Hamaas Abdul Khaalis and the Hanafi Madh-Hab
by
Muhammed A. al-Ahari
The landscape of American Islam is multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-
sectarian. It has been that way since the 1920s when Sufis from the Indian subcontinent
like Inayat Khan and Dr. Tasibur Uddein Rahman, Ahmadiyyah missionaries, 1 and cult
leaders like Noble Drew Ali (founder of the Canaanite Temple in Newark, New Jersey in
1913 which had a final metamorphosis into the Moorish Science Temple of America in
Chicago in 1925) arrived in the United States.
The teachings of these early pioneers ranged from the esoteric rooted in the
various schools of Islamic spiritual seeking (Tasawuf or Sufism), to Black Nationalism
with a spin of Science Fiction, to fairly secularized modernists, and traditional madhab
followers. Of course, there was a great deal of cross-fertilization of ideas with Garveyites
joining, the Ahmadiyyah, Nation of Islam, and the Moorish Science Temple. 2
The Nation of Islam started when a reputed Hashimite prince – Master Fard
Muhammad – announced his mission in Paradise Valley near Hamtramck, Michigan on
July 4, 1930. He declared whites the Devil incarnate, showed a way with UFO
transportation to the Garden of Eden (the Holy City of Mecca) for the lost-found down-
trodden Tribe of Shabazz (African-Americans), and a message direct from the mouth of
God incarnate (Fard Muhammad) in the form of a Masonic catechism. 3
1
Richard Brent Turmer (2003). Islam in the African-American Experience. Indiana UP. is one of
the most through histories to show the links between the Ahmadiyya and later African-American Islamic
sectarian groups.
2
The best study that shows the ideological connection with early Black Nationalism, Moorish
Science, the Nation of Islam, and later groups is Edward E. Curtis (2002) Islam in Black America:
Identity, Liberation, and Difference in African. State University of New York.
3
Michael Lieb (1998). Children of Ezekiel: Aliens, UFOs, the Crisis of Race, and the Advent of the
End of Time. Duke UP. Documents the teachings in the Nation of Islam, the Ansars, and other groups
1
The Nation of Islam was struggling to survive with temples in Detroit, Chicago,
Milwaulkee, and Washington, D.C., and less than 400 members, when Malcolm Little
joined the Nation in prison in Menard, Michigan. When he left prison he became a
minister and rose through the ranks to eventually become the national spokesman by
the late 1950s. It was at the early period when a student of the Sufi Dr. Tasibur Uddein
Rahman named Ernest McGhee joined the Nation of Islam in 1951. He proved useful to
Elijah Muhammad’s program and was promoted rapidly. By 1954 he became National
Secretary, but left in 1958 when all attempts at bringing his first teacher’s vision of Islam
to the nation of Islam’s followers failed. When he left, he was denounced as a traitor by
Malcolm and other ministers and all traces of his former role were removed from Nation
of Islam literature by excising him from photos and deleing his name from any official
papers and records.
At that point he returned to Dr. Tasibur Uddein Rahman’s side and became his
Khalifa (successor) upon the doctor’s death in 1967. That year saw the reestablishment
of the organization, the Hanafi Madh-hab, which the doctor had started in Harlem in
1947. The Hanafi Madh-Hab was not the first Sunni African American community to
explicitly follow a particular legal school. Most Indian Muslims followed the Hanafi
Madh-Hab4 and the majority of Muslims in Africa are Maliki, so these two schools were
influential from the earliest days of Islamic presence in the United States through
practice and the importation and later composition of American Islamic texts.
related to the Mothership, the Mahdi, and UFOs.
4
A well written and through study of Bengali presence in the United States prior to the 1960s can
be found in Vivek Bald’s 2013 work Bengali Harlem and the Lost History of Asian America (Harvard
UP). This work traces the path of merchants to and from the Indian sub-continent and their customers in
the United States where there sold rugs, textiles, clothing, and various crafts. Dr. Tasibur Uddein Rahman
is not mentioned however, but the contribution of these immigrants to Jazz and inter-race relations are
detailed.
2
When the Hanafi Madh-hab was reestablished, it remained a small group, but
later spread to Washington, D.C. and Chicago when athletes such as Kareem Abdul
Jabbar and educated middle-class African-Americans from Howard University began to
join the ranks. Since many kept their birth names and wore street clothes when outside
the mosque, they were not noticeable to the larger community until Hamaas started a
letter writing campaign against the Nation of Islam’s teachings of a Black only Islam and
the idea of a God incarnate. Ernest McGhee was given the name Hamaas Abdul Khaalis
by Dr. Tasibur Rahman following his acceptance of Islam at his hand in the late 1940s.
When he joined the Nation of Islam in 1951, he kept this identity secret and used his
birth name until the death of Elijah Muhammad’s mother Marie Muhammad.
How did Ernest McGhee become Hamaas Abdul Khaalis?
Ernest McGhee was born in Gary, Indiana on August 30, 1922. His family was
Seven Day Adventists and he always had a spiritual side to combine with his desire to
fight against racism.5 He graduated from Gary’s Roosevelt High School in 1940,
attended Purdue University where he majored in Chemistry and Math for three
semesters, and served in the U.S. Army at Fort Benjamin Harris where he received an
honorable discharge in 1944. In 1943 he transferred to the Mid-Western Conservatory of
Music and began his connections with the New York Jazz scene. McGhee then moved on
to study at (and graduate from) the City College of New York (some sources say
Columbia University) in 1948.
It was during this time that he became involved with the Jazz music scene and
with Islam.6 He played drums in various groups in Harlem and was with Jazz greats
5
The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, Fl.) “The Roots of Terror: Khaalis Seems Peaceful
Today; Maurice Williams Dead,” March 14, 1977: page 3A.
6
See Robert Dannin. Black Pilgrimage to Islam pages 57-83 for more information about the
connection between Jazz and Islam.
3
such as Billie Holliday, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and J.J. Johnson. Over
time, he lost the taste for Jazz music due to the “other side he saw of Harlem society –
the dope, alcohol, filth-filled streets, poor blacks scrapping to deal with white merchants
and landlords, many of them Jewish.” 7 The racism he experienced Harlem, in the Army
and during the Jim Crow Era, framed how Hamaas would view Jews and Whites in
general, but according to Kareem Abdul Jabbar in his autobiography Giant Steps,
Hamaas was the one who helped help to get rid of hatred of Whites that he had
internalized since childhood.
As we find out from his preface of Hamaas’ Look and See, he started to study
Islam under a Sufi Sheikh from Bangladesh 8 in 1946 named Dr. Tasibur Uddein
Rahman.9 This scholar was different from many immigrant Muslims in that he focused
on giving Daw’ah to African-Americans. 10 His Daw’ah was Universal in scope, however,
since he did not limit his appeal to African-Americans like the Nation of Islam did when
it called African-Americans “original men” and Whites “the skunk of the planet earth”
and Yakub’s grafted devils in the Lesson Plans for the Lost-Found Nation of Islam
taught by the Nation of Islam founder Master Fard Muhammad.
McGhee converted to Islam under Dr. Tasibur Uddein Rahman and studied the
spiritual intricacies of Islam from 1946 to 1951, and eventually converted to Islam and
7
The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, Fl.) “The Roots of Terror: Khaalis Seems Peaceful
Today; Maurice Williams Dead,” March 14, 1977: page 3A.
8
In Look and See, page one, Hamaas says he was from Pakistan. Pakistan and Bangladesh were
one country until 1973 when Bangladesh had a war for independence. George Harrison and many
musicians from India and elsewhere had a concert to raise many for refugees and other damage caused by
the war.
9
Look and See, page one. Also see James R. Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and
New Religions. Prometheus Books, p. 369-370.
10
From the preface of Look and See, page one, we are told that the doctor even married from
“that tribe” (African-Americans). Also see Jet Magazine (Feb. 22, 1973). “Muslims Mum on Charges,”
pages 14-15. In this article Hamaas is quoted as calling the Nation of Islam “that gang in Chicago”. He also
gave the reason for his mission as, “The plan, he said, was devised by his first Islamic instructor Tasibur
Uddein Rahman. ‘He said they were deceived and I should try to help them.’”
4
was given the name Hamaas Abdul Khaalis by Dr. Rahman. Ernest Timothy McGhee
was encouraged by Dr. Rahman to join the rapidly expanding Nation of Islam to try to
bring them into the proper understanding of Islam. Dr. Tasibur Rahman was a Sufi
scholar that belonged to the Qadiriyya Sufi Order 11 and followed the Hanafi Madhab.
However, when Dr. Rahman named his organization the Hanafi Madh-hab, he was
referring to the idea to the natural state of all men was to he guided by God (Hanifs like
Abraham) rather than a specific referral to the Hanafi Madhab started by students of the
Kufan Fiqh scholar Abu Hanifah an-Nu’man ibn Thābit.
Hamaas as National Secretary of the Nation of Islam
Hamaas joined the Harlem based Temple No. 7 of the Nation of Islam in 1951 as
Ernest 2X McGhee. In 1954 he was promoted to the position of National Secretary at the
suggestion of Malcolm X. He remained in this position till 1958 when Elijah
Muhammad’s mother, Marie Muhammad died. McGhee saw this as a chance to suggest
to Elijah Muhammad and ministers in the Nation of Islam that the Nation of Islam
should move closer to “Orthodox Islam” that was more universal in scope and which
taught Allah was not incarnate in a man, nor that only African-Americans could be
Muslim by nature. He did this during a memorial service when he stood to speak. 12 He
was quickly demoted from National Secretary by Elijah Muhammad and transferred
from Chicago back to Harlem. McGhee fell rapidly from grace with little support from
the family of Elijah Muhammad or from Malcolm X for his call for the Nation of Islam to
11
A Sufi Order based on the spiritual teaching of the Hanbali scholar Abdul Qadir Jilani (1077-
1166). The order is non-centralized and the teachings often follow the rules of local scholars. The symbol
of the order is a rose and male members cover their head with a cap and often a turban. Until recently the
most widely available text was a translation of a collection of sermons by Abdul Qadir Jilani entitled
Futuh-ul-Ghayb (Revelations of the Unseen). It was published by Qazi publications and the translator was
Maulana Aftab-ul-Deen Ahmed of the Ahmadiyyah Woking Mosque.
12
Jet Magazine (Feb. 22, 1973). “Muslims Mum on Charges,” pages 14-15. Hamaas claims his
ouster was over an argument with leadership in the Nation of Islam over whether the family of Elijah
Muhammad was held to a different moral standard than rank and file members of the movement.
5
follow “Orthodox Islam” or for his questioning the treatment of the “Royal Family”
(Elijah Muhammad’s family).13 He was replaced by John Ali and quit the Nation feeling
betrayed by Malcolm X because they were close personal friends and confidents. 14
However, these differences over advocating “Orthodox Islam” between him and
Malcolm were patched up during the last year of Malcolm’s life following Malcolm’s
expulsion from the Nation of Islam.15
After McGhee quit the Nation of Islam, he reverted back to the name given to him
when he first converted – Hamaas Abdul Khaalis – and tried to teach Islam from the
street level rather than from an organization. He met with Malcolm regularly during this
time since Malcolm had decided to leave the Nation of Islam after having questions
about the correctness of the teachings and about the double standard about the morality
of Elijah Muhammad and his family (like Hamaas). They met following Malcolm’s
leaving the Nation of Islam and discussed developing a new organization to teach Islam,
but Malcolm decided to found his Muslim Mosque and Organization of Afro-American
Unity under his own leadership instead of in partnership with others. This was done
after Malcolm visited Hamaas, following his own disassociation with the Nation of
Islam, so that his organization would not be seen solely as a group of ex-Nation of Islam
members trying to co-opt the work of Elijah Muhammad and his ministers. 16
13
Malcolm would later have similar questions about the morality of Elijah Muhammad’s family
members and leave the Nation of Islam while calling its members to “Orthodox Islam.”
14
Evanzz, The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, 188-189. In many discussions
on the history of the NOI, he (McGhee) is listed as being the Principal of the Harlem University of Islam
and not as the National Secretary. However, Farrakhan in Seven Speeches says, “Its true that in
Washington, D.C. there is a former National Secretary whose slave name was McGhee and who now refers
to himself under the Muslim name of Hamas. This brother had never heard from us after he had left the
Nation of Islam. We never knew of his work, whatever he was doing; he was doing his work and we were
doing ours. All of a sudden, around January of this year, 1973, we received letters, all of the temples, with
vicious, slanderous accusations against The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, from the pen of this Hamaas
in Washington, D.C.” (Farrakhan, 50).
15
Evanzz, The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, 380.
16
farsafal19. (2006, May 19 th). “They are Rats and Roaches.” Farsafal19 is a penname for the
moderator of the Yahoo group KhalifaHamaasAbdulKhaalis where this are other articles about Hamaas
6
When Malcolm was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965 at the in Harlem’s Audubon
Auditorium, Hamaas was working as director of community outreach for the National
Urban League along with Vernon Jordan in New York City from 1967-1970. 17 Hamaas
started working for the Urban League after he was laid-off from a job as a city street
sweeper in 1966. In 1967 Hamaas began to organize his Hanafi Madh-Hab Center in
Harlem and the American Social Federation for Mutual Improvement.18
Hamaas’ job as a street level organizer involved setting up tutoring and
mentoring programs for high school drop-outs and developing alliances with other
community organizations. According to the Encyclopedia of Muslim American History,
Hamaas used this job as a means to recruit followers for the reestablishment of the
Hanafi Mad-Hab started by his teacher in 1946. 19 When the original Hanafi Madh-Hab
was officially begun, how many members it had, how long it existed, who the important
members and leadership were, or even what actually was taught has yet to be defined. It
was also during this time that he met and married his wife Paulette Delores Hawkins
(later named Bibi Khaalis).
Lew Alcindor becomes Karim Abdul Jabbar
After Hamaas began to reorganize the Hanafi Madh-Hab until he had a chance
meeting with Milwaukee Bucks’ star rookie Lew Alcindor in 1970, he would have a small
following that met in a mosque ran from his apartment. Most sources list him as having
1,000 followers in four cities, but this was after he moved his headquarters to
Abdul Khaalis are located. Also see Ivan C. Brandon (1973, Feb. 2). “Hanafi Moslem Chief Quit Key
Muslim Post,” The Washington Post: page A1.
17
Delany, P. (1977, March 10). “Leader of Hanafi Moslem Sect once helped dropouts in Harlem.”
The New York Times: 28A. The Nation of Islam claims he was fired from this job, but several sources
claim he worked from 1967-1970 when he moved to D.C.
18
Evanzz, The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, 380.
19
Spear, Sonja (2010). “Hamaas Abdul Khaalis,” in the Encyclopedia of Muslim American
History (Edward E. Curtis, editor). Facts on File, Inc.
7
Washington, D.C. following the purchase of his new headquarters by Lew Alcindor (now
Kareem Abdul Jabbar).20
Lew Alcindor was having a spiritual crisis and stopped going to church services in
college. His father had known Hamaas in Harlem, and suggested that he meet with him.
Hamaas became Lew Alcindor’s spiritual guide and gave him the Muslim name Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar while Lew was a junior in college at UCLA. Jabbar took advice from
Hamaas on the aspects of how to practice Islam while continuing his professional
basketball career. A year later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bought the fledgling Hanafi Madh-
Hab a large brownstone in the Gold Coast, an upper class African-American section of
Washington, D.C. for $68,000.21
The Hanafi Madh-Hab led by Hamas had mosques in D.C., Chicago, Harlem, and
several businesses such as a jewelry store and a grocery in Washington, D.C.; 22 much of
the group’s growth came from Jabbar’s involvement and Hamaas’ visits to local colleges
and universities, such as Howard University, for potential recruits. According to the
Associated Press the Hanafi Madh-Hab had 100 followers when Jabbar joined, and grew
to over 1,000 by 1977.23
Abdul-Jabbar took spiritual advice from Hamaas and married a woman that he
was told to (Habiba Brown) rather than one he loved 24 upon the advice of Hamaas since
Hamaas believed that athletes are often tempted by the flesh and needed to be married
to a deeply religious woman to help keep their desires under control. In his
20
Claude Andrew Clegg (1997). An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad, St.
