Wallace Fard Muhammad

Wallace Fard Muhammad or W. D. Fard ( ; reportedly born February 26, – disappeared ) was a religious leader who was the founder of the Nation of Islam.

Fard arrived in Detroit in 1930 with an ambiguous background and several aliases and proselytized syncretic 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 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, Muhammad Ali, and, indirectly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Nation of Islam celebrates Saviour's Day every February 26 in his honor.

Early life

In the 1950s, the FBI publicly claimed that prior to his time in Detroit, Fard had been known as Wallace Ford, a California restaurateur. As the FBI actively attempted to discredit and undermine the Nation of Islam, this identification has been met with suspicion.

Fard's origins are uncertain; according to scholars, Fard variously identified as white, black, Spanish, Arab, Afghan, and on one occasion, Jewish. There is also speculation that he was a white person born in New Zealand. Canadian scholar John Andrew Morrow describes Fard as a "racial and ethnic chameleon", noting,<blockquote>Fard lived in one of the most vicious, racist societies in the world: America. The conditions in which black people and indigenous people lived here were horrific. Segregation was severe. Bigotry abounded. White supremacy permeated everything. Lynchings were a daily occurrence; there were columns in the newspaper titled 'Today's Lynchings'. ... Fard witnessed unspeakable horrors committed by genuine devils. ... Why would Master Fard pass for white; who wouldn't? Khanialam Khan or Alam Khan, like Fard, had been a tamale vendor in Oregon.<nowiki> However, in 2025, new research by Kevin Morris and Anton Batey shows that the immigrant Alam Khan or Khanialam Khan was not Fard, as he later took the name Khan Alley and died on November 19, 1958, in Lodi, California.</nowiki> Batey and Morris uncovered a manifest revealing that someone named "Wallie Dad Khan" travelled from Hong Kong to San Francisco in 1907 on the SS Coptic. Wallie Dad Khan was associated with tamale vendors and Fard was known to have later used the name "Wali Dadd". They also showed that the Sher Khan who was Khanialam's brother was not the same person as the man who applied for citizenship.

On his World War I draft card, Fard identified as a citizen of Afghanistan, born in Shinka. Many scholars argue that Fard may have been from the Indian subcontinent. Fard reportedly spent time at the Ahmadiyya Mosque (a movement prominent in Pakistan), used translations of the Quran from South Asian Muslims, and bestowed South Asian Muslim names on followers. Fard's teaching of the Tribe of Shabazz may have been tied to Pakistan's Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

In 1924, when he married a woman of Spanish ancestry, Carmen Treviño, Fard claimed he had been born in Madrid, Spain. Less popular theories of origin suggest he may have been Syrian, Moroccan, Bosnian, Albanian, African-American, or Jewish. Fard was traditionally held by the Nation of Islam to be an Arab from Mecca.

Oregon

Prior to his time in Detroit, Fard operated a food cart and later restaurant in Oregon and California. In 1908, papers in Eugene, Oregon, announced that local tamale vendor Fred Walldad (nicknamed "Fred the Turk") had acquired a small house on wheels to use as a food cart ("Turk" at that point in US history simply meant a Muslim). That Halloween, papers reported on a "Halloween prank" in which local boys took the wheels off Fred the Turk's tamale wagon and dropped it, breaking Fred's dishes and eggs, as well as injuring Fred himself; the wheel was stolen. By the following February, he had sold his lunchwagon and moved to Cottage Grove, where he had leased a restaurant and lodging house.

By 1912, Fard was again selling tamales, this time in Salem, Oregon; newspapers reported on vendor Fred Dadd, a naturalized American originally from New Zealand, attending his first baseball game. In 1913, Fard penned an announcement in the newspaper complaining about police harassment. His complaint of police harassment would be investigated by the police committee. After the committee reported and the report was adopted, the mayor instructed the chief of police to allow Dodd to sell his wares.

In 1914, Fard was arrested for allegedly inducing Laura E. Swanson to leave her spouse for him; he was released on $1,000 bond. A March 23 report cited Dodd's charge as "assaulting a married woman". On April 20, 1914, Dodd married Pearl Allen, a white-passing member of the Klamath people, in Multnomah County, Oregon. The following day, April 21, a jury acquitted Dodd. The Capital Journal explained the verdict by saying "It was brought out in the cross examination of the complaining witness that there was another person in the house at the time of the alleged assault and that she did not cry for help as a person in her circumstances would be aroused."

The marriage to Pearl was short-lived; Divorce proceedings began by August 30. On November 14, he was arrested for larceny after allegedly stealing from Pearl. Pearl gave birth to a son the following year, though a 2024 DNA test suggested more likely than not that this son was not biologically descended from Dodd.

Los Angeles and San Quentin

thumb|right|Wallie Dodd Ford mugshot in 1926

Fard moved to Los Angeles, using the name Wallie Dodd Ford, where he owned a restaurant "Wallie's cafe". at 803 W. Third Street. The Nation of Islam contests the claim that Wallace Fard Muhammad and Wallie Dodd Ford were the same person.

