Product Contents
Black Muslims in America: Background,
Behavior, & Beliefs
By Dr. Robert C. Smith
Is Islam the black man’s religion? Was Elijah
Muhammad the true savior of the black man? Did
Allah appear in the person of Master Wallace
Fard Muhammad? Is Christianity the white man’s
religion? Has the Bible been changed by the
white man? Are all white people “devils”? And
why are the majority of African-American Muslims
former members of Christian churches?
These are some of the crucial questions that
have to be answered when dealing with the Nation
of Islam (NOI). It cannot be ignored in hopes
that it will “go away.” Ninety-nine percent of
the converts to the Nation are black men who in
turn introduce their wives, children, and
friends to their religion. Because it is a
growing, aggressive enemy of true Christianity,
the Nation of Islam must be studied, understood,
and intelligently confronted from a biblical
perspective.
This booklet is intended to give you a
working knowledge of the critical issues
involved.
A Brief History of the Nation of Islam
Humble Beginnings
The first person to appear on the modern
American scene as the “savior” of Blacks from an
oppressive white system was Timothy Drew. In
1913 he left his native North Carolina for
Newark, New Jersey, took the name Noble Drew
Ali, and founded the Moorish Science Temple of
America. His primary philosophy of salvation for
Blacks was through discovering their “national
origins.” They should refuse to be called
anything but “Asiatics,” Moors or Moorish
Americans. He also taught that Jesus was a black
man killed by whites.
After Noble Drew Ali died a mysterious death,
Wallace Fard took his place. He peddled his
religion and African garb door-to-door to Blacks
in Detroit, claiming to be Ali’s reincarnation,
but born in Mecca. His mission to America was to
set the “captives” (Blacks) free from “Caucasian
devils” and the “white man’s religion”
(Christianity). Ironically, since he was white
and not black— according to Black historians and
apologists like Dr. Colin Akridge, Dr. Jerry
Buckner, and Carl Ellis—that would make Black
Islam literally a white man’s religion!
Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X
Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Poole) was a
disciple of Fard and helped found the Nation of
Islam. With Fard’s mysterious disappearance in
1935, Elijah Muhammad took charge, leading the
Nation until his death in 1975. Under his
direction, the movement grew to over 40,000.
One of the young men who embraced the
religion during that time was Malcolm Little.
Like Elijah Muhammad before him, Malcolm was
born into the home of a Baptist preacher. But as
a young man in prison for theft, he adopted
Elijah Muhammad’s teachings through an intensive
discipleship program. When released in 1952, he
went to Detroit, took the name Malcolm X, and
eventually became one of the chief disciples of
Elijah Muhammad. Most of the growth of NOI—with
an estimated 200,000 members —is attributed to
the teachings of Malcolm X.
In 1964 a division arose within the Nation.
Malcolm was suspended and eventually forced to
resign. After his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, he
broke with Elijah Muhammad, denounced his
teachings, and questioned his character.On
February 22, 1965 Malcolm was assassinated.
Years later Malcolm’s former disciple, Louis
Farrakhan, condemned him for questioning
Muhammad’s character: “When Malcolm X stepped
across that line, death was inevitable” (L.A.
Sentinel, March 24, 1994, p. A3).
A New Direction with Farrakhan
Farrakhan (born Louis Eugene Walcott ) had
dropped out of college to pursue a career as
“Calypso Gene,” a night club entertainer.
However, his life changed in 1955 when he met
Malcolm X. He assisted Malcolm at the Harlem
mosque for about a year before he was sent to be
the minister of the Boston mosque. After
Malcolm’s death Farrakhan returned to Harlem to
replace Malcolm and remained there until Elijah
Muhammad’s death in 1975.
Wallace Deen Muhammad (Imam Warithuddin
Muhammad), the son of Elijah, then assumed
leadership of the Nation. He began letting
whites join and denounced his father’s teachings
as racist and not truly Islamic. A dissatisfied
Farrakhan broke away in 1977 to rebuild the
Nation of Islam with all of Elijah Muhammad’s
traditional teachings.
He has succeeded in making the Nation a
popular force, challenging Christian churches.
Like Malcolm X, black church members continue to
convert to Islam. Surprisingly, Christian
churches often invite and/or allow Farrakhan to
preach this “survival of Blacks message” from
their pulpits. They do this to achieve “common
objectives,” even though Muslims deny the
foundation of Christianity, that Jesus is God.
The Official Beliefs of NOI
In every Final Call, the Black Muslim
newspaper, you’ll find “What The Muslims
Believe.” Here are eight (of the list of twelve)
of those beliefs with theological implications,
compared with what the Bible teaches.
