Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. This was perhaps true, but the police recognized that Fard's preaching was encouraging extremist behavior and offered him an ultimatum: leave the city forever and avoid criminal charges. The original people must regain their religion, which is Islam, their language, which is Arabic, and their culture, which is astronomy and higher mathematics, especially calculus. Evanzz reported that Wallace D. Fard died in Chicago in 1971 at the age of 78. [20] Fard prepared texts that served as authoritative manuals of the faith and were memorized verbatim by his followers. He wrote two books for the movement, The Secret Ritual of the Nation of Islam, which is transmitted orally to members; and Teaching for the Lost-Found Nation of Islam in a Mathematical Way, which is written in symbolic language and requires special interpretation. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. What would he have thought of it? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. On the draft card, "Ford" is written in parentheses in a different hand. Their physical and economic difficulties alike were used to illustrate the new teaching. Attendances to his sermons rapidly grow over the next three years and then suddenly, without announcing his departure, he disappears, never to be seen or heard from again. The book Chameleon: The True Story of W.D. It's possible him and Ford are the same guy. [44], On August 15, 1959, the FBI sent a story to the Chicago New Crusader newspaper, stating that Fard was a "Turkish-born Nazi agent who worked for Hitler in World War II". Wallace Fard Muhammad was the founder of the Nation of Islam. This fits with Ford's former professions. rcel.src = "//trends.revcontent.com/serve.js.php?w=76341&t="+rcel.id+"&c="+(new Date()).getTime()+"&width="+(window.outerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth)+"&referer="+encodeURIComponent(referer); The past is filled with elusive characters whose true identities tend to slip just beyond absolute description. Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. He provided no known place of birth for his parents nor his date of immigration. Learn how your comment data is processed. You have not yet seen me in my royal robes.' In that year, he established in Detroit the Temple of Islm as well as the University of Islm, which was the temples school, and the Fruit of Islm, a corps of male guards. Karriem was found to be legally insane and was committed. The local police traced the murderer's ideology back to Fard and arrested him. He measured and weighed the earth and its water; the history of the moon; the history of the two nations, black and white, that dominate the earth. He said that he loved us (the so-called Negroes), his lost and found, so well that he would eat rattlesnakes to free us if necessary, for he has power over all things. The entire movement was placed under a Minister of Islam. Wallace Fard Muhammad was the founder of the Nation of Islam. WebThe FBIs FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. [28] Additionally, Fard is alleged to have used up to 58 different aliases during his life. He agreed to leave Detroit forever in order to receive immunity, and boarded a train bound for Chicago on Dec. 7. In 1981, Pakistani scholar Zafar Ishaq Ansari researched Fard's life and claimed that Fard was identical with Muhammad Abdullah, a Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslim. To further muddy the waters, C.E. Two sons of Elijah Muhammad have variously identified him either as an Ahmadiyyah missionary from Pakistan, a position supported by Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, or as an Arab of "Turko-Persian" origins, a view offered by Akbar Muhammad. A handwritten lesson written by Fard states: "Twelve Leaders of Islam from all over the Planet have conferred in the Root of Civilization concerning the Lost-Found Nation of Islam must return to their original Land. He could very plausibly be Maori from New Zealand trying to pass as an Arab, or he could genuinely be Arabic. I am your brother. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Encyclopedia.com. Turner, Richard Brent. [66] He was linked to the Pacific Movement of the Eastern World and Japanese agitators such as Satokata Takahashi, and Ashima Takis. They must clean themselves up both their bodies and their houses. Contemporary American Religion. 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. [68][bettersourceneeded]. 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 Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Black Muslims His original name was Wallace D. Fard, but he was also known by other aliases, such as Farad Muhammad, F. Muhammad Ali, Wali Farrad, and Professor Fard. [52] One theory postulated is that Fard was of Afghan heritage. . Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. WebWallace Fard, also known as Master Wali Farrad Muhammad, founded the Lost and Found Nation of Islam and served as its leader until his mysterious disappearance in the early 1930s. If he indeed became Fard that would tie in with his advocacy of Islam. According to his successor, Elijah Muhammad, Fard was an incarnation of God. How did the founder of a group that recruited men like Malcolm X and Muhammed Ali slip under the radar so easily? When nothing further was heard from him, some rumored that he had been killed by police. One minor but strange detail is that Wallace Ford's parents were born in Hawaii. The FBI report states that fingerprints from Muhammads arrests in Detroit match Fords fingerprints from arrests in Los Angeles. He denounced white people and incited racial hatred. They traced one Wallace Dodd Ford of Los Angeles, a violent man with a criminal record who worked at a local restaurant. One of the few survivors who heard his first addresses states that he himself said: 'My name is W. D. Fard and I came from the Holy City of Mecca. Similarly, biblical prophecies and the teachings of Marcus Garvey and Noble Drew Ali were cited as foretelling the coming of the new prophet". 