St. Louis Reflects on the Impact of Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad: Historian, Diplomat and International Ambassador

Credited to: By J.A. Salaam, Contributing Writer – Provided Courtesy of The Final Call
@drjasalaam

ST. LOUIS, MO.,- During a dark period in the Nation of Islam in the summer of 1975, following the departure of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the city of St. Louis welcomed a “special friend” during a time of transition of the movement that was now led by Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, Messenger Muhammad’s son. However, between the fall of 1977 and the spring of 1978, Bro. Akbar began working with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan who had vowed to rebuild the Nation of Islam from the heartland of America.
Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad, known then as Brother Karriem Aziz, arrived in St. Louis in 1975 with a new assignment as the Minister over Temple No. 28. He would go on to travel to more than 180 countries as the International Representative of Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, meeting with presidents, kings and heads of state. Yet those who knew him best say his most lasting impact was not measured in diplomatic halls or foreign capitals. It was measured in the lives he changed, one by one, right here in St. Louis.

Student Minister Donald Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque 28 was among the first in the city to witness Bro. Akbar’s impact. Describing him as an impressionable mover and shaker, he said, “Spring of 1975, I was told that there was a new minister in St. Louis, from New York. We had never seen anyone with that type of charisma in the city of St. Louis. He was reaching out into the community and bringing people of leadership into the mosque, like politicians, pastors and community leaders. The mosque was packed every Sunday.” Brother Donald also recounted the pivotal moment when Brother Akbar aligned himself with the rebuilding under Minister Farrakhan. “Brother Akbar had an office on Boyle Avenue in St. Louis, and that was the first time I had ever come that close to the Minister (Farrakhan) in that small room. The Minister was telling us how he was going to rebuild the Nation of Islam. Brother Akbar agreed immediately, and those that knew Brother Akbar, we agreed and we got started. In the rebuilding process, we went to East St. Louis to not clash with the followers of the Imam,” he said.

That decision required a physical home for the believers. Former East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer recalled a moment that captured both the man and his mission. “When the Nation needed a building for a Temple in East St. Louis, I remember how folks that wasn’t our color questioned me of why I would allow them to get that building. I told them, ‘because they asked and I felt it was an appropriate position. We had a vacant building and they would do a good job maintaining the building and having a place of worship and education for people. It just made sense to me and I was proud to do it.’ When I think about Minister Akbar, first and foremost was his friendship. I appreciated his character and the way that he served not only the Nation, but quite frankly how he served the Minister. His devotion to Allah, you never can diminish that kind of love. He was an honorable brother.”
The building itself carried a heavy history, once a funeral home turned abortion clinic. In his September 7, 1980 lecture “Farrakhan Speaks to Black St. Louis,” Minister Farrakhan described it as “an abortion factory, a place of murder.” Under Brother Akbar’s direction, working alongside his captain Eddie Aziz, approximately 30 brothers pooled their resources and labor to transform the space into a place of life. Brother Robert Ringo personally handled all of the flooring in the building, helping lay the literal foundation for what would become a center of worship, education and community. Their collective work made possible the grand opening and dedication on May 3, 1981, with Minister Farrakhan as the special guest speaker.

Brother Akbar was known throughout his life for the principles he lived and taught. Three sayings in particular defined his standard: “Men sharpen men.” “Men make things happen.” And, “Excuses are a sign of weakness.” These were not slogans. They were the operating code of every man who worked alongside him, and the testimony of those men bears that out completely.
Brother Jame Muhammad, a student of Minister Akbar since 1981, offered a testimony that touched on both the personal and the profound. “I got my X in 1981 and he was my minister. I left the Nation and had been gone over 20 years. My wife passed away in 2018. I got his number and asked him if he would do the eulogy. He said, ‘Yes, Brother, I’ll do that. Give me the date and the time.’ Now, here’s a brother that’s been with kings and rulers all over the country, but he had time for his little brother. He led by example. You had to study around Brother because he was always in the Quran giving you words of wisdom. He was a workaholic. You could never be the same around that brother.”
Kevin Bryant, who helped Minister Akbar compile his writings, described him in terms that few men ever earn. “Minister Akbar Muhammad was a walking library, one of the last true Griots of our time. The greatest impact he had on me didn’t happen in a meeting with a head of state, but across the dinner table during our time in Africa. It was a paternal bond built on deep mutual respect. I am a better man for knowing him and a far wiser one for having had the honor of being his student.”

