like a shock treatment. I recall the wife
of one of my friends, who was a close friend of ours herself, a staunch Christian, almost in tears on one occasion
when we just kind of backed her to the wall, so to speak, demanding that she prove that Christianity was the black
mans (and womans, of course) religion. Her husband, who was considered a very intelligent brother, listened very
patiently to what I put before him, raised a few half-hearted objections, but he never came around to accept the
teachings either. To make a long story short, except for my closest friend of that day who actually introduced me to
the teachings, to my knowledge and to this day, none of them became Muslims, and to my knowledge, at least 90
percent of them have passed onand two of them, before passing, had married white women. I guess I didnt make
too much of an impression on them long term. Later on, I almost felt guilty and wondered was the harsh method I
chose to present (what I thought was best for them) at fault?
I have learned that Allah is the Best Knower and he raises whom he pleases, so there is no need for me to concern
myself about that. Since the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad are not synonymous with Islam as I
understand it today, and as I will continue to expand upon as we go, their decision not to join the Nation of Islam did
not mean they had refused to accept Islam. They hadnt been presented Islam, not in the conventional sense, so they
didnt know any more about Islam as embodied in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, sayings and action of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH), than I did. But lets be clear, as I heard a brother say so succinctly, the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad definitely created a space for Islam to come into the hearts and minds of black people in this country more
than any one else prior to his work. So felt Zaheer Ali, associate editor, Malcolm X Project, Institute for Research in
African American Studies, Columbia University. Being even more specific, the scholarly Sherman A. Jackson on
page 7 in his book Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking towards the Third Resurrection said,
Men like Noble Drew Ali and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad succeeded in appropriating Islam and in so
doing created a psychological space through which millions of Blackamericans would subsequently enter
the religion.
I consider this categorically undeniable in spite of the objection by many African American Muslim Sunni groups
that made their appearance in the 1960s and 70s, and even earlier. I do not intend here to advance an argument against
their position. Im simply presenting mine, with what I think is good evidence, and one can take it or leave it. Im not

going to get all torn up about it.

Another quote comes to mind at this point that not surprisingly supports my position. It comes from a dissertation
six years in the making as a research project for a PhD thesis by a Muslim brother, Nuri Tinaz, from Turkey. I spent a
fair amount of time with Tinaz in interviews and arranging vital appointments for him to interview Minister Farrakhan
for what was to be finally published. Im sorry to say and I am very disappointed and puzzled that, to my knowledge,
the tremendous work and research he did I have never seen published. Thankfully, Im pleased to say he did leave a
draft copy of the material with me that he had prepared. For a time, we were exchanging e-mails. I spent a day with
him on a trip to London in 2003, where he was living at the time, and then suddenly, nothing. It is almost as if he fell
off the planet. From his years of diligent research, Nuri Tinaz made this telling observation:
The history of Muslims in the US is not only about immigrants seeking socio-economic opportunities in
the New World, but it is also the experience of conversion by a significant number of indigenous people,
namely, the African Americans in American society, who discover a new way of life and a new belief
system that satisfies their religious quest.
I have argued in Chapter I, that there are some hypotheses that the first Muslims arrival in the United
States, dates back to the pre-Colombian period (Nyang, 1988, 1993; Gomez 1994) . However, the
majority of Muslims arrived here through the slave trade. From these prenineteenth century Muslims,
no traces were left of religious practice and culture, except as memory (Hevieu-Lger, 1994). In the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Muslim immigrants also did not contribute to the rise of the AAM
(African-American Muslims). I have discussed that when Islam began emerging among the African
Americans, it had nothing to do with the early Muslim slaves and Muslim immigrants. Rather Islam
appeared in a particular form as protest and reaction to racism and socio-economic inequalities in a religionationalistic way, the same as of the Black religious movements (Baer, 1984: Singer, 1979, 1988).
I have tried to show that NOI (Nation of Islam), as such a movement, owed its religio-nationalistic and
political and economic inspirations to two Black movements, N. D. Alis MST Moorish Science Temple
and Garveys UNIA (United Negro Improvement Association), respectively. By the late 1920s, these two
movements lost their influence and appeal to African Americans in the Black ghettos and the NOI emerged
in the same socio-economic and political milieus. It was the NOI, as Lincoln argues, after more than a
hundred years, orthodox Islam in America had not titillated the imagination of the masses, Whites or
Blacks, and was scarcely known to exist before the Black MuslimsElijahs Nation of Islamproclaimed
Elijahs Message to the Black Man in the name of Allah (Lincoln, 1983:221). Over his forty years as
leader of the NOl, Elijah Muhammad established a solid Islamic community and presence in the US,
whether it was conventional or unconventional Islam. It was his movement that made significant impacts
to change the religious landscape of the traditional Judeo-Christian American society [Underline mine].
(Nuri Tinaz, Conversion of African Americans to Islam: A sociological Analysis of the Nation of Islam
and Associated Groups, a thesis submitted for the degree of doctor of philosophy, University of Warwick
Department of Sociology, February 2001)

Picture of Abdul Salaam and Nuri Tinas. Photo courtesy Nuri Tinaz

The above quote is what I call a powerful endorsement of and testimony to the legacy of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. Tinaz leaves the readership to wrestle with whether what the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad established is
to be considered conventional or unconventional Islam. I have, as should be noted by now, chosen to call it the
Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that he called Islam.
So what happened to me professionally in those early years? That is, how did my professional colleagues that I
knew and had an ongoing interaction with through the dental societies that I participated in feel about my acceptance
of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that I was of course calling Islam at the time? Good question.
Outwardly I detected almost no really perceptible change that I can recall. I went on to become the President of the
Commonwealth Dental Society, the all-black branch of the dental society in that area, and had even been honored and
chosen as Man of the Year at one time (1964). I have the plaque on my wall to prove it. I was also a participant in the
larger more conventional branch of the local and state dental society, serving as a liaison between the Commonwealth
Dental Society and the Essex County Dental Society for a while.
The only indication I had of real curiosity and perhaps bias about why I had chosen, as I did, came at what started
out to be a routine evening at a Commonwealth Dental Society meeting. I recall it vividly because it was being held at
the home of our prized oral surgeon, the only one of us at the time in that specialty in the area and had even ended up
being the head of the Department of Oral Surgery at the dental school. He has since passed, but his name was Frank
Lapyerolerie. I think Im spelling it right, but the stuff hit the fan that night because someone had asked me about
Elijah Muhammad and what I saw in that movement. Well, as we so often did in our opening talk about the teachings, I
was mentioning this fact about the slave names we all carried (mine was McCallum at the time) and I touched on how
really strange it was that a black man could have the name Lapyerolerie. I wasnt really picking on Frank that night
because I really considered him a good friend and I remember his wife had gone to high school with me and she had
lived in the same neighborhood as I did. I was pointing out to all of the guys there that, hey, heres something you
never thought about. How come with all this education we have, were still wearing the slave masters name and know
little or nothing about our own heritage? I went at them with the same kind of make-you-stop-and-think things, I had
mentioned in this writing in an earlier chapter, that the brothers first hit me with in their approach to awakening my
curiosity to hear more about the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Well, it so happened that Dr.
Lapyerolerie was from New Orleans, and though clearly listed as a Negro and willing to accept the label, you could tell
by his hair and general appearance he was of mixed parentage. Then the questions and arguments began to fly. All the
stuff my fellow colleagues had been dying to ask me ever since they heard about my new religion came full blast.
Needless to say, that got things started and we were there until 3:00 a.m. Im still very pleased to say that although I
got no open converts, the arguments and points made that came straight from the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah

Muhammad hit home.

Remember now this was in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The signs of White Only were still up throughout the
South. Discrimination was rampant and existed throughout the countrywide open not as covert as it is today. The
exposure of the powerful, cutting-edge rhetoric of Malcolm X to the public through the media was hitting home. The
understanding and knowledge of Islam was even less, considerably less, than it is today. Those were the days when
one could not successfully mount a cogent argument against the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
There were plenty of arguments all right, by both black (especially preachers) and white folks, but for whatever
reason Allah (God) chose to allow that vehicle to gain headway among the masses of black people at that time, the
arguments advanced against it were powerless to stop it.
And how about my patients? I practiced dentistry in Newark, New Jersey, for fourteen years before moving to
Chicago. As I recall, about 10 to 15 percent of my patients were Caucasians, some coming from far away as New
York. I attribute that primarily to the fact that I worked closely with a number of Caucasians who helped me along the
away. Some I worked with as a dental laboratory technician before I became a dentist and a Muslim, and for many
years, the neighborhood I practiced in was mixed. Strange as it may seem, I never got into any in-depth discussions
with them at all, even when it became clear I was a follower of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. And as far as I
know, I never lost any of them because I became a Muslim. There was one individual who, though Caucasian, rather
consistently hung around with black folks. He became a patient of mine, and I do recall one instance in which he
considered he was giving me good advice. He said to me, Dr McCallum, youre a good dentist and people seem to
like you even members of my own family, but the truth of the matter is you would probably gain more patients among
us if you werent so vocal or outspoken in your position about Elijah Muhammad. I thanked him for his good
intentions and left it at that. Clearly, that was an indication that I was being discussed in some circles in a way that
would not be necessarily considered favorable. In those days, as well as now, that didnt bother me at all. My
conversion was complete and unswerving. Nuri Tinaz speaks of the process as reversion (Conversion of African
Americans to Islam: A Sociological Analysis of the Nation of Islam and Associated Groups) and the Nation of Islam
had entitled it returning to your own kind.
How about Chicago? Essentially no Caucasian patients in the thirty-six years I have been practicing here. That may
be exaggerating a bit because I probably have seen a few in that time but not many. Some I know were married to my
African American patients and a couple students from the University of Chicago nearby when I was part of a program
that referred patients on an emergency basis. Am I bothered by that? Not really. Would I or do I accept all patients no
matter what their ethnicity? Indeed I do. Islam has freed me of conscious racist tendencies. In the environment of
America, I find it hard to believe that any one of us is completely free of such tendencies. There is a story in these
recollections too, but I wont pursue it at this time.
ETC.

CHAPTER 9
DO FOR SELF

Referring again to the careful research conducted by Nuri Tinaz, the reasons for people accepting the teachings of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad were indeed varied, but he seemed to have been able to get a picture of the motivational
factors that served to move people to become members of the Nation of Islam. He describes several periods in the
evolution of the Nation of Islam right through the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
It appears the goal and slogan of Do for Self of the Nation of Islam stood high on the ladder for me and others, who
while considering ourselves in search of a firm spiritual base, and finding so much lacking in Christianity, were more
than anxious to see ourselves at a minimum equal to and on at least the same economic rung as the white man.
Certainly, as a person who had chosen dentistry as a way to earn a living, help people, and better myself, the
entrepreneurial spirit touched by the slogan Do for Self was already inspiring me and others. I immediately began to
look for a way to move ahead even beyond the confines of dentistry.
My final letter of acceptance into the Nation of Islam came in April 1958. Accompanying the letter was a small
prayer book containing the standard information about prayer in Islam and the prayer services, but the teaching of the
standard Islamic prayer service on a regular basis was not part of the activities that took place in the FOI (Fruit of
Islam) and MGT (Muslim Girl Training) classes that the letter of acceptance served as admittance to. Here then we
find another disconnect between the Nation of Islam and the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad with
established required Islamic practice. The correct Islamic protocol states that one of the five principles of Islam that
every Muslim agrees to is to pray five times a day at prescribed times and in a very clearly described fashion. Even
people who are not Muslims have heard that frequently, and they are often presented via the media with a picture of
the Muslims bowing in prayer as a standard image of Muslims and Islam. There are some differences between
different groups of Muslims as to the position of the arms or the hands or some minor thing, but no Muslim decides
for himself that he is going to change the number of times a Muslim bows in what is called sajdah, the number of such
bows (prostrations) that is part of the total five-times-a-day prayer service. For example, the early morning prayer
called Salatul Fajr consists of what is called two obligatory rakats (a rakat is a section of the prayer, meaning to bow,
to prostrate). Each of the other prayers during the day have a specific number of obligatory actions and no person
wishing to declare themselves Muslim would even consider making a change. Islam is very unique in many ways and
decidedly distinct from other religious practices since it is a form of worship for the Unique Creator who tells us we
have been created for His worship. How would one know how to worship that unique Creator if the pattern for doing
so had not been given to and described and performed in detail for Muslims by His last prophet and Messenger,
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH)? What other religion do you know of that you can say that about?
Unfortunately, I have heard many of us who followed Elijah Muhammad, after his passing, speak of our
embarrassment when we found ourselves unable to either follow correctly or lead a prayer service in the Islamically
correct fashion when we began moving among and trying to associate with members of the larger Islamic
communities. For many members of that community, prayer service was just a routine everyday way of life. Most of
us had never learned it in its formal manner. It wasnt until the late Imam W. D. Mohammad assumed the role of
leadership that we recognized and understood how far we had been from having the correct understanding of Islamic
rituals. I spoke a bit more about this failing in my earlier chapter, Something About My Early Years. Did the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad even know himself how this service was performed? Absolutely. I distinctly recall with
somewhat of a start when the subject came up and he, before a group of us in the same dining room, where so many
things took place, facing east, took the time to illustrate a complete rakat for us, telling us, as he saw it, what certain
positions represented from standing to bowing to kneeling. I was so startled and taken aback by his taking the time to
do that that the picture he presented as he performed that activity is still very much with me.
In hindsight, it would have been great if Id had the courage and foresight to ask him to whom he was praying,
wouldnt it? On March 18, 1973, I found this note in my notebook from the scribbling I used to make when dining
with him, to the effect that his position was that the storefronts and thrown together meeting places that we often met
in as a Temple were not a fit place to have a formal prayer service to worship Allah. Second, he said, since the
Muslims primary job at that time was to bring in those we called lost founds who knew nothing about Islam or its
prayer service, participating in a prayer service would have been meaningless to them. In one of many discussions
when I was prompting him to talk about Fard in the early years when he was with him, he went as far as to say that

Fard himself never held prayer services when he was here. He just got up, said, As-salaamu alaikum, and began
teaching.
Its important not to take what I have said as a general observation dealing with the lack of a formal prayer service
being practiced to be the case for what took place in every corner of the Nation of Islam at that time. No. In fact, I
was just reviewing some of my old 8 mm sound film that I made in the early sixties showing a group of sisters
performing a prayer service in the correct manner, properly dressed, hijab and all. They were led in the prayer service
by Sister Captain Clotelle who was the captain of the MGT for Muhammads Temple #7 for many years. Its also
interesting to note, even after being so far astray, many of the former followers of Elijah Muhammad, finding little
comfort in the early somewhat groping, uncertain direction of Imam W. D. Mohammed, when he first assumed the
leadership role and forsaking altogether in large numbers, the new attempts by other devotees to continue to thrust
upon the unwary the old teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad have found solace in better ways of sorting
out the correct Islamic understanding.
At least one somewhat notable figure comes to mind who was once a member of the FOI and teaching staff in one
of Muhammads temples of Islam in Brooklyn, New YorkImam Siraj Wahaj. He seemed to be fairly well-known in
both orthodox (immigrant) Muslim circles as well as among those of us who consider ourselves indigenous Muslims
who came into what we considered to be Islam under the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. In November 2007, Siraj and
others came together to hold the first conference of a group that they labeled MANA, an acronym for Muslim Alliance
in North America. If interested, one can learn more about its aims and goals by going to the website www.mananet.org. To go even one step further, the Specialty Promotions Book Company Inc. makes available a Muslim prayer
book with Arabic text, English transliteration, and full illustrations of the prayer service itself, complete with a CD that
is in concise, nearly faultless Arabic that helps one understand how to do the prayer service. The recitation, believe it
or not, is rendered by the great grandson of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, Abdul Sultan Rahman Muhammad, and
one version of the book has an introduction using what I would certainly label as acceptable Islamic terminology by
Minister Louis Farrakhan. What a turnaround! Im pleased to say, I had a small part in making that happen, but the
idea was launched initially and consummated by Abdul Bin Asad, a former powerful regional FOI captain under the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It can, in a small way, be described as a continuation of the kind of do for self spirit
that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad instilled so well in his followers.
Keep in mind at the time of the completion of this writing, I was a dental practitioner, a dentist, so as already stated
the entrepreneurial spirit, the do something for self had already found its place in me, but it was the hard driving
thrust and forcible spirit of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that really gave it wings. Lets continue this book then
with a survey of some of the forms this do for self drive took.
Many of the brothers I found myself surrounded by, and that formed the nucleus of the early group of Muslims that
I encountered in the Newark area, were, I would say, pretty much average in terms of income. Such seemed to have
been the case, I learned, with many of the early followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. A few brothers
thinking that because I was a professional person, with an income higher than themselves, and endowed with the spirit
of Lets show the [Honorable] Elijah Muhammad what we can do in the Newark area, early on began bombarding
me with business ideas and began soliciting funds to help them bring those ideas to fruition. It took me a long time to
learn that ideas are a dime a dozen and the brothers had plenty of them, but the ability, financial wherewithal, and drive
to bring those ideas to market in a meaningful way wasnt really there. This was true not only of my situation but as I
continued my progress in the Nation of Islam and climbed the ladder of leadership where I could get a good look at
things, Im very comfortable in saying, with few exceptions, this was so, in general throughout the Nation of Islam. It
also was one of the primary reasons not only did many individuals but the Nation of Islam itself failed in the final run in
so many of its business undertakings.
There were plenty of ideas, and even in some cases financial support, but that important business understanding and
clearly the ethical underpinnings in far too many cases just wasnt there. So with the few pennies I was earning and
my ability to borrow from banks with more ease than they could, I ventured into a few business agreements that
proved to be just about disastrous within a matter of just a few months. Let me illustrate what I think is an important
example of what Im talking about because what I think were good intentions the Creator saw fit to modify and
maintain a balance and allow what was a false beginning to turn itself into a meaningful enterprise.
I formed back in 1957 a company that later became a corporate entity (1959). I gave it the name the Specialty
Promotions Co. Inc. because one of the early enterprises I was asked to engage in had as its primary product a
specialty item known as a fire igniter, designed to replace the spark plug in cars to promote better mileage, fuel

efficiency, less pollution, blah, blah, blah. You know how that goes. It was just a sales pitch. I made the initial
purchase of the product at the request of a few brothers. After going to the bank and borrowing some money to make
it happen, I gave the product to them and said now lets make some money and do for self. They did for self all
right, themselves, and as I recall when asking for a report after a few weeks and a set of fire igniters to put in my own
car, none was to be found. I was really upset but still felt that perhaps since I had already formed this company, I
could get some serious Muslim brothers to get something else going. During this time and during the entire time I was
processing, waiting for acceptance into the Nation of Islam, I was attending Muhammads Temple #7 in New York
City, discussing and sharing some of my concerns for the disappointment in those early business undertakings with
Malcolm and Captain Joseph. Both Malcolm (Minister Malcolm X) and Captain Joseph knew of some of the things that
were going on in the Newark area because the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had clearly kept them posted, since there
was a very active attempt to get a Temple started there. Since Malcolm was working the Newark area early on, like he
did so many places up and down the East Coast, when they came to the Newark area, I frequently met with them.
Then on this one occasion, when Malcolm was being bothered with a lot of pain from a wisdom tooth, they came by
my home-office to have me deal with Malcolms problem and prior to the extraction I was to perform, they sat down
to have what they considered to be a very frank talk with this new, fired-up brother, anxious to be a Muslim and do
rightme.
From their vantage point, the feeling was that I had gotten caught up in what I now politely refer to as
underhanded undertakings. It was well-known that both Malcolm and Captain Joseph, before entering into the
Nation of Islam, had come out of a gangster, hustler-like lifestyle in Detroit that allowed them to gain quick insight into
what you might call game. This is what they felt was happening to me. I can still see Malcolm standing behind and
leaning on the dental chair and hear him saying to me, Doctor, you have to be careful. Everybody that says assalaamu alaikum is not a Muslim. Be real careful when somebody asks you to invest in something and they dont put
up as much as you do. Especially if you dont know them personally. Captain Joseph chimed in with Thats right,
brother. People can see youve got a good heart, and if youre not careful, they will certainly take advantage of you.
That was pretty much all they said. They didnt accuse anyone of anything or point fingers. They made matter-of-fact
statements that they felt I would understand and make me more circumspect about anything else that might come up.
It was good advice. Had I done that, I would have retired a long time ago.
I proceeded with a difficult extraction for Malcolm after listening to him like so many other people tell me how
much he disliked needles and how even as an addict his habit didnt call for him needling himself. I cautioned him that
there would be a good chance that his mouth would be pretty sore for a couple of days, that he might have difficulty
opening and closing (wisdom teeth are pretty far back and do sometimes have that after effect when removed). I
suggested that he should probably have somebody give the Sunday talk (this was a Friday). As usual, I went to
Muhammads Temple #7 for the usual Sunday talk, and who do you think gave the talk? Right. Minister Malcolm X.
Sore jaw and all, a clear sign of how much he loved that rostrum. Keep this point in mind when we get to the chapter
Malcolm X: The Man Without a Country.
There are two other items that come to mind while I am on this point. Minister James 3X who became the minister
for Muhammads Temple #25 in Newark used to say, The wisdom and teachings of the [Honorable] Elijah
Muhammad can be like a two-edged sword. It really helps the poor brothers and sisters who really care and want to
make something of themselves. On the other hand, the brother or sister that comes in as a rascal and has no intention
of doing right, the teachings of the [Honorable] Elijah Muhammad help them to become a GRAND rascal.
He was right about that. It came to be known that there was, in one of the Nation of Islams largest temples, a
group of top laborers, giving only lip service to the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. So much so that
they had even come to be known as the black mafia in their area. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had quite a
challenge to get that situation under any kind of meaningful control. Even in these times, no more than six or seven
years ago (2006), a split took place in an area (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) necessitating the intervention of the courts
to settle a dispute between two groups, both of whom considered themselves Muslims. A real Islamic no-no. The
Nation of Islam, as is true of many of the existing and varied branches and spin-offs, then as well as now, should
never be thought of as everythings all right with the world in spite of Islamic labels and utterances. That would
really be a myth.
I heard the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad say, Im a fisherman of men. I throw my net out, and when I pull it in,
theres no telling what we might catch. Many that we catch are good, and just what we were fishing for. Then there
are some that are just frisky and slippery. They slip out of your hands when you try to get them out of the net and

jump back in water before you can get them to shore. Others we see were better off just throwing back into the
water anyway.
Although I personally was imbued with the drive to do for self on a real lets be real level, from the early 50s
right up to 1972, the Nation of Islam itself, headquartered in Chicago, was at that time far from impressive. The
restaurant and grocery store that had been started was really nothing more than what we might generously describe as
a kind of mom and pop business. Temple #2 itself, headquarters as it was called, was not much more than a renovated
church with a small building attached, being used for a school that would be overcrowded if more than four to five
hundred people showed up at any one time. Yet the most amazing thing in studying the growth of the Nation of Islam
is that, in spite of these very humble seemingly meaningless beginnings, before the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad in 1975, the Nation of Islam had grown into the most respected and powerful entity ever known to exist
in America under black leadership, surpassing even Marcus Garveys admirable accomplishments.
An important point that I must emphasize here is that the majority of the Nation of Islams economic and
membership growth took place after the death of Malcolm X, the person that I feel historians and misinformed
activists now mistakenly and in many cases purposefully with ulterior motives in mind, attributed the mind-blowing,
greatly admired growth and power demonstrated by the Nation of Islam. The true heyday of the Nation of Islam really
got going after the death of Malcolm X. I would say roughly between 1965 and 1974. I hope those of you who are
great admirers of Malcolm X dont become overly agitated by that statement. I will get to Malcolm and I fully intend to
give him his just due as I see it today. He did indeed make a great contribution to the growth of the Nation of Islam
during his brief tenure. I think about a statement Spike Lee makes in a book written about him, Thats My Story and
Im Sticking to It. Spike Lee told the author of his book from early on in the shooting of his film on Malcolm that the
Fruit of Islam (FOI) was telling the people who were to play the assassins in the film. The assassination of Malcolm
X was an inside job; it was the FBI giving us all the wrong information.
I think a most telling observation can be found in this regard in a statement made and given to the author of Thats
My Story and Im Sticking to Itas told to Kaleem Aftab, W. W. Norton & Co. publishers, by Spike Lee. Aftab said,
Spike had never been under so much pressure, I put pressure on myself. Spike is reputed to have said, Before we
even started making the film, Denzel and I were being told by black people across the country, Dont mess Malcolm
up.
Im coming to Malcolm. Just hold your horses. Put in your mind as I will detail for you later, I was the first FOI
captain in the Newark Temple. I was an ex-officio official in Newark at the time of the assassination of Malcolm in
February 1965 with fairly frequent access to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and did not leave that area until June
1970. I even had 35 mm slides showing Talmadge Hayer, one of the confessed assassins, sitting very calmly at a table
at one of the fund-raising dinners that were held so frequently at the Temple. I cant recall any circumstance in which
he presented himself or acted in any fashion other than a regular brother of the FOI. There were some others who
became involved in the assassination of the minister there, Minister James Shabazz in 1973, who demonstrated a
substantially different behavior after the assassination. Sorry, there I go again getting ahead of myself.
The entity formed in 1959 that I named the Specialty Promotions Co. Inc. became a vehicle to do many things, and
even today, and after more than forty-seven years remains a viable entity for the importation, sale, and distribution of
Islamic literature. Between 1961 and 1969, I had already developed a vehicle for importing African Woodcarvings, a
real hit in and best sellers during those early Black Power days. I imported them from Kenya and Nigeria. I learned to
handle all the customs and entries myself. As time went by, in 1969, I opened an Islamic and black history bookstore
in New York City called Books & Things along with Akbar Muhammad (Larry 2X Prescott at that time, who, at the
time of this writing, has emerged as the international representative for the Nation of Islam under Minister Louis
Farrakhan).
I was importing items from Egypt, decorative camel saddles, handbags, and all sorts of leather goods. Part of our
inventory was books from Pakistan, Egyptian jewelry storage cases, music boxes, and a host of other items from
Hong Kong, African woodcarvings from Nigeria and Kenya, and items from India as well. Before the opening of the
bookstore, I would order many of these items on a drop shipped basis via an import broker that a brother, Booker 2X,
had alerted me to as an introduction to the import/export field and we used to work together to have brothers
interested in doing business for themselves sell for us. In addition to which, I stored many of the items in my garage at
home and we sold them at the frequent African bazaars held by the temples in both Newark and New York. As a
consequence of these activities and my desire to learn more about the East and importing, I arranged to make a thirtyday trip around the world.

That was in 1962. I discussed my intentions with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and he wished me well. At the
time, his youngest son, Akbar Muhammad, and his wife, Sister Clara Muhammad, were in Cairo, Egypt, so visiting
there was an important part of the trip. I had also, through my relationship with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad,
met the ambassador from Egypt. Hussein Borai was his name, if I remember correctly, and he gave me the name and
address of his brother in Cairo and told me to be sure and get in touch with him once I arrived in Egypt. I did and, as a
consequence, saw some areas of the city via the personal guidance of a resident. I stayed there five days, so I also had
the advantage of spending some time with Akbar Muhammad, who schooled me to some extent about Egypt as well. I
had even prior to my trip there engaged in many long and in-depth conversations with Akbar and learned why he
decided to part with his fathers teaching in a much lower-keyed manner than his brother Imam W. D. Mohammad.
His study and knowledge of Arabic and the ability to read the Holy Quran in its original tongue, as well as his long
stay in a country of Muslims, had a great deal to do with that departure Im sure. Thats another book too.
I left the country via New York and came back through California. The trip was quite memorable for me because
not only was I traveling to visit places and people that I had at least a working knowledge of, since I had been
importing things from them, but I was also traveling as a Muslim. I make the point about traveling as Muslim because
I suspect in the areas I visited at that time, they rarely saw a declared African American Muslim, so they were all sure
I must have known Muhammad Ali (which I did, of course, personally), and whenever I was in a Muslim land, they all
wanted to know about that. In addition to which, I remember that in Egypt, I had decided to just take a tour when I
wasnt a guest of the people in the country I was visiting. Once I gave the greeting of As-Salaamu alaikum, thus
identifying myself as a Muslim, I was always shown to an area and separated out from any other tourist and shown
some items that were said to be preferable to what the tourists were purchasing.
On one occasion, I purchased a ring for my wife with an odd kind of jewel in it that changes colors in the sunlight
differently than when inside. I still have slides and an 8 mm sound film of the trip. In Pakistan, I was greeted warmly,
and my entire stay there (about five days) was spent as the guest of Sheikh Muhammad Ashraf, the founder and
owner of what was one of the largest printers and exporters of Islamic literature in English that could be found
anywhere at the time. As a Muslim, he wouldnt let me stay anyplace other than with him and he knew I was a
follower of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. That didnt seem to matter to him at all. I still envision his warmth,
grace, and smile. I remember when he took me to visit the Shah Jehan Mosque, one of the largest mosques in
Pakistan, and as I labored to climb the stairs to get to the top of one of the tall minarets, I found he had already beat
me to the top and was calmly seated there when I arrived at the top all out of breath. He was about twice my age.
Now I am not so nave as to think he just didnt care about my association with the Nation of Islam because that
didnt matter to him. He may very well have seen me as an excellent vehicle to establish a good business connection in
America. That may be, although I know for a certainty, he already had a few connections here already. Ill never know
what was really in his heart and I saw no need to do anything but accept him as another Muslim as I understood it was
appropriate to do.

Photo of Sheikh Muhammad Ashraf, exporter and publisher of Islamic literature (now deceased) and Dr. Abdul Salaam known at the time as Dr.

Leo PX McCallum, standing along wall of the Shah Jehan Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1963. (Photo courtesy Sheikh Muhammad Publishers
-Lahore Pakistan)

I assumed he did the same for me. I do know, by extending generous terms to me, he was very much responsible
for making large numbers of the Holy Qurans available for sale here through me. At first, it was the Muhammad Ali
translation, although he himself did not publish it. At the time I first sought out an exporter for the Quran, he came to
my attention (1958-59). When he began to note how serious I was about importing Islamic literature, in general, and
specifically the Holy Quran, which was very difficult to find in America at that time, it was not too long before I
started importing and carried his full line of books, almost three hundred titles.
After my first visit there, he asked me why I chose the Muhammad Ali translation rather than his own publication,
the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation, the more accepted of the two. He was also the publisher of that translation and
could make it available to me at less of a cost than the frowned-upon Maulana Muhammad Ali translation that he had to
first purchase himself from the publishers there and then sell to me. Im well aware that the publishers of the
Muhammad Ali translation were banned from Pakistan as Qadianne, an un-Islamic group some twenty or more years
ago now, I believe. A number of differing segments are headquartered in America. The American counterpart that I
know of is not really Qadianne or un-Islamic in its thrust, as I see it, and I have an excellent relationship with them and
have even spoken at a number of their conferences, one as recent as July 2009. I have no problems with them. When
I reported this to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad after my return home and asked him about that, his reply was as
follows: Brother, Im trying to teach my people the name of God which is Allah. I have nothing against the Abdullah
Yusuf Ali translation since that was also given to me by the Savior. It is a good translation and I have both of them.

Pictured above is a very well-known and once heavily circulated photo that pictures the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad seated with his hands folded in his lap and Imam W. D. Mohammed, his son, then known as Wallace
Muhammad, standing to his left with a large copy of the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation in his extended left handthe
one I started importing. In the background and hanging on the wall above and behind them is the best-known picture
of Fard Muhammad. This picture always hung in plain view in an alcove in the Honorable Elijah Muhammads home at
4847 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, just inside the front foyer.
( Photo by the late Gordon Parks)
But, he said, the Muhammad Ali translation maintains the name Allah in its translation and thats the name I want

my people to know because thats the name he chose for himself. I passed this information on to Sheikh Muhammad
Ashraf and he immediately stopped translating the name Allah to God. From that day until now, all of the Holy
Qurans, whether English translations or not imported from them, maintain the true name of the One Deity, Allah. I
cant even get one with God in it from them. It reinforces the point I made earlier regarding why I am so
discomforted by those who rather than continue this excellent practice choose to just use the term Gd rather than
Allah. This is a very significant point and there is a great deal to be said about it. Ive already said some things about it,
in bits and pieces, throughout the book such as the importance he attached to his followers learning to become
comfortable with Islamic terms, chief of which of course would be the name of God and his religion as he moved
forward to create a space for Islamthats a reality but I have to get finished with this book, so Im going to push on.
Sheikh Muhammad Ashraf has since passed and his grandson, with whom I have an excellent working relationship,
has visited with me here and I there. He is now running what was formerly his grandfathers business.
Now let me tell you something Im really proud of and learned a never to be forgotten and important lesson from
this do for self era I went through that began in Nigeria. We will view it through the lens of our Islamic perspective.
One of the important, meaningful, and colorful areas that I included in my trip around the world was a five-day stop
in Nigeria. It was part of the itinerary because I knew it had a substantial Muslim population, and I was importing a
special kind of African woodcarvings from there through a person I had come to know through correspondence and
business interchanges. So there, as was the case in Kenya, Egypt, and Pakistan, I could count on an opportunity to
interact with the indigenous people at a level beyond the normal tourist avenues and gain a deeper knowledge of the
business opportunities available to me as a Muslim. I was now very attentive to do for self opportunities engendered
by my new wide-awake eagerness as a black man and follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I was also very
much caught up with the excitement of being in Nigeria and still remember a great deal about the trip, but will have to
forego the details in order to get to the more important points I wish to make.
Once in Nigeria, Lagos specifically, I met up with my business friend and began to explore what I might bring to the
community here beyond the woodcarvings that though popular at the time, I did not envision that avenue of trade as
very meaningful for the long term. You see one thing you must understand for sure, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
never thought small and he embedded in us that same reach for greatness, as he taught us, was the natural gift of our
forefathers and now us. After all, we were the Gods of the Universeno need to think small.
After exploring a number of possibilities for import activities, I arrived at the idea of importing coffee. After all, that
was certainly a stable long-term item that had an unending market, and although some of the best coffee beans came
from the black mans land like Kenya, there were no visible, serious black people, so-called Negroes as the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad termed us, in the coffee importing and selling business in any meaningful way then.
So when I got back to the States, I started importing coffee from Nigeria, a maximum of five to six one-hundredpound bags at a time. Then I had to learn, once they got here, what in the world I was supposed to do with them. I
knew absolutely nothing about coffeecoffee blending, coffee quality, or coffee salesalmost nothing. I was and am
a dentist, not a high-powered businessman with an MBA. BUT my mentality at that time was such that I was
determined not to let a little thing like that stop me. I did quickly learn that coffee from Nigeria was not the most
sought after or flavorful. To develop the Nigerian product to compete with the more flavorful well-known brands, I
would have to blend it with a well-known South American coffee such as that from Columbia, which was too
expensive, or with an Arabica-type bean that was less costly, but would still do the job. Again, to make a long story
short, I consumed myself with the study of coffee in all its venues. Then as Allah (God) would have it, in my
earnestness to prove that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was right in his confidence in us (US as black people), I and
the brother I was working closely with, Brother Booker 2X from Temple #7, searched out some people who could
point us in the right direction. Before I knew it, I had made contact with a coffee blending and packing firm in the
heart of the coffee importing area in New York City that was willing to work with me. They would take the few bags
of coffee that I was importing and show me how to make a passable blend of coffee by mixing the Nigerian coffee
with South American coffee beans. I even learned to taste different coffees as we sat around a spinning carousel that
contained varying blends of beans until we agreed which one we would use to make our coffee. I even learned what it
took to go to the customhouse, fill out papers, and import things myself.
I named the coffee AKBAR, THE AFRICAN COFFEE. The English translation of Akbar is The Greatest. Malcolm
loved the coffee and was always pushing it. I started importing my portion from Nigeria in greater quantities and it
was sold first at Temple #7 Restaurant in New York, then Temple #2 Restaurant in Chicago. It was even served in the
homes of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, Detroit, Michigan, and went so far as to be sold and handled by a group

of brothers as far away as California. And it wasnt because the coffee tasted so much better than anyone elsesit
didnt. The thing was, AKBAR, THE AFRICAN COFFFE became OUR coffee, something an FOI, a black man had
made work, a testimony to Up, You Mighty Nation, You Can Accomplish What You Will. Then came the hard
economic reality.
One seemingly small thing brought the enterprise, as promising as the endeavor seemed to be, to a screeching halt.
At the time, the coffee was being packed into somewhat flat, round cans containing a pound of coffee. I had managed
to get so far as to, at a considerable expense, come up with money scrounged from my dental practice, borrowed
from professional colleagues and from the bank, to make it possible to produce a special lithographed can with my
own specially designed logo. It displayed the image of an African figure playing a drum and Akbar The African
Coffee inscribed on it. It was a beautifully designed, very colorful, black-and-yellow can with some touches of green
and red. Prior to that, because it was so costly to have ones own lithographed can (five thousand minimum), I was
using a stock one-pound tin can around that we were able to wrap and affix our own label.
Then one day, our coffee packer told me that the entire market was shifting to tall one-pound and two-pound cans.
He informed me he could no longer package coffee for us unless we shifted to that kind of can, since all machinery
was being automated for it. I would need to come up with a starting inventory of twenty-five thousand cans. Bam!
That was it. Fini for us. I couldnt do it.
Today, I realize it was not just that one thing that caused the failure of the enterprise. It was an entire host of things,
endemic to what I was trying and many small businesses have tried to do in the black community that mandated failure
in the long term.
I took the time to outline this activity because it is not just about me. Many Muslims can outline for you, similar
attempts at business undertakings in various cities by various businesses in those days that failed to survive. I recall
one that began in New York City, Steak and Take, that really took off. Some business adventures that were started in
Atlanta, Georgia, practically took over and greatly overshadowed certain other businesses of the same nature in the
city. There were many parallels that I now recognize that were an integral part of the undertakings of the Nation of
Islam as well in spite of its worldwide activities that caused it to fail. My story and failure was just a microcosm of the
do for self enterprises that were going on at the time, very few of which exist today. Why? It boils down to
inadequate preparation, inexperienced and undereducated personnel, shortsighted leadership (other than Elijah
Muhammad), crooked people, and above all, a false and Islamically unsound spiritual base. There was no true
understanding of what it meant to build a Nation of Islam with the true and one God (Allah) as its underpinning.
Remember, I was once the Organization President of the Nation of Islam. Im not just shooting off at the mouth. So
its not really a Nation of Islam thats the answer, but its the understanding that comes with a clear study of what
Allah brought into existence under the leadership of his last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), that was
missing, a true Islamic state and all that entails. Oh, yeah. That really calls for a bunch of books.
But lets get back to Temple-building in Newark.
ETC.

CHAPTER 10
THE GENESIS OF A TEMPLE

The progress of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad began to gather considerable steam around 1958 to
59 with, as already mentioned, the advent of Malcolm X coming once a week to Newark to teach and the widespread
dissemination of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads articles appearing in the Amsterdam News and the Pittsburgh
Courier by the brothers selling those newspapers. The articles began to make their appearance even in a local paper,
the Herald News, which in truth had never been much more than an almost throwaway newspaper until those articles
appeared in it and the brothers began selling it locally. Then Minister James 3X (later known as James Shabazz) from
Baltimore began to make his appearance in Newark. He initially spent most of his time in Jersey City, New Jersey, at
what was already a small Temple there, Temple #21, traveling back and forth to his hometown of Baltimore from time
to time. As the chorus for something at a more visible level grew in Newark, a group of brothers, myself included,
found a small storefront for rent at 142 South Orange Avenue in Newark.
Once that place was locked in as a once-a-week meeting place, Minister James began a steady barrage of lectures as
the demand for the teachings and the population was much higher than in Jersey City. With the advent of the arrival of
Minister James 3X, the appearance and lectures of Malcolm that had begun in April 1958 at 188 Belmont Avenue for all
practical purposes ceased in the Newark area. I have some slides that were generated from pictures I took of Minister
James 3X teaching in one of these storefront settings, as documentation for the time things had begun to take shape
and move under Minister James 3X in a fairly definitive fashion, but the truth of the matter is during those times we
were almost homeless. We were fortunate to talk to a prominent African American woman, Louise Scott I believe was
her name, who was in charge of an old mansion, badly in need of restoration, Scotts Cultural and Civic Center on the
corner of High and Court streets, into allowing us to use a segment in the basement as a meeting place. We continued
hoping we could find something more suitable. We held our first meeting there on November 6, 1958. We moved back
and forth between 188 Belmont Avenue and Scotts Cultural and Civic Center.
Life is full of little details, so now of course the logistics of just having a meeting place that we were trying to
convert into a Temple came into play. The meeting place rent had to be paid, utility bills were coming due, fliers and
public relations materials were needed, etc. Minister James himself had to face a considerable hardship just in traveling
and then maintaining himself and his family. Once the people became interested in being part of the Nation of Islam, a
method had to be established to allow that to happen on some kind of formal, tracking basis. My wife and I were
helping as best we could in setting things up for the meetings, like the other brothers and sisters. However, we were
not intimately engaged in any organized activities related to Temple function early on as I was busily engaged in
developing my dental practice and shaping my other business activities.
By this time, both my wife and I had already been in the Nation for several years. I had visited with the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad several times in the meantime to keep him apprised of how I saw things going in Newark as well as
take advantage of the opportunity he gave me when visiting him to learn more about the teachings. Then one day,
Minister James approached me and my wife about helping him to deal with the details of managing the rapidly growing
Temple in Newark. We thought and talked about it, and then after getting permission to see the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad, we all got in one car and drove out to see him to get his position on the matter. It was a very memorable
meeting.
As was characteristic of meetings with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, we all came together over the dinner that
evening on the day of our arrival. Minister James, of course, was very well-known to the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad at the time (he called him Son of Thunder) and he had gathered a pretty good working knowledge of
me. It was a first meeting for my wife. He appeared impressed by her and he asked a few questions about how things
were going and what we would like to see happen in an organized fashion at the Newark Temple. At that point, a
recommendation was made by Minister James that my wife function as an assistant to him in the post of secretary at
both Muhammads Temple #21 (Jersey City) and myself as the captain at the Newark Temple. An agreement was
quickly reached, and when we left, it was a done deal. One of the further lasting memories of that visit is the picture
still firmly embedded in my mind of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and his wife, Sister Clara, getting into their
automobile, directing us back to the entrance ramp for the highway leading back to Newark, where he and his wife
gave us a great big smile, waved, and wished us a safe return home. Some kind of man.
What I will continue to embark on here for a while, in describing the progress of the teachings of the (Honorable)

Elijah Muhammad in Newark, from storefront to numbered Temple, though specific to Newark, and accurate since I
was there as a participant, can be generalized to the pattern of growth of this specific religious phenomena, the Nation
of Islam, throughout America. Accept if you will, Newark, as a template, an example of the methodology involved in
the seeding and final planting of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad nationwide. I know this to be so,
of course, because my role as a captain of a Temple brought me into contact with the officials of many temples,
numbered and unnumbered, as I traveled around to the various cities.

