3 out of 4 stars
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This Side of Paradise: The Religious World of Elijah Muhammad is a scholarly text written by Curtis James Tilleraas. In it, the author examines the life and teachings of Elijah Muhammad, a man who “created a brand new religion and a brand new god to go along with it” when he founded the Nation of Islam.
The book begins with a look at the life of Elija Poole, the seventh son of a poor sharecropper in Georgia. It offers the historical and personal contexts surrounding his metamorphosis into Elijah Muhammad, one of the most prominent and prosperous African-American leaders of his time. In particular, it describes the catalyst for this transformation: his fateful meeting with Wallace D. Fard—Allah in the flesh for Elijah Muhammad and the members of the Nation of Islam.
The bulk of the book is dedicated to an examination of the doctrine of New Islam and the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Tilleraas outlines the core beliefs; primary among these is that god is a man—specifically Fard Muhammad (a.k.a. Wallace D. Fard)—and not a spirit. Tilleraas demonstrates how Elijah Muhammad drew from, yet departed from, both Christianity and Islam in order to defend his new religion and the striking claims made within it. A chapter is dedicated to comparing New Islam with radical Shiism specifically; another chapter briefly touches on the influence Freemasonry may have had on Elijah Muhammad. The book ends with the author's conclusions and his suggestions for further study.
I chose to read this book for a very simple reason: I knew very little about Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam—only what was offered about him and his faith in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I learned many things; chief among these is that New Islam bears little resemblance to Islam. As Tilleraas points out, “Elijah’s God, Allah, shares the same name as the God of Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians, but the similarity ends there.” The biographical information presented is substantial; Tilleraas’ analysis of Elijah Muhammad’s beliefs is thorough.
This Side of Paradise is a dense book. Readers should be prepared to dedicate time to it. To present a complete picture of the life of Elijah Muhammad, Tilleraas explores the lives of the individuals who influenced him: Wallace D. Fard, Noble Drew Ali, and others. There are many names referenced, and there is considerable historical information to absorb. To fully examine the doctrine of Elijah Muhammad, Tilleraas often compares New Islam to other religions, including lesser-known (at least to me) religions, such as Sufism. The religious jargon—for example, eschatological, Shahada and ulema—forced me to reach for the dictionary on more than one occasion. The inclusion of a glossary would have been helpful to readers like me who have an interest, but no formal training, in religious studies.
I commend Tilleraas for consciously and conscientiously maintaining a factual and respectful tone throughout the book. He is aware that religion is a deeply personal subject and that he—a white, Lutheran pastor—is discussing a religion to which he does not subscribe. He preempts any criticism or disqualification of the book based on his race or creed by outlining the reasons why he believes that “Elijah Muhammad himself removed the ‘no trespassing’ signs from his life’s work.” The final chapter, which offers the author’s conclusions and interpretation of the information he collected, is respectful. Tilleraas says:
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it to those interested in religious studies, American history or cultural literacy.“The truth is much larger than any individual’s experiences, perceptions and definitions of it. Human and divine qualities such as love, faith, hope, imagination, compassion and sympathy, all attest to the capacity of individuals to rise above what they themselves know and to get a glimpse, here and there, of what others have known, believed, hoped in and died for. The human community demands that we be engaged with the concerns of those whose ways are not our own…”
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This Side of Paradise: the Religious World of Elijah Muhammad
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