FOREWORD

These essays crystallize over two decades of research and

reflection. thapier one explores the antecedents of the Nation

of lslam - the u.N.l.A. and the Moorish Science Temple; and itgiu"t a biographical sketch of the enigmatic Master W' Fard

iltrhammaJ. ihe inforration about Master Fard is generally

known by pioneers and veteran students, but it exist as oral

tradition or it is written in obscure scattered sources- Here forthe first time it is treated in a comprehensive fashion'

Chapter two is an interpretation of the meaning and life offU"ri"1. W. F. . Muhammad. lt argues that Fard was a sufi mystic

bydrawing mainly on the writings of ldries Shah and Hazrat l.

r-han. t also rugg"rt the Africanity and sufism are natural

affinities because of theit. extensive grounding in symbolism.

chapter three examines the theosophical aspects of Master

Fard's teaching, which I refer to as the "inner script'" The

theosophical-principle of divine mind is nurtured and

actualized by spiritual government' I explore and fill in the

gapsothistheosophyandconceptofspiritualgovernmentbyihe deployment of sufi concepts' The Fardian system

.onrtitut.si spiritual map or a way for those who understand

it.

Finally these essays attempt to advance scholarly discourse

ueyond the notion that the Nation was simply a cult led by a

charismatic leader. To the contrary, I believe it not only

continued Garvey's economic nationalistic tradition, but itcontained a profound theosophical system'

HAKIM SHABATZBUFFALO, NEW YORK

J U LY, 1990

INTRODUCTION

I rrrally, here is the information, rong searched for by those(,rcdt souls, and seeking sours whoknew there was more tolrfe'in general, and the Nation of rsram in particurar, than whatrrr.t the eye. rt is written in the precise, con4ise, iactuar andrr:nsitive manner of only those who are divinely guided.As great, profound and necessary as the natioriof lslam is, for\orne unfathomed reason, many spirituaily advanced and.'t:eking souls courd not comfortabry r..or,.nodate theirrrrtrinsic being into the structure, as ihe Nor was physicailyr'nstituted- yet, the frawress spirituarity greamed from"Mosque meetings"and the great body otliterature waswrthout a doubt, the right needed and used uv r"nv to find

llre.ir way to physicar and spirituar furfiilment in an oppressedrociety. Some moved on to find varying degree, oi ,r...r,wrthout an intimate relationship with rnJruati6n of rsram.others cultivateci an intimate, working relationship with The

N'rtion, adhering to ail the disciprines oithe body, except thoserrot needed for their spirituar evorvement. and though theyrlrd not join the rank and fire, yet their work in harmony, and in'.rrpport of The Nation is so great, they are often mistiken for"rcgistered muslims."

l-ortunately, there were thousands who gradry suffered the'r f f ronts that one must, if you are going to b6come a part of any.l th€ disciplined, organized formations that are absolutely.*cessary for the general welfare of the captive African Nationrr "the wilderness of North America." The rewards of thosewlro stayed the course, and received their ,,X,, is self evident:llrcy maintained good standing, physicaily and spiiituaily,wrthin the Nations' structure, as they-found and accepted it,lrrally easing on into positions of officiardom and readershipwrthin the hierarchy.others maintained ggo.d standing spirituaily and physicaily,

kceping low profires within the ranki of the!"n"r"t tiooy oilt'lievers, while reris.hing in the profound spilituar teachingstlrat lie beyond the basic knowredge that was rifting afri."n,,rt of "the graves,' forming them in disciplined ran-ks, in an

()r(l(,r llr,rt .rllowed for a universal advance for the race' Andtlrorrrllr tlrt:y rrtay not have taken positions of leadership, orrorrlrl rrot t..rsrly share the inner light they were receiving fromtlrt. oslt,r le.rchings, they were the pillars that the ranks of thelJr.lrr,vr.rs lrnged upon.llow1v3r, u[or, the fall of the Nation, after the departure ofMt,.,sr.nt-;er Elijah Muhammad, these pillars for the ranks, wereloosc,rrcd from the physical structure, but held tenaciously torhe profound inner spirituality they had gleamed from theexpc:rience, taking their studies and research to new levels ofurrderstanding of that which The Nation of lslam is all about.Arrd while they eagerly anticipate the level, time and place atwhich they will reioin the physical structure, for the most part,

they have not found a formation that will justify thesubmersion of that spiritual knowledge that the rank and fileonly receive momentary glimpses of, the revelation of whichmay well have a net, negative affect, unless a certain degree ofevolvement has already been attained.

Now, here in this book, Brother Hakim Shabazz haveculminated many, many years of research and study into a

treatise that is going to be a delightful and rewarding experi-ence for The Great soul as well as the seeking soul, and all inbetween.

ROOTS OF THE NATION OF ISLAMl',tamic theology in the African American community has itsrrots in the teachings of Marcus Moziah Garvey in general, andrrr Noble Drew Ali in particular. From 1930 to 1975 Afro-tslamw.rs dominated by the teachings and work of the Honorablellrlah Muhammad. lt was Marcus Moziah Garvey however,wlro laid the foundation for the emergence of Nobre Drew Ali.rrrd Master W. Fard Muhammad. Garvey achieved this by.stablishing a significant African theological component withinlrrr overall improvement efforts.llre Garveyites sought to make the church an agent of socialr lr.rnge, and to utilize it to foster positive African images. TheAfrican American church has already established a positiveIr.rck record by syncretizing christian music with variousAf ricanisms and by using christianity as a means of riberation.

Please enjoy, andUnderstanding.

M ay Alla h B less Yo u with Th e Lig ht of

H. Khalif KhalifahNe wport Ne ws, Virginia August | 5, | 990

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I churches took pride in naming themselves African Baptist andAfrican Methodist, which meant that they took pride in theirAfrican origins. Garvey developed these Africanisms by takingtheir theoiogies to logical limits. Garveyism insisted thatreligion must be self edifying and secularly relevant.

African theology for Garvey had to strengthen the will andself-determination of those he wanted to free- One of Garvey'sfavorite biblical texts was Psalms 68:31, which promised that,princes shall come forth from Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretchforth her hand to God." However, before Africa could beredeemed, diasporic Africans had to redeem themselves fromthe errors they had learned through European religions'Africans were not only chosen people, but a choosing people -

as Lawrence W. Levine phrased it, "a people with the same

opportunities, the same possibilities, the same potential controlover their destiny as every other people-'*1 A Garveyiteunderstood that he was the master of his fate, and thecontroller of his destiny. Yet, self mastery is impossible withoutself love and positive self imagery and this starts with the imageof God.

Garvey agreed that although God in essence is spiritual, his (or

her) form takes shape along ethnic lines. Orientals have easternlooking Gods, Europeans have caucasian featured Gods'TherefLre, Africans need an African image of God- Toimplement this position, Garvey called on Reverend GeorgeAlexander McGuire, a prominent Episcopal clergyman who lefthis Boston pulpit in 1920 to become chaplain General of theUniversal Negro lmprovement Association (u.N.l.A.). McGuire

developed an Afrocentric theology and ritual; he is alsoresponsible for the establishment of the Black christ and Black

Madonna of the African Orthodox church. They believed thatAfricans must develop a theology rooted in their own ancestryand heritage, and illustrated in conformity with their ownphysical appearance. This intense Afrocentrism not onlyinfiuenced Christianity (and the Harlem Renaissance in general)but also impacted on lslamic and Judaic elements in the African

American community.

Garvey was raised a cathoric, but he had a strong affinity forthe religion of rslam. Thiswas based on his respectioithe work'r.d.writings of Edward.witmot Bryden. He fiequentry quotedfflyden's christianity, tslam and tie Negro Race (1g77). Thislslamic connection was arso enhan.-"0 uy caiuey,s croser.lationship with Duse Muhammad Ari, a prominent mLmber oflondon's lslamic community and the pubrisher of the magazineAfrican Times and Orient Review. in a U.N.l.A. praise song,tlrere was a reference to "a chird of Ailah.,, '-Moreover,.rccording to Tony Martin, author of Race First, and several.ther books on Garvey, the u.N.r.A.'s universar Ethiopianllymnal, compiled by Rabbi Arnord J. Ford (a reader of Harrem,sItlack Jews), contained a hymn "Ailah -Hu-Ak-Bar., Further-rrore, Dr. Mufti Muhammad Sadiq and other prominentAhmadiyya Muslims, often held their meetings at Garvey,slrberty Hall.*z Ma.ly Garveyites converted to the Ahmadiyyarrrovement, especially in Detroit and chicago in the early .1920,s.(rdrveyism also influenced the Moorisli american sciencelemples.

