Nation of Islam (NOI)
Founder: Wallace D. Fard Muhammad (also known as W.D. Fard)
Founded: 1930, in Detroit, Michigan
W.D. Fard appeared mysteriously in Detroit teaching that the so-called Negroes in America were not Africans but Asiatic people, specifically the original people of the planet Earth. He taught that their true religion was Islam and their original names and culture had been stolen.
Fard’s teachings were a continuation—and adaptation—of Noble Drew Ali’s work. In fact, some early Nation of Islam members had previously been part of the Moorish Science Temple of America, and the titles “Asiatic” and “Islam” were retained and reinterpreted.
Fard chose Elijah Poole, later known as The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, to lead after him. Elijah would go on to build the NOI into a major Black nationalist movement.
Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE)
(also called the Five Percent Nation)
Founder: Clarence 13X, later known as Allah the Father
Founded: 1964, in Harlem, New York
Clarence 13X was a former member of the Nation of Islam who broke away from the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. While the NOI saw W.D. Fard as Allah in Person, Clarence taught that the Black man is God and that knowledge of self was the path to salvation. He created a cultural—not religious—movement grounded in Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, and the 120 Lessons (adapted from NOI teachings).
He referred to his followers as Gods (men) and Earths (women). The NGE is responsible for profound influence in hip-hop, urban education, and street consciousness.
Unified Truth:
These movements all spring from the same Asiatic tree, rooted in Moorish identity, even if they took different paths. The mission now is to bring them back together under divine unity—one Nation under Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom, and Justice.
