Imam W. Deen Mohammed, The Leader Who Paved the Way for All of Us

I was among the 8,000 people who attended the funeral of Imam W.D. Mohammed at the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park on September 11, 2008. The weather was perfect, with a nice breeze. The air was fresh, and the earth was soft. The community in its great diversity was present: African Americans, South Asians, White Americans, and Arabs, men and women, old and young, all came to pray for and pay tribute to the man who paved the way for all of us.

It was a powerful scene of unity. I wished that my children were there to experience the power of the moment and to actually feel what we usually only boast about. Next day at the Friday Unity prayer in Homewood, I felt at home among Imam W.D. Mohammed's community. I felt the true brotherhood of Islam, a bond that connects me, an Arab immigrant, to the thousands of America's indigenous Muslims. The community was welcoming, hospitable, sincere, pure and proud of its identity. I wished that all Muslims in the Chicago area were present to feel the energy and the spirit of the community.

Warith Deen Mohammed was born Wallace Dean Muhammad, the son of Elijah Muhammad, who was the leader of Nation of Islam until his death in 1975. Imam W.D. Mohammed, in a courageous and decisive move, brought tens of thousands of the followers of the Nation of Islam to mainstream Islam based on his lifelong study of the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He turned away from his father's theology of black nationalism and any deviations from traditional Islam. Under his leadership, tens of thousands of African Americans were introduced to Islam and became part of the larger global Muslim community. He advocated self-reliance, personal responsibility, building Islamic knowledge, learning Quran, moral excellence and interfaith dialogue.

He helped build many grassroots organizations, mosques, schools, community centers, businesses and newspapers throughout the U.S. More importantly, he built a strong, vibrant and proud community.

Imam W.D. Mohammed gave the first invocation in the U.S Senate ever by a Muslim. And in 1993, he gave the Islamic prayer during the first Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service of President Bill Clinton. He met with many world leaders and was well respected throughout the world.

At the time of his death, he was leading a new project, The Mosque Cares. The purpose of the project is to establish a comprehensive Islamic community complex in the Southside of Chicago.

We are all indebted to Imam Warith Deen Mohammed for being a courageous pathfinder. Without his contributions, and other leaders in the African American Muslim community, it would have been very difficult for any of us to stand up with pride and say we are American Muslims.

It may take the death of a leader to bring the community together, but the vision of Imam Mohammed and his work remains alive, and it is up to us to prove our appreciation of his enormous contribution to Islam in the U.S.

Dr. M. Zaher Sahloul

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