Martin’s Press, page 260.
21
Henry Louis Gates (2004). African-American Lives, Oxford UP: pages 4-5.
22
The best work on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is his autobiography Giant Steps (New York. Bantam
Books, 1983).
23
The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, Fl.) “The Roots of Terror: Khaalis Seems Peaceful
Today; Maurice Williams Dead,” March 14, 1977: page 3A.
24
Henry Louis Gates (2004). African-American Lives, Oxford UP: pages 4-5.
8
autobiography Giant Steps, Abdul-Jabbar pointed to Hamaas’ choice of Jabbar’s
marriage partner and Hamaas’ not allowing Kareem’ parents to attend the wedding as
the point where he began to have issues of over the teachings of the Hanafi Madh-Hab.
When Kareem forsook Hamaas as his teacher, claiming that he was not being
taught proper Islam and Abdul-Jabbar wrote the following about Hamaas, “He believed
that he was the only person sincere, educated, and immersed deeply enough in Islam to
lead the entire Muslim community in America.” 25 This attitude of Hamaas towards other
Muslim groups in the United States was that “all other communities were a joke.” 26 This
attitude towards other communities’ teachings (such as was the case with the Nation of
Islam) would be the cause for Hamaas’ downfall and one of the reasons for Kareem
choosing to separate from Hamaas being his mentor and teacher.
Questioning Hamaas over his marital partner and not allowing Kareem’s non-
Muslim parents to attend the Islamic wedding ceremony and questioning the rules for
head coverings, Islamic greetings, and ablution were some of the places where the young
Muslim Kareem Abdul-Jabbar questioned his mentor’s Islamic teachings. When
confronted, a resolute Hamaas held that Islam is best transmitted person to person or
Murshid to Mureed. Through his contacts with other Muslims, Kareem was exposed to
“book Islam” that contradicted some of what Hamaas was teaching. Kareem felt that
Hamaas was trying to keep his followers from other Muslims in order to keep his
followers in the dark about the lack of Hamaas’ own Islamic training since he did not
fully accept the concept of the Murshid to Mureed transmission of Islamic spiritual
knowledge.
25
Giant Steps, 226.
26
Giant Steps, 226.
9
When Kareem met other Muslims, the Islam they practiced and taught differed
from that of Hamaas’ Hanafi Madh-Hab. In Giant Steps Kareem focuses on the way
Hanafi Madh-Hab Muslims made ablution, dressed for prayer, and greeted each other,
but there were other differences such as an intense hatred of Jews and spiritual
practices that more secular or even Wahabi oriented Muslims 27 would not practice.
Kareem’s internal conflict over the contents of the teachings of Hamaas regarding
Islamic rituals and relationships with non-Muslims caused him to ask Kareem Abdul-
Jabbar to leave instead of harboring doubts. Giant Steps has Hamaas’ explanation of the
teaching method he used as follows and why there was no written text to support the
teachings was explained as follows,
“These things28 are not written down for a reason. They are to be handed
down from person to person. I don’t know exactly who your sources are,
but I’m going to practice exactly the way my teacher taught me. I’m not
changing. If you don’t want to follow the way I teach, you can go and do
whatever it is you want to do.”29
When Kareem had a falling out with Hamaas over his teachings was the last time
they saw each other until Kareem served as a pallbearer for the funerals of Hamaas’
family members. Those deaths would also mark the decline and departure of Hamaas
and his Hanafi Madh-Hab from an active role in the growing indigenous Islamic
presence in the United States. Without Kareem’s presence, the Hanafi Madh-Hab only
gained media coverage when it was the target of violence and when Hamaas changed
from being a leader of an activist Islamic organization into a man seeking revenge.
The War against the Nation of Islam by Correspondence
27
The sect followed by the majority of Muslims in Saudi Arabia. It has influenced many of the so-
called Islamic terrorist around the world. This sect derived from the teachings of the Hanbali school of
Fiqh (religious law). The Wahabi sect rejects secularization of Islam and the spiritual practices of many
Sufi groups.
28
These include rules regarding Islamic rituals such as how many times to recite awrad (personal
spiritual exercises used in addition to ritual prayers).
29
Giant Steps, 258-259.
10
In 1973 the Khalifa of the Hanafi Madh-Hab, 30 Imam Hamaas Abdul Khaalis,
began to send letters to ministers of the Nation of Islam attacking the beliefs and
teachings of his former religious leader Elijah Muhammad. The letters were composed
by Hamaas and written by a close associate of Hamaas named Ali Hashim. Hamaas was
more of a political leader than a religious leader. That is why he was given the title
Khalifah by his teacher Dr. Tasibur Uddein Rahman.
Hashim was an expert in Arabic, Sanskrit, Hebrew, and had knowledge of at least
twelve other languages. The letters were written in English, but why Hamaas did not
write them himself has not been explained in any of the sources referenced. If Hamaas
was serving in the role of Khalifa to his teacher, then Hashim was likely serving in the
role of a scribe. Saying that Ali Hashim knew a large number of languages surely was
just an attack on the idea that Master Fard spoke a dozen languages. If Master Fard was
the Supreme Deity incarnate, he would have had knowledge of all languages, not just a
finite number. Like Hamaas, he has also been a student of Dr. Tasibur Uddein Rahman
in New York City, and moved with him to Washington, D.C... These letters claimed that
Fard Muhammad was a Greek named Johnnie Walker: a rapist and thief, not god
incarnate. This is in direct contraction of the teachings and made many in the Nation
angry because they felt Hamaas was attacking God. Hamaas actually claimed Fard had
died and that ministers in the Nation of Islam were hiding the evidence from the rank
and file membership.31
These allegations led to Elijah Muhammad giving a speech on the History of
Master Fard that has since been published as a book entitled The True History of Fard
30
The Hanafi MadhHab, as explained elsewhere, is in reference to the idea that Blacks are
Muslim by nature (as are all mankind), rather than the Fiqh school of Imam Abu Hanifah.
31
Evanzz, The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, 448-451 contains a reprint of
one of these letters.
11
Muhammad to dispute detractors like Hamaas, Malcolm X, and Sunni Muslims. 32 Of
course, letters to Muhammad Speaks and sermons of ministers of the Nation of Islam
spoke harshly against the claims of Imam Hamaas. To date most of the claims have not
been proven either way – we still don’t really know who Fard was or if he is alive or
dead!
Hamaas tried to garner support from Sunni Orthodox Muslims at the D.C.
Embassy Mosque, the Muslim Student Association, and the Federation of Islamic
Associations for his fight against Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam through
generic calls during newspaper and radio interviews and through letters. When
discussing the conflict between the Nation of Islam and himself, he told the interviewer
that Hanafis and Sunni Orthodox Muslims should be natural allies against what he
considered un-Islamic teachings by the NOI. He pled for a coalition with Orthodox
Muslims and the Hanafi Madh-Hab Center in the following words,
“Foreign Muslims who don’t come to our assistance at this time and
declare this man [Elijah Muhammad] an imposter, by their silence are in
agreement with and condone murder by this sectarian gang. The Sunnis
and Hanafis should come together. The Hanafis will be the victors in the
final end.”33
The Violent End to one American Islamic Civil War
A disturbing end to this Islamic Civil War between Hamaas Abdul Khaalis and
Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam came with the slaughter of seven members of
Hamaas’ family by reputed members of the Nation of Islam on January 17, 1973. The
murderers (from the Philadelphia Temple of the Nation of Islam) and who were part of a
32
Printed by Secretarius Press and available from Amazon.com.
