Noble Drew Ali facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Drew Ali
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Drew Ali in 1925
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| Born |
Timothy Drew
January 8, 1886 North Carolina, United States
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| Died | July 20, 1929 (aged 43) Chicago, Illinois, United States
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| Cause of death | tuberculosis and bronchopneumonia |
| Resting place | Burr Oak Cemetery |
| Spouse(s) | Pearl Drew Ali & Mary Drew Ali |
Timothy Drew, known as Noble Drew Ali (born January 8, 1886 – died July 20, 1929), was an American who started the Moorish Science Temple of America. His followers believed he was a prophet. In 1913, he created the Canaanite Temple in Newark, New Jersey. Later, he moved to Chicago, where thousands of people joined his movement. Drew Ali was briefly arrested in 1929 but never charged. He passed away shortly after being released.
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Noble Drew Ali's Early Life
Many details about Drew Ali's early life are not fully clear. His followers often mixed facts with legends. He was likely born Timothy Drew on January 8, 1886, in North Carolina. Some stories say he was an orphan whose parents were former slaves and part of a Cherokee tribe. Other accounts describe him as the son of a Cherokee leader and a Washitaw-Tunica mother.
A popular story among members of the Moorish Science Temple says that Drew was raised by a mean aunt. It is said she once threw him into a furnace. This story also claims he left home at 16 and joined a group of Romani people. They supposedly took him to Egypt and the Middle East. Drew Ali also reportedly worked as a circus magician or a sailor before his travels. He never went to a formal school but learned about Eastern philosophy.
In 2014, new information about Drew Ali's early life came out. Research suggested that Noble Drew Ali might have been a person named "Thomas Drew." This Thomas Drew was born on the same date but came from Virginia. This research used old records like census reports and newspaper ads.
How His Religious Ideas Formed
Drew Ali said that during his travels in Egypt, he met a wise Egyptian priest. In some stories, this priest believed Drew Ali was a new version of an old founder. In other stories, the priest thought Drew Ali was a new version of important religious leaders like Jesus, the Buddha, and Muhammad. According to these stories, the priest taught Ali about mysticism. He also gave him a "lost section" of the Quran.
This text became known as the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America. It is different from the Islamic Quran. People also call it the "Circle Seven Koran" because its cover has a red "7" inside a blue circle. The first 19 chapters of this book come from The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. This book was published in 1908 by a preacher named Levi Dowling. Dowling's book described Jesus's supposed travels in India, Egypt, and Palestine. These were the years of Jesus's life not mentioned in the New Testament.
Chapters 20 to 45 are taken from a Rosicrucian book called Unto Thee I Grant. These chapters give advice on how to live. They also explain the education and duties of followers.
Drew Ali wrote the last four chapters of the Circle Seven Koran himself. In these chapters, he wrote:
The fallen sons and daughters of the Asiatic Nation of North America need to learn to love instead of hate; and to know of their higher self and lower self. This is the uniting of the Holy Koran of Mecca for teaching and instructing all Moorish Americans, etc. The key of civilization was and is in the hands of the Asiatic nations. The Moorish, who were the ancient Moabites, and the founders of the Holy City of Mecca.
Drew Ali used these writings to say that Jesus and his followers were "Asiatic." He used "Asiatic" to describe all dark or olive-skinned people. He called white people "European." However, white people who joined the Moorish Science Temple were called "Persians" or "Celts." He believed that all Asiatic people should work together.
Drew Ali taught that African Americans were all Moors. He said they came from the ancient Moabites. He believed that Islam and its teachings were better for their lives on Earth. He also said their "true nature" had been kept from them. Male members of the Temple wear a fez or turban on their heads. Women also wear a turban.
Drew Ali encouraged "Moorish-Americans" to be good citizens. He gave speeches telling them to reject hurtful labels like "Black," "colored," and "Negro." He wanted people of all races to choose love instead of hate. He believed that Chicago would become a second Mecca.