Noble Drew Ali, founder of the Moorish American sciencelcmples (1913) acknowledged Garvey,s influence on hisrrrovement. His book , The Hory Koran-seven, is reprete with thetcachings of Garvey. Moorish scientist believed that Ali was thelast prophet and Garvey John the Baptist: John the Baptist wasthe forerunner of Jesus in those days, to warn and stir up therration and prepare them to receive irte diuine creed *hi.h *",lo be taught by Jesus. - . "rn these modern days there came af orerunner, who was divinery prepared by the jreat coa-Ailah,urd his name is Marcus Garvey...";, tt hai also

-been suggested

that Elijah Muhammad was an active member of tr-re u.rrr.r.n. (.,well as the Ahmadiyya Movement. we shourd arso note thatI lijah emphasized the writings of Mualana Muhammad Ali, the.minent Ahmadiyya schorar). In summary, both Nobre Drew Ari'rrd Elijah Muhammad were infruenced by Marcus Moziah(iarvey's nationalism 'and theorogy, they merery transtated rt

into lslamic terms. Once Ali conceptualized it, Elijah wouldcarry it much further.

THE THEOSOPHY OF NOBLE DREW ALI

Noble Drew Ali, the founder of the Moorish Science Temple ofAmerica, was born in 1886 in North Carolina. The first templewas established in 1913 in Newark, New Jersey. Ali, a selftaught religious philosopher, was well grounded in Hermeticphilosophy (Egyptology), Esoteric philosophy, as well as inEastern theology. He established temples in Newark, NewYork, Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh and a few southern cities;the membership reached 30,000. Prior to organizing thesetemples, Ali went to Morocco and Egypt for initiation.Ali first made a pilgrimage to North Africa, where he received

a mission from the King of Morocco to teach the lost Africans inAmerica. This journey to Egypt, according to Sam Bey, was toprove himself by passing the severe test of Egyptian priesthood.The test involved the pyramids of Egypt, in which Drewunderwent the initiation into illumination. His followersbelieve that he 'mastered the pyramids."

It is not an accident that Noble Drew Ali had to "master thepyramids of Egypt." Egypt (or Kemit) then and now is one ofthe most awe-inspiring civilizations of the ancient world.Tradition has it that the Kemetic Mysteries were the key tocomplete knowledge of the universe and man. Moreover, thisknowledge is preserved in secret rituals and books (HermesTrismegistus' Hermetic writings, mainly). The Hermeticphilosophy falls into two groups: 1) works dealing withastrology, alchemy and magic ; 2) dialogues describing thesoul's (Ka-Ba) regeneration in terms of a journey upwardthrough higher planes. In Chapter lll of Ali's book, he describesa fundamental precept of Hermeticism:

There are two selfs; the higher andlower self" The higher self is human

spirit clothed with soul, made in theform of Allah. The lower self, thecarnal self, the body of desires, is areflection of the higher self, distortedby the murky ethers of the flesh."a

llt'rmetic philosophy is arso stated in theosophicar terms, or inrrlr',rs which illuminate the "divine mind.,, God consciousness is| | rr. ultimdte goal of Ali,s theosophy

Force is the will of Allah and isomnipotent, and power is that will inmanifest, directed by Breath...

Belief is lost in faith; and in fruitionfaith is lost; and man is saved when hehas reached deific life, when he andAllah are one.*5

Nrmerology held a speciar prace in the Moorish science,,"'lreciallythe number "7". Note for example, that on the cover1'.rqe of his "Koran" the number seven is bordry centered. Rri ispr.bably relating the idea that "God', nurb'"r,, is inlricately,,rrrrected to the identity and destiny of Moorish Americans.llrc seven breaths or planes of Ailah is how Ali explainedrrllrmat€ reality.

The Triune Allah breathed forth, andstood seven spirits before his face...These forms of life were but thethought of Allah, clothed in thesubstance oftheir ether planes.*6

llre fall of mah was simpry the "ether manifesting srowry on allrysical plans." The remainder of Ari's treatis6 covers the"r(,hteen (18) missing years of Jesus' rife, masonry, and ethics.llrc Moorish Scientist also developed a cultural progr.rn.llre Moorish science Movement was essentialry curturar;t,.rrvey's U.N.l.A. on the other hand, was primariiy political,

'rounded in Pan-Africanism. Ali sought a cultural solution, her.alized -- asAmilcarcabral latertheorized -- that the firstl.vel of resistance foran oppressed people lies in the rearm of

culture. Therefore, by changing their names, designing a flag(following Garvey), establishing a nationality, and changing thesymbols of their culture, they could in turn improve their socialwell being. All the Moors added El or Bey to their slave namesThey wore red fezes and were often defiant toward whitepeople. They maintained that they were Asiatic Moors, whichincluded all people except €aucasians. "Caucasian" meant "X-Asian." Asian was a generic term referring to what we think oftoday as "people of color." There are profound implications toAli nationalizing diasporic Africans as Moors.

In hindsight, the proclamation that diasporic Africans wereMoors was a revolutionary break from such vague designationsas Negro, Colored, and Negro-Saxons, terms prevalent in thosetimes. The term Moor connects Africans with an importantcivilization. Even today, Moorish history is rarely taught oremphasized, in spite of the fact that the European Renaissancewas founded upon it. The word Moor (as well as Kemit,Shabazz, Zulu, etc.) is a power key that unlocks the missing linksin the African's contribution to civilization. The Moors, as wellas the Yorubas of West Africans were, among others,significant heirs of Egypt, the root of civilization. Space andpurpose does not allow for us to exhaust the depth of MoorishScientism, rather now we want to focus on particular ideaswhich have influenced the development of the Nation of lslam.Below I have illustrated the influence of Moorish-Scientism onthe Nation of lslam by expanding on information that wasdeveloped by Charles E. Marsh.

By 1930 Garveyism had been sabotaged and the U.N.|.A.severely crippled, and to make matters worse, Prophet NobleDrew Ali died under what Essien-Udom termed "mysteriouscircumstances." The void was filled by the mysteriousenigmatic stranger, MasterW. Fard Muhammad.

Figure l: Similarities befween the Moorrsh Science and the Al.O. l. Source: Charles E. Marslr

From Black Muslims to Muslims: The Transition from Separation to lslam, 1930 - 1980

(Metuchen, N. J., Scarecrow Press, 1984) p. 45. * z

MASTER W. FARD MUHAMMAD:An Enigma

M.rsterw. Fard Muhammad raid the foundation of the Nation.'l lslam by teaching Elijah Muhammad. Erijah and others thatt."l'y Fard superficiaily sketched their conticts with him. Fard'h'lrberately obscured his background, perhaps. because hevr.w€d it as incidental.to his philosophy. There is a propensity.rr.ongst religious (and political) followers to be sideiracked byllr(' personalty of the leader and thereby miss the message. Thef'rllowing biographicar sketch of Master Fard Muhammad,lr.rws mainly from Elijah Muhammad,s writing.lrf st accounts of Master Fard Muhammad in the African/\rrerican community were in Detroit's paradise vailey ghetto inlrrly of 1930. He sold crothing and sirks as a way to enter homeslrrr th€ purpose of teaching. According to e ti;itt he used manyrr.rrfi€s -- Wallace D. Fard, W. D. Fard and Wallace FardMrrhammad- The African scholar E. U. Essien-Udom claims thatl.rrd identified himself as the reincarnation of Noble DrewAlr *8 when Elijah asked Fard to identify himserf, Fard repried:''l .rm the one that the worrd has been expecting for the past.',(100 years.... My name is Mahdi, I am God.,,*eM'rster Fard was born of mixed parentage on Februa ry 26, 1g77''|1 Mecca in saudi Arabia. According to Elijah ruuhammadtlrt.re was a purpose of Fard,s mixed parentage:

