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| Min. Farrakhan with young people in New York. Photo: Earl Byte file |
“When I used to come and sit at the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s table, he would mention a song; that, ‘I saw a man walking up a mountain 40 miles high, carrying a heavy load. And he said, ‘Lord, when will my help come?’—and I wondered why he would say that occasionally, and look me in my face. And then he said: ‘When that man reached the top of the mountain, he said, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna! My help is come.’”
—The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, “Divine Warning In The Time of God’s Judgment” from “The Time and What Must Be Done,” Part 10, 2013
Saviours’ Day 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan accepting the Life-Giving Teachings of his spiritual father and Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam (N.O.I.), the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad prayed for a “little helper,” and Master Fard Muhammad, Allah (God) in Person, answered His prayer. Minister Farrakhan came to Saviours’ Day (then Saviour’s Day) in 1955, at the end of the 400 years of affliction that Black people were prophesied to suffer.
That marked a turning point in the life of the talented artist then popularly known as “The Charmer,” Louis Eugene Walcott. He had achieved fame in Boston as a vocalist, calypso singer, dancer, and violinist.
He came into the N.O.I. as a young man, and today, at 91 years of age, his unwavering and unshakable faith has endured for seven decades. Saviours’ Day 1955 began a profound transformative moment for the N.O.I., Black America, and the world.
Personal reflection and gratitude
Brother Thomas Jehad, a pioneer in the N.O.I., witnessed Minister Farrakhan’s dedication from the early years, recalling his first F.O.I. (Fruit of Islam) class in New York and his elevation to minister in Boston. “It really invigorates all of us. If he can do it for 70 years and still be on his post, we can’t quit,” he stated.
Brother Thomas described Minister Farrakhan’s leadership as a blessing, highlighting how his humility and unwavering faith have guided and inspired so many people.
“As the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us, he (Minister Farrakhan) would get us across the river on his back. And when he gets us across, he won’t say, ‘look what I have done.’ He will say, ‘look what Allah has done.’”
“So, we’re blessed to be living in this day and time. And I pray to Allah to give him strength and much health, and I will always be beholden to him because it was he who also got me to come back to the Nation by the way he treated me when I came back to the Nation in the early 90s. So I am grateful that Allah allowed me to see the work that he has done,” Brother Thomas stated.
Minister Farrakhan chose faith over a promising music career, overcame opposition from the press, some pastors, political entities, and his enemies, but has remained steadfast in his mission, observed N.O.I. Eastern Region Student Minister Arthur Muhammad.
He emphasized that Minister Farrakhan brought the most charity, converts, and recognition to the N.O.I. His achievements include filling Madison Square Garden beyond capacity and organizing historic events such as the Million Man March, Million Family March, Millions More Movement, and Justice or Else! (10/10/15).
“It culminates trial and triumph and that’s what life is about. Allah gives us hard trials, and he says that it’s necessary to establish the truth. So, we see the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, as one who not only believes in the truth but stands on the truth, regardless of circumstances,” said Student Min. Arthur.
Leadership with mass appeal
Over 70 years, Minister Farrakhan’s impact extends beyond the N.O.I., as his divine guidance and leadership have shaped the consciousness of Black America, said Student Minister Demetric Muhammad of the N.O.I.’s Research Group. Minister Farrakhan’s 70-year journey should not be seen as just a religious milestone but as a transformative force in the Black liberation struggle, he said.
“When you want to talk about Minister Farrakhan, his congregation has been the masses of Black people, so you can’t look at it that way,” stated Student Min. Demetric. Minister Farrakhan has played a messianic role in the lives of Black people, which helps people see why his joining the Nation of Islam is profoundly significant, he said.
Many people, including students, professionals, and incarcerated individuals, have been awakened by Minister Farrakhan’s message from the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
His leadership has emphasized and demonstrated love, unity, and discipline, and setting an example by refraining from public disputes with other Black leaders. His ability to mobilize the masses and inspire social consciousness remains unparalleled, Student Min. Demetric explained.
Minister Farrakhan’s 70 years of unwavering commitment to the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad has also shaped both the N.O.I. and the broader Black liberation struggle, explained Brother Abdul Wahid Muhammad.
The N.O.I. pioneer has been a longtime companion and helper to Minister Farrakhan. Saviours’ Day 2025 is monumental on spiritual, historical and statistical levels, Brother Wahid explained.
