The organizations humble origins in the Hastings Street Temple of Detroits Paradise Valley are little known, as is the story of the enigmatic Wallace D. Fard. No further birth, marriage, or death records appear to exist for individuals matching Dodd or Muhammad. One faction, the Moors, remains faithful to Noble Drew Ali, and the other, which is now led by Elijah Muhammad, remains faithful to Prophet Fard (Master Wallace Fard Muhammad). How we had been made blind, deaf and dumb by this white race of people and how we must return to our people, our God and His religion of peace (Islam), the religion of the prophets. Fards demise as the leader of the temple was brought upon him 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. [citation needed] Harris attended meetings of the Detroit chapter of the Nation of Islam, then also called the Order of Islam, and Allah Temple of Islam, where he was given the name of Robert Karriem. Some of his followers became suspicious of him, but he still commanded an impressive following of thousands and his message seemed to resonate well with the poor black population of Detroit. [19], In the early stage of his ministry, Fard "used the Bible as his textbook, since it was the only religious book with which the majority of his hearers were familiar. The effect of both these movements upon the future members of the Nation of Islam was largely indirect. Fards First Temple of Islam included the Fruit of Islam, a military-like organization of black male converts, a Muslim Girls Training Corps Class and a University of Islam which, despite its name, was mainly focused on elementary and high-school level education. He lived In Los Angeles. This is the story that stuck. 1. "[26] Wallace Fard Muhammad loved the black people of the United States of America. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He provided no known place of birth for his parents nor his date of immigration. Wallace Fard came to Detroit in the early 1930s and, in-between peddling silks and perfumes, preaches a unique brand of Islam to the local black population. [17] He came to the homes of black families who had recently migrated to Detroit from the rural South. Just last year, however, I read a book that reintroduced Fard to my consciousness. "Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. For some time, one W. D. Fard assumed leadership of the Moorish movement. But his strict culinary concerns may have emerged from elsewhere: it is said he carried packets of sugar in his coat pocket and is said to have bled easily. (February 22, 2023). While there is plenty written about Ford, not much is known about Fard. He was ultimately forced to leave Detroit because of an allegation that he encouraged one of his followers to engage in a ritual of human sacrifice. He was a few years away from retirement so he was quiet old. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture, Beynon stated that Fard's position on human sacrifice "was never made clear. Many people avoided him because of the wild things he sometimes said." Beynon described the substance of Fard's teaching as follows: "The black men in North America are not Negroes, but members of the lost tribe of Shabazz, stolen by traders from the Holy City of Mecca 379 years ago. Wallace Fard, also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad or Master Fard Muhammad[3] (/frd/; reportedly born February 26, c.1877[4][7] disappeared c.1934), was the founder of the Nation of Islam. He declared that we were without the knowledge of self or anyone else. Essien-Udom, E. U. She claimed Ford was a New Zealander who had lived in Portland prior to coming to LA, and that she had one son by him, Wallace Dodd Ford Jr., who had died during World War II. Pan-Islam is the ideology that calls for the unity and cooperation of Muslims worldwide on the basis of their shared Islamic identity. It says that Wallace Fard "is awaiting an immigration hearing. Her judgment could not take place until we hear the truth. In contrast to Fards story, Karl Evanzz, noted NOI authority and author of The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, has argued that Fard was born Wali Dodd Fard in New Zealand in 1893. [24] He established the University of Islam, where school-age children were taught, rather than in the public schools. A variety of other claims emerged; that he went to Hawaii, New Zealand, and even to the Middle East. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. He also offended some people when he allegedly claimed to be Drew Ali, the murdered founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America (another Islamic black nationalist group). Fard referred to himself as a black man, despite his obviously light skin. 2 as its headquarters. The FBI officially claims this: Fard got into hot water when in May 1933, one of his followers performed a ritual murder as a sacrifice to God. Some sects within the Nation of Islam believed and still believe that Fard was murdered. Lincoln, author of The Black Muslims in America, originally published in 1961, recounted a legend that described Fard as the black Jamaican son of a Syrian Moslem. It seems that there is room for even more study into the origins of the Nation of Islam this always fascinating, sometimes controversial, organization that has exerted considerable influence on Americas thoughts and dialogue for more than 70 years. This would suggest he was, in fact, diabetic. The NOI teaches that Wallace Fard Muhammad was an avatar of Allah, who came to America to educate on this forgotten history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Fard_Muhammad. He denounced white people and incited racial hatred. WebWant a minute-by-minute forecast for Fawn-Creek, Kansas? The book Chameleon: The True Story of W.D. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Members of the movement believe Fard to be the incarnation of Allh, and his birthday, February 26, is observed as Saviours Day. https://68.media.tumblr.com/8baacfedb2c5ff0be7055d0550917d7e/tumblr_ne5vz9XWui1t1ova9o10_500.jpg. Two days later, Elijah Muhammads son, Wallace Muhammad, was named leader of the NOI, and quickly distanced himself from certain aspects of his fathers teachings most notably those denouncing whites as devils. Their tainted, weakened blood was to blame for the white races immorality, which they frequently used to keep the black race in a perpetual state of half-freedom. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/legal-and-political-magazines/fard-w-d-c-1877-1934-religious-and-political-leader, "Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader Artists who have made references within their music include Jay-Z ("I'm going to chase the Yacub back in the cave"[69]), Jay Electronica ("Lost tribe of Shabazz stylin' on the record", "The son of W.D., who hung around in the D, Who ran around in the three, The trap gods raised me, Face all on the Sphinx, Story all in the wall of the pyramids, Niggas know the Black God saved me"[69]), Brand Nubian ("This Asiatic black man is a dog spelled backwards, The maker, the owner, the cream of the planet earth, Father of civilization, God of the universe, Manifestin thought with my infinite styles, Making sure this travels twenty-three million miles, The other six I set the crucifix, Because the heart of the problem is this."[70]), and Ras Kass in the song "Riiiot" ("Now I got niggas claiming they saw God unfortunately, he wasn't in the person of Master Fard Muhammad").[71]. Maybe he was deported after that hearing. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. When nothing further was heard from him, some rumored that he had been killed by police. "The society cannot be blamed for anything he did," Ali was quoted in the Detroit News, November 23, 1932. Most sources in the Nation of Islam claim that he hailed from The Holy City Mecca in Saudi Arabia, 1920 Federal U.S. Census, Los Angeles City, Enumeration District 206, Sheet 10B, California State Board of Health, County of Orange, Certificate of Marriage, Local Registered No. A variety of other claims emerged; that he went to Hawaii, New Zealand, and even to the Middle East. In 1959, the FBI issued a smear story to a Chicago newspaper, claiming Fard was a Turk and a fascist sympathizer who had acted as a Nazi spy during World War II. In 1934, he disappeared from public record, and Elijah Muhammad succeeded him as leader of the Nation of Islam. Fard, 2017, by A.K. [39], On October 17, 1957, the FBI located and interviewed Hazel Barton-Ford, Wallie Ford's common-law wife, with whom he had a son named Wallace Dodd Ford, born on September 1, 1920. "[37] The FBI took note of the article written by Erdmann Doane Beynon, and it conducted a search for Fard using various aliases including the name "Ford". How that ALLAH would separate us from the Devils and, then destroy them; and Change us into a New and Perfect People; and Fill the Earth with FREEDOM, JUSTICE and EQUALITY as it was filled with wickedness; and Making we, the Poor Lost-Founds, the Perfect RULERS."[25]. [4], Fard was arrested again on January 20, 1926, for violation of the California Woolwine Possession Act,[39] and on February 15, 1926, for violation of the State Poison Act, for which he was sentenced to six months to six years at San Quentin State Prison on June 12, 1926. Fard appears in the novel Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, in which Fard's Detroit Temple No. Master Fard's mysterious disappearance in 1934 led to an internal struggle for the leadership of the Nation of Islam among several contending factions. They also have a similar receding hairline that poofs out along the side. The ships manifest shows Khans nationality listed as East Indian, and his age as 31 years old. [20], With regard to Elijah Muhammad, Beynon's article stated: "From among the larger group of Muslims there has sprung recently an even more militant branch than the Nation of Islam itself. Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. Evanzz believes that Fard immigrated to the United States via Canada in 1913. After Wallace had renamed the group the World Community of Al-Islam (one of many name changes to follow), Farrakhan was able to reconstitute the NOI under his own auspices in 1979. Fard preached that blacks (who were not to be called Negroes) must prepare for an inevitable race war and that Christianity was the religion of slaveowners. Corrections? [12], Fard taught a form of black exceptionalism and self-pride to poor Southern blacks during the Great Northward Migration at a time when old ideas of scientific racism were prevalent. His parents were Zared Fard (a New Zealander whose parents were from an area of East India that eventually became Pakistan) and Beatrice (of New Zealands minority British population). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. After Desdemona is hired and settles into a familiar routine of caring for the delicate silkworms the Nation of Islam breeds to make cloth, she discovers that she can hear the speeches of Master W.D. [30] Evanzz based his account of Fard's life on the declassified portion of the FBI file that he received about a decade after his request. Thus ended the FBI investigation into Fard's early life. See alsoAfrican-American Religions; Black Muslims; Islam; Malcolm X; Muhammad, Elijah Karriem; Muhammad, Warith Deen; Nation of Islam; Qur'an. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. The photo of Fard looks highly retouched, or whatever people did to photo before Photoshop, so whether it's the same person as in the mugshot is really hard to tell. Here in America they were living other than themselves. [9], In 1938, sociologist Erdmann Doane Beynon published in the American Journal of Sociology a firsthand account of several interviews he conducted with followers of Fard in Michigan. Practically none of them had been in the North prior to the collapse of the Marcus Garvey movement. He taught us the truth of how we were made 'slaves' and how we are kept in slavery by the 'slave-masters children. Wallace Dodd Ford's race is the subject of some debate. [64][65] Fard wrote the following for his followers: "[T]he LESSONS that OUR SAVIOUR (ALLAH) gave us to Study and Learn is the Fulfillment of the Prophecies of All the Former Prophets concerning the Beginning of the Devils, and the Ending of the Civilization, and of our Enslavement by the Devils, and Present Time of our Delivery from the Devils by OUR SAVIOUR (ALLAH). Who was Wallace Fard and what happened to him? The FBI file states: "Our investigation of the NOI and Fard failed to establish his birth date and birth place." Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. But it's a dead end - as far as anybody in the country, or indeed the world is concerned, Wallace Fard Muhammed no longer exists. During our colored and Negro days, he was Black. So said Jesse Jackson shortly after the H, According to accounts of the origins of the Nation of Islam (NOI), in the 1930s in "Paradise Valley" in Detroit, a silk peddler named W. D. Fard bega, The expansion of Islam historically embraces two phenomena. Hijrah Magazine (MarchApril 1985). She is first hypnotized by his voice, then by his message. . 9 Mysterious Disappearances of People Other Than Amelia Earhart, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wallace-D-Fard, Wallace D. Fard - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Both of these tenets are contrary to the creed of orthodox or Sunni Islam. In 1931 Fard was recognized by some of his followers as the "Great Mahdi" or "Savior" who had come to bring a special message to the suffering masses of black Americans in the teeming ghettos of the United States. Via e-mail, I asked Claude Andrew Clegg III, author of another Elijah Muhammad biography, An Original Man, to give me his take on the controversy. [41] Immigration records did not match any of his aliases. Fard appeared as a peddler "from the East," selling silks and other sundries and dispensing advice about health and spiritual development to his customers. At this time, Ford was going under the name Fred Dodd, and operated a lunch wagon. [citation needed], Efforts to trace the origins and life story of Fard have been extensive but have yielded only fragmentary results and not even his date of death is known; further complicating any efforts is the fact that only 5 pictures of Fard are known to exist, 4 being mugshots taken after various arrests and one being the official portrait by the Nation of Islam; most observers agreed they all belong to the same person which was confirmed via facial recognition analysis. This is my own personal theory and it is out there so this is a fair warning: I believe that Ford was a FBI plant sent in as a cointel agent to gather intelligence on the civil rights movement that would getting traction in many inner city's and southern States. . ." rcds.appendChild(rcel); Whatever the case, Fard was a master at remaking himself and was apparently a very charismatic man. Dodd or Muhammad of them had been killed by police that we were without the knowledge of self anyone. 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