His (Fard) father was a very black manand his mother was a white woman.He said that his father knew he couldnot be successf u I in com ing into a solidwhite country, and he was a solidBlackman... So he said, 'l will go makeme a son and will send my son amongthem looking like them. My son, theywill think he is one of them and he willfind our lost people...*10

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Great books were gathered to train the mind of Fard:

5o he said to me that he was taken byhis father after he was born and hisfather went looking for very greatbooks that contained great words ofwisdom spoken by great kings and allgreat people. He said he (his father)would get a word from one and a

word or two from that one, (whichwas put away as a secret) and hewould take it (the word) and bring itto him. He paid people high prices forsuch words on the history of such andsuch a man.*t

ln his earlier Pittsburgh Courier column, Elijah Muhammadoutlined the travels and mind of Master Fard Muhammad:

The Mahdi (Master Fard Muhammad)is a world traveler. He told me that hehad traveled the world over and thathe had visited North America for 20years before making himself known tous, his people, whom he came for. He

visited the lsle of Alaska, the NorthPole, India, Pakistan, all of the nearEast and Africa. He had studied thewild life in the jungles of Africa andlearned the language of the birds. He

could speak 15 languages and write |0of them. He could recite the historiesof the world as far back as 150,000years and knewthe beginning and endof all things.*2

Master Fard Muhammad was a dynamic teacher. He was a

symbol of the perfect student in that he was never seen

wrrhout a book- He rerated to Erijah that he ,,wourd wark 40rrrrlcs (just) to teach one." Fard's marathon teaching sessionsr.rrr night after night until dawn. During these sessiins Elijahw'rs being prepared for his mission. S0metimes during theser'ssions, Elijah would nod off, Fard would shake him awake.rrrd offer him black coffee. (Later this became normar practicel,r Elijah and other pioneers, that is, brack coffee, anJ att nightl",rrning-teaching sessions.) Erijah began to wonder if Fard ever"l*pt- once, curious, Erijah approached Fard's room in order tor,rtch him napping- As he peeked through tt" t"yf,ole, to his'r.dzement, Fard (seemed to tune into 6is thoughts) was notrrrrly

^.ot napping, but was staring back at f,imihiough theI r.yhole.

l'rrd's teachings e-ventuaily became known as the supremew^dom, or a set of ailegoricat mathematicar puzzres designedt' harness the creative genius of the brack mind. A special"vllabus of r04 books was given to Erijah Muhammad. The'.vllabus also listed the card catalog number for the books andwlrcre they courd be found.*r: wltion schorar t_arry i (atu",Mrrlrammad) found Hendrik Van Loon's rhe story if uankind(.1r,21) as the only book that Erijah confirrned as nJving been ontlrr'list- Van Loon's book, not unrike H. G. weil,s rhe 6uttine oftttstor! (1920) was a standard world history texi. AkbarMrrlrammad, Farrakhan,s assistant, suggeited that the"rrlrificance of the book ries in the sketlfi of the prophetMrhammad and Moses; these sketches reveal the mission ofllrlah Muhammad. The iilustration of Moses in the boot atso"r'r:rrs to fit Elijah's concept of Moses the civilizer. other,,rtion's scholars suggested that the syllabus also contained G.rlrqgen's Anacalypsis (1g33); A. C-hurchward,r- ii-grs ana"vtnbols

of Primordial Man (1913); A. winchell's pre-Adamites(ltf86);. w. lrving's Mohomet and His successors; and G.M,rssey's Egyptthe Lightof theWorld (192g).l'rofessor c. Eric Lincorn, wrote that Fard arso utilized Josephltrtherford's (the then reader of the Jehovah,s witnesses)

wrrt.ings and speechei, the Bibre, Breasted's rhe conqiuest ofr tvtlization, and serected masonic riterature.*rq Literacf crasses

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were also developed, as well as a system of general welfare. All

the early followers -- then called Temple People -- wereobligated to convert their homes into schools; it was notuncommon to find blackboards in their living rooms. Basic

learning, starting with rudiments of the alphabet, was offeredto illiteiates. The Temple People were not allowed to acceptgovernment aid. lnstead they were encouraged to develop sel{

Felp businesses. One pioneer informed this writer that togenerate income brothers even collected throw a ways and

larbage in carts. lt was efforts !ike these that represent the

budding phase of an eventual sixty million dollar enterprise.

Master Fard was a rascal-sage and sometimes a prestidigitator-lmam wallace (warith) D. Muhammad narrated one to Fard's

demonstrations:

We were told that in 1932 or '33

Professor Fard was with some of his

disciples - . . He pulled a strand of hair

from his head and asked the disciples

about him to do the same. He Putthem all into one Pile and took thestrand of hair from his head and lifted

the others uP'1s

At other gatherings, Fard called for a glass of water and made

his disciples see an image of a man praying in it. Fard thenwould say that just as easily as he performed these feats, he

could destroy white America.*t6

Fard was arrested several times without expressing any

resistance. Incarceration was conceptualized as a price to be

paid for freedom. Elijah stated that Fard "allowed himself tob" p"rs".rted because he chose to suffer three and one-hal{years to show his love for his people who have suffered over

igo years at the hands of people who by nature are evil. . . He

was persecuted, sent to jail in 1932, and ordered out of Detroit

on rvtay 26, 1933. ln 1933, he came to chicago and was arrested

almosi immediately on his arrival and placed behind prison

bars. . . Each time he was arrested, he sent for me so that I

rrrrr;ht see and learn the price of truth for us, the so-calledArrrcrican Negroes... we followed in his footsteps suffering the'..ilne persecution." lt should not be surprising, therefore, thatrr,rry of Elijah's ardent supporters were initiated and taught inn rrrerica's prisons.

wlrat we have sketched is a brief outrine of the enigmatic life'rl Master Fard Muhammad. In a brief three year period, he was,rlrlc'to teach thousands and delegate Elijah Muhammad as his'.rrcessor. Yet, his identify remains cloudy in obscurity andrrrystery. What is clear is the emphasis on learning andtr.,rching, especially self knowledge. Although mysterious, his'.tyle reveals a distinct pattern which is practiced by Afro Asiannrystics known as the Sufis.

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CHAPTER TWO

SUFISM AND AFRICA

Sufism is the mystical element of the religion of lslam. Thr,Sufis may be considered a special class of teachers, whoscresponsibility is to maintain and transmit hidden, deeperknowledge contained within allthe scripture. Their movement,according to Nasrollah S. Fatemi, was expressed in outwardform as a protest against the formalism of orthodoxy in lslam,and gradually developed into a rebellion against the decadence, corruption, and tyranny of a sick, materialistic society.* r

There are various definitions of the word 'Sufi' which havt'different origins: Sufis trace the word back to an Arabic rootmeaning 'purity' as referring to 'one who is pure in heart' or'one of the elect.' Others have suggested that it derives fronrsuf meaning 'wool.' Their woolen robe distinguished thenrfrom the Muslim aristocracy and resembled perhaps the earlyChristian hermits. The coarse woolen garb was a sign ofpenitence and renunciation of world vanities. The name carralso be derived from the Kemetic Gnostic word 'sophia' whiclrrefers to the 'Egyptian mysteries,' especially esoteric and occulrknowledge. 'sophia' in the Greek usage means philosophy,which might account for the high quality of Sufi philosophersAl Ghazzali, lbn Sina, Al Farabi, to name a few. Recently, Dr. A

llcza Arasteh, a Jungia-n psychotogist, deveroped a psychocos-'rological definition of sufism: "sufism is the art oi ,.lbi.th, afrocess of regaining one's naturalism, a way of automation,'rrrd a vehicle for creative vision. lt is the pro."s of awareness,f th€ world of murti,-rearity and the perception of singrerr'.rlity. lt is loyalty to life and cosmic laws, harmoni-zation withIrre nature. lt is liberation from the cuttural self (purification,,1 self) and relatedness to the cosmic self.,,*z afriian Sufism istlrc best represented in the works of Dhul Nun ani Amadoull.rmba and in the proriferation of spirituar brotherhoods.one of the greatest mystics of ail times was the Africanplrlosopher Dhul Nun (ninth century A.D.). Although Nun waslr,r. o Nubian slave, he became a moder of a renaiiance man.l,.wos versed in philosophy, law, literature, alchemy, ancientIrlyptian history and. hierogryphics. His writingi'show a