“It affirms his unique role in continuing and expanding the Teachings in a modern context. This anniversary solidifies Minister Farrakhan’s position as the most enduring and impactful student of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
His ability to maintain, expand and defend the Nation of Islam, especially after the departure of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in 1975, underscores his leadership and divine assignment,” stated Brother Wahid, who is 90.
Noting that Minister Farrakhan has emphasized the critical need for separation (not segregation) and establishment of a self-sustaining Black nation, Brother Wahid marked this Saviours’ Day 2025 as a milestone, and he said it is a rallying call for believers and supporters to further that program and position with urgency and clarity.
“This anniversary is a reflective moment for the Nation of Islam and the world, and … the responsibility of the believers to carry on the work,” added Brother Wahid.
Continuing the mission and work
“It’s just incredible to see what has happened since 1955 to now 2025. It’s just amazing to see it,” remarked Student Min. Dr. Ridgely Muhammad, manager of Muhammad Farms and a member of N.O.I. Research Group.
In 2015, Student Min. Ridgely explained that Minister Farrakhan protected Black youth and young people outraged over the numbers of Black people killed or abused by police and vigilantes. Many of the high-profile cases sparked nationwide protests calling for justice.
“Youth were ready to go to war,” he said. But Minister Farrakhan invited them to the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March (10/10/15), called “Justice or Else.”
“In Washington, D.C., he gave them their marching orders, which was to boycott Christmas. Instead of going up against tanks and guns, take away from them (White corporations and retailers) what they love: money. Deprive them of money,” stated Student Min. Dr. Ridgely.
N.O.I. Western Regional Student Minister Abdul Malik Sayyid Muhammad linked Minister Farrakhan’s journey to biblical and Quranic prophecies. He cited the Seventy Weeks prophecy of Daniel, describing how Minister Farrakhan’s work represents the rebuilding of Jerusalem—which means where peace first started.
“Well for us, it didn’t start until that meeting took place,” he stated, referring to Saviours’ Day 1955. “Oftentimes we equate Jerusalem with a geographical location, but Jerusalem is also a people, and this whole mantra of teaching for us has been self-improvement. Clean up. Get yourself right,” he said.
Student Min. Abdul Malik Sayyid highlighted this year’s Saviours’ Day keynote message theme, “Repent: For the Kingdom of God is at Hand,” saying it reflects a call for purification within Black America and the world. He emphasized how Minister Farrakhan has urged members of the Nation of Islam to return to the warning that only our righteousness will sustain us through impending trials.
“We have to repent and get back to the Restrictive Law because we’re now moving into the period of desolation, to where all hell is about to break loose,” stated Min. Abdul Malik Sayyid.
“He is the anointed Messiah. And he has been begging Allah for mercy on us … .”
Southern Regional M.G.T. and G.C.C. (Muslim Girls’ Training and General Civilization Class) Student Captain Dr. Nusaybah Muhammad aligned Minister Farrakhan’s 70-year labor with the 70th chapter of the Holy Quran, Al-Maarij (The Ways of Ascent).
It highlights that great ends are achieved in a long period of time, and the ways of ascent is how the faithful attains nearness to Allah while establishing that the opponents shall be met with disgrace as a new nation is raised in their place, she noted.
“Right now, we are experiencing such a turbulent time in 2025 in society. These Teachings are the method in which we elevate over the wickedness of Satan,” she stated.
M.G.T. Student Captain Nusaybah referenced the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s 1974 book, “Our Saviour Has Arrived,” in an answer to her question, what need was so severe that it warranted prayer for a helper. He writes in the chapter titled, “The Sure Truth:”
“We are now witnessing the truth being spread all over the continent of America and jumping the borders and spreading around the earth. Allah is backing up His Coming and Presence to defend the horrible plight of the so-called American Negro.
There is no plainer truth that could ever come to both White and Black than what Allah, in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, to Whom praises are due forever, has delivered to me, whom He chose to deliver this Message of Truth. The enemy is ever seeking a way to oppose the truth and take you and me to their doom if we are foolish enough to give a lie to the truth.”
“I thought that’s the significance of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, who has crisscrossed this country and the world representing that extension of mercy to his people, directly from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,” Sister Nusaybah said.
Minister Farrakhan is “the one who continues to sound the trumpet of truth during the turmoil of these times,” she continued. “That’s the blessing and that’s the prayer that we would be able to have an extension, mercy and more grace from Allah,
That we would be able to have another opportunity to spread these Teachings (and) be able to get to as many of our people, help to save ourselves through these Teachings, so that we might find the favor of Almighty God Allah.”
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