33
Delany, P. (1973, Jan. 23). “Leader of Hanafis Calls for Muhammad Ouster, Muslims are
Accused by Rival Sect” The New York Times: pages 1-2.
12
group called the Black Mafia, apparently assumed the house was full of money given by
Kareem Abdul Jabbar and other wealthy followers.34
They used buying a copy of Hamaas’ work on Islam entitled Look and See as a
false pretense to gain entry and subsequently slaughtered seven members of Hamaas’
immediate family including his three sons – Daud age 25, Abdullah (his nine day old
grandson), and Rahmanu-Deen age 10 – and drowned three infants in the sink. They
left his 26-year-old second wife Bibi and his daughter Amina, both shot in the head, for
dead, but they survived and attended the trial of their attackers. 35 Bibi graduated from
Howard University with a degree in Special Education and was daughter of a prominent
Charlotte, North Carolina dentist and Civil Rights activist Dr. Reginald Hawkins. In the
$68,000 large brown stone mansion no great wealth was found; of the roughly $1,000
located, $200 was put in the Nation of Islam’s Poor Fund Number Two in Chicago by
the murderers.36
One of the guns (a .38 caliber pistol) and a receipt from dry cleansers were found
in the room where Bibi was shot and the infants were drowned. These items, the
donations at the mosque, and bragging at the Philadelphia Temple led to the accused
being tracked down with a few weeks after the murders. 37
The Muhammad Speaks Newspaper, the national newspaper of the Nation of
Islam, paid for the defense of the accused murderers from the Philadelphia Temple of
34
More information on the Black Mafia and its influence at the Philadelphia branch temple of the
Nation of Islam can be found in the following texts: Griffin, Sean. Philadelphia's Black Mafia: A Social and
Political History. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003.; Griffin, Sean Patrick. Black Brothers, Inc.: The
Violent Rise and Fall of the Philadelphia Black Mafia Leicester, UK: Milo Books Ltd. 2005. and King,
John W. The Breeding of Contempt: Account of the Largest Mass Murder in Washington, D.C. History,
Xlibris Publishing 2003.
35
Details of the murder can be found in John Sansing. “Hanafi Massacre, Hanafi Siege,”
Washingtonian Magazine, February 1980: 87-96.
36
Evanzz 280-287 and Giant Steps 261.
37
[UPI]. “Moslem Murder Weapon Traced,” Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Jan. 21, 1972): page 5.
13
the Nation of Islam and ran editorials that called Hamaas a liar, an Uncle Tom, and a
traitor in three articles in the January 29, 1973 issue of Muhammad Speaks.38 Evanzz
points to editorials against detractors such as Malcolm X caused his assassination, but
other writers claim that the Nation was full of government agents who sought to make
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad look like a fanatic and the United States government
look like the savior of the so-called Blackman. 39
Every year on the anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Nation of Islam,
Master Fard Muhammad, a convention is held where the leadership addresses the
membership of the nation of Islam. The speeches recall the teachings of the founder and
of Elijah Muhammad and remind the membership of what the Nation of Islam had
achieved spiritually and materially since its founding in 1930. The 1973 Saviours’ Day
Address by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was entitled “A Saviour is Born” and it
gave more detail about the founder of the Nation of Islam and his parentage than ever
before. The details were in direct refutation of the slanderous allegations found in Imam
Hamaas’ letters from the beginning of 1973.40
The Nation of Islam would quickly forget Hamaas’ letters after two of the
murderers were set free, while the other five received life sentences. But Hamaas
wouldn’t forget since he felt the sentence was unjust since the murders were not
sentenced to the death penalty. There was no way he could have gotten the results he
wanted since the courts of Washington, D.C. did not have the option to give the death
penalty as a sentence. He recalled the events in speeches, interviews, and letters. The
38
I do not have the articles, but they are referred to in several sources. One of the editorials had
the following, “There is little doubt that Hamaas Abdul Khaalis filled his pockets with the devil’s money to
gain enough nerve to appear on television and tell those outrageous lies against Messenger Muhammad
and the Nation of Islam.”
39
See Evanzz, The Judas Factor, for more details.
40
Evanzz, The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, 395.
14
murders and a failure to fully punish the perpetrators were given as one of the reasons
for the 1977 hostage episode directed by Hamaas. Other reasons for the event included
the perceived persecution of Hamaas due to judgments of a judge against him due to his
conduct during a trial against his family’s murderers and the release of a film biography
of the Prophet Muhammad “The Message” which Hamaas considered blasphemous.
The Siege of the B’nai B’rith Center
In 1977 Hamaas and eleven armed supporters took 149 hostages at the Embassy
Mosque, a federal building, and at the B’nai B’rith Center. The three targets were chosen
because in Hamaas’ view the Jews controlled the media, the government failed to bring
his family’s murders to justice, and the religious duties of D.C. Muslims were controlled
by the Embassy Mosque which failed to fully support Hamaas’ rhetorical attack against
the nation of Islam. He held 134 people hostage for over 37 hours.
The ordeal ended on March 11, 1977 with the surrender Hamaas and the other
hostage takers following a negotiation with D.C. police hostage negotiators in which
both side made compromises: Hamaas agreed to release hostages, and the police
arranged for the bail to be refunded, Hamaas and his followers to be under house arrest,
and the film debut to be delayed.
Hamaas had taken the hostages as a result of several concurrent traumatic
events: the public showing of the film “The Message” – a biography of the Prophet
Muhammad,41 the lack of a guilty verdict for all of the murderers of his family, the $750
charge of contempt against him during the trial, and his perception of the refusal of the
41
This movie would later become used as a propaganda tool for Muslims to explain their faith and
would be translated into languages diverse as Spanish, Russian, Bosnian, and French. The director,
Moustapha Akkad lost money on the film, but later became famous for the Halloween movie franchise.
Akkad was killed in an Al-Qaida attack on a mixed sex marriage party in Jordon in 2006. An article in the
Atlantic Jan./Feb. 2006 by Mark Steyn eulogized Akkad.
15
mass media to look at the Nation of Islam as a group of thugs and racists that have
nothing in common with Islam.
He wanted his contempt of court verdict over turned and his $750 court imposed
fine returned, the film “The Messenger” not released, 42 and the murderers of his family
turned over to him43 and the assassins Malcolm X be put on trial. However, the hostage
taking events would lead to Hamaas and eleven of his followers receiving life-in-prison
verdicts for kidnapping and murder. During the siege, Alderman Marion Barry (later
Mayor of Washington, D.C.) was wounded (as were a dozen others) and a reporter
killed.44
Given that Hamaas targeted Jews during this episode, it is hardly surprising that
newspapers highlighted Hamaas’ remarks against Zionists and his teachings about
Jewish control over the media rather than what he was actually teaching about Islam. 45
The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is quoted along with his comments against
Jews to support the media spin about his teachings, and even the quotes that Hamaas
chose to read from the Qur’ān are given an anti-Jewish spin. 46
The crisis was ended when Hamaas and others were allowed to leave after
sentencing on bail. They were later arrested when they broke the rules of bail which
42
“‘Mohammad’ actors Defend Disputed Film,” The Pittsburgh Press (March 9, 1977): page A4.
The film did not portray the Prophet Muhammad or any of his closest companions on screen and it passed
review of Al-Azhar’s Islamic scholars in Cairo, Egypt before its release. See also “Wife of Khaalis Warns of
Danger If Film Is Shown,” (1977, March 13). New York Times: page 20.
43
Hamaas disapproved of the verdicts in the trial of his family’s killers, even though they culprits
received life sentences, because he felt they should have been executed according to Islamic law.
44
“Barry ‘A Very Lucky Man’; Bullet Stopped Near Heart”. The Washington Post. March 10, 1977.
Maurice Williams, a 24 year old radio reporter from WHUR-FM, stepped off a fifth-floor elevator into the
crisis on the fifth floor where the mayor and City Council Chairman have their offices. The gunmen also
shot D.C. Protective Service Division police officer Mack Cantrell, who died a few days later in the hospital
of a heart attack.