NOI “1. WE BELIEVE in the One God Whose
proper Name is Allah.”
BIBLE There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but
three distinct Persons in the Godhead— the
Father (Romans 1:7, 15:6), Jesus Christ the Son
(Matthew 3:13–17), and the Holy Spirit (Acts
5:3,4,9). “Allah” is not found in the Bible
because he is exclusively Arabic (in Arabic al
means “the,” and lah means “god”). Allah was the
chief idol god of the Quraysh —Muhammad’s
tribe—long before Muhammad ever began Islam. “At
the Ka’ba Meccans worshipped not only Allah, the
supreme Arabic God, but also a number of female
deities whom they regarded as daughters of
Allah” (Introduction to The Koran, page 9,
Penguin Classics, 1988, 4th Revised Edition).
Muhammad would later narrow the worship of god
to Allah alone.
NOI “2. WE BELIEVE in the Holy Qur’an and in
the Scriptures of all the Prophets of God.”
BIBLE The Bible is “inspired” by God (2
Timothy 3:16), it is “inerrant”—without error
(John 17:17, John 10:35, and “infallible”—
incapable of being in error (2 Peter 1:20,21,
Mark 12:24, Hebrews 6:18, Titus 1:2). The Bible
is the final revelation from God to mankind
(Revelation 22:18,19). The Qur’an mentions the
Bible (Surah 2:136), but the Bible does not
mention the Qur’an.
NOI “3. WE BELIEVE in the truth of the Bible,
but we believe that it has been tampered with
and must be reinterpreted so that mankind will
not be snared by the falsehoods that have been
added to it.”
BIBLE God is the originator of Scripture (2
Timothy 3:16), God superintended the writing of
Scripture (2 Peter 1:21), and God protects and
preserves Scripture (Matthew 5:18). Since God
went to so much effort to make sure we got the
Bible, it also makes sense that He would make
sure His words are preserved for all generations
of readers.
NOI “4. WE BELIEVE in Allah’s Prophets and
the Scriptures they brought to the people.”
BIBLE “All scripture [the Bible] is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: that the man of
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17). God has
also spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ
(Hebrews 1:1,2).
NOI “5. WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of the
dead—not in physical resurrection—but in mental
resurrection. We believe that the so-called
Negroes are most in need of mental resurrection;
therefore, they will be resurrected first.”
BIBLE It teaches a literal, physical
resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:1–6; Mark
16:1–6; Luke 24:1–7, 39–43; John 2:19–22,
20:1–9; 1 Corinthians 15:35–44).
NOI “6. WE BELIEVE in the judgment; we
believe this first judgment will take place as
God revealed, in America...”
BIBLE The Judgment Seat of Christ, which is
for believers in Jesus Christ, takes place in
heaven (Romans 14:10–12, 2 Corinthians 5:10),
and is based on each believer’s works. It is not
about salvation but rewards (Matthew 25:32–34, 1
Corinthians 3:12–15). The final judgment—the
Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation
20:11–15)—is for all the unbelieving dead at the
end of Christ’s 1,000–year rule over the earth.
The world is already under God’s general
judgment, and the only way to escape is through
Jesus Christ (John 3:16–20, 36).
NOI “8. WE BELIEVE in justice for all,
whether in God or not; we believe, as others,
that we are due equal justice as human beings.
We believe in equality—as a nation—of equals.”
BIBLE The Bible teaches freedom, justice, and
equality for all (John 8:32–36, Matthew 22:17–
21, Luke 10:27–37, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24).
NOI “12. WE BELIEVE that Allah (God) appeared
in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July,
1930; the long-awaited ‘Messiah’ of the
Christians and the ‘Mahdi’ of the Muslims.”
BIBLE Jesus is God and the true Messiah (John
8:24, 58; 10:30; 14:6, 8, 9; Luke 17:13–18; John
20:26–28; Titus 2:13).
Elijah Muhammad’s Teachings Elijah Muhammad’s
books—Message To the Blackman In America, and
The Supreme Wisdom—also make the NOI beliefs
clear. Here are some excerpts from the Message
To The Blackman:
l Jesus is not God (pp. 9, 140).
2 Wallace Fard Muhammad is God (pp. 1, 11,
27, 46, 52).
3 There is no Trinity (pp. 1, 11, 27, 52,
172, 294).
4 There is only one god, but there are also
many gods. Every 25,000 years a group of 24
“scientists” (or gods) get together and one is
appointed “god.” That is how we got both the
Bible and the Qur’an (p. 116).
5 A black scientist by the name of Yakub
created white people (p. 244).