Drew Ali created his Moorish Science ideas from many different sources. These sources focused on how a person could change themselves through spiritual knowledge. In the 1920s, in Chicago and other big cities, he used these ideas to promote Moorish pride. His message appealed to thousands of African Americans. They had moved from difficult conditions in the South during the Great Migration. They were looking for a better life in new cities.
Starting the Moorish Science Temple
It is possible that Drew Ali traveled to Egypt and Morocco. However, historians believe that after leaving North Carolina, he moved to Newark, New Jersey. There, he worked for a train company. In 1913, Drew Ali started the Canaanite Temple in Newark. Drew Ali and his followers moved around, starting new groups in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Detroit. Finally, Drew Ali settled in Chicago in 1925. He said the Midwest was "closer to Islam." The next year, he officially registered Temple No. 9.
In Chicago, he told his followers to build up their community and earn respect. He wanted them to create a cultural identity that matched his beliefs. This way, they could find their place in the United States. In the late 1920s, reporters estimated that the Moorish Science Temple had 35,000 members. They had 17 temples in cities across the Midwest and upper South.
The ushers at the Temple wore black fezzes. The leader of a temple was called a Grand Sheik or Governor. Noble Drew Ali was known to have had several wives. According to The Chicago Defender newspaper, he claimed the power to marry and divorce whenever he wished. The Chicago police reportedly watched the Moorish Science movement.
Drew Ali attended the 1929 inauguration of Illinois Governor Louis Lincoln Emmerson. The Chicago Defender newspaper said that his trip included "interviews with many distinguished citizens from Chicago." As its population and membership grew, Chicago became the main center of the Moorish Science movement.
Challenges and Changes
In early 1929, there was a disagreement over money. Claude Green-Bey, who managed the business of Chicago Temple No. 1, left the Moorish Science Temple of America. He declared himself Grand Sheik and took some members with him.
Drew Ali was out of town at the time. He was dealing with another former leader, Lomax-Bey, who had supported Green-Bey's actions. When Drew Ali returned to Chicago, the police arrested him and other members. They were suspected of being involved in a related incident. However, Drew Ali was never formally charged.
Noble Drew Ali's Passing
Drew Ali died at age 43 at his home in Chicago on July 20, 1929. This happened shortly after he was released by the police. His official death certificate stated that he died from "tuberculosis broncho-pneumonia". Even with this official report, many of his followers believed his death was caused by injuries. They thought these injuries came from the police or from other members of the faith.
Others thought it was simply due to pneumonia. One follower told The Chicago Defender that "The Prophet was not ill; his work was done and he laid his head upon the lap of one of his followers and passed out." His funeral was held on July 25, 1929. Hundreds of people attended. The services took place at the Pythian Temple in Chicago. He was buried at Burr Oak Cemetery in nearby Alsip.
After Drew Ali's death, several people wanted to take his place as leader. Edward Mealy El said that Drew Ali himself had named him as his successor. John Givens-El, who was Drew Ali's driver, claimed that he was Drew Ali reborn. However, the leaders of the Moorish Science Temple of America chose Charles Kirkman-Bey to succeed Drew Ali. They named him Grand Advisor.
His Lasting Impact
Wallace Fard Muhammad, who started the Nation of Islam, was once an important member of the Moorish Science Temple of America. He was known as David Ford-El. After Drew Ali died, he claimed to be the Prophet reborn.
When most people did not accept his leadership, he left the Moorish Science Temple. He moved to Detroit and founded the Nation of Islam. For many years, leaders of the Nation of Islam denied any connection to the Moorish Science Temple of America. However, on February 26, 2014, Louis Farrakhan recognized Noble Drew Ali's important role in the Nation of Islam's history.
In 1986, the Moroccan Ambassador to the United States officially recognized the Moorish Science Temple's link to Islam and Morocco through Drew Ali.
See also
- Islam in the United States
- Liberation theology
- Malcolm X
- Elijah Muhammad
- Religion of black Americans
