NYU Press Elijah Muhammad and Islam

Elijah Muhammad is arguably the most significant figure in the history of Islam in the United States. Successor to W. D. Fard, the founder of the Nation of Islam, and a mentor to Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad led the NOI for over forty years. In "Elijah Muhammad and Islam", Herbert Berg focuses on Elijah Muhammad's religiosity, which is frequently brought into question as the authenticity of the Nation of Islam as 'truly Islamic' remains hotly debated. To better comprehend this powerful and controversial figure, Berg contextualizes Elijah Muhammad and his religious approach within the larger Islamic tradition, exploring his use of the Qur'an, his interpretation of Islam, and his relationships with other Muslims. Above all, Berg seeks to understand - not define or label - Muhammad as a Muslim. To do otherwise, he argues, is to misunderstand and distort the man, his teachings, his movement, and his legacy. Review "Reveals the religious legacy of an irreplaceable Muslim American leader. This well-written historical, theoretical, and scriptural analysis puts Elijah Muhammad's thought at the center of debates about what it means to be Muslim. Berg rescues Elijah Muhammad from the Islamic studies ghetto, or better, puts a little ghetto into Islamic studies." --Edward E. Curtis IV, author of Black Muslim Religion in the Nation of Islam, 1960-1975 About the Author Herbert Berg is Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. He is the editor of Methods and Theories in the Study of Islamic Origins and author of The Development of Exegesis in Early Islam.