I rrowle-dge of Egyptology. ohul ltun is considereJ to be thef rrst Sufi Qutb (the pillar of the universe) and the first historical.xpoh€nt of its theosohy.*r (lt is, incidentally, incorrect to sayt.lrat .Egyptology started with the rrenih champollion'h'tiphering the Rosetta stone, when in fact there were arsorrrrligenous Africans, especiaily Nubians who never rostt rlyptology. Nun seryes as a good example.) The Sufis by ldries

"lr,rh notes that Dhur Nun founded the Dervish order ofItrrrlders which had a significant impact on masonic orders. ln

',,.rregal the most famous Sufi was Amadu Bamba.n rrradu Bamba (r850 - 1927) founded the Murid brotherhoodr, l886- lt is a branch of the eadiriyya order and it attracted

"ppressed Af ricans that were u prooted by the French' rr r upotior of senegal. Bamba synthesized the traditions of thet).rdiriyya and the Tijaniyya, but more importantly he

'l.veloped his own schoor of thought. "He emphasized the";rrrrtual importance of hard work and discipline in a way that'.t'r'rn€d if not to deva.lue the importance of salat (the five daityFr'ry€rs), at least made it appear to be less importont.,,*q Het'rrtrht his followers to work as if they were never going to die,'r,rl to absolutely obey their shaikh. To work, he iaugf,t, is to

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pray. Bamba's followers make their haji not to Meccp, but irr

Touba, where Bamba is buried. lt isworth noting thatthe greatpolyhistor Cheikh Anta Diops was born in Diourbel (in Senegal),a Mourid Center. These brotherhoods form an importantnetwork of teaching and spirituality.

These brotherhoods form around a teacher known for hisexample, teaching and piety. (Sufis believe that knowledge is

'caught' through'association' with a master.) The disciples seekinitiation into the master's tariqa, or'way'. The disciple turnedteacher would be sent forth to develop a new communityMost West African Muslims have been associated with one o{the major tariqas (Qadiriyya, Tijaniyya, or the Muridiyya)through their ties with a local Marabout (teacher). The 'chainof initiation' that ties the individual sufi to one of the mostfamous religious teachers is an important source of prestigeSufism had great appeal in West Africa because of its extensiveuse of symbolism and its emphasis on mystical experiences. ltintroduced lslam but not at the exclusion of libations, ancestorveneration, Kabbala, Hermeticism, etc. Master FardMuhammad therefore did not start a new tradition, he merelycontinued African Sufism by giving it a new synthesis. But likeall great Sufi masters his real interest was veiled in symbolismOur task now is to unveil it. This requires that we understandSufi language.

SUFIS AS WORD MASTERS

Linguistics ranks high in Sufi practice because of the closerelationship between language and psychology. Sufisnrfocuses on self-development not religious ritual. Selfdevelopment has its own language and symbology. ldries Shah,in The Sufis refers to this as cryptology, a form olcommunication among the enlightened ones, designed toconnect mundane thinking with the greater dimensions orthe'otherworld,'*s Thissecret language (the hidden tongue)

Ir,tects the mysteries by the use of various systems of encodingrrrr,.rrlings, which we will now explore-Itlrd Af-Qadir As sufi in The way of Muhammad wrote that"rrfts

us€ basically homonyms and synonyms.*e A few exampreswrll illustrate this- Homonyms wourd incrude, for exampre,M'or -- Morris Dance (the wartz), shakespeare -- sheikh pir (or'rrrcrent sage.' shah contends that shakespeare represents a

'.i'r rot society, not a person).7 Hazrat Inayat Khan associatedtlr. Hebrew Alleluia with the Arabic il-Alla-ha,*8 demonstratingtlr. unity between rerigions. According to Hazrat Inayat Khan]| [ rlrim and Hallelujah are the same.

The word Allah, which is ArabicGod, if divided into three parts,interpreted as 'the One whofrom nothing., ,El, or ,Ellah,

has thesame meaning as ,Allah.,

The wordsfound in the Bibte, ,Etoi,, Etohim,, and'Hallelujan,, are related to the word,Allahu.,e

I rrrthermore, the words Om, omen, amen and ameen (and.rl..o Mu-om-med) are of the same origin. The ,word

o1 po*"r,(lr.-e-azam) Hazrat teaches is the highest revers of sufi'rll.,rinment. synonyms rikewise unveir an irray of rerationships.Jlre most striking word of power in shah's'sufis is the wordttl,rck. Black is rooted in two Arabic roots, fhm and fhhm,pr.floUnc€d fecham and facham, one of which means ,black;

.rrrd th€ other'wise'.'*10 ,Black, means ,wise., The Black Art"r,rply means, according to shah, the Egyptian Art and/or the'rrt of understanding. Black is also another word for Egypt.*rrllrrs also sheds light on Dhur Nun the 'Nubian, (orthe gJictl.

Dhul Nun, revered by all Sufis, isreferred to as having been of Nubian(Black) origin, giving a connection theadoption of ,Black, and ,knowledge,

understandi pg (fehm)...,* r z

rlr('same symbology was used by the Knights Temprars, when

means

may be

com es

1B 19

The interpretation of the 'inner' meanings of scripture i,,

founded both on the symbolic nature of the things mentione<land on multiple meanings of the words. "Every language whiclris relatively primordial, like Arabic, Hebrew or Sanscrit, has .,synthetic character, a verbal expression still implying all tht,modes of an idea from the concrete up to the universal." *19 Toapply the science of words we will start with the examplr,Muhammad.

Generally, Muhammad means the Praised One. (Abdullah,Servant of God.) But according to lbn El-Arabi, and for all Sufis,Muhammad rbpresents the Perfected Man. tdries Shalrexplains:

There are two versions ofMuhammad; the man who lived inMecca and Medina, and the eternalMuhammad. .This Muhammad isidentified with all the prophets,including Jesus. . . The Sufis claim isthat all the individuals who haveperformed certain functions are in asense one. This oneness they call in itsorigin haqiqat-el-Muhammad, theReality of Muhammad. *zo

Godfrey Higgins concurs with this view in his classr,Anacalypsis.

Higgins claims that there were twelve major prophets, eao)corresponding to astrological concepts and that Muhammarlwas the culmination of all prophets. (Avatars) lslam, in his view,is a continuation of Hinduism and the Egyptian mystery systenrMuhammad, he wrote, is a combination of root meanings: Muham - ed, Mu - om - ed, Mu - ahmed. Om is not just thr,primordial sound for god, but it means the desire of all nation:,*21 Ahmed and the Meterneter word Amum have commor,roots.*22 Mu (Mu Neter) means motherland. *23 The mystic.rlMu is also the root of Muslim, Musa (Moses), and of all thr,pharoahs -- Amen Mose, ftah-Mose, Ra-Mose, (Ramses), ThulMose (Thotmes), etc.*24 The people of MU are Umma, thr.mothers or'nurturers.' The Muhammad archetype is the desirt'

',1 all nations. Elijah often said thatthe desire and suffering of'.l,rvcs created a need for his leadership.

lhe name of Sufis are chosen with great care, reaving signs(.ryats) to trace the inner meaning of their work. - Shlh,,1, r [rorates:

Sufis therefore do not approach theirteachers' name externally, as theproduct of their environment; nor asindications of professions (thechemist, painter, spinner). Theirnames have first to be decoded.*2s

n ltar, for example, means the chemist, or the sellers of1r.rfuffi€s. Decoded, according to shah, it means the fluttering,'l a bird. Attar's masterpiece, ,,The parliament of the Birds,;rrr,,nifest his name.*zo El-Ghazali, a self chosen surname, meansrlrr. spinner.

