FBI Report on Elijah Muhammad

Document Text

File: 105-24822

Details:

I. Background

Elijah Muhammad, true name Elijah Poole, resides at 4847 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. He also maintains a residence at 2118 East Violet Drive, Phoenix, Arizona, but rarely utilizes same. Muhammad is the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI). He claims to be the Messenger of Alla and the only divinely appointed leader of the black man in North America. He formulates and/or approves all teachings, policies and programs in the NOI. … He is considered to be Minister of Muhammad’s Temple (MT) 2, 7351 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago. He performs the above tasks, which are his sole occupation, from his residence and through MT 2. …

The NOI is an all-black nationwide organization headquartered at Muhammad’s Temple 2, 7351 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, under the guidance of Elijah Muhammad, self-styled “Messenger of Allah” and alleged divinely appointed leader of the black race in the United States. Its purpose is separation of the black man from the “devil” (white race) through establishment of a black nation. Followers are instructed to obey the laws of the land if they do not conflict with NOI laws and not to carry weapons but are to defend NOI officials, their property, women and themselves if attacked at all costs and are to take weapons away from their attackers and use same on the attacker.

II. Personal History

“Muhammad University of Islam—No. 2—1973” Year Book on page 24 sets forth an article titled “History,” which is as follows:

Q. What year, month and day was Messenger Muhammad born?

A. He was born in October, 1897.

Q. Where was Messenger Muhammad born?

A. Messenger Muhammad was born in Sandersville, Georgia, not many miles from his hometown he grew up in Macon, Georgia.

Q. How large was his family?

A. Messenger Muhammad was the seventh child of thirteen children.

Q. Who gave him the name of Elijah?

A. A paternal grandfather gave him the name Elijah, and always addressed him as Elijah the Prophet.

Q. Did Messenger Muhammad show leadership traits early?

A. Yes, the older children in the family would always come to him to settle disputes and at fifteen; he was a foreman over a crew of men much older than he.

Q. How old was Messenger Muhammad when he married and migrated to Detroit?

A. Messenger Muhammad was twenty-five years of age, and be moved to Detroit in April, 1923.

Q. What was the first meeting of Allah and Elijah Poole like?

A. Someone, one day went excitedly to tell Mr. Elijah Poole that there was a certain man in town teaching that which he just had to go hear for himself. So, Mr. Elijah Poole went down to the meeting hall to hear this certain man speak, According to the best reports, as soon as he walked into the room he realized that the one who was speaking was God, Himself. When shaking the man’s hand after the meeting, Mr. Elijah Poole said, “I know who you are, you’re God Himself.” The certain man whispered to him, that’s right, but don’t tell it now: It is not yet time for it to be known.

Q. When did Master Fard Muhammad name Elijah Poole Elijah Karriem?

A. The Savior Master Fard Muhammad named Elijah Poole Elijah Karriem shortly after he accepted his own.

Q. How was Elijah Karriem appointed as Supreme Minister and describe how it took place. Did he receive the name Muhammad then?

A. The Savior, Master Fard Muhammad, used a system of permitting the student ministers to select their own minister from among themselves. They would always select the most articulate, smooth-talking one. However, one day the Savior decided to select his own.“I’ve let you select yours for awhile,” he told the student ministers. “Now I’ll select mine.” “Hey, you over there, Karriem!” Master Fard called out to the humble little man seated in the corner rear of the classroom. “Who me?” The Messenger asked humbly. “Yes, you Elijah Karriem,” The Savior commanded. “Come up here with me.” The humble little man went to the front of the class and stood beside his Master. The Savior put his right arm around the little man’s shoulder and said, “From now on this is My Minister.” The Savior gave Elijah the name of Muhammad, His name. Muhammad was given the title “Supreme Minister” until later on when he received the title “Messenger of Allah,” a title which he was not to use until the Savior had gone because it was not to be revealed until then that Savior Himself was Allah in person.

Q. Why did Master Fard Muhammad allow himself to be persecuted?

A. Master Fard Muhammad allowed Himself to be persecuted because he chose to suffer three and one-half years to show His love for His people who have suffered over 300 years at hands of a people who by nature are evil and wicked and have no good in them. He was persecuted, sent to jail in 1932 and ordered out of Detroit on May 26, 1933.

In 1933 he came to Chicago and was arrested almost immediately on His arrival and placed behind prison bars.