6 Christianity is a false religion (pp. 4, 5,
80, 280).
7 The Bible is not true, and is called a
“poison book” by God himself (pp. 89, 90, 94).
8 Members of the white race are all devils
(pp. 11, 23, 51, 68).
9 The Black race created heaven, earth, and
themselves (p. 42).
10 Members of orthodox Islam must bow to
Black Islam (p. 50).
11 God has no spirit (pp. 5, 6, 14, 42, 131).
12 Heaven and hell are not places, but
conditions (pp. 76, 219).
13 Black preachers’ mouths are controlled by
the devil, and they are causing great hindrance
to the truth by preaching about Jesus (pp. 18,
47, 89, 96).
14 Christianity’s “Spook God” demands death
and redemption (p. 54).
15 Arabs misunderstand the Holy Qur’an when
they don’t accept Elijah Muhammad as prophet (p.
250).
What The Qur’an Teaches About Christ And
Christianity Jesus is not the Son of God
(Qur’an: Surah 4:171, 19:88–92.
• The Bible’s response: John 3:16–18; 17:1–5;
Galatians 4:4, 5 Jesus was not crucified on the
cross; so there was no resurrection from death
(Surah 4:157, 158).
• Bible: Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23,
Corinthians 15:3, 4 There is no triune
Godhead/Trinity (Surah 5:72–73, 116).
• Bible: Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16, 17;
17:1–5; Acts 1:1, 2; 10:38 Jesus is not the
Savior (Surah 5:75; 6:51,70; 10:3).
• Bible: Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; John 3:16,
14:6; Romans 5:8, 6:23, 10:9,10; Acts 4:12 Jesus
is not God (Surah 9:30).
• Bible: John 1:1–3; 8:24, 58; 20:28; Titus
2:13; John 10:30 You may marry two, three, or
four wives (Surah 4:3). Even Muhammad took the
wife of his adopted son, Zaid (Surah 33:36–38).
• Bible: 1 Timothy 3:2, Matthew 19:3–9, 1
Corinthians 7:2 You may beat your wife (Surah
4:34; see 2:228 on divorce).
• Bible: Ephesians 5:25–31, 1 Peter 3:7–9 The
Qur’an teaches the endorsement of slavery (Surah
4:24, 25, 92; 16:75).
• Bible: Philemon 15–20, Galatians 3:28,
Ephesians 6:9, Colosians 4:1 The Qur’an teaches
physical violence to force people to become
Muslims, or to punish those who speak against
Islam or the prophet Muhammad (Surah 4:37, 5:33,
9:5).
• Bible: Matthew 5:44, 22:37–40 Sin,
Salvation, and Five Pillars of the Faith The
idea of sin and salvation to the Muslim is
associated with works and fate. Every Muslim
that hopes to escape the judgment of Allah must
fulfill these works of the Five Pillars of the
Faith (Qur’an: Surah 10:108, 109):
1 Recitation of the Shehada: “There is no God
but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah”
(shehada means “to bear witness”).
2 Salat: Ritual daily prayer five times a
day—before sunrise, at noon, afternoon, at
sunset, and at night. This involves lying
prostrate, facing the holy city of Mecca. On
Friday at noon Muslims are required to gather at
the mosque to pray.
3 Zakat: Paying alms, giving 1/40th of your
income to charitable causes.
4 Siyam: Fasting between dawn and sunset
throughout the month of Ramadan (the ninth month
of the Muslim lunar year).
5 Hajj: Pilgrimage to Ka’ba in Mecca. This
involves running around the Ka’ba seven times,
kissing the black stone, then running about a
mile to the Wadi to throw stones at the devil.
Note: Christianity only has one pillar or
foundation—Jesus Christ.
Issues and Answers
Christianity is the white man’s religion.
The first Greek translation of the Hebrew Old
Testament was done in Alexandria, Egypt between
250 BC and 150 BC. Since Egypt is in north
Africa, a major portion of the Bible was first
translated in Africa. It was not the work of
white men. Also, the 66 books that make up the
Old and New Testaments of the Bible were agreed
upon by AD 300. Some scholars believe that many
of the church fathers who helped make those
historic decisions were black or certainly not
anglo. Black church historian, Dr. C. Eric
Lincoln, claims that at least nine of the twenty
most prominent early church leaders were
non-white: Clement, Origen, Athanasius, and
Cyril (all from Alexandria), Augustine,
Tertullian, Cyprian, Dionysus, and Didymus.
