tions. Greatly influenced by the founder, Elijah
Muhammad’s, teachings, Farrakhan put his musi-
cal interests aside and became an active member
of the nation, changing his name to Louis X,
which later became Louis Haleem Abdul Far-
rakhan. Following Elijah Muhammad’s death in
1975, his son, Wallace Deen Muhammad, began
leading the nation and shifted away from Elijah’s
teachings, declaring his father’s extreme views rac-
ist. Wishing to return to Elijah’s original message,
Farrakhan formed a competing organization in
1977, which is among several other groups that
claim the name nation oF islam.
Farrakhan has caught public attention since
the mid-1980s for allegedly making anti-Semitic
remarks, accusations that Farrakhan denies,
claiming that the media is biased. Such allega-
tions aside, Farrakhan’s leadership of the nation
has led to many positive reforms. Farrakhan has
diminished the number of drug dealers in public
housing projects, has permitted Women to become
public leaders in the nation, and has played a key
role in the development of Islam in America. He
has also built mosqUes in several U.S. cities. Far-
rakhan has traveled to various parts of the Middle
East and North Africa, allegedly attacking the U.S.
government and Jewish groups during his trips
abroad. In 1999, claiming to have a near-death
experience with prostate cancer, Farrakhan began
preaching racial and religious unity. Farrakhan
appears widely on television and speaks on radio.
He and his wife, Khadijah (Betsy), have 11 chil-
dren, several of whom are actively involved in the
nation.
See also aFrican americans, islam among.
Mehnaz Sahibzada
Further reading: Robert Dannin, Black Pilgrimage to
Islam (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002); Mat-
tias Gardell, In the Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis
Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam (Durham, N.C.:
Duke University Press, 1996); Eric C. Lincoln, The
Black Muslims in America (Trenton, N.J.: Africa World
Press, 1994); Jane I. Smith, Islam in America (New York:
Columbia University Press, 1999).Farsi See persian language and literature.
fasting (Arabic: sawm or siyam)
The primary fast in Islam, and one of its Five pil-
lars, takes place during the month of ramadan,
when observant Muslims refrain from eating,
drinking any liquids, smoking, or having sexual
intercourse during daylight hours. The beginning
and end of the fast each day are marked by calls
to prayer: before dawn, when a white string can
be distinguished from a black one, and again at
sunset. Muslims generally break their fast with a
drink of thick fruit juice and a date, after the cus-
tom of mUhammad (d. 632). Some will then pray
before a large meal (futur), consisting of dishes
special to the month, is served. These meals are
occasions for families to gather and for neigh-
bors and friends to visit one another. Indeed, it
is not unusual for large quantities of food to be
consumed at night during Ramadan, despite the
daylight fasting requirements. The end of the
month and of the fast is marked by the id al-Fitr,
or “feast of fast-breaking.”
Muslims look to the quranic chapter “The
Cow” (Q 2:183) as the injunction from God
to fast. It reads, “O you who believe! Fasting
is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for
those before you, so that you may guard against
evil.” Although children often participate for a
few hours a day or a few days in the month, all
Muslims who have reached puberty are expected
to fast. Temporary exceptions are made for those
who are in poor health, for those who are travel-
ing, or for menstruating and pregnant women,
with the idea that these missed fast days will be
made up at a later date.
Outside the month of Ramadan, fasting is also
observed on the day before the id al-adha, which
marks the end of the formal haJJ season. Somefasting 227 J