Bilal Muhammad is a Fellow and Research Assistant at the Berkeley Institute for Islamic Studies. He is also an MA Candidate at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, B.Ed at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and Honors BA in Political Science and History at the University of Toronto. He is an educator and researcher based in Toronto, Canada.
W.D. Fard: The Man, Myth, and Mystery Behind the Nation of Islam
“W. D. Fard: The Man, Myth, and Mystery Behind the Nation of Islam” offers a bold, multidisciplinary investigation into the elusive founder of the Nation of Islam. W. D. Fard, known to his followers as Master Fard Muhammad, was the man of mystery whose teachings inspired Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Elijah Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan, and many figures involved in the separatist wing of the American civil rights movement. Fard disappeared without a trace in 1934, eluding adherents and scholars alike. Historians have debated his intentions: was he a missionary, a conman, or an agent? Why did this non-black teacher found a black nationalist movement? Drawing on theology, psychology, sociology, and archival research, John Morrow and Bilal Muhammad uncover Fard’s scriptural sources, apocalyptic influences, and esoteric affiliations. The book delves into Fard’s incarceration, love life, ties to Imperial Japan, and the conceptual origins of his teachings. The authors use cutting-edge tools, including AI, emotional recognition software, DNA testing, forensic linguistics, digitized newspapers, and anagram breakers to reveal the man behind the legend. This study pushes the boundaries of what is known about this controversial and momentous figure.
“This book is essential reading for scholars, students, and anyone interested in religion, race, and resistance in the twentieth century United States. It is both timely and timeless.” – Jibrin Ubale Yahaya, Phd
“W. D. Fard is a mystery. Yet these two historical detectives track down every record, mine every story, and turn over every rock to solve that mystery.” – Gene Rhea Tucker, Phd
“After reading this genuinely magisterial work, W.D. Fard, the mystery man becomes far less mysterious. This very fact makes W.D. Fard: The Man, Myth, and Mystery Behind the Nation of Islam a scientific must-read for all Islamologists, as well as other researchers and readers keen to learn more about the history of the NOI” – Milan Vukelic, Phd
Bilal Muhammad is a Fellow and Research Assistant at the Berkeley Institute for Islamic Studies. He is also an MA Candidate at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, B.Ed at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and Honors BA in Political Science and History at the University of Toronto. He is an educator and researcher based in Toronto, Canada.