According to Dr. Norman Geisler (A General
Introduction of the Bible, pp. 284, 285,
543–547), the first “Anglo-Saxon” Bible was not
published until about AD 700–1000, at least 400
years after the books of the Bible had already
been decided. The King James Bible was not
published until 1611, and it was published by a
group of scholars, not by King James of England.
His name was attached to the translation to make
sure that the project would be “protected” and
that the new version would be printed.
The Bible has been corrupted.
Was the Bible corrupted—changed by enemies of
the truth in critical places—before Muhammad was
born or after he died? If it was corrupted
before his birth, then that would also make
Muhammad a false prophet, because he clearly
stated that the Bible was the Word of God,
“revealed to you from your Lord” (Surah 3:48;
5:68; 6:114,115; 10:64), and that “the
Torah...enshrines God’s own judgments” (5:43).
If the Bible was already corrupted before Islam
was established, then Muhammad was sadly
mistaken about its value. If the Bible was
corrupted after Muham-mad’s death, it would be
easy to prove such changes had been made. Since
the Bible had been distributed in many languages
long before Muhammad’s time, any later
corruptions could be easily found by simply
comparing ancient translations. No such
disagreements exist.
And just when would the white man have
changed the Bible? The church councils did not
rewrite the Bible; they met to formulate beliefs
based on the Bible as it was already written.
There are many versions of the Bible, but
different versions of the Bible do not mean that
is has been corrupted. After all, there are also
different versions of the Qur’an—the Dawood,
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Pickthall, and Al-Madinah
versions, to name a few—plus various
translations into many languages, yet no one
claims that it has been corrupted as a result.
Jesus is only a prophet.
Both the Bible and the Qur’an testify of the
miraculous, virgin birth of Jesus (Bible: Isaiah
7:14, 9:6, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:30–35. Qur’an:
3:45–47). No mere prophet, including Muhammad,
ever claimed to be born of a virgin, but Old
Testament prophets spoke of one who would be
born of a virgin who would be able to save
people from their sin (Acts 10:42, 43).
Christianity is a slave religion.
According to the Hadith (the Muslims’ second
holiest book) Muhammad was a slave owner. Arab
nations—not white nations—were some of the first
nations to enslave blacks. Muhammad showed a
racist attitude in the Hadith...he said that to
think of a black woman was an evil omen, and he
referred to blacks as “raisin heads.”
Islam is a slave religion, and Islamic
nations still hold slaves today, according to a
UN Commission. Even today in Sudan and
Mauritania Muslims take blacks as slaves and
ship them to nations like Saudia Arabia. During
the 1991 Persian Gulf War US black soldiers
complained that Saudia Arabians had black
slaves.
What about the unholy lifestyle of
Christians?
Christians can never biblically claim
perfection (Romans 3:23), and there are some who
claim to be Christians who are not. There is no
excuse for a Christian to live a lifestyle that
doesn’t match the Christian message. Thankfully,
God continues to redirect the lives of His
children who continue to place the direction of
their lives in His hands (Philippians 1:6).
But what about the unholy lifestyles of Black
Muslims that have not been condemned by NOI
leaders? Elijah Muhammad openly committed
adultery and had 13 illegitimate children.
Farrakhan was accused by none other than Betty
Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X, of helping to
kill her husband (L.A. Times, March 14, 1994, p.
A22). The three men convicted of killing Malcolm
X were Black Muslims. It’s also a proven fact
that Muhammad, the founder of Islam, had more
than four wives, which the Qur’an forbids
(Islamic Invasion, p. 86).
Muslim Terminology Islam —An Arabic term that
means “submission.”
Muslim—“One who submits,” and is the name
given to one who submits to the teachings
(religion) of Allah.
Qur’an (Koran)—The Arabic word meaning
“reading” or “that which is to be read,” and
refers to the collection of revelations (Islamic
scriptures) supposedly given by Allah through
his archangel to Muhammad.
Surah (or sura)—Chapter or step. It refers to
the 114 divisions within the Qur’an.
Hadith—Arabic for the “collected traditions.”
The Hadith is considered the Muslims’ second
most inspired book after the Qur’an.
Caliph—The Arabic word for “leader.”
Imam —A “divinely appointed leader.”
Muhammad—A common Arabic name, given first to
the founder of Islam. Muham-mad (AD 570–632) was
born in Mecca and claimed to be the last prophet
of Allah.
Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims—The two main sects
(divisions) of Islam, with 90% being Sunni
Muslims today. The division arose over a
leadership dispute after Muhammad died.
As-aslaamu-alaikum—The word that the Muslims
use for greeting, and it means “peace be unto
you.”
Jihad—Often referred to as a “Holy War.” A
Muslim considers it an honor to die defending
his faith or—the prophet Muhammad’s name and
honor. This is considered the sixth pillar by
many Muslims.
