Wallace Fard Muhammad
Wallace Fard Muhammad | |
|---|---|
Fard's official portrait c. 1932 | |
| Leader of the Nation of Islam | |
| In office 1930–1934 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Elijah Muhammad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Date uncertain; NOI tradition claims February 26, 1877[a][1][2] Place uncertain; NOI tradition claims Mecca; possibly Balochistan (modern-day Pakistan) or British Hong Kong |
| Disappeared | 1934 |
| Died | Date, cause, and place of death are unknown |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation(s) | Religious and political activist |
| Spouses | Unknown. Possibly Pearl Allen
(m. 1914; div. 1914)Hazel Barton (after 1919)Carmen Treviño (m. 1924) |
| Children | Unknown. Possibly with Hazel: Wallace Dodd Fard (later Wallace Max Ford) |
| ^ a. Birth dates attributed to Fard include 1877, 1883, 1884, 1891, and 1893; the Nation of Islam celebrates February 26, 1877. | |
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Wallace Fard Muhammad or W. D. Fard[a] (/fəˈrɑːd/ fə-RAHD;[4][3] reportedly born February 26, c. 1877[5][b] – disappeared c. 1934) was a religious leader who was the founder of the Nation of Islam.
He arrived in Detroit in 1930 with an ambiguous background and several aliases and proselytized syncretic Islamic teachings to the city's black population. His group taught followers to abandon their old "slave names" in favor of new names that were bestowed on new members. Fard's movement similarly taught Black pride and Black exceptionalism, saying that the black man is the "original" man and teaching that the white race were devils created by a scientist named Yakub via eugenics. The group preached abstinence from drugs, alcohol, pork, and out-of-wedlock sex.
After one of Fard's followers performed a human sacrifice, Fard was briefly arrested, but the police ordered him to depart Detroit and not return. Instead he continued to return to the city, where he was spotted by police. In 1934, after repeated arrests and death threats, Fard left Detroit and ultimately disappeared.
Elijah Muhammad succeeded Fard as leader of the Nation of Islam.[8] Fard's teachings in turn influenced many, including Malcolm X, Clarence 13X, Muhammad Ali, and, indirectly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Nation of Islam celebrates Saviour's Day every February 26 in his honor.
- ^ "N.O.I. Founder, Wallace D. Fard born". African American Registry.
- ^ "Wallace D. Fard – American religious leader". Encyclopædia Britannica. March 2024.
- ^ a b Evanzz 2011, p. 445, Appendices: A. Reported Aliases of the Messenger and of Wallace D. Ford.
- ^ Knight, Michael Muhammad (February 26, 2013). Dubuc, Nancy; Smith, Shane (eds.). "Remembering Master Fard Muhammad". Vice News. New York City, New York, United States: Vice Media. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ a b Bowen, Patrick D. (March 21, 2013). "'The Colored Genius': Lucius Lehman and the Californian Roots of Modern African-American Islam". The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School. Boston, Massachusetts, United States: Harvard University. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Fanusie, Fatimah Abdul-Tawwab (2008). Fard Muhammad in historical context: An Islamic thread in the American religious and cultural quilt (PhD). Washington, D.C., United States: Howard University. OCLC 488985857.
- ^ Morrow 2019, pp. 1–35, Chapter 1. Issues of Origin.
- ^ Kavanaugh, Kelli B. (March 5, 2003). Williams, Ron; Heron, W. Kim (eds.). "Mystery man". Detroit Metro Times. Detroit, Michigan, United States: Euclid Media Group, LLC. ISSN 0746-4045. OCLC 10024235. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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