Minister James 3X, giving a talk at 142 S. Orange Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, July 1961. Seated on either side of him were two of his assistant
ministers. To the left was Brother Earl 3X, I believe. I knew him well but I cant recall the name of the other brother.)

Top photo: Early storefront setting at 142 S. Orange Avenue from which teachings were launched back in 1958-59, was occupied by a storefront
church when we moved. No longer exists.
Second photo: First permanent-type residence for Muhammads Temple # 25. It was located at 257 S. Orange Avenue in Newark, New Jersey,
originally an old movie theater.
Third photo: Later renovation of Muhammads Temple #25. Photos taken by Dr. Salaam, up to January 1987.)

Laborers we were calledministers, captainsboth Fruit of Islam (FOI) and Muslim Girls Training (MGT)and
secretaries. We already know, just as in Newark, Malcolm was a tireless worker in the cause, traveling up and down
the East Coast and elsewhere to bring the message of Elijah Muhammad. So too was Minister James 3X (Shabazz),
who, in order to lighten some of the expense and burden he was under, I allowed Minister James to move in with me
and my family for about a year. It was primarily through his efforts that temples were established in Paterson,
Elizabeth, and Plainfield, New Jersey, by the time I left Newark in June 1970. The same pattern is recorded in the
history of the founding of the Nation of Islam itself by Fard Muhammad and that early group of converts. Someone
would start teaching in a home, more and more people began to come, a storefront, a loft, a building was rented or
leased, and soon it became an official numbered meeting place.
Prior to my becoming the first officially established captain in the Newark area by Chicago, there were at least two
brothers that I can recall that had been temporarily set up to function in an overall supervisory and leadership capacity
in the Newark area by Captain Joseph and Malcolm when they first started to come to the area. The first was Brother
Earl Warner X, a quiet rather unassuming but likeable brother, one of the members of a group in the area loosely

spoken of as the Council of Brothers. He in a manner of speaking was the one who somewhat informally generally
oversaw things with the help of a number of other brothers and a few sisters that I would say were part of that early
group in the Newark area with Xs.
I remember Earl Warner, a follower of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad well, because he was part of the group of
brothers I was interacting with early on that spent time coaxing me to continue on to become a member of the Nation
of Islam. The second brother, if I recall correctly, was named Norman GX Gaskins. Both he and his family had
become members of the Nation of Islam. He was fairly well educated as I recall and showed a spark of leadership, so
he became the second brother in charge of helping to keep things moving along as the Temple grew. Both he and Earl
Warner had been labeled first lieutenants, and at the time, I liked and got along well with each of them.
Unfortunately, after I became the captain, Norman became somewhat resentful of losing that position and began to
do things of a disruptive nature at the meetings. I recall we had started a little restaurant across the street from the
Masonic Auditorium, and he caused a disruption there. The brothers of course were quite stern, and as James Brown,
the famed now-departed singer, used to say, Papa, dont take no mess. We didnt take no mess, and on one
occasion, we had to supervise (polite language) his exit from the restaurant because of some disruptive behavior. He
didnt take to that too well, filed a complaint against myself and Minister James with the police and we ended up in
court. Nothing came of it, the brother backed off, and that was the last we saw of him.
I became involved with a flurry of activities at this time and it is only by virtue of the fact that I was able to obtain
my file under the Freedom of Information Act many years ago that specific times and dates are brought back to
memory. The files provide us with a fairly accurate timeline of activities specific to the Newark Temple and its growth
during that period of time. Now is a good time to review some of these things before moving on.
ETC.

CHAPTER 11
BIG BROTHER (THE FBI) IS WATCHING YOU

This chapter represents and will present the clear evidence that my wife, myself, and the minister of Muhammads
Temple #25, Minister James 3X, as officials and representative of the Nation of Islam in Newark, New Jersey, were
the subjects of surveillance and scrutiny by the FBI for a substantial period of time. Copies of confidential files
obtained under the Freedom of Information Act covering the period between November 25, 1958, and April 1, 1959, is
presented. It was nothing short of amazing to me to find the information gathered about me specifically was so
detailed that the records of my birth to my parents, who they were, when, and where was documented. A complete
listing of all physical attributes was laid out along with my entire educational background and the time I spent in the
army. It is a very thick document and I have copied only what I consider interesting information and details about the
modus operandi of the FBI at that time.
First entry dated November 25, 1958, declares that a pretext interview was established on March 27, 1959:
Subject is not on the security Index of the Newark office. Bureau authority has been requested to
interview subject and a recommendation regarding subjects inclusion on the Security Index will be made
subsequent to an interview or denial to interview.
Listed on the page with this interview was a complete physical description of me at that time. The file also includes
a log of the time I had spent in the service and notes on several places they went to gather information about me,
including the dental school, the police department, and even my bank.
The report I received, under the Freedom of Information Act, relating to the activities of my wife and myself during
our stint as top officials in the Nation of Islam in Newark was quite extensive and spanned more than ten years. Let
me just highlight a few more items that can serve to give you a feel of what that report was like. Then lets move on to
some exciting, important, and little-known facts, as distinct from myths, that took place in those early years that I
have been promising you. What is italicized here represents material copied and typed here from the Freedom of
Information file itself. The actual material itself is available in the FBI files. I scanned in some of it here to authenticate
what I have been saying. In a Memoranum, dated August 11, 1959, a request was made for the installation of a
technical surveillance on my home at 118 Johnson Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. The request was not granted at
that time and the requestor was told, You should institute a plan for the purpose of increasing your live informant
coverage of activities of the NOI and the subject. An increase in such coverage may provide the information which you
expect to receive through the requested technical installation.
That kind of surveillance clearly continued, but after another request was made in an Office Memorandum dated
August 26, 1960, from the director of the FBI, RECOMMENDATION FOR INSTALLATION OF TECHNICAL
SURVEILLANCE, the request was granted and several leased lines were placed at a cost of $6 each. The term of the
surveillance was allowed for thirty days subject to continued justification.

The final argument that was put forth to justify the need to use technical surveillance (phone tap) was as follows:
7. Connection or status of subject in the case:
Subject is Captain of the Fruit of Islam (FOl) at Muhammads Temple of Islam (Mn) #25, Newark, N. J.,
and his wife is Secretary of MTI #25. In addition, JAMES MCGREGOR, Minister of MTI #21, Jersey
City, and MTI #25, Newark, stays with the MCCALLUMs while in New Jersey, and MCGREGOR and
EDWINA MCCALLUM handle all funds from MTI #25 and from business enterprises operated by MTI
#25.
6. Specific information being sought:
Names, addresses, employments and telephone numbers of individual members of MTI #21 and MTI #25.
Financial data regarding both Temples as well as information concerning the business enterprises of MTI
#25. Intelligence information which could lead to an effective counterintelligence program if deemed
warranted.
9. Reasons for believing the specific information will be obtained by the technical surveillance:
Form letters have been mailed out to all members of MTI #21 requesting they contact MCGREGOR at
Bigelow 2-8284 for donations. Members of MTI #21 and MTI #25 have been instructed to contact

MCGREGOR or one of the MCCALLUMs in the event they are contacted by law enforcement agencies.
Operators of businesses operated by MTI #25 have been instructed to contact LEO MCCALLUM for any
questions regarding the businesses or the finances of the businesses. Members of the FOl at MTI #25,
Newark, filled out forms containing their residences, employments and telephone numbers at each. Various
members of MTI#21 and MTI #25 may logically be expected to contact MCGREGOR or one the
MCCALLUMs at frequent intervals.
FOI Captain LEO MCCALLUM, Minister JAMES MCGREGOR and Secretary EDWINA MCCALLUM
control and direct the activities of MTI #25, MTI #21, and the business enterprises of MTI #25. These
three individuals are by far the most important NOI figures in the Newark Division and there is every
reason to expect they will maintain their positions.
ETC.
*Note: MTI is the abbreviation for Muhammads Temple of Islam.

CHAPTER 12
FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Although born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, where I first began and held my dental practice for fourteen years, I
now reside on the Southside of Chicago and have done so since June 30, 1970. I think it useful at this time to discuss
some of the things that precipitated my move to Chicago and chronicle a few other important events dealing with the
growth of the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in Newark including highlights of other meaningful events
I participated in while I was in that area.
As I recall, it was in early 1960 as both my dental practice and other business activities began to grow, along with
Temple #25 that Minister James 3X and I agreed it would be in my and the Temples best interest for me to give up my
position as captain. It seems to have been an interesting coincidence that a brother who attended the same high school
as myself, just two years ahead of me, whom I had known fairly well before he joined the Temple, and first served as
the first lieutenant, became the captainBrother Earl HX (now deceased). The Temple had gone from a once-a-week
meeting activity and experienced several costly moves until it finally found an essentially permanent location at 257 S.
Orange Avenue. The place was originally an old movie house. Minister James 3X, having a good understanding about
reconstructing buildings, led us forward to completely renovate the place as we had done for other places as well,
which we were usually evicted from once we got them in shape. The place was purchased for us around 1967, I
believe, by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. When last in Newark (2006), I found it still standing, having undergone
several other renovations as well, and as I understand it, now firmly intent upon spreading the more generally
acceptably correct form of Islam, first initiated there by Imam W. D. Mohammed.
It was there on South Orange Avenue that the Temple really began to grow and, under the capable leadership of
Minister James 3X, became one of the most well-known and spirited of all the temples at that time. The Temple
continued to grow in membership, and as was generally true of any numbered Temple and throughout the Nation of
Islam as a whole, regular three-times-a-week meetings were instituted along with FOI (Fruit of Islam) classes on
Monday nights and MGT (Muslim Girls Training) classes on Thursdays.
We had even opened a small day care center and elementary school housed in the Temple and a bakery and
restaurant had come into being. The bakery was initially a few blocks down the street and the restaurant, directly
across the street from the Temple. They were kind of mom and pop, not particularly profitable businesses, but pride
was taken in them as do for self enterprises. The general activities to recruit membership (what is labeled dawah in
clearer Islamic terms, but was called fishing then) was propelled primarily by the brothers actively engaged in selling
Muhammad Speaks newspapers and inviting people to attend the Temple at the same time. Thats not to say that the
sisters were not active in the recruiting process as well because they were very active. A major source of social
activity and bonding for the membership took the form of what we called a bazaar, a kind of entertainment social-like
activity held at the Temple or some rented hall that provided a venue for small business people to have an opportunity
to sell items from their own small enterprises.
In New York, the bazaars were often more grandiose. I was just looking at one of my films the other day where I
had recorded at a New York activity a bazaar featuring the driving sounds of Max Roach and his group along with
Abbey Lincoln. I recall, too, filming a short segment of another such activity where both Malcolm X and the late Louis
Lomax, former CBS correspondent and author of When the Word Is Given, were featured. This was in the late 1950s
and early 60s, when the impetus for accepting blackness as the ethnicity of choice, the Afro hairdo and African
clothing, and Black Power was in vogue and rapidly gaining popularity within segments of the African American
population. The African rhythms, dancing, and spirited movements of the likes of Gus Dinizulu and Olatunji and their
troupes were greatly popularized by the Nation of Islam.
The strong message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad focused through the hard-hitting language and drive of
Minister Malcolm X, and others were rapidly driving the label Negro from the language. So much so that it is now
almost quaint and certainly dated to hear someone use the term Negro when referring to black people or African
Americans in America.
But as you might suspect all was not well, and it is now general knowledge that the FBI under the racist guidance of
its infamous director, J. Edgar Hoover, was heavily engaged in its surveillance of any group and or person(s) that he in
his own warped mind labeled subversive. It should also be no surprise to know that in Newark, we too were under
heavy surveillance. My earlier chapter, giving some highlights from my own file secured under the Freedom of

Information Act, I am sure made that obvious.

As I mentioned, though by and large all kinds of amazing, beneficial things could be truthfully said in favor of
becoming a follower of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, we must not gloss over the fact that everyone and
everything was not always peaches and cream in a Temple. To think so would be nave. Im not nave. Let me
repeat an insightful statement that I heard Minister James 3X make. He, from experience as a longtime follower and
minister in the Nation of Islam, knew that not everyone came into the Temple just to be upright, righteous people. His
statement was that the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad are like a two-edged sword. Those with a
longing in their heart to be upright and do the right thing found a comfortable, supportive environment in the Temple
and the teachings touched them accordingly. For the rascals, it just made them grand rascals. They were the crooks,
the connivers, those whose only aim was to hide behind the teachings, twist them, and use them to support their own
selfish schemes under the guise of being good Muslims. I cant help but think of some of the sick things going on
throughout the world among Muslims today in the name of Islam. Though just a tiny fraction of the Temples
population, it becomes quickly apparent they had their own agenda. Muhammads Temple #12 in Philadelphia among
others was known to have been scarred by such misguided activities. So much so that for weeks on end, I saw a
television program, supposedly a documentary, discussing what was labeled the black mafia and its connection with
Temple #12 and its minister at the time. I mentioned this earlier.
Part and parcel of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad was the expressed statement that the earth and all therein was
created and belonged to Allah, who was the Black Man of Asiathat was us. Nonbelievers and specifically the white
man had robbed us (the black man) of all that rightly belonged to us, so when some of these good Muslims went
forth to rob a bank or other entities belonging to the white man, and then tried to give a big share of it to the Temple in
their sick way, they were claiming that would be all right because they were just reclaiming their own. Im repeating
myself here and expanding on the issue because it relates to the issue at hand in this chaptermy move to Chicago
from Newark and why.
In 1965, a bank was robbed in Newark. The bank robbers were identified as being followers of Elijah Muhammad
and said to be members of Temple #25. I dont doubt that to be so because one afternoon a group of brothers we
knew to be shaky came to the Temple and tried to get my wife, who was secretary of the Temple, to take a substantial
sum of money as a donation. She immediately called the minister and told him what was up. He told her to have no
part in any such action and to get those brothers out of and away from the Temple as quickly as possible. From the
Islamic perspective, you need to know that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was functioning in many respects from
an Islamic template. That is to say, he had studied the ways and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy
Quran and knew that Islam in no way permits the acceptance of ill-gotten goods. In fact, as far back as the early
years during the formation of the Islamic state in Medina, when the Muslims had to partake in a number of wars that
involved the capturing of wealth and goods, strict injunctions were laid down by Allah (God) through the Holy Quran,
revealing to the prophet (PBUH) how to deal with such issuesthat which was legal and permissible to distribute
among the Muslims and things which were no-nos. This kind of information was certainly made known to all Temple
officials. Whether or not they abided by that knowledge is another story. In Newark, we did.
As a consequence of these illicit activities undertaken by some of the brothers known to be connected with the
Temple, a raid was staged on the Temple and it was invaded by the Newark City police on November 12, 1965, under
the pretext of searching the Temple for stolen goods. It was horrific. I wrote an article about it from the information I
gathered from those present and my wife who was there as the secretary. Below I have included a short synopsis of
articles submitted to and published by our newspaper at the time, Muhammad Speaks.
Article from Muhammad Speaks, January 1966, about Temple breakin by Khadijah (my wife) and myself.
Let us begin with the Muhammad Speaks Editors Note:
Hitlers storm trooper invasions of Jewish synagogues were no more blatant and brutal than the
unprovoked mob of Newark, New Jersey policemen, who desecrated and wrecked a Muslim Temple
recently and attempted to terrorize the women and children within.
From a previous installment:
Dr. Leo X McCallum, now Dr. Abdul Salaam, a prominent Newark dentist, described the scene: The
secretary of that Temple, Sister Edwina X [now Khadijah Salaam], Dr. Leos wife who was directly in the
path of the police brutality, gives the first eyewitness account of this white American evil. Sister Edwina
modestly omits in this article, the fact that not only was her life endangered but that of her unborn child.
The brave young mother was seven months pregnant.

Muhammad Speaks article, dated December 12, 1965:

Newark, N.J. It was an emotional and physical shock, from which I have not yet recovered. It was like a
nightmare on a sleepless nighta page from Hitlers Nazi Germany. Indeed, it was reminiscent of the
days when the Ku Klux Klan rode like thieves in the night plundering, robbing and destroying.
We were seated in the Temple in the happiest frame of mind. There were Sister Captain, another sister and
I, along with seven of the children who normally attend the nursery that we have endeavored to run to
help in the proper training of our children. The children had just finished their lunch and were having ice
cream and cake. Suddenly the still of the day was shattered by the sound of breaking glass and shattered
locks. It was as though all hell had broken loose.
My immediate concern was for the safety of our children (three of my own grandchildren were among
the seven children present) and the Temple property. Since opaque curtains were covering the front door,
we couldnt see who was breaking in and I immediately rushed up to the Minister study to call the police.
I had no sooner picked up the telephone and got the operator when I felt a gun shoved in my back and a
brusque voice saying, We are the police.
The devil (oops, pardon me! I mean the policeman) asked me who I was, where did we keep our
records. Before I could say anything, the entire room and Temple swarmed with policemen wearing bullet
proof vests and carrying submachine guns. They immediately began to pull out drawers, overturn
furniture, knock out walls and just ruin the place in general. It was as though they had a personal score to
settle with everything and everybody in the place. I asked if I could go downstairs to see about the
children. I was told in the rudest and crudest manner, Yeah, get out.
When I got back downstairs, the place looked as though the entire police force was there and a cyclone
had hit our holy place of worship. Axes and sledge hammers were evident in abundance. Every
conceivable area not clearly visible to open inspection, drawers, closets and desks had been thoroughly
ransacked. I could have taken this but the truly horrifying thing was to see the other two sisters and
children crowded into a corner of the Temple with two policemen standing over them with guns. The
children cringed and withdrew into themselves. The experience was both new and frightening to them,
yet all praises due to Allah, they showed the true stamina of their Muslim heritage all the while. They just
kept asking what was wrong and are they going to shoot us?
I looked upstairs and saw them in my office and I asked if I might go and get my coat and handbag. After
they checked upstairs, one of the officers took me upstairs so I could get my coat. On arriving at the
door to my office, one of the cops was going through my bags and some were burning papers; others
were in the safe, while still others, were taking our records and money from the Temple. As long as I live,
Ill never forget that awful experience. Its just by the Will of Allah that we are alive today. Ill never be
able to thank Him enough for even now I sometimes awake in the middle of the night, my body wet with
sweat and my ears still ringing with the sound of shattering glass and frightened children.
As told to and written by Dr. A. Salaam from his wife.
Ive introduced this piece of history pursuant to laying the groundwork for understanding the kind of climate that
Muhammads temples of Islam, in general, functioned under as they grew to be a force and magnet for attracting
black people to the Nation of Islam. Any incident that could serve as a pretext for frightening those interested in the
teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and driving us from the Nation was exploited.

Khadijah Salaam. Photo by Dr. Abdul Salaam 1967

Dr. Abdul Salaam teaching during a meeting in the Temple.

The history of the Nation of Islam is replete with attacks upon temples even to the extent of the loss of life of some
of the followers in places like Los Angeles, California, in 1962, and imprisonment of one of the ministers, Minister
Troy, and followers in Monroe, Louisiana. Specific to the Newark area, no lives were lost nor anyone imprisoned, but
the event drew attention all over the country as it was chronicled in Muhammad Speaks.
Our nationally distributed newspaper, much to the dismay of the corrupt leadership in the Newark hierarchy, served
to accelerate the growth of Muhammads Temple #25. A meeting was called by a number of groups in the areasome
sympathetic and some antagonistic to us. The most antagonistic, being a number of Uncle Tom-like Christian
ministers. We could not be ignored, since a House of Worship had been stormed contrary to law and personal
property was destroyed and removed. We demanded a hearing and got one. I have an 8 mm sound film of a great deal
of the proceedings that took place at a hastily called press conference by the mayor of Newark, Hugh Addonizio, who
later on, while seeking another term in office, was convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison. At the press
conference, Minister James 3X spoke eloquently and forcefully to an overflow crowd, driving home the hard-hitting
message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that seemed to be well supported by what had happened in Newark.
Lets put all of the above in context now because in July 1967, one of the most devastating riots that ever occurred
throughout the country erupted in Newark, New Jersey. I was there to personally witness much of the devastation.
I cant get into all the horrific details of that period, but I have dealt with some. Suffice it to say that the police
brutality extant in Newark and the corrupt city administration during that time clearly demonstrated in what we
underwent at Muhammads Temple #25 was a foreshadowing of a horrific period of American history frequently
described as the long hot summer of 1967. It was a time when major riots broke out all over the country, Newark
being just one, but considered by the historians now to have been one of the worst of the lot. In the winter 2006 issue
of Dissent, Thomas J. Sugrue, Kahn professor of history and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of
The Origins of the Urban Crisis, wrote,
Segregation fueled blacks distrust of the stateparticularly of the police. Young rioters perceived cops
or pigs as they were calledas an occupying force in the black slums. Charges of police brutality were
commonplace. Despite the fact that northern cities had large black populations, the police were
overwhelmingly white. In Detroit, where nearly 40 percent of the population was nonwhite, only 5
percent of the police force was black. The result was intense hostility in the streets. Not surprisingly,
almost every riot in the 1960s was sparked by a clash between blacks and the police.
American cities exploded in violence in July 1967. First came Newark, where thousands took to the
streets on July 12, after a clash between a black taxi driver and the police. After nearly a week of
violence, the toll was twenty-three people dead and millions of dollars of property destroyed.
Kenneth T. Jackson, one of Americas leading urban scholars, a professor at Columbia University, said, All of the
factors that took American cities downhill were in place well before the riot. What changed after the riots is that people
began to associate the cities with danger, and they started to stay away from them. Newark suffered more from that

than most cities because so many people died during those riots.
Another comment I recall from the reporting going on at the time was, Overnight, Newark had become a war
zone, where children could be killed while riding in the family car, and mothers could be shot sitting on the front steps
of their home.
The Temple was not very far from one of the main thoroughfares in Newark badly damaged by the riots. Although
the Temple itself was left undamaged by the rioters, the incident of the Temple invasion was still fresh, and since my
wife was the secretary of the Temple, and Minister James 3X was one of our tenants for a while, we were called upon
by governmental agencies to deal with a number of issues raised by the riots. Clearly then, I had a number of reasons
to be concerned about what was happening in the area, both as a member of Muhammads Temple #25 and at a
personal level. So I took advantage of the special relationship I had with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to seek his
counsel on how best to respond to the overall situation. Of course, Minister James 3X, as head of the Temple, was in
touch with headquarters and was proceeding as instructed. Making a point as often as possible to give my readers an
inside, rarely known look at some of the thinking of this exceptionally unusual man, Elijah Muhammad. I have
reproduced for you here one of the Honorable Elijah Muhammads letters in response to my request of him for
guidance in dealing with some of the issues we had to face after the traumatic event of the Temple break-in, already
described for you, and the aftermath of the riots.
On the following page is a reproduction of that letter.
2122 East Violet Drive Phoenix, Arizona 85040
October 25, 1967
Dr. Leo P. X. McCallum 118 Johnson Avenue
Newark, New Jersey 07108
As-Salaam-Alaikum:
In the Name of Almighty Allah, The Most Merciful Saviour, our Deliverer, Who Came in the Person of Master Fard
Muhammad, Master of the Day of Judgment. To Allah alone do I submit and seek refuge.
Dear Brother:
Thank you for your letter dated October 13 (with attached note dated October 22), which contained an invitation,
mixed by questions by you and answers of the men from the governors office of New Jersey.
I do not think you have anything to fear in the answers to their questions, for they only want to hear our side of the
matter. There was no attack on us and our Temple by the rioters. Our Temple was attacked by the so-called peace
officers.
This should be explained in a very direct and intelligent way. Do not use raw words such as lies to refer to those
who are guilty of not telling the truth. Use words in the intelligent way such as false, misquoted the truth, or
misrepresenting the truth. One would not expect to hear these things in the raw sense of the words, from one of your
profession. You should answer their questions in the most mannerable and intelligent way.
You are representing a body of righteous people and not a body of radical people. Being one of the members of the
righteous, display all the righteous acts that belong to righteousness before the wicked. And, in this way, you will win.
In all your conversation with the wicked, display that part of a righteous person. Remember, unalike attracts
(smile), they do not have this act displayed by a so-called Negro and with the resurrected Negro, they expect such acts
to prove that he has been resurrected. Use humbleness and not proud, boastfulness. I think if they call you, you should
be over anxious to answer that call. I hope this letter reaches you in time, as the first of November is Wednesday.
May Allah go with you in your representation of the newly resurrected dead Nation. Best Love and wishes for success
to your family and the believers in your area.
As Salaam alaikum
Your brother, Elijah Muhammad, Messenger of Allah
The Islamic perspective I keep reminding the reader of, an Islamic template, used here as witnessed by the
methodology and wording used and recommendations made in this letter to me by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
makes its appearance again. In some cases as we have written, viewing aspects of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad
through the lens of the correct, most generally accepted Islamic perspective served to place him outside the purview
of appropriate Islamic doctrine, but in this case, it serves as a clear demonstration of one of the many reasons he was
so successful in his work. Let me back this up with these quotes from the Holy Quran, some of which I mentioned

earlier:
Call men to the path of your Lord with wisdom and mild exhortation. Reason with them in the most
courteous manner. Your Lord knows those who stray from His path and best knows those who are rightly
guided. (Holy Quran 16:125)
Do not turn away from men with scorn nor walk proudly on the earth. Allah does not love the arrogant
and the vain glorious. Rather let your gait be modest and your voice low: the harshest of voices is the
braying of the asses. (Holy Quran 31:18-19)
In June 1964, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had agreed to make an appearance at the New York Armory in
Harlem. This was after the defection of Malcolm X, and there was considerable talk and speculation among various
media that his appearance would cause an uproar. Speculation was that followers of Malcolm would be out to disrupt
the meeting or create a disturbance. That was the least of our worries as followers of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. We already knew that Malcolm had very few really organized or disciplined followers, while the love for
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the discipline among those of us who followed him was unmatched. Therefore,
concern for the safety of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, although always important, the thought that any harm
could come to him, while there or anyplace just never crossed our mind. Our position was Allah would protect him no
matter what, and we were just the vehicles being used to make that the case.
And so he came, and Im pleased to say, I had my new 8 mm sound camera with me and the footage I captured of
the meeting and events before the meeting are my pride and joy, now safely stored on a DVD, portions of which
appeared in the PBS documentary, An American Experience, Malcolm X, Make It Plain.
Let me remind you, although I participated wholeheartedly in Nation of Islam activities during those days, I never
gave up the practice of dentistry. As a dentist, I have developed a special interest in what we call in dentistry oral
reconstruction, so I sometimes have the habit of paying attention to facial contours, smile lines, etc, just kind of
naturally when viewing people. My wife frequently asks me why I sometimes say to her, You know that person needs
some dentistry and/or probably has some kind of muscle dysfunction due to some facial features, I might have
noticed while watching TV.
Having spent many years discussing things with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad from time to time, I had noticed
that he had a distinct habit of what we called bruxism. Thats the tendency to grind ones teeth. So it was kind of
natural for me to note he had this habit and some minor facial distortions as a result. I suggested to him on one or two
occasions he should have that looked after, and he told me he was aware of the habit and said he had gone to a dentist
who had made some crowns and other things for him. So when I learned he would be coming to New York, I said I
would be very pleased if he would either come a day or two earlier or stay a day or two later in the New York trip, and
perhaps I might be able to be of some dental assistance to him. I have reproduced his letter to me about my
recommendation in keeping with my intent to expose my reading audience to some of the human characteristics of this
man in a way not only as a human being, but in a way only his dentist would know.
Elijah Muhammad Messenger of Allah
2118 East Violet Drive
Phoenix 40, Arizona
June 12, 1964
Mr. Leo X. McCallum 118 Johnson Avenue Newark, New Jersey
As-Salaam-Alaikum
In the Holy Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful Saviour; Master of the Day of Judgment. To Allah alone do I
submit and seek refuge.
Dear Dr. Leo:
Thank you for all your letters. But it seems that I am always late in answering them. I am sorry I was annoyed with
a cold at the Detroit meeting last month on May 24. I had big things in mind to deliver there, but after being so
annoyed with a cold, and having had no appetite two or three days before, it chilled my spirit and shortened the length
of my speech. But I pray Allah nothing of the kind happens should I go to New York on the 28th of this month. I think
it would be very nice to give the man you mentioned in your letter some consideration on what he wanted. And that is
the knowledge of our progress and success here.

I hope you will be able to do the best you possibly can with the eight millimeter to capture the important phases of
the meeting if nothing else. And I do not know if I shall be able to stop at your office to let you look over my teeth. I
bought that artificial crown to prevent me from grinding away my teeth while studying problems during the night. But
the worst part is that every night I forget to put them in my mouth (smile), so they are not doing too much good. I paid
about $80 for them, and the dentist put a few little gold crowns in it. I wondered why he put gold in it when no one
would see it during the day (smile). But I thank Allah for all my original teeth but one. And I thank you for your
advice and invitation.
It probably would be nice to stop in Newark overnight, and go from there to New York. I would feel more refreshed
to go from there to New York, which is only a matter of a forty-to-fifty-minute drive. Anyway, if it be the will of Allah,
I will visit there one of these days.
Greetings to your family and the Believers. As Salaam alaikum Elijah Muhammad
EM: bc
Messenger of Allah
It was shortly thereafter that we agreed I would follow through on his needs by actually coming to Chicago and
working out of the dental office where he had the original dental work done. I had come to know the fine group of
dentists that he had spent time with and they knew of my expertise in treating the kind of dental problems he had that
was beyond their capability and extended me the invitation to come out there and feel free to treat him at their office.
That took a while and some doing because even after practicing dentistry for fourteen years in New Jersey, I could not
lawfully practice dentistry in Illinois without taking the Illinois State Dental Board examination first to get a license.
That was a real hassle, but I did it and began coming back and forth to Chicago to do his dentistry. I believe I started
that in 1966 and, over a period of time, did what was necessary. That was in 1966-67.
Now we have to pay attention to a time line here. When one has a great deal of oral reconstructing done, contrary to
what you might think, its even more important to maintain the results then in a mouth where minimum dental
procedures have been performed.
Thus it was, I had to come to Chicago from time to time, but it was difficult coordinating his schedule with mine
for getting back to my Newark office and the dental office. I was working out of Chicago on a regular basis, and that
was not always easy, and I certainly couldnt look for him to come to Newark, so problems began to arise.
Well, as Allah would have it, shortly after the riots had taken place in Newark, the city government of Newark
decided they wanted to expand the very high school I had gone toSouth Side High, now known as Malcolm X
Shabazz High Schoolwhich was on the same block and just a few houses down from my office. Using the power of
eminent domain, in late 1968, I was served notice I had eighteen months to vacate the premises. Not a good feeling
because this was in the same time frame of the Newark riots, the aftermath of which left vast expanses of the
business area of the city devastated. Now you can see why I spent some time, little though it was, writing about the
Newark riots. I had to start scouting around to find a place for a dental office and a home since my home and dental
office in Newark occupied the same premises. I had to do this in a riot-torn Newark where black folks still couldnt
just pick up and move wherever they chose. Being a professional man didnt make much of a difference. I was still
black. I still wasnt exempt from redlining and housing discrimination. The situation was now worse than when I first
opened my office. I told you about that in the chapter My Story.
One of the great things that people remember about the drive and accomplishments of black people as exemplified
by the Nation of Islam and the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, in his quest for respectability and the return to greatness
of black people, was his propensity for building and business accomplishments. And so, as Allah (God) would have it,
about the same time I began to search around for relocating my office in Newark, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
had decided to build an office building as a first start toward some of his accomplishments in Chicago at Seventy-ninth
and Champlain. The building was designed to house the growth of the small department store that had been started
earlier in a smaller building on Seventy-ninth, in a plan to considerably increase its size and prominence. It was a twostory structure and the second floor was designed as potential offices for professional people be they lawyers,
physicians, accountants, whatever. Well, you know what followed. Destiny had moved in my favor. I needed a place,
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad needed ongoing dental services, so a mutually agreeable arrangement was concluded.
I was offered an office in the new building, and it was decided once my business in Newark was successfully
concluded, my family and I would move to Chicago. In June 1970, my move to Chicago was complete. But alas, the
office space was not yet ready. So from June to October 1970, I found myself with time on my hands in Chicago and
thus began an even closer relationship with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.

ETC.

CHAPTER 13
TABLE TALKS WITH MUHAMMAD

I had already been a frequent, fairly well-known writer for Muhammad Speaks newspaper, covering both dental
subjects and the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad even before moving to Chicago. I recall writing an
article, The Miracle of Muhammad, that in essence projected the work of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad as a
miracle, and he as a miracle worker. He was so impressed with it that he wrote me a letter to that effect:
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH
Elijah Muhammad MESSENGER OF ALLAH
4847 SOUTH WOODLAWN AVENUE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60615
November 11, 1969
Dr. Leo P. X McCallum
118 Johnson Avenue
Newark, New Jersey 07108
As-Salaam-Alaikum
In the Name of Almighty Allah, The Most Merciful Saviour, our Deliverer, Who Came in the Person of Master Fard
Muhammad, to Whom praises are due forever, Master of the Day of Judgment. To Allah alone do I submit and seek
refuge.
Dear Brother:
This letter only comes to compliment you on your beautiful article titled: Miraculous Works of Muhammad. It
was the best you have written since you have been writing, and we all enjoyed it very much. Your article really sounds
like the writings of a professional writer.
Keep up the good work.
As-Salaam Alaikum
Elijah Muhammad Messenger of Allah
I continued as a columnist, and after I moved to Chicago, he gave me the opportunity to become what I would call
an ex-officio member of his laboring staff. By that, I mean, I was given the opportunity to alternate with the existing
ministers in Chicago at that time under the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, Minister James Shabazz and Minister Yusuf
Shah (both now deceased), as an assistant Minister at the Temple, a role I held right up to the passing of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. In addition to which, I was given the exciting and never-to-be-forgotten opportunity to
have dinner with him almost every evening with just a few exceptions, such as when he had special meetings with
family members or other special guests needing privacy. Many of them were highly placed officials in Muslim
governments or other places. I found I was in a very enviable position. From this wonderful opportunity sprang what I
labeled Table Talks of Muhammad, a series of transcribed talks that I was trusted for a while to record right from the
dinner table of the (Honorable) the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad on a small reel-to-reel tape recorder. I had actually
started this regimen even before moving to Chicago in June 1970, but it became easier of course once I moved to
Chicago. I personally transcribed all the material myself from the tapes, read it to him after doing all of the work of
preparing them myself for distribution, and then gave them to the secretarial staff at Temple #2 to distribute to the
ministers, captains, and secretaries of the Temple that had obtained a number. Although I did all the work personally
beforehand, sending it from Chicago served as an official endorsement. As I recall, I produced six issues before the
recordings were discontinued and the material was no longer made available due to the envy of one of his powerwielding secretaries. Thats really another story and two books.
Another important aspect of my move to Chicago and the closer relationship with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
came about as a result of my having a better chance to see the work of the Nation close-up, so to speak. It has always
been my way to ask questions in any setting that I saw an opportunity to gain more knowledge. It appears that
particular trait endeared me to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He enjoyed such inquiries and he was known to say
to his followers, Ask questions and learn all about yourself. I took him at his word and have several notebooks full
of questions that I used to ask him at the dinner table about the lessons we were issued, current events, and a host of
other things. There was a time I have learned that many thought I was a hypocrite just by the very nature of the

questions I would ask. It was clear to me, fortunately, he didnt see it that way. I had an unending curiosity about his
relationship with Fard Muhammad, the man he described as God, Allah in Person, and the lessons he had issued to us
and a host of other things. I learned later on from others who used to be around that he frequently asked about me.
Wheres my questioner? he would ask when for some reason or other I didnt appear for dinner. Many of the
laborers who were most often there for dinner liked having me show up because I would ask many questions those
sitting at the table wanted to ask but were afraid to do so. I also took the opportunity to get his permission to establish
a more formalized meeting for the ministers who brought their reports monthly to Chicago.
ETC.

CHAPTER 14
A QUICK GLANCE AT STRUCTURE
IN THE NATION OF ISLAM

Keeping the Islamic perspective before us and having moved to Chicago, I think this is a good place to bring the
reader into some level of understanding about how the Nation of Islam was structured at the time I became the captain
of the FOI (Fruit of Islam) in Newark. What I will be outlining here is not intended to be a detailed outline of each
element of the Nations structure, only a general outline as I knew it and from my perspective, what of those elements
made the difference in how it functioned. As mentioned earlier, one can find a discussion about its structure put forth
in more detail in one of the earlier publications about the Nation of Islam: Black Nationalism: A Search for an Identity
in America by E. U. Essien-Udom (University of Chicago Press, 1962). That was part of a specific study of the
Nation of Islam through personal interviews, time spent with the ministers, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, and
others. I would designate his book as being more temperate and accurate than most, but of course, it has, not
surprisingly, misstatements and projections of what the future of the Nation of Islam would look like after Malcolm
was gone, and a few other inaccuracies. He even mistakenly identified me as a physician rather than a dentist and
called me Leo McCollum rather than McCallum. No big deal and it might even have just been a typographical error.
The structure of the Nation of Islam did not just drop out of the sky. It had some clear parallels to what Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) set in place, when Allah guided and tutored him in just how to establish the Islamic state over
1,400 years ago. Let me also remind you again, a substantial number of sayings and regimentation-like activities used
in the Nation of Islam could be found in the Noble Drew Ali and Marcus Garvey organizations. Use of the phrase Up,
you mighty Nation, you can accomplish what you will, was certainly one of them. In addition, keep in mind we know
Elijah Muhammad had read a great deal about the times, sayings, and behavior (Sunnah/Hadith) about Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH). Patterning himself and his actions around many of those things accounts very substantially for
his own success.
I had at one time, as already outlined for you, been in the U.S. Army, but how did that relate to becoming a captain
in the Nation of Islam? The Nation of Islam knew nothing about that. All the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, Minister
James 3X (Shabazz), Malcolm X, and Captain Joseph who first became acquainted with me knew was that I was a
dentist, a professional man with an active, growing dental practice, and a brother who took an active interest in the
Nation of Islam and asked a lot of questions. Essentially, I had a minimum knowledge of Islam per se and only a
cursory knowledge of the Nation of Islam itself at that time. I was always an avid seeker of information and didnt
mind asking questions then, as well as now. One of the things that one had to do, once you received an X, and could
go to the FOI class was to recite in class what was called the lessons, a group of questions and answers and some
items called the Student Enrollment and Actual Facts that you received from Chicago when your letter had passed so
that you could move up the ladder to get beyond the Orientation Class to the FOI class itself. I recall very clearly that I
was so intent on moving ahead as quickly as I could to gain whatever I considered secret knowledge that could be
gained from Chicago once you passed your recitation exercise that in one meeting I had memorized the lessons so well
I recited all Lesson #1 (questions and answers) right through question and answer number 17 in Lesson #2 (thirty-four
questions and answers).
Perhaps to be a bit clearer here, you need to understand the protocol was such that your first interaction with the
FOI was within a separate class called the Orientation Class. Once called upon at the time of your recitation, you were
supposed to be able to start your recitation with the first material that had been provided and sent to you from Chicago
called the Student Enrollment followed by Lesson #1 and then Lesson #2. You were supposed to be allowed to keep
reciting that material, word for word, until you made a mistake in the recitation. If you made a mistake, you were
asked to be seated and informed you could start from that point again in the following week. The brother that was
assigned to listen to the recitations was so taken aback by the fact that I had memorized all of that material and could
go right on reciting that he abruptly and roughly said to me, because I was ready to recite everything, Brother, you
have to sit down now because there are other brothers waiting to recite. I bring that to your attention only because I
was really disappointed and felt I had been treated unfairly. In hindsight, I would say that my assessment was unfair
because there were many others as anxious to recite and move on as I was. But the incident did stick in my mind. The
protocol wasnt followed.
A key question can very well be what qualified me or any other person to be what was called a captain or a

lieutenant or secretary, a minister, or to hold any post of any sort in that movement. Now that I think of it, thats a
good question, dont you think? Certainly it should be more than a persons ability to memorize a set of questions and
answers. But oftentimes, it wasnt. It was just as likely to be done on a whim, a single act or two, that one holding a
leadership position (such as the captain or minister) based on a friendship or relationship one person might have had
with another during or even prior to joining the Temple. Certainly in the case of my wife and myself, our demonstrated
stability, honesty, and willingness to become as good a Muslim as possible and the need of the minister at the time
during the growth of the Temple all served to play a role in our appointments.
The successful development of the Nation of Islam was a direct result of the hierarchical military-like and social
structures put in place very early on by Fard Muhammad among the early members and carried on and reinforced by
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad throughout his own reign. Although we have already discussed how much (or little)
we knew as facts about Fard Muhammad, one of the things we do know is he knew and passed on a great deal of
Islamic lore and according to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was an Arab. Please note I used the term Islamic
lore as opposed to correct Islamic understanding. There are many definitions for lore in the dictionary as is the
case for so many words. Having emphasized earlier that words dont mean, only people mean, I have to be clear
here what I mean by the use of the word lore in this context. Lore here means traditional and/or unscientific
knowledge or belief transmitted usually by word of mouth. The Yacub history (the making of the white race), the
convoluted Moses history, the strange death of Jesus and other strange stories embedded in the teachings of Elijah
Muhammad, etc., are good examples (see Message to the Blackman and other publications containing his teachings).
One of the dastardly tools used by the slave master in his destruction of the black family as a viable, meaningful
natural grouping of human beings was the careful, studied dismemberment of that family structure. That certainly is
what one must do if you want to make a slave. The desire to be a slave is not a natural part of the human makeup. One
has to MAKE a slave. How that was done by the slave master and the success he achieved in doing so in spite of
numerous uprising and rebellions among the slaves during the time of chattel slavery is now well documented.
The now often told and quoted tale of The Willie Lynch Speech is not one Im referring to specifically, as well
documented, since there seems to be considerable evidence accumulating that it may be a fictitious document even as
true ringing as it seems. I urge you to read the paper Death of the Willie Lynch Speech by Prof. Manu Ampim. Prof.
Manu Ampim is a historian and primary (firsthand) researcher specializing in African and African American history and
culture, who has another point of view about that story. He is also a professor of Africana studies. At the time I took
note, he could be reached at PO Box 18623, Oakland, CA (USA).
The effects of it are still being felt today, and this book is not going to get into that in any great detail (need another
book for that too). The point is made because in order to reverse some of the devastating effects of slavery, a different
structure had to be put into place along with a discipline and a system for maintaining it. Allah (God) has embedded in
the nature of every human being, the thrust for freedom and the thrust for surviving as a human being, and if ones
environment allows for that to take place, itll take place within whatever genetic framework that particular person
possesses. So when you try to crush that, you can only crush it but so much. Then when some circumstance, some
opportunity comes about that points to the path of freedom, the human spirit races forth to embrace it often no matter
what the cost. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad hit upon that secret. How and why he hit upon that secret and how to
label the relationship he had with God (not Fard Muhammad), Ive stopped trying to work out. Ive stopped trying to
label it. I just simply take the matter-of-fact reality of who I am, what Im about, and what so many other people I
know who interacted with that reality now are and came to be thatI simply accepted it for the reality that it was, the
chance to be somebody, to be whole again. So it was the job of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of
Islam to displace the negative effects of slavery. I was with the Nation of Islam. I was part of the structure. This
writing endeavors to tell you about it firsthand.
At the top of this structure was the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. He was the undisputed leader. What he said was
law. It was his way or the highway. But that wasnt arbitrary. Keep in mind that what was set up was to be considered
a nation, the Nation of Islam. All nations have a leader. As a member, one was a Muslima follower. And so, just as
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the undisputed leader in his time, the Messenger of Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds,
we can begin to decipher now what was afoot with the Nation of Islam once Elijah Muhammad became the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad and declared himself the Messenger of Allahthe Holy Apostle.