45
Stephen S. Rosenfeld (1977, June 17). “Khaalis: ‘A Hate Peculiarly His Own,’” The Washington
Post: page A25.
46
According to Rosenfeld (1977, June 17), “He read words from the Koran that said Jews were
destined to wander over the earth, to be despised and hated.”
16
dictated that Hamaas and his co-conspirators would issue no further threats of violence,
by threatening further retribution during conversations overheard in governmental
wiretapping of Hamaas’ phone calls. 47 Hamaas and his supporters agreed to surrender
after two Qur’ānic scholars read verses from the Holy Book to Hamaas, the police agreed
to Hamaas being under house arrest, the $750 bail being refunded, and the film “The
Message” being delayed for public release. Ambassador Ahsraf Ghorbai of Egypt and
Sahabzada Yaqub Khan of Pakistan joined Iran’s ambassador Ardeshir Zahedi in a
meeting with Hamaas.48 The verses read from the Qur’ān dealt with compassion,
forgiveness, and understanding the divine dictates of Allah.
Following the hostage episode, Hamaas and a dozen followers were sentenced to
prison. Hamaas received the longest sentence with 41 to 123 years for the charges of
kidnapping, murder, assault, conspiracy, and intent to murder.49 The others sentenced
were Abdul Muzikir, 22, 77 years to life; Abdullah Qawee, 22, a.k.a. Samuel Young, 24 to
72 years; Abdul Rahman, 38, a.k.a. Clyde Young, 28 to 84 years; Abdul Rahim, 26, a.k.a.
Philip Young, 28 to 84 years; Abdul Adam, 31, a.k.a. George W. Smith, 44 to 132 years;
Abdul Latif, 34, a.k.a. Carl E. Roper, 36 to 108 years; Abdul Shaheed, 23, a.k.a. Marvin
Salder, 36 to 108 years; Abdul Salaam, 31, a.k.a. Clarence White, 40 to 120 years; Abdul
Hamid, 22, a.k.a. Hilvan Jude Finch, 36 to 108 years; and, Abdul Hazzaaq, 23, a.k.a.
Nelson McQueen Jr., 40 to 120 years. Only two of the twelve were directly involved in
47
Washington UPI (1977, April 1). “Hanafi leader jailed for alleged death threats,” Bangor
(Maine) Daily News: page 8. See also Phil McCombs and J.Y. Smith (1977, April 1). “Hanafi Leader Jailed
for Death Threats,” The Washington Post: pages A1, A8.
48
“Contributions of a Koran Scholar,” New York Times (March 12, 1977): page 9. “Koran Passage
Gets Credit for Ending Siege,” Los Angeles Times (March 12, 1977): page 22. The verses read were 5:2,
5:87, 4:14, and 4:136. The ambassadors’ pictures can be found in the article Dale McFeatters and Gene
Goldenberg (March 9, 1977). “Vengeance is Mine, D.C. Ringleader proclaimed,” The Pittsburgh Press
(March 9, 1977): page A4.
49
Martin Schram (November 28, 1979). “Plea from Prison: ’77 Hanafi Siege Leader Urges
Ayatollah to Relent.” Washington Post: pages A1 and A10.
17
the murders and wounding of the hostages, but the other ten of the conspirators were
convicted of conspiracy that results in death.50
The survivors of the attack at the headquarters have tried to put the events
behind them. Only the son of Abun Nur (born Alfonso James), one of the adults killed,
has written about the events in a blog. He was a small child of only 38 days old at the
time of the event and his mother eventually remarried and he grew up to be a practicing
Catholic rather than a Muslim.51
The Final Days of the Hanafi Madh-Hab
With Hamaas in prison and the end of the siege, the building Kareem Abdul-
Jabbar had bought was sold and the movement slowly disbanded. Hamaas and his
movement slowly faded from the spotlight and his work has been relegated to footnotes
in texts on the history of Islam in America. Like their leader, the Hanafis who were not
imprisoned likewise saw themselves as isolated and oppressed. Hamaas’ own brother-
in-law, Reginald A. Hawkins, Jr. (Abdul Aziz), was initially arrested on possession of
illegal firearms and released on a $5,000 bail. He took no part in the hostage taking
episode, said some good would come from it because there might be someone who
would make a sincere effort to study Islam because of hearing about the violence exacted
at that time in the name of Islam.52
50
[UPI]. “Khaalis, 11 Lieutenants Indicted,” (May 4, 1977). Sarasota Herald-Tribune: pages 1A,
4A.
51
http://samurairacer.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-fathers-murder-and-impact-it-had-on.html
52
Joseph D. Whitaker (April 14, 1977). “Hanafis See Themselves as Oppressed and Isolated,” The
Washington Post: Page C1. Another article the covered Hanafis that were not arrested is Kathy Sawyer
(March 12, 1977) “It’s Business as usual at Hanafi’s Jewelry Shop,” The Washington Post: page D1. The
police harassment of the Hanafis and their disarmament following the hostage siege is documented by
Paul Delaney (March 12, 1977). “Disarmed, Disowned Hanafi Band Is Facing Threats to Its Survival,”
Washington Post: page 8. By the writing of this last article, the number of Hanafis is listed as dozens
rather than over 5,000 of previous articles. At its height the Hanafis were likely no more than one
thousand members. Unlike the media portrayal, most Hanafis were educated and peaceful in nature. See
Eugene L. Meyer and Joseph D. Whitaker (March 11, 1977) “Followers of Hanafi Faction Devoted, U.S.-
Born Converts,” The Washington Post: page A14.
18
One last call to peace and civility went out in Hamaas’ name on November 28,
1979. In Iran during the Islamic Revolution which overthrew the American puppet Reza
Shah Pahlavi, the American Embassy was captured by a group of student revolutionaries
and hostages were held for 444 days – and they were released when Ronald Reagan was
sworn into office as president of the United States. 53 During the hostage crisis a letter
was read after Jumu’ah prayers at the Embassy mosque in Washington, D.C. by a Hanafi
Madh-Hab supporter. The letter was forwarded to Ayatollah Khomeini, but no reply was
ever received. As a former hostage taker, Hamaas felt he could reason with the hostage
takers and end the crisis peacefully. 54
Hamaas addressed the Ayatollah as his brother in Islam. He made sure to let the
Ayatollah know that he wrote the letter as a symbol of Islamic brotherhood and
solidarity. Further, Hamaas also reminded him that the government of the United States
did not initiate Hamaas’ appeal to the Ayatollah’s reason. Hamaas advocated justice for
both the Persian and American people involved. As a Muslim he wanted “injustices
resolved.” Part of his appeal was to the humility of the Ayatollah. “I am asking you as
one who strives for humility and submissiveness, to prevent a mockery of our Faith
(Islam).” He also called upon the Ayatollah to show the superiority of Islam “in the
name of Allah to unify the Muslims and to show the world that all Mussulmans are
highly civilized.”55 Hamaas never relented from condemning the United States
53
Steven R. Weisman (January 21, 1981). “Reagan Takes Oath as 40 th President; Promises an ‘Era
of National Renewal’ — Minutes Later, 52 U.S. Hostages in Iran Fly to Freedom After 444-Day Ordeal”.
The New York Times: p. A1.
54
Martin Schram (November 28, 1979). “Plea from Prison: ’77 Hanafi Siege Leader Urges
Ayatollah to Relent.” Washington Post: pages A1 and A10. Fifty-five letters on other topics such as: the
Nation of Islam, the film the Messenger, the Palestinian Cause, and the Hanafi Hostage Crisis were read
aloud at the Embassy Mosque or sent to newspapers such as the Washington Post. The only one that was
published in full was his letter to Ayatollah Khomeini.
55
Martin Schram (November 28, 1979). “Plea from Prison: ’77 Hanafi Siege Leader Urges
Ayatollah to Relent.” Washington Post: pages A1 and A10.
19
government’s failure to effectively prosecute the deaths of his family members nor its
anti-Islamic foreign policy (such as support of the Shah).
