The Long March from Sandersville, Georgia continues

By Minister Akbar Muhammad
Nation of Islam International Representative | Last updated: Oct 9, 2006 - 12:23:00 AM

By being wedded to the principles of the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, this march will continue.

(FinalCall.com) - The long march of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad from Sandersville, Georgia started on October 7, 1897, the accepted date of his birth, to his departure from us on February 25, 1975. His march (life) could fill volumes. When the term “long march” is mentioned or written, most minds go to Mao Zedong and the 130,000 of his Chinese countrymen who started with him on his long march across China. Mao lost over half of those who started with him.

On Saturday, October 7,2006, we reflect on the birth of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and his long march to establish the Nation of Islam in America. We reflect on the beginning of the long march at the departure of his Teacher, Master Fard Muhammad, in May of 1934, after teaching him for three-and-one-half years and choosing him as the leader of the Nation of Islam. This marked the beginning of the most difficult part of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s long march. In October of that same year, 1934, Mao Zedong started on his long march.

When the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s Teacher left him with the awesome responsibility of leadership, those who disagreed with the decision immediately challenged him. Out of this disagreement came those who desired to put out the light he carried from his Teacher as well as take his life. In this phase of his long march, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad moved around the Midwest and the East Coast, protecting the light and the life his Teacher gave to him. Throughout these areas, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was teaching and planting seeds in the minds of all those who would listen and study.

Graphic: BCM

Many who have attended lectures of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan or other ministers of the Nation of Islam heard it mentioned that Master Fard Muhammad gave the Honorable Elijah Muhammad 104 books to read, all of which contained some aspect of the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he was to study. While on the East Coast, although he was on the move from those who wanted his life, he went after the information found in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. His long march continued, even through his arrest in 1942 for refusing to take part in America’s war at that time. He continued to work while incarcerated. On my first visit to his home on April 27, 1972, I was blessed to be taken by Minister Louis Farrakhan to meet my Leader. That night at the dinner table, he talked to us about how he taught in the prison and handled the affairs of the Nation through his wife, Mother Clara Muhammad. He talked about how she would visit him and take back his words and instructions to his followers.

When he was released in 1946, his march continued, starting with a small building in Chicago that was formally a dog and cat hospital. Those who had internalized the principles of his teaching stood fast while he was away and were there to help him rebuild their Nation.

In 1977, when it appeared that the torch Elijah Muhammad held up so faithfully for 44 years was about to drop to the ground and be extinguished, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan picked up the torch and proved to the world that by his belief and faith in Allah, he could make this torch burn bright again. By being wedded to the principles of the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, this march will continue.

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