L-R: Front row: Minister Jerimiah Shabazz; Minister James Shabazz, assistant to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in Chicago, IL; Minister
Nathaniel Muhammad, second oldest son of Elijah Muhammad; Minister Malcolm X; and Sister Clara Muhammad, wife of Elijah Muhammad.
At the time of this writing, March 2009, all are deceased except Nathaniel Muhammad.) Photo by Dr. Abdul Salaam

This Allah was put in place by Elijah Muhammad, but the power base began to take place with parallels that were
carefully drawn between a true Islamic state and the Nation of Islam. The Holy Quran clearly established that once
Allah and his Messenger had decided upon something, there was nothing for the Muslim, the true believer to do but
say, We hear and we obey. Failing to bear witness to that first very basic tenet mentioned very early on here, There
is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger or Apostle, clearly, unequivocally puts you outside the
boundaries of Islam per se, and for our purposes here, the Nation of Islam. But remember different things are being
referenced in those two different representations.
O Believers, Obey Allah and The Apostle and those in authority amongst you. Should you disagree about
anything refer it to Allah and the Apostle if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. This in the end will
be better and more just. (Holy Quran 4:59)
But know, by your Lord they can have (no real) Faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between
them and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest
conviction. (Holy Quran 4:65)
There are many such passages as these extolling the believers to obey Allah and the Messenger: Holy Quran 3, Ayat
32, Holy Quran 2, Ayat 285, Holy Quran 3, Ayat 132. There are others.
Carrying out these Quranic instructions, we can safely say we are within the true fold of Islam. Though the same
words may be used, as was the case under Elijah Muhammad, its a whole different ball game. If you failed to accept
the rules of the ball game, you could forget about playing. There were those who did not see it that way over time, the
most important and best known of which, long after the first early breaks in the 1930s, was Elijah Muhammads own
son Wallace Muhammad, now known as Imam Warithudeen Mohammad, followed by his youngest son, Akbar
Muhammad. Of course the last and most spoken about one was that of Malcolm X. Well talk more about them all.
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in 1961 spoke specifically as to how he expected the three top officials in a
Temple (mosque) to function if they wanted to maintain their positions and be in accord with him. I was privy to that
talk and the written document. What he said was,
The Minister is the head of the Temple and is under the direct authority of The Messenger.
The Captain and the Secretary are under the authority of the Minister and must go in accord with his
instructions, so long as they are certain that he is following the instructions of The Messenger. They are
not to follow the instructions of any Minister who willfully and openly breaks the laws of The Messenger
or seeks to change them without proper authorization.

The three of them (Minister, Captain, Secretary) must work together in perfect harmony and must
NEVER show disagreement in front of the believers. They should all carry themselves in such a manner
so that they can be approached by anyone who may be over them or under them.
The Minister is not to use his authority (pulling rank) on the Captain and Secretary unless it is absolutely
necessary. In short, a Minister should seek to be and act in the same way to his laborers (Capt. and Secy.)
as The Messenger acts towards his Ministers and laborers.
As laborers we should be willing to take instructions and advice from anyone, Be intelligent enough to take
the good and leave the bad.
The Messenger stated he himself has listened to much advice from his followers and used the good and
discarded the bad without hurting anyones feelings and making them feel as though they could tell him
anything (even though they couldnt). (Shura)
We must strive for peace and harmony among the believers and never turn anyone against us by being
overly harsh. Harshness makes enemies. If we, as laborers, happen to get into some difficulty, then those
whom we have wronged or hurt will be the first to say, Good enough for him. He never wants anyone to
tell him anything.
In dealing with the believers, we must instill in them the desire to want to do rather than force them to
do.
Keep Temple affairs out of reach of the ordinary believers. Be discreet in handling Temple affairs. Never
let any Muslim know that there is any disagreement among the officials regardless to the circumstances.
The Minister is in complete charge of the Temple and is therefore free to come to any meeting held in the
Temple. Whenever he comes into them, his authority must be recognized. If he attends the FOI and he
observes that the Captain isnt doing his job properly, then the Minister is within his authority to instruct
the Captain or even take charge of the meeting and do it himself. He may also teach any of the classes in
the FOI meeting that he wants to or have the ability to perform. The Ministers job is to deliver the
message and oversee the Temple. The Captains duty is to implement the Ministers plans for the Temple.
The Secretary must keep the records and work in conjunction with the Captain to put the program over.
Actually, the three of them should be working together so hard until they should not have time to see or
worry about who is the boss. If everyone does his job, then they would not have time for such.
Although the Minister is the head of the Temple, he is not above reproach and can be challenged by the
Captain and the Secretary whenever it is discovered that the Minister is openly and flagrantly, or
ignorantly breaking the laws of the Messenger. Whenever this is noticed, then the Captain or the Secretary
should tell the Minister, if the Minister refuses to accept their advice, they are free to write the Messenger
and explain in detail what transpired and leave it up to the Messenger to judge whether or not the Minister
was actually wrong. No Minister should feel that he is above criticism.
I consider that document a masterful piece of brinkmanship.
But those instructions related specifically to what was to be in place outside of Chicago itself, which was known as
Headquarters. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself was the head of the Temple in Chicago. He chose the person
who was to be the one who did most of the teachings in his stead at the Temple. The men that I knew well who
served as ministers there were Minister James Shabazz (now deceased, designated as Sheik James Shabazz by Imam
W. D. Mohammad during his reign) who went back to some of the earliest times with the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad, even to spending some time in prison. Another one, I remember well, that I ministered with myself after
moving to Chicago in 1970 was Minister Yusuf Shah. He too is now deceased.
What you might label as the power base, the men and women used by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to assist
him in his work on a national level were the supreme captain and the national secretary. All captains and secretaries
were of course answerable to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad specifically throughout the Nation of Islam itself, but
in practice, it was the supreme captain, a post held by Raymond Sharrieff, the son-in-law of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad, the national secretary and the national captain of the MGT, through whom the various everyday activities
and logistics were carried out. During the entire time that I was a member of the Nation of Islam under the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, and long before, Raymond Sharieff was the supreme captain of the FOI and remained
so up until the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.

Sharieff had an immediate subordinate, not seen elsewhere except in Chicago, sometimes thought of as the assistant
supreme captain, a role filled by one of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads sons, Elijah Muhammad Jr. Technically he
was the local captain of Muhammads Temple #2, but he too, like the supreme captain, did a great deal of travel to the
various temples, monitoring their activities for his father. At the time I entered into the Nation of Islam, the eldest
daughter of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and wife of Raymond Sharieff, Ethel Sharrieff (also deceased), was
known as the supreme captain of the MGT. Her sister, Lottie Muhammad, also once served as the national captain.
I saw several other sisters pass through that post during my time, but Raymond Sharrieff remained in his post right
up to the changing of leadership. Thereafter, he was given what I would call a kind of face-saving, put to pasture post,
called the minister of justicea post brought into existence by Imam W. D. Mohammad. It did not exist during the
reign of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. The national secretary was John Ali up until 1970, after which the post
was occupied by Abass Rassoul (now deceased), until a few years after the death of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. All of these positions and people were handpicked by the the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, but outside
of Chicago, as it was in my case, it was a different story.
In the earlier years between 1947 and 1958, I would say there were only two dozens or so numbered temples. I say
that because when I became the captain, the Newark Temple became Temple #25. At that time, the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad himself was more involved in sanctioning the ministers and dispatching them to the various temples based
on his personal knowledge of them. Then, in the later years, after Malcolm came aboard in 1952, Minister James in
Newark, New Jersey, for example, was definitely sent first to Jersey City and then on to Newark by the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad. This was generally true of the larger temples like Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Boston,
Washington, and a few others. Once Malcolm came on board and began proselytizing, a number of temples came into
existence up and down the East Coast that were a result of choices recommended by Malcolm and generally accepted
by Elijah Muhammad, but we will get to that later in the Malcolm chapter.
There was also a post in Chicago that was not really mimicked in any other Temple with success that Im aware of
called the investigator. In general terms, it can be said that the role of the person in that position (male for the brothers
and female for the sisters) was to investigate family disharmonies or misunderstanding among the members and refer
them to the appropriate sources like one of the captains or the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself for disposition or
settlement. This might well be viewed as an excellent vehicle for showing concern for harmony in the community, as
well as a way to minimize disruptive activities that could spill over into the community at large. It should not be
overlooked also that oftentimes this branch had the role of checking on the sick as well. Even where there was no
concise position such as the investigator, it was made clear that community members were committed to
understanding that we were indeed to consider ourselves brothers and sisters and obligated to look after one another, a
commitment that Im comfortable in saying was by and large demonstrated throughout all the temples and became a
hallmark of the followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Clearly a sign of an Islamic influence fostering a
closely knitted group of people generally not found among black people then (as well as now it would seem) with a
demonstrated concern for one another.
Its interesting to note Imam W. D. Mohammed instituted a clear-cut Sick Committee among many other kinds of
committees during the early phase of his role as new leader. His overall efforts were well intended, but were not clearly
thought out long term. He was just not the kind of person who could oversee and maintain the needed tightly
controlled administrative constraints required for many things he started and then abandoned. My role as Organization
President was one of them.
There were a number of what you might call subsidiary positions in the temples as well, such as lieutenants and
squad leaders. This had the effect of creating a cadre of men (and women) among the followers who never really had
held any kind of leadership role, that gave a feeling of fulfillment and importance to many. They were appointed to
such a position by the captain, which might be done with or without the permission of the minister. There was also the
potential for abuse and counterproductive activities, as many of the followers appointed to be lieutenants as well as
captains were off the street people, so to speak, and did not really know how to handle men in the best manner, men
and women in the case of the MGTC, Muslims Girls Training Class. They were men and women, who in their new
life in the Nation of Islam were pretty much committed to carrying out whatever meaningful orders that were given
to them within the Temple structure. And so it was, that some of the officers were sometimes involved in barking
out orders to the brothers or sisters just because they could do so. I mentioned an example of this earlier in my
discussion of having been unnecessarily and counterproductively ordered to stand post by one of the lieutenants in the
early formation of the Newark Temple.

One of the most important elements that made for success of the Nation of Islam under the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad was the closed society, regimentation, and building of esteem, fostered within this close-knit community
of men and women. I witnessed brothers and sisters who were former dope addicts, alcoholics, gangbangers,
prostitutes, you name it, straighten themselves up and become self-respecting men and women. The regimentation
called for cleanliness. No alcohol. No Smoking. You were urged to take a bath once a day and dress up like a
businessman when in attendance at any Temple meeting. If called on to be on post, standing in front of the rostrum or
otherwise, you knew what your attire was for the occasion. Perhaps the uniform of the day for all the brothers might
be blue suits and red ties or brown or gray suits and bow ties that served to produce uniformity in dress. Later on,
around 1965 or 1966, I believe it was, uniforms were designed for the brothers and sisters, creating an even more
unified and prideful feeling among the membership, nurturing an even closer bond. The sisters in particular with their
long flowing white garments and carefully wrapped headpieces were a beautiful sight to behold at any meeting. What
is now known to be and spoken of among the general population of the Muslim women as hijab was commonplace.
Then it was spoken of simply as the MGT uniform.
Any smelly, sloppy people were immediately addressed by one of the officers, and if they did not clean up their act,
they quickly learned that they would not be among us long. After all, the black man was the father of civilization, god
of the universe. The lessons we received spelled out to us though not Thee God himself, the black man was a god
and the woman a queen, the mother of civilization. A myth indeed, but a masterful psychological thrust used at the
time that indisputability built a tight-knit community and belief system that was, in spite of the many infiltrators that
were placed among us then (and certainly among the general community of Muslims of today as well), pretty close to
impenetrable. The brotherhood and sisterhood was so tight that if you wanted to visit a Temple in another city as a
Muslim, you had to obtain what was called a travel letter first. The document validated your good standing in the city
and Temple you were registered in. It had to be obtained from the officials of your own Temple and presented to the
officials at the visiting Temple, thus assuring you of all the rights, hugs, smiles, and as-salaamu alaikums as though
you were still at home. Black people, Muslims, one big family from the north to the south and the east to the west.
Amazing.
Interestingly enough, another fact that I would say was quite instrumental in culling the membership of unwanted
behavior was what was labeled the restrictive law of Islam. It was often stated that the restrictive law is responsible
for our success. In short, if a member, whether male or female, was accused of, then proven to, or admitted to
committing adultery or fornication, they were publicly dismissed from among us by the captain and given a sentence
of one to five years outside the Temple before they were allowed to come back among us. Those that were sincere
and wanted to return to membership after a minimum of one year had to come before the body and declare their
willingness to return and bear witness that they were willing to keep themselves free from such acts thereafter and
could be readmitted and become eligible to reenter into all Temple activities and privileges. Even some members of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammads family fell victim to this law and were summarily dismissed by Elijah Muhammad
himself.
In keeping with the thrust for separateness and a feeling of being special, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
always had something going, some goal for the membership to reach, some property to obtain, some special
heretofore unattained level of achievement to reach that black people, labeled Negroes and colored at the time, had
thought beyond reach. This was very evident in the fact that at one time the Nation of Islam was the largest distributor
and owner of a black newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, than had ever come into existence. At one time in its history, the
Nation of Islam was selling more than a million copies a year of Muhammad Speaks, a newspaper that was printed and
shipped from the Nation of Islams own printing plant in Chicago. Much of the momentum was kept in motion by the
powerful slogan Do for Self, and so we did.
To lay aside a myth, although the first issue of the Nations own newspaper was produced in New York City while
Malcolm was the minister there, issues that followed thereafter were printed and issued from Chicago. In New York,
the issue or two printed was labeled Mr. Muhammad Speaks. In Chicago, it became just Muhammad Speaks. It
wasnt a question of a fight for territory or control as is often put forth. A close study of the role and strength of
Malcolm as I knew it was that he, just plain and simple, was not a businessman in the sense of a person that was
comfortable and prepared to deal with and pay attention to the details attendant to just the ins and outs of running a
Temple, let alone attending to compiling, editing, and running a newspaper. Remember Malcolm came up from the
streets. A shift of the newspaper to Chicago then was a very natural and intelligent move. Malcolm was then free to
continue to carry on and do those things he did and loved to do best, rile up, and bring the people to the Nation of

Islam. The everyday details of Temple #7s administration at the time of my entrance into the Nation of Islam (1957)
was handled primarily by John Ali, the secretary (who around 1960 became the national secretary for the Nation of
Islam and moved to Chicago) and Captain Joseph X, later known as Captain Yusuf Shah. I have mentioned Malcolm a
number of times already, so since hes named in the title of this book, why dont we just take a closer look at an
aspect of his departure from the Nation of Islam and the man himself that I think is often misunderstood.
ETC.

CHAPTER 15
MALCOLM LITTLE? DETROIT RED? MALCOLM X? AL
HAJJI MALIK EL SHABAZZ?
?

The Man without a Country

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said,This is my own, my
native land! Whose heart hath neer within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned From
wandering on a foreign strand?If such there breathe, go, mark him well,For him no minstrel
raptures swell; High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, Despite
these titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentrated all in self.
Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909),
The Man without a Country
When last I went to the Google search engine and typed in Malcolm X, on August 18, 2007, up popped a notice of
4,510,000 entries and I suspect it increases daily. Contrast that to just 45,900 for the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
Ridiculous. Is there a conspiracy here? Clearly Malcolm X was (is) a very much an often-written-about and certainly
often-quoted historical icon. What is considered, arguably, the most authoritative resource on Malcolm to date is the
much-read An Autobiography of Malcolm X by the now-deceased Alex Haley. However I would like to suggest to you
what has superseded that publication in considerably more detail related to Malcolm X, particularly during his time in
the Nation of Islam, which as far as I am concerned was the most meaningful time of his life and certainly the most
well-known, is a publication now available by Dr. Manning Marable, Malcolm X, a Life of Reinvention. Dr. Marable
was a professor of history and African American studies at Columbia University and founding director of the Institute
for Research in African-American Studies. He worked on a new biography of Malcolm X for more than ten years. It
was published in 2011 just after his unfortunate passing. I was fortunate enough to have spent some time in an
interview with Dr. Marable and found him to be a kindly brother, a real scholar, and a fountain of information on this
subject. Not unexpectedly, the book has produced a storm of controversy with both positive and negative reviews by
many readers.
So you may be thinking, Dr. Salaam, with all of those citations, books, information, websites, etc., already out
there, what can you add? Well, let me tell you right off the bat, I have no intentions of going over well-traveled ground
and using up time and space to go over so much thats already out there. No, I have not searched out all those entries
about Malcolm, but I know enough personally in my own experience and within my own knowledge base to be very
comfortable that what I lay out here is accurate and likely to go where few have tread. Let me remind you, I opened
this book with a speech made by Malcolm at a 1963 Nation of Islam Saviours Day convention. The speech came
from a film that I made myself (still have it). I can safely say that probably Minister Woodrow X, who served as
minister of Muhammads Temple of Islam #10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the 1950s and 60s and was one of the
Nation of Islams official photographers (now deceased) along with a muslim brother I knew and know well, Brother
Karieem, and myself are almost unique in that we as Muslims ourselves had the confidence of the officials within the
Nation of Islam (including Malcolm) and the freedom to move about within the Nation of Islam for photographic
purposes and interviews.
I will also be quoting from an 8 mm sound film I made myself from an interview in 1962 that Malcolm had with a
reporter from Paris in a room behind the now-infamous Audubon ballroom, where Malcolm was assassinated. At the
time of filming, only four people were present: the interviewer from Paris, his cameraman, Malcolm, and myself. For
those of you attentive to detail (and life is full of little details), you will note that in films, photos, etc., of Malcolm
where his smile was prominently displayed (and he loved to smile) prior to 1960, there is a substantial gap between his
two upper-front teeth (central incisors). As a dentist, I considered that quite disfiguring and brought it to Malcolms
attention. He agreed to let me deal with that situation and I made two tooth colored crowns for him that closed the
space, considerably changing his appearance as can be noted in photos shown thereafter. After that, he smiled more
than ever (see photos in appendix). Like so many people, he said whenever it came time to give him anesthesia, Doc,
I really dont like needles. Thats why I never became one of those addicts shooting myself up but I need to get this
done. So although relatively speaking, compared to all the things already out there, this will be a rather short chapter.

Im confident you will find it meaningful and insightful in ways you may not have heretofore considered.
The biographers have all recorded that Malcolm was one of eight children and what I wish to highlight in his early
history, for my purposes, is the agreed-upon fact that his father, Earl Little, who was found run over by a trolley car,
was said to be a Baptist minister and a follower of Marcus Garvey, the renowned leader of a well-known black
nationalist group. His mother, although born of a Caucasian father not wed to her mother, was said to have heavily
supported the work of her husband and backed him in his push for the rights of black people as best she could.
Other information gleaned from Malcolms childhood history allows me to be comfortable in concluding that he
most certainly was exposed to black nationalism for some time and in some depth. His two brothers, Wilfred and
Philbert, both of whom served as ministers in the Nation of Islam and I knew well, bore witness to that kind of
upbringing for them all. In spite of that fact, Malcolms history indicates rather than becoming an exponent for black
nationalism as he matured, before joining the Nation of Islam, Malcolm was a con man, a hustler, a ladies man, a
thief and robber, a drug user.
Yet without a doubt, history attests to the fact that Malcolm came to best be known as Malcolm X, not Al Hajji
Malik El-Shabazz or any other name. Even the schools that you find today named after him are designated Malcolm X.
There is a college right here in Chicago so named. The high school from which I graduated in Newark, New Jersey,
named South Side High School at the time, is now named Malcolm X Shabazz, a misnomer because the X nullifies the
Shabazz, a supposed Muslim holy name. How did that happen? Why did the Malcolm X titling outlast and maintain its
prominence over and above anything else, even after he separated from the Nation of Islam? Perhaps the excerpt that
follows from the 1989 TV documentary An American Experience, Malcolm X, Make It Plain, will help. I contributed
footage to that documentary from movies I had made myself within the Nation of Islam.
As I recall from the TV program, Malcolm was questioned by several TV journalists. One panelist and journalist,
Len OConnor, stands out in my mind. Probably because he was the anchorman for a news program that was
broadcast every evening about the time dinner was being served at the home of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. A
television was always set up where he could see it and he usually listened about one-half hour intently to the news
along with those of us dining with him.
Len OConnor would almost always conclude the program by saying, And I am Len OConnor. I recall after those
concluding words by Len OConnor, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad would frequently say, And I am Elijah
Muhammad. I dont ever recall his coupling it with the statement The Messenger of Allah or The Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. I have in my possession fifteen personal letters from the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad between 1958
and 1970, ten addressed to me about various subjects, based on questions I posed to him, and five to my wife, who
was secretary of Muhammads Temple #25 during the entire time we were in Newark. They were primarily
acknowledgment letters in response to her correspondence to him. There was not a single time in all of these letters
that his signature was accompanied by the title The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. They were just signed Elijah
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, the title he chose for himself and consistently used. I have noted in my
discussions with many who came up in that time period as his follower, still referring to him as the Messenger. I
dont.
In todays understanding, if one is a knowledgeable Muslim, it is clear that the term The Messenger should most
appropriately be reserved for Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH) of 1,400 odd years ago to whom the Holy
Quran was revealed in Islamic discussions. Its like people who follow Imam W. D. Mohammed will frequently just
speak of him as The Imam, and those who follow Minister Louis Farrakhan will refer to him in common speech as
The Minister and assume you will know to whom they are referring. Both of these personalities represent the last of
an era in my assessment, and once they have gone on, that kind of terminology is not likely to be used again and
attached to their successors.
Lets get back to that TV program, the host questioning Malcolm. Heres how it went:
Question from TV panelist: Why did you join the Muslim movement?
Malcolm: I was in prison and I was a very wayward, backward criminal and the worst kind of person
you can think of until I heard the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. [Note he didnt say until I
heard Islam. Dr. AS.] And because of the impact it had on me and giving me the desire to reform myself
and rehabilitate myself for the first time in my life and also seeing the effect it had on others. This is what
made me accept it.
After being exposed to the religious teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, immediately it instilled
in me such a great feeling of racial pride that I wanted to be somebody and I couldnt be anybody by

begging the white man for what he had, so I had to get out here and do something for myself or make
something out of myself.
Let me illustrate for you again before moving on how attached Malcolm was to being Malcolm X, and nothing else
once he became a member of the Nation of Islam. Heres another excerpt from that same TV program:
Len OConnor to Malcolm: What is your real name?
Malcolm: Malcolm X.
OConnor persisted, kept at it, and asked Malcolm: What is your legal name?
Malcolm: As far as I know, thats my legal name.
OConnor: Would you mind telling us what your fathers last name was?
Malcolm: My father didnt know his last name. He got his name from his father who got it from his
grandfather who got it from the slave master. The real names of our forefathers were destroyed during
slavery.
OConnor was starting to be a bit disturbed and asked: Was there any point in your genealogy when
you did have to use your last name, and if so, what was it?
Malcolm: The last name of my forefathers was taken from them when they were brought here as slaves
and we reject that name today altogether.
OConnor, starting to show some exasperation: You wont even tell me what your fathers gifted or
supposed last name was?
Malcolm, staying on track: The last name of my forefathers was taken from them when they were
made slaves and the names of the slave master was given to them and we reject that name today.
OConnor tried once again: You mean you wont even tell me what your fathers gifted or supposed
name was?
Malcolm: No. I never acknowledge it whatsoever.
I recall on many occasions, interviewers after being irked by Malcolms insistence on repeating, The Honorable
Elijah Muhammad teaches us, asking him, Dont you know anything on your own? Malcolm would say, No.
Everything I ever learned worthwhile was taught to me by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
There was something very special then about the methodology of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that set him apart
from so many of the others that had come before him. I suggest to you, it was the under pinning of the language of
Islam that set what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was doing apart from all those things that other black leaders
before him attempted to do and failed. Just that pinch of Islam was what made the difference. Much of that
methodology was embodied in the Sunnah (sayings and behavior) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad had learned through his studies of that way of life, first through the tutelage of Fard Muhammad and
then ingeniously modified and built upon through his own independent study in prison and while on the run.
It was just enough of that solid base of knowledge that had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) over
1,400 years ago that formed the underlying basis of his thrust that made the difference. That difference that put him
head and shoulders above anything before him in raising the level of esteem among so-called Negroes. So Malcolms
birth, life, and death, as the personality he came to be known by nationally and internationally, all emerged through his
clear connection with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. In the Nation of Islam, membership mandated the giving up
of the slave masters name, whatever it was, and replacing it with an X.
This designation was meant to signify that person had given up the slave masters name and all that went with it. In
addition to which, the message of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad contained a power in itself, so much so that dope
addicts, prostitutes, black people with low esteem and confidence in themselves flocked to it and changed their entire
way of life to become upstanding, hardworking, functional human beings where before many were close to being
derelicts, a people hating and destroying themselves. Just thinking and believing we were Muslims in the fullest sense
was enough to tip the balance in our favor. Malcolm X himself was a prime example of this.
As a captain in the Nation of Islam, I too saw it happen over and over again. And although its clear that Elijah
Muhammad violated some of the basic tenants of Islam, his intentions were so altruistic and dedicated to the work of
empowering black people and awakening them spiritually that I believe Allah (God) Himself for a brief time opened a

space and placed a mantle of protection over the sincere among us and the work done by the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. I find no other explanation to account for some of the truly miraculous things he was able to accomplish
with the hard-hearted, self-hating kind of people he had to accomplish it with, doubly so when you consider how
entwined we had become among the kind of racist people that brought us here. First, physically chained and enslaved,
followed immediately thereafter with the brainwashing of a false religion in a time frame that now exceeds four
hundred yearsbrainwashed by the slave master; a people he labeled the Devil for 95 percent of the time that he was
with us, and got away with it. So much so that it became a mantra even among nonmembers of the NOI. I recall him
saying, I did the best I could with what I had.
So whats with this The Man without a Country subtitle to this chapter? Possibly that idea first came to me when I
listened to a lecture at the University of Chicago given by Dr. Sherman A. Jackson, a professor of Arabic and Islamic
studies and adjunct professor of law at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Aminah McCloud, assistant professor in
the Department of Religious Studies at DePaul University and author of African American Islam. Both are Muslims
born in this country of African American extraction. Somehow or other, I have this nagging suspicion that because the
play The Man without a Country was a highlight of my elementary school graduation in which I played the leading role
of Nathan Hale, the man without a country, and the passage quoted in the subtitle still sits in my head, the link seems to
have just naturally emerged. The subject matter by both speakers dealt to some extent with the role of the African
American in the growth of Islam in this country. A point was raised about the role of Malcolm X in that growth and
how important a figure he was in making that happen. The point was made by some Muslims that were clearly not
African American, as it so often is. It highlighted for me one of the myths so extant in the mind of many Muslims
from the immigrant community. There was the heaping of praise on Malcolm, pretty much to the entire exclusion of
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Malcolms leader and teacher for 95 percent or more of the time that Malcolm
considered himself a Muslim.
I have in my pile of research material a number of pamphlets that have been produced about Malcolm by the
immigrant Muslim community. The one I am looking at now is titled Malcolm from Darkness to Light. No Malcolm
X, no Al Haji Malik El-Shabazz. Another lists Malcolm as a martyr for Islam. Wow! I noted that Dr. McCloud,
scholar that she is, had become somewhat annoyed during the question-and-answer session of her talk at the extended
praise heaped upon Malcolm as such a good Muslim by the immigrant Muslim community. It was as though he was
never a member of the Nation of Islam, forcing her to make the point that Malcolm, because he was no longer
receiving income from the Nation of Islam, at the time of his assassination, died almost penniless and his wife and
children were left to whatever means they could manage to make ends meet. What for me was one of the most
thoughtful and clear expositions about Malcolm X, dealt primarily with the last year and a half, after Malcolm had left
the Nation of Islam, and a short time after his death was Peter Goldmans The Death and Life of Malcolm X (second
edition, 1979) who took a close look at his overall economic as well as mental state during that time. At the time of this
writing, it is still available on Amazon.com.
The fact is that Goldman was both a well-respected journalist and a white man, who had known and was writing
about Malcolm, in my opinion, produced a book of unusual insights and depth. Goldman was interviewed in the film
An American Experience, PBS documentary, Malcolm X, Make It Plain, to discuss his perspective on Malcolm. If
anyone is still into The white man is the devilYakub myth, I suggest care be exercised by holding that bias in
abeyance, so as not to be blinded by that belief when reading his book. They may miss an important contribution to
understanding Malcolm X and the hardships he endured both in spite of and because of his fame.
We all wear some kind of blinders as I tried to indicate in the chapter My Story and we should always keep that in
mind. So where was this great sentiment for this great Muslim and martyr after leaving the Nation of Islam and
immediately after his death in terms of real economic support among the immigrant Muslims?
In all honesty, I must also admit that it is not the immigrant Muslim community alone that seems to have this disdain
for the undeniable role and groundwork laid down by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in the growth of Islam in this
country. I have sat and listened to many imams and other non-immigrant Muslims, including African American
Muslims and non-Muslims who also get all starry eyed when talking about Malcolm, but seem to come unglued when I
discuss and bring up the vital role that Im convinced the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam played
in that growth. That disdain and abhorrence to admit to and in the younger generation even ignore that contribution
appears primarily to stem from some views on the shirk (equating one with God) aspects of that ideology by some and
the clear intention of writing Elijah Muhammad out of the history of Islam in this country as much as possible by
others. That would be a big blunder. One of the purposes of this book, as a historical record, is to keep that from

happening.
It also needs to be made clear that, as I have witnessed it, there are a whole lot of Muslims who are into shirk in one
form or another. To cast Allah (God) in human form as did Elijah Muhammad is not the only form of shirk. In truth, it
can be said that to title Fard Muhammad as Master Fard Muhammad, a label I first heard introduced by Elijah
Muhammad and concurred with by Imam W. D. Mohammed, early in his administration when he was still Minister
Wallace D. Muhammad, kind of feeling his way along, I see as a form of shirk. Master, when bestowed upon
someone as a title, hints at superior positioning, at a superior being. We were the property of the slave master. The
first chapter of the Holy Quran AlFatihah, in at least eight translations I have run across, lists Allah as Master of
the Day of Judgment or Requital and him alone do we serve.
From time to time you may run into some of that Master terminology in this writing when referring to Fard
Muhammad because of its common use in much of the historical and even much of the present-day literature when
discussing this mystic figure. I make this note now as a reminder of how careful and discriminating we should be
when we run across that kind of terminology. Remember, one of the subtitles of this book is From an Islamic
Perspective. Elijah Muhammad had early on cast Fard Muhammad as Allah in Person, so his addition of the label
Master simply fortifies his position in the role in which Fard Muhammad had been cast.
Lets keep moving and take a quote from that singular 1962 filming that I mentioned in which I participated and
recorded to further bolster my point as to how Malcolm saw himself within the framework of the teachings of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad at that time, and then Ill move on to note what changed.
Question from interviewer: In order of importance, what would you call yourself first, a Muslim then a
black man and then an American?
Malcolm: I would never call myself an Americaneven last. My people were kidnapped from Africa four
hundred years ago and forcibly brought over here in chains. This doesnt make me an American simply
because I was born here. Our being a Muslim and a black man is inseparable. The (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad teaches us that the religion of Islam is the very nature of the black man. So when the black
man is awakened and can think with his own mind, his own brain, his whole attitude is Islamic: its
peaceful; its brotherly. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad says the very nature of the black man is in
accord with Islam, so being black and being a Muslim is synonymous.
But is the Muslim and Islam that Malcolm is alluding to here the Islam of the Holy Quran revealed to and taught
by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that there is a generally accepted Hadith (saying of the
prophet) that quotes Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as saying by nature, all human beings are born Muslim, that is,
everyone and everything must bear witness to the Creator and come willingly or unwillingly in a sense whether they
like it or not, but it is the parents that take them out of the natural state into which they were born such that they may
become Christians, Jews, and other. So in that sense, since by nature the black man, Malcolm is talking about is indeed
born a Muslim like everyone else, then I have to say yes. I say no in the sense that what Malcolm and Elijah
Muhammad were preaching as Islam was formulated by a man, Fard Muhammad, and casting him as God and that
very clearly is an Islamic no-no. Also no formal acceptance of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the last Messenger of
Allah was declared. This issue is dealt with in considerable detail in the chapter On Becoming a Muslim. So if
Malcolm was not a true, bona fide Muslim until he made the hajj, what was he in all the twelve years prior to him
making the hajj? There would certainly be no way to convince him or any of us following Elijah Muhammad that we
were not bona fide Muslims. But remember, I have already established the label I use today for what I, Malcolm X,
and everyone else who subscribed to the ideology of Elijah Muhammad in the Nation of Islam were into: the teachings
of Elijah Muhammad that we called Islam.
Okay, so weve established by his own words that at that time Malcolm did not consider himself an American by
any stretch of the imagination. He has been quoted as saying that on many occasions. I read in a publication
somewhere an author suggesting that if Malcolm were alive to day he would call himself an American. Maybe so, but
since there are no future facts, I cant attest to that and wouldnt bet on it. In fact, I can recall on another occasion
where he was asked the same question about his choice of nationality. In that quick-witted way so characteristic of
Malcolm, he said something like, A cat can go into an oven and give birth to kittens but that doesnt make them
biscuits.
For some unclear reason, something just popped into my mind about something that took place during one of my
travels with Malcolm when he had a speaking engagement at Rutgers University in New Jersey. I remember it well
because I had just come into possession of a 3-D camera and took some marvelous pictures of the event that comes to

mind when Malcolm was addressing a point being made at the Rutgers talk. Unfortunately in years gone by, when I so
freely shared my collection of memorabilia with others, someone realized the value of the pictures and walked away
with them.
So now, at the Rutgers event as usual in those days when Malcolm made an appearance, it was a packed house, and
unlike a Nation of Islam Temple meeting, it was a mixed audience, complete with a number of what we still
unfortunately divisively labeled immigrant Muslimsa term I really dont like, but it serves the purpose for the
moment. I can still see in my minds eye this non-Caucasian immigrant Muslim brother in the audience getting so upset
by the hard-hitting indictment of the white man during his talk, part and parcel of the teachings of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm, that he immediately jumped up to declare Malcolm a fraud and the message he was
delivering to be fraudulent. He declared he had been a Muslim all of his life and there was no such thing as a color bias
in Islam.
This was not an uncommon challenge for Malcolm or the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad but what I remember most
about it was just as Malcolm was about to deal with the brothers concern, the upset Muslims wife, who was a white
woman, jumped up to bear witness with her husband about the issue. Malcolm immediately took the opportunity to
take control of the situation by saying, Yes, brother, now that Allah has forced your wife to stand so that I can see
whom you married, I can see why youre so upset. Where have you been? How come we havent seen you among
our people in our communities since, as you say, it is the duty of every Muslim to want for his brother what he wants
for himself regardless of race, creed, or color? Its true that Islam itself is a religion that condemns any sort of racial,
gender, national, or ethnic prejudices. But Im here to tell you that there are one helluva lot of Muslims that are not free
of those prejudices in one way or another. It quickly became apparent that Malcolm was going to win that exchange
hands down.
The Islam that Malcolm was preaching under the direction of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad made him clearly
suspect as to what he really was about once he separated from the Nation of Islam. Yes, I heard and read of him
saying very clearly that America needs to understand Islam because this is the one religion that erases from its society
the race question. He said this after leaving the Nation of Islam. And I have read and heard many a speech that
Malcolm gave after leaving the Nation of Islam, but I would have a tough time extracting one in its fullness that I
would transpose to a mosque setting and place under the label of a Kuthba (talk given at a Friday Jumuah service) or a
Talim (talk given at a mosque-Masjid to Muslims about Islam) or any sermon we would expect to come from a person
now imbued with a clear Islamic understandingand the need to give all praise to Allah, the one true and living God
and thank him for giving to us Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the Messenger to all mankind. Like Elijah Muhammad,
Malcolm certainly had never demonstrated any meaningful grasp of Arabic, so why should he be raised so high to
achieve almost iconic stature as an example of a great Muslim and exponent of Islam? No way.
That should be no surprise to anyone. Malcolm had twelve years of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad in his head
versus some newly gathered Islamic knowledge. I mean like please. Cmon now. Yes, we know that once he separated
from the Nation of Islam and went to Mecca and took the true shahadah, he certainly became entitled to be labeled
Muslim in the truest sense. But even so, for quite a while, he was still looked at with suspicion by both the immigrant
Muslim community because of the radical way he had carried himself for so many years and certainly by the civil
rights leaders and leaders of the Christian community, black and white, that he had so excoriated while under the
banner of the Nation of Islam. Also, keep in mind prior to his exit from the Nation of Islam, he, as well as all of us,
knew full well that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught that there was an entire Nation of Muslims in Turkey that
were generally classified as white, and there would be a special exception for them come what the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad taught as the time of the Destruction. Add to that, Malcolm had been given the task of going to the
Middle East in 1958 to prepare them for the arrival there of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Are we to assume that a
man of his intellect and observational skills failed to note the presence of many white Muslims during that trip? Not
hardly.
So whose side then was Malcolm really on, and who besides the relatively few people who abandoned the Nation of
Islam with him were on his side? What now was his base? Can anybody say that as he was traveling about here and
there, in and out of various countries with some difficulty and being barred from some, that he really had an
acceptable, well-founded message to deliver to so many splintered groups? In Africa, who were his sponsors? No. He
was, as I have said in one of the headlines to this chapter, the man without a country.
Whom did he represent? Black people? What black people? There was certainly no group better known than the
Nation of Islam to be aggressively pushing the black mans agenda, but Malcolm was no longer a member of the