Another of Hamaas’ letters that dealt with Palestinian issues was read at the end
of Ramadan at the Embassy Mosque by a Hamaas supporter: “Palestine is the national
home of all Palestinians and all who wish to live in peace with them,” it said, “No one
can deny that Ayatollah [Ruhollah] Khomeini of Persia is speaking the truth in regards
to enemies of Islam.” It further discussed the plight of the Aqsa Mosque: “The Al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem must not be in the care of the hands of the enemies of Islam.”
Hamaas closed the letter with a discussion of Islamic beliefs, “Innovations have brought
about disunity in [the laws of] Islam, but remember Allah curses the innovator and
Allah also curses the one who shows respect to the innovator.” 56
Hamaas died in November 2003 in the Federal Correctional Facility Hospital in
North Carolina surrounded by family and friends. Some former Nation of Islam officials
(who wish to remain unnamed) have stated that he was at one time being held at the
Metropolitan Correctional Facility in downtown Chicago to relieve any danger of him
being a militant leader.
The violent side of his life (where he killed and took hostages and the part where
most of his immediate family was assassinated) has been the focus to this point, but as
his teachings and how they affected his followers and associates are much more
important, the will be the focus of the remainder of this study. His booklet Look and See
remains one of the last vestiges of the Hanafi Madh-Hab and a pioneering text in the
nascent American Islamic Literary Canon since it is one of the earliest texts to present
56
Marianne Bernhard (August 15, 1980). “Confusion over the End of Ramadan Sends Moslems to
Mosque Day Late,” The Washington Post: page C14.
20
the idea of an America Muslim identity and literature. Hamaas also does the later by
writing poetry to express these ideas which he includes in his Look and See.
What are the Contents of Look and See?
This small green 110 page booklet was self-published, full of spelling and
grammatical errors, but is also a valuable source to undertake a close study of the
ideology that Hamaas promulgated which developed from Hamaas’ personal interaction
of Sufism, the teachings of Master Fard Muhammad, and the era where the Civil Rights
Movement. According to Hamaas, his Sufi mentor suggested for his to write the text, but
he would only do so after his passing in 1967.
Hamaas wrote, “Believe this, my Murshid (Teacher), Dr. Tasibur Uddein
Rahman, a Believer in Islam from Pakistan, India, said to write this book.” … “He
deserves and gets any compliments. Without the knowledge he passed on, this book
would never have been written.”57 This quote shows where Hamaas’ derived his
teachings and to the question, “What was taught by Dr. Tasibur Uddien Rahman to
Hamaas?”
Karim Abdul Jabbar discussed this discussion about how Hamaas’ presentation
of Islam differs from that taught in other Muslim communities in detail in his Giant
Steps, but the essentials of what was taught by Hamaas are never breeched. Hamaas
gave the reason for the methodology he used when he taught Islam as that he was
following an oral teaching back down to him from his teacher. 58
Regarding Dr. Tasibur Uddien Rahman, all the text Look and See tells the
audience is that he was from Pakistan and that his teaching were highly esteemed by
Hamaas. One of the former security guards at the Hanafi Madh-Hab Center, with the
57
Look and See, page one.
58
Giant Steps, 259.
21
penname of Parsifal, answered a few questions via email correspondence in October of
2006, but these have not been verified elsewhere.
Parsifal was able to add the following about Hamaas’ teacher,
“Hamaas Abdul Khaalis considered himself the spiritual successor of his
Shaykh Dr. Tasibur Rahman and thus did not refer to himself as Imam. He
felt that only those youth fully trained in Islam could gain that title. During
his life, only four Hanafis ever attained that exalted title. Shaykh Dr.
Tasibur Rahman was born in Bengal in the early 1900s and came to the
United States in the 1940s. He was a praying, mystical man and a direct
descendant of Abdul Qadir Jilani. His main efforts were at exposing the
fraud and fakery of Jewish Kabbalists in the name of religion and civil
rights. Many spiritual happenings have been attributed to the Shaykh. On
the east coast, there was a major blackout. Hanafis claim that was him
showing the power of Dhikr, but the news media claimed a transformer
had failed. Other miracles include him speaking to the dead at a funeral
and receiving a reply! He returned to our Rabb Allah in 1967 and is buried
in New Jersey.”
Look and See was the first publication to teach Dr. Tasibur Uddein’s version of
Islam and it developed from the founding of the Hanafi Madh-Hab in 1967 and the
movement of the National Headquarters to Washington, D.C. in 1973. The Sufi
teachings were slowly replaced by an open attack on the teachings of the Nation of
Islam, a focus on a rejection of racism, and a struggle to expose the Zionist control of
media, banking and the government.
The fight for Civil Rights pervades the pages of Look and See, as does the fight
against all forms of false belief and false worship demonstrated by followers of the
Nation of Islam and white supremacists. The guideposts used by Hamaas to delineate
true Islamic Faith are the Qur’ān, the Hadith, and oral teachings of Dr. Tasibur Uddein
Rahman. The first goal of his Daw’ah (message) is to get his students to learn their true
history – to seek to understand themselves, their history and heritage. 59
59
Look and See, page one.
22
After seeking to learn their history and heritage, the more spiritually minded
students seek to learn “the inner knowledge of the Qur’ān and Hadith.” 60 Hamaas called
his mentor a “Hanafi Muslim.” This has two immediate meanings that come to mind: (1)
a follower of the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence (which developed around the
scholar Abu Hanifah Nuaman), and (2) someone who follows the truth and worships
only one God without having been taught to do so. The Prophet Ibrahim is the example
used for this concept in the Qur’ān and in many Sufi texts and prayers. In ritual prayer
Ibrahim is prayed for as the model Prophet and Patriarch.
“O God send your Mercy on Muhammad and his posterity as you sent Your
mercy on Abraham and his posterity. You are the Most Praised, The Most
Glorious. O God, send your Blessings on Muhammad and his posterity as
you have blessed Abraham and his posterity. You are the Most praised,
The Most Glorious.”
For Hamaas, all people were Hanafis by nature, but had been taken away from
their righteous leanings by false teachings from ministers, their parents, white
supremacists, etc. Anyone could become Muslim, but he felt that it was his mission to
bring the misguided African American back to knowledge of their true nature, true
history, and true form of worship of God. In his view, the slave master invented the
terms of color and he calls them stigmas. People who hold onto these stigmas have no
sense of self, place, or history. In the Nation of Islam this idea was also taught when they
used the phrase “so-called negro,” while in the Moorish Science Temple’s sacred text
The Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple we read,
“9. According to all true and divine records of the human race there is no
negro, black, or colored race attached to the human family, because all the
inhabitants of Africa were and are of the human race, descendants of the
ancient Canaanite nation from the holy land of Canaan.” 61
60
Look and See, page one.
61
CHAPTER XLVII: EGYPT, THE CAPITAL EMPIRE OF THE DOMINION OF AFRICA, verse 9.
23
Hamaas used the language of groups he fought against in his text, but he rejected
many of the contexts that the language arose from such as the mythologies of the NOI
and MST. He uses the phrase “so-called negro” and the term tricknollogy, 62 but he refers
to both the teachings of the NOI founder Fard Muhammad and the teachings of White
Supremacists as being tricknollogy.
To undo the mythology and replace it with truth, the stigmas of slavery and
oppression have to be removed. The slave, the slave master and their descendants all
have to be shown the truth.