1960. Despite a lack of fame, Mr. Fards legacy lives on to this day whether most of us know it or not. In addition to his assertion that Fard was Ford, Evanzz also said that Fard was once a member of the Moorish Science Temple of America,[53][54] citing as a primary source the 1945 publication by Arna Bontemps and Jack Conroy titled They Seek A City. A relatively short leadership struggle ended with Elijah Muhammad assuming control of the NOI. Although I'm inclined to believe the official story that he simply fled the country after coming under heat from the police. The Noble Drew Ali, the prophet of the Moorish-Americans, proclaimed that these people were 'descendants of Morrocans [Moroccans]'. See alsoAfrican-American Religions; Black Muslims; Islam; Malcolm X; Muhammad, Elijah Karriem; Muhammad, Warith Deen; Nation of Islam; Qur'an. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Wallace_Fard_Muhammad.jpg. In the 1920 United States Census, his race was reported as white, his occupation as a proprietor of a restaurant, and his place of birth as New Zealand. 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). The first is the expansion of Islamic statesthat is, states whose ruling elite consisted, Islam WebFard offered blacks a credo of moral and cultural superiority to their white oppressors. Fard: Unveiling the Identity of the Founder of the Nation of Islam by Dr. John Andrew Morrow investigates theories of Fard's origin. A son born to Allen during their marriage, Donald Campagna, is believed to be the result of an extramarital affair. 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]. Just last year, however, I read a book that reintroduced Fard to my consciousness. rcel.type = 'text/javascript'; Her judgment could not take place until we hear the truth. [55] Authors have also cited E. U. Essien-Udom for this proposition as well. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. The FBI maintained an open file on Fard Muhammad up until as late as 1960, according to documents published through the Freedom of Information Act. After Elijah's death, Warith Deen appointed Abdullah imam of Mosque #77 in Oakland, California. WebWallace Fard, also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad or Master Fard Muhammad (/ f r d /; reportedly born February 26, c. 1877 disappeared c. 1934), was the founder of the Nation of Islam. He stated that he was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to a Black African father and a Russian Jewish mother, from the Caucasus. Clegg, a history professor at the University of Indiana at Bloomington, responded: The version of the story that characterizes Fard as being of Pakistani descent and having a criminal background seems to have some validity, though neither allegation has been conclusively proven. [47] The paper published the story in an article titled "Black Muslim Founder Exposed As White. He claimed his father was a black Arab and his mother from the Caucasus mountains. [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. ." [25] In 1933, he began signing his name "W. F. Muhammad", which stands for "Wallace Fard Muhammad". Muhammad, Akbar. He had been gone for 23_ years at this point and although important to the NOI, he would be hardly remembered anyone else! There is some evidence that Fard lived at least until the 1960s; his alleged lover stated that he had returned to New Zealand. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Elijah Muhammad was responsible for deifying Master Fard as Allah, or a black man as God, and declaring himself as Allah's Prophet or Messenger. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. 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. Here in America they were living other than themselves. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. A variety of other claims emerged; that he went to Hawaii, New Zealand, and even to the Middle East. 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. Updates? Fard had an East Indian appearance, and was a dapper dresser with perfect white teeth and dark eyes. At some point, he established a rudimentary church and read from the Bible, drawing in a mainly black Christian audience. 1, List of people who have been considered deities, "Wallace D. Fard American religious leader", "Nation of Islam at a crossroad as leader exits", "Louis Farrakhan says billionaires 'paying off' black preachers, politicians", "Nation of Islam resonates in Detroit as it returns home for convention", "The Nation of Islam could be Chicago's savior", "Coverage Of "The Voodoo Murders" Mythic Detroit", Appendices: A. WebMaster Fard's mysterious disappearance in 1934 led to an internal struggle for the leadership of the Nation of Islam among several contending factions. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBIs capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. The FBI were confident that Wallace Dodd Ford was, in fact, Wallace Fard Muhammad. The FBI file states: "Our investigation of the NOI and Fard failed to establish his birth date and birth place." Master Fard's identity, origins, appearance, and disappearance remain mysterious and controversial. Fard, a man who the FBI alleged used 58 aliases during his lifetime, visited Detroit. This cursory bit of knowledge was enough to satisfy my curiosity for many years, during which my contact with the Nation of Islam was limited to regularly buying bean pies from neatly dressed men standing on Livernois who were also peddling the groups newspaper, The Final Call. "The people who actually met him, and the scholars who have studied him, have suggested that he was variously an African American, an Arab from Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco or Saudi Arabia a Turk, an Afghan, an Indo-Pakistani a Greek" Morrow writes. 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 claimed he was influenced by the group. 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. An interesting piece of information that emerged from Elijah Muhammad's son is that Fard was an excellent cook and dietitian. WebIn late 1933 or in 1934 Fardmysteriously disappeared from public record. Wallace Dodd Ford's race is the subject of some debate. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBIs capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. J. Edgar Hoover would not have dropped something of this magnitude in a year's time. [24] He established the University of Islam, where school-age children were taught, rather than in the public schools. The 2 smear campaigns that were released also have me wondering what the agency hoped to accomplish. WebWallace D. Fard aka Wallace Fard Muhammad / f . After Fard Muhammad disappeared in 1934, the leadership of the NOI was assumed by Elijah Muhammad.