Ford was arrested by Los Angeles police on November 17, 1918, on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. As of 1920, Ford was still living in Los Angeles as 26-year-old Wallie D. Ford, with his 25-year-old common law wife, Hazel E. Ford () The pair had a son, Wallie Dodd Ford Jr. in 1920.

Soon after the birth of their son, however Hazel found out that Ford, went under many aliases and had not been honest with her regarding many other matters. Hazel subsequently left Ford and he is said to have become depressed and started abusing drugs and alcohol.

A marriage certificate, dated June 5, 1924, was issued to Wallie Dodd Ford and Carmen Treviño, a Mexican-born woman of Spanish ancestry, in Santa Ana, California.

Ford was arrested again on January 20, 1926, for violation of the California Woolwine Possession Act, Ford was sentenced to six months to six years at San Quentin State Prison on June 12, 1926. Ford was paroled from San Quentin on May 27, 1929.

In Chicago

In the 1930 census, Fard was listed as a resident of Chicago, with stated occupation of clothing salesman. Scholars speculate that Fard's Nation of Islam might have been influenced by the Moorish Science Temple in Chicago. Both groups saw "Negroes" as Afro-Asiatic, bestowed new names to replace "slave names", and promoted wearing of the fez.

According to some accounts, Fard was known within the temple as David Ford-el, and claimed (or was taken by some) to be the reincarnation of temple founder Drew Ali. When his leadership was rejected, Ford El broke away from the Moorish Science Temple and moved to Detroit.

Fard in Detroit (1930–1934)

Fard first appeared in Detroit in 1930; his followers cite July 4, 1930, as the date of his arrival. A door-to-door salesman, Fard spread his religious teachings throughout Detroit, and within three years grew the movement to a reported 25,000 members in Detroit, Chicago, and other cities.

Clothing peddler

Fard began by selling Oriental silks door-to-door in Detroit's black section. Fard visited the homes of black families who had recently migrated to Detroit from the rural South. Fard told black residents that his silks were the same kind that their ancestors in Mecca used and claimed to be a traveler from that land. When offered food, Fard reportedly ate what was provided but would advise residents to avoid certain foods, promising health benefits would follow. At his suggestion, he came back to teach the residents, along with guests.

Bible study leader at house churches

In the early stage of his ministry, Fard used the Bible as his textbook, since it was the only religious book with which the majority of his audience were familiar. Patrick D. Bowen writes that in the early Nation of Islam, "ministers regularly referenced passages from the Bible to prove their claims". Fard's successor Elijah Muhammad would later claim Fard "knew the Bible better than any of the Christian-bred Negroes". Lomax wrote that Fard was "well-versed" in the Bible, used it as a textbook and taught in the style of a Southern Baptist preacher.

Beynon writes that "With growing prestige over a constantly increasing group, [Fard] became bolder in his denunciation of white people and began to attack the teachings of the Bible in such a way as to shock his audience and bring them to an emotional crisis." eat healthy, raise families, and refrain from drugs and alcohol. In 1938, sociologist Erdmann Doane Beynon published in the American Journal of Sociology a firsthand account of several interviews he conducted with followers of Fard in Michigan. From those interviews, Beynon wrote that Fard lived and taught in Detroit from 1930 to 1934. Such names included Muhammad, Ali, Karriem, and Fardan. Scholars note that new names had previously been given by Noble Drew Ali of the Moorish Science Temple of America, who assigned surnames El and Bey; the term "slave name" was used by the MSTA.

After Fard's disappearance, Elijah Muhammad continued the practice of giving new Muslim names to converts to the Nation of Islam and added the letter X, symbolizing the unknown, instead of a name.

Leader of the Allah Temple of Islam

Beynon's interviewees told him that reports of Fard's message spread throughout the black community. Attendance at the house meetings grew until the listeners were divided into groups and taught in shifts. Finally, the community contributed money and rented a hall to serve as a temple where meetings were conducted. The Quran was soon introduced as the most authoritative of all texts for the study of the faith. Fard prepared texts that served as authoritative manuals of the faith and were memorized verbatim by his followers.

During this time, Clara Poole, later renamed Clara Muhammad, was introduced to Fard and his teachings through her in-laws. His teachings gave Poole hope and presented her life with new possibilities and new memories.</blockquote>

She further reflected on Fard's theology, "He taught us that the Black people were the God, so when I would say my prayers, I'd shut my eyes and envision that great mass of people as God."

Smith killing drives Fard from Detroit (1932)

thumb|right|Fard, left, showing a book to police detectives. The photo was published by the Detroit Free Press on November 24, 1932, four days after the Harris murder.

