Critical thinkers are known to possess an array of captivating qualities that are known to influence many others. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was one of the most astonishing critical thinkers of our time. He was known for his controversial teachings and leadership during a time of racial inequality and social progression. As leader of The Nation of Islam, he influenced the African American community with his teachings on personal independence and promotion of African Americans as a superior race. He was the inspiration and influence of some other great critical thinkers such as Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan and Muhammad Ali, all followers of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. The legacy left by the great Elijah Muhammad influenced people of African descent long after his death. Elijah Muhammad was born as Robert Poole on October 7, 1897, in Sandersville, Georgia. His parents had thirteen children and later moved the family to Cordele, Georgia, where Elijah grew up. His father William was a sharecropper and his mother Mariah did domestic work to support the family. He attended school until the fourth grade, where he then dropped out to work in sawmills and brickyards to earn money. He then met a woman named Clara Evans with whom he married and had eight children. In 1923, he moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan, where he worked in an automobile factory. Later, in 1931, he met a man named Wallace D. Fard, founder of the black separatist movement Nation of Islam, within which he later mentored and named Muhammad. Muhammad adopted Fard's teachings and converted to the Nation of Islam. Three years later, Fard mysteriously disappeared and the Nation of Islam divided...... middle of paper...... erful over the decades. Some of the major activities included establishing farms, livestock and vegetable crops, food processing centers, health care and administrative offices. In 1972, Muhammad opened a $2 million mosque and school for Muslims living in Chicago. During his time as leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad was perhaps one of the most ethnologically involved and influential critical thinkers of our time. His great contributions helped the African American race during a time of social struggles that could have harmed its future. He became an influence for other great critical thinkers, which helped continue his legacy. Overall, Elijah Muhammad established himself as a great critical thinker through his contributions, integrity, leadership, and perseverance in a time of socio-economic disruption..