Noble Drew Ali

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Noble Drew Ali

Noble Drew Ali (born January 8, 1886 in North Carolina as Timothy Drew , † July 20, 1929 in Chicago ) was a religious African-American leader who is regarded by his followers as a prophet . He was a pioneer of black nationalism and the founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America (" Moorish Science Temple of America "), one of the oldest associations of African American Muslims, which he founded in 1913 in Newark, New Jersey . He represented the religious community as an Islamic group, but was also inspired by Buddhism , Christianity , Freemasonry , Gnosis and Taoism .

There are various legends about his life. In 1925 he settled in Chicago and spent the rest of his life there.

Life

The lack of trustworthy sources makes it difficult to construct an accurate biography of North Carolina-born Timothy Drew. He seems to have been the son of a Cherokee woman and a "Moor". His mother is said to have foreseen a great future for him. After she died, Timothy was taken in by his aunt, who abused him. Timothy is said to have run away and found accommodation with gypsies. At the age of 16 he joined the Merchant Marines and traveled to Egypt.

Texts

The participants in the Moorish Science Temple Congress in Chicago in 1928. Noble Drew Ali in the front center.

Noble Drew Ali reported in his notes that he had met a high priest of Egyptian magic on his travels . He saw him as the reincarnation of Jesus , Buddha , Mohammed and other religious leaders, introduced him to mystical secrets and handed him a "lost part" of the Koran . This text became known as the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America and is also called the Circle Seven Koran because of the blue one on its cover Circle circled seven can be seen. The first 19 chapters come from the "Aquarian Gospel" published in 1908 by Levi H. Dowling . Chapters 20 to 45 are taken from a guide to the way of life of the Rosicrucians , with slight changes in style and choice of words.

The last four chapters of the book are written by Drew Ali himself. In it he writes:

“The fallen sons and daughters of the Asian nation of North America must learn to love rather than hate, and must recognize their higher selves and lower selves. This is the unifying power of the Holy Koran from Mecca, for teaching and teaching all Moorish Americans, etc. The key to civilization was and is in the hands of Asian nations. The Moors, who were the ancient Moabites, and the founders of the Holy City of Mecca. "

Two texts by Noble Drew Ali are published in the Norwegian anthology Svart Messias (2011; ISBN 978-82-525-7529-3 ).

literature

  • Herbert Berg: Mythmaking in the African American Context: The Moorish Science Temple, the Nation of Islam, and the American Society of Muslims . In: Journal of the American Academy of Religion . Volume 73. No. 3, 2005, pp. 685-703.
  • Edward E. Curtis: Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History ( online excerpt )
  • Edward E. Curtis : Islam in Black America. Identity, Liberation, and difference in African-American Islamic thought . State University of New York, Albany 2002.
  • Real Theological Encyclopedia . Vol. 34.Walter de Gruyter & Co 2003 ( online excerpt )
  • Anthony B. Pinn: African American Religious Cultures. 2 volume set. ABC-Clio Inc 2009 ( online excerpt )
  • Edward L. Queen, II, Stephen R. Prothero, Gardiner H. Shatuck, Jr .: Encyclopedia of American Religious History. ( Online excerpt )

Web links

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ↑ Anthony B. Pinn, p 223, according to a Cherokee - Reserve . ( Online excerpt )
  2. ^ Henry Louis Gates Jr., Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham: African American Lives . OUP USA, 2004, ISBN 978-0-19-516024-6 , p. 18 (Accessed February 21, 2013).
  3. ↑ Timothy L. Hall: American Religious Leaders . Facts On File, 2003, ISBN 978-0-8160-4534-1 , pp. 103-104 (accessed February 21, 2013).
  4. ^ A b Edward E. Curtis: Islam in Black America. Identity, Liberation, and difference in African-American Islamic thought. State University of New York Press, Albany 2002, pp. 47 .
  5. ^ A b Herbert Berg: Mythmaking in the African American Muslim Context: The Moorish Science Temple, the Nation of Islam. and the American Society of Muslims. In: Journal of the American Academy of Religion . tape 73 , no. 3 , 2005, p. 689 .
  6. ^ Edward E. Curtis: Islam in Black America. Identity, Liberation, and difference in African-American Islamic thought. State University of New York Press, Albany 2002, pp. 47 .
  7. ^ Levi H. Dowling: The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
  8. ↑ Kambiz GhaneaBassiri: A History of Islam in America: From the New World to the New World Order . Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-61487-0 . Online partial view
  9. ↑ see hermetic.com
personal data
SURNAME Noble Drew Ali
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Drew, Timothy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION religious African American leader; Founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America
DATE OF BIRTH January 8, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH July 20, 1929
Place of death Chicago