Nation of Islam. Right? Now remember, Ive got this very important concern about language and its impact on our
thinking and behavior, so what does it mean to be black anyway? During the very time of my preparation of this book
for publication, one often heard coming from the mouth of so-called black people, that Barack Obama, who at one
point during the time of this writing was running for the United States presidency, born of a Caucasian (white) mother
and a Kenyan (black?) father, was said not to be black enough.
He has now become the President. What does that mean? Why since Obama has a Caucasian mother and a black
father isnt he classified as a white man with a black father rather than the other way arounda black man with a
white mother? Skin tone, plain and simple. In America, labeling has very little to do with genetic makeup if your skin
tone is other than white or close thereof. Tiger Woods appears to me to want to be everything but a black man and
not unexpectedly chose to marry a white woman. Yet because of skin tone, black folks, by and large, rushed to claim
him as one of their own just as they have Barack Obama. Shelby Steele in one of his books, A Bound Man: Why We
Are Excited About Obama and Why He Cant Win, made what I considered to be a rather interesting and somewhat
telling argument as to why he thought that to be the case, but clearly he proved to be wrong. As I see it from the
Islamic perspective of the wide awake, knowledgeable MuslimAfrican American or otherwiseit doesnt matter
whether Obama is labeled black or white if he does not carry the attendant Quranically directed behavior of a Muslim.
The Holy Quran clearly spells out why in the ayat: O you who believe take not the Jews and Christians for friends.
They are friends of one another. And whoever amongst you takes them for friends he is indeed one of them (Holy
Quran 5:51 [Muhammad Ali translation]).
I have inserted here another translation of the same passage just to show the contrast of how one translator has
translated the Arabic term wali to mean allies rather than friend(s), which gives a somewhat different meaning to the
passage. If you have been paying careful attention to how much space I have given to my interest in linguistics, my
attention to the idiosyncrasies of language, that should surprise no one. I could write a book on the subject.
O you who have attained to faith! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for your allies: they are but allies of one
another and whoever of you allies himself with them becomes, verily one of them (Holy Quran 5:51 [Muhammad
Asad translation]).
Yusuf Ali makes the translation, Do not take them for, friends and protectors.
Do not take my position here and the quotes that I purposefully chose as a negative. Nowhere in the quote does it
say we should take them (the Jews and Christians) as enemies. These verses are talking about allies and friends on an
international scale, not individuals and the most insightful of the Quranic translators make that clear. The Quranic
passage is very clear and specific. There is a difference. When need be, Allah clearly spells out in the Holy Quran
those who should be taken as enemies and why. I certainly do not see, nor do I think any other Muslim at this point in
time, should see President Obama and many other happily professed Jews or Christians and other faiths as enemies per
se if not shown to be such behaviorally. Clearly President Barack Obama is an insightful, gifted, and unusual human
being, but he has rejected Islam, so that will be between him and Allahnot me.
In a debate between Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama (MSNBC, January 15, 2008), one of the
moderators asked Obama to deal with what he said was a question circulating on the Internet that he, Obama, was a
Muslim and that he took his oath on the Quran rather than on the Bible. A loaded inquiry, indeed designed, I suspect,
to lure him into making some statement about Islam. And of course as you would expect, Obama quickly stated that
he was a Christian and that he took his oath as a congressman on the Bible. He then got away from that area of
discussion as quickly as he could. Obama took his oath of office on the Bible for the presidency as well, not the Holy
Quran as did Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman.
Obviously, from my bias, I take the position that there was his chance to take a position on Islam in an unbiased
way by stating, There are millions of law-abiding Muslims born in this country who are under a lot of scrutiny and
harassment since 9/11. Im not a Muslim. He could have said, But its all right to be Muslim since this is a free
country, but he didnt. Contrast this to what was said on October 19, 2008, when former Secretary of State Colin
Powell appeared on NBCs Meet the Press to officially endorse Obama. In that setting, Powell felt it was necessary to
say American politics should be inclusive for everyoneand that meant inclusive for the millions of Muslims in
America. Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? asked Powell. The answer is no, thats
not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could
be President?
We know Obama did go to school in an Islamic country in his childhood and must have learned something about
Islam anyway, but never became a Muslim. To state anything really positive about Muslims or Islam or seemingly

support Muslims in any really meaningful way right here in America, though likely to lift the spirits of many Muslims
here and elsewhere and perhaps win the votes of those working so hard to assimilate themselves into this culture,
would obviously have been the kiss of death. His nomination as the candidate for the Democratic Party could very
well have led to the election of another Republican President. I recall so vividly what happened when Harold
Washington was the first black man to run for mayor in Chicago. The Republican Party that had not had a Republican
mayor in Chicago since Hector was a pup, went all out to bring in some unknown from the boondocks and backed
him to the fullest extent to offset Washingtons momentum. The momentum was garnered by a historic coming
together of black people as never seen before or since. Even though, Harold Washington won by the slimmest of
margins, he went on to become one of the most effective and memorable mayors Chicago ever had. But there are no
future facts, so with Obama, we shall see.
Back to Malcolm.
Malcolms history shows that in the futile effort to keep a following after separating from the Nation of Islam, he
formed two almost exclusively independent groups, the Organization of Afro American Unit (OAAUnote the now
more familiar and acceptable term African American had not come into widespread use) and the Muslim Mosque
Inc. (MMI). It appears that the goal of the OAAU was to develop an agenda, a program around economic, social, and
political agendas free of religious constraints, while not being declared openly secular. The Muslim Mosque Inc., on
the other hand, was to signal that Malcolm had not really abandoned his religious roots. It was at least a symbolic
gesture to those few people who wanted to continue to follow him under the banner of Islam. Malcolms followers
had become dissatisfied with the Nation of Islam and were not yet ready to fall in line with the By any means
necessary philosophy that he had began to formulate. The clear evidence is that Islam, when correctly understood,
condones no such separation. Islam represents a complete way of life. One does not separate ones political,
economic, and/or social life from their religious life. So though it can be documented that Malcolm, by taking the
shahadah and going to Mecca to make hajj (thus earning the right to be called a Muslim in the truest sense) by
functioning in the many uncertain, hesitating ways he did, his firm growth in Islamic understanding had yet to come.
Having said in the prologue to this book that I intend to look forward to and welcome the chance to distinguish
between Islam proper and the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and having discussed so many other issues and said
what I just did about Malcolm, I think this is a good place to say yes, an Islamic perspective is indeed in order again, if
only in this ongoing sketchy way. Let me start with what is always best, if one wishes to reference ones position as
Islamic, to present ones daleel (evidence), then there is certainly nothing better than the Holy Quran.
It would really be best to place here the actual Arabic symbols that represent the verse I wish to quote from the
Holy Quran, as my proof or what is most usually referred to in Arabic, as my daleel. It would further drive home the
ongoing position I take and lay out for the reader that I consider it important to convey when I use the term Islam. But
rather than use Arabic symbols, I am going to use a form of transliteration that is using English letters as a substitute
for the Arabic symbols. Let me reproduce for you then this verse that to my understanding is considered by many
scholars as well as the everyday Muslim to be one of the Holy Qurans clearest verses that gives us a label for what
Allah (God) had designed as the most correct way, he had put forth for the human being to live by Islam. It is a verse
that most of us learned and was even pushed by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who for all practical purposes did
not read or understand Arabic, in any real depth, for the purpose of ensuring us that Islam was our religion. It reads,
Al-yawma ya-isallaziina kafaruu min-dinnikum falla takh-shaw-hum wakhshawn. Al-yawma akmaltulakum Dinna-kum waat-mamtu alaykum nimatii wa raziitu lakumul Islaama Diinaa.
Today the disbelievers have despaired of vanquishing your religion. Therefore fear them not, fear Me.
Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My blessing (favor) on you and approved
Islam as a way of life for you. (Holy Quran 5:3)
This translation of the Arabic passage is from The Meaning of the Quran as translated by S. Abdul Ala Maududi. It
is the one which most approximates the way I see and understand the use of the Arabic term diina or deen, highlighted
above and found in the original text. Keep in mind please that the Holy Quran was revealed in the Arabic language.
Within the book itself, it reminds us of that fact. Arabic has, as does all language, some special characteristics of its
own. Since I am certainly not a scholar in Quranic Arabic, very few are, I have roughly twelve different English
translations of the Holy Quran. There are probably some twenty-five or more English translations out there today, but
it is important to understand that no language can be completely and fully translated to another language and still bring
with it all the nuances, fine points, alliteration, idiomatic expressions, etc., found in the original language. And so it is,
that an understanding of the Holy Quran, its origin, its authority, its authenticity, and all that it connotes, takes several

volumes in itself. As I said, I am not an Islamic scholar, and it is certainly not my intention to get into that in any depth
here. I certainly dont want to chance Allah (God) punishing me for incorrectly portraying Islam. I go only as far as
Im comfortable in doing so. I am well aware that unless you understand Arabic, the transliterated quote above is just
gibberish. It was to make a point about the term diina or deen that occurs in the Arabic. Suffice it to say that the term
diina or deen, in the original tongue (Arabic) in many translations, loosely rendered as religion, is most appropriately
referenced and/or translated in this particular ayat as way of life.
I would go further to say, in a deeper sense, it is the system by which the human being should choose to live if
he/she considers it meaningful and desirable to please the Creator. The translator of this passage, S. Abdul Ala
Maududi, among others, whose knowledge and understanding I am relying upon, buttresses his position as the
translation of choice this way: I have perfected your religion, means I have provided it with all the essential elements
of a permanent way of life which comprises a complete system of thought and practice and civilization and have laid
down principles and given detailed instructions to the solution of all human problems. Hence there is no need for you
to seek guidance and instructions from any other source. Maududi is not alone in this perspective and translation. I
have found very instructional and reinforcing of this clarity of translation in The Quran as It Explains Itself by
Shabbir Ahmed, MD. He translates, This day the rejecters of the Truth have lost all hope of [making compromises
with] your System of Life [Emphasis mine]. But do not fear them, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your law
for you, completed my favor on you, and chosen for you Submission [AlIslam] as the System of Life.
Islam, as finally codified and formulated by the Creator, and revealed over a span of twenty-three years to Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) to finally interpret and, once again, live out as a system, a way of life for the people, is the Islam
Im thinking and writing about when you find it in this text. It is definitely not synonymous with the teachings of Elijah
Muhammad. Think of Islam as a creed from which a practical system emanates and, when properly understood,
offers unerring guidance from Allah (God).
Back to Malcolm.
There is no credible evidence that either OAAU or MMI gathered any real strength or following that was to last
much beyond Malcolms death. That brings me to another myth, the myth that Malcolm was the real driving force
behind the Nation of Islam, and without him, there was sure to be a considerable decrease in its growth.
Bunk. Horse hockey.
It would be foolhardy and ignorant to dismiss the tremendous work Malcolm did in promoting the growth of the
Nation of Islam during the short span of twelve years that he functioned within it. He was a workaholic and put his
heart and soul into the effort. Unfortunately, he fell victim to human jealousy from those both within and outside the
Nation of Islam, along with his own psychological need for remaining in the limelight, and the determined mind-set of
those forces and enemies of the Nation of Islam to derail it. What evolved is what I call the Malcolm X factor. Ill get
into that a little deeper as we go along.
E. U. Esien-Udom in his book Black Nationalism, published in 1962, before Malcolm broke from the Nation of
Islam, in a short subchapter on The Problem of Succession, said that, Malcolm appeared to wield a more prominent
leadership role than any other Minister at that time.
This was true since the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad himself had made Malcolm his national and international
representative, thought very highly of him, treated and protected him accordingly. Udom concluded by saying, upon
the death of Elijah Muhammad, if there were to arise a successor other than Malcolm, a split between that successor
and Malcolm would be a disaster for the movement. No successor was needed subsequent to the departure of
Malcolm. Elijah Muhammad lived on. But when Malcolm split, it was a disaster all rightfor Malcolm. There are no
future facts.
The Nation of Islam grew at a faster rate and became more powerful than it ever did after the death of Malcolm X.
After becoming the Organization President of the Nation of Islam in 1975, under Imam W. D. Mohammad, known
then as Minister Wallace D. Muhammad, I had the job of going to Morocco on a business assignment related to
sardines that we were importing from them. They were mass-producing just for us. We accumulated one of the
largest farmland properties ever owned by black people. We were importing H&G (headed and gutted) fish from Peru
and Suits from Columbia, South America. Muhammad Speaks had become the largest black-owned newspaper in the
country, and because of the general work ethic developed by the members of the Nation of Islam, we were frequently
called upon to make recommendations for employment opportunities. And much, much more. All post Malcolm X.
You might be thinking, okay, Dr. Salaam, now about you personally, how did you feel about Malcolm? Your biases
are showing. What youve laid out here seems to suggest you had something against Malcolm.

Another yes and no. Malcolm, once you spent some time with him, was likeable by both friend and foe. He was
clearly an unusual person with a brilliant mind and frequently showed flashes of genius. I got an inside track with
Malcolm for several reasons I think. One reason was I was the first health professional (dentist) to openly join the
Nation of Islam and that was primarily through his push for me to meet the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Another
was the fact that all my early exposures to a consistent familiarization with the Nation of Islam, with a fair degree of
clarity, came through my interaction with Malcolm. With the exception of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, of
course.
I had no aspirations for any high-level role in the Nation of Islam. I have always been an inveterate questioner, and
since Malcolm was the most vocal and nearest person to me with any depth of knowledge about the Nation of Islam in
the Newark-New York area, he got a bunch of questions from me. For my questions he could not answer, he directed
me to and, as mentioned earlier on, set up my first meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. In addition, to
repeat for those of you who might have jumped right into this chapter without starting at the beginning of the book,
when he came to Newark to further the development of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, prior to
the arrival and posting there of Minister James 3X, I was the one chosen most often to open up the meeting and
introduce him to the people. Once I received my X, since there was no formal Temple in Newark at that time, I
attended Muhammads Temple #7 and the FOI class where he was the minister. Thus, I got to know him pretty well.
I recall one instance when I was riding with him through Harlem on the way out to his home for a backyard
barbecue. (No pork, of course.) As we rode through Harlem, whenever we had to pause for a traffic light, someone
would ride up next to us and shout, Malcolm, as-salaam alaikum. Hey, brother, whats going on. Malcolm would
flash that trademark smile of his, say something or other, and we would keep going. At the open-air lunch we had at
his home, he was just like any other brother, smiling, talking, and enjoying eating. For some reason, I remember him
saying he loved watermelon, but rarely ate it anyplace other than home to avoid stereotyping.

The Malcolm X Factor

I would like for you as the reader to understand the distinction between the contribution Malcolm made to the Nation
of Islam as distinct from the role some cast him in as the primary architect of the Nation of Islam itself. There is a big
difference. The Nation of Islam as a separate entity embodied essentially what Elijah Muhammad as a nation builder
was all about, his personality, drive, charisma, and dedication to goals. His whole life was part and parcel of the Nation
of Islam long before Malcolm arrived on the scene. Elijah Muhammad was what made the Nation of Islam tick. The
makeup and inherent characteristics of Malcolma different story and those inherent characteristicsplayed a big
part in his separation from the Nation of Islam. To make this clearer, let us revisit a few points already hinted at and
made earlier in this text.
What was the nature of the man who came to accept the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad from a
prison cell? Well, it has been established by what has been written about him, particularly in his autobiography, that
even as a youngster and teenager, he was intelligent and out in front in whatever activities he participated. In school, he
was considered bright and forward-thinking, almost to the point of being aggressive and rose to the top in his class. I
recall his brother Wilfred saying that even though there were times in their lives when they lived primarily among white
people, Malcolm would always be the one to organize activities and then be the leader. Wilfred mentioned in the PBS
TV documentary An American Experience, Malcolm X, an incident he recalled where Malcolm got a group of his
schoolmates to agree to play Robin Hood and His Merry Men, and of course, Malcolm would be Robin Hood.
In his hustler days, as participant in a gang, it would not be long before Malcolm became the leader himself of his
own grouping. All indications were that Malcolm was just a naturally gifted orator and leader. He enjoyed being out
front. These learned and innate characteristics may sometimes be muted and covered over, but they never really
disappear.
There is a great deal of information about child development and how it plays out and how little behavioral
characteristics actually change as we grow into adults for anyone interested in going on any academically acceptable
website or library to chase the information down. For my purposes here, Im taking the position that although
Malcolm had to join the ranks of the Nation of Islam and, early on, toe the line just like any of us following Elijah
Muhammad, his natural inclination to rise to the front emerged. As a Fruit of Islam member, like we all were, his
aggressive spirit was noted by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and it was not long after he became a member of the
Detroit Temple that he became an assistant and then a full-fledged minister to a large extent under the direct tutelage of
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad.
I witnessed this push hard spirit when he came to Newark. Since Malcolm was aggressively involved at the time

that I met him (1957) in organizing, teaching, and pushing for the growth of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad up and down the East Coast, and even as far away as California, he quickly let it be known to the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad along with many of the Muslims already in the area that Newark had a great potential
for explosive growth.
It was not many sessions after his first appearances there that Minister James 3X was assigned to the area. The
appearance and settling down of Minister James 3X into the Newark-Jersey City area, produced some interesting
dynamics. I mentioned some of these things in an earlier chapter, but let me dive into the situation a bit more. Once it
became apparent that Minister James 3X was the choice of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad for the Newark-Jersey
City area, Malcolm, for all practical purposes, no longer participated in our activities in that area. We did have visits
and interaction from time to time with Captain Joseph as he was the regional representative for the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad in that area and many other areas up and down the East Coast.
There was not a substantial cadre of seasoned men in a subsidiary leadership role at the time of the budding of the
Temple in Newark. Even when I became captain, I relied primarily on Captain Josephs judgment early on as I had
only the most rudimentary idea about what it meant to be and carry out the duties of a captain of a Temple. As an
aside, yet still pertinent to what I wish the reader to understand about the intricacies of leadership at different levels
and its relationship to Malcolm is how important it is to know what one is about and to follow the leader. Let me speak
about an incident that occurred in Newark. It was undoubtedly because of our inexperience and not really being
knowledgeable about what we should be about as followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad with any certainty.
We know for years there had been activities in the Newark area through a number of groups, Father Divine, Noble
Drew Ali, Sweet Daddy Grace, and others. Among these groups, there was one led by a fairly active evangelist
frequently visiting the area calling himself Prophet Jones. I remember him having several evangelical-type meetings
in the Newark area. He had long hair, painted fingernails, wore suits of bright colors, a white robe that was said to be
mink, jewels on his wrists and fingers, and traveled with an entourage that included a chauffeur and bodyguards. He
taught a strain of Christianity and had the appearance of a man of means and power. We as followers of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in our zeal and naivet considered him offensive.
A group of the brothers therefore decided on their own that he was taking advantage of black people and was
functioning counter to the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It was then decided at one hurried meeting
that when he made his appearance, he needed to know coming to Newark, the place we were going to make the home
of Muslims, was not acceptable. So at one of his meetings, they gathered outside, made noises, and all but threatened
him, suggesting he need not come back to Newark.
That was the wrong thing to do. It hit the newspapers creating a climate in which the police might intervene in the
event any further such incidents might occur. When the Honorable Elijah Muhammad found out about it, he
immediately sent Captain Joseph into Newark to speak to us to find out what happened. Ill never forget what
happened next. We told Captain Joseph what happened of course, but he had already been instructed by the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad to take me and just one or two other brothers there to find Prophet Jones and apologize to him. And
so we did. At Prophet Joness very next meeting, Captain Joseph and I had to go inside and publicly apologize to him
before his audience. I can still see him in my minds eye now. He was sitting on a throne like chair on a raised
platform, all dressed in white flowing garments with long hair. We had to let him know that what we had done was not
at the request of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and that it would not happen again. And of course, it didnt.
Point! The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was the undisputed leader. He knew what he was about, what he wanted
to accomplish, and how he felt his God had told him to accomplish it. We were the followers. He was the leader. In
relationship to Malcolm, it was not infrequent that he himself considered he knew what the Nation of Islam needed to
be about more than the leader. I know of other similar incidents in other cities brought about by overzealous followers
that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad had to intervene in and straighten out. I think we have here another opportunity
to highlight the wisdom of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad by posting here the text of a letter he distributed to the
ministers of all of the mosques at that time. A copy of the original letter can be found in the appendix on page 322
April 2, 1959
Minister James 3, X.
Muhanmiads Temple No, 25
Newark, New Jersey
AsSalaamAlaikuin:

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful; Sole Master of the Day of Requital, To Him do I submit and
seek refuge.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
I am writing you in regard to the all too frequent clashes with Law Enforcement Agents that we, the Believers of
Islam, are being involved in. Whenever an officer comes to serve a notice or to arrest you, you should not resist
whether you are innocent or guilty. You should not resist nor barricade yourselves against them, Let them take you to
their Judge whether he gives you Justice or not. Otherwise, this constitutes resistance of arrest and naturally, the
officers will use their power to force an arrest on you, and so brutal1y.
We must remember that we are not in power in Washington, nor where we live, to dictate to the authorities of the
Government, The law of nature will not allow you to take over another mans house and power until time. Lawyers,
bonds and fines are expensive, and being beat up and bruised is too painful to bear for nothing. You must obey those in
authority wherever you may go. If you are arrested, the officers have no right to beat up their prisoners after they are
under arrest and showing no resistance* May Almighty God Allah pay them, and pay them fully, with the fire of Hell
for mistreating Muslims. But, remember that you should not be the cause for them to take the opportunity to mistreat
you, since you now know that the devil has no Justice for you.
Be faithful and trust in Allah, and rely on Him, for your help against this accursed devil. Show righteousness and a
peaceful and good disposition at home and in the public. Be just and righteous to all, regardless to whom or what,
Then, if you are attacked and you are right, Allah, the God of Righteous will most certainly defend you; but when you
are wrong, you may not get one hundred per cent help from Him because you must pay a little for your own mistake.
That is the way Justice works.
And We send not Messengers but as bearers of good news and warners; then whoever believes and acts aright,
they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.
I extend my best love and wishes for your success and may Allah bestow upon each and every Believer a manifest
blessing, as I say unto you,
Please read this letter to the congregation at intervals and have the Captain to read this letter to the Fruit every
meeting until the F. 0. I. understands and then have it read occasionally. I am anxiously waiting to see them follow
instructions today as I give it.
P. S. The above does not mean that you should not fight when fought against. The Holy Quran teaches to fight
with those who fight with you; so fight like hell with those who fight with you. EM/ik
Well leave this aside and go back to where we were.
Minister James 3X was probably developing the Newark area about six months before we reached the level of
growth needed and had a place sufficiently large enough to house the exploding membership in the area. In the
meantime, I was attending Muhammads Temple #7 in New York and still interacting with Malcolm because it was in a
space just beneath and in the same building as the Temple that I and Larry 4X (now known as Akbar Muhammad)
eventually developed one of the few bookstores from which both Islamic and black history literature could be
purchased. I would classify Elder Micheauxs bookstore on 125th Street, right off of Lenox Avenue in Harlem, as the
longer-lived and better-known than my Books & Things, but his forte was black history. As importers and distributors,
my company, the Specialty Promotions Co. Inc., sold him Islamic literature. Malcolm, as you would expect, highly
encouraged reading and the study of black history. The bookstore was one of the ventures I mentioned earlier as part
of the do for self thrust launched so successfully by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Minister James 3X was one
of the fairly early followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and, as such, knew the teachings very well and felt
very comfortable with it and himself. He had served some time in prison as did the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad for
refusing to enter into the armed service at the time of World War II.
A substantial difference between Malcolm and Minister James was evident in Minister James 3Xs need for
administrative and spiritual control of Temple activities. Even though he was not particularly well educated, he believed
in running a tight ship. There was a secretary (my wife) and a captain. At first me, and then others. But Minister
James was the head honcho. In New York, most of the administrative activities of Muhammads Temple #7 were left
to the secretary, John Ali, until he was replaced when he went to Chicago to become the National secretary. Captain
Joseph controlled the men and only secondarily the sisters as they had their own captain. I never detected any real
animosity between Malcolm X and Minister James 3X. If there was any jealousy it was very low key. When Minister
Malcolm did his thing (street corner talks) on Lenox Avenue in front of Elder Micheauxs well-known African
American bookstore, if the affair was considered beyond the routine, Minister James 3X would always be on the

speakers platform along with a number of other ministers, who were in charge of small temples along the East Coast.
Many of whom had been put in place by Malcolm including Minister Farrakhan (Minister Louis X at the time).
There was a fairly well-established routine of inviting different ministers from a number of different temples from as
far away as Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia to speak once a month or so at a Sunday meeting in
Newark when Minister James would go to their Temple. That was never the case for Malcolm. Once he had pretty
much launched the Newark area and Minister James 3X became the minister there, Malcolm never appeared on the
rostrum at Temple #25 in Newark. It was also true that until Malcolm separated himself from the Nation of Islam, I
cant recall Minister James teaching at Temple #7. But once Malcolm was gone, his immediate replacement at Temple
#7 for roughly three months, for teaching purposes, was Minister James 3X. Minister James 3X was subsequently
replaced by Minister Louis X, now known as Minister Louis Farrakhan.
I suspect what we might label as a minor friction between Malcolm and Minister James 3X was a function of the
suspicion Minister James had, and sensed, that Malcolm sometimes went his own way outside of the guidelines
established by the protocol of the Nation of Islam, and that was what finally led to his downfall. Minister James 3X, on
the other hand, always stuck to the party line.
Just the other day, I was listening to him on this film I still have that I recorded at a press conference called by
Newarks crooked mayor at the time, Hugh Addonizio, who was subsequently convicted of corruption. The press
conference was held at Newark City Hall, after our Temple was raided with things scattered about and a rifle stuck up
against my six-month pregnant wifes stomach. I still get angry when I think about that. This was 1966. Malcolm was
dead and buried, so clearly he couldnt make an appearance there. What you need to know however is, at that press
conference, Minister James 3X was very much as powerful, forceful, and cutting in his denunciation of that dastardly
act as Malcolm could ever have been, but he never deviated from concise, clear, doctrinal policy and dogma as
established by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Note the contrast here.
When an incident occurred in Los Angles, California, at Temple #27 in 1962 of a like but more deadly nature, some
brothers were killed and some seriously wounded. It was Malcolm who flew out to California to deal with the issue,
where a great deal of the belligerent nature, get tough, street-like characteristic of Malcolm came out in several talks
there and to the press thereafter. It was not unusual for Malcolm to interject himself, his own personal feelings in
exchanges that were supposed to be as the national representative of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, only the
position(s) put forth by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. Let me give you a few examples and then lead up to that
final Chickens come home to roost statement about the death of President John F Kennedy that led to his final
demise as we wind down this chapter and characterize what I have coined the Malcolm X factor.
One of the things that reinforces this position I have about Malcolm, as a sometimes errant spokesman for the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, was I think well stated and right on, during an interview I had with Dr. Manning
Marable, the arguably the foremost authority on Malcolm X. It is being reproduced here by permission of Dr. Marable
and, to a large extent, restates what I have already written above. I think it useful because the off-the-cuff,
extemporaneous manner in which the interview took place and the unedited language serves to put you right there with
me at the time of the interview:
Q. represents questions or statements made by Dr. Marable and the A. represents my, Dr. Salaams, answers. Lets
review it:
Q: One of the things that is striking to me about Malcolm is from the very beginning, even before he gets
his X, as a prisoner he constantly challenges authority, constantly, and you can see it in his letters from
prison. And in early 63, for example, a couple of Muslims who were selling Muhammad Speaks in Times
Square get arrested. Malcolm organizes a public protest to demonstrate against this. I dont know if
Muslims from New Jersey participated in the demonstration.
A: I dont recall that happening.
Q: But, you know, people did. This is highly unusual for a couple of reasons. One that, at a time when
Elijah Muhammad is really not saying to people in the Nation, You should participate in public political
demonstrations, Malcolm is doing this. He hasnt left the Nation. Hes a minister. In fact, hes a national
minister. Doesnt that strike you as kind of odd? That a minister would do this?
A: Well, I would get the sense that you yourself, Dr. Marable, would sense that as characteristic of what
we saw emerging and finally bursting forth from the sensibilities of Malcolmhis whole upbringing, his
whole inner making, the things that he had to go through as a youngster, you know, his parents, how he

was treated, etc. If we dig through that autobiography, you know, the whole thing shaped him in a fashion
that produced the emergent characteristics that we finally saw.
Q: I see. So you see that as okay, as all right?
A: I see that as Malcolm. Someone asked him in an interview did he see himself as militant. He gave that
trademark smile and said. No, I see myself as Malcolm. My own personal interactions with Malcolm
were always congenial. And again, from the point of view of what I can bring you, its going to be limited
because as I became embedded in the matrix that was Muhammads Temple #25, which was a powerful
rival to Temple #7, as far we were concerned in terms of our efforts to please Elijah Muhammad, you
know. To sell newspapers, to do whatever we had to . . . you know. We had our drill team and so on and
so on. And Minister James, I never heard evidence of discomfort with Malcolm per se, but he never put
forth a great deal of warmth either. His position was, if Malcolm can help the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad, great, then Im going to help. Were all going to help him do whatever is necessary. But this
is my bit over here, and his bit is over there, even though there was an active interchange of ministers
going to various temples.
Q: Why do you think that was?
A: Because I think that Minister James sensed that Malcolm was cutting out a pathway that was not really
in keeping with what he saw and felt the Honorable Elijah Muhammad needed to see and have done. Even
though Malcolm would always say, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us, he himself would
evidence pathways that were slightly skewed related to what we knew and sensed that Elijah Muhammad
really wanted to see and have happen. I saw that, understood it and had no difficulty at all in forgetting
Malcolm existed once he decided he was going his merry way.
Well again, were getting ahead of the story. I dont want to go into 1964 just yet (laughter). Lets stay in the 60,
61, 62, 63. All right. The Newark Temple beginsyoure building the Temple, you have people turning out,
members joining. Who are some of the key men and women that you can recall who helped build the Newark Temple.
In the interview we just covered, Dr. Marable spoke about an altercation and an arrest of some brothers in Times
Square and a protest that followed. I dont recall the incident myself and it may have been limited to just Temple #7s
action. I do vividly recall, however, an incident that happened in Harlem, wherein one of the brothers was roughed up
by the police (Hinton X Johnson) had his head almost split open and the Muslims and many non-Muslims gathered in
force around the precinct, where the brother had been taken to deal with the issue. The incident was portrayed in
Spike Lees film Malcolm X. I remember it so well because I got a telephone call late in the evening about the event,
since I was an official in the Newark Temple, asking us to pass the word around that Malcolm wanted us to gather as
many of the believers we could, both male and female and come to the 123rd Street precinct in New York. I have no
recollection of any official word coming from Chicago to do so. It was just a message from Malcolm to Captain
Joseph and then to the officials of any Temple in the surrounding area. And of course very quickly things like that take
on a life of their own, with the consequent gathering of people who were not even members of the Nation of Islam,
just sympathizers. I learned at a talk where I was discussing this issue and many activities that use to take place among
us no more than seven or eight years ago.
The followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad came from as far away as Philadelphia. I recall a number of us
piled into cars and rushed to the area, not asking a lot of questions. Captain Joseph immediately apprised me of what
was going on after we got there, but the most eerie thing about it was the silence. Brothers and sisters had materialized
as though from out of nowhere, and we all stood as though at attention in ranks lining the street with brothers in the
front and sisters standing behind us awaiting instructions from Malcolm.
No noise.
No talking.
Just an eerie silence.
The incident is well-known now, of course, as it turned out that our silent confrontation produced the desired result.
It was especially effective when those witnessing the activity at the very moment it happened, like myself and those
who heard about it later, when after Malcolm had reached an agreement with the police department to immediately
arrange to get the injured brother the attention he so badly neededMalcolm came and stood on the steps of the
precinct, raised, and waved his hand, and we all just melted into the darkness, heading home. It gave the kind of
backing that had never been seen before among a group of black people and put a scare into the law enforcement

officials in the New York area that they never forgot. It gave the Muslims the kind of clout and respect heretofore
unknown. In addition to which, a lawsuit was waged that awarded the brother $70,000, a very generous and almost
unprecedented amount of money for a black man at that time.
One of the top police officials who had also witnessed the entire activity stood in awe and openly said, No man
should have that much power. He was of course referring to Malcolm, but the point I insist the reader needs to
understand, its a myth to think it was Malcolm that had the power. NO. Malcolm, as a top representative of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, was but a proxy for the real powerElijah Muhammad. All of us who really understood
what it meant to be a follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad knew that we had been taught to stand together as a
solid wall, and when you attacked one of us, you attacked us allmale or female.
But lets not stray too far from the fold and the very important thing that had happened here. Black people stood up
fearlessly, ready to fight and die if necessary. I recall with some shock, again when I was discussing this event at this
Muslim affair, where I had been invited to speak and show some film, one brother, who had also come to stand tall in
New York saying he told his wife as he left, Honey, I have to go to stand tall for one of our brothers and I dont
know if Ill be able to come back but Ive got to go. Wow!
Now lets speculate how I feel Malcolm must have felt, as Dr. Marable and I reviewed this event. Malcolm had to be
elated for now there he was, a former hustler, a former pimp, a man scarred by racism, making demands. The man
who so often told the story of how the white man raped his grandmother, how his father was killed by the Ku Klux
Klan, so now hes got this message, something to whip white folks with. So imagine how powerful he felt when, right
there in Harlem, they had Hinton Johnson and he could make things happen. Now Malcolm comes over and theres
this cadre of black folks standing out there ready to take heads. And hes running the show. Hes literally the head of it
at that point in time. Hes the one telling these white folks, who, at one time in his life, had put him through all kinds of
hoops, had put him in jail, and tried to throw the key awayMalcolm X is telling police officials what he and all those
people standing outside want. Now they have to bow to what hes about. And they do. Now its a different story. Can
you see the ego building? The Malcolm X factor! Lets move on.
Now in 1959 comes a bombshell for New York and a set up and take notice look elsewhere in the country. It
came cloaked in the CBS 60 Minutes showing of the documentary, The Hate That Hate Produced, a hard-hitting socalled exposure of this group of people in New York City and elsewhere known as Muslims narrated by the wellknown 60 minutes hard-nosed reporter and commentator Mike Wallace. It spotlighted this establishment labeled hate
group, calling itself the Nation of Islam that New Yorkers knew absolutely nothing about, said Mike Wallace.
This episode was prior to the publication of The Black Muslims in America by C. Eric Lincoln, one of the so-called
in-depth studies of the Nation of Islam. It had been preceded by E. U. Essien Udoms Black Nationalism: A Search for
an Identity in America (University of Chicago Press, 1962) and some others, but it was Dr. Lincoln who coined the
term black Muslims, a label that the Nation of Islam was never able to shake. It very much irritated the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad because it was immediately seen as a divisionary term. If we were the black Muslims, then who
were the white Muslims? So what irritated the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad irritated us too. I, to this day, have not
found the term acceptable. As shattering and shocking experience as this seemed to have been for white America, it
was not the kind of activity that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad strove for and he, like so many undertakings that
Malcolm set forth and embarked on, did not relish the idea of the public showing at all. We knew and as clearly voiced
by Captain Joseph (later known as Yusuf Shah), the captain under Malcolm, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad set
aside his own misgivings about the activity to kind of keep Malcolm, his gung ho New York minister, in the fold in the
hope that he would soon come around to see the full scope of what we should really be about.
Why was the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad against the public display? It was primarily because there was a very
essential difference between what and how Elijah Muhammad saw his role as the Messenger of Allah, a spiritual man
with a spiritual mission and how Malcolm saw his. Malcolm relished the spotlight. His fiery speeches and biting
messages were heavily laced with black nationalism with Dont mess with us or you may find yourself in a world of
trouble phraseology. If I were a betting man, I would bet dollars to donuts that any kind of heavy spiritual teaching
that came anywhere near mentioning the essential role of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the divine nature of the
Holy Quran, with frequent quotes from it, extolling the greatness and oneness of Allah that Malcolm made before and
even after his making hajj in all his speeches, could be easily counted.
In all honesty, we must understand as well, that although Elijah Muhammad kept the spiritual side of his teaching
before us, he fell outside the pale of Islam in many aspects of his teaching. If you wanted to learn about Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) directly or in depth, going to Elijah Muhammad wasnt the route. Remember he considered

himself that Messenger of Allah to whom the Holy Quran was speaking. Clearly, an error since he did not understand,
read, or speak Arabic with any kind of fluency. Yes, we know, he labeled what he taught as Islam and made sure every
one of his followers knew they should possess and read the Quran and that it was the book of the Muslim world.
Nonetheless, if you read my chapter introducing you to General Semantics, you know just because he called it Islam
that didnt make it Islam. For sure with Elijah Muhammad, the concern was for an entire group of people, his
followers. He knew we were not yet sophisticated enough and certainly not ferocious enough to deal with a vicious
enemy who would like nothing better than wipe us off the planet. Has everyone forgotten the suffering, deaths, and
hardships that we went through as a people during the civil rights struggle? The dogs. The hangings. The firehoses.
The killings. All, as Malcolm used to say, for an integrated cup of coffee or a chance to sit next to white people in the
school or elsewhere, knowing you were not welcome?
After all, who appreciates being called a devil? With the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, it was Vengeance is Mine,
saith the Lord and Leave it to Allah. That did not mean that he did not foresee and indeed taught clearly about a
coming destruction in which Muslims would participate, but not us. By his account, that time had not yet arrived. I
recall discussing the subject with him and he said Allah would rise up a people to do that. He said we were too soft.
From an Islamic perspective, his extrapolation from the Holy Quran was,
If Allah helps you, there is none that can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there that can
help you after Him? And in Allah should the believers put their trust. (Holy Quran 3:159)
And thats for sure!
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads position was that under no circumstances were we to be armed. When
attending a Temple meeting, everyone was searched and not even a pin knife was allowed inside. The (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad knew exactly what he was doing. There we had control. Attendees had to sit attentively for the
length of a lecture and a grooming, filtering, cultivating process was always at work. Not so in public meetings outside
the Temple. It was hardly the blinking of an eye after Malcolm broke with the Nation of Islam before we began hearing
of his By any means necessary philosophy. Yet by that time, he was a man without a country. Where would the
weaponry come from? When you run out of bullets, what then? Anybody know of black folks owning and making
tanks nowadays? Stealth bombers?
In my view, what were the factors that produced the final separation between Malcolm and the Nation of Islam?
Notice I used the term factors. There were quite a few. As I have been pointing out, within Malcolm himself were
the kinds of needs that produced levels of discontent with the speed with which the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
was moving toward separation among other things. The failure of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad to actively engage
in some fashion to blunt the suffering of black people during the civil rights era also chaffed Malcolm, although he
became the foil for ridiculing the efforts being made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in those days. Another important
factor came into place because the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had started down the road to ill-health as far back as
1960-61bronchitisand his willingness and desire and even capability to place himself before the people on an
ongoing basis to continue fueling the growth of the Nation of Islam was waning. Malcolm, young, eager, intelligent,
articulate, and willing, was a made-to-order substitute.
Once Malcolm was given the title of the national representative of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, his stature
among the followers took a giant leap. It was Malcolm X then that gained the notoriety. It was Malcolm X who came
to be in great demand. It was Malcolm X who the world began to take note of even more so than Elijah Muhammad. It
was Malcolm X that the media began to pump up and suggest he was the power behind the Nation of Islam, without
whom the Nation of Islam would just gradually fade away, and so the Malcolm X factor and myth began to grow. Yet
I dont believe he ever seriously thought he could displace the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. You would think anyone
with a modicum of good sense and forethought would recognize the futility of that as did Malcolm, but Im fairly
comfortable that he thought he could influence him in ways that others couldnt. Big mistake. Did that bother the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad? Many say yes, I say no, in the sense that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad knew
what he was about. He clearly understood and recognized his own power base and felt very comfortable that there
was no way that he was going to be displaced in his lifetime.
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was very secure in his position. You know the old saying, the proof of the
pudding is in the eating? Well, thats what we had. There were many challenges to the leadership of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad, probably the most notable of which excluding what took place discussed in chapter 7, The
Chase, was by his own son Imam W. D. Mohammad, the late leader of the entity he had designated the Mosque
Cares, in concert with his nephew Hasan Sharrieff, the son of his daughter Ethel Sharrieff. It was a challenge that

spilled out into the media but failed miserably. I dont wish to take the time and space to go into that faux pas. Just
note it failed, as did several other challenges from individual Muslims, Muslim groups, Christian preachers, civil rights
leaders, and sundry other entities. The actual fact of the matter is, as said earlier, for whatever reason, He decided to
do so, Allah (God) had already decreed a period of time and role for Elijah Muhammad to do what he did, that then He,
Allah (God) Himself, saw to it that it would happen.

The Chickens Come Home to Roost

As I began this subchapter, on a hunch, I decided to Google the phrase Chickens come home to roost.
Chickens come home to roost:
Definition: earlier actions come back to cause trouble for a person
Explanation: Used when speaking about someone being punished at a much later date for earlier bad
acts.
From Google: under Idiomatic Expressions
Although I didnt want to spend the time, and didnt consider it important enough to try digging out the origin of the
phrase, I did find a reference (not entirely unexpectedly) to Malcolm X on the same site and his use of the term,
followed by a simple sentence saying that it led to his expulsion from the Nation of Islam. It was headlined as a kind of
introduction to a long article, said to be edited by an Imam Benjamin Karim: Gods Judgement of White America (The
Chickens Come Home to Roost) Malcolm X (December 4, 1963). He had developed a websiteMalcolmX.org. One of
the somewhat surprising things to me about that long article under a Google posting was the fact that it essentially
launches a very strong defense for the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It quoted, almost verbatim,
many of Elijah Muhammads positions, and accepting Allah as God. But not one time that I could see did he equate
Allah with Fard Muhammad, a true cornerstone of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. I talk more about that in the
chapter in this bookWill the Real Nation of Islam Please Stand Up.
The next few paragraphs are a follow through on my assessment of that socalled expulsion of Malcolm X from
the Nation of Islam. Thats another myth we can get out of the way because it was finally Malcolm himself who in
March 1964 publicly declared he no longer considered himself a part of the Nation of Islam. According to John Ali,
who was national secretary of the Nation of Islam at the time, who states he was present when Elijah Muhammad
issued his decision to Malcolm, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad did not directly expel him.
After his November 1963 chickens come home to roost misstatement about President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm
was placed in a state of suspension of ninety days whereby he was no longer able to continue to represent the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad in any public venue, which included the Temple, until such time as ninety days would
pass and Elijah Muhammad could decide to or not to lift the suspension. This kind of sentence given to Malcolm still
allowed him to attend Temple activities, if he so chose, but not to teach.
Lets look at how and why Malcolm was suspended through the eyes, first of John Ali, who once served as the
secretary of Muhammads Temple #7 alongside Malcolm. Ali and his wife once lived together with Malcolm and his
wife while in New York. However, the incident being discussed came up at the time John Ali was serving as the
national secretary of the Nation of Islam in Chicago. Having served as he did in fairly close approximation to Malcolm,
Im comfortable John Ali knew Malcolm as well as anybody, excluding Elijah Muhammad, Malcolms immediate
family, and Captain Joseph during his sojourn in the Nation of Islam. Malcolm removed himself from the Nation of
Islam prior to the time any lifting of his suspension could take place in the Nation of Islamthe ninety days had not
expired.
Lets pose a question here: What prevented Malcolm from returning to the ranks of the Nation of Islam?
What follows is based on my assessment of information provided by John Ali. Unless enclosed in quotes, this material
represents my extrapolation of the several interviews I had with John Ali. In its essentials, he agreed it mirrors his
statements. He states,
Immediately upon the announcement that John Kennedy had been assassinated, the Muslims received
many inquiries as to how they felt about the assassination. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad immediately
took the position that the ministers and all his followers should leave that subject alone and he would be
the one to deal with that subject. Malcolm had come to Chicago, because he was originally scheduled to
speak at the University of Michigan. At that time the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was in Phoenix and so
he did not meet with Malcolm personally, but he let it be known to him, again as he always had, that he
was not in favor of his ministers being out speaking in or to the public except in the Temple, or the place

being used by the followers to spread the teachings.

