Elijah Muhammad

Elijah Muhammad was the charismatic leader of the black nationalist group Nation of Islam.

Political Figure

October 7, 1897

February 25, 1975

77

Elijah Muhammad, originally named Elijah Poole, emerged as a prominent figure in the black separatist religious movement called the Nation of Islam. Overcoming poverty, he became the group’s charismatic leader and a mentor to Malcolm X. His notable works include “Message to the Blackman in America” and “The Final Call.” Elijah Muhammad played a crucial role in Malcolm X’s conversion to the Nation of Islam and the organization’s expansion during the 1960s. After his death in 1975, his son, Warith/Wallace Deen Muhammad, assumed leadership of the Nation of Islam.