This appellation denotes one whospins, works with material such aswool -- the code name for Sufi _ andcarried the connotation of the needto spin, or work upon one,s materialsand one's self. Also by vocationassociation it is linked with Fatima(which means the Dyer), Muham_mad's daughter.*27

(,lrazali's name is revealed in his works -- The Alchemy ofI l,tppiness, Revival of Religious Sciences_our point here is that suficalry speaking there is a strong

,,rrelation between the name of the mystic and his/her work-,rrrssion, vocation or function. This background is useful in,lrderstanding the mission of Master Fard Muhammad.

The Names: Master W. F. Muhammadwe will now analyze the inner meaning of the name Master

t.rrd Muhammad, starting with the title Master. Master is..ynonymous with the Sufi title Khwaja:

22 23

The word Khwaja means wise man orMaster, and is best rendered Masterof Wisdom. lt is an historical fact thata major role in the (spiritual) trans-formation of Central Asia was playedby a society or brotherhood of wisemen known as the Khwajagans orMasters. * 28

According to J. G. Bennett, the Khawajagan were distinguishedas practical men who accornplished practical tasks. ',Theirmysticism was a means of fitting them for their task, never Anend in itself."

The Khwajagons were succeeded by the NaqshbandisBrotherhood. Naqshbandis means the symbolist. The nameMaster also connotes the embodiment of the ninety-nineattributes or the complete individual.

There are, according to the Sufis,ninety-nine divine names or attri-butes. The development of the effectof all these names produces thecomplete individual. The hundredthname is secret, and becomes knownto the Seeker only when he hasbecome imbued with the spirit of theothers.*29

Master, therefore, indicates a connection to a spiritualbrotherhood (Khwajagans) and secondly, it refers to a mentalstate, or divine mind.

Wali refers to a function within the hierarchy of mysticalsaints. According to the Sufis, there is a hierarchy of saints at alltimes in the world, through which god manifests. (These saintshave names according to their level and responsibility. Thesenames include Qutub, Ghauth. Badal, Nabi, Madzub, etc. Thehighest rank is the Qutub which means the spiritual pole of theuniverse. He is assisted by twelve Walis, and they are onlyknown to each other.)*ao Wali (Walayat) refers to the spiritual

initiation of the people of god.*:r Wali, according to SeyyedHossein Nasr, is the abbreviation of waliallah or fri6nd of God.Nasr's analysis of the lmam in shi-ism is the same as the wali isSufism:

. . .The prophet of lslam, like othergreat prophets before him, had thepower of spiritual guidance and initi_ation (walayah) which he transmittedto Fatimah and Ali and through themto all the lmams. Since the lmam isalways alive, this function and power isalso always present in this world andable to guide men to the spiritual life.The 'cycle of initiation, which followsthe cycle of prophecy, is therefore onethat continues to this day andguarantees the ever_living presence ofan Esoteric way in lslam.*32

ln The Darvishes by J. p. Brown, the eutub is profiled:He always has a humble demeanorand mean dress; and mildly reprovesthose who he finds acting impiously,particularly those who have a falsereputation for sanctity. Though he isunknown to the world, his favoritestations are well known; yet at theseplaces he is seldom visible. (Mecca) ...Though he has a number of favoritestations, he does not abide solely atthese; but wanders through theworld, among persons of everyreligion, whose appearance, dress,and language he assumes; anddistributes to mankind, chief lythrough the agency of the subordi_nate Walis, evils and blessings, theawards of destiny.*33

Wali, therefore, indicates three meanings: (1) a high degreeo_f ri g hteo usn ess (sa i ntl i n ess) ; (2) h is sp i rit-u a I itati o n/Tu n cti6 ns;(3) and the spiritual initiation of the people of god.

2425

Elijah Muharnmad's exegetical approach to the name Fard is

instructive. The essence as distinguished from the attributes ofAllah is described by the term Fard, meaning single, one, ashaving no like, i.e. as a unique individual. Fard. ElijahMuhammad explains, also means'early'.

The Great Mahdi has taken Fard as a

name for himself corresponding withthe time of coming -- which is in theearly days or years or (years) of theseventh thousand years. The earlYmorning is the f irst part of theseventh thousand years and the year

under the name Millennium.*34

Later, Elijah says that Fard is a name meaning self-independent. Names of Sufi teachers represent qualities andfunctions; in the case of 'Fard' it represents the uniqueness ofthis man on one hand, and secondly, it indicates the time of hiswork and stage of the Blackman's evolution (e.9. early,beginning).

Tynetta Muhammad's lhe Comer by Night 1986 gives, amongotherthings, a penetrating interpretation of the name Mahdi.It is also significant that her methodology is consistent withSufism:

Almighty God Allah, who has beenthe Hidden One, or Mystery of theages is now revealing himselfthrough a unique mathematical codeusing the Arabic letters and Numbersto give us a Precise sPiritualdescription of the entire UniversalOrder of the Divine Creation.*35

Tynetta asserts that "through the unique and scientificlanguage of mathematics," we "retrace our footsteps andreview the dynamic teachings of the Honorable ElijahMuhammad..."*36 Moreover, this "unique language ofmathematics" was taught by Master Fard Muhammad.Mathematically, according to Tynetta, the name Mahdi is

significant:

The name, Mahdi, that was given tothe Honorable Elijah Muhammad toidentify Master W. F. Muhammad is aName or Title that conceals thepresence of God in the Word, AHD.By prefixing the letter M in front ofthe word AHD and the letter l, at theend, we then derive the Name Mahdiwhich is a cover Name or Title for thepresence of God Who suddenlyappears in the world, coming out ofhiding, at the end of the Devil,sRule- *37

sufically speaking, Tynetta's computations are correct becausethe wali (and the Mahdi) connote presence of god. she alsodeclares the time of his appearance, because as tl shah writes,"a complete Sufi is a Master of Time, i.e., master of starting andstoppi ng of modifyi ng cog nition. "*3s

what we have attempted to demonstrate is that the sufimethodology of decoding the name of Master W. F.Muhammad uncovers the esoteric meaning of Fard's mission.Although other schoors of rsram (sunna, Ah-madiyya, etc.) triedto penetrate the African American community, none were ableto capture our imagination as Fard did. The key difference wasFard's sufic methods. sufism is indirect ano nighty symbolic(bear in mind that Africa was more Religio-f,hiiostphicalsymbols than any other continent), it favors-stories, allegories,music and spiritual exercises over standardized rituals. Now wewill turn to the actual secret doctrine of Master w. F.Muhammad.

Theosoph ical Fragments

It is stated in the Minister's class teachinq that we must"Remember that our Saviour (M. F- M.) did noiai "" fjivl ii*"opqn up t9 us the Inner Meaning of his teachings, whiie h'e *asry1tf us.- in every word if we w5uld try anu (toi loiue'*r,at tresard -- we would be learning of ourselv-es." This.inner meaningis what we intend to investilate in this section. Th; ;;'er svipi

26 27

of the Fardian doctrine elaboratedtheosophical systeffi, which has roots in

the foundations of aa ntiq u ity.

Stage

( 1) Neg ro

State

Shaffi€, suffering and Death.Du nya.

Throughout world history religion has always had its.exoteric(externSl) and its esoterii (intdrnal, metaphysical) side. Theieliqions of ancient Kemit, lndia, China, Judea, Persia, etc., allconTorm to this dual tradition. because it is a requisite of"higher schools" and 'higher development' that there shouldbe'one form of reliqion-for the masses, and another morehidden, type for those with the inner capacity (and inclination)to appreiiate and understand it. Furthermore, these esotericphilbsophies are identical in essence, although. in theirbxternals they may differ very widely. Before we discuss thisinner script letJs characterize the self generally.

ln lhe Fourth Way by P. D. Ouspensky, man is portrayed asasleep, he is simply mechanical. "To be mechanical means todepehb on exterhdl circumstances."*1 He refers to himself as I

as if that 'l' (self) was '1' or a unity. The fact is that this assumed-- tis multiple, each aspec{ of which is based uponenvi ronmental i nfl uences.

