Islam and the Black American
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. The next section that we cover as it relates to African Americans and Islam is a darker, more painful history. It's called the Qur'an in Chains. What we find is that there are a multitude of those who had strong Islamic knowledge, even who were hufadh of Qur'an, who arrived at the shores of America, but not as a voyager, not as someone who's seeking an adventure, but actually in chains. Someone who's forced on the shores of America through the horrific act of the transatlantic slave trade. When they arrive, many of them, there are documented accounts that says well over 30, even some into 60 percent, said that many of them were Muslim. And in those Muslims you will find the likes of Omar ibn Said, Abdul Rahman ibn Soro, who is also known as the prince among slaves. You will find Yaro Mahmood and multiple, multiple other accounts. Accounts that you can also find in the book by Sylvia and Jof and the servants of Allah. You will find their stories, for example with Omar ibn Said, where he was not only someone who was a practicing Muslim, but someone who was also well versed in several West African languages, well versed in English, and well versed in Arabic. As a matter of fact, when those who owned him asked him to write the Lord's Prayer, it's known that he actually wrote Surat
al-Nasr. And in other parts of his writings, you will also find where he wrote poetry, praising the Prophet, alayhi salatu was salam, till the end of his life. It was known that Abdul Rahman ibn Soro, who was known as the prince among slaves, was also someone who not only was quickly recognized for his level of intelligence, his command of multiple languages, but also because he had been a military leader in his own country, that he also was known for being a leader on the plantation. And so when the slave masters of that plantation began to recognize his intelligence, of course he became very valuable to them. And so of course they would use him for their own benefit, for their own gain. But eventually when they read, he tried to write a letter back home to his family, and he asked someone to deliver it for him. When they realized that this letter was in Arabic, they immediately thought that he was from amongst the Moors. Eventually they petitioned the Moroccan government on his behalf, and he was eventually returned back to West Africa. Yeroum Mahmoud lived in Georgetown, right now as we live here in Washington DC. He was actually known to have a bank account, and to actually be a stakeholder in one of the banks here in DC. There are many many accounts of those who came in chains to the shores of America as Muslims, and who began to spread Islam. But not only did they spread Islam, they also spread the spirit of freedom. And with the spirit of freedom comes the fire of rebellion against oppression.
And that's exactly what happened in the next story. We have a story by the man of the name Imam Makhandal. And Imam Makhandal was actually, not only was he a great religious student, but he was also a great religious teacher. And many of his students began to disappear, having been kidnapped and sold into America. So he eventually, Imam Makhandal, had himself sold into slavery in order to find out what had happened to his brothers and sisters. Where had those walking Qurans disappeared to? And so he ended up in Haiti. But while he was in Haiti, he began of course to do what? To teach Islam. He began to, just as he had done on the shores of West Africa, he began to teach the Quran. He began to teach the Hadith. But also he began to teach them that they were not the slaves of any man. But in fact, that they were the servants of Allah Ta'ala. And as a result, they had the birthright to be free. This Imam Makhandal would be the one who would be the teacher of Imam Bukhman, who would become the leaders of the Maroon movement in Haiti. And also the teacher of Toussaint Louverture, who would eventually lead to the Haitian revolution. This spread across not only the Caribbean, but it began to spread into South America. It began to spread into the Americas. That more and more Muslims were becoming known for that spirit of freedom, and therefore their resistance against oppression. In 1760, they decided to pass a bill that they would make it illegal for slaves imported into America to be of the Muslim faith. Why? They were not easy to encapture, and they would not
remain in slavery in peace.
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