Ruby Muhammad
Encyclopedia
Ruby Muhammad was an American religious figure known as the "Mother of the Nation of Islam
." She was born in Sandersville, Georgia
and grew up in Americus
. No birth certificate exists to confirm her age, and it has been reported with significant disparity, although she claimed in newspaper interviews that she was born Ruby Macie Grayer on March 20, 1897. Recent research, however, suggests she was born in 1907, a decade later, based on the listing of Ruby Macie Grier, aged 3, in the 1910 census.
Her mother died when she was very young, and she was raised by a woman she called her aunt, although she would later say that this woman was probably not her aunt. She did not know her father until she was a teenager. Community records in Sandersville, where she was born, indicate her father died at age 107 and her great-grandfather died at age 110.
Muhammad joined the Nation of Islam
in 1946 and was named "Mother of the Nation of Islam" in 1986 by Minister Louis Farrakhan
. This is an honorary title; Muhammad, who was married twice, was not the widow of Elijah Muhammad
, who founded the Nation of Islam.
In 2006, Muhammad moved into a senior center in Sacramento, California
. In 2008, Muhammad, then known as Ruby Pittman (the name of her second husband), received a motorized wheelchair as a donation from a scooter store.
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
." She was born in Sandersville, Georgia
Sandersville, Georgia
Sandersville is a city in Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Washington County...
and grew up in Americus
Americus, Georgia
-Early years:Americus, Georgia was named and chartered by Sen. Lovett B. Smith in 1832.For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed...
. No birth certificate exists to confirm her age, and it has been reported with significant disparity, although she claimed in newspaper interviews that she was born Ruby Macie Grayer on March 20, 1897. Recent research, however, suggests she was born in 1907, a decade later, based on the listing of Ruby Macie Grier, aged 3, in the 1910 census.
Her mother died when she was very young, and she was raised by a woman she called her aunt, although she would later say that this woman was probably not her aunt. She did not know her father until she was a teenager. Community records in Sandersville, where she was born, indicate her father died at age 107 and her great-grandfather died at age 110.
Muhammad joined the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
in 1946 and was named "Mother of the Nation of Islam" in 1986 by Minister Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
. This is an honorary title; Muhammad, who was married twice, was not the widow of Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
, who founded the Nation of Islam.
In 2006, Muhammad moved into a senior center in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. In 2008, Muhammad, then known as Ruby Pittman (the name of her second husband), received a motorized wheelchair as a donation from a scooter store.