The term "Negro" is derived from the Greek Necros, whichmeans dead. th-is defines the collective state of diasporic (andmany continental) Africans. lt manifests itself in a life ofpowbrlessness, reaction, shame, suffering and death. The firstitaqe in the exoteric school is to transcend this mechanicalnessthr6uqh a process of self-work, orientation (in the basics ofcivilizition), and nation building. The most important learningis related io diet. This self learning may be described asfollows:

x Acceptance of a path to righteousness,cancellation of the invention of the Negro,desire for a righteous name. Talib.

(3) Righteous Man Embodiment of attributes, Realization,after years of traveling the path. Fard.

The reacquisition of our names is designed to negate ourinordinate dependence on western civilization, it -helps

usdiscover our own godliness. However this remains in anexternal modality, it is still "us versus them." Fard posited levelsof development higher than this, a theosophical aspect, butfew paid must attention to it.Theosophy was introduced by M. W. F. Muhammad in thefollowing in ner script.

The entire manifested world arisesfrom energy and the co-factorssu bsta nce a nd consciousness. Al I thatis seen from the tiniest grain of sandto the widest sweep of starry heavenis a savage buddha, all are butgrowths of energy. Matter is energyin its densest form or lowest form.Spirit is the same energy in its highestor most subtle form. So matter isspirit descending and glorif ied intaking on density. Energy takes on ordescends down seven (7) degrees orplanes. The Black Man exemplif iesthree (3); he has (1) physical bod y, e)emotional mechanism, and (3) themind body that consequentfyfunctions on three planes, or is awakeon three the physical, theemotional, and the mental. The

(2)

Figure 3: A General Picture of Man Source: P. D. Ouspensky, The Psychology of Mans Posslble

Evolution, p.14.He has not one permanent and unchangeable "1"- The

rudimentarv qoal of esotericism is to studf the "non-self,"because if tTre initiate can admit non-being then thepossibilities of being become .oPen. The "state of being aNegro" is an expression of non-being.

28 29

trained Blackman is on the thresh-hold of the recognition of a fourthand higher factor; the soul, the self,the will, and will next awaken to thatrealization. The three (3) higherplanes require no comment in thislesson.*2

Here the inner script has moved bevond externalities. lt nowcenters on self dev6lopment. The s'even 'degrees' or 'planes'represent stages of growth, and is a paradigm for the innerciicle. These Jtages also represent different approaches toreligion. Fourof t'heseven can be illustrated asfollows:

(1) Physical Religion - Allformsof fetishism. Godssimple,virtues, sins, are simple, everythingis simple, because physical man doesnot like to think.

(2) Emotive Religion - emotional, sentimental, passing

sometimes into fanaticism, thecrudest forms of intolerance,persecution of heretics; full ofillusions and imagination

(3) Mental Religion - his religion is theoretical, scholastic,full of argument about words, forms,rituals, which become moreimportant than anything else. He

seeks a definitive, discursive religion.(4) Spiritual Religion - Religionconcentratedof self

devel opment, associated withpsychology, yogi phiIosophy,theosophy, Hermeticism, theFourth Way, and 5ufism.*3

Unfortunately very few seekers studied this.teaching and thefew that did were-ostracized and/or labeled -- pejoratively --" scientist. "

Sufically, the seven planes starts with th.e concept of Nafswhich reiers to se/f and to breath- According to ldries Shah:"Sufi development requires the Seeker to pass through sevenstages* of preparatibn, before the individuality is ready for

full function."."The Nafs is considered to pass through processes which aretermed death and rebirth-*i At first the Seeker overcomes the"automatic and emotional Nafs, so that it will in turn providean instrument for proceeding to the activation of conscience-"

* The stages constitute the ascetic and ethical discipline of the Sufi, and must be carefullydistinguislied {rom states (ahwal, plural Hal) which form a similar psychological-chain. This

includls repentance, abstinence, renunciation, poverty, patience, trust in God, satisfaction.

, Acco.rdi,ng,to. ldrie-s !.h.h, the completion of the journey would

have included the following:(1) The individual out of personal control, believes himself

to be a coherent personality, starts to learn that he, like allundeveloped individuals, has multi ple changi ng personal ities_

(2) Control automatic thoughts.

(3) The beginning of real mental integration, when themind is becoming capable of operating-on a higher level'than was its previous fragile custom.

(4) Serene balance, equilibrium of the individuality.

(5) Power of fulfillment, new ranges of experience notsusceptible to description beyond approximate analogy.

(6) A new activity and function, including extra dimensionsof the individuatity.5

(7) Completion of the task of reconstruction, possibility ofteaching others, capacitv for obiective understandino.i5

Etijah Muhammad alluded to what I call the-wav of shabazzin his classic hermeneutic of the meaning of samson. samson isa :ign of the Blackman, Delilah the "devil-woman.,, As he sleptwith this women hq gayg her the secret to his power, the"seven locks of his hair." The "seven locks" (and spiiitualblindness) according to Elijah Muhammad is the key.

The seven (7) locks of hair representhis own state and time that he was infor himself. The seven (7) representsinfinity -- the infinite power of thebrain of the Black Man. (EtijahMuhammad, "The Black Man - Hope;Salvation?" Muhammad Speaks.)

(This seven is also implicit in the work shabazz, which is rootedin 5a ba, Arabic for the number seven.)The inner script of Fard's teachings introduce the idea of the

seven stages. Through a process of self-annihilation (ArabicFana) the seeker - step by step - works toward completion. Butfor this system to work it needs "helpers" and most of all"Masters." The Sufi Janayd has said, " He who takes himself as ateacher has taken shaitan as his guide." spirituar hierarchiesare in place to assist those who seek higher knowledge.

30

31

SPIRITUAL HIERARCHYJust as the outer world is a hierarchic structure with regard to

which it is meaningful to speak of "higher" and "lower," so isthe inner world. "As above, so below," the ancient Kemits usedto say: to the world outside us there corresponds in a similarway, a world inside. Our inner needs are the responsibility ofthose who are called the great Hermetic Brotherhood. Wehave diagrammed below the constituent levels of this esotericgovernment.

7. Qutu b Spiritual Pole of the Universe

6.24 Scientist U n iversal Control lers Cou nterba lanceEvil in the world

5. Walis Universal MessenqersAngels, Ghauths, Nabi, Abdale

Mau lanas, Mahdis, Atmas

4. H ig her Five Per Cent Masters, Herba lists, Yog is,Monks, Fakirs, The Fourth Way

3. Lower Five Per Cent Teachers - Rhetors, beg in n ingof self-contro l, com pensates

for so-called righteous. Self study

2. 10 Per Cent Mln ipu lators - politicia ns,money lenders, media

1 . E ig hty-Five Per Cent Masses - sociological extensionsof their environment.

Mechanical

Figure Four: Spiritual Government

This diagram attempts to illustrate a synthesis of Fard'steaching and Sufism. lt will become clearer as we discuss whatElijah Muhammad called spiritual civilization The spiritual

beings responsibre for spirituar curtivation according to Erijahwere called scientists, angers and five per centers, which is hereour concern.

Spiritual civilization in a way starts with people Erijah cailedscientrsts or prophets- perhaps alr Muslims are scientists orprophets- what is a 'prophet' in Erijah's teachingiz-;a prophetis a scientist, the duty of a prophet is to" rprirt fartenhumanily."*e (Elijah often used the terms scieritist, prophet,lmam, a.nd anger interchangeabry.) the twentt f*; scientistsare at the apex of the spirituar gouernment because of theirawesome powers. The scientist write scripture:

This date (seven thousand years) istaken from the beginning of thepresent cycle of world historywritings by 25 black scientists ofwhich only 24 actually do thewritings, and the 25th one acts as ajudge of the writings of the other 24.This takes place once every 25thousand years. In this history iswritten everything that will come topass for the next 25 thousand years.