“There can never be respect or, peace among the families (Tribes) of the
Human Family until such counterfeit terms are erased from the minds of
the perverters of Truth who violate their own self-creation and try to make
such stigmas reality of Human Creation. To those who follow such an
aimless philosophy and psychology it would be well for them to remember
that such seeds of ignorance and disrespect will grow to become vines of
destruction, not only for themselves, but will entwine and strangle their
future, their children.”63
As the leader of his Jamaat (community) Hamaas, did not make race, class, or
color a criteria for membership. In fact, he railed against both White and Black
Supremacy, while teaching the need to study your history and culture. When man has a
stigma of color (black white, etc.) he does not have a national or tribal origin. Hamaas
does present a method to remove the stigma of color that comes from worshipping a
white Jesus:64
“To save yourself from the captor’s (settler’s) philosophy and psychology
you must find out What Islam Is Not. We civilized those who strayed from
Islam and they let their low desires and false accomplishments make them
62
This term is used by the Nation of Islam to refer to mind games played by governmental and
religious authorities. It can also refer to a conspiracy to commit fraud on the masses by introducing ideas
not based on scientific fact or substance, professing to use technology that does not really exist, or a word
used by conspiracy theorist who have trouble grasping the concepts of new technologies and ideas.
63
Look and See, page 12.
64
Likewise, Imam Waith Deen Muhammad formed the Committee for the Removal of All Images
that Attempt to Portray the Divine (C.R.A.I.D.) in 1977.
24
gods, but gods die, gods can be made and destroyed. Allah, the Creator of
All Things, does not DIE.”65
According to Hamaas Islam teaches the correct worship of God and the true
nature of man. A man with a national origin can never be a permanent slave, nor happy
in a state of temporary servitude. The enslaver disobeyed their God by the act of
oppression and subjugation, while the enslaved was cut off from the family of man. He
also enforced the enslaved to worship Gods that they had no prior knowledge of (i.e. a
“white Jesus”).This teaching is also found in the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science
Temple.
“15. The time has come when every nation must worship under its
own vine and fig tree, and every tongue must confess his own.
“16. Through sin and disobedience every nation has suffered
slavery, due to the fact that they honored not the creed and principles of
their forefathers.
“17. That is why the nationality of the Moors was taken away from
them in 1774 and the word negro, black and colored, was given to the
Asiatics of America who were of Moorish descent, because they honored
not the principles of their mother and father, and strayed after the gods of
Europe of whom they knew nothing.”66
For the Hanafis, the reclaiming of one’s history and heritage and the worship of
the one true God is the first steps in becoming a Hanif or a natural worshipper. The
enslaved become free when their mind is freed from the stigmas and the body of the
shackles. The captor can only be freed from the evil committed by creating the stigmas
of color and oppressing others when they bow their heads in shame and repent. The
slave and the captive became reliant upon each other and the must be saved together.
Hamaas held that following the standards of the Qur’ān and Hadith will end the
psychology and mindset created by the captor and captive relationship.
65
Look and See, page 15.
66
CHAPTER XLVII: EGYPT, THE CAPITAL EMPIRE OF THE DOMINION OF AFRICA, verses
15-17.
25
The Hanafi Madh-Hab followers do not seek to make everyone Muslims, but they
seek to establish standards of ethics and morality as guides for the rest of humankind.
They reject false prophets and misuse of the sacred texts. The Hanafi Muslims are
patriots and do not fight against the nation they reside in. For Hamaas, the Hanafi
Madh-hab was the saved sect mentioned in the Hadith:
“Verily it will happen to my people even, that they will split into 73 sects
similar to the children of Israel. But every one of these Sects will suffer
except one, The Faith of which is professed by me and my companions.” 67
Given the above Hadith, the way of the Hanafi Muslim is one where there can be
no compromise between falsehood and truth, or with the following of the Sunnah (way)
of the prophet Muhammad in belief, worship, and lifestyle. The doors of the masjid
(mosque) are open to all with no barriers based on caste or color according to Hamaas.
The only barriers to learning are due to personal moral or ethical weaknesses.
According to Hamaas, the only other source of guidance, besides the Qur’ān and Hadith,
was the Hikmat or 130 point of wisdom transmitted oral from his mentor Dr. Tasibur
Uddein Rahman.
“These principles were referred to as a whole by Hamaas, and never
written down. He taught them as a matter of daily life. He used to say, ‘The
first principle is that if you’re not right then the first principal would be to
lock the door against you as an intruder.’ Hikmat means wisdom and how
things work from a divine point of view.” 68
Hamaas warns against taking instruction in Islam from anyone whose teachings
do not conform to the above standards. He further refused to call the Creator – God, but
used only his proper name Allah. Being patriot is part of this because being in a land one
generation makes you part of it and having foreign teachers teach hatred of your land is
against the teachings of Islam in the Hanafi Madh-hab Center.
67
Miskat, Book 1. Chapter VI, Part 11.
68
From an email correspondence from Parsifal19, a former Hanafi Madh-hab follower, August
28, 2005.
26
The ultimate aim is to produce new generations that are more knowledgeable and
with stronger morals than prior generations.
“There can be no true, positive constructive education without a human
curriculum that generates and produces a better, higher and more
respectful generation than the previous generation. The individual must be
educated as to self-identity, self-culture and self-heritage.” 69
Hamaas also railed against homosexuality, lesbianism, same sex marriage, secret
societies, and loose morals. He wrote,
“An unnatural philosophy and an unnatural psychology lead to unnatural
practices. In order to be natural you must obey and practice what Allah
has made for All Mankind, The Faith Islam.”70
In the view of Hamaas, the knowledgeable American Hanafi Madh-Hab followers
would become the ambassadors of a new tomorrow where hatred and untruth are no
longer the norm. Change of mindsets not just name and clothing are the aims of
liberation in Islam. For the Hanafi Muslims the goals of freedom or religion and mutual
respect are both American and Islamic ideals.
Conclusions
Hamaas is rarely mentioned today outside of footnotes in the history of Islam in
America. The Nation of Islam was able to diminish his role in their history by rewriting
history and cropping and retouching photos, and by deleting Hamaas’ name from
official papers. His supporters are not prominent in the larger Muslim community, nor
has his most famous former follower, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, discussed his writings,
speeches, or teachings to any great extent beyond a few passages in his autobiography
Giant Steps.
69
Look and See, page 54.
70
Look and See, page 58.
27
Future historians will be tasked with telling his story more fully and finding his
place in the development of an American Muslim identity. Hamaas’ came into Islam
with a group of Jazz musicians and Sufis, went into the Nation of Islam, and later
carried out the roll of teaching a spiritual Islam that sought to correct political and social
issues, but is remembered as one of the first home grown Islamic terrorists. This last
phase of his life resulted in imprisonment for him and a dozen followers. He died in
prison and his movement slowly died between 1977 and his own demise. Perhaps this
study will be the beginning of writing a more complete, accurate, and historically
faithful portrayal of Islam in America.
28
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Majma’ al-Bahrayn columnist. “Time to Pull the cover off Farrakhan and the Nation of
Islam.” Majma’ al-Bahrayn, Fall Issue Oct. 14, 1994: page 3.
McCombs, Phil and J.Y. Smith (1977, April 1). “Hanafi Leader Jailed for Death Threats,”
The Washington Post: pages A1, A8.
Rosenfeld, Stephen S. (1977, June 17). “Khaalis: ‘A Hate Peculiarly His Own,” The
Washington Post: page A25.
Sansing, John. “Hanafi Massacre, Hanafi Siege.” Washingtonian Magazine, February
1980: 87-96.
Schram, Martin. “Plea from Prison: ‘77 Hanafi Siege Leader urges Ayatollah to Relent.”
Washington Post, November 28, 1979: p. A1, A10.
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Report: 19-23.
Spear, Sonja (2010). “Hamaas Abdul Khaalis,” Edward Curtis (ed.). Encyclopedia of
Muslim American History: pages 325-326.
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30
Whitaker, Joseph D. (April 14, 1977). “Hanafis See Themselves as Oppressed and
Isolated,” The Washington Post: Page C1.
Williamson, William B., editor One Hundred Religious Groups Speak for Themselves
(New York Crossroads, 1992).
31
Appendix: The Creed of Hamaas Abdul Khaalis’ Hanafi Madh-Hab Center
At the beginning of Look and See there is a list of items entitled “What Islam is
Not.” They are given in full below with commentary from traditional creeds and points
of contrast between the creedal points and those of the Nation of Islam.
