Saviours' Day
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Saviours' Day is a holiday of the Nation of Islam commemorating the birth of its founder, Master Wallace Fard Muhammad, February 26, 1877. It was established by Elijah Muhammad.
The Community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (American Society of Muslims) and the Nation of Gods and Earths observe a similarly named Saviors Day celebration which each organization observes on the last weekend in the month of February. All of these different versions of Saviours' Day are hybrids of the Official Nation of Islam observance of Saviour's Day, which is always on February 26th and celebrates the birthday of Master Fard Muhammad whom members of the Nation Of Islam believe is Allah in Person.
Warith Deen Mohammed (son of Elijah Muhammad) changed the name of the celebration to Survival Day in 1976[1] and then to Ethnic Survival Day from 1979 to 1980 and made it a week long celebration. The change formed part of his rejection of his father's portrayal of W.D. Fard as a divine savior.[2][3] Warith Deen Mohammed eventually discontinued the celebration of Survival Day for his community and eventually returned to the celebration of Saviours' Day with the emphasis being on the history of the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad and not W. D. Fard. Warith Deen Mohammed re-instituted Saviours' Day for his community on Feb 26, 2000, after joining the Nation of Islam's Saviours' Day that year.
Louis Farrakhan reconvened Saviours' Day in 1981 when he reestablished the Nation of Islam under his leadership[4]. Under Farrakhan's leadership, the annual commemoration has become a three-day gathering with speakers, seminars and workshops.[5]
[edit] Spelling
The Nation of Islam uses the British spelling version of the word saviour, rather than the American spelling savior. The Nation of Islam under Louis Farrakhan's leadership places a possessive apostrophe at the end of the word, emphasising the plural to indicate that "Black men and women must be the “saviours” of themselves and their communities." This plural form of the spelling was announced in 1983 to represent that responsibility.[6] However, the original spelling with the apostrophe before the "s" is also used.[7]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Time Magazine March 14, 1977, Conversion of the Muslims http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947278,00.html?
- ^ W. Deen Mohammed, Evolution of a Community, WDM Publications, 1995, ISBN 0-96499341-0-8
- ^ Marshall, A., Louis Farrakhan: Made In America. BSB Publishing, 1996.
- ^ Final Call News February 24, 2008, Saviours’ Day: A Timeline and Brief History http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Perspectives_1/Saviours_Day_A_Timeline_and_Brief_History_4423.shtml
- ^ NOI Website Retrieved December 29, 2010, About Saviours' Day http://www.noi.org/savioursday
- ^ Final Call News February 24, 2008, Saviours’ Day: A Timeline and Brief History http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Perspectives_1/Saviours_Day_A_Timeline_and_Brief_History_4423.shtml
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
- Saviours' Day web site Nation of Islam
- The Significance of Saviour's Day by Silis Muhammad
- Saviors' Day Mosque Cares
- Nation of Islam web site
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