Before his death, he appointed his son, Wallace Muhammad as his successor. In the late sixties, Muhammad’s popularity began to decline along with his health. These two men became prominent within the organization and helped to bring national awareness to the Nation of Islam. Eventually, Muhammad’s preaching inspired Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali to convert and join the organization. In 1942, Muhammad was sentenced to four years in prison for preaching sedition and for avoiding the draft during World War II. His teachings that white people were devils who were created specifically to oppress the Black race quickly gained the attention of the United States government. That same year, he quickly rose to power as Fard named him Chief Minister of the Nation of Islam.Īs leader of the Nation of Islam, Muhammad dedicated himself towards expanding the organization by teaching against white supremacy. In 1931, Elijah Poole joined the Nation and changed his name to Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad was captivated by Fard’s teachings of Black Islam and racial supremacy. Once in Detroit, Muhammad worked in the automobile industry until he was laid off from his job during the Great Depression.ĭuring his time of unemployment, Elijah met the founder of the NOI, Wallace Fard.

In 1917, he married Clara Evans and by 1923, Muhammad and his wife moved to Detroit, Michigan in order to find better living and employment opportunities. Muhammad grew up in the segregated South and worked alongside his family as a sharecropper. Elijah Muhammad, known as the most prominent leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), was born Elijah Poole in Sandersville, Georgia.

The people vs muhammad file:pdf