Q. Why did Master Fard Muhammad always call Messenger Muhammad to Him when He went Jail?

A. He submitted himself with all humbleness to his persecutors. “Each time he was arrested, He sent for me so that I might see and learn the price of truth for us, the so-called American Negroes (members of the Asiatic Nation). He was able to save Himself from such suffering, but how else was the scripture to be fulfilled? We followed in His footsteps suffering the same persecution.”

Q. How many years did Master Fard Muhammad teach Messenger Muhammad?

A. Messenger Muhammad was taught by Allah for three years and four or five months.

Q. When did Master Fard Muhammad leave and how many books did he leave for Messenger Muhammad to find and read?

A. He left in 1934 and left 104 books for Messenger Muhammad to find.

Q. Why did Messenger Muhammad leave Detroit?

A. Sometime in 1934 Allah left. As they had agreed before Master Fard Muhammad left, Elijah Muhammad began teaching that the one who had been known as Prophet Fard was in fact Allah (God) Himself, in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, Some of the former student ministers disagreed. They didn’t want to believe that the most humble among them had been chosen to be The Messenger of Allah - they began disbelieving in Allah after they had said that they believed; they became hypocrites.

Q. Where did Messenger Muhammad go during the period of 1934?

A. Messenger Muhammad moved to Chicago in 1934. In 1935, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad fled to Washington, D. C. from the hypocrites.

Q. Where did Messenger Muhammad go during the period of flight?

A. He went from city to city teaching Islam on the east coast, mainly.

Q. How did he go about establishing the different Mosques?

A. While on the run.

Q. In what year did Chicago become the Headquarters?

A. In September, 1934.

Q. When did Messenger Muhammad go to jail for five years?

A. “I was arrested on May 8, 1942, in Washington, D. C. by the F.B.I. for not registering for the draft. When the call was made for all males between 18 and 44, I refused and would not take part in war and especially not on the side with the infidels. Second, I was 45 years of age and was not, according to the law, required to register.” Brother Emmanuel Muhammad speaking of his father: “What has impressed me most, I think, was my stay with my father in prison. He set up a Temple in the prison despite the difficulties he experienced with the blackboard and all. He set up classes right there in prison. He would teach on Wednesday and Friday evenings until the bugle was blown for us to go to bed. He also taught on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. He made many, many converts in prison. Even the devils who came by to steal an earful wound up bowing in agreement, an unconscious bearing of witness to the truth The Messenger taught.

“There are, in my mind, many memorable instances of my father’s love for Allah, but the one that sticks in me most is of the tears Allah and The Messenger shed the day Allah left us.

“I also recall seeing my father reading the Bible after breakfast; or whatever they called breakfast during the depression He would read all day, and this reading would bring tears to His eyes. The tears would fall at the time he was reading. …”

Q. How was the Nation of Islam run during this period?

A. Sister Clara Muhammad was the first of the family to accept the mission of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. She held the Muhammad family together all the while He was on the run. And, while He was in prison, the remaining officials would seek information from her. “She would bring understanding from my father on questions she could not answer. She gathered and sent or brought to my father and I whatever literature the prison permitted. She typed verses from the Holy Quran and sent them to us.” Where were the meeting places in those days? In 1945, Messenger Elijah Muhammad sent instructions for us not to pay any more rent but to hold our meetings in one of the believer’s homes and to purchase a building. In the winter of 1955–56 in October, the building at 5333-35 South Greenwood was purchased. In June, 1972, a new Temple was purchased at 7351 Stoney Island Avenue. Messenger Muhammad and his followers across the Nation are determined to build an Educational Center at this site, second to none on Chicago’s southside, which will serve as memorial to the dedicated mission of God’s Messenger. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, here in America.…

III. Teachings

“Muhammad Speaks” (MS), September 7, 1973, page 12, sets forth an article titled “O Wheel—Mother of Planes,” by Elijah Muhammad. He wrote:

… The Wheel is in fact a ship (plane) made like a wheel. And it is made for the Purpose of Allah (God) Carrying out His Aim upon this world. This Wheel is by no means to be taken lightly!

After The Wheel has done its Work it will have Made Way for a New World to be Built under the Eyes and Guidance of Allah (God).

The Wheel is so wonderful that even the prophet had to declare it in these words, “O Wheel, O Wheel” meaning that he is admiring his vision that he was receiving from Allah (God).

The Wheel is the most wonderful and the most miraculous mechanical building of a plane that has ever been Imagined by man. The planes on this Wheel will be sent down, earthward and are capable of destroying the world almost at once. The Wheel, (the Mother Plane) is capable of carrying many people in it! The Wheel is ½ mile by ½ mile in size.

