“Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. Education is our passport to the future.”
These words embody the philosophy of Muhammad Abdullah, president and CEO of the Al Hajj Muhammad Abdullah Research Institute- a revered elder, revolutionary, Pan-Africanist and Muslim. Known for his profound intellect and deep historical knowledge, Abdullah is widely respected across Los Angeles for his commitment to all those suffering, and his influence on those in the prison system, gang and former gang members, Black youth and the Muslim community.
Through decades of efforts uplifting and educating others, Abdullah has stood on the concept that true liberation for Black people is found in Islam and Pan-Africanism.
“Islam is the solution to our political, social, and economic injustices, while Pan-Africanism is predicated on self-determination as the foundation of our own liberation,” Abdullah stated.
At the age of 19, Abdullah converted to Islam after reading “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and witnessing the transformation of those around him through the disciplined practices of the Nation of Islam. He credits much of his intellectual awakening to the revolutionary teachings of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, also known as Malcolm X.
Growing up in an era of radical change, Abdullah saw firsthand how the Nation of Islam reshaped the direction of his community and other Black communities.
“The Nation of Islam were dominant in the streets. Many gang members, like the Hustlers, became members [of the Nation of Islam], and it began to take hold of people’s minds,” Abdullah recalled.
“People started thinking, ‘Okay, we’re not Negroes. We’re Black people,’ because what the Nation of Islam had been teaching penetrated the people and even permeated the youth,” he said.
Although he never joined the Nation of Islam, the discipline it imprinted on those around him left a lasting impact on his way of thinking and living.
“The ideology and doctrine of the Nation of Islam was prevailing in regards to the most militant of Black people,” Abdullah explained. “They weren’t like Martin Luther King- ‘Turn the other cheek, integrate.’ They didn’t smoke, drink, party, or play sports. Everything that most people normally did, they didn’t do. They stood for separation, and because of that, they were seen as outcasts.”
Because of the lasting positive impacts Abdullah witnessed in his community, he saw something undeniable in their discipline and self-determination.
“In street terminology, we say ‘Put up or shut up,’ and they meant it. Through their practice and the way they transformed people’s lives, that’s what had an impact on me,” Abdullah said. “Because I could see the impact.”
After Abdullah converted to Islam, he was determined to dedicate his time and efforts to guiding as many people behind bars as he could. Quickly, he immersed himself in visiting prisons and educating those incarcerated across California.
“I wanted to start writing brothers and sisters who were in the Black Panther Party and were following Malcolm X using that pen pal,” said Abdullah. “By the grace and mercy of Allah (God), in 1974 I started going to jails and prisons propagating Islam. There weren’t 10 people, I say, West of the Mississippi and in jails and prisons, but that they knew about Islam.”
Muhammad Abdullah’s wisdom has transcended far beyond the Muslim community and his dedication to the mental liberation of all psychologically and physically oppressed peoples has reverberated amongst us all. To this day, he continues to traverse across Los Angeles spreading the message of the Oneness of God and Black consciousness to all.