The original scriptures of the Bibleand Holy euran were taken from itand revealed by word of mouth andinspiration to prophets. . . A thoroughknowledge of the time and changes iobe made is the important factor forYou and me.*7

The sufis do not use the term scientist. However, as exprainedf.."llf".t they do posit a high spiritual commanO to'tf," d utub asthe apex' The eutu.b is assisted b.y twerve waris. oitr"rirrgg"rtthat the Walil (saints, ,,friends,,i number +,OOO.

- iJri", Shahexplains this idea under the sub heading "ni.ia"n suni,;

There a're several forms of invisibf esai nts ("friends") correspond i ng with

32 33

the general human need for a certainrepresentation of psychic or psycho-logical activity in the whole com-munity, according to Sufi teaching.Hujwiri (Revelation of the Veiled,Nicholson's version, p. 213) says:"Among them there are fourthousand who are concealed and donot know one another and are notaware of the excellence of their state,but in all circumstances are hiddenfrom themselves and from man-kind.*8

Shah adds that they are spontaneously good, loyal, unselfishsouls and endowed with a natural intuition of good. This"spontaneous goodness" is not to be submitted to rules orforms, their inward inclination, not their outward ordinances, isthe source. "They have a standard or thought and character oftheir own, quite independent of the praise or blame of 'men ofexternals.'*g They are aided by angels.

Elijah Muhammad sparingly referred to his specific aids asangels.

Then Allah (God) Guides theMessenger Himself. He does notleave the Messenger to do all theGuiding. Then Allah (God) SendsAngels to see that His Guidance is

carried out like He taught theMessenger to do. * 1o

ln Our Saviour Has Arrived it hints that angels are righteousminds.

There are many people who believethat angles are out in the airsomewhere, but if they are out there,we cannot see them. There is no suchthing as formless spirits flying around

34

out there somewhere in space, unlessit is righteous minds.*11

Another connotation is found in the Message To TheBlackman, where llgets are iatted- ,ir;;;;";:;, In theTheology of Time, Elilah says there are 10,000 angels ofu n d ersta nd i n g in America.

I am not going to do it nor will otherswith Me and behind Me and comingin with Me to help me. you call themangles there in the Bible. They areangels in the way of understanding.They are with me here in America tohelp bring this about and to help saveyou. They are not to come but thereare atready 10,000 here in Americaright now.*':

Thus for Elijah, angels represent developed minds, they assistthe Messenger in his mission- suficaily, Angers represent higherpowers within. "Angers are poweri (acJoroini io- rr Arabi)hidden in the facurties and organs of man.'*ra Th€ sufi,sobjective is to activate these facullies.Hazrat teaches that "the angeric quarity manifests in thespiritual man when he has witridrawn himierf rror ihl worrd,u''hen he has centered his mind on the cosmos, and-wrren hisconsciousness is no ronger an individuar consciousness. By thattime he has become God-conscious."*rs To the anger the harp

is really himself. Hazrat expands:

The picture of the angels that weread of in the scriptu res as sittingupon clouds and playing harps is butan expression of a mystical secret.Playing the harp is vibrating har-moniously; the angels have no actualharps, they themselves are the harps;they are fiving vibrations; they aref ife itsef f" . . The person whose heart

35

is turned to the pitch of the angelicheavens will show on earth heavenlybliss; therefore the wise seek theassociation of spi ritual bei ngs. * t 0

The Sufi concept of angels complements the Elijahtite concept;both are anthropomorphic, i.e., angels are human, and bothsee angels as highly evolved spiritual beings. The concepts offive percent, ten percent, and eight-five percent furtherembellish Fard's theory of spiritual government.

Master Fard Muhammad in a series of /essons divides a//humanity into three categories.

(A) Five Percent - They are the poor,righteous teachers, Muslim andMuslim Sons. Some are dressed bad,some are located in the ghettos ofhell, in educational administrators, inpenal systems and in the govern-ment. Some are disguised as highsociety type individuals. They fill inthe gaps and complete the teachingof the so-called righteous Muslims.There is a five percent within thegeneral five percent.

(B) Ten Percent - They are the rich,the slave makers of the poor. Theyare the po\rver elites. They mani-pulate the masses through new formsof slavery. They are blood suckers ofthe poor.

(C) Eighty-five Percent - They are theMasses, people who suffer due tomental death and powerlessness.

Clearly the five percenter is the key to Fard's spiritualgovernment. The pivotal words within this description arepoor, righteousness, and teacher. Poor meaning that theyhave mastered and transcended materialism. Righteous means

truth in action. The five per cent practice what other preach.Teacher means that they teach not just through words but bytheir action (praxis). They will work within and/or outsideinstitutional structures, they are not restricted by group normsand standards. They are deeply enmeshed in self knowledgeand sharing information with others. The five percentrepresent the highest spiritual aspiration of the Nation of lslamat that time and in accordance with our coilective level ofunderstanding.

Further research however, reveals certain limitations in theFardian model, which we have attempted to alleviate byexpanding its conceptual framework to include theosophiciland sufic categories. This expanded taxonomy broadens thehorizon and situates Fard's theosophy within the greattraditions along side ldries shah, Hazrat l. Khan, G. t. GurJlieff,and Madame Blatvatsky.

ConclusionThe purpose of this brief essay is to offer an alternative viewofthe Nation of lslam. Mainstream books on the Nation (E. E.Lincoln The Black Muslims of America- E. U. Essien-Udom,sBlack Nationalism and charles E. Marsh's From BtackNationalism to Muslims and many others) have offered goode.xternal surveys. They have often, however, presupposeclthatthe Nation was simply another cult led by a charismatic leader.These studies rarely examine the deeper reasons for the widespread attraction to the Nation. we believe the reasons forsuch attraction are two fold: (1) it continues the legacy ofMarcus E. Garvey; and (2) it contains a powerful mysiicalsystem.

Chapter One explored the connection among the UnitedNegro lmprovement Association, the Moorish science Templeand the Nation of lslam. All three of these nationalistmovements articulate an African centered theology. Thischapter attempts to dispel the misconception and ah-istoricalbelief that the Nation had no antecedents.

chapter Two explores the impact of sufism on Africans. There36

37

are striking similarities between Elijah's Nation and AmaduBamba's Murid Brotherhood. They are both Afro-centric,industrious and mystical. Furthermore, the Sufi method o{veiling their real mission, especially within their personalnames, is most insightful. By decoding the name Master W. F.

Muhammad we can better understand his mission.

Chapter Three investigates Fard's theosophy and concept ofspiritual hierarchy. lt compares and synthesizes several strainsof mystical thoughts. What we call the "inner script" representsessentially a "spiritual map or a Way." lt exists in a fragmentedform; our efforts are intended to systematize and expand it.Last, it is spiritually refreshing to review and perhaps recommitourselves to this powerful mission.

Finally, this document attempts to capture the genius ofMaster W. F. Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad -- especiallyfor tomorrows generation. lf only modestly we have achievedour goals it has been worth the effort. Inshallah.

