MUHAMMAD, Elijah (1897-1975), American Black Muslim,
who was leader of the Nation of Islam, or Black
Muslims, from 1934 until his death. Born near Sandersville,
Ga., one of 13 children of an itinerant Baptist preacher, he was
originally named Elijah Poole. His formal education ended when he
was nine years old. In 1923 he settled in Detroit, where, eight
years later, he met and became a disciple of Wallace D. Fard (c.
1877-1934), also known as Walli Farad, founder of the Temple of
Islam in Detroit.
When
Farad disappeared in 1934, Poole changed his own name to Muhammad
and assumed leadership of the movement that later became known as
the Black Muslims. Muhammad, known as Holy Prophet and Messenger
of Allah, spent the next eight years recruiting followers
throughout the country. In 1942 he was imprisoned for urging
blacks to resist the military draft; after his release in 1946,
the movement spread quickly. It grew and prospered, especially in
the 1960s, surviving a rift between Muhammad and his disciple
Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965. Muhammad advocated the
establishment of an autonomous state for Black Muslims.