The Wheel is capable of sitting up above earth’s atmosphere for a whole year before coming down into earth’s atmosphere to take on more oxygen and hydrogen for the people who are on this plane (The Wheel) O she is a wonderful thing!

The Planes that she uses to send earthward are so swift that they can make their flight and return their plane to The Wheel, the Mother Plane, almost like a flash of lightning. O Wheel!

Think Over It: After trillions of years should we let a baby, only six months old (6,000 years old) outwit us? This I say to those ignorant people of mine. I do not say this to the white man, for the white man knows, too.

But, it is our Black People who the white man is desirous to keep dumb to the Power of our God, Allah. But, Think Over It! If the Black Man created the heavens and the earth. And The Black Man Did Create The Heavens And The Earth … then what man is fool enough to challenge the Black Man.

It Is Not that the white man is a fool to try to challenge Allah. It is the intention of the white man to make a fool out of the Black Man and to try to show Allah that he can make a fool out of the Black Man.

But, in a twinkling of an eye, Allah (God) can take away the heavens and the earth, not to think over a few little people just made six days ago (6,000 years ago). O Wheel, the greatest most miraculous plane ever built. There never was such a plane made before this Wheel. There never was a need for such a plane before now.

You may wish Mr. Enemy that you could get a shot at The Wheel with your jet planes and other military weapons, but you should just go home and go to sleep. No one can harm this plane, The Wheel. They are going to fix you up first, Before The Wheel ever comes into sight!

You cannot live on the moon, only just so long as your oxygen and hydrogen last you. The moon is about the closest platform that I know of, that you could probably try to use.

Venus And Mars … you cannot use Venus and Mars. The people on Mars will not let you light (land) on Mars. If they do let you land on Mars, they will be silly to do so.

You would like to see what the people on Mars look like. That is not, say, impossible. O Wheel … the greatest mechanical defender, powered by the Spirit of Allah, to Protect us, the Black People On The Face Of The Earth.

MS newspaper is self-described as published weekly by MT 2 in Chicago.

MS, October 12, 1973, page 12, sets forth an article titled “Indians in America” by Elijah Muhammad. He wrote

Allah (God) Who Came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, To Whom Praises are due forever, taught me, that the Indians, who are so-called American Indians, are descendants from an old Ancient People, the Black Man of Asia, in that part of the country that is known as India. They are by no means a modern people.

The Indians, who are here in the Western Hemisphere are non-American, therefore I use the word, so-called American Indians. They were captured and subdued by the Americans, but this does not mean that they are Americanized.

The So-Called American Indians, so Allah (God) Who Came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, To Whom Praises are Due forever, taught me, were exiled from their native land (India) and people, 16,000 years ago. They migrated, by walking from the country that is now known as India and entered this country, by way of the Bering Straits.

They Were Driven Out Of India because of their unbelief in Allah and their failure to worship in His True Religion, Islam. They had to walk all that way because their fathers rebelled against Allah and His Religion, Islam.

They Suffered for a long time trying to get into this part of the earth. Imagine, if you would start out to walk to America through the Bering Straits to India, you would probably never reach there alive. To even walk across the continent of America would probably get a man for life. So imagine these people walking thousands and tens of thousands of miles to get into this part of the earth. It takes a long time.

They Had To Take Such terrible chastisement due to the spirit of Allah (God) against these people, because of their disobedience to Allah (God) and His Religion, Islam.

The So-Called American Indians were completely guideless. Allah allowed this to happen to them because of their disobedience. They built many kinds of gods with their own hands and bowed down and worshiped the work of their own hands as they are still doing in India, today. They are not successful in India, except those who turn to Islam.

And Since the Western Hemisphere became a prison exile for the American Indians, Allah (God) sent another exiled enemy (white man) to chase this (Indian) exile and to bring him into subjection to the late white exile and give the Indians another whipping.

Here In America, the white man has almost annihilated the Indian from the face of the earth. I want you to see into the work of God upon a people who refuse Him, as the so-called Negro in America desires to do, today. They Ignore Allah (God) and follow an exiled enemy of God.

The American White Man is an exile from Arabia They were exiled into Europe 6,000 years ago because of their disobedience and causing dissatisfaction, fighting and blood-shed among. the righteous due to their spreading lies between the Muslims. That is what they were made for.