Principles for Witnessing to a Black
Muslim:
Live a truly Christian lifestyle.
We don’t have to go looking for Black
Muslims—they’re “in our house.” And often they
are more dedicated to their beliefs than many
Christians. They are watching us to see if our
lives measure up to our beliefs. Unfortunately,
they often observe the sad truth—many Christians
talk the talk better than they walk the walk.
Paul’s admonition to the Philippian believers
applies today to our lives before Black Muslims:
Live in such a way “that you may be blameless
and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world;
holding forth the word of life” (Philippians
2:15,16).
Use the basic common-ground relational
approach.
Black Muslims only attempt to win other
African-Americans to their beliefs. We, too,
should make the most of those things that are
common to our race. After all, we live with
them—we are their friends, relatives, and
family—so the opportunity to find common ground
is ever present. However, you need supernatural
help to make the most of your opportunities.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare
their hearts and give the right situation for
witnessing (John 16:8–11).
The Holy Spirit must convict the heart of the
Muslim of his sins and of God is righteousness
(the way of God) for any real change to take
place.
Use the Bible (Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah
55:11).
God’s Word will always accomplish what it is
supposed to—it’s entrance into a person’s life
brings understanding (Psalm 119:130). Even
though Black Muslims may be critical toward the
Bible, we must use it; it is our only weapon and
the Muslim’s only hope for salvation through
Christ. When directly confronted by spiritual
enemies, Jesus often used the Word of God
(Matthew 4:1-11).
Be persuasive and bold, but loving in your
answers to them (1 Timothy 1:7, 1 Corinthians
13:1–7).
Remember, Black Muslims have been
indoctrinated, so they have a tendency to be
very forceful about what they believe. Many
Christians are intimidated by this bold
sincerity. But just remember that sincerity and
militancy do not equal spiritual truth (John
8:32, 14:6). You have the truth, God’s Word...
“sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be
ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you,
with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
Be prepared to answer the Muslims
objections (2 Timothy 2:15).
No matter how subtle his approach may be, a
Black Muslim’s arguments are built on four
bedrock beliefs. Even if these four aren’t
stated directly, being aware of them will
prepare you for the kinds of objections you will
face and help you understand why a Black Muslim
says what he says:
• The Bible—It has been corrupted by the White
man.
• The Nature of God—Jesus is not God; Christians
believe in three gods.
• The Church—Black preachers are corrupted,
ignorant, and deceived about Blacks in the
Bible. Not only is the church full of women, it
does not deal with issues important to Blacks.
• Christianity—It is the White man’s religion,
and a slave religion. To answer objections based
on these charges, check back over the issues and
answers and take advantage of some of the
resources listed at the end of the booklet for
further help. Deal with one specific issue at a
time. Black Muslims have a tendency to go from
one subject to another, then another, and so on.
Stick to one issue until it has been dealt with
thoroughly so that confusion will not result.
When discussing issues with a Muslim, your goal
is to convince him or her of three facts:
1 Allah of the Qur’an is not the God of the
Bible,
2 Muhammad was not the prophet of the God of the
Bible, and
3 The Qur’an is not the Word of God.
Finally, be persistent...don’t give up!
Our job is to faithfully plant the seed of
the Word and to water it, then leave the results
to God (1 Corinthians 3:5–9). Keep praying for
those you witness to, learn how to apply
Scripture to all kinds of situations, and God
can use you to effectively and lovingly
communicate the gospel to Muslims.
Resources for Further Study
Books
Have You Got Good Religion? H. Cross and D.
Scott. Moody Press, 1993.
An Analysis of the Hadith. Dr. Robert Morey.
The Research and Education Foundation, Box
141455, Austin, TX 78714, 1992.
The Islamic Invasion. Dr. Robert Morey.
Harvest House Publishers, 1992.
Answering Islam. Norman L. Geisler and Abdul
Saleeb. Baker Books, 1993.
Messages to the Blackman in America. Elijah
Muhammad. United Brothers Communications
Systems, 1965.
Video
The Bible: Truth or Altered by the White Man?
A debate between Khalid Muhammad and Rev. Chuck
Singleton. Loveland Church, 13053 Baseline Road,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739. Phone: 909-899-0777.
Audio Tape
Dealing with the Nation of Islam. John Davis,
Haman Cross, and Carl Ellis. Integrated
Resources, 1994. Phone: 1-800-729-4351.
Organization
The Joseph Project, Rev. Michael Wilson P. O.
Box 40486, Pasadena, CA 91114. Phone:
818-794-1121. |