Just prior to President Kennedys assassination, some space had already been rented at the town hall in
New York where Malcolm was supposed to speak. Malcolm had told the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
about having rented the space. He wished to speak there in spite of the Honorable Elijah Muhammads
request for that meeting to be canceled as well. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad understood the
sentiments of the people. He knew very clearly that people already knew what he was teaching and it
would be best to not go out into the public at all during this period of mourning. Malcolm, however, was
always eager to be in front of the public, so he prevailed on the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to allow that
to be done, by telling him the place had already been rented, and a lot of money had already been paid out,
and he did not wish for the Muslims to lose all of that money. He thought it would be best if he just went
on and completed that engagement in spite of the Honorable Elijah Muhammads reservations.
It is important to understand that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was the kind of person who would
make his wishes known to you if you asked him something. He would respond according to what he
considered the best way to deal with the subject matter put before him. However, unless it was
particularly important that his recommendation be followed, he would listen to anothers point of view.
Once he determined that the person was intent upon doing something their way, regardless of what he
said, then he might simply back off and allow that person to carry out their own wishes in spite his
reservations. Again this relates only to situations that Elijah Muhammad did not necessarily feel had to be
dealt with exactly as he put it. This was not the case with Malcolm where he was very specific. And so,
after being cautioned once again by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that he should be careful as to what
he would say in those tense times, and that he should not touch on the subject of the assassination at all,
Malcolm went back to New York to complete his speaking engagement.
Having disobeyed the Honorable Elijah Muhammads expressed position that nothing should be said about
the Kennedy assassination, Malcolm said something anyway in the question-and-answer period that
followed his town hall meeting talk (the now-famous Chickens come home to roost statement), he was
given ninety days in Class C.
He was told not to speak publicly during that time. It should be understood that it was not the alreadypredetermined idea of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that Malcolm could not return. No, Malcolm
needed only to spend the time given to him in obedience to the law that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
put on him (and many others on certain occasionseven his own sons). Since Malcolm had, by this time,
clearly become a famous, well-known figure and the next Saviours Day meeting was fast approaching.
Saviours Day was an event that he normally spoke at prior to the appearance of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. The feeling is that he simply felt it would be too humiliating to continue in the situation that
he then found himself in. Due to his own failure to adhere to the explicit instructions of the leader and
teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammads instructions, that he and all of us had agreed to honor and obey
when asked. Remember, We hear and we obey. Malcolm then, of his own accord, decided to break
with the Nation of Islam. It was subsequent to that time, many of the vindictive statements and
accusations put forth about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad by Malcolm, and conceivably the
conspirators of other forces and government agencies, whose desire it was to fragment and destroy the
Nation of Islam, that events came into play, which finally led to Malcolms assassination.
There is much more to be discussed about Malcolm based on my own personal interactions with him that would
highlight what a dedicated follower he was, but would also indicate his lack of clear understanding of where his own
authority and admiration by the Muslims and others came from.
It was important in those days not to violate that trust, and if one discerned what they considered to be incorrect
positions and behaviors of the leader, it would be best to go ones own separate way in silence, if uncomfortable with
such and leave it to Allah, in whose hands all things finally rest anyway. Once Malcolm learned of Elijah Muhammads
affairs with some of his secretaries who bore him children, Malcolm as well as many of us who knew or came to
know about it, had a lot of soul-searching to do.
Malcolm, once he was displaced from his high position, was very much a man without a country, and that was
hard on a man of his ilk. So one of his major blunders was not so much the Chickens come home to roost
statement. He had pretty much said the same thing just using slightly different phraseology about a plane that had

crashed carrying substantial numbers of Caucasians before. But when he learned that he was not going to be admitted
entrance back to his former high position in the Nation of Islam as quickly as he thought, it was clear that it pretty
much upset him. He lost his cool, and he publicly began to denounce Elijah Muhammad and made known what was
already known to many, but not all, what he now considered Elijah Muhammads sordid adulterous relationships.
Some things you dont just jump out publicly stating, as Malcolm did, about a man so loved by his followers as was
Elijah Muhammad, even when you have some truth in the mix. That was a bad miscalculation. It was swinging in the
dark. Malcolm himself said in an interview that he very much knew once he started down the path he did, he was a
dead man walking. He knew the FOIs mentality, knew what he himself had taught them, and openly stated that he
himself would have gone out to kill anyone who made the kind of statements he did about Elijah Muhammad without
clear documentation. Well, someone did just that. He declares his documentation came from the corroboration of what
was rumored about Elijah Muhammads adulterous activities from the mouth of one of Elijah Muhammads own sons,
Wallace Muhammad at the time who came to be known later as Imam W. D. Mohammad. Imam W. D. Mohammed
bore witness to that in An American Experience, Malcolm X, Make It Plain, a PBS documentary in 1995.
In his desperate attempt to discredit Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm did not allow for the fact that not only did some of
Elijah Muhammads followers know what Elijah Muhammad had been guilty of with some of his secretaries, but they
had already made peace with themselves and established the necessary rationalization about it based on several factors.
Some were on the payroll, so they may have felt they had too much to lose if they challenged the situation. I was
never on a payroll, related to the Nation of Islam of any sort, so that certainly did not enter into the picture for me.
I think the primary factor that kept things in check was that Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam, and what he
taught represented a package. It was the kind of package that many of us had become what we considered whole
through it, and at the time, it exceeded anything else that was put before us. The effect it had on black people as a
whole in bringing them into knowledge of themselves and gaining prestige as a noble and civilized people both in and
out of the country is self-evident. There were temples in Belize, Bermuda, England, Ghana, and many places
throughout the world as a result of his teachings. To get all uptight about the fact that the package was not a perfect
one in an imperfect world would be self-defeating. Looking back on it, thats probably pretty much the way I saw it.
As far as Im concerned, those were the most germane factors. Yes, many point out that Elijah Muhammad might
very well have believed that he had this special mission and indeed had to do and go through what Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) himself had to go through. He on many occasions openly said it himself. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had
nine wives and was forbidden by Allah (God) to take unto himself anymore, so why shouldnt Elijah Muhammad be
free to have a few wives? Well Elijah Muhammad wasnt Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or a prophet. In addition to
which, during the time of the prophet, all of the early Muslims knew of the wives of the prophet, as they all held a
special place in the Ummah (Islamic community). It was public knowledge.
I dont recall any occasion whatsoever in which Elijah Muhammad admitted publicly to having so many wives or
children, as he did finally father. I do recall a question I had in mind once when one of his sons that I didnt know of
came to the office for some dental work and his mother told me that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad would pay the
bill. That took me by surprise because I didnt know her or her son from Adam. I called the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad to verify if that was the case. It was, and I still had no clear indication as to what that meant, until some
time later. So why the secrecy? Therein lies the rub. Since the general Muslim community under him was not allowed
to have more than one wife even though four, under certain conditions, is allowed by the Holy Quran, for him to have
so many children and women later said to be wives, and not publicly announce that to be so, smacks of the less-thanhonorable status that I made some comments about earlier as I stated why he is referred to in several ways in this
writing right down to just being Elijah Muhammad.
This situation came back to haunt the Nation of Islam and its new leader Imam W. D. Mohammed, when the nowknown carefully laid plans by the FBI, sown to disrupt and destroy the Nation of Islam though unsuccessful during the
life of Elijah Muhammad, began to unfold. Since it is reputed that Elijah Muhammad was said not to have left a will (an
Islamic no-noalthough his personal secretary Velora Najeeb declared he did), all hell broke loose when members of
his family both within and outside the clear bonds of marriage sued to obtain funds and property from the now legally
exposed entity known as the Nation of Islam with the death of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in 1975.
We could start to see the telltale signs heralding the fall of the Nation of Islam. Its a nasty story and I just not too
long ago reviewed in my files what was indeed a tabloid-like presentation of this aspect of Elijah Muhammads life
printed in a now-defunct Chicago giveaway newspaper named Nightmoves (vol. 3, no. 23, March 31, 1983) entitled
The Trial of the Messenger Wives. It was said to be written by a Larry Muhammad. His expose (?) filled about three

quarters of that particular issue. The preceding editorial Nation Divided started by first claiming, Nor do we wish to
sully the revered name of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, then pulled out the butcher knife in its presentation, using
such terms as There are 21 descendants squabbling over the estate. Eight are by Clara, his wife of 53 years and 13
are bastard heirs. Thats not a misquote. It was written bastard heirs. Would you not think a softer term could be
used for someone pretending they did not wish to sully the revered name of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad? But
wait a minute now. Get this quote from the same article: The half breed children claimed that in 1974 Elijah was in
failing health and mentally incapable of executing the documents (relating to community property). Im just going to
opt out here if you dont mind. There were a number of assertions made in the article that I personally knew to be
stretching the truth. Nothing unusual about that.
Once I learned that Malcolm had separated himself from the Nation of Islam, it didnt bother me a bit. My allegiance
and I dare say ninety-eight percent or more of the members of the Nation of Islam was to Elijah Muhammad. I was
very comfortable that there were many ministers in the Nation of Islam that could easily replace Malcolm, including
Minister James 3X. One of course did, designated as Minister Louis X at the time, Minister Louis Farrakhan now. Of
course because of all the ruckus and Malcolms denunciations of Elijah Muhammad, the veiled threats against Malcolm
in Muhammad Speaks newspaper and the like, I wanted to hear from the boss himself. So as was often accorded me,
even prior to my 1970 move to Chicago, I was granted a meeting with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and asked
him as one of his faithful followers should I join the chorus of those who were writing and denouncing Malcolms
treachery in our newspaper, since I was a frequent contributor to its pages or what? His clear statement to me was,
No, brother. Just leave him alone. Allah will deal with that. You just continue to write and teach as you do.
I was an occasional guest speaker at Muhammads Temple #2 even before coming to Chicago and even once gave
the commencement address to one of Muhammads University of Islam graduating classes, by invitation of Sister
Clara Muhammad. The same was true at Muhammads Temple #25. I frequently gave the address to the Muslims in
the absence of Minister James 3X. It was clear to me that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was not the least bit
worried, so I took him at his word and never looked back after that.
So much for Malcolm X, the man who by me was indeed the epitome of a man without a country, accepted after
his death in a revered and laudatory manner by many, including the broader Muslim community, as he never was
during his time with the Nation of Islam. Not too long ago, there was even a United States postage stamp issued with
the likeness of Malcolm X. How in the world did that happen and no Elijah Muhammad? Help me figure that out.
Doesnt that seem strange when you really sit down and think about it? A man who said in no way did he wish to be
classified as an American. What a turnaround! In my mind, theres something fishy about that.
The accolades being given to Malcolm X, from among many of what often appears to me to be the close to
historically ignorant generation, that arose after the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X play
up Malcolms dedication to the cause of black nationalism. They look past his concern for Islam as his way of life and
the one recommended by the Holy Quran for him and all humanity:
Today the disbelievers have despaired of vanquishing your religion. Therefore fear them not, fear Me.
Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My blessing (favor) on you and approved
Islam as a way of life for you. (Holy Quran 5:3)
It appears to me that many never ever stop to think that even after he considered he had divorced himself from and
moved beyond the Nation of Islam, he still clung to the last name Shabazz. Why was that? Among what group of
Muslims anyplace in the world then and now other than right here will you find the name Shabazz? No indeed. I could
be wrong, but I would say that name definitely derived from the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, from
the myth of the origination of the tribe of Shabazz in Africa, fifty thousand years ago, from whom the black man in
America was said to have descended in the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Yes, I agree and know there certainly
appears to be a body of evidence now reliably and scientifically validating that the earliest sign of human life seems to
have started in Africa and in all likelihood, therefore, was so-called black, but there is certainly no way to establish a
tribal name for whatever entity that was. Thats a myth.
I must go on to something else now. Im certainly not going to delve into the still unanswered questions about the
assassination of Malcolm X, as fascinating as the subject is. Yes, I knew Talmadge Hayer, the one admitted member of
the assassination team, as he was recruited into Muhammad Temple #25 in Newark, and at the request of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, I even went to visit his wife and family while he was incarcerated to see how they
were faring.
But for me personally, he never became anything more than another FOI who had spent some time at Temple #25.

Im not the least bit inclined to discuss the assassination of Malcolm X, or get into a lot of speculation about it, as
many have done. Ill leave that to Dr. Marable and the historians who follow. I can say that I dont believe the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad himself would give any order or make any recommendation whatsoever to his followers
or anyone else that Malcolm X be assassinated. The clear evidence is that the departure of Malcolm X from the Nation
of Islam was just a fleeting disturbance, a blip in its growth. The fact that Malcolm went on to become what many
have designated as a beacon of hope and an activists activist for social justice worldwide, from my perspective, is due
in large part to the continual search for heroes, particularly by black people, that elevated him posthumously to almost
celestial heights. Whether or not he really earned such accolades or produced a great deal outside the Nation of Islam,
in the short time he was about his other endeavors and what he might eventually have risen to, will in all likelihood be
long debated and a function of whom you ask.
There are no future facts.
From an Islamic perspective, Malcolm X (Al Hajii Malik El-Shabazz, if you prefer) has passed on like all of us will
and his final reward and/or punishment, as will be ours, rests with Allah (God), the Best Knower, the Lord of all the
Worlds. May Allah forgive him for his sins. Amen.
On September 29, 2007, the date of the completion of this chapter, a Google search produced 5,100,000 hits in a
search for Malcolm X.
ETC.

CHAPTER 16
WHATS IN A NAME? THE SO-CALLED NEGRO

And he taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; He said: Tell me the names of those
if you are right. They said Glory be to Thee! We have no knowledge but that which Thou has taught us.
Surely Thou art the Knowing; The Wise. He said O Adam, inform them of their names. So when he
informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you That I know what is unseen in the heavens
and the earth? And I know what you manifest and what you hide.
Holy Quran 2:31-33
I have chosen a passage from the Holy Quran here to start this chapter to keep in focus what I am calling an Islamic
perspective in these writings. There are volumes and volumes of books written by men (and women too) who have
spent years studying the Holy Quran and making comments and interpretations spoken of as commentaries or Tafseer
in Arabic about many passages in the Holy Quran, some of them differing quite markedly from each other in their
interpretations. However, the one I chose here rarely gets contested. There appears to be general agreement among the
scholars about the general meaning of those ayats (passages) from that Surah (chapter). In fact, those ayats starting
with ayat 30 through 36, I find are so pregnant with mind-boggling knowledge and the scholarly commentary that
usually accompanies them that they have become among my favorites. Within them, there is even a hint about a way to
ease the dispute about creationism versus evolution. It lays the groundwork for understanding why Muslims must
always keep in mind that no system other than that formulated by Allah (God), Islam, as implemented and made real
by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) over 1,430 years ago and headed by a Khalifah, who rules according to the Shariah
(rules and laws derived from the Holy Quran), can ever be successful in the long term. Allah in the Holy Quran says:
And Rule them by what Allah has revealed. (Holy Quran 5:49)
And whosover does not rule by what Allah has revealed, such are the Kafirun. (Holy Quran 5:44)
To dig deeper into that fertile field of knowledge is far beyond the scope of this writing. My intent here, not being a
scholar or mujtahid (one gifted with the ability and knowledge to make in-depth comments about Quranic passages),
is, in the very simplest fashion, to show support for an understanding I have had and studied for over thirty-five years
now about language, words, and their meaning. I wrote very briefly about that in the chapter My Story. I hope you
didnt skip over it. The Quranic passage chosen here very graphically fortifies my position, paralleled by a similar
though not identical one, in General Semantics, in the sense that it clearly shows that the human being, above all other
forms of life, has been gifted by the Creator with the special wherewithal to be ruler in the earth. (General Semantics.
does not speak of a Creator; it only bears witness to this special ability of human beings.) No other form of life we
know about, including angels, have been so gifted. That wherewithal is our ability to formulate signs and symbols and
make sounds and gestures that we call language and then impart meaning to suchTell them their names. Then we
have the ability to develop concepts, extrapolate them to form further ideas, and bind the time of others before us so
we can build libraries and dont have to reinvent the wheel. In General Semantics, this unique ability is labeled timebinding. S. Abul ALa Maududi, in his commentary, said, Nomenclature is the means by which the human mind
perceives things. In fact, the whole information of man about things is based on his ability to assign names to them.
Hence the teaching of the names of all things to Adam was meant to impart their knowledge to him (The Meaning of
the Quran, vol. 1, note 42).
For our purposes here, we have to go back to 1930 when it has been said that Fard Muhammad (Mohammed then)
began his teachings to the people of Detroit. One of those persons we know of course was Elijah Poole. How were we
labeled? Negroes and colored people, right? Of course we know about the other labels, niggas, coons, and shines too.
In fact, in those days, even being called black was an insult. So in polite language, among polite people, the acceptable
label was Negroes. In America, that label with a few notable exceptions already alluded to was almost universally
accepted during the time of chattel slavery, right up until roughly the early 1960s by the vast majority of those, so
labeled, with hardly a murmur, with no real thought or concern about the fact that the label was not even of their
choosing. Now in this country, the labels most often heard are black people and African Americans. Lerone
Bennett, once associate editor and now editor emeritus of Ebony magazine, with whom I frequently partnered in
tennis, replied in the following fashion to the question I asked him about the why of the alternating use of the terms
African American and black I sometimes found in Ebony. He provided me with the following statement:

I use the words interchangeably. I think the words African American are more precise, defining
succinctly Americans of African descent. The word Black is broader, referring to Black people whatever
their origin or wherever they live. Gwendolyn Brooks warned against the words African American, saying
they tended to cut us off semantically and emotionally from the Black people of the world. Black is, to
some writers anyway, a more powerful word, evoking, to some, power, presence, etc., and evoking, to
others, danger, threat, etc. Stokeley Carmichael (Black Power!), Lerone Bennett Jr. before him (Black
Power U.S.A.), and Richard Wright before both of them, would not have attracted as much attention if
they had said African-American Power instead of Black Power. It should also be said that Black is a
shorter, punchier word that works better in a headline or a defined magazine or book space. Its alsotry
iteasier to say in a speech, etc. I refuse to get into a fight with people who say Black or people who
say African-American.
One of my daughters, Mrs. Valerie Best, an educator, echoed the same sentiment.
I thought I had found the most recent label for us after I heard and read about the Blackamerican and the
Blackamerican Muslim, a term that seems to have been coined by Sherman Hakim Jackson, whom I made reference to
earlier in chapter 4. But just the other day, I received an e-mail with another name: Afro-Sudanic Muslims. The authors
of this classification are a recently formed entity, known as AACIB, an acronym for the Afrikan-Amerikan Council of
Islamic Brotherhood. The label is said to be for Men and women of African descent whose ancestors were enslaved
throughout the Euro-American Christian colonies; via the transatlantic slave trade, primarily those enslaved in North
Amerika. By the way, the k instead of c used in theses spellings is purposefully chosen by the labelers. That too is
another story. I suspect there are some more labels out there that I just havent run across yet. In our next chapter,
Will the Real Nation of Islam Please Stand Up, we will look at some of these issues in a little more detail. So what
became of the Negro? Did Negroes as a people just disappear from the face of the earth? No, but the term is now
pretty much obsolete and considered by many as somewhat derogatory when used to describe a black person in
America. There is also presently a push to eradicate the term nigger from the language altogether by discussing and
highlighting what a slap in the face the term is to people of color. The euphemism (nicer term) now chosen when
discussing issues of that sort is the more socially acceptable term the N-worda code term for nigger. How did
that happen? It was done to a very large extent with the careful choice and selection of wordslanguage. Let us
briefly explore this issue.
Lets start right from the beginning. Lets start with the newborn. He or she emerges from the womb, healthy we
hope, and no manual accompanies them, so one of the first tasks is to issue a name. Technology being what it is
nowadays, the parents, if interested, can learn the gender of the expected child, while still in the womb, and many
choose a name accordingly. But what name and what kind of meaning, if any, will that name have? I have found this a
very fascinating subject, sorting through the origin and meaning of names. Have you noticed how one can frequently
guess the ethnicity, national origin, or race of someone just by the name used? Chinese people will generally have
Chinese names; Japanese, Japanese names; Thai people, Thai names, Pakistanis, Pakistani names; Nigerians, Nigerian
names, etc. Until relatively recently, what about the African American, the once So-Called Negro? What kind of names
did (do) we have? I so clearly remember a high school classmate of mine who was the darkest student in the school,
almost a true black. And do you know what his name was? Edward Bergman! Can you figure that? Bergmana
Jewish last name. Well you can imagine what he suffered through in school wearing that name. But I dont know
maybe your imagination wont focus on anything at all pertaining to that entire issue.
If youre not of my generation, those kinds of things, name and ethnicity mismatches, may very well not have ever
even crossed your mind. My parents bestowed upon me the name Leo McCallum, and I gave one of my sons the same
name. (It has of course since been changed as was mine once the Honorable Elijah Muhammad bestowed upon me the
name Abdul Salaam.) Clearly that was a name inherited from some slave master at some time in the past. Scottish, I
believe Ive heard as its origin. One thing for sure, its not of African origin. Once becoming a member of the Nation
of Islam, the name changed for me as it did for all who entered. The last name came to be preceded by or became just
an X. Refer back to the chapter on Malcolm X and reread that section that deals with how steadfast he was in
rejecting altogether any name other than the X. I recall as one who frequently went before audiences to extol the
teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad what a powerful weapon and attention-getter it was to remind the
listeners that they not only didnt know anything about themselves, but that they were still bound to their former slave
masters by virtue of the rather silly names they woreRoundtree, Fish, Carpenter, Smiley, Hammer, Culpepper, etc. I
think you get the idea. After the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad in September 1971 bestowed upon me the name Abdul

Salaam (Servant of the Peace of AllahGod), all the members of my immediate family adjusted their names to Salaam.
So here we are at the time of this writing, just seventy-five or so years away from the time of the emergence of the
Nation of Islam in America, and I can confidently say thanks to a large extent to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, it
seems everybody and his brother within the last few decades appears to have some sort of name, identifying them
with people of color. Like Smith, now there are a ton of Muhammads out there, along with many other Arabic
names, and I can tell you from personal experience, many of them dont know what they mean and, when using
multiple Arabic names, frequently have the sequence of the varying names all messed up. The (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad did sparingly issue a few names himself to some of his ministers and well-known figures such as
Muhammad Ali, who originally wore the name Cassius Clay. You got thatCLAY. I will take the time to make an
aside here in just a few lines about the issue of name changeCassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. That too requires
another book and there are tons of them already out there about this world-famous figure. But because during that time
I accepted the worldview of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, my book would be a little different. There have been
many well-known African American boxers who have held what was classified as a world title, proclaimed as
champion of the world in a particular weight class, the heavyweight class being the most prestigious. BUT how
many of them were really accepted around the world among the indigenous black people of the world as a true
champion of the world like Muhammad Ali? As Cassius Clay? No. As Muhammad Ali, a Muslim, yes.
Was it the name change alone that produced that acceptance? Of course not, but most certainly in the vast world of
Islam, it made for a winner. He became one of our own. The notion that a person skilled in beating another human
being senseless or until they were knocked unconscious to the delight of paying onlookers entitled him to be a great
hero in the framework of correct Islamic understanding is a mistaken notion. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad did not
hesitate to make that plain. It was one of the primary reasons that Muhammad Ali, although he did for a while, was not
allowed to continue to go among the people as a direct carrier, a minister of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad and be considered as having his blessings in doing so. As beloved as Muhammad Ali was (is) among
many, the phrase so often attached to and loudly proclaimed by Muhammad Ali, I am the Greatest, without
qualifying it, hints at some Islamic ignorance. It steps over a boundary. For the knowledgeable Muslim, the term the
Greatest, without reservations, is reserved for Allah like in Allahu-AkbarAllah is the Greatest. Like Malcolm X, it
is indisputable that Muhammad Ali brought great attention to the Nation of Islam, but anyone who thinks or thought
the success or lack of success of Muhammad Ali in the world of sport and play was a big deal for the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad just didnt know Elijah Muhammad. It was a big deal for Muhammad Ali. When one gets really caught up
in the world of sport and play, thats just what it is and Allah in the Holy Quran makes it clear that in many ways the
world is but idle sport and play.
The life of this World is but idle sport and play, and, if you believe and keep your duty, He will give you
your reward and He does not ask of you your wealth. (Holy Quran, 47:36)
Who take their religion for an idle sport and a play and this lifes world deceives them; so today We
forsake them, as they neglected the meeting of this day of theirs and as they denied Our communications.
(Holy Quran 7:51)
Now we dont have to talk about Americas position on sport and play, do we? So is it to be said that sport and play
is not allowed in Islam? Of course Islam does not say that. That would be unnatural. The verse above states
specifically, Who take their Religion for an idle sport and play. Its the just balance that we should be concerned
about. On the collective level, it can be said that it may be permissible for Muslims to do many of the same things that
people in general do for fun: attend social gatherings, especially for weddings, births, and other special occasions; play
indoor and outdoor games; go out to nonalcoholic-serving cafs, restaurants, Internet cafs, movies, and malls; play
sports like soccer, for example, which is really popular in the Arab world; watch television; and so on. Again its the
balance and context that must be considered. I recall that under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Tuesday nights was
generally set aside for engaging in what might be considered fun activities. It is worth noting that it was a considered
choice made as distinct from the weekend, the period during which so many in the secular world do their thing.
I found it quite gratifying that my youngest son and his wife on becoming first-time parents bestowed upon their
son the name Amir Abdul Salaam. Im thankful that at least he knows what that means and hopefully can teach his son
accordingly. Thanks to Allah, the bestowing of the slave masters name never occurred to him. I hope his son (my
grandson) comes into some real knowledge of and pride in that name. So many dont. The name alone does not make
him a true Muslim. The other day, I saw a woman professional tennis player named Aisha Muhammad garbed in the
typical short-skirted, no-sleeve dress of a typical female tennis player. I could not help but say to myself, What a

change. I suspect the name had no more meaning for her than had it been Susie Jones. But before moving on, since
I was fortunate enough to question the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad on this subject of names, what I have tried to do
in this book, most others could not, who did not have the privilege of having the personal counsel and relationship of
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad as I did. Let me share with you his position on names. Most of what you will find
here is available and reproduced in the Muslim Book of Names that my company, the Specialty Promotions Book Co.
Inc., published not too long ago, with my comments as well. My comments:

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad on Names

For Chicago, it was a mild September evening in 1967, and having traveled from my home in Newark, New Jersey, to
Chicago, I was looking forward with my usual excitement to, once again, spending some time with the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad. As was his custom when entertaining guests, visiting laborers, and others, I had been invited to join
him for dinnerfour-thirty p.m. sharp. As I often did, I took the opportunity to question the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad about areas of his teachings, and on this occasion, I took the opportunity to ask a question about Muslim
names. It started in this fashion: Dear Holy Apostle, he was often addressed that way. (It would not be Islamically
correct to use that term today.)

I suspect you get a hundred letters a day from some of the Muslims asking you what they should name their child.
What should they be told? With one of his characteristic chuckles and smiles, he said, No, brother, I dont get that
many requests. He then went on to say, You should give them a Muslim name if you want to, but the fact about it is
you should have one too. You dont apply an independent name of God to an X. No. Any name that I would take that
is an attribute or attached to God, then it should not have anything else attached to it like an X or unknown name
because this is known [the names of God]. Say, for instance, I would name myself Abdul X or Johnson. If I do that, I
am qualifying Abdul with an X and Johnson.
The inquiry was made: Well then suppose someone wants to take a full name, is that permissible?
Honorable Elijah Muhammad: Well it is not given to you to change names of Allah according to your
wishes. You were dead and out of his name and in the names of the enemies of Allah and didnt know it.
Therefore you dont know the attribute of God to choose for yourself. It also makes a mockery of his
name when you try to choose one of his names and link them up according to your wishes. One name
can have several meanings. It just doesnt stop at one meaning. The name has several meanings. You may
be choosing a name in which none of your qualifications are given. You see then there may have been
another name you should have been given because of your better qualifications. Yes, these names, they

have meanings. Now he, W. D. Fard, named me first Karriem. And later on he changed my name to
Muhammad. He told me he wanted me to have a bigger name. He referred to a more honorable name as
a bigger name. And he wanted me to take Abdul Muhammad. He wouldnt force it on me because in
those days, I was too dumb to know what Abdul meant. I rejected Abdul and kept on with Elijah. I didnt
reject Muhammad because I liked that name. But at that time, I didnt know the meanings of these names.
That was when I was first being taught. I didnt understand the meanings of these things. After I learned
the meaning of Abdul, I wish I had taken it and Muhammad. Karriem has a lesser meaning than
Muhammad. Muhammad has the highest honor of any of them.
Question: There is a sequence in which these names should be arranged too, isnt there? For example,
Karriem is not a first name, so if someone took the name Karriem Abdullah, would that be correct?
Honorable Elijah Muhammad: Yes, that would be all right. You can even take the name Karriem Allah,
but Allah Karriem would be incorrect. You dont put anything behind Allah. We need to understand the
meanings of these names and how they go so we do not mix them up. That would be like a man trying to
put his head down on his knee. He ends up not knowing where his head is [smile]. When it comes to a
name like Allah, well that means a great thing, the one hundred attributes of God, therefore you should not
put it in front of a name that means less.
Questioner: There are times when some people change the name of their children, making it different
than their own, and I wondered if that would make a legal problem for them.
Honorable Elijah Muhammad: Well, if they are going to take a name, it should be an entire name. Like
we have said before, we should not combine or tie a Muslim name with a name that means little or
nothing, a name that does not go with it. In fact the truth of the matter is, I think the believers should be
content with just an X for now. This tells the world we do not know our names as we have not yet
learned our attributes, but we have eXited out of this [old slave name]. We have not yet come out of
this world we are in. He [W. D. Fard] did not give me the authority to start giving names to the believers.
He told me, he himself would give them a name when the time came.
Suffice it to say that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad himself rarely gave out names. It is clear that giving me a
name as he did in 1973, Abdul Salaam (Servant of the Peace of Allah), was a rare exception.
As stated earlier in the letter from which I took excerpts, asking the Honorable Elijah Muhammad as to the
whereabouts of Fard Muhammad, let me repeat here what he said about the name Muhammad: Muhammad means
praise-worthy, and one worthy of that praise. This is also an attribute of Allah. With that understanding, it is not
surprising that it was rare to find one of his converts to whom he had personally issued the name Muhammad, even
among his ministers, almost all of whom used the X as did Malcolm. Nowadays the name Muhammad among the
Muslims is almost as common as Smith among the Christians. How did that happen? Remember the serial killer in
2002 of so many people at random? There were two of them. Was not the last name of the older one and leader John
Allen Muhammad? I wonder how the Honorable Elijah Muhammad would feel about that.
I think it is important to understand that the common occurrence of Muslim or Arabic names being witnessed
among the general African American population (black population, if it makes you feel better) is a relatively recent
phenomenon. I would guess the late 1970s. We can comfortably say that it was a direct consequence of the
teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad that this sudden popularity of Muslim (or Arabic) names
emerged. But unfortunately, like so many other aspects of that which he taught, this great interest in meaningful
names was misunderstood or taken out of context, thus we have witnessed many taking Muslim (or Arabic) names
and combining them with the slave masters name or jumbling them together in such a way as to almost be a mockery,
as hinted at by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Lets continue.
Anyone who has watched children grow up very quickly notes, if normal, how curious they are. They are
constantly seeking to learn. You have to watch carefully that they dont put any and everything in their mouth as they
explore their environment using their tactile senses, smell, taste, and feel. Once speech comes, there is this incessant
questioningwhats this, whats that? Question after question comes and our educators tell us how important it is that
we tend to their concerns and answer whatever inquiries they make as truthfully and completely as possible, keeping in
mind their age and the scope of their ability to comprehend. So what happens when youre born into an environment
where the scope of your world is fashioned by the limited knowledge base that was afforded us as a people, both
during and immediately after slavery? Clearly that has some applicability to today, as well, when we take note of an

environment into which many of our children are born out of wedlock, to young teenagers, single-parent situations,
and to parents who themselves may very well be school dropouts or very much limited in their own educational
achievements.
Who teaches the children, and what are they taught? The slave masters for sure werent going to and didnt provide
for the needed educational struts to build a meaningful life. In fact, I recall vividly Carter G. Woodsons well-known
statement in Mis-Education of the Negro, a book my company sold for years. He wrote,
If you can control a mans thinking, you dont have to worry about his actions. If you can determine
what a man thinks you do not have to worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he
is inferior, you dont have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told and if
you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you dont have to order him to the back door, he
will go to the back door on his own and if there is no back door, the very nature of the man will demand
that he build one.
Early on in the thrust to bring our people out of a circumscribed knowledge base designed to keep them slaves, the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and those early pioneers as far back as the 1930s were taught and began to boldly
proclaim that black women, the childs first teachers, are the very mothers of civilization, not hoes, niggers, and
bitches, as they have far too often been characterized by many in the early hip-hop generation. The teachings that
began to come forth from the doctrine of Elijah Muhammad, first formulated by Fard Muhammad, was that the man
of color being designated as the colored man, as a Negro was not a Negro. He was just a so-called Negro, not a
lazy, shiftless, good-for-nothing but the Asiatic Black Man, a man who was birthed from and is the very father of
civilization, a god, though a little one, himself. It is the white man, so stated the teachings in a series of questions and
answers that members of the Nation of Islam were to commit to memory that is the colored man, Yacubs grafted
devil, skunk of the planet earth. Colored because his true characteristics and nature were hidden from ushe was
colored. Powerful language.
Though a myth, it made for strong motivation and powerful introspection. It began to change the way a people
looked at and perceived themselves. When looked at closely, we can see that Elijah Muhammad used language to
weave a kind of reverse psychology. Where so many things in the language referring to black were negative in their
connotations, Elijah Muhammad switched things around. What did it mean if you were characterized as the black
sheep of the family? How about Devil food cake, chocolate, versus Angel food cake, white? What was happening to
you if you were being blackballed? A little white lie was no big thing, but Lord help you if you told a big black
lie. There were (are) many such innuendoes in the language that we used to highlight that were purposefully
calculated to make black anything but beautiful. There was a period in our history when it was considered a real insult
to people of color to be called a black so and so. Yet with the rise of so-called Black Power, set into motion by the
Nation of Islam in the 50s and 60s, Black suddenly became beautiful.
But of course language alone wont produce a full change. The language, though important, is just an aid to
affecting changebehavior must change; bad habits must change. One must do something on an ongoing basis in an
environment, conducive to the change to lock in the change. That became the role of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad, who skillfully and methodically prescribed the change. He embodied it in the very structure of the Nation
of Islam, its rules, laws, and regulations right down to a fully prescribed change in eating habits, found in some of his
early writings in How to Eat to Live (vols. 1 and 2).
Those books proposed an amazing set of recommendations of ways to eat that most who subscribed to would have
to bear witness that they were changed both mentally and physically in ways they might never have thought possible. I
must note here, as an Islamic perspective, that his proposals, though effective, should not be classified as strictly
Islamic. In the sense that some of his recommendations as to what we were told not to eat (such as nuts or lima
beans, catfish, or sweet potatoes, and some other items) cannot be considered haram, strictly forbidden, under Islam
as such. As with much of his teachings, these recommendations were a message to the black man in America
designed to deal with some specific maladies in a sick peoplepeople he generally characterized using biblical
terminology as deaf, dumb, and blind, the kind of people that Jesus went out to heal, a people whose dietary habits of
eating soul food was sending them to an early grave. Many of these self-destructive habits were hangovers from the
days of physical slavery. Much of the mental slavery still persists. This entire area of discussion and way of looking at
things was fortified when in the PBS documentary American Experience, Malcolm X, I heard and watched John
Henrik Clarke, a non-Muslim, a man considered as one of our foremost African American historians and not a
supporter of Islam say,

Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox Arab form of Islam, I doubt he would have attracted
500 people. He introduced a form of Islam that could communicate with the people he had to deal with.
He was the King to those who had no King and he was the Messiah to those people thought to be
unworthy of a Messiah.
My comment on that quote is I would substitute the phrase he introduced a teaching that he called Islam for
Clarkes statement form of Islam. I am obliged to keep before the reader my bias that there are many aspects of
things that are being taught today, though stretching the bounds of Islam as I assess them, do not step outside the
bounds of being called a form of Islam as much as the teachings of Elijah Muhammad that clearly cast Allah in the
form of a man and calls Elijah Muhammad the Messenger of Allah. A big Islamic no-no.
Id like to conclude this chapter with a couple of questions to the reader that I had to wrestle with myself and share
with you what I arrived at for myself. In this naming, labeling business, whats with the continual name change, ethnic
identification label for people of color in America? I mean like who really is the black man and what if any are the
unfaltering characteristics that make him or her that? In his quest to reeducate the Negro in America, the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad started out by first saying there is no such thing as a Negro. His clear stipulation was that the title
was just made up and given to us by those other than ourselves. On the road to finding out who we really are, he
began using the term so-called Negroes and he actually stipulated that his teacher Fard Muhammad had taught him
that we were the lost sheep from the biblical house of Israel, and that we go back to the very founding of the earth
itself as a people who should be designated as Asiaticsthe Asiatic Black Man and Woman.
His position was that the entire earth was once called Asia and that the former slaves, presently residing in America,
are of that people. Thats a big statement. One just put out there as a take-it-or-leave-it declarationno proof one way
or the other. Clearly this assertion was challenged, but his audacity was one of one upmanship in that we nor anybody
else really knew who we were or are. There is no record of what happened at the beginning of what we call Time.
I know what Elijah Muhammad said in his lectures on the theology of time, but thats a whole other issue that I
dont today subscribe to. We know the Holy Quran as translated by some say the human being came as a result of
black mud fashioned into shape. In others places, the Holy Quran is translated as saying from sounding clay; we
can read from sperm issuing forth, etc. None of that is detailed out. Clearly, this is a controversial non-ending
subject, raging even now, in the creation versus evolution discussions, and I would not be so foolhardy as to open that
Pandoras box. My position from an Islamic perspective is that Allah in a clear statement recorded in the Holy Quran
has declared that He made us tribes and nations so that we might know one another.
O mankind! We have indeed created you from one man and one woman, and have made you into various
nations and tribes so that you may know one another; indeed the more honorable among you, in the sight
of Allah, is one who is more pious among you; indeed Allah is All Knowing, All Aware. (Holy Quran,
49:13)
We further know, as the ayat at the beginning of this chapter stipulates, he gave us as humans the ability to name
things so we, not he, came up with these labels and we have done a pretty messy, confusing job. Now look, I said in
an earlier chapter that my wifes grandfather was known to be a Caucasian, a slave master. Her father, as is true of so
many children fathered by the slave master with one of his slaves, was of a complexion that was distinct from that of
a Caucasian. The immediate members of his fathers family that were not of color ostracized him and ran him and his
family out of town. So, why should he, though fair in complexion, be considered a Negro, a black man? On the
other hand, there have been children of the slave master, so fair of skin, with straight hair and other Caucasian
characteristics that they simply made a conscious decision to pass as Caucasians because it made life easier for them
and very few knew the difference. I knew several people who decided to make that choice. This same kind of story
can be repeated over and over again. We have already written how Malcolm X felt about it. According to his own
statement about his lineage, the father of his mother who he declared raped his grandmother was a Caucasian,
technically his grandfather! Yet who can you think of that was more proud of or fought harder for so-called Negroes,
the black man as he preferred to say, than did Malcolm X and the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, who by the way
were pretty fair in skin color too?
So like, really, who is the black man? Everyone has their own definition. I had a three-volume set of Websters Third
New International Dictionary of the English Language, unabridged which has gone through many editions. The one I
had appears to have first been published in 1909 and in volume 1, A to G, the definition for black man is an evil spirit:
BOOGEYMAN, DEVIL [The witches sat at a table with the black manMargaret A. Murray].
I didnt make that up. Thats what the book said. I disposed of that dictionary.

For Elijah Muhammad, anyone who was not a Caucasian was a black mana definition he used in his lessons to
say that the black man outnumbers the white man 11 to 1. We know whom that definition favors. How about this one
African American? A few years ago, I was giving a talk to some students at Kennedy King College during Black
History Month (Note: Black History Monthnot African American History Month, or is it both?). I asked each
participant in the class what label they preferred for themselves, black or African American. The choices came off at
about 50-50. One person who had chosen black said, I used to say African American until I was in a class once with
a person who I considered a Caucasian and he said he was an African American. Everybody looked at him kind of
funny until the guy said, Well, I was really born in South Africa and I came to the United States some time ago and
became an American citizen. So now Im an African American. Can you argue with that?
I once asked the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, just what is a Negro? There are very few times that I can recall in
questioning him that some uncertainty came with his answer. My present-day understanding of the limitations of
language allows me to understand why he really couldnt deal with that question with any finalitybecause labeling
something doesnt make what you label it in the world of reality of things that thing. He started off by saying there is
no such thing as a Negro (a good answer, I thought), and we went on from there. I believe I have that talk recorded
somewhere in a table talk too. Someone calling me nigger (whatever that is) doesnt make me a nigger, so I have many
ways to react in such a situation, including just ignoring it, not taking the bait, blowing up, and/or getting violent about
it and a number of other reactionsall of my own choosing. Anyone remember the old childrens saying, Sticks and
stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me? Ive already gone over that kind of discussion in the
chapter My Story, so I wont belabor the point here.
Lets wrap this up with the historical setting being faced at this time coincidental with my writing this book. I
thought, We have a man named Barack Obama, running to become the nominee of the Democratic Party, so that he
can run for the presidency of the United States. What can we say about Barack Obama? A lot of course, but to stay
on point, it seems to me, people who consider themselves black or African American, by and large, consider Barack
Obama one of them. Hes a brother, so for that and all kinds of what appear to me to be emotional reasons, it is said he
should be the candidate of choice! Why? What makes him a brother? Barack Obamas mother and, consequently,
one set of his grandparents as well are Caucasians! Doesnt that count? If not, why not? It appears not to matter very
much, because even the media has no hesitancy in calling him the African American candidate. Note again, the label
most usually chosen is the African American candidate, not the black candidate, but in general, the choice of label
used seems to be somewhat arbitrary and inconsistent. Do you find that strange? If African Americans should choose
to vote for Obama based on that arbitrary classification that he has been saddled withblackthen why get upset
with white folks if they choose to vote or their candidate because he or she is white or a female?
Theres some real funny kind of thinking out there, and its really off the wall, if black folks think because Barack
Obama is one of us, and if he is elected, he is going to jump right in there and battle for us over and above the
citizens of the country as a whole. He cant do that. He will have to swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and if you
know anything about that document, you must know there was a time when we were considered as only three fifths
of a person, just chattel.
If youre a Muslim and black, you really have a problem. There is so much Islamophobia out here, it would be a
full-time job and would need a separate department of the government just to deal justly with the issues. Since Islam is
said to be the fastest-growing religion in America, today you would think that could be attended to. But it hasnt and
wont be. Its part of the American dilemma. But you would think from all the promises being made by the candidates
who run for that office that the President is an omnipotent human being who just makes all kinds of things happen by
his or her own commandments. Forget it. There is a constitution and two other branches of government, the
legislative (Congress) and the judicial (the Supreme Court). The President as the head of the executive branch is just
one of them.
Ah yes, names, labels, a fascinating subject, but we must move on. Oh, yes, before I forgett The classification or
label I prefer for myself is a Muslim, born in America, primarily of African descent.
ETC.

