The Imam's charisma: an analysis of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed's leadership
This dissertation examines the concept of charismatic leadership and authority during Imam Warith Deen Mohammed’s leadership of the Nation of Islam, beginning in 1975. It focuses primarily on his interpretation of Islam, with considerable implications for his status as one of the first prominent American Islamic reformers. It is based on Max Weber’s ideal-type model of charismatic leadership. Weber’s overarching definition of the charismatic leader-follower dynamic and its need-based orientation are the focus of my research. For my study, the most critical part of Weber’s theory of charisma concerns the relationship between the leader and the follower. The follower sees the charismatic leader as uniquely or divinely qualified to fill a need or needs, thus creating a sacred bond that allows their relationship to flourish. Weber argues that the fate of charismatic leadership is routinization; however, this is not the case for the leadership transition from Elijah Muhammad to Warith Deen Mohammed. In fact, the leadership transitions in the Nation of Islam were from one charismatic leader to another, beginning with the leadership transition from Fard Muhammad to Elijah Muhammad and culminating in the transition from Elijah Muhammad to Warith Deen Mohammed.Although it is a popular notion that there is no clergy in Islam, the ‘ulama or the scholarly class have established themselves as the gatekeepers of Islamic authority and the purveyors of the Islamic tradition. In traditional Islam, any person who does not attend traditional Islamic schools and receive various ijazas or certifications from different scholars is considered unqualified to teach on any subject related to the Islamic sciences. Although this requirement has declined in the modern Muslim world, it still remained strong enough that it created problems for Imam Warith Deen Mohammed because, although reports indicate that he learned Arabic and Islamic studies from individuals such as Jamil Diab at the Muhammad University of Islam, the primary and secondary school for the members of the Nation of Islam, he did not formally attend a traditional Islamic university, such as Al-Azhar. Therefore, his interpretations on Islamic matters, such as Qur’anic exegesis or Islamic jurisprudence, are invalid in the eyes of much of the Muslim community, especially among Muslims from the old Muslim world. However, I argue that such an interpretation is the quintessential trademark of a charismatic leader, because he is not seeking a stamp of authenticity from the ‘ulama or anyone for that matter, since he believes that his mission and understanding of Islamic issues are divinely inspired. At first glance, it appears that Warith Deen is simply transitioning from the ideological instability of the movement led by his father to the stable tradition of Sunni Islam; however, I argue that his engagement with the Sunni tradition is where he truly establishes his charismatic leadership and authority. He is not simply merging or assimilating his community with the mainstream Sunni community. He is creating the ideological foundations for an understanding of Islam that acknowledges the traditional Islamic sciences, but more importantly, authentically speaks to the experiences of African Americans as minorities in America, providing an Islamic framework that can be applied to everyday life in America for Muslims from various backgrounds who are living in American society, and making him the quintessential American Islamic reformer.
Religion, African American studies, Islamic studies, African American Islam, Charisma, Islam in America, Muslims, Nation of Islam, Warith Deen Mohammed
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