Clara Muhammad

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Clara Muhammad (born Clara Evans; also known as Clara Poole; November 2, 1899 – August 12, 1972) was born in Macon, Georgia, the daughter of Mary Lou (Thomas) and Quartus Evans. She was the wife of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. They married in Georgia in 1917, when she was 17 and he was 20 years old, before he changed his name from Elijah Poole. Between 1917 and 1939, Elijah and Clara Muhammad had eight children: six boys and two girls, including Warith Deen Muhammad. Known as the First Lady of the Nation of Islam, Muhammad is credited with introducing her husband to the teachings of Nation of Islam founder W.D. Fard, whom they met after leaving Cordele, Georgia. They had to relocate to Detroit because of the financial hardship caused by prejudice and low earnings. Despite moving to Detroit, Clara suffered with her marriage, since Elijah was an alcoholic and a gambling addict. This worsened the family’s financial predicament. However, their lives changed dramatically once they met W.D. Fard. Clara Muhammad started attending W.D. Fard’s lectures, where he introduced his interpretation of Islam to African Americans during the Great Depression, attracting followers by promising a way out of racial misery and suffering. Through Clara’s interest in his lectures, she became the reason that her husband Elijah became the minister in the Allah Temple of Islam (ATOI). Sister Clara Muhammad played a crucial role in supporting her husband's ministry. She was akin to the "preacher's wife" in Christian churches, fulfilling various duties such as playing the piano during services, teaching Sunday school, and accompanying her husband during his trips. She guided the organization during her husband's absence from 1935 to 1946 as he fled death threats from rival temple leaders and was then incarcerated for sedition during World War...