CHAPTER 17
WILL THE REAL NATION OF ISLAM PLEASE STAND UP?

This chapter is designed to discuss some of the issues that have emerged as a result of the death of the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad, in reference to the splintering of the Nation. There were a boatload of them from wrangling and
fighting among children of Elijah Muhammad, primarily those conceived outside his marriage with Clara Muhammad,
but some of the children from the Clara Muhammad-Elijah Muhammad union were involved too, right up through the
time that a complete dissolution of the power base that the Nation of Islam once was took place. That too is another
book, but for our purposes here, lets take a look at the role played by the FBI in this saga. We include information
gleaned from the FBI file dated January 9, 1969, quoted from the Sun-Times article The FBIs Secret War (July 29,
1979). Further items included here represent actual scanned copies of files from the FBI dossier at that time specific to
the Nation of Islam. There are a ton of those too, but lets limit our discussion to just a few. Lets get started on this
chapter with these items.
The bureau set out to exterminate the so-called New left and militant or high profile black civil rights
groups and even sought to provoke injury or death among their leaders. At one point, in a directive on the
New Left, Washington exhorted FBI field offices that no opportunity will be missed to destroy this
insidious movement. Similarly marked for destruction in a memo was the group then known as the
Nation of Islam or the Black Muslims (The religious organization is now called World Community of Al
Islam in the West and its members are known as Bilalians). In contrast so-called white hate groups such
as the Nazis and the Ku Klux Clan, were merely harassed to limit their effectiveness and to hold down
their membership. (Chicago files)
It has been said that hindsight is 20/20. When we read these files and directives, just the few snippets, I have
provided for you here, certainly make it seem as though a skilled maestro stepped on stage immediately after the death
of Elijah Muhammad and faultlessly directed and orchestrated the Hoover Plan to a Tthe dissolution of the NOI, its
goal and end point became a reality. No myth there.
At the time of this writing, thirty-four years have passed since the death of Elijah Muhammad, and now we have a
substantial number of entities styling themselves as true followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, many of which
seem to have very little regard for each other. I do not see that as the wish of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, but it
was certainly something he had pretty much predicted. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad could be described as a
very strong personality, very seldom showing any emotion in his everyday settings, unlike the substantial emotional
involvement characteristic of his public speaking persona.
I recall one evening just a few of us were waiting for him to come down to dinner. It wasnt the usual full group.
When he did appear, he seemed a bit sad. I would say he had a kind of uncharacteristic melancholy look about him.
Without saying very much, he took his usual seat at the head of the table and appeared to be lost in thought. Having
been around him on many occasions, I knew it best to wait for him to decide how the evening would proceed. I can
still see him before me, impeccably dressed as was his custom, suit, white shirt, and bow tie. After a few minutes of
just quietly sitting, he said, How many of my people will the wolf get? Nearly all. Just a few will escape. He didnt
say the devil. He said the wolf. He said this almost tearfully. That is why I remember it so well and I made a note of it.
He had again put forth the likelihood, as many of the people who worked most closely with him (we were generally
called laborers) had known him to on some occasionsthat when he was no longer with us, we would fall to the
wayside, fail to maintain the discipline, the loyalty, the bonding with one another that he had so carefully nurtured
among us through so many years by his own dedication to the pathway he himself knew so well: the pathway so
necessary for our ongoing growth and maturity.
He was clearly visualizing what might very well befall us (and has indeed in many ways befallen many of us),
divisions, enmity one to another, and a return to the lure of the materialistic, anything goes world that surrounds us. He
evidently could clearly see that kind of falling away as he styled it would almost certainly overtake many of us until
such time as we would come to learn what it really meant to be Muslims in the fullest sensethat is, until such time as
Allah would create the time, environment, and setting for Islam to rise as surely as the Holy Quran had predicted
that Islam would overcome all the other religions, though the polytheist be adverse.
He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion that He may make it overcome the
religions, though all of the polytheist be adverse. (Holy Quran 6:9)

This Quranic verse must be understood in the broadest sense. This is not to be thought of as applicable only to
those of us who called ourselves Muslims in the hells of North America. No, no. Being thirty-five years down the road
now, I can see what the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was concerned about goes deeper than that. The general
conditions of the Muslims, and indeed the downtrodden and persecuted among non-Muslims, as well the world over,
would need to be attended to. A full revival of Islam in that final sense expressed in the Quran that reads:
Today the disbelievers have despaired of vanquishing your religion. Therefore fear them not, fear Me.
Today I have perfected your religion For you and completed My blessing on you and approved Islam as a
way of life for you. (Holy Quran: 5:3)
This powerful ayat that I quoted a number of times in this writing revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), nearing
the end of his life, according to the Islamic scholars and the Holy Quran itself, needs to be understood in the broadest
context. Prophet Muhammad was not just a prophet for Arabs or any single group of people. He was sent to all
humanity. This ayat was discussed within a fuller context in the chapter on Malcolm and bears rereading.
Unfortunately we do not know whether this bigger picture came to the mind of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad
or not, but I suspect it did. In the narrower sense, I think at that time of the incident mentioned above, more than likely
Elijah Muhammad was concerned for his people here. The styling of the wolf as a metaphor for the entity that would
entrap us rather than the more often-used term devil was characteristic of Elijah Muhammads consistency. You see
part of the overall teachings of Elijah Muhammad has embedded in it analogies and metaphors paralleling scripture. Our
people were the lost sheep, the flock that concerned shepherds tended to, the lost sheep that Jesus would come for:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. (St. John 10:27)
Shepherds have to look out for the wolves. Lamb chops are one of the wolfs favorite dishes. The (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad considered himself both literally and symbolically his peoples shepherd and he was the one whose
job it would be to teach us how to steer clear of the wolf. He was very comfortable that within the framework of his
teaching, he knew just what was necessary to keep the wolf at bay. But have his former (and present day too, I guess)
followers been able to keep the wolf at bay? What is it now that has crept into what was once considered to have been
a unified framework of thought, a thoroughly bonded and united group of people? An entity that now manifests itself
as the Nation of Islam1, Nation of Islam2, the Nation of Islam3, Nation of Islam4, the American Muslim Society, the
Mosque Cares, Muhammads Temple of Islam, Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah (CROE)? Has the Hoover
Plan now taken root? During the time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, we knew nothing about Sufism, Shiites,
Hanafi, Malaki, Wahabism, Sunni, no kind of -isms. It was just the Nation of Islam under the guidance of one who
styled himself as and we called the Messenger of Allahperiod.
If you went to Rochester, New York, you heard the same teaching. The Yakub history perhaps and the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad teaches us. If you went to California, any place in California or any place else in America where
people considered themselves to be Muslims and Islam as their religion following the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, you
heard the same teaching and again maybe the Yakub history and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us. Today,
that is certainly not true.
During the time of this writing, a day of celebration and gathering characteristic of the followers of the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad called Saviours Day came about. The day was most often celebrated on February 26, the day we
were told was the birthday of Master Fard Muhammad, our savior. So on this particular Saviours Day, February
2003, I went to a meeting by a group just labeling themselves Muhammads Temple of Islam. Now get thisthe
meeting was in a church! Did you get that? A church!
The old banner of the Nation of Islam hung from a balcony behind the podium from whence the Nation of Islam
minister spoke.

Disclosure of what the FBI contends in the complete Chicago Field Office COINTELEPRO file provides unique
insights into how Hoover turned the nations most respected investigative agency into a secret political police force.
The Chicago files refute the contention that COINTELPRO was waged equally against what Hoover defines as
extremist of both the left and right. Instead the new document reveals that:
The bureau set out to exterminate the so-called New left and militant or high profile black civil rights
groups and even sought to provoke injury or death among their leaders. At one point, in a directive on the
New Left, Washington exhorted FBI field offices that no opportunity will be missed to destroy this
insidious movement. Similarly marked for destruction in a memo was the group then known as the
Nation of Islam or the Black Muslims (The religious organization is now called World Community of Al
Islam in the West and its members are known as Bilalians). In contrast so-called white hate groups such as
the Nazis and the Klu-Klux Clan, were merely harassed to limit their effectiveness and to hold down their
membership. Chicago files.
There was a huge cross hanging above the banner, there was an equally huge cross both to the left and right of the
banner, the windows of the church were of the stained glass type, so characteristic of churches with stained glass
murals of Caucasian angels, people, Mary, Jesus, etc. And maybe there were seventy-five to one hundred people there
some of them women and children. And this was their NATIONAL MEETING! I mean like really, can you believe
that? I couldnt believe my eyes. I was literally dumbfounded.
So, Dr. Salaam, you sound all tore up just because the meeting took place in the church. Whats the big deal? Didnt
that same thing some time take place in the earlier days with some of the followers of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad?

Yes, it certainly did, but man, that was over forty-seven years ago! We met in all kinds of places, storefronts,
homes, lofts, street cornersanyplace. But, again, that was over forty-seven years ago! It is very necessary to
understand that a hallmark of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was a steady stream of progress. His
talks given in 1957, 1958, and 1959 were substantially different than his last Saviours Day address in 1974. In the
lingo of his teaching, the church was considered to be the Ice House, a place where people got frozen in
nothingness, where your brains stopped functioning and you reveled in the madness of the religion that trapped and
domesticated our foreparents. Attending services at a church as a Muslim was no place to be, and the very moment,
circumstances would allow, we all knew we had to find a more suitable meeting place.
What do you think the presiding minister taught at this meeting, even though he had predetermined that 95 percent
of the attendees said they were followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad? Thats right. Youve got it. The Yakub
historythe fable of the making of the white man. During the entire time that I sat there (and I spent about an hour
trying to get a flavor of what was going on), thats what I listened to! The brothers and sisters were of course polite
and dressed in such a way that if they went down to the meeting that took place that same weekend, promoted by the
Nation of Islam, under Minister Farrakhan, in so far as dress was concerned, you would not be able to distinguish one
group from the otherFOI (Fruit of Islam) suits for the brothers and MGT (Muslim Girls Training) uniforms for the
sisters was the order of the day. In speaking with one of the principals of the group, I came to learn that it was
originally founded based on a dissatisfaction with the direction taken by Imam W. D. Muhammad after his succession
to leadership in the Nation of Islam founded by Fard Muhammad and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
A group of former ministers who had served for many years under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad decided to break away and try to continue teaching that message. At least three of the founders of that
group have since died, and at this point in time, in so far as I could determine, the group has no real leadership,
purpose, or substantial membership. It has no formal meeting place of its own, and at the time of this writing, its
members are meeting in a place leased by another group, headed by a brother we knew under the leadership of the
(Honorable) Muhammad, who married one of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads former secretaries, and former wife
of his youngest son, Professor Akbar Muhammad. He is known as Silas Muhammad. They call their group the Lost
Found Nation of Islam. The first Muhammads Temple of Islam group, at the time I attended one of their lectures, was
meeting on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. and Silass group meets at the same place at 1:30 p.m. The meetings are
said to be rather sporadic, since there is no consistent, cohesive activity among either group. These groups know of
one another of course, but at the time I sat in on the meetings, they were not intermingling with one another.
I think perhaps I better pause here to insert something about the Yakub history. I used this term the Yakub history
with some frequency above and perhaps, for the sake of readers who may not be familiar with the teachings of Elijah
Muhammad that he called Islam, I should say something about the Yakub history. It lays out what I would call a
cornerstone of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, to the effect that the white man (Caucasian) is the devil and that he
was grafted by a black man (a big-headed scientist) by the name of Yakub, over a period of six hundred years, from
59,999 black people on an isle called Patmos.
Yeah, I know what you think. Salaam, how could you folks go for that? You have to keep in mind that this, that I
now conceptualize as a mythical history, carried great weight and was heavily laden and supported with scriptural
terminology crafted by Fard Muhammad / Elijah Muhammad or both. Elijah Muhammad says it was taught to him by
Fard Muhammad. I wont go into it here. It can be found in its entirety in Message to the Blackman in America for
those who want to know more about that fable. You see, we certainly had no history of our own being taught to us
back in the early thirties with any kind of depth or consistency. We wanted some kind of history for ourselves of
course, which was amply supplied in the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, so we were absolutely ecstatic at the thought
that we preceded the white man (and there is ample anthropological and historical evidence we did). After all, they
themselves went about the world boasting that white folks were indeed IT, the closest thing to God himself.
During the time of this writing, there was a big controversy going on about the movie The Passion of the Christ,
directed and produced by Mel Gibson. How was and is Jesus (PBUH) most usually portrayed? Go back to your
church and look at him, with white skin, right? As God himself, or the Son of God, right? And certainly with few
exceptions, that was pretty much the only way you would see him portrayed back in the thirties. And we know for
sure, during the time of Jesus, there were no cameras to take his picture. Jesus declares, he never told anyone, he was
God, not even in the Bible, and certainly not in the Holy Quran. Note this quote from the Holy Quran:
And Lo God said, O Jesus, son of Mary! [Note: Son of Mary, not My Gods Son] Didst thou say
unto men, Worship me and my mother as deities beside God? (Jesus) answered: Limitless art Thou in

Thy glory! It would not have been possible for me to say what I had no right to [say]: Had I said this,
Thou wouldst indeed have known It. (Holy Quran 5:117-119 [Muh Asad])
So when the Yakub history laid out for us that there is no sign of the white man being present more than six
thousand years ago historically, and that this was documented with purposefully chosen references to scripture and
history to fortify the position that was being taken, and the white man himself never established a determination to
dismiss or disprove that theory or charge, it was easy to accept. There were those of us who were not bootlickers, or
so much in love with white folks, that no matter what they did, it was considered all right, loved this kind of teaching!
I recall very clearly an incident one afternoon prior to going out to teach at Muhammads Temple #2, here in
Chicago, where I often served as the assistant minister and taught on some Sundays. On this occasion, as was usual,
prior to going out to the Temple (it was called Temple in those days rather than mosque), I went over to see the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad. That was the routine. You would then present to him what your subject matter would be
for that session and he would either approve it or suggest something else. I recall saying to him on this particular
occasion that I had already covered most of the lessons when teaching the people, so what did he think I should teach
now? He said, Well, brother, teach the Yakub history. That woke you up, didnt it? So I went out and taught the
Yakub history. Now in case you are wondering in this day and time, neither I nor any person who has come into
the correct understanding of Islam believes that history.
But look, Ive got news for you, many folks still go for that history if they say they are followers of the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad and are caught up in a Im better than you and the black man is the God bag. And I know some
brothers who become very upset if you question anything taught by Elijah Muhammad. I mean like they get all puffed
up about it. Yet they themselves have never really looked beyond their own limited vision to appreciate what he was
carrying us to. I knew the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad well. I questioned him so often at such length sometimes
that the people around him started calling me a hypocrite. He knew better. Its a long story, and I promise Ill touch on
this subject again later. That final vision of his is very much part of the reason I am writing this book.
On that same day, February 26, 2003, there was another group, whose position is that they use only the pure
teachings and words of the [Honorable] Elijah Muhammad and they too had a quiet meeting at their own place,
dedicated to keeping his teaching and works alive. I did not attend, but I was told by one of the groups founders that
it was just a kind of low-key celebration, whereby most of the adherents and members of the group came together to
give thanks for the coming of Master Fard Muhammad, and the raising up of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. This
group gathers itself under the banner of CROE (Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah). It, too, was founded by a
group of former members of the old Nation of Islam based on the common belief that Imam W. D. Muhammad did
not properly represent and continue the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Also, they believed that he had
indeed destroyed the very foundation of the movement he became the leader of and everything it had accomplished.
The brothers were all polite, well-dressed, and business-minded. In the short twenty or so years they have been
together, at the time of this writing, they have gone from a little storefront activity to a larger self-owned property,
with many television programs and active engagement with the community. I participated in a number of television
interviews with the business manager myself and consider I have a polite but somewhat uneasy relationship with them.
I found what I considered to be a substantial amount of inflexibility at the leadership level. My position is the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad should not be put on the shelves of ancient history and just left there with the likes of
Marcus Garvey, Noble Drew Ali, and others who made a contribution to the development of the black mans selfimage, but are now buried in ignominy. Those groups (or persons) who remain frozen in the days of yore fail entirely
to understand that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads goal was to make Muslims of the finest order of those people
he barely had time to introduce to the religion, and we do him an injustice by just pitching verbatim that old teaching. It
served its purpose but, by and large, can no longer hold water on a theological basis.
Then on February 29, 2003, there came the biggie, the meeting of the best-known group, considering itself most
representative of the old Nation of Islam. It is headed by Minister Louis Farrakhan who is usually introduced by his
ministers as the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, I have now noted in many
places in this Nation of Islams literature, becomes the MOST Honorable Elijah Muhammad. To make some sort of
distinction between the two I guess. This, too, was a three-day celebration. Since, now some of the more formal
rituals of Islam have been incorporated into the Nation of Islam under Minister Farrakhans leadership, a Friday activity
was included, so as to encompass the formal Friday Islamic gathering known as jumuah. The big day then, was on
February 29, a Sunday, so more people could attend. An admittance fee of ten dollars was levied. During the entire
time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammads reign, there was never an admittance fee charged. There were plenty of

collections from the people at the meeting all right, but there was no admittance fee. In fact, the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad said in the early days when people came to the Saviours Day meeting the Muslims gave them an apple as
a gift. Of course times and things do change.
Perhaps you might have noticed that I seemed somewhat incredulous as I described the meeting of the John Ali /
Minister John Muhammads Temple of Islams February 26, 2003, meeting because of the choice of a church. I was
equally incredulous and frankly puzzled when Ministers Farrakhan made a similar choiceto meet in a church at one
of their Saviours Day gatherings.
It was a considerably larger church of course, the one pastored and built by a well-known woman pastor, Johnnie
Coleman. What transpired in the midst of Minister Farrakhans speech had even me embarrassed for him. In the midst
of his characteristically confident, highly charged oratorical talks, the owner of the church, Pastor Johnnie Coleman,
decides to make her entranceright on the stage. Well, Minister Farrakhan felt clearly obliged to stop and introduce
and welcome her to the meeting to let her have her say. As I saw it, he didnt have much choice. Clearly for me and I
suspect for many others, her sudden appearance took all of the bravado out of his presentation as Pastor Johnnie
Coleman made it clear in THAT church, although the minister and his followers were welcome, in THAT church she
was the boss. I have known Minister Farrakhan for over forty-five years now, going all the way back to my days on
the East Coast and having interacted with him rather closely on a number of occasions for professional orthodontic
services and other activities. We will get back to a short discussion of his version of the Nation of Islam in our next
and closing chapter.
Now, I cant close out this chapter before mentioning another spin-off group from the Nation of Islam, another
Allah in the Person of grouping. No, Im not kidding, the United Nation of Islam. It is my understanding that one
of its earliest founders was Abass Rassoul, now deceased, a former and the last national secretary under Elijah
Muhammad and the earliest one at the time of the leadership changeover under Imam Warith Deen Mohammad. The
group is led by a brother once known as Royall, who was once and admits to having been one of the truck drivers for
Muhammad Speaks newspaper in the Nation of Islam. He is now spoken of as Allah in Person. Another WOW! He is
referred to as Solomon (and still in some of the literature hes called Royall) and is styled as Allah in Person by his
membership. In a letter said to be dispatched to all Muslims and true believers who received their X under the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, prior to February 25, 1975, on a letterhead I obtained from the group, I found this
nonsense as part of the heading:
In the Names of Allah who came in the person of Master Fard Muhammad, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and
Solomon, Allah in Person.
Sounds dumb and confusing? Yes, I know, but thats how it read.
This letter was urging such followers to report to the Regal Theatre, Seventy-ninth Street and Stony Island Avenue
on October 26, 1997, to meet with SolomonAllah in Personand the returned Honorable Elijah Muhammad who
would be with him. Now is that madness or what? I have had an occasion to sit through part of a DVD this group
authored (couldnt take much more than just part of it) in which Solomon (Royall) and someone posing as Elijah
Muhammad appeared. As a dentist, I was appalled at the appearance of Solomon. Even from a distance, he clearly had
very poorly attended to his dental needs. Missing, misaligned teeth and a collapsed lower third of the face were clearly
evident. Naturally, being a dentist myself, these disfiguring elements immediately caught my attention. His talk, as you
might well imagine, was pure nonsense, and why the people sitting there didnt just get up and walk out on him is
beyond me. Well, I should be careful here. Since I wasnt there, maybe some did.
Clearly, it doesnt make sense to leave this chapter without a further discussion about Imam W. D. Muhammad
dealing as it does with the subject, will the real Nation of Islam please stand up. And so, having promised earlier, that I
would get back to him, lets do that now.
Now, be forewarned, there will be no attempt to discuss Imam W. D. Mohammad and his version of the Nation of
Islam in any great depth, in spite of the fact that I knew him personally for more than forty-five years. I worked very
closely with him between 1974 and 1977, and even beyond serving as mentioned earlier for a little more than a year in
a position labeled and formulated by him, and he said by advisors to him, as the Organization President of the Nation of
Islam.
An entire cadre of new positions sprung up quickly early in his leadership, most of which I took the time to
formulate job position outlines for, submitting them to him for his approval including an outline of what I thought I
understood to be my own as the Organization President. It didnt seem to matter too much, and it quickly became
clear to me that the vital knowledge and skill that I considered necessary to steer the Nation of Islam as envisioned by

his father was sorely lacking or of little concern to him as he continued to push forward reformulating time and time
again what he envisioned the Nation of Islam should be about. The real power remained with him at all times, the
office of the Organization President, as I soon learned, being nothing but a shell. His decision to resign from the
leadership of the community over the years on several different occasions was signal enough for me to move on. So in
spite of a fair amount of knowledge I have about him and his role as leader of a new community, I will be keeping my
discussion within the context of this books title. As far as Im concerned, the Nation of Islam I was a part of and
know most about essentially ceased to exist within a few months after the passing of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. After the assumption of the leadership role of the Nation of Islam, the community formed and nurtured
by his father, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, for more than forty years was no more. I first met Imam W. D.
Muhammad back in 1958. At the time I met him, he was considered to be firmly attached to the Nation of Islam and
the minister for Muhammads Temple #12 in Philadelphia. He was known to me then as Minister Wallace D.
Muhammad, serving as one of his fathers ministers in the Nation. I can distinctly recall the first time I met him. He
came to my home for dinner after giving a talk at Muhammads Temple #25 in Newark. New Jersey. During those
days, it was not uncommon to have ministers from various not-too-distant mosques, like Philadelphia, Camden,
Trenton, and even as far away as Washington, D.C., to come to Newark as an exchange lecturer, with Minister James
3X, the regular minister of the mosque.
After the teachings (thats what we called it at that time), we would have dinner together. Since my wife and I were
officials of the mosque, it was natural to have dinner at my home and my wife, like so many of the sisters, was a
boss cook. I remember it so well because it was considered to be a distinct honor to have one of the Messengers
sons that we had heard so much about in our home. As always, I had the insatiable appetite to ask questions. One of
the things I asked him was what did the D in his name stand for. I can still recall the surprise I experienced when he
said he didnt know. He also added his father, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, didnt know either or he would have
told him. Strange. Contrast this with what he said in one of the ministers classes. I have already mentioned to you
earlier that I had formulated this class, shortly after I moved to Chicago, during one of the periods that Imam W. D.
Mohammed (Wallace Muhammad at the time) had been given time out of the mosque. The statement comes from one
of what is labeled as the ministers kit and is listed on page 38, dated March 30, 1975. I still have a number of those
ministers kits in my possession. In the one interview Imam Mohammed granted me once I began writing this book,
when I asked him if it would be all right if I used quotes from some of that material, much of which I had even
recorded myself, he said no, since it no longer reflected clearly his later way of seeing things. I can see where he was
coming from. As I read it today, I find the material interesting, but sprinkled with strange concepts. But so as not to do
him an injustice, let me quickly insert here something that I think is of importance that I did bring from that interview.
December 17, 2003, Interview: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was undoubtedly bent on making us
Muslims. He did not understand Arabic, but he did know that the Holy Quran is certainly the book for
Muslims. We were a people with no history that we knew of or could be proud of and so he set out to
create for us a new identity. Yes its true, much was made up by either himself or Fard, or more than
likely a combination of the two. The picture that we were given of Fard reading the Holy Quran was
meant to develop in us a reverence for that book. Yet because he himself could not read Arabic, he had to
depend upon English translations. This means that he never did get a full grasp of the book, but he did the
best he could with what he had. We need to understand then that certain distortions and/or missed
understandings could not be avoided in his interpretations.
W. D. Muhammad said he thought some members of the FOI were out to get him at one time. (Car waiting for him,
started up, but just drove past himto scare him, maybe?) I dont believe the Honorable Elijah Muhammad would ever
order such a thing any more than he would order the death of Malcolm.
But anyway, back to this quote from the ministers kit. As I recall, they were compiled from his taped talks by the
secretarial staff at the mosque, at the time by either Bro Gilbert, who later came to be known as Shakir, and/or the
national secretary at the time, Abass Rassoul. Here is the statement made by then Minister Wallace D. Muhammad:
My Name: The D stands for a prayer called the success prayer because the One that gave me that
D saw that I would come into the leadership and be the One to make that prayer a reality. My name is
Warith, not Wallace. My father couldnt say Warith, so he gave him Wallace. Warith D. Muhammad.
Warith is an attribute of Allah, which means inheritor. Fard means the prayer. We say, Oh Allah, exalt
Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad as you exalted Abraham and the followers of Abraham.
Bless Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad as you blessed Abraham and the followers of

Abraham. The One who makes that prayer become a reality is called my name, and if you have forgotten
it, you wont get it again.
I say strange again. I see no further mention of the D and its meaning as Deen as it seemed later to have
become, nor Warith as Warithuddin and Muhammad as Mohammed. And so how was his name said to have been
given to him by Fard Muhammad, as the story of old goes, written on the door, Wallace or Warith or Warithuddin?
Myths versus realities. Its your call.
Imam Warithuddin Mohammed was by no means your run-of-the-mill leader, and hopefully one of his family
members or close associates will produce a book that will highlight some of his leadership characteristics, which were
really a function of his determination to reshape the Nation of Islam in a form he considered essential, if the
community he inherited as a consequence of his early interaction with the Holy Quran and orthodox Islam
personalities, as well as the off-and-on strained relations he had with his father, was to come into being as he saw it.
His earlier experiences convinced and made clear to him that what his father was teaching was not the Islam of the
Holy Quran. Working, as I did with him over so many years, and in the many roles I assumed, both before and after
his leadership came into being, I came of course into close contact with him and saw and partook in the many and
frequent changes he set about making. Within just a few months, the name of the Nation of Islam was changed several
times. This continued over the years becoming at the time of his death the Mosque Cares with little or no resemblance
to the original Nation of Islam.
Let me highlight one small item to continue to make a point here. Under the reign of Elijah Muhammad, we were
titled ministers. There were no imams then, just ministers. Early on, Imam Muhammad coined his own term and
designated those teachers that were following him called ministers, as emams then later imams. One of his early
traits then was to coin his own terminology for many things, then thrust it out to see who would go for it, perhaps as
a test to see who accepted his way of thinking, or were clearly behind him. Im not sure. My concern is with the
tendency for what appears to be a trait for emulation, rather than a strong sense of self-assertion, still extant within
our people as a holdover of a slave mentality. Im convinced that seriously hampers the development of effective
leadership. I saw these trends even before he attained his leadership position and, as a consequence, had one
somewhat strained conversation about them at a table conversation at the home of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad
over dinner, with many of the laborers, as well as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad himself, being present.
It was in late 1974, a period in which the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads health could be seen to be rapidly failing.
Without going into all the details, at dinnertime before all present (because I frequently acted to present the lecture at
the Temple when he didnt show up), I took the time to make clear my discomfort with him, being the son of Elijah
Muhammad, consistently going before the people to teach what clearly was not the teachings of his father and get
away with it. None of the rest of us as ministers could do that. We had to routinely preface our remarks with The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us and he almost never did. There is a short mention of the same incident on
page 87 in the grandson of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, Jesus Muhammad Alis book, The Evolution of the
Nation of Islam, since he was also present. There was more to it, but I wont bog the reader down with any more
details right now.
There are now so many groupings of people who consider themselves part of some offshoot of the old Nation of
Islam that I have neither the time nor the inclination to research that issue further. Certainly then, here is a really good
place for an
ETC.

CHAPTER 18
THE DILEMMA OF THE MUSLIM IN AMERICA

Dilemma: a difficult problem; a problem seemingly incapable of a satisfactory solution.

Websters Third International Dictionary
Ive chosen the term dilemma in this next-to-concluding chapter only after great consideration and the stark realities
that I see before me today, shaped and tempered by my own experiences that I tried with some difficulty to lay before
the reader in the preceding chapters. As I proceeded, I tried to keep in mind, to the best of my ability, some kind of
solid premises upon which to build and how I would come by my conclusions. As a Muslim who accepts
unquestioningly that the Creator, Allah, did not just make things up to reveal to his Messengers and prophets, the last
of whom was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as fairy tales but as truths, as prediction, as Al-Haqqahthe Great
Inevitable Reality, the Sure Truth.
They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the
disbelievers may be averse. (Holy Quran 61:8)
He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion that He may make it overcome the
religions, though all of the polytheist be adverse. (Holy Quran 6:9)
Understandably from the point of view of the Muslims, one would like to feel the time in which He may make it
[Islam] overcome the religions, though all of the polytheist be adverse is near and it may well be, but only Allah
knows that time for sure, when, where, and how it will take place. We see some hint in the verse When comes the
help of Allah, and victory. You see crowds of people enter Allahs Deen (Holy Quran 110:1-2). It has been stated
from many sources that at least in America, particularly, among African Americans, Islam is growing in leaps and
bounds. I recall a recent poll from www.WorldPublicOpinion.org stating that a survey of Muslims from Morocco,
Egypt, Pakistan, and Indonesia found that 75 percent of Muslims wanted to live under Islamic law (Shariah). But what
about the here and now in America? Yes, therein lies the dilemma for both the Muslims and non-Muslims. The amazing
rise of Barack Obama to become the Democratic nominee for the presidency and then attain that position is not only an
amazing achievement of historical proportions, but as I see it and as Barack Obama himself has said, there is a stirring,
a yearning among the American people for change, a palpable restlessness for something different. Barack Obama
said in his nomination speech, This is not about me. Its about you, the American people. Well, we know though it
was said by some polls that as much as 11 to 12 percent of the population thought he was a Muslim, he had repeatedly
rejected any such notion and took the position he was an avowed Christian. I believe him. There is a lot of evidence
that during his campaign he was, understandably, fearful of any hint of ties with Islam. The not-too-subtle attempts by
many of his enemies, as well as the enemies of Islam, to link him with Minister Farrakhan and then paint Minister
Farrakhan as an extremist, so as to marginalize Minister Farrakhan, was self-evident.
There emerged a report from reliable American Islamic sources that two Muslim women were prohibited from
sitting behind the podium at Barack Obamas rally in Detroit, apparently so their headscarves would not appear in the
photograph with him. Different media sources reported that Obama campaign volunteers said the women could not sit
with hijab (the prescribed Islamic garb of women in Islam) behind the candidate, though they gave different reasons
for the rule. One volunteer said that one of women could not be seen on TV with Obama because of the political
climate and whats going on in the world and whats going on with Muslim Americans.
I was obviously profiled and discriminated against, said Hebba Arf, the twenty-five-year-old lawyer. The other
volunteer gave a less-political explanation to the other woman, claiming nobody with any kind of headpiece could sit
behind the stage. Both women said they were disappointed by the treatment they received at the rally. In all fairness, I
have to include the statement that it was reported that the Obama campaign people later apologized for the incident.
Im hopeful this was due to Obama himself after learning of the incident, issuing to his campaign people the need to
make the apology. Its clear that he had been a masterful strategist in shaping the direction of his campaign. His
rubbing of shoulders with Islam during his youth could not help but have some meaningful, beneficial effect on him,
even if he rejected the religion as a whole. The media marginalization of and the voluntary (?) distancing of Obama
from Minister Jerimiah Wright during his campaign, a man who has given more than thirty years of his life to speaking
about the plight of black people was self-evident. The message was its okay to be an African American, but dont be
too black. Remember your mother is white.

Dont look for Obama now that he has won the election and taken the oath of office to say Allah-U Akbar (God is
Great). He would be shot on the spot. So what and whos stirring the people? Could it be Allah? What kind of
change would be best for them? Thats easyIslam. But getting Islam into an impact-making position in America?
Different story. Simply put, these kinds of examples are why I write about a dilemma. Clearly there are millions of
God-fearing and God-loving people in America, but there is so much Islamophobia in this land that it dwarfs antiSemitism.
The barriers to people hearing and understanding Islam in its true form are plentiful. The arraignment of forcesthe
sole purpose of which is to thwart any kind of meaningful progression and the spread of Islam ever since the Crusades
are formidable. Today those efforts are in full swing both in and out of America. We could go on and on citing
examples of such things, but thats a whole other ball game and requires another book.
Both John McCain and Barack Obama, like all politicians running for office, made some bold promises during their
campaigns just as though once either became President, they, by just a stroke of the pen or the waving of a magic
wand, could make all those promises come true.
Nonsense.
Im hopeful that most of my readers are not that nave, that you are more knowledgeable than that. Ive heard
people foolishly suggest during the time he was running for office that black folks should vote for Barack Obama just
because he is black. Then I heard others say hes not black enough. How shortsighted! This government has the
checks and balance of three branches of government responsible for any meaningful constitutional changes: the
executive branch (the President), the legislative branch (the Congress), and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court).
So even if he or any President could change to the kind of government they felt it needed to be, if it is not Islamic, its
just more of the same hiding in a different guise.
Only the properly constituted form of Islam as outlined in the Holy Quran and brought to life by Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) would bring about the change mandated by the Creator (Allah) and best for the peopleall
people. Who would know whats best for the people better than the Creator of the people? Only Islam in its correct
form is properly suited to eliminate world hunger, senseless wars for capital greed, oil crisis, and humiliation of the
weak by the strong or the dark over the light. We would see no manipulation of the world through the media with lies
and deceit, or see the domination of disbelievers over the Muslim. A reminder once again of the passage in the Holy
Quran revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the prophet for all humanity:
Today the disbelievers have despaired of vanquishing your religion, Therefore fear them not, fear Me.
Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My blessing (favor) on you and chosen Islam
as a way of life for you. (Holy Quran 5:3 [S. Abul ALa Maududdi])
To refocus on this dilemma Ive hinted at, many of the Muslims in America have forgotten and non-Muslims fail to
understand that Islam is not just another religion. An environment that allows for freedom of religion and the practice
of ones rituals, so long as one does not get carried away to the point that you begin to remember Islam states your
allegiance is to the Creator and not to mans flawed laws, many of which directly contradict the laws and
commandments of Allah (God). Islam when properly understood is a deen, an entire way of life. So what about
those who are acutely aware of this distinction? How about them? Again the dilemma. In the old Nation of Islam, this
was very deftly and shrewdly balanced by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I wrote of this in some detail in an earlier
chapter, but some of it is worth repeating. Entrance (membership) into the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad
from the very git-go, as we say in the street, established a conditioning process that skillfully wove into the heart and
mind of those seeking membership that there is no God but Allah [Master Fard Muhammad] and Muhammad the
[Honorable] Elijah Muhammad is his Messenger. And so if you want to be with us, you must unhesitatingly and
unerringly do what the leadership of the Nation of Islam prescribes for you. Therein lies the rub. This declaration is the
reason there is no way for the Islam of Elijah Muhammad to survive meaningfully long-term beyond Elijah
Muhammad. His position can of course continue for historical purposes under the shield the teachings of Elijah
Muhammad that he called Islam. In that teaching, the very foundation of true Islamic understanding, La illaha Ilallah
(There is no God but Allah), Muhammad Rassoul (is the Messenger of) Allah was misrepresented. Yet as allowed by
Allah for that time in America, it is historically true that as far as most African Americans were concerned, to be a
Muslim meant to be a member of the Nation of Islam, an FOI (Fruit of Islam) or an MGT (Muslim Girl in Training).
Yes, I know there were those then, as there are now, who were in a frame of thinking, in stark contrast to the Muslims
under Elijah Muhammad, many of whom fought us as fiercely as non-Muslims. But for that day and time, I would say
from the early 1950s, when Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam to 1975, when Elijah Muhammad

passed, when one thought of the Muslims in America, whether inside or outside of the country, it was the so-called
black Muslims under the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad that usually came to mind. Nowadays with the widespread
imaging of Muslims throughout the world via the media, the African American Muslim is almost a second thought. The
Nation of Islam of old, with its places of worship, whether they were in storefronts, mosques, temples, or what have
you, provided a haven, a place to continually refresh ones dedication to a cause, while standing with so many others
thinking like yourself.
So it was, too, in the days of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Masajid represented centers of activity, social,
political, and otherwise that produced a bonding and dedication to a cause unparalleled in any other religion. Certainly,
within the Nation of Islam, under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, that was also the case. Not so today. At least, not
in a way that is easily discernible. A fact that I recently heard confirmed by Minister Farrakhan who certainly, in my
opinion, is the most powerful and foremost exponent of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Not too
long ago, I had one of my grandsons proudly proclaim he and his wife had become Muslims. Of course, I was happy
to hear that. In the time of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, thirty-four years ago, at the time of this writing, the
assumption would have been that in all likelihood he had become a member of the Nation of Islam, and we would say,
they had reclaimed their ownIslam, since by nature they were born Muslims. But his declaration reinforces my point
in this chapter, the dilemma, and gave me pause for concern when I had to in a face-to-face meeting at a family
reunion not too long ago, ask him, Who are you following? A seemingly strange question for me, who had been
what I considered to be a Muslim long before they were even thought of.
When you say you are a Muslim, I asked, tell me more about that, Sunni? Shite? Wahabi? Sufi? Member of the
Nation of Islam? What? I wont go into the details of what followed in the conversation here, as I have already made
my point. The need to ask what do you mean when you say you are a Muslim or who are you following was
nonexistenta no-brainer at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was completely different in the time of the
prophet, even though we know for sure there was among those we speak of as the Sahabi, the Companions, the loyal
and dedicated followers of the prophet, some who did not totally agree among themselves about every decision of the
prophet himself, unless it became clear that what he spoke of was a specific revelation from Allah (God) himself. If it
wasnt and they asked about a recommendation he may have made, in which they had a greater knowledge, he would
accept that. But there was certainly no need to ask who you are following or what sect you belong to. Those kinds of
clear-cut separations did not exist until after his death.
Ive spent more than nine and a half years now bringing this book into being and could spend another five years and
still have more to say but let me conclude. I hope I have made it clear early on that no matter how much I say, there is
certainly more, much more to say on this subject, always the ETC.
What I think is befitting in the context of this chapter, as we wind down, is to sketch out a relatively recent event
that filled me with sadness, and just as importantly fortified for me my resolve to share whatever insights Allah has
blessed me with that might help people who are struggling with where they are going with their lives now and in times
to come, be they Muslims or not. For those still among us who lived, followed, and gloried in the time of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the event Im speaking about is the return to Allah on August 25, 2008, of Jabir
(Herbert) Muhammad, the third oldest son of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammadonly three months older than myself.
Two activities came about as a consequence of his passing. The first was the funeral service that we speak of in
Islam as the janazah, a short to-the-point service, free of the moaning, groaning, singing, and long soliloquies, so
characteristic of Christian funerals. The service was held in the courtyard of Masjid Al Faatir, the Masjid (mosque),
instituted and built by Jabir. Both Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, Jabirs brother, and Minister Louis Farrakhan were
in attendance. The Masjid has an interesting history.
I recall when we had the first Jumuah service there. It was under the leadership of Jabir. It was more than thirty
years ago. Maybe we had ten or twelve people in the prayer line, and the Masjid prayer area had not been opened to the
size it is now. The services were usually conducted by a wonderful and exceptionally knowledgeable brother and imam
that Jabir was instrumental in bringing to the country from Morocco, Imam Abdus Salaam. At the time, he could
barely speak English, but you should hear him now. The sad commentary here is that although Jabirs body was
allowed to lie in state in the courtyard for the short service, at the time of that activity and for many years prior to his
death, he had absolutely no authoritative say whatsoever in how that Masjid was governed. Yet for years he had
planned along with others, including Muhammad Ali, for that Masjid to be a model for all that a Masjid could beat
least on American soil. Yet there he lay, bereft of his original position by a ruling from a secular American court of any
semblance of ownership, in that which he was initially so prideful and dutiful in bringing into existence. He was

displaced by an American court that understandably in no way felt it had to concern itself with a serious legal dispute
between Muslims, a dispute with Islamic underpinnings that should never have been in the first place.
Remember, within our book title, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad figures prominently. Here then is a good place
to hearken back to his influence, for surely one of the prime motivating factors in the emergence of this Masjid was
the very direct influence of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad on his son Jabir Muhammad. Yes, there
were certainly other factors working as well, such as the ongoing concern for Muslims to perform acts considered to
be pleasing to Allah and the building of a Masjid for the use of the Muslims could certainly be said to do that, but for
our purposes here and my own personal knowledge about the drive to erect this entity, the Honorable Elijah
Muhammads goal for us to build a place of worship worthy of being called a Masjid (mosque) cannot be downplayed.
I have already mentioned how in the early years the places we invited the people to come to hear the teachings were
just storefronts, homes, rented spaces, churches, etc. Such places the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said were not
worthy of being called anything other than temples. Even right up to 1972, the major place of worship for the Muslims
here in Chicago, Muhammads Temple #2, was housed in what was once a small church at 5335 S. Greenwood
Avenue. Adjoining it was a small building that housed a school labeled Muhammads University of Islam. It is
completely understandable then why the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad worked so steadfastly to purchase the building
at Seventy-fourth Street and Stony Island Avenue once a Greek Orthodox church, one of the ten finest such churches
in the country, along with an adjoining school for some three million dollars, courtesy of an interest free loan from
Libya. It became Muhammads Temple #2 and Muhammads University of Islam of course.
Not long after the death of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and fairly early in the reign of Imam W. D.
Mohammed, the name of the school was changed to the Sister Clara Muhammad School in honor of his mother. Both
structures were lost through tax forfeiture. In 1988 they were redeemed by Minister Louis Farrakhan, housing what is
now known as Mosque Maryam. All the chairs that Imam W. D. Muhammad had ordered removed were put back.
The mosque was majestically renovated and Sister Clara Muhammads school has reverted back to being Muhammads
University of Islam.
I remember working with Jabir, as I frequently did, along with others in the early planning of the Masjid. I can still
recall a meeting in which I took part to consider what name to give the Masjid came up for discussion after a number
of suggestions had been made and rejected earlier. I suspect it might have been around the time of Ramadan, a time in
which Muslims are urged to read the whole of the Holy Quran, and I must have recently read or was reading chapter
35 of the Muhammad Ali translation at the time. Since I dont read Arabic with any degree of proficiency, and I have a
lot of different translations, I usually try reading a different translation each Ramadan or, not infrequently, cross-read
them. Anyhow, something in the Muhammad Ali introduction to that chapter, ALFATIR, THE ORIGINATOR,
caught my attention and I suggested to Jabir the name Masjid Al Fatir, because I felt it would really fit what we were
intent on being about at that time.
He read it and immediately agreed on naming it Masjid Al Fatir. The part within the introduction that had the greatest
influence on us reads, The title of this chapter, Al-Fatir, is taken from the divine attribute mentioned in its opening
verse. The Originator of the heavens and the earth sweeps away the old order and generates a new one, because, if
truth must prosper, a new generation must be raised to propagate that truth.
Another really meaningful sentence in that introduction speaks to the rising of a new generation, which will take the
place of the old generation that proved itself unfit to promote the cause of truth and justice in the world.
The Masjid that Jabir envisioned would be spacious enough to house many activities other than just a masala (area
of worship). Educational activities were considered, a general meeting area for a part-time school, and a place to
discuss community concerns was to come about, just the kind of activities in general that we know the Masjid in the
time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was about.
He was even hoping Imam W. D. Muhammad would see fit to lead services there. I recall we had what might have
been likened to a grand opening in which I was the introductory speaker in preparation for the keynote address given
by Imam W. D. Muhammad. He spoke there just once, and that was it. Jabir had the vision, but as we now know, his
vision was never realized.
Now with the passing of Jabir and the change in leadership, the vision has dieda dilemma. Again, another story.
Ill touch on it here in passing because of my concern for bringing into focus an Islamic perspective that highlights the
need to understand what it means to not be able to rule or judge by that which Allah has set forth. One of the strong
recurring themes of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in spite of its Islamic shortcomings, was that
we must have a nation of our ownthe Nation of Islam. We certainly dont have one in the fullest sense now.