Business mogul Michael V. Roberts, Sr. shared stories of a long friendship built on shared purpose. “My dear Minister Akbar and I did a number of collaborative things. One was when Kwame Ture came to St. Louis for his final run to raise monies before he went back to Africa to transition. We raised more money at our two events than they raised at a larger event in D.C. after ours. Another moment that impacted St. Louis was the Million Man March. I donated office space at my building, the Victor Roberts building, and helped charter planes for men traveling to the march. I was ultimately enstooled as King in Ghana and so many of my contacts and experiences in Ghana were as a result of Brother Akbar coming to meet me while I was there.”
Attorney and activist Jerryl Christmas offered a tribute that was both personal and far-reaching. “Minister Akbar was a gift from God. His leadership, intellect and passion for Black people and Africa is unmatched. He was the catalyst for exposing the Black boys and girls in our Rites of Passage program to Africa on five different occasions. His impact on St. Louis will never be forgotten. I am forever thankful for his presence on this earth. To God be the Glory.”
Steve Conley, who served as Minister Akbar’s technology consultant, spoke of a friendship that changed the direction of his life. “He was a dear friend and a teacher I listened to intently, a walking library and historian who lived the history he shared. His accounts of traveling with Minister Farrakhan and meeting presidents and leaders across Africa and the Caribbean changed my life’s direction and directly influenced my move to the Caribbean and my decision to do business in Africa. I am forever grateful. Rest in power, my friend. Your influence lives on.”
George Hairston, a successful businessman who came into the Nation under Minister Akbar’s guidance, spoke with the reverence of a man still shaped by what he received. “I thank God that I ever got around him. He would talk with us about how to act as men, how to carry ourselves, how to teach each other, looking into the field of business, getting in business ourselves. He had me to read all the time. He made me want to be better.”
Sister Pamela Muhammad, 74, who served as his student Sister Captain over the MGT/GCC, spoke of a relationship that spanned every dimension of life. “Brother Akbar was a firm task master indeed and his way was always in a gentle teaching mode. But you couldn’t be stagnant. You had to always be working. He was like a father, big brother, grandfather, mentor, all of that to my son and I. He married my husband and myself and two of my children. To be called the ‘recording angel’ by the Minister, and I happened to be in that audience that day. If the Minister said it, Brother Akbar tried to make it so. He was the Minister’s right arm.”
Brother Talib Muhammad, 71, who worked alongside Minister Akbar for nearly 30 years, captured the full weight of the man. “It was one of the greatest experiences that I could ever have in life. I’ve touched three continents and been to just about every Mosque in the Nation. Being with him, I learned how to become a diplomat. No one sits around Akbar and does nothing. He’s going to find something for you to do. This is Akbar’s city. When he was the minister, Akbar made this city jump. His legacy is going to have to live through us, those who have been close to him.”
Student Minister Ralph Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque 28B offered a tribute both historical and deeply personal. “He was my brother, mentor, confidant, spiritual guide, advisor and a father figure. He married my wife and I in 1980, my daughter and her husband Steven and my youngest son, Karriem, who was named after him. May Allah be pleased with him and continue to bless his family. Thank you, Brother Minister Akbar, for your love, kindness and tolerance. You will always be a part of me and my family.”
Echoing the sentiment of his father, Stu. Min. Ralph Muhammad, Dr. Ian Buchanan, CEO of Nia Education Group shared how the example of Min. Akbar taught him as a young boy, the principles of leadership.
“There are some men whose impact is not always seen directly, but whose fingerprints are unmistakably present in the lives they help shape. Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad was one such man. While many knew him as a scholar, international representative, and trusted servant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, I knew him as a guiding force whose influence reached me through the people who molded my life,” said Dr. Ian Buchanan, CEO of Nia Education Group. “And perhaps most importantly, he demonstrated what it means to be an exceptional “number two. Minister Akbar showed the power of disciplined, loyal and selfless support. He exemplified what it means to stand firmly behind the one whom God has chosen to lead, while being ready to step forward when called. Throughout my own journey, often serving in roles as a second-in-command, I have looked to Minister Akbar as the standard for how to serve with humility, strength, and excellence.”
Brother Anthony Shahid, who first met Brother Akbar in 1975 as a young man, spoke with the conviction of someone still measuring the magnitude of the loss. “He was a giant amongst giants. He made stars, and he made geniuses, and he made us learn how to work, and he really burned Islam into our hearts. Out of 192 nations, he was in 180 nations. He went to Egypt over 100 times. Mecca, over 35 times. Libya, over 125 times. And Ghana, over 100 times. I don’t even know if the Million Man March could have been a Million Man March without Minister Akbar Muhammad. Minister Farrakhan had a quiet man working behind the scene, making sure he didn’t miss nothing, and he never worried about being in the highlight. He was always humble.”
Perhaps one of the most pivotal moments in St. Louis history where Brother Akbar made his most immediate impact was during the Ferguson uprising. Following the killing of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. on August 9, 2014, Brother Akbar returned to St. Louis and went directly to the streets, standing alongside the youth, politicians and activists demanding justice for the Brown family. He helped organize the Ferguson October rally, where an estimated 10,000 people marched through downtown St. Louis in protest against police brutality and in demand of police reform across America. He also helped negotiate matters on behalf of Mike Brown Sr. and Michael Brown J’s mother, Lezley McSpadden-Head and supported their historic journey to Geneva, Switzerland, to address the 53rd Session of the United Nations Committee Against Torture. Brother Akbar’s work never stopped.
His legacy does not rest in monuments or titles. It lives in the men and women he refused to allow to remain idle, in the books he pressed into their hands, in the marriages he performed, in the Mosques he helped build and in the quiet, consistent instruction he gave to all who were fortunate enough to meet him. To know Brother Akbar Muhammad was to be made better.
Brother Ajuma added a final word that said everything. “No words is able to describe what he means to the world. You say St. Louis, or you say Chicago. He was known in New York. He was known in Atlanta. But all those places was too small. He wasn’t containable. What Allah blessed him with, he didn’t do nothing but just produce and raised the dead. He loved to pray and he never would let you praise him. His humble words were always, All Praises Due to Allah.”
Final Call Staff Writer Anisah Muhammad contributed to this report.
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