Bilal Ibn Rabah in the Black Religious Tradition

Imam Warith Deen Muhammad 

Imam Warith Deen Muhammad was the son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who assumed the leadership of the Nation of Islam in 1975.  Under his leadership, he redirected the movement toward Sunni Islam and frequently used  the narrative of Bilal to inspire his community.

 Speaking of Bilal Ibn Rabah, Imam Warith Deen Muhammad states,”He was so sincere and his heart was so pure that Prophet Muhammad and the other leaders of Islam under him addressed this man as Master Bilal.” For a period he changed the name of the community to “Bilalians” in honor of the companion of the Prophet Muhammad, Bilal Ibn Rabah.

Imam Warith Deen Muhammad declared for his community,””We are bilalians from  this day forward.”  The Muhammad Speaks newspaper originally established by Malcolm X was subsequently changed to,”The bilalian news.”  In using the name “Bilialian”, Imam Warith Deen Muhammad connected his followers with a sahabah who was both Muslim and like them of African descent.

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