What Islam is Not
1) Islam is not following political ideologies of unbelievers, nor is it working
against your country, nor spying against your country. A Faithful Believer in Islam is a
sincere patriot.71
2) The Islamic Faith is not following the religions of unbelievers.
3) Islam is not following the psychology of unbelievers.
4) Islam is not following the philosophy of unbelievers.72
5) Islam is not following the so-called color-bar – it does not go by color or
caste.73
6) Islam is not just to stop eating pork and pork products.74
7) Islam is not butting the head on the floor 5 times a day and not obeying the
Standards (The Holy Qur’ān Sharrieff and Al-Hadīth).
8) Islam is not accepting any false prophets, apostles, or messengers, only those
sent by Allah of the 124,000 prophets major and minor and of The Faith – Islam. 75
71
“The maxim of the Muslim ethics here is this: Patriotism is a matter of faith (Hubbul al-Watani
Mina al-Imani). A good Muslim is a patriot. He is ready to sacrifice for his state and for the freedom he
enjoys in it everything, even his/her life.” Imam Kamil Avdich (1957). The Outline of Islam, Toledo.
LESSON XXXII: DUTIES TOWARD SOCIETY (Duties toward the state).
72
Many Muslims follows Socialist, Marxist, or other political philosophies. Hamaas was against
this since Islam has within itself economic principles and a well developed philosophy of life.
73
In Look and See Hamaas wrote, “The door to Allah is open to All Mankind. There is no caste,
no so-called color bars. Your only requirement is to be a human being, to be a Mussulman.” Page 98.
74
In Look and See the following details about avoiding pork are given, “To give yourself a
Mussulman (Muslim) name and stop eating pork does not make you a Muslim. A Believer who practices
Islam by way of the Prophets Side. Many people don’t eat pork meats, in fact, vegetarians eat no meat.”
Page 86.
75
Islam defines a false Prophet as someone who claims to be a Prophet after the coming of the
Prophet Muhammad or who has brought a book after the Holy Qur’ān.
32
9) Islam is not making peace with those who strive to prostitute the faith with
innovations, nor is it at peace with those who are aggressors. The devil can make peace
with Islam, but Islam will not make peace with the devil.
10) Islam is not taking guidance or orders from unbelievers if it is contrary to the
Standards (The Holy Qur’ān Sharrieff and Al-Hadees76).
11) Islam is not bowing to anyone save Allah.
12) Islam is not professing that Allah has a mother or father, or that Allah has a
son.
13) Islam is not professing that Allah appeared in the person as a man. 77
14) Islam is not going along with immorality.
15) Islam is not exploitation of others.
16) Islam is not murdering others senselessly. 78
17) Islam is not compulsory; no one forces you into Islam. 79
18) Islam is not mistreating women and children. 80
19) Islam is not a religion; it is not a game; it is not a club.81
20) Islam is not the faith that worships men or women. 82
76
This is traditionally spelled in English as Hadīth. I have corrected it to the more common
spelling elsewhere.
77
This is a direct attack on the Nation of Islam and its teaching about the divinity of Master Fard
Muhammad.
78
Here is an attack on labeling Muslims terrorists. According to the teachings of the Prophet
Muhammad, a soldier should not destroy fields, nor cut down fruit bearing trees, nor rape and mistreat
captives, or force conversion to Islam.
79
This is a key teaching of Islam. There is no compulsion in religion. The Qur’ān addresses this in
Surah Buqara Ayat 256.
80
A common stereotype of Muslims is they mistreat their women and children and that women
are not allowed to get an education, work, or leave the home.
81
Too often Islamic centers are cultural centers where people happen to pray rather than places
where Islam is taught and practiced.
82
This is an attack on the cults of personalities. In many Muslim nations, there have arisen the
idolizations around various leaders in the Muslim World who are dictators and socialists rather than
practicing Muslims.
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21) Islam is not The Faith that recognizes self-pariahs, sorcerers, self-acclaimed
false messengers, or self-acclaimed false prophets to whom the Holy Qur’ān Sharrieff
was not revealed.
22) Islam is not just accepting an Islamic name; you must use the Holy Qur’ān
Sharrieff and Al-Hadīth as the Guides.83
23) Islam is not The Faith that recognizes God; Islam recognizes Allah only. It is
haram (forbidden) to use the word God with Allah.84
24) Islam, by the way of the 124,000 Prophets, does not recognize any way of life
no matter how ancient they claim to be, when they do not bear witness to Allah and the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.S.) of nearly 1,400 years ago. 85 Islam does recognize Isa
(Jesus) as a Prophet of Allah.86
25) Islam is not recognizing any special caste, color, tribe, country, or continent. 87
26) Islam is not permitting Mosques (masjids) to be used as sightseeing centers
or touring centers.88
27) Islam is not relegated to a sect, nor can it be organized. Islam does not
recognize sects.89
83
In Look and See we read, “Changing your outside appearance and your name means nothing if
you do not change your mind from previous training and indoctrination, in seeking self-identity, self-
heritage, and self culture.” Page 72.
84
“God” has a connotation of being able to be plural, singular, masculine, or feminine. Allah is
singular only and has no gender specification.
85
An attack on a trend of African-Americans (and others) turning to Ancient Egyptian Mythology,
Buddhism, and other ancient faiths.
86
If a Muslim rejects belief in Jesus as a Prophet, they are no longer Muslim.
87
This is an attack upon Muslims who believe in the caste system or in the superiority of one
nationality over another.
88
The Embassy Mosque in D.C. is a tourist attraction as are many masjids throughout the Muslim
World. Perhaps Imam Hamaas was reminding us that there are only three masjids we are required to
travel to see: these being the Haram in Mecca, Masjid al-Nabi in Madinah, and Masjid al-Aqsa in
Jerusalem.
89
As Imam Hamaas recognized the existence of Tariqats and Madhabs, perhaps he meant
schools of thought that deviated from the generally accepted principals of Islam.
34
28) Islam is not practiced by those who follow the Prophet’s Side as a holiday
religion.90
29) Islam is not worshiping the creation, Islam is worshiping the Creator. 91
30) The Islamic Faith is not for one tribe, it is for all humanity; it is not The Faith
that judges humanity by so-called color or caste. Islam has no such Hadīth nor is there
anywhere in the Holy Qur’ān Sharrieff stating that Mussulmans are called White, Black,
Red, Yellow, Brown, or Green, Purple, Blue, etc.92
31) Islam is not when two people call themselves Muslims and fight each other
physically or with words; one is not a Believer in The Faith Islam. 93
32) Islam is not when people allow the enemies of Islam to burn their Holy Places
and they do not fight to the death (men, women, and children). When they do not
defend their Holy Places with their lives, they are not Believers in the Faith Islam. 94
33) Islam is not when individuals or countries say they are Believers in the Holy
Qur’ān Sharrieff and the Holy Hadīth, and professes to believe in the 1 st Kalima,95 and
cannot fight the unbeliever as one, – some do not believe.
90
Like Christianity where we see Sunday-only Christians, in Islam we see many Muslims who
only attend the Masjid on Eid, for Ramadhan Taraweeh prayers, Mawlid celebrations, and perhaps for
Jumu’ah prayers on Friday.
91
Muslims are not idol-worshipers nor do they pray to anyone or anything other than Allah. A
masjid has no likenesses of any living thing displayed in the prayer area.
92
An attack on the Nation of Islam and its claims that Islam is the True Faith of the Asiatic
Blackman by his nature and that the Whiteman or European can only accept Islam after a trial similar
that of a Master Mason and then the Islam of the Whiteman is one of his choice not one according to his
nature.
93
A Believer in Islam is not a true believer until he wants for his fellow believer what he wants for
himself and allows no dispute between them and another believer to keep them from speaking for more
than three days.
94
In recent years we have seen Hindus destroy masjids and tombs in India to build Hindu
temples devoted to idol worship. While in Bosnia and Kosovo, the Serbs and Croats (both Christians)
destroy masjids and even slaughter pigs inside them.
95
There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is His Last and Final Prophet
and Messenger.
35
