Class,
You can view a brief history of the Nation of Islam by going to NOI.org. To answer Dylan's question about where the doctrines of the NOI come from, here is a clip from their website:
In 1931, the Master was preaching this Great Truth of salvation when He met a man named Elijah Poole in Detroit, Michigan. He chose him to be His Divine Representative in continuing this most difficult task of bringing truth and light to His lost and found people. For 3 1/2 years He taught and trained the Honorable Elijah Muhammad night and day into the profound Secret Wisdom of the Reality of God...
...When the Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked Him to identify Himself He replied that He was the Mahdi. He signed His name in 1933 as Master Wallace Fard Muhammad...
Here, we see the use of the title of "Mahdi". From what you've learned this semester, how does this help the cause of the NOI? Could Fard or Elijah Muhammad have accomplished what they did without the claim of Mahdi? Feel free to post answers to these questions or ask any further questions you may have.
4 comments:
the use of the term madhi in the early stages of the NOI really helped the organization and their legitimacy. For many people looking for a place to turn (the NOI), this made the organization and its affiliates believable. This seems like just another tactic used to create interest and ties to a helpful organization for many people.
Well this certainly clarifies the status of Fard in the NOI. If we remember that the Mahdi is the return of the last Imam, the prophsied redemer that will return at the end of days, we see that Fard tried to make himself seem more like a end of days redeemer figure that came to take his people into a new world or new era, which a little bit like what the NOI tried to do. They attempted to build a new world for blacks in america, one in which they would not be looked down upon and be entirly self-sufficient. Also, if it was believed that Fard was the Mahdi lent him credibility, because if his followers ever did look into just exactly what a mahdi was outside of the NOI they would find out that there is such a thing as the Mahdi, and that he does come at the end of days to guide his chosen people. Also claiming to be the Mahdi shows that the origin of Fards islam is based in the shi'a view of Islam.
I am a bit skeptical about the Nation of Islam. I think it is a good thing people were able to turn to it for guidance and make their lives better. I believe that is who Malcolm X turned to when he went to jail. I agree by using the powerful term Madhi, NOI was able to get a prominent crowd. I would think true Islamists would not appreciate this too much using such a meaningful term a placing it upon someone who started up this sector of religion. So, I just do not know about NOI.
I think the use of Mahdi is very significant. According to the Shi'i, Mahdi is the twelfth imam who has been in hiding for hundreds of years. This use of Mahdi definitely helped to give the NOI a degree of credibility without really having to explain where Fard came from. They were able to use an existing belief and turn in to their own ends.
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