CHICAGO—When Urban Historic Preservationist Sister Sajdah Wendy Muhammad opened the doors to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s former house at 4847 South Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago for mini-tours during the Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day weekend, she also kicked off its 2023 Historical Exhibit.
According to Sis. Sajdah, her goal going into the tour was to fortify the Believer and to give additional evidence to those who do not believe the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is still alive. Guests were treated to history regarding almost every detail of the house.
Hazel L. Muhammad of Memphis, Tenn., always wanted to visit the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s home and this was her dream come true. She’s been in the Nation of Islam since 1958 when she was four years old, she said.
She and her mom always drove by on the way to her Muslim school. But Feb. 24, 2023, changed a lot for her, she said, eyes closed at times as she kept shaking her head while tears fell.
“I have been waiting so long to come here,” Sis. Hazel said. “I’ve been on the outside of this house at least twice in my life and I never came on the inside. And just to stand here and just to be here where the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was and his family and all the dignitaries and all the people that He met, it’s just the history and everything and Inshallah (God-Willing), I’m still here to be here, to know! It’s unbelievable! I just can’t believe I’m sharing this moment right now. I’m just so happy!”
Deborah 4X McCloud of Philadelphia, who became a registered member of the Nation of Islam in 2015, said she cried quite a bit during the tour because she could feel the energy and spirit of the Exalted Christ (the Honorable Elijah Muhammad).
“I just feel it! I’m just so overwhelmed, being here where He lived, where the Mothers of the Faithful were, all of that is just emotional, very emotional,” Sis. Deborah said.
As Sis. Sajdah detailed the history of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s day-to-day inside the home, her five Experience Representatives (Aletha Muhammad, Dawn Muhammad, Lesil Muhammad, Zakiyyah Muhammad, Anissa Muhammad, and this writer), and members of the Fruit of Islam, helped to escort guests. Sajdah House Experience Representatives helped to facilitate ELIJAH Coin, ELIJAH Pendant and other memorabilia purchases, as well as sponsorships and raise awareness about the unprecedented restoration effort of the house into a living museum—living, because the Honorable Elijah Muhammad lives!
Over and over again guests thanked Sis. Sajdah for her personal sacrifice and struggle to purchase His home and for welcoming them into it. She in-kind thanked each and every one of them for their love and support of her in this mission.
“I didn’t know what this was going to look like and it was quite scary because it became very clear that I had to be above myself,” Sis. Sajdah shared. “Sometimes the ego is like, ‘No. I’m not giving up.’ But it has to go in order to be able to ask questions and figure out what’s the best thing to do and so Allah (God) has guided me with the help of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.”
February marked 52 months of Sis. Sajdah’s restoration effort, she shared. She encouraged visitors to uplift and be kind to the N.O.I.’s Pioneers: “We stand on great, great shoulders,” Sis. Sajdah said. “Anything we can do for a Believer or for anyone that fortifies their connection to their inheritance, which is Allah, is worth it and what should be our goal.”
“When I see people crying at Sajdah House, I’m thanking Allah and praying to Him that if there’s any way that my presentation allows them to forget about their demons for a few minutes, and give that millisecond of connection … at the end of the day, just that little release, just that little thing that makes you go, ‘Oh! I can see clearer! I feel better. I can move differently.’ And if you can take that little piece of energy with you and do something different in your life and you become fortified, then I feel grateful to be able to be in that position,” Sis. Sajdah said.
For more information on how to purchase the ELIJAH Coin or Pendant, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.sajdahhouse.com.
