Black History Month: Bilali Muhammad: How This Extraordinary Enslaved Black Muslim Became A Hero Of The War Of 1812 And Left A Proud Legacy As The Nation’s First Islamic Scholar

The first American Muslim scholar was Bilali Muhammad, an American war hero born in 1770 in a Muslim village in present-day Guinea, West Africa. After being abducted as a child he ended up on Sapelo Island, on the eastern shore of Georgia. He and the other enslaved residents of the barrier Islands developed a unique African American culture which has an enduring legacy to this day.

People referred to these slaves as the Gullah Geechee. Most Americans are more familiar with the Gullah culture then they realize. One only needs to be reminded of the song, “Kumbaya,” sung in the Gullah language, a mixture of English and an African language called Fulah; of gumbo, an African dish more commonly referred to as Cajan; or of the “Briar Rabbit” stories, which were traditional Gullah stories.

Pictured: Thomas Spalding

The owner of Sapelo Island, Thomas Spalding, was considered a ‘benevolent’ master who made his slaves work a minimum of six hours of hard labor a day, after which they were permitted some freedoms. He allowed them to keep their own names, practice their own religions, and speak their own languages [2]. Spalding is said to have respected Bilali’s Muhammad’s intellect. He also appreciated his skill for growing indigo and sea island cotton, and soon made him the plantation overseer.

Muhammad and his wife, Phoebe, practiced Islam along with their seven daughters who also lived on the island [1]. Their sons were sent to work on nearby islands. Uncle Remus, from the “Briar Rabbit” stories — also known as Aaron (aka Haroon) — was one of Biliali Muhammad’s sons [1].

Muhammad taught other slaves on the island to pray five times a day, fast in Ramadan and make thirkr. He and his wife were reported to have worn Islamic clothing — Muhammad wore a red fez, and his wife wore a loose white cloth on her head [6]. Their granddaughter, Katie Brown, reported, “Dey pray at sunup and face duh sun on duh knees and bow tuh it tree times, kneelin’ on a lill mat.” Another descendant, Rosa Grant, reported, “Friday was duh day she called huh prayuh day” [4].

Unlike most slaves, Muhammad could read and write, but he wrote in a mixture of Fula and Arabic. His writings became known as the “Bilali Documents,” and taught the slaves tafsir, Quran, hadith and simple rituals such as how to call the adhan. These documents are the oldest known American documents written to preserve the teachings of Islam in America, making him the first known Muslim American scholar.

Pictured: "The Old Plantation," which depicts the Gullah

Muhammad is remembered for his courage on at least two documented occasions [1]. The first was when Thomas Spalding had to leave the Island to help defend America from the British in the War of 1812. Spalding trusted Muhammad so much that he left him and his followers with muskets to defend the island. The British attempted to attack the U.S. from Sapelo Island, but when they saw Muhammad and his men armed they turned away. When asked about the invasion, Muhammad reported to Spalding, “I will answer for every Negro [sic] of the true faith [al-islam], but none of the Christian dogs that you own” [1].

The second event occurred in September of 1824 when Muhammad saved all of the residents of the island by directing them to take cover in cotton and sugar houses made of ‘tabby’, a strong building material made from a mixture of seashells and lime, which originates from West Africa.

Today, many of the descendants of Muhammad have the name Bailey, Hall, Bell and Walker [5]. Up until the 1980’s a community of about 500 of them maintained their own culture on Sapelo Island, but slowly were forced to move to the mainland because of limited services such as electricity, public schools and other public works. Although most descendants eventually converted to Christianity, many recognize their Muslim roots [5], and continue some Islamic traditions such as covering their hair. Some reverts to Islam, such as Imam Yahiya Abdullah in Florida and Br. Amir Muhammad, the founder of the Islamic American Heritage Museum in Washington, D.C., trace their roots to the Gullah.

Pictured: Beto O'Rourke visits Gullah Nation

In 2000, the Gullah elected a Chieftess and declared their own nation in hopes to preserve their culture. During the 2020 election campaign, Beto O’Rourke raised controversy when he recognized the Gullah Nation by visiting them in South Carolina, as a sign of support for paying reparations to descendants of slaves.

Today, the Gullah continue to fight for a voice just as Muhammad did 200 years earlier. The Bilali Documents are currently stored at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia. The translation of the documents was published by Dr. Muhammad Al-Ahari in his book, “Bilali Muhammad’s Meditations: Sapelo Island” [1].

When Muhammad died in 1857 he was reported to have recited the shahadah as his last words [3], and to have been buried with his prayer rug and Quran on his chest [1]

References:

[1] Al-Ahari M. (2017). Bilali Muhammad’s Meditations: Sapelo Island, Georgia (1770-1857). Magrabine Press.

[2] Coulter, E.M. (1940). Thomas Spalding of Sapelo.  Louisiana State University Press. 

[3] Diouf, S. A. (2013). Servants of Allah: African American Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. New York University Press.

[4] Gomez, M. A. (2005). Black Crescent: The Experience and Legacy of African Muslims in America.  Cambridge University Press. 

[5] Hillery, C. (2017). The Life and Times of Bilali Muhammad by Ancestral Grandson Chief Hillery.  Blog Talk Radio. Retrieved on April 22, 2018 from:

www.blogtalkradio.com/houseofancestry/2017/03/16the-life-and-times-of-bilali-muhammad-by-ancestral-grandson-by-chief-hillery

[6] Johnson. P.E. (1994). African American Christianity: Essays in Humanity. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles California.

Mahnaz Pater-Rov is an advocate for teaching youth about the history of Islam in America. She works as an educational diagnostician in a public school system, but she also has formal training and certification as a school administrator.