Wallace Fard Muhammad
Wallace Fard Muhammad | |
|---|---|
Fard's official portrait c. 1932 (top); his 1926 mugshot (middle); and his 1933 mugshot (bottom) | |
| Leader of the Nation of Islam | |
| In office 1930–1934 | |
| Succeeded by | Elijah Muhammad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown; possibly Khanialam Khan Date uncertain; NOI tradition claims February 26, 1877 [a] Uncertain; NOI tradition claims Mecca; possibly Balochistan, modern-day Pakistan or British Hong Kong |
| Disappeared | 1934 |
| Died | Date, cause, and place of death is unknown |
| Other names | Khanialam Khan Wali Fred Dad Fred the Greek Fred the Turk Wallie Dodd Fard Wallace Dodd Ford William D. Fard Master Fard Muhammad |
| Occupation(s) | Religious and political activist |
| Spouse(s) | Pearl Allen (m. May 9, 1914; div. December 27, 1914) Hazel Barton (m. circa 1919) Carmen Treviño (m. June 5, 1924) |
| Children | With Hazel: Wallace Dodd Fard (later Wallace Max Ford) |
| ^ a. Birth dates attributed to Fard include 1877, 1883, 1884, 1891, and 1893; the Nation of Islam celebrates February 26, 1877. | |
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Wallace Fard Muhammad or W. D. Fard (/fəˈrɑːd/ fə-RAHD; reportedly born February 26, c. 1877 – disappeared c. 1934) was the founder of the Nation of Islam.
He arrived in Detroit in 1930 with an ambiguous background and several aliases and proselytized syncretic and superficial Islamic teachings to the city's black population. His group taught followers to abandon their old "slave names" in favor of new names that were bestowed on new members. Fard's movement similarly taught Black pride and Black exceptionalism, saying that the black man is the "original" man, and teaching that the white race were devils created by a mad scientist named Yakub via eugenics. The group preached abstinence from drugs, alcohol, pork, and out-of-wedlock sex.
After one of Fard's followers performed a human sacrifice, Fard was briefly arrested, but the police ordered him to depart Detroit and not return. Instead he continued to return to the city, where he was spotted by police. In 1934, after repeated arrests and death threats, Fard left Detroit and ultimately disappeared.
Elijah Muhammad succeeded Fard as leader of the Nation of Islam. Fard's teachings in turn influenced many, including Malcolm X, Clarence 13X, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, and indirectly, basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Nation of Islam celebrates Saviour's Day every February 26 in his honor.