An original man: The life and time of Elijah Muhammad, 1897-1960.

Abstract

This study argues that there are three major themes which emerge from a critical analysis of the early life and leadership of Elijah Muhammad. The first of these motifs is his centrality to the historical evolution of black nationalism and Islam as a counter-religion among African-Americans in the twentieth century. In particular, this work not only shows that the leader was the most prominent icon of the quasi-Islamic and racial separatist movements that developed among blacks following World War II; it also argues that he personally was the main guiding force behind the beliefs, rituals, and functions of the Nation of Islam for over four decades. Secondly, economic factors had a crucial impact on both Muhammad's leadership and the maturation of the Nation of Islam. This study argues that circumstances such as Muhammad's agrarian background and experiences in depressed Detroit during the 1920s and 1930s were directly tied to his later attraction to the Nation of Islam as a vehicle of financial uplift as well as spiritual and racial empowerment. Furthermore, it is maintained that material considerations increasingly overshadowed purely spiritual matters which over time led to a degree of conservatism in the movement. While this study does not argue that the role of Elijah Muhammad in the Nation of Islam was solely motivated by a materialist propensity, it does contend that his leadership and the movement in general were shaped by both a value system that stressed material concerns and the larger economic patterns behind American society. Thirdly, understanding the life of Elijah Muhammad demands that he be placed into several pertinent contexts necessary for comprehending the historical environment that produced him. His rural Georgian background and acclimation to urban life are detailed as well as important national and international events and conditions which historically situate the Nation's evolution. Most relevant to this study, the various ideological influences and organizational dynamics that played a part in shaping his philosophy and leadership are assayed to highlight the development and interplay of belief and practice within the movement.