On November 20, 1932, Robert Harris (who had received the name Robert Karriem from Fard) escorted James J. Smith into a room with a makeshift altar. In the audience were twelve adult witnesses and Harris's wife and children. Smith, who believed he was being inducted into the Allah Temple of Islam, was asked if he would sacrifice his life for Islam, and Smith nodded his assent. Harris then stabbed Smith in the chest, and proceeded to bludgeon him to death with an axle rod.

After neighbors called the police, Harris was arrested. Under questioning, he confessed to the murder: "I had to kill somebody, I could not forsake my gods". Police initiated a manhunt for Fard and another leader, Ugan Ali, who were arrested and questioned. Harris was deemed insane and committed to a mental hospital. "The society cannot be blamed for anything he did," Ali was quoted as saying in the Detroit News, which falsely suggested the murder was tied to the practice of Voodoo. Fard and Ugan Ali, who acknowledged leadership of the Allah Temple of Islam but vehemently denied any teaching of human sacrifice, were examined by psychiatrist David Clark, who recommended they be committed for further observation. A judge agreed, and both Fard and Ugan Ali were placed in straitjackets and confined in padded cells.

With Fard and Ugan Ali still in custody five days after the murder, Elijah Muhammad, at the time known as Elijah Karriem, led over two hundred members into the court building and staged a protest on the main floor. The police spent a full day expelling the protesters.

thumb|right|Fard Muhammad (center) showing a book to police detectives (left) while Fard's chief aide Ugan Ali (right) sits nearby

On November 25, Harris was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder; he pleaded guilty, but his bizarre courtroom behavior convinced witnesses of his insanity. On December 6, three psychiatrists testified that Harris was legally insane, and he was committed to the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminal Insane; he died there on June 19, 1935. Faced with criminal charges, Ugan Ali was released after promising to help disband the Allah Temple of Islam, while Fard agreed to forever leave Detroit as a condition of release.

On December 7, 1932, police put Fard on a train bound for Chicago. The Allah Temple of Islam was officially disbanded, though soon replaced by a new organization called the Nation of Islam. Former leader Ugan Ali was replaced by Elijah Muhammad.

Fard in exile and the Nation of Islam (1932–1934)

In January 1933, Fard snuck back into Detroit and held secret meetings with followers. Fard left Detroit for a few weeks but returned to Detroit and resumed preaching on street corners. Recognized by police, he was arrested on May 25, booked, and photographed. He was again released and ordered to depart the city.

thumb|right|W. D. Fard mugshot on May 25, 1933, after he was arrested for returning to Detroit

Fard renamed his community the "Nation of Islam". Following the rapid increase in membership, he instituted a formal organizational structure. He established the Muslim Girls' Training and General Civilization Class, where women were taught how to keep their houses, clean, and cook. The men of the organization were drilled by captains and referred to as the Fruit of Islam. The entire movement was placed under a Minister of Islam. Fard made a third surreptitious visit to Detroit, this time preaching that the white man would soon be destroyed by poison bombs.

Fard established the University of Islam, where school-aged children were taught, as an alternative to Detroit public schools. The school was raided by police, and Elijah Muhammad was arrested.

Press reported that at trial, fifteen-year-old Sally Ali, who had attended the University of Islam, testified that she had been taught "in the Islamic New Deal that if she cut off the heads of four devils—devils being unrighteous people—she would win a free trip to Mecca and a button of some sort." She further testified that she had been taught that Caucasians would be destroyed in the year 1934 by poison gas and fighting. Elijah Muhammad was found guilty for his role in establishing an unlicensed school, but he was released on probation. Amid rumors that police wanted both Fard and his chief aide dead, Elijah Muhammad fled for Chicago, and Fard was never again seen by most residents of Detroit.

Final years

thumb|Fard's son, Wallace Jr., pictured in 1941

It is not known what became of Fard or the circumstances of his death. Though he was a naturalized citizen, he may have been forced to accept voluntary deportation. In 1932, the Escanaba Daily Press reported that he had been awaiting an immigration hearing. It has been speculated that Fard used the alias of Mohammed A. Khan, who was arrested in Gary, Indiana, due to violating immigration laws, on December 4, 1933.

After he had departed Detroit, Fard visited Hazel Barton, the mother of his child, in Los Angeles; she recalled him only eating one meal per day as part of his new lifestyle, which is consistent with the practice Fard advocated as part of the Nation of Islam. Hazel recalled he was driving a new car with California plates, with white sheets covering the seats. He left the sheets with her, saying he was going "back to New Zealand".

Fard's last known contact with the Nation of Islam was a letter sent from Mexico which was received in March 1934.

Fard's lessons themselves state that the "traders" referenced by Beynon came to Africa, not Mecca.

Modern Nation of Islam theology is based upon the belief that Fard's teaching of Elijah Muhammad was fulfillment of scripture regarding God's teaching of an Apostle, where Fard is described as "God in Person", the "Messiah", and the "Mahdi". Fard wrote the following for his followers: