Intro
3 of the Poole brothers met Wallace Farad and were given new last names (See Beynon) as well as their father (Willie Muhammad aka Willie Poole). Elijah Poole’s name was initially changed to Elijah Karriem. John Poole was changed to John Muhammad and the 3rd brother was Kollat Muhammad. However, by 1934, Elijah Karriem changed his own name to Elijah Mohammed (See Beynon) and renamed his brothers. It should be noted that another brother of Elijah Mohammed was James Poole (written as James Muhammad) who had converted to Ahmadiyya publicly in 1927 (See the ROR of Feb-1927, pages 4-5). In the Detroit Free Press, 1934, Apr–19, Page 1, John Muhammad was also arrested as well as his future wife, Burnsteen. A few weeks later, Time Magazine reported on “The University of Islam” and erroneously called John Muhammad as the leader.
In 1938, only 3 of the Poole brothers were mentioned in the famous study by Beynon. It was Elijah Karriem, not Elijah Mohammed. The other 2 brothers are not named, however, it is easily discernable to notice that John Muhammad was given the last name of Muhammad, which leaves the 3rd brother unknown. In 1951, Hatim (see page 61) mentioned how Kollat (another brother of Elijah Mohammed was there in 1934 and was working in the FOI as a captain in a few locations and opposed his brother Elijah Mohammed. He seems to be the 3rd brother who was mentioned in Beynon. Another point of note, Elijah Mohammed told Hatim that his older brother and his father had heard of Wallace Farad and it was through them that he heard and was then motivated to meet Wallace Farad. Thus, we have found 4 brothers of Elijah Mohammed and their father in Detroit in 1931.
Nevertheless, John Muhammad was the youngest of thirteen children.[4] In 1927, on John’s seventeenth birthday, he dropped out of high school. He felt that he was not learning anything, was deliberately being made to repeat grades, and was a victim of racism. In an integrated classroom, John’s teacher reportedly said, “If I had my way with all of you, I would put you on a ship and send you back to Africa.”[5] In July of 1930, W.D. Fard would arrive in Detroit to found his Nation. John Muhammad gives a different conversion account than what many NOI afficionados are aware of. What is commonly believed is that Clara, the wife of Elijah, had heard of this W.D. Fard and decided to go hear him preach while her husband was inebriated.[6] Then, she invited him over for dinner to meet and convert her husband. John Muhammad, however, recounts that it was his father who first met W.D. Fard and brought his family into the Temple.[7] This is corroborated by Hatim Sahib’s 1951 dissertation on the NOI.[8].
According to John Muhammad, he served as Captain, Minister, and Secretary Assistant under Fard in Detroit at his Hastings Street Temple of Islam.[9] He was also a teacher and principal at Detroit’s University of Islam in 1934;[10] [11] the same school that would be the subject of a much-publicized investigation and trial at the time.[12] John Muhammad’s wife was “the Reformer” Burnsteen Sharrieff Muhammad, Fard’s secretary. In 1934, one year before John married Burnsteen, Fard advised John that it was “no time to get married right now”.[13] This may be because of the Great Depression, but I suggested in my article “The War of Armageddon: The NOI, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Imperial Japan” that Fard, like Rutherford, was advising people to not marry yet due to the impending War of Armageddon.[14] Like his brothers, John spent a lot of time with Fard, and they would even travel together in a hupmobile.[15] On top of his ministerial duties, John Muhammad worked for Chrysler and retired there.[16]
After the death of Elijah Muhammad, John Muhammad did not become a follower of Warith Deen Muhammad or Louis Farrakhan, though he kept relations with both. He rejected Farrakhan and Cushmeer’s assertion that Elijah Muhammad was still alive.[17] [18] John believed that the various leaders ought to reunite under the teachings of Fard and Elijah; and he continued teaching a small circle in his senior years. According to Morrow, “John Muhammad remained faithful to the original Nation of Islam doctrines.”[19] His wife Burnsteen, however, would join Warith Deen Muhammad and be a part of the Shura board of Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit.[20].
In the 1980’s, John Muhammad made disparaging remarks towards the prophethood of Muhammad (Saw). John Muhammad confirms (in roughly 1980) that Elijah Mohammed taught that Muhammad (saw) was not a prophet (1:22 time stamp), he was a warrior instead (naozobillah). John Muhammad even said in a disrespectful way that Muhammad (Saw) was fighting his own kind (fellow Arabs). At 4:50, John Muhammad says that it was the belief of Elijah Mohammed that a prophet comes once every 2000 years and thus, Muhammad (Saw) could not be a prophet (naozobillah), he was 1400 years early. John Muhammad admits that Muhammad (Saw) never taught that white people were the devil, Muhammad (Saw) never said that Black people were the original people of the Earth, Muhammad (Saw) never taught that God was a man! John Muhammad then says that Muhammad (Saw) didn’t know anything, he was just a dumb prophet (naozobillah). John Muhammad goes further and says that Master Fard (aka Wallace Farad) said that Muhammad (Saw) was not a prophet (naozobillah), he was a warrior! And all he did was fight! (naozobillah). John Muhammad says that all Muhammad (Saw) did was give us a book to read, the Holy Quwan (Quran). John Muhammad says that the Holy Quwan (Quran) tells us that God will raise up a messenger from the dead. John Muhammad alleges that this proves that Muhammad (Saw) is not the last Messenger (Naozobillah). John Muhammad admits that the Quran does say that Muhammad (saw) is the last Messenger, however, God did not say that (Naozobillah). Instead, God said that he would rise up a Messenger, in the last days and the last days are now (1980’s).
John Muhammad, with Abdul Basit Naeem and Malcolm X (1956-1964).
https://www.noiwc.info/the-eastern-perspective.html
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