Satti Majid | |
|---|---|
ساتي ماجد | |
 Satti Majid in 1925 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Satti Majid Muhammad al-Qadi Suwar al-Dhahab 1883 |
| Died | 17 March 1963 (aged 79–80) Al-Ghaddar, Northern State, Sudan |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Region | US |
| Lineage | Suwar al-Dhahab (Danagla) |
| Main interest(s) | Islamic missionary |
| Education | Al-Azhar University (no degree) |
| Posthumous name | Shaykh al-Islam in North America Shaykh of Buffalo Shaykh of America |
| Senior posting | |
Influenced | |
Imam Satti Majid (Arabic: ساتي ماجد; 1883 – 17 March 1963), also known as Shaykh al-Islam in North America,[1][2][3][4] was a Sudanese Islamic leader who is considered as one of the first Muslim missionaries in the United States and known for establishing Islam as an organised religion in the United States during the interwar period. Satti Majid Muhammad al-Qadi Suwar al-Dhahab was from a Dongolawi family of religious judges and clerics. He studied Islam in a khalwa, then pursued education at al-Azhar University in Egypt. With intentions to spread Islam, he moved to England, where he co-founded the Islamic Missionary Society with fellow Dongolawi and Yemeni men, delivering speeches and lectures across Britain, where he used his knowledge in Quran and Hadith while his associates translated to English.
Satti Majid's influence extended to the United States, where he settled in the Yemeni community in Brooklyn, New York, and became an imam around 1904. He played a crucial role in organising Sudanese expatriates and formed national associations. His impact stretched from New York to Detroit, establishing organisations like the United Moslem Society and the African Moslem Welfare Society of America, aimed at promoting Islamic identity and community coordination.
An orthodox (Sunni) Muslim, Satti Majid had a dispute with the Ahmadiyya movement, and in 1929 he attempted to condemn Noble Drew Ali's teachings with Al-Azhar's support but was not able to return to the US from Egypt. He later returned to Sudan, engaged in Islamic conventions, and founded the Islamic Unity Association.
Satti Majid's efforts to convert African Americans to Islam were recognised and celebrated, and he left a lasting impact on American Islam, emphasising unity, education, and community building. His influence on figures like Shaykh Daoud Ahmed Faisal and Elijah Muhammad, and his indirect impact on Malcolm X reshaped American Muslim history.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ GhaneaBassiri, Kambiz (19 April 2010). A History of Islam in America: From the New World to the New World Order. Cambridge University Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-139-78891-5. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Curtis, Edward E. (2010). Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History. Infobase Publishing. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4381-3040-8. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck (11 April 2002). Muslims in the West: From Sojourners to Citizens. Oxford University Press. p. 260. ISBN 978-0-19-803375-2. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.