A second activity was held three days later that was listed as a memorial servicea not-too-common occurrence in
a strict Islamic sense. It was held at the latest Salaam restaurant, corner of Seventy-ninth and Union. There was a
Salaam restaurant during the time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad too at the corner of Eighty-third Street and
Cottage Grove Avenue. Its long gone. The present Salaam restaurant has an interesting history that I know well, as a
construction company known as CSIConstruction Systems Inc.that I was an intimate part of, initiated its final
construction. Although at the time of its initial dedication and opening, it was said that close to five million dollars was
spent to bring it to completion, except for some special occasion such as the memorial service, closed down for
several years as I understand itand only recently reopened (2011?) for some sort of food servicing functions. As far as
I know at the time of this writing, it is still owned by the Nation of Islam, under the leadership of Minister Louis
Farrakhan.
Okay, Dr. Salaam, get to the point.
The mix at this memorial service is what fascinated me. There were probably more than one hundred or so people in
attendance that apparently knew or knew of Jabir Muhammad. As I looked over the audience, I saw people that I had
not seen in many years, which is often the case at funerals and people paying their respects from clearly different
communities. I sat next to a brother I have known for years of Pakistani origin, who knew both Jabir and the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad well. His wife, who said she was the source of that elaborate, highly decorated fez with
the crescent moon and stars on it, which we so often associate with the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, gave an
emotional tribute to Jabir and the family in general. Definitely Muslims, but what community would we say they are
part of today?
You know we have this label thingthe immigrant Muslim community? No. Just Muslims who may not have been
born here, but thats irrelevant. I know both of them well and had an interview with both of them as I prepared for my
book, but decided it would take me too far afield to include it. They have been around associating with members of the
Nation of Islam for over forty years and have been Muslims all of their life. Then there was a Caucasian, who was
once in charge of Chicago parks and concessions, whom Jabir worked and associated with for years, someone, we
once upon a time called the devil, who paid tribute in a short statement.
Did Jabir ever call him the devil? If so, when and what made him stop? There were others present who gave words
of praise and we would generally label as Caucasianwhite. Should they be called the devil? Since the statement that
the white man is the devil was the hallmark, the underlying foundational teaching of Elijah Muhammad and we
reveled in teaching that, what changed? They are still here, long after Elijah Muhammads teacher, Fard Muhammad,
taught him in 1914 after their time was up. How do you deal with that if you once believed that? Acting as the master
of ceremonies, for lack of a better term at the moment, was one of the grandsons of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. His uncle was Imam Warith Deen Mohammed and his father-in-law is Minister Louis Farrakhana
dilemma? As Muslims, what or who will his children follow, if anyone? In this culture, it is very easy to get swallowed
up and be Muslim in name only. I see it all the time, even in my own family.
There were sisters present dressed in the garb we speak of as hijab, fashioned and put in place as proper attire for
them by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, long before becoming a Muslim was all right, long before as-salaamualaikum (peace be upon you) had become easy to say and now known and nonchalantly said by millions, right here in
America particularly, in the African American community. Then, not entirely unexpectedly, there were some dressed as
though hijab was the furthest thing from their mind, who could or would say if asked, Yes, Im a Muslim. And so as
I listened to the various accolades laid on Jabir Muhammad, who as far as we know can neither hear them and
certainly cant respond to them, a common thread emerged. He wanted all to know, with no ifs, ands, or buts about it,
that he was a Muslim and wanted all the members of his family to be the same. He himself sprang from the loins of his
illustrious father the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad and was close to him right up until his fathers death, but as he
grew in knowledge, his own personal references to and about Islam came not from his father, not from Message to the
Blackman, a compilation of the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, but from the Holy Quran and/or the
sayings of Prophet Muhammadthe Sunnah.
I had many naysaying, not always pleasant discussions, with my brother Jabir, but I learned if a disagreement arose
and we discussed it within the framework of the Quran and the Sunnah, the clearest exposition of that position won
out, and we would be at peace. As I see it, the most appropriate and meaningful tribute to Jabir Muhammad then
would be to take up and march onward with the flag of Islam proper. Jabir, though not highly educated in a worldly
sense, was an ongoing student of the religion. Interestingly, he had insights into other areas, usually associated with the
highly educated, particularly architecturally oriented subjects that was just short of astounding. So clearly for Jabir, as

well as myself, the white man per se had stopped being labeled the devil.
In the broader sense, I would like the reader to understand that my discussion here is not for the elevation of Jabir
Muhammad as such. Hes gone and may Allah forgive him for his sins. No, when we get into heavy praising, we need
to keep in mind that all praise is due to Allah. It is He, Allah, who sets the stage for the good we make happen if we
are of that mind. Those persons who consider themselves as God-fearing, God-loving people must take a much-closer,
open-minded look at Islam and themselves. Those of us who profess to being Muslims need to assess and reassess
what that means today. The world is being tested and reshaped on an ongoing basis today as never before. Those who
are not Muslim, and have no intention of ever being one, well, thats your choice, and Allah has certainly allowed us to
make it, but he will not be denied.
ETC.

CHAPTER 19
CONCLUSION: IS THE WHITEMAN STILL THE DEVIL?

Long live Muhammad! Long live Muhammad! Long live Muhammad! The lusty cry of thousands of followers
of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad had been heard for the last time, for at 8:20 a.m. on February 25, 1975, at
Chicagos Mercy Hospital, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, the venerable leader of the Nation of Islam, was
pronounced dead by Dr. Charles Williams, his longtime personal physician. The cause of death was listed as congestive
heart failure. With that pronouncement came the end of an astounding era of accomplishments that one would be hard
put to find a parallel to in modern history. The time between the writing of this conclusion and then is thirty-four years
February 1975 to February 2009. At the time of his death, Jet magazine, the first well-established, long-term
magazine published by and dedicated to the upliftment of black America by the late John Johnson, a commemorative
issue was published taking up eighteen pages of text and photos. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was on the cover
showing that wonderful smile I was so instrumental in helping him to come by.
I often pull out that copy of Jet and reread with wonderment the praise laid upon him from such diverse figures as
the then Mayor Richard Daley, father of the present mayor, to a photo of a weeping Minister Louis Farrakhan.
I simply must quote Mayor Daleys comments, comments coming from the mayor of one of the most racist cities in
America at the time, a city harboring citizens that threw rocks and stones at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his visit
here in the sixties, while using the most vile kind of racist slurs imaginable. Mayor Daley said, The death of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad is a great loss to the city of Chicago and to the entire country. He was an outstanding
citizen who was always interested in helping young people and especially the poor. He always exalted the basic family
unit, which is something we should all admire, and he developed an educational system which preaches dignity, selfrespect, and accomplishment. Wow.

Courtesy Johnson Publishing Co L.L.C. all rights reserved

And how about this one from the late Dr. C. Eric Lincoln (now deceased), chairman of Fisk Universitys
Department of Religious and Philosophical Studies and author of The Black Muslims in America, appraising the impact
Muhammad had upon blacks.
Elijah Muhammad gave Blacks new confidence in their potential to become creative and self-sufficient people. In

addition, he taught his followers the efficacy and rewards of hard work, fair play and abstinence. It has been shown
beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Muslims who have followed his economic teachings have been comparatively
prosperous and have in many cases moved substantially ahead in their economic pursuits. He also gave his people a
success formula for home and family life. The rate of divorces is quite low. The stability of the Muslims home is an
ideal for which the rest of America might strive.
I imagine this issue of Jet would be hard to find nowadays, but as I browsed mine once again, full of praise from
leaders of various groups at that time, the indomitable Rev. Jessie Jackson, sporting his African hairdo, popular at the
time, Julian Bond, Vernon Jordan, and others, I find myself asking here we are in February 2009, African American
History Monthwhere is all the remembrance by the general population and the present-day Muslim population for the
highly praised Elijah Muhammad? Malcolm X? Oh yes, plenty of praise for him, but what about Malcolm Xs teacher,
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad? Yes, there will be scattered activities this month to commemorate the work of the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad by scattered, no-longer-well-bonded groups, as was the case under the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad. But few, if any will really be about the fulfillment of his ideas, vision, and thrust, some earth we can
call our own, a nation unlike any other nationowned, operated, and run from top to bottom by black people. Those
black people he considered to have become Muslims taken on Islam as their religion, as their way of life, and
exemplary models of what it meant to be a Muslim.
In his last 1974 Saviours Day address, though still clinging to the unsupportable doctrine that Fard Muhammad was
God, he backed farther and farther away from his other unsupportable doctrine that the white man is the devil by
constantly reminding the audience that there should be no reason after all the teaching he had given them, after the
white man had freed the black man, for the black man not to go and do for self. His ongoing reference to Do for
Self in that last sermon stands out. His urging of the audience to stop depending on the white man and clean
themselves up to be recognized among the civilized people of the earth was loud and clear. Has the so-called Negro
that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad spent over forty years of his life reforming done that? An emphatic NO!
Hey, Salaam, weve got a black President now. How about that? Um-hum.
Yeah, right, but we need another chapter if we want to talk about that from an Islamic perspective. I did make just a
few comments about that earlier.
What stood out most for me was the complete absence of the use of the term Devil during that last presentation
he made at a Saviours Day address. Was he now hinting strongly at the possibility that it was time to move away from
such damning language?
I had organized a ministers class for those who were coming to Chicago monthly to bring their reports and the
class was to keep them apprised of the Honorable Elijah Muhammads latest thinking and directions. I recall how he
had told me to tell the ministers to stop speaking about the white man as the devil. He made it very clear that it was not
the ministers role to speak or teach about Fard Muhammad. That was his job. I distinctly remember, in one of the
frequent interactions I had with Minister Farrakhan, him saying that after one of his more abrasive talks as the national
representative, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad called him and told him that he should tone down his language. To
quote Minister Farrakhan, as best I can remember, he said the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad said to him, Brother,
why do you keep pouring dirt into this well that Im trying to get a clean drink of water from? The (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad was quite unique in the way he could put things. He had this unusual phrase he would sometimes use
when asked how he was doing and he didnt feel too good of saying sorta-sorta. One evening I saw him very slowly
coming down the stairs to dinner, and after my comment to him saying he looked kind of tired and asking how did he
feel, his reply was, I feel like a man riding a tiger whipping it with a rattlesnake. So as we move to wrap up this
writing, we most certainly will not have completed my intention of sorting out myths from realities and answering the
question Is the white man still the devil? in the clear-cut fashion I see necessary, so lets work on closing out with a
clear-cut position on that.
The main title I initially, but subsequently changed chose for this book, Is the White Man Still the Devil? is not
happenstance. The same thing is true for the device I have usedof sometimes placing parenthesis around
(Honorable) that I explained in detail in the introduction was not done on a whim. These choices were well thought out
and designed to provoke and stimulate curiosity.
What is meant to you by the word Devil? When you as a reader see that title, what comes to your mind? Is it some
mythical figure created and drawn by some medieval artist of a red figure with horns coming out of his head and a
long forked tail? Hopefully you have gotten a taste of the need to understand more about language, words, their
meaning, their derivatives, etc., as covered in my very short discussion about General Semantics in the chapter

Something of My Early YearsMy Story. There I laid out in a sketchy way some things one needs to understand
about the sounds and symbols we use that we call words. Remember my assertion that words dont mean only
people mean and how careful I was to outline for the reader what I mean when I use the term Islam, going so far
as to place before you a complete flowchart of how I see the term. So now let us deal with the term Devil.
My position is that for one human being to communicate with another, there has to be a common agreement as to
what one is trying to say when speaking. The words should as near as possible mean the same thing to the receiver of
the message, as they do to the speaker, the sender of the message. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was very clear
about whom and what he meant when he used the term Devil. In the Nation of Islam, the devil was clearly and
unequivocally declared to be the white manperiod. A person that had been grafted from the black man over a period
of six hundred years that has lost all the attributes of goodness that he/she possessed when part of the black man, just
a blond-haired and blue-eyed remnant of what they once were. He was in the language of the Nation of Islams
lessons, the so-called white man, Yakubs grafted devil, skunk of the planet earth. Strong unacceptable language
from an Islamic perspective, yet Elijah Muhammad built an entire community labeled the Nation of Islam calling
themselves Muslims, with that premise and the premise that God (Allah) was a mana man who came in the person
of Master Fard Muhammad who was born of a black father and white mother.
Come on, Dr. Salaam, youre kidding, right? No, Im not. That entire myth was the bedrock, the foundation from
which essentially everything else emerged. It is expounded most fully in a publication originally put forth by the Nation
of Islam titled Our Savior Has Arrived, representing more or less a summation of that doctrine. To go even further, I
just reviewed one of the many letters from him dated September 17, 1958, in which he declared that a black man
could not be a devil. You got that? Yes, I know. Almost everyone has a problem with that nowadays based on the clear
evidence before us of black-on-black crime. Let me quote to you directly from that letter. It is a three-page letter, with
a lot of things that I dont care to share at the moment. Essentially, I was asking him questions about Fard Muhammad
how could he be all places at once, where was he physically at the time of my question and a lot of other questions
about God being a man, something that was always kind of strange sounding and hard to take. There were other
questions as to what was the hajji all about, and the throwing of seven stones at the devil, etc. But for our purposes
here, let me give you this The black man cannot be a devil quote.
His letter started,
As-Salaam-Alaikum
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, The Merciful; Master of the Day of Requital.
To Him do I submit and seek refuge
[Note: No mention of Master Fard Muhammad hereDr. AS]
Dear Brother:
I received your letter postmarked September 9, 1958, and I was very happy as usual to hear from you. [The letter
goes on and then on the bottom of page 2] He says:
Brother, I think I made it clear to you that a black man cannot be a real devil.
[Note the use of the term real devilDr. AS]
Individuals have called Divine Prophets devils. There is nothing for us to stretch our eyes at what one can be called,
for we can be called many things that we are not. Again I wish to remind you that perhaps some of my ministers
could have said that there are black devils, but since I am their teacher and have give to you the answer from my own
mouth in my Article, declaring to the World that the black man can only be a follower of the devil and not the real devil
himself (unless he is grafted like the devil and made one out of the original, this should clear up your misunderstanding.
Brother according to your letter, I think it would be wise that some time in the near future, any time within a couple
of weeks, that you visit me and bring along anything that you think that is not clear, misunderstood, or contrary to the
Truth of Allah and Islam which is being preached.
May Allah continue to bless, guide, and protect you and all of the Believers in Newark, New Jersey.
As-Salaam-Alaikum
Your Brother
Elijah Muhammad
Messenger of Allah

Okay, so what do we have here? I would like you to take particular note of his challenge to and bring along
anything that you think that is not clear, misunderstood, or contrary to the Truth of Allah and Islam which is being
preached. You need to understand that same challenge was made to any and all comers. It was issued to me,
specifically at that time, because I was a known questioner and a professional man. He was making it clear that he was
challenging professionals as well and wanted me to know and spread the word, he was comfortable in doing that.
Okay, what else? How about the following:
As-Salaam-Alaikum
Your Brother
Nice touch, dont you think?
So in truth as we think on it, who decides who is white and who is black? I have seen some really dark, I would
unhesitatingly say, black people, and I have seen some real pale-skinned folks, I would call white people, but what
about most of us in-between folks? I once asked the Honorable Elijah Muhammad what is a Negro. His short answer
was, There is no such thing as a Negro. His long answer was much more exciting and gave me a clear window into
understanding how he initiated a movement that pretty much removed the word Negro as a term from current and
acceptable use. In fact I was somewhat surprised when I learned from my daughter-in-law, a schoolteacher, his attack
on the word Negro had gone so far that one of the best-known and respected texts about African American history,
The Mis-Education of the Negro, by G. Carter Woodson, although the bestowed title of the book had not changed, it
was now being spoken of as the miseducation of the African American. Do you hear what Im saying?
Before going any further here, let me make a clear declaration. The discussion that follows is not meant to be, nor is
it, some heavy theological discourse profusely footnoted and referenced on this subjectthe Devila complex and
very controversial subject itself. I have purposely throughout this writing made a point of being thorough and accurate
when indicated with some humor thrown in where it would not detract from the seriousness of what Im about here.
The position taken and given by Elijah Muhammad, that the white man is the devil, is not borne out in any really
established way by accurate, generally acceptable, widespread scriptural interpretation. Nonetheless, we must say by
doing his own exegesis of scripture (scriptural interpretation), both the Holy Quran and the Bible, he skillfully weaved
a picture of God and the Devil, by taking passages from both, that he states were taught to him by Fard Muhammad
that supported his position. Let me list a few examples. Early on, having a rather substantial background in the study
of the Bible, both his father and grandfather being preachers and knowing how buried we as a people were in the Bible,
he picked a passage from the book of Genesis, relating to the creation of manAdamto support the making of the
white man. I remember it well, since I used it myself often when I was teaching the Yakub history. The passage is in
Genesis 1:26 where it says, Let us make man in our image and our likeness. He specifically focused on the word
us and our so the pitch was made that this passage and this us was speaking about Yakub, now isolated on the
Isle of Patmos, with his 59,999 dissatisfied black people starting the grafting procedure. But he didnt stop there. The
next step to further support the history refers to the Holy Quran and picks out a series of passages considered to
represent one of the most often theologically discussed issues in Islam.
In the Holy Quran, we read of Allah (God) telling the angels he was going to make a man, a Khalifah, a ruler, and
the angels wanted to know why would he do that, suggesting that nothing could come of such a thing, but the
production of something that would do nothing but create bloodshed in the landin Elijah Muhammads discoursea
devil. He then picked chapter 2, verse 30 to make his point: And when thy Lord said to the angels, I am going to place
a ruler in the earth they said: Wilt Thou place in it such as make mischief in it and shed blood? By so doing, Elijah
Muhammad was acting as a mufassir, an Arabic term that pertains to persons doing commentary (Tafsir) on scriptural
passages, specifically the Holy Quran, in this instance, as though such explanations are really well founded and
needed to give clear meaning to the point in question.
Yet Elijah Muhammad, in the classical sense, was not really fully qualified to so freely make comments and
interpretations about the Quran and pass them off as authoritative since, as I said before, he himself neither spoke nor
read Arabic with anything resembling fluency. Even he himself said on page 93, in my edition of Message to the
Blackman: The Holy Qurans reading are not the kind that will lull one to sleep, but to get a real Quran one should
know the Arabic language in which it is written. However, you can find a good translation of it by Yusuf Ali and
Muhammad Ali. In that statement, he was admitting that what he was giving to us what was not authentically the
teachings of the Arabic Holy Quran! So where did he get the nerve to so often take passages from the Holy Quran,
the true Holy Quran being a book of Arabic text, and make them applicable to his message? Easy. Consider these
points: regardless of his command of Arabic, we know for a fact already mentioned earlier in this text that he relied on

at least two different translations when reading the Quranthat of Muhammad Ali and that of Abdullah Yusuf Ali. We
must also keep in mind the greatest number of his Quranic interpretations were provided by his teacher, Fard
Muhammad personified as God in Person. But here is the real kicker, and must be said once again, he claimed his
authority to interpret the Quran in whatever way he saw fit came from his status as the Messenger of Allah, a selfbestowed title.
Now, how are you going to deal with that, when we put before you once again, that those persons he came to and
recruited had little or no knowledge themselves about the Holy Quran or Islam back in the 1930s and 40s? And how
about his scriptural interpretations of biblical events? He really went to work with those and having already outlined for
you his background in Christian theology, understandably he initially felt more comfortable taking off on biblical
passages than Quranic ones, there being no language barrier. This opens up the opportunity for me to make another
important point and use another tool that makes this writing stand out from the rest of the Nation of Islam literature
my introduction of personal correspondence between myself and the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. It is historically
documented that by, and large, when we were captured, stolen, sold into slavery, and brought to the Americas, we
were not Christians. So how come we call on Jesus, at least as much as if not more, than any other group of people
and have more churches per capita in our neighborhoods than anyone else? This was one of the real hard-hitting
questions that we always put before our people as members of the Nation of Islam as we went about fishing them
into the Temple. It is a good thought-provoking question even today and we had and still have a good hard-hitting
answer for it. The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads messages early on then, dealt mostly with the Bible. The book is all
about us was his recurring message.
Those of us who became ministers in the Nation of Islam learned more about Christianity and its weaknesses than
we did when we were so-called good Christians. Those of us who studied hard and paid close attention to the
teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad could make the average storefront corner preacher run and hide. I just
moved to a new residence recently and found myself boxing a very substantial number of different kinds of bibles,
concordances, books on biblical symbolism, and all kinds of stuff related to Christianity that I had long ago abandoned
but back then, we knew the information cold. So it was not infrequent then that many of my questions to the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad revolved around the Bible. The letter from him to me that Im introducing here is based
on some questions I had asked him about the Crucifixion and its meaning. As you can see by the date, Ive had the
letter a long time. Yet it was not until a longtime friend of mine, Abdul Bin Asad, a former regional captain in the Nation
of Islam, who has been immensely helpful to me in both the compilation and commentary of this book, brought
something to my attention that I simply had not really taken note of before. The key issue here relates to Elijah
Muhammads interpretation of, or perhaps more correctly stated, his projection of meaning into the Crucifixion, a wellestablished Christian symbol and portrayal of the crucifixion of Jesus, which by the way, the Holy Quran says, did
not happen as it is portrayed in Christianity. So whatever the meaning given to me in his letter about the event, it has to
be viewed in that context. There is an English interpretation of the Arabic text in the Holy Quran about the
Crucifixion, generally agreed upon by most translators, which makes that plain:
And for their saying: We have killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah, and they
killed him not, nor did they cause his death on the cross, but he was made to appear to them as such. And
certainly those who differ therein are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge about it, but only follow
a conjecture, and they killed him not for certain. (Holy Quran 4:157)
Please note in his answer to my letter, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad specifically states that the thief in the
portrayal of the Crucifixion, hanging on the cross on Jesuss right, represented the believer. He was willing to
sacrifice his life for the belief in Jesus, therefore, he had life in the hereafter, and so it is with the believer today, they
will see the hereafter. (See copy of letter on the next page 313) I now ask, what hereafter? For those who do not
know, Elijah Muhammads position was that there was nothing to go to after we die. The hereafter was represented to
us to mean hereon earthafter the devil is gone. So here, we have this devil again. In his teachings, death ends it
all. Another clear Islamic disconnect.

There are what are called five pillars of faith clearly established in the framework of Islam. Number five is Belief
in Resurrection after Death. After the world ends, Muslims considered to be in the true circle of Islam, believe that
all people who have died will be resurrected in order to face the Judgment rendered to each of them by Almighty God.
The point in presenting this letter from him on this subject brings into question what his real private position on the
Hereafter was. We dont really know for sure. It was certainly never a question I asked him directly myself, since I
had already accepted his teaching as to the nature of the Hereafter. It should be clear to the reader by now just by the
things I have presented, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was frequently both in and outside the circle of Islam from
time to time. The letter clearly leaves one with the impression that he did believe there was something beyond this life.
Further evidence was provided to this effect, in part 2 of a commentary printed in the Muslim Journal, February 4,
1994, edition by Sister Shirley Hazziez. Sister Hazziez was one of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads secretaries, who
was often at the dinner table with him along with a few others, both at the time I was there and when I wasnt.
Hazziez wrote the following commentary relative to a statement she said he made when he walked into the dining
room at a time when she and some of the other secretaries were watching Soul Train, a onetime very popular TV
program hosted by a black commentator that generally featured rhythm and blues singers and gyrating dancers. She
said, He gazed briefly at the figures dancing on the television screen and told us that we had better spend time
studying and trying to save our souls. I remember being confused by his statement, she wrote, because at that time
we were taught to believe that there was no life after death. We believed that there was only this life and that the
Hereafter was after the destruction of America. Yet here was our leader and teacher telling us to take care of our

souls. This kind of statement was also very similar to a statement made to me by his grandson, a talented artist, that I
have mentioned earlier, Herbert Muhammad Jr., a.k.a. Jesus Muhammad Ali, who said to me he heard his grandfather
say to him on one occasion about an incident in which a discussion about death came up and everyone was saying the
deceased was gone forever, something to the effect that he, Elijah Muhammad, did not say there was not something
beyond this life.
Clearly, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad evolved and matured from the time he first spent with his teacher Fard
Muhammad right up to the time of his passing. Just as we have and did. His earlier years focused on the Bible, but as
the years went by and he spent more and more time studying the Holy Quran, he became much more interested in
talking about what it said rather than the Bible. His last chief assistant minister at the mosque representing him at
mosque activities was a brother named Yusuf Shah (now deceased), whom I frequently assisted and loved to talk to,
had almost completely memorized the Bible and loved to show that off. Yet at some of our dinner talks, when I would
ask questions about the Holy Quran, and we would talk, when Minister Shah tried to interject his Bible expertise, the
(Honorable) Elijah Muhammad would politely tell him that book was no longer important to discuss. Our book, he
said, is what the doctor and I are talking about, the Holy Quran.
The (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad requested that the lessons no longer be sent out from Chicago since he was
now well beyond them. The lessons were initially said to have been part of his early training used by Fard Muhammad
and then passed on to the members of the Nation of Islam. I remember with great clarity when one day, as a response
to my statement that the FOI classes I had just returned from had gotten so stagnant and boring, the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad pulled himself up out of his seat, faced me, and said, Yes, brother. I know what you mean. But
dont you worry. One day soon I will go out to the Temple and show you what a real FOI class is like. Its clear
today, of course, that Allah did not have that role in mind for him, so that day never came to pass.
I believe that I have established that if you choose to use Elijah Muhammads definition of devil, well then the white
man is still the devil.
If the truth be told, and it should be, the white man (as a group), although that group has done a whole lot of
devilishment, especially to the black man, Native Americans, the original inhabitants of this country, and people
throughout the world, it is Islamically and certainly in a General Semantics sense incorrect to use the term the white
man is THE devil. But we are not quite finished yet. Now we must go on with this touchy subjectthe devilas I
have researched it from an Islamic perspective and conclude with that weighty and fraught with controversy topic.
In my somewhat limited research into this topic, I was unable to find in any source that I would call sound Islamic
theology, depiction of human beings of any color, being designated specifically as THE devil per se. Evil being,
unrighteous person, opposer of the righteous, adversary of God, etc., yes. But again, not the white man, the black
man, or any other human being of a specific color. In Islam, the devil is most often linked and made equivalent to an
entity described in the Holy Quran as Shaitan or Iblis. Note, I used the term entity and even being here, rather
than be more specific.
I dont need to get into debates with theologically touchy people about that. I will use the Holy Quran as my
starting and ending point. Since that is what I accept and draw my conclusions from.
By now it should be clear to the attentive reader that I pay a lot of attention to language. It is the gift bestowed upon
us by the Creator that allows us to be superior to any other form of life. Ive already shared my point of view with you
about that in my discussion in an earlier part of this Holy Quran (chapter) that I am about to get into again, along with
my discussion on General Semantics.
I am not an Arabic speaker, thus my understanding of the language is limited, but I do know no matter what kind of
language anyone speaks, its learned and it is learned from someone. It is inevitable then that one is influenced by the
source from which one learned the language. Linguists are still wrestling with just where and when language first
originated. For those of you wishing to get a better grasp on this subject, study the Holy Quran, particularly this quote
and the commentary that accompanies it. Allah laid it out very clearly, for all who are willing to accept rational
discourse. I made mention earlier that I presented a paper at a General Semantics seminar entitled Religion as a Belief
System in which I spoke about this issue in detail. I wont do it here but the bottom line in that paper is the same as it
is here, that man knew nothing of language and speech until Allah taught it to him, taught it to him in such a mindblowing way that no matter where a human being is born, his ability to learn and speak the language of that community
naturally comes forth. Its embodied in a surah (chapter) in the Holy Quran that is our point of focus right now. It is
embodied in the passage And he taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels.
The agreed-upon Quran, that is said to be the Quran as revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and accepted by

all Muslims, was revealed in Arabic and that fact is clearly stated in the Holy Quran itself. Does that mean if one does
not speak or read Arabic, we just wont get it? Of course not. If that were so, all non-Arabic-speaking people would
be robbed of the true knowledge and wisdom of the book. Where I keep going with this is that language itself is just a
map, a tool by which meaning is conveyed. The key to the usefulness of the book is ones ability to grasp the meaning
embodied in the book, and it is shortsighted to think that one can only come by that if one speaks or reads Arabic. And
so, for the sake of specificity, when an author renders for the reader his translation of the Quran, his understanding
of what those black marks on paper that are spoken of as Arabic mean he has provided for us his understanding. Since
the meaning of the same Arabic words for different readers may differ, we have different Quranic translations, but
the meanings that are meant to be conveyed between the translator and the reader is the key issue. Far more important
is the behavior that Allah wants us to exhibit as a consequence and demonstration of that understanding. If you read
and understand Arabic, greatgood for youbut unless your behavior is guided and demonstrated by that
understanding, Im not impressed by the spouting of Arabic.
The Quran has been around in Arabic over fourteen hundred years, but look at the pitiful condition so often seen
among Muslims the world over at this point in time (March 2009). How do we explain the miserable condition of the
Palestinians today? That is certainly a big ETC. I will be quoting from the Holy Quran from the perspective of two
different translators, both of whom were acceptable to the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. The Abdullah Yusuf Ali
translation is the most generally acceptable one among the Ummah (Islamic grouping) at large. Yet the one most
usually quoted from by Elijah Muhammad was the Muhammad Ali translation.
Behold, Thy Lord said to the angels: I will create a Vicergent on Earth. They said wilt Thou place therein
one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praise and glorify Thy
Holy [name]? He said: I know what ye know not. (Holy Quran 2:30 [Abdullah Yusuf translation]
And behold, We said to the angels, Bow down to Adam; and they bowed: Not so Iblis; he refused and
was haughty. He was of those who reject Faith. (Holy Quran 2:34 [A. Yusuf Ali])
The Yusuf Ali translation has a long footnote on ayat 30, but for our purposes here, I wish to spotlight his
commentary about Iblis in ayat (verse) 34.
Commentary by Yusuf Ali: The Arabic may also be translated: They bowed down except Iblis In that case Iblis
[Satan] would be one of the angels, But the theory of fallen angel is not usually accepted in Muslim theology. In xviii
50, Iblis is spoken of as a Jinn.
So now we have an introduction to Iblis, Satan, Shaitan equivalent in English to the Devil and even the Jinn. I hope
you will pardon me if I skip any further mention of the Jinn. The seeking Muslim should learn about the Jinn, but it is a
weighty subject, indeed too big to go into here.
Lets expand on this subject a bit further now by looking at the same passage and its commentary in the Maulana
Muhammad Ali translation, the Quran that most of us used as members of the Nation of Islam because of it being
recommended by the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad:
And when We said to the angels, Be submissive to Adam, they submitted but Iblis [did not] He refused
and was proud and he was one of the disbelievers. (Holy Quran 2:34 [Muhamad Ali translation])
Muhammad Alis footnote 56: What is the significance of the angels being submissive to Adam? In the first place, it
must be remembered that Adam throughout this section stands for man generally; so submission is not limited to one
particular man; it is man generally. Secondly, it has already been shown that man has a superiority over the angels on
account of his great gift of the knowledge of things, the angels being the controlling powers of the forces of nature.
By his knowledge, man could harness the forces of nature and exercise control over them; in other words, the angels
submitted to him.
Footnote 57: lblis was not one of the angelsHe was one of the Jinn, so he transgressed. In verse 36 he is called
Satan. It should be borne in mind that lblis and Satan [Shaitan] generally refer to one and the same being, The word
Iblis is used when the Evil ones evil is limited to himself, and Satan, when his evil affects others besides himself; or
Iblis is the proud one, and Satan, when his evil affects others besides himself; or Iblis is the proud one, and Satan the
deceiver.
And further according to this author, Iblis is derived from balasa, meaning he despaired, and Shaitan from
shatana, meaning he became distant or remote. The same entity is thus mentioned under two different names; he is
called Iblis, because he despairs of the mercy of God from divine mercy and Shaitan because he allures others to do
things which remove them further off from Divine Mercy. Iblis therefore stands for the lower desires which keep man
off from bowing before God and seeking His mercy, and Satan incites the low desires of man to lead others away

from the path of rectitude.

What is the significance underlying the refusal of Iblis to submit to man? As shown in the last footnote, the Angels
submission meant that man could control the forces of nature by his knowledge of things, he could conquer nature.
But he himself was a part of nature, and he could not conquer his own evil desires. His advancement lay in two
directions, the conquest of nature and the conquest of his own self. He could attain the first end by the power of
knowledge with which he was gifted, but the higher end, the conquest of self, needed yet another act of Divine mercy,
the sending of Divine Revelation; and this is explained in this story of Adam in v. 38.
Note the great similarity of the commentary between these two different translators.
Now for this last important Quranic quote on this subject before moving on. Though burdensome, I will quote
from these two translators again.
Holy Quran 7:11-18. And we indeed created you, then We fashioned you, then We said to the angels:
Make submission to Adam. So they submitted, except Iblis; he was not of those who submitted. He said:
What hindered thee that thou didst not submit when I commanded thee? He said: I am better than he:
Thou has created me of fire while him Thou didst make of dust. He [Allah] said: Then get forth from this
[state] for it is not for thee to behave proudly therein. Go forth, therefore surely thou are of the abject
ones.
He said: Respite me till the day when they are raised. He [Allah] said: Thou are surely of the respited
ones. He [Iblis] said: As Thou has adjudged me to be erring, I will certainly lie in wait for them in Thy
straight path. Then I shall certainly come upon them from behind them and from their right and from their
left: and Thou wilt not find most of them thankful. He [Allah] said: Get out of it, despised, driven away.
Whoever of them will follow thee, I will certainly fill hell with you all (Muhammad Ali translation).
Now the same passages using the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation:
7:12 Allah said, What prevented thee from bowing down when I commanded thee? He said: I am better
than he. Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay.
7:13 (Allah) said: Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant, Here get out, for thou art of
the meanest [of creatures].
7:14 He said: Give me respite till the day they are raised up.
7:15 (Allah) said: Be thou amongst those who have respite.
7:16 He said: Because thou has thrown me out of the way, lo I will lie in wait for them on Thy straight
Way
17 Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left; Nor wilt
Thou find in most of them gratitude [for Thy mercies].
18 (Allah) said: Get out of this disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow theeHell will I fill with
you all.
Hopefully the reader is clear in these most revealing passages, where we are getting introduced to the
Devil=Iblis=Shaitan=the rebellious one, color or even human form is not an issue, not even part of the discussion.
Let me point out here with equal clarity that this opponent of Allah and of course ours existed at the time of the
creation of Adam and he (?) was given a respite with no time limit that we could point to, so the devil is still around
then, isnt he, she, it? Within the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, this entity (Devil) was given a clear
specific human form and color, a clearly identifiable presence against which we could vent our frustration, our anger.
Elijah Muhammad was so detailed in his teachings and methodology that I recall with clarity how he taught us to
portray this passage as one descriptive of the cross in Christianity, the form before and behind representing the
vertical portion of the cross and the to and fro, the horizontal. I mean like Im here to tell you Elijah Muhammad was
on the case! However, once we recognize the true status of the devil as portrayed in the Holy Quran and move
beyond the fiction, the myth that Elijah Muhammad and/or Fard Muhammad generated, we are quickly faced with a
problem, arent we? In spite of all the power of deception, Allah allowed Iblis, Shaitan, the Devil to have, thanks to the
mercy of Allah, he was not given the power to MAKE us do anything. He just beckons and it is we who have the
option whether or not to answer the call.
And Satan will say when the matter is decided: It was Allah Who gave you A promise of Truth: I too promised,
but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you, but ye listened to me: then reproach

not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act
in associating me with Allah. For wrongdoers there must be a grievous penalty (Holy Quran 14:22 [Abdullah Yusuf
translation]).
As was said by a popular cartoon figure Pogo, We have seen the enemy and they is us.
But look now, we still must not fail to give the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad his just due, and it is apparent that the
greater percentage of the media that so skillfully, diligently, and craftily shapes the points of view of large segments of
the population is trying to wipe him from our memory. In his last Saviours Day address that I alluded to at the very
beginning of this chapter, the white man, synonymous with the devil in his frame of reference, was not an issue. He
even had so-called Caucasians on the rostrum. He stated over and over again that we are our own greatest enemy. The
devil hangs around us. He was given a respiteremember? Each one of us has that to face.
With the greater truth and understanding that now has been made available for us to study today, which was cruelly
held back from us by our former slave masters, then exposed and set into motion by Allah in many formerly hidden
ways and certainly through an unusual vehicle, the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. That last chapter in
the Holy Quran that serves as an often-repeated prayer should now take on an even greater meaning should now be
even a greater part of our prayer service.
1. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind
2. The King (or Ruler of Mankind
3. The God (or Judge) of Mankind
4. From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil) Who withdraws after his whisper)
5. (The same) who whispers into the hearts of mankind
6. Among the Jinns and among Men (Holy Quran 114 [A.Yusuf Ali translation])
To my understanding, Allah (God) does not give to any of us the day and time we must return to him. I have no
reason to think that the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad was any different, that he knew at the time of that last address,
that he would not be around to deliver another one. But I personally am equally sure he sensed that he no longer could
continue to promote the teaching that he became world renown forwhat he called Islamas Islam. Allah had
allowed him his window of time and protected him and those of us who were sincerely seeking, the One True God,
through some perilous times. He had been heard to say by many of us close enough to share some of his private
musings that his job was done, that someone else would come to teach us the religion. As I said earlier, I never heard
him say whoand Allah took him away from us.
In spite of the shortcomings of that teaching, a pattern and groundwork was laid that proved quite conclusively that
you could move an entire race of people once known as Negroes, blind, deaf, and dumb to a knowledge of
themselves, from what we use to like to call a dead, horizontal level, to a living perpendicular standing on the square.
And even though the teachings of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad cannot be conclusively established to be Islam as
it should be, I have to bear witness that what he worked so hard and gave his life to establishits underpinnings and
its good intentions were sufficient enough to, through the grace of Allah, bring me and hundreds of thousands, if not
millions like me, to seek further knowledge wisdom and understanding and ask that we die not unless we be Muslims.
Those persons who consider themselves as God-fearing, God-loving people must take a much-closer, open-minded
look at Islamand themselves. Those of us who profess to being Muslims need to assess and reassess what that
means today. The world is being tested and reshaped on an ongoing basis today as never before. Those who are not
Muslim and have no intention of ever being one, well, thats your choice, and Allah has certainly allowed us to make it,
but he will not be denied.
Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly
grant them succession to [the present rulers] in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that
He will grant them the authority to practice their religion which He has chosen for them [i.e., Islam]. And
He will surely give them in exchange, a safe security after their fear [provided] they [believers] worship
Me and do not associate anything [in worship] with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the
Fsiqn [rebellious, disobedient to Allah].
Holy Quran al-Nur:55
ETC.