END NOTES

CHAPTER ONEl. Lawrence W. Levine, "Marcus Garvey and the politics of Revitalization" inlohn H. Franklins and Augus Meir, B/ack Leaderc of the Twentieth century(Chicago: University of lllinois Press, 1982), p. 124In general African Muslimspredate Garveyism, see Allan D. Austin's African Muslim's ln AntebellumAmerica, Adib Rashad's The History of tslam and Black Nationalism in TheAmericas. And Terry Alford's Prince A,mong S/ayes. Garvey remains howeverthe seminal figure who radicalizes Afrocentric theology, both christian andMuslim.2. Tony Martin Race First (Dover, Mass: The Majority press, 1976), pp.75 -773. DrewAli, Ihe HolyKoranof theMoorishscience of America,p.594. lbid., p.6.5. lbid", p.66. lbid., p. 18.7. In spite of the factual errors, this remains one of the best attempts toanalyze the transition from Elijah Muhammad to Warith D. Muhammacr.Since Marsh's paradigm favors warith D. Muhammad's leadership it distortsand omits others - especially Louis Farrakhan, Silas Muhammad, JohnMuhammad, Fard Savior and many others.8. U. Essiem-Udom, Black Nationalism - A Search For An ldentity in A.merica(N.Y. Dell Publishing, 1962), p. a8.9. Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Elackman (Chicago: MuhammadMosque of lslam No. 2., 1965), p. 17.10. Elijah Muhammad, Theology of time, Vot. t, pp 155-156. Also see ElijahMuhammad, "Saviors Day Address," in Muhammad Speaks, Feb. 26, 1973.Many believe that his fathers name was Alphonzo, and his mother's namewas Geezine or Baby Gee.1 1. lbid., p. 156.12. Pittsburgh Courier, July 20, 1957.13. Op. Cite. Iheo/ogy of Time, Vol. ll, p. 1 19.14. Larry X, A Brief History of the Nation of tslam (tapes), 1982. Also see C.Eric Lincoln Black Muslim in A,merica, p. l315. Wallace Deen Muhamm.ad, As The Light Shineth From The Easf (Chicago:W.D.M. Publishing Co., 1980), p. 10.16. Peter Goldman, The Life and Death of Malcolm X (N. y.: Harper andRow, 1974), p.39.

3B

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CHAPTER TWO1. Nasroflah S. Fatemi "A Message and Method of Love, Harmony andBrotherhood" in L.F.R. Williams Ed. Sufi Sfudies: East and West, N. y: DuttonPub..1974, p.472. Fatemi, p. 94. A. Reza Arasteh " Psychology of Sufi Way to tndividualism."3. L. F. RusbrookWilliams Ed., Sufi Studies East and West p. 5'1. Also seeIndries Shah, Ihe Sufs (N. Y.: Anchor Books, p. 1911),p. 210.4. Peter Clark, WestAfrica and lslam (London: Edward Arnold pub., 19g2), p.203. lt is also interesting to mention the Baye-Fall branch of the Mourides.Bamba told its founder Fallilou Fali that he no longer needed to pray. Beingnatural was sufficient. The Bay-Falls often wear dreadlocks as a sign ofdistinction. They are a highly disciplined, unified and industrious group.5. Indries Shah, Ihe Sufis (N. Y: Anchor Books, 1971), p. 195.6. Abd A. As-Sufi, The Way of Muhammad (Berkeley: Diwan press, 1975), p.1 53.7. Shah The Sufis, p. 148.8. The Sufi Message of Hazrat lnayat Khan (London: Camelot press, 1975).Vol. 12, p.122.9. lbid. Vol. ll, p.66.10. Shah, The Sufis, p. XVll.11.lbid., p.210.12. lbid", p. 21013. lbid., p. 255.14. lbid., p. 197.15. lbid., p. 208.16. lbid., p. 20917. lbid., p. 198.18- Titus Burchart, An lntroduction to sufi Doctrine (Lahore: Ashrat 1963),page 42.19. lbid. p.42.20. Shah The Sufis, p. 160.21" Godfrey Higgens, Anacalypsis (NY: University Books, 1965), p. 673.According to Higgens all theologies originate from the "Great Black Nationof Asia," referring to the African Cushites of Arabia and the A,fricanBuddhas of India.22. tbid., p. 685.23. James Churchward, The Lost Continent of Mu (N. y: paperback Library,1968), p. 17. This is an esoteric work which is not taken seriously byhistorians..24. Sigmund Freud, Moses and Monotheism (N. y: Vintage Books, 1939).page 5.

25. Shah, op cite., p. 198.26. lbid., p. 198"

27. tbid., p. 174.28. J. G. Bennett, Gurdjieff : Making a NewWorld (N. Y: Harper Row, 1973),ppd26 -27.29. Shah TheSufis,pp.207 -208.30. J. P. Brown, The Dervishes or Oriental Spiritualism (London: Frank CassPub., 1968) p.303.31. Leheh Bakhtiar, Sufi (N. Y: Avon Press, 1976), p. 1 16.32. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Sufi Essays (N. Y: Schocken Books, 1977), p. 108.33. Brown, The Dervishes, p. 304. There is a theological debate as towhether Sufis and Shites elevate sainthood (walayat) over fi nality ofprophethood. lt is said that the Prophet himself had two aspects,prophethood and sainthood, but the latter aspect was superior to theformer. This debate is analyzed in Khalifa Abdul Hakim'sThe Metaphysics ofRumi (Lahore: The Institute of lslamic Culture, 1965).34. Elijah Muhammad , Message to the Elackman, p. 142.35. Tynetta Muhammad, The Comer 8y Night 1986 (Chicago: Hon. ElijahMuhammad Educational Foundation, 1986), p.8136. lbid. p. 80.37. lbid. p. 70. Note that Tynetta discusses the Sufis on p. 1 09 of her book.38. ldries Shah, Sufis p. 314.

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1. P. D. Ouspensky, The Fourth Way, p.31.2. M. F. Muhammad, The Supreme Wisdom Unpublished.3. P. D. Ouspensky, The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, 2nd Ed., (N.

Y: Vintage Book, 1974), p. 55.4. Shah, The Sufis, P.445.Ihe Seven Na6;

(1) Nafs-i-Ammara (the depraved, commanding Nafs)(2) Nafs-i-Lawwama (the accusing Nafs)(3) Nafs-i-Mulhama (the inspired Nafs)(4) Na{s-i-Mutmainna (the serene Nafs)(5) Nafs-i-Radiyya (the fulfilled Nafs)(6) Nafs-i-Mardiyya (the fulfilling Nafs)(7) Nafs-i-Safiyyawa Kamila (the purified and complete Nafs)

5. lbid. p.446.6" Elijah Muhammad, "Actual Facts," unpublished. "Scientist" is usedsynonymously to lmam (Message, p. 116) and lmam is sometimessynonymousto angels (Theology of Time, Vol. ll, p. 121).7. Elijah Muhammad, Our Saviour Has Arrived ( Chicago: Muhammad'sTemple of lslam No.2, 19741, p. 12 The 24 Scientists ('l) write history, (2)guide the Blackman's future, (3) fulfill scripture, (4) teach wisdom,knowledge and understanding to Allah's prophets. (5) guide the planets, (6)govern the universe, (7) pilot the Mothership, (8) control the weather: rain,hail, snow, and earthquakes, (9) to destroy evil through the science ofnature." Who are the (24) scientist? The (24) scientist are the wisest AsiaticBlack men, who were chosen by Al lah to assist Him. They representeverything of the Black Nation. "Lessons," unpublished.8. Shah, The Sufis, p.427

"

9. lbid., p.427. The Walis often follow the path of blame. The Madzubaccording to Hazrat l. Khan, controls the very elements: "The enormouspower he possesses governs inwardly lands and countries, controlling themand keeping them safe from disasters such as floods and plagues, and alsowars. . .his presence is a battery of power, his glance most inspiring. . .Whathe says is truth; but he rarely speaks a word, it is difficult to get a word outof him; but once he has spoken, what he says is done." See Ihe Sufi Messageof Hazrat lnayat Khan, Vol I, p. 105. Hazrat outlines five types of spiritualsouls: (1) orthodox (2) servers (3) philosophers (4) mystics and (5) thestranger (Madzubs, Qutubs, Atmans, etc.).10. Elijah Muhammad, Our Saviour Has Arrived, p. 108.1 1. lbid., p. 149. Our Emphasis.12. Elijah Muhammad, Messagle, p. 279.page 121 .

13. Elijah Muhammad , Theology of Time,instruction it is written: "We must have

Also see Theology of Time Vol. ll

Vol. ll, p.244.In the Minister's class1 0,000 fearless M uslims before we

can be delivered. . ."14.Shah, TheSufis, p. 159.15. Hazrat l. Khan, The Sufi Message, Vol. ll, p. 157. The Hindus call theangels Suras; Sura also means breath and breath means life.)16. Ihe Sufi Message of Hazrat lnayat Khan, p. 116.

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