The So-Called Negro in America came into America in such a different way than that of the Indians and the white man. We were not exiled from our native country and people. We were kidnapped by the white man and brought here by force against our will, for the purpose of evil slavery and mistreatment.

The So-Called Negro has no divine Charge or sin placed against them, by God, for being here or for doing anything in the way of other than righteous. The so-called Negro in America is cleared by Allah (God) Who Came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, To Whom Praises are Due forever.

Since Allah (God) has forgiven us for what was put upon us by the slavemaster (other than righteous), we have the better chance than the former two (the exiled enemy Indian and the exiled enemy white man).

We, The So-Called Negro in America, have a Defender in God, The All-Wise, The Best-Knower, The All-Powerful, The Mighty God and the Greatest of Them all, Allah, In the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, To Whom Praises are Due forever, Who is on our side.

Allah (God) Desires to use us, the descendants of our Black Nation, the best and the greatest of the Black Nation of Earth, since the time of its creation. The fact about it, He wants to build a new and Eternal Government of Freedom, Justice and Equality, out of us, for the Nation of Black People of the Earth.

However, The Door Is Open, to the remnant of the American Indians, so I turn my attention to this all but annihilated people, to see if they will come and follow me to Allah. Allah (God) Who Came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, To Whom Praises are Due forever, discussed them with me. So if you desire to live, my once-brothers, the Indians of America, seek me and I will Seek God, for you, that you may live, yet again. Allah (God) taught me that we can get along with the Indians of America, for they yet have some blood of the aboriginal Black people.

We Are Two People, who have been nearly destroyed. I seek the Indians. There are various newly made races of people here in the Western Hemisphere. They are mixed with the blood of this people and that people, but if you notice there is a trace of the blood of the Black Man in most of them.

We Want To Unite the scattered tribes of the Black Man into one Nation and build for ourselves a strong Nation.

MS, October 19, 1973, page 12, sets forth an article titled “We Want Earth:” by Elijah Muhammad. He wrote:

We, The Lost and Found Members of our Nation, the Original Black Nation of the Earth, called Negroes—a name given to us by the slavemasters along with their own, which have no divine meaning—need some of this earth on which we can build a home of our own. If we now are free and must go for self, we must have some of this earth to live free on so that we can exercise freedom of action.

The freed slave is not to depend on his ex-slavemaster for the necessities of life. This is the free slave’s responsibility. The slave must be educated into the knowledge of how to do for self. He is not to depend on his former master if he is to become self independent.

We Boast that we are free. We love to tell the world that we are free. Freedom means that we are free to do what we like. We cannot yell to the world that we are free while begging to be freed.

It is the free man’s duty to accept his own responsibilities accompanying freedom. If we turn back pleading to the master who freed us to feed, clothe and shelter us, we are still in slavery to the master. The Bible refers to this type of person as a “home-born slave.”

If One Were to care for us, taking the responsibility for us, we would become a servant to that one. We are in bondage to whosoever takes our responsibilities to care for us.

Can we blame the masters for the treatment they give their own slaves? Yes, and no. They have robbed us both physically and mentally. They have spiritually blinded us to the knowledge of ourself and kind, God, the devil and true religion. This truth would bring to us eternal salvation.

We Love freedom. If we love freedom for self, remember that we must assume our own responsibility, so we are free to exercise the freedom of actions as well as freedom of thinking. Both the clergy and political classes of our people should remember this and preach it.

Where are our degreed scholars’ and scientists’ works in the way of trying to help themselves and their people to self independence?

We are a nation in a nation, with a population, according to the census, between 20 to 30 million ex-slaves roaming the country over seeking the master’s pity. If we do something for self we accept our own pity.

God Will help those who help themselves, let us unite and agree on simple truth—and get some of this earth wherein we can do for self as other free nations have done.

IV. Foreign Contacts

It is public knowledge that in January 1973, seven members of the Hanafi American Mussulman, Washington, D. C. were murdered, that Hamaas Khalis, leader of the group and former secretary of MT 2 in the late 1950’s, true name Ernest McGhee, publicly stated Elijah Muhammad was responsible for the murder of the seven members of his family and the critically wounding of two others.

It is public knowledge that Kareem Abdul Jabbar, renowned basketball player with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association, was affiliated with the Hanafi American Mussulman and the murder occurred in a house purchased by Jabbar.

Malcolm X Little in the early 1960’s was a leading spokesman for Elijah Muhammad and was Minister of MT 7, New York City, New York. He defected, founded his own organization based on Orthodox Islam and was murdered in New York City in 1965.