EPILOGUE: CHANGE THINGING

It is Saturday, March 20, 2010. I first started writing this book in November 2003. Before now, I already had what I
considered the final manuscript. Up until then, I was convinced that I should just wrap it up and get the book into
print. Then another February 26 rolled around as it does every year. Nothing unusual about that, but now its 2010,
and within the framework of my discussion here, for those persons who consider themselves to be members of the
Nation of Islam and those like groups still following the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, it is called Saviours Day. This
is the day said to be the birth date of Fard Muhammad, portrayed as Allah in Person by Elijah Muhammad. Then out
of the blue, I received a call from John Ali whom I have already mentioned in my acknowledgments, a longtime
acquaintance from our days in the Nation of Islam, and one of the chief architects of another Nation of Islam
grouping here in Chicago. We have stayed in touch periodically over the years and he invited me to participate in their
Nation of Islam dinner, which would follow their annual Saviours Day meeting.
You will find in this book in my chapter Will the Real Nation of Islam Please Stand Up, my description of how I
felt after attending their Saviours Day of 2004. Now, its February 27, 2010, six years later and I decided I would go
to hear at least some of the lectures, pondering whether or not I would attend the dinner that was to follow. Well, Im
here to tell you the events on that day, thirty-five years, after the passing of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, along
with what I heard of the activities of the other Nation of Islam entity under the leadership of the now titled Honorable
Minister Louis Farrakhan, on February 28, were incredulous to my way of thinking. Those events, along with a few
other changes that have taken place since I began this writing, compelled me to write an epilogue to at least make a
comment or two about my sense as one of my former General Semantics teachers put it, of change thinging. No,
the change thinging statement is not a misprint. Think of it this way. We know for sure change is, has been, and
always will be with us. Its the constantits the noun. But things, what happens with them? There we have the
activity, the verb-like characteristics, the lack of sameness. Okay, I think youve got itchange thinging. Lets
continue.
Lets start with what I will call here the John Ali-Minister John Muhammad Nation of Islam grouping. As described
in my earlier chapter, the meeting was held in a church. How about the 2010 meeting? Well it appeared they had moved
up a notch, coming to the realization that meeting in a church, an entity labeled under the teachings of the (Honorable)
Elijah Muhammad as an icehouse. To reiterate in case you missed it in the earlier chapter, a place where people got
frozen in nothingness, where your brains stopped functioning and you reveled in the misguidance of the religion
[Christianity] that trapped and domesticated our foreparents.
This time the meeting took place in a small building on the corner of South Cottage Grove Avenue and Forty-second
Pl. On this occasion, the meeting was not held within the confines of a church but in a building said to be a grand
lodge, a meeting place for Masons. Interestingly enough, coincidentally Im sure, at the same time that I entered the
building, I met with Munir Muhammad and a few of the brothers that Ive known to be longtime members of CROE
(Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah) as well. A nation of Islam grouping already mentioned in an earlier chapter
as well and characterized as staunch followers of the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad. I went through the usual search,
entered, found myself a seat in the back of the meeting place and sat down to listen. Munir Muhammed was invited to
sit on the rostrum. Well, it was as though I had stepped into a time warp and had been carried back to that first
meeting I attended of theirs six years ago. As was the case then, so it was this time. Approximately seventy-five,
maybe a hundred people were sitting around, most of whom were already members, and as expected, the brothers on
one side and the sisters on the other. The speaker amazingly was the same brother speaking on the same subject I
listened to six years agowould you believe, the Yakub history?
Madness!
A dinner did follow. It was held on the ground floor. I was, once again, invited to attend. However, my sense of
what might follow in the way of substantial disagreements, if I were to seat myself and begin a conversation among
that grouping, made me skip the dinner even though Im sure it would have been a delicious, wholesome meal if
prepared as they were during the time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
I can stop my comments about this event here at this point, since I have no sense that any widespread harm can
come from this little grouping. They are not going anywhere and their influence is miniscule. I consider it analogous to
one of the small storefront churches that dot our neighborhoods. It is the larger Nation of Islam grouping under the
leadership of Minister Louis Farrakhan that concerns me. His greater popularity and visibility though on the wane in

my view may lull people into thinking they are hearing Islam as was the case during the time of the (Honorable) Elijah
Muhammad. My sense is this is less likely to be so since there is so much more available by which one can learn about
Islam in a truer sense today than was accessible during the reign of Elijah Muhammad. So lets get to that.
The February 28, 2010, Saviours Day address by the now-designated Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was held
at the spacious United Center in Chicago. As is often the case when Minister Farrakhan gives talks at these annual
gatherings, we can find large numbers of people in attendance, a far cry from the scantily attended event of the John
Ali and Minister John Muhammad grouping. There was as usual a substantial number of handpicked speakers prior to
the appearance of the minister himself and, as equally usual, a request for donations and solicitations for funds to
support the activity in spite of the fact that there was a minimum attendance cost of $10. The activity could be heard
over the Internet as well through the Nation of Islams website. A testimony I would say to the popularity of the
Minister Farrakhan grouping and certainly to the better organized technological understanding of those for and with
him. Before bringing the minister on, one had to listen to introductory remarks by Minister Farrakhans best-known
assistant minister, one of the second family sons of Elijah Muhammad mentioned earlier on, Ishmael Muhammad.
Those remarks turned out to be pretty much the same kinds of things, biblical prophecies of doom and gloom,
earthquakes in diverse places, the fall of America, etc., that were delivered by Minister Malcolm X or another one of
the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammads ministers just before Elijah Muhammad would get up to speak as many as forty or
more years ago. But now there is a critical difference. This difference was unsettling enough for me to feel it
mandatory that I write this epilogue.
Listen up! Im placing verbatim here how Minister Ishmael introduced Minister Farrakhan at that meeting. It almost
blew my mind, and if you feel adventurous enough, you can purchase that February 28, 2010, CD yourself. You might
even want to splurge and get the video or DVD so you can view the theatrics as well. I get no commission on its sale.
If you view life through the lens of an Islamic perspective, as I try to do, you may be pretty upset.
Okay, are you listening? Minister Ishmael Muhammad said among other things:
Before God destroys a nation, he always raises up from among the poor a warner, a prophet, or a Messenger. What
did we come out here to see? A man dressed in fine raiment? A reed shaking in the wind? We came out here because
we know we are living in a time of trouble, a time that was never before, and a time never before to be equaled. We
came here because we want to know the time and what must be done.
(Now get this.)
God has placed among us a Messenger from himself, a warner to the nations. The man that comes to us has
escaped death plots [sound familiar?if not see if you can listen to some of the old Saviours Day talks during the
time of Elijah Muhammad with the always-present, incessant voice of Minister Farrakhan in the background shouting
Go head, dear Holy Apostle, survived prostate cancer, has suffered ridicule and abuse for thirty-three years to bring
the Nation of Islam to where it is [And like I meanwhere is it?Dr.AS]. And in spite of the efforts of the
government and the wicked in the land to get rid of this beloved of God here stands before us a seventy-six-year-old
young man, a man that God has prepared for us and the only one that I know that can give us guidance in these dark
and troubled times. I want to know are we ready to receive the Messenger of Allah? The Honorable Minister Louis
FarrakhanAllah-u-Akbar, Allah-u-Akbar, Allah-u-Akbar.
Wait a minute, Salaam, you may be thinking. Are you sure you got that right? You certainly dont want to be
mistaken about such an important and sensitive issue. Well, youre right about that, so wait a minute, let me put that
CD back on and listen again. Dont go away. Ill be right back.
Okay, Im back and Im sorry to tell you I was right. That is what was said. Now of course there is much
shouting, witness-bearing, and hand-clapping as Minister Farrakhan steps forth. What does he say? Does he start by
immediately rebuking his rather carried-away assistant minister for introducing him as the Messenger of Allah,
knowing full well that was the title that his avowed teacher Elijah Muhammad gave himself and that we all bore
witness to, including Minister Farrakhan? No.
Dr. Salaam, do you mean to say the (Honorable) Minister Louis Farrakhan allowed that to be said with no comment,
knowing full well, if you wish to consider yourself a Muslim within the framework of the worldwide circle of Islam,
then only Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of more than fourteen hundred years ago (PBUH) to whom the Holy
Quran was revealed should be so addressed?
Thats what Im saying, and yes, he did.
Minister Farrakhan makes it clear he cares nothing about what the worldwide body of Muslims think by opening
with the salutation of old, the salutation that clearly puts him and all that utter it in the category of mushriks,

nonbelievers, partakers in shirk (one of the categories described in detail in chapter 2), one of the categories most
detested by the one true and only God, Lord of all the worldsAllah. Let me keep reminding you that one of the
subtitles of this book is An Islamic Perspective. Thats the perch I stand on. I want to make clear that point again, as
I have throughout this writing, so the reader will keep in mind thats where Im coming from. Nothing here should be
construed to be a personal attack on individuals, the Nation of Islam, or Minister Farrakhan, whom I have known over
forty-five years. I have had discussions with him for hours, both privately and in the presence of and with others that
had come through the trials and tribulations of the Nation of Islam just as I had and were blessed to move beyond it
once we came into a clearer understanding of what the Honorable Elijah Muhammads true goal was for usto be
Muslims and the best of Muslims in the truest sense. No need for personal attacks if one just sticks with the
presentation of ones material within a factual frame of reference, buttressed by the unimpeachable word of Allah
(God) in the Holy Quran and established, accepted ahadith.
The truth speaks for itself. So when one starts their public address with In the name of Allah who came in the
person of Master Fard Muhammad. I know from the git-go that what follows is not of Islam. And yes, while Im
thinking about it, lets debunk this bit about it being okay to say came in the person of because God, since as is often
heard, God is in all of us, that greeting is acceptable. Right? No. Forget that! Elijah Muhammad said and meant by
that declaration that this man, W. F. Muhammad, was GOD HIMSELF, the wisest One since that One who created the
heavens and the earth.
Wait a minute. How do you know that, Salaam?
Simple, I asked him. I asked him in all kinds of ways whenever I could get a chance to do so. I have a lot of notes
in my old notepads where I wrote that statement made by Elijah Muhammad himself! I pursued that subject as often as
I could, trying to get a comfortable answer for such a hard to believe declaration.
I was never one to avoid questions when things were unclear to me. I didnt have to sit around asking myself later
what he meant by this or what he meant by that after he had passed on and then talk myself into believing what I
might like to believe was so, with absolutely no way of ever checking it out. Sometimes some of my questions got me
into hot water for a while, but fortunately, it was never very long before I would once again find favor with him. Let
me make this observation and move on. Does the introduction on this occasion then of Minister Louis Farrakhan as
the Messenger of Allah (and I have on some occasions when I was present heard some in the audience shout out
during his talks, Go head, dear Holy Apostle) with no rebukes offered means now he considers himself the
Messenger of Allah?
On frequent occasions I have heard recognition given to Jabriel Muhammad, once known as Bernard Cushmeer, as
a person sufficiently knowledgeable enough in scriptural understanding to accept his pronouncement, proclamation,
whatever you want to call it, that Minister Farrakhan is some really specially designated scriptural figure worthy almost
of worship. So that is why Minister Farrakhan (so he says) took up the challenge of reinvigorating the Nation of Islam
in 1978, once Imam W. D. Mohammed began dismantling it during that same time period. But isnt this the same
brother that wrote during the time of Elijah Muhammad, This Is the One We Need Not Look for Another? So now, do
we have another? Isnt Jibril Muhammad the same brother who has now authored Is It Possible That the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad Is Still Physically Alive? Yes, it is the same brother. I have already discussed Jabril Muhammad
when I first knew him as Bernard Cushmeer, and my collaboration with him (to my regret) on his first book. You can
find that discussion in chapter 3 along with my position on that issue, so we certainly dont need to go over that again.
Now look, lets be real. If Elijah Muhammad were to come back in his assumed role as the Messenger of Allah, how
would this newly declared Messenger of Allah, the (Honorable) Minister Louis Farrakhan, fare? What would he do?
Who would he be? Remember my Life is full of little details saying? I asked him that question about twenty years
ago when he first started with that nonsense and he asked me since I had been the dentist for Elijah Muhammad, if
permission was granted to exhume the body, would I be willing to examine the mouth to attest to the fact that the body
was really that of Elijah Muhammad. You dont want to hear the answer.
Lets wrap up. This is just an epilogue, an added afterthoughtnot another book. Okay.
Very little was written about the late Imam W. D. Mohammad in this book. However, I also said, you cant just write
him out of this history, even though he very quickly removed the label the Nation of Islam from the organization
since he clearly was the first immediate recipient of the leadership after the passing of his father, the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. I made it very clear in chapter 1, he was no stranger to me. I have been motivated to touch on change
thinging within what appears to be his followers in this epilogue, related to what I view as a point of contention in an
e-mail I received from a grouping that seems to be very dedicated to keeping the image and views of Imam W. D.

Mohammed before us as we seem so prone to do when a current leader passes on. Thats okay, leadership is
important, but we must be careful not to so eulogize such leadership that it competes with or even supersedes that of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). So this epilogue gives me a chance to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and
because of the relativity of the issues, expand a bit on the future of the Muslins in America and the dilemma of the
Muslims in America as discussed in chapter 18.
The declaration that was put forth in the e-mail was done so by a group using the acronym UMMAH-1 (United
Muslim Movement to Aid Humanity). It was entitled Al-Quran is not in conflict with the United States Constitution.
It was based on the position taken by the late Imam W. D. Mohammed.
The e-mail sent out was what is generally labeled a broadcast e-mail, indicating it went out to a large group of
recipientsin this case, Muslims. A clear push was made to conscript the readers of the document to join together and
spread the word that and as a consequence of the harmony between the Quran and the U.S. Constitution and Imam
W. D. Mohammeds strong defense of that mistaken notion, the Muslims could feel it was all right to melt into the
American pie. To save time, I have simply copied my reply to the e-mail here. I have received no response to it to date
and dont expect to. But thats okay. Allah will reward good intentions even if misguided.
In response to the e-mail, I wrote,
I have tried to ignore the damage that can be done to the minds of unlearned, new entrants into Islam
by the attempt to foster one of the most off-the-wall misunderstandings I have ever read about the
relationship between the Holy Quran and the U.S. Constitution, to those who believe what has been put
forth in your email to be accurate, but I just cant continue to ignore it. The arguments being put forth
demonstrate either a substantial ignorance about Islam and the Holy Quran or a purposeful attempt to
deceive the unlearned. Neither position is very good. As Muslim to Muslim, it would be more appropriate
for me to say a misguided attempt I guess. I could write a book about the distinctions in fact I have
touched on the subject sketchily in a book I hope to have on the market soon, nine and a half years in the
making entitled, IS THE WHITE MAN STILL THE DEVIL? THE (HONORABLE) ELIJAH
MUHAMMAD, THE NATION OF ISLAM AND MALCOLM X. Myths versus Realities, an Islamic
Perspective. But rather than launch into a long diatribe here with many attachments, let me just quote a
few ayats from the Holy Quran and let you and others to whom you have sent your message (assuming
you will broadcast this email as you did your own) for contemplation.
Initially I must emphasize that FOR CLEARMINDED MUSLIMS, Islam is not just a Religion in the usual
sense but it is a way of life (deen) and the Word of Allah as embodied in the Quran is the basis for that
way of life. It is what Allah has clearly chosen for us (see HQ 5:3). As such one might ask, is the U.S.
Constitution in conflict with the Holy Quran rather than the other way around. YES IT IS. The U.S.
Constitution starts with We the people . . . and clearly separates Church from State making null and
void, even making it illegal to use scripture as law. The Holy Quran on the other hand says:
And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are the disbelievers (kafirun) HQ
5:44
There are two other Quranic passages that say pretty much the same thing (H.Q.5:45 and 5:47)
And then there is: And whoever desires a religion (way of lifedeen) other than Islam, it will never be
accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be one of the losers. Al-Imran 3:85
I could go and on. The subject matter is inexhaustible and has been dealt with and made crystal clear by
the sincere, knowledgeable scholars time and time again. Any Muslim really interested in this subject (and
certainly all Muslims living in the United States should be) can find a wealth of information on the subject.
I have already spent more time on this subject than I had intended and I dont have the time and
inclination to go any further right now.
Your brother in Islam Dr. Abdul Salaam
Finally the end. I woke up about 4:30 a.m. the other night, remembering I should be about prayer and, after doing
so, turned on the TV to listen to and watch one of my favorite news programs. And so, as Allah would have it, I came
upon what was probably an earlier recorded session of President Obama speaking to the employees of a lithium battery
manufacturing firm in North Carolina. (I mean like thats one busy brother.) I place this seemingly simple happening in
my ending for the not so simple fact that here was this man generally labeled as black or African American (and for
sure by some die-hard white folks as nigger) now President of the United States of America, when as I laid out for

you in the chapter Something About My Early YearsMy Story less than seventy years ago, I couldnt go into a
North Carolina store and get a snow cone! Now is Allah God or what?
Here is the tiein with the e-mail and the Muslim dilemma. For sure, this is a country whose people by and large
have no great love for Muslims. Thats easily documentable (another book), but many Muslims are Americans, born
and raised here, with a great love for America and its materialistic ways and have fallen victim to patterns of
assimilation that boils down to being Muslims in name only, behaviorally writing the Creator altogether out of the
political, economic, social, and justice systems under which we function.
Certainly, I was born here and served in the army though not a Muslim at the time. But now as a knowledgeable
Muslim, I cant say Allah doesnt count and I can deal with him later, can I? Well at least part of that is right, for like
every human being youall of uswill have to face Him sooner or later whether we like it or not. So wouldnt it be
just fantastic when we do face Him, if He would be pleased with us for functioning to the best of our abilities as
Muslims? Of course, those of faiths other than Islam have their cross to bearan entirely different issue that I cant
even minimally deal with here. My final position here is that Allah, God, the Creator can do anything He pleases. Turn
America into a Muslim country? Yes. He need only say, Kun-faya kunu, an Arabic phrase that translates as Be and it
is. Billie Holiday, a well-known jazz singer of yesteryear, used to sing, The difficult Ill do right now, the impossible
will take a little while. What was she going on? Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) suffered untold hardships in a country
and city, Saudi Arabia and Mecca, that became the very capital of Islam in less than twenty-five years. I recall in my
lifetime seeing Khrushev, the onetime boss of Russia, banging on the rostrum in one of his tough speeches denouncing
America and declaring, We will bury you, and thirty-five years later, Russia was standing in front of the World Bank
looking for a handout. Kun faya kunu. Mighty America at the time of this writing is facing years of uncertainty,
trillions of dollars in debt, and no clear assurance it will ever find its way back to become the most powerful country
in the world it once was with China and India hot on its heels.
The Muslims, particularly those of us here in America of African descent, who after being so thoroughly robbed of
a knowledge of ourselves have come into the knowledge that by nature, through what was seemingly a very
unorthodox way of doing it, the work of Elijah Muhammad, the (Honorable) Elijah Muhammad, the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad, and others, are Muslims. Having come into that knowledge late in the day, so to speak, though it be a
struggle, we must buckle down to the very serious business of learning what it really means to be Muslim in the fullest
sense, internalizing it, then pushing forward as dedicated workers for human rights. That way, as a human, the
African American and ALL downtrodden people will automatically be included. Remember my Islamic perspective
focus. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not sent just to the Arabs or any specific group but to all humanity.
I have no problem with those who feel that their calling is to primarily fight in defense of and for African
Americans. Fine, but dont mistake that zeal to be the call of Islam.
You dont necessarily have to hide behind the banner of any religion to do that. I find Reverend Al Sharpton, a
Christian preacher, to be, in my view, a hardworking, admirable human being, whose rallying cry is Make it real
not through a lot of chest-thumping, whooping, and hollering Christian theology, but via what he calls the National
ACTION Network. I like that action label. Action implies doing somethingmovementand as the famed physicist
and mathematician Albert Einstein said as he studied the laws of physics, nothing happens until something moves.
And even here, I can hearken back to the time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. A very common phrase exchanged
among us in the old days was, All right, brother [sister], you know everythings for real, as we set forth to do away
with what we called spookism in our quest to get something done. Obviously, the same dictum applies to Muslims,
not through violence, suicide bombings, or internal strife but through, and with the help of Allah, and yes, even taking
the lead as longtime builders and sufferers in this country by demonstrating the unmatchable resilience and splendor of
Islam. I have seen this kind of concern as Muslims begin to emerge right here in the Chicago area within the entity
known as IMAN where the emphasis is on actionIMAN, Inner City Muslim Action Network, an early and reliable
template for a small local entity that needs to be emulated, template, and modeled nationally.
If one doesnt recognize that the term War on Terror as presently used is just code for a War on Islam, I
suggest you sit down and do some serious thinking about your ability to deal with reality. How about the terror
experienced every day somewhere in this country by our schoolchildren witnessing the shooting death of their friends
or relatives not knowing who or if they will be next? How about the flood of narcotics into our neighborhoods turning
so many of young vulnerable females into sex slaves too terrified and entrapped to run away from their pimps? How
about the junkies who terrorize and prey on all those about them? How about the elderly and the newly jobless
terrified about the possibility of losing their homes or their way of life? How about . . . How about . . . How about . .

. ? Okay. You get the idea. Another bookthe war on terror? I have already started writing another book with a title
somewhat like that. I have decided to title it Islam, the Answer to Terrorism. I mean like this AlQaida must be the
biggest, baddest, best organized entity on the entire planet. Every two bit criminal activity committed by one of
swarthy complexion with an Arabic-sounding name, if we believe much of the sloppy news reporting we see or hear,
must be a member of, motivated, or influenced by AlQaida, right? Come on, give me a break!
So, Okay Salaam, Is The White Man Still The Devil? In all honesty, I must say, scripturally speaking no. There is no
clear, undistorted, theologically factual evidence to declare otherwise. We must also keep in mind that my explication
of General Semantics throughout this book should have brought to your attention that there is no such thing as the
White Man per se. There are only individual human beings that we have labeled that termThe White Man and each
one of them are clearly distinct in their behavior and genetic makeup. So to use the term The White Man is the Devil
comes very close to mimicking and following the islamophobic, ignorant, hate filled and misguided behavior of those
who want to classify all Muslim as ignorant, warmongering and hate filled savages that hate America and Americans
based on just a segment of those who really might
CHANGE THINGING
ETC.

APPENDIX

MUHAMMADS MOSQUE
No..2 5335 S.Greenwood Ave.
Chicago, Il. 60615
ASSalaam-Alaikum
In the Name of Allah, our Saviour, Who came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad.
We forever give thanks and praise to Allah for our beloved Leader and Teacher, The Most Honorable Elijah
Muhammad.
Dear Bro. Minister, Captain and Secretary:CONSIDER THE TIME
For more than thirty five years now, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has been trying to prepare us for the time in
which we presently live. Today we are suddenly thrust into a kaleidoscope of events; major changes occur daily as the
World in general and the so-called American Negro specifically reacts violently to the upheavals of a changing World.
In the midst of this stands the Muslim, resolute in his faith and confident of his future survival. The Honorable Elijah

Muhammad is ever mindful of the needs of our ever growing nation. Being the progressive, divine leader that he is,
Allah is constantly revealing to him the role that we must play and the significance of todays history. So that you too
can remain abreast of prophecy and so lead the people who lean upon you and flock to the Mosque to drink from the
cup that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad hasprovided for you, our leader and teacher has decided to periodically
forward to you TABLE TALKS OF MUHAMMAD.
As many of you are aware, the Honorable Elijah Muhammads schedule is so tight, so jam filled with the details and
necessities that are part and parcel of running a Nation that the important task of ministering to the Ministers and
Laborers sometimes gets a little behind. Yet one of the Honorable Elijah Muhammads most enjoyable tasks is teaching
and it is at his dinner table where wisdom knows no bounds and understanding is depthless that a fantastic number of
things are discussed. It is these TABLE TALKS WITH MUHAMMAD that you will be receiving periodically faithfully
reproduced word for word from a tape recording of questions put to the Holy Apostle and his answers. You will find a
broad range of subjects being discussed from the Problem Book to What should a Muslim name his child. It goes
without saying that this totally unselfish sharing of the wisdom of Allah with you is characteristic of the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad. You may find many of these topics the subject for a teaching that you can and should go to the
people with. Other topics will relate to specific administrative techniques and details that can find its use primarily
amongst the laboring staff. Everything you receive will be wisdom of the highest order-use it accordingly. AsSalaam Alaikum
Faithfully Yours
Muhammads Mosque No. 2
Cover letter composed by Dr Abdul Salaam used by Chicago -1967?

Photos from Google-Malcolm X images Photographer unknown

INDEX
Abdullah, Muhammad ibn. See Prophet Muhammad
Abernathy, Rev. Ralph, xxviii-xxix
Adam, 250, 259, 260, 309, 317, 318, 320
African American xxiii, xxviii, 7, 23, 24, 26, 35, 40, 274, 275, See also ; Negro
African-American Experience by Richard B. Turner, 93
African American History Month 273, 304
Aisha-- wife of Prophet Muhammad, 145
describes prophet Muhammad, 145, 186,
Akbar the African Coffee, 171, 172
Al-hamduillah-- meaning, 9
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, 299,304, 307
Quran translator
comments, 299, 304, 307
Ali, Jesus Muhammad xiii, 67, 72, 94.108, 112, 139 ,144, 291
a.k.a. Herbert Muhammad Jr.,
authored Evolution of the Nation of Islam,
Elijah Muhammads grandson
Jabir Muhammads son,
Ali, John, XIII, 44, 74, 126, 240, 250-1
edited books about Elijah Muhammad, 38
lived with Malcolm X, 239
NOI National Secretary, 74
Ali, Maulana Muhammad, Quran
comments, 60. 61, 63, 217, 49
Ali, Muhammad, 166, 263, 264
a.k.a. Cassius Clay, 263, 339, 340
Ali, Noble Drew, XXI, 133, 157, 171, 196, 260
Allah-- Black man of Asia, 147,.239
No god but Allah declaration 96, 125,136, 207, 265, 295
Arabic names 263,268
cause of 263
name given to Dr. Abdul Salaam
accompanying letter, 150, 254
Elijah Muhammads commentary, 248,263 268, 304
B
Bennett Jr., Lerone (author)
statement on African American , 290
author of :Before the Mayflower, 89
& Forced into Glory, 80
Best, Valerie
Dr. Salaams daughter, 34, 261
Bin-Asad, Abdul, XII, 48, 161, 311
blackboard 55,56 ,79, ( Nation of Islam)
black Mafia, 163, 187
Black Muslims in America-- 113
C.Eric Lincoln authored book,
Books & Things bookstore, 46, 165, 240
Brooks, Gwendolyn, 261

C
Carmichael, Stokeley,261
Caucasian, 157, 218, 226, 228, 272, 281, 282, 301,
chickens come home to roost, 242,249.254
Christian, 41,42 ,52,79,128
Christians, 15, 19, 45, 149, 229, 311
Church, 279, 283, 285, 298, 324, 330
civil rights movement, XXVIII, 53,
Clarke,John Henrik 271
comment on Malcolm X,
Clay, Cassius. See Ali, Muhammad
Clegg, Dr. Claude A. Clegg 68, 77, 110, 111 (
Author- Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad, The,
Clotelle, MGT captain, 48
colored man, 52, 270
Yacubs grafted devil, 52
Council of Brothers, 43, 105
CRAID Committee, 149
Cushmeer, Bernard, a.k. a Jabril Muhammad , 73,127,328
D
Daley, Mayor Richard, 303
Dawah, 186
Dawes, Milton, 30, 35
General Semantics teacher,
Deen,, as complete way of life, 232,292,330
Devil,xiii,xix,5,23,29,44.52,82,65,66, 147, 175, 239, 247, 273, 77, 306, 309
no authority over man, 320 Islamic depiction, 333
Shaitan, 320
Do for Self, iii, 161, 158, 161, 162 (see chapter 9)
Dunnigan, Alice , 45
E
Elder Micheaux
bookstore owner, 240, 241
Elijah Muhammad -Read Book
death, cause of, 291
Ellison, Keith, 175,294
Muslim elected to US Congress,
English Lesson C-1, 73,74,82, 242
E. Essien-Udom, 192
-Black Nationalism, 52, 192, 222,235
ETCimportance, meaning of, 8
Evanzz, Karl, 68, 69, 110, 112
Fard Mohammad , 66-69, 103, 117, (Read Chapter 4)
FBI, (Read Chapter 11) XXII, 68, 78, 101, 102, 117, 150, 164,
Final Call newspaper (lst), 106
Elijah Muhammad publisher, 106
Fishing a.k.a. dawah, 175
FOI, 54, 74, 150, 158,

G
Garvey, Marcus, 92, 93,122, 133, 203, 218, 285,
UNIA, 120, 198
Gd, 218
General Semantics- 10,12 through 17, 66,71,83, 145, 247, 260
315, 317, 323, 333,
Gods Judgement of White America, 260
Goldman, Peter (author), 323-author of the death and life of Malcolm X
H
hadith, 145, 203, 225,
hajj, 58, 145, 225, 226, 231, 247
Haley, Alex (author)
Autobiography of Malcolm X, 75,
205
Hayer, Talmadge, Malcolm assassinator, 164,258
Hazziez, Shirley
Elijah Muhammads secretary, 312
hereafter, 313, 314
Holy Quran-- difficult to obtain in America, xii
(Honorable) Elijah? Muhammad xxivxxvii
I
Islam , Read Book!
(see flow chart designed by Muhammad Yusuf-18)
Islamic prayer, 47, 158,
Islamophobia, 274, 294
J
Jackson, Kenneth, 193
Jackson, Jesse, 304
Jackson, Sherman (author), 98, 132, 152
author of Islam and the Black American
James 3X, (Minister), 236, 240, 241, 256, 288,
Jesus, xxi, 15, 26, 50, 85, 98, 104, 110, 146, 148-9, 205,
271, 278, 283, 310, 311,
Crucifixion 402
Elijah Muhammad interpretation of
Crucifixion see letter -312
Jet magazine 304,303
commemorative issue, 304,303
Jew, 19,20,34
Jim Crow,
Johnson, Hinton X., 244
Jones, Prophet, 133, 237, 265
Joseph, Captain.54, 56 See Shah,
Jumuah, 148, 227, 285, 297
K
Kallat, 122, 125
Karriem, Robert, 115, 127
a.k.a. Robert Harris commits human sacrifice,

Khadijah Salaam, 29, 188, (Dr. Salaams wife)

Korzybski, Alfred
Founder of General Semantics 10,19, 25
L
Lessons , NOI xvii, xix,84,102,115,121,201
Lessons discontinued, 115
inconsistencies, xviii
recitation, 204
Life of Muhammad-(about book), 102.106,131, 135,
William Muir (author), 122, 124,
Lincoln, C. Eric (author) 113,246,304
Black Muslims in America, 246,
Little, Earl, 218
Malcolm Xs Father, killed by trolley, 218
Marcus Garvey follower,
Lost Found Nation of Islam, 90,93,200
Lynching(s), 54, 79, 80, 82,
Index
M
Malcolm X -see Chapter 15 citations too numerous to index
my access unrestricted,
philosophy,
assassination
CBS 60-minute documentary
Dr. Abdul Salaam, opening speakerr,
Elijah Muhammad did not expel,
hustler, thief, con man, robber,
drug user, ladies man, etc.,
John Alis statement on Malcolm
Malcolm X factor,
man without a country,
Nation of Islam national representative,
ninety days suspension,
PBS documentary, etc.
personality
X nullifies Shabbaz,
MANA, 160
Muslim Alliance in North America, 160
Marable, Dr. Manning, 126, 216, 242
interview of Dr. Abdul Salaam, 243
Masjid Al Faatir, 297
Maslow, Abraham theory, 94
Mason Dixon line, 23
Maududi, S. Abul ALa, 232, 260
McCallum, Leo, 34, 44, 66, 81, 126, 262, (184, 186 in FBI file)
McCloud, Dr. Aminah, 222, 223
McGregor, James, 184, 183
MGT, 3(Muslim girls training photo)
122, 158, 186, attire 213
mother of civilization

Minister James 3X, 42, 49, 169, 170, 172, 173, 183, 204
Mitchell Benjamin, an early Minister in Nation
looked after Elijah Mohammed when he was in Washington DC., 128
Sultan Mukk Mudd, (Muhammad) (an early Minister in Nation of Islam), 128
Muhammad, (Mohammed) Clara,
Only publicly acknowledged wife of Elijah Muhammad
2, 5, 108, 111, 112, 119, 133, 134, 136, 168, 176, 207 (photo)
256, 276, 299,
Muhammad Fard. See Muhammad,
Muhammad, Jabril, (a.k.a Bernard Cushmeer) 73,127,328
Mohammad, Wallace Fard. 87,247 See Muhammad, Fard
Mohammad, Warith Deen. See W. D. Mohammed
Mohammed, Wallace D. See Mohammed, W. D.
Mohammed, W. D. Imam, iii.xx., 8 (photo), 59, 119, 149, 286,
289, 297, 301,
Muhammad, Akbar, (son of Elijah Muhammad) 47, 119, 166, 167, 208, 282
Muhammad University of Islam, xxviii,246,28,250
Mohammed, W. F. See Muhammad, Fard
Mosque Cares, the, 112, 238, 266, 278
founder: W. D. Mohammad,
Muhammad, Abdul Sultan Rahman, 152
Muhammad, Akbar, 165,240
a.k.a. Larry 2X Prescott, 165
Muhammad, Clara, xxv-xxvi, xxviii,
wife of Elijah Muhammad, 196
101-2, 105, 126-27, 129-30,157, 196, 245, 263, 286
Muhammad, Elijah, Read Book, for citations too numerous to index
autobiography not approved, called Fard Muhammad as Allah in Person,
complexion, could not speak Arabic,
death date, February 25, 1975
dental problem of bruxism,
did not expel Malcolm X,
Dr. Charles Williams, personal physician,
education,
Elijah Karriem first named, evolved overtime,
extramarital affairs, fisherman of men, grandfather, father preachers
honorable? xxiv--xxvii
ideas, vision, imprisoned, Islamic influence based on a
Quranic perspective, job finished,
message to the black man in America,
myths, nation builder, power,
prayer, not a prophet,
recorded Table Talks of Muhammad,
referenced as Dear Holy Apostle,
siblings, witnessed lynching,, wives?,
Yakub historys cornerstone of teaching,
Dr. Abdul Salaam as friend,86 special relationship
Teachings, black superiority, letter challenge all comers
How to Eat to Live, nation of our own,
reverse psychology,
not strictly Islamic, Muhammad, Emanuel,

Muhammad, Fard as Arab, aliases, disappearance,

ideology different,
Prophet Fard Mohammed, ,
Islamic lore passed on, 205
Mohammad, Fard Muhammad, Ishmael, 20.228,229
Muhammad, Jabir (Herbert), xxiii,
68, 98, 101, 286, 288-90 service, memorial, 288
Muhammad, Lottie, 112, 200
Muhammad, Minister John, 273, 311, 313
Muhammad, Silas, 270
Muhammad, W. D.
coin own terminology for Nation of Islam
own version,
Muhammad Jr. Elijah, 95, 153
Elijah Muhammads son as assistant supreme captain,
Muhammad Speaks 66,70,90, 137, 139, 141, 147,
156, 169, 174, 183, 203,largest black newspaper, 203
Muir, William, 122, 124, 128 author: Life of Muhammad, 122
Muslim, On becoming a Muslim,112,163,248
Muslim Book of Names reproduced, 253
Muslim Mosque, Inc., MMI, 219, 222
N
Najeeb, Velora-Nation of Islam . Read book for instances of matters too numerous to index
black Mafia as corrupt members,210.239
business enterprises
confronation of members,
God as father of civilization,
Headquarters, Nation of Islam,
Hoover Plan, 84, 197, 198, 248
human sacrifice,
Malcolm Xs impact as national
representative, meeting places,
restrictive law, 273
secret rituals, splintering, structure,
subsidiary positions, members
Dr. Abdul Salaam as the Organization
President 8, 9, 68, 159, 173, 212, 234, 287,
indoctrination,
Islamic-like behavior,
mentality, 242
never pushed Islamic prayer service
persecuted,
temple(s)
attacks,
place of worship,
Negro
defined, 261
labels, 248
no such thing as Negro
Nigger. 23.41, 53, 262, 274

N-word, 187,
Newark,N.J----- see chapter 12 pg 236--255
14, 33, 35, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 57, 58, 63, 64, 76, 103, 104, 105, 108, 114 119, 127, 131
134, 254 (riots)
O
OAAU-organization of African American unity, 231
Malcolm established
Obama, Barack, 229, 230, 274, 298, 331
P
photos
1935 photograph (Final Call), 98.
1963 Saviors Day, 102,
pioneers, iii, 54
Q
Qadianne movement, 168,
Pittsburgh Courier newspaper, 38,165
Poole, Elijah, see chapter 3, pages 86123,
4, 17, 23, 63, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 75, 78, 79, 80, 82, 85
See also Muhammad, E-lijah
Harry Porterfield 79.80-- comments on interview with Elijah
Muhammad,
Powell, Colin, 294
prayer service, 50, 120, 121, 122, 225, 248
Prescott, Larry 4X. See Akbar Muhammad,
Prophet Jones. See Jones, Prophet
Prophet Muhammad, 91, 125, 138,
151, 208, 314
enemies, 13
must bear witness to, 214
R
Rogers J.A., 46
Racism, 145, 234- African American, 63, 75, 78
Rassoul, Abass, 274, 277
Nation of Islam national secretary,
Readers Digest article
Elijah Muhammad, The Most
Powerful Black Man in America, x, xxv
restrictive law, 203
resurrection. See Second
Resurrection
Riot USA
long hot summer, 181
S
S. Abul ALa Maududi, 248
Salaam, Dr. Abdul , 9. 61, 81, 109, 118, 126, 131, 139,
144, 188, 189, 191, 232, 38, 245, 244, 247 226
442, (name givensee appendix)

Dr. Manning Marable interview, 231

See CHAPTER 2 SOMETHING OF MY EARLY YEARS
MY STORY for details of some of the following about the Author
Jarvie Honor Society
Elijah Muhammad, dentist for,
Malcolm introduced to,
Elijah Muhammad meeting,
FBI surveillance, first meeting,
FOI, first captain of Temple #25,
Freedom of Information file,
guest of Sheikh Muhammad Ashraf,
high school years, called hypocrite,
instructed to teach Yakub history,
label self a Muslim, liaison between societies,
London convention speaker,
Man of the Year, marriage
McCallum, Leo, 29, 39, 61, 76,
129, 250
professional colleagues, , 23
Muhammad Speaks article, 178
Salaam, Khadijah, (Dr. Salaams wife)
a.k.a. Edwina McCallum, 177
Satan, 304, 306, 308
Saviors Day, xxv, 57, 102, 206, 241,
266, 273, 314
Second Resurrection, xv, 144, 300
Shabazz, James, 42
Sheikh James Shabazz,
Shah, Captain Yusuf, 54, 156,177,221
Shah, Yusuf.-Minisrer, 147,153, 221
Shahadatain, 184.185,186
Shaitan. See devil
Sharieff, Hassan, 238
Elijah Muhammads nephew, 238
Sharieff, Raymond, supreme captain, 55,153,154
Sharpton, Rev. Al, 428
Sharrieff, Ethel, 178,154
slave drivers, 116
slaves, 37, 56, 58, 109, 111, 112, 114, 116, 122
150, 351, 347, 263, 382, 347, , 150, 198, 350 ,351
So Called Negro --See Chapter 17
xi,51,53,137,194, 262, 270,305
Solomon X-(council of brothers-Nwk,N.J--45
Solomon (Royall)
Allah in Person claim, 286
Specialty Promotions Co. Inc. , 15, 17, 47, 160, 145 (bookstore)
Sport(s) 340, 341, 241
Steele, Shelby, 228
author: Barack Obama book, 228
Sunnah, xxiii, 21, 93, 124, 126, 184, 186,
188, 196, 260, 283,

T
Table Talks of Muhammad, 101, 123, 127, 201, 340,
Talmadge Hayer
admitted Malcolm X assassinator, 246
Temples of Islam 54 56,,57, 127, 162, 183, 202,279
thinking, iv,12
Till, Emmett,53
case reopened, 80
murdered, 53
Tinaz, Nuri, 152,157
Elijah Muhammad opened door to Islam, 152-54 PhD thesis NOI
Tribe of Shabazz
myth, black man descended from, 257
U
UMMAH, 145, 255
to aid humanity, 316
United Muslim Movement, 316
US Constitution and Quran being compatible ?, 329
W
Wahaj, Siraj, 160
Walker, David, xix
Wallace, Mike, 246
Washington, Mayor Harold, 231
Whiteman, see (Caucasian)
William, Dr. Charles
Elijah Muhammads personal physician, 303
Williams, Hosea, xxviii
Willie Lynch Speech, 119
Woodrow X, Minister, 217
Woods, Tiger, 228
Woodson, Carter G, 269,309
Author MisEducation of the Negro, 269

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICAT ION
FOR PEOPLE WHO T HINK
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENT S
INT RODUCT ION
PROLOGUE
CHAPT ER 1T HE NAT ION OF ISLAM1 IS NOT T HE NAT ION OF ISLAM2 IS NOT T HE NAT ION OF
ISLAM3
CHAPT ER 2SOMET HING OF MY EARLY YEARS MY ST ORY
CHAPT ER 3 ELIJ AH POOLE T O ELIJ AH MUHAMMAD
CHAPT ER 4W. D. FARD? FARD MOHAMMED? W. F. MUHAMMAD? MAST ER FARD MUHAMMAD?
PROFESSOR FORD?

CHAPT ER 5T HE MYT H BEGINS

CHAPT ER 6IT S 1935T ROUBLED WAT ERS SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
CHAPT ER 7T HE CHASENOWHERE T O HIDE
CHAPT ER 8ON BECOMING A MUSLIM?
CHAPT ER 9DO FOR SELF
CHAPT ER 10T HE GENESIS OF A T EMPLE
CHAPT ER 11BIG BROT HER (T HE FBI) IS WAT CHING YOU
CHAPT ER 12FROM NEWARK, NEW J ERSEY, T O CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
CHAPT ER 13TABLE TALKS WIT H MUHAMMAD
CHAPT ER 14A QUICK GLANCE AT ST RUCT URE IN T HE NAT ION OF ISLAM
CHAPT ER 15MALCOLM LIT T LE? DET ROIT RED? MALCOLM X? AL HAJ J I MALIK EL SHABAZZ??
CHAPT ER 16WHAT S IN A NAME? T HE SO-CALLED NEGRO
CHAPT ER 17WILL T HE REAL NAT ION OF ISLAM PLEASE STAND UP?
CHAPT ER 18T HE DILEMMA OF T HE MUSLIM IN AMERICA
CHAPT ER 19CONCLUSION: IS T HE WHIT EMAN ST ILL T HE DEVIL?
EPILOGUE: CHANGE T HINGING
APPENDIX
INDEX
COPYRIGHT

COPYRIGHT
2013 by Dr. Abdul Salaam
First Edition August 2013
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