Zia and Shakeela Hassan were first-hand witnesses to Elijah Muhammad’s role in shaping the destiny and determination of Cassius Clay to become the world’s best and foremost boxing legend as a convert to Islam. Shakeela recalls how lovingly and gracefully Sister Clara would attend to details of table etiquette to taking turns in table conversations with the dynamic young guest, Ali, at the family dinners, where the Hassans were frequently present.
Asked about what it was like to know Malcolm X, Dr. Hassan responds:
I . . . met Malcolm and his wife Betty, in the late 1960s. She was a nurse. I’ll never forget what great pride Elijah Muhammad took in introducing us to one another because we were both healthcare professionals! There was such a simple elegance in just being able to share our experiences working to care for the sick. But more than that, this immigrant new kid on the block found the greatest of human comforts in the home of Elijah Muhammad: home cooked meals, love of elders and children, a strong family presence, and someone to look up to. At the time, the Muslim identity of our (Zia’s and mine) new ‘family’ was not as important as it became later in our relationship—later as my own identity as an American Muslim began to develop. What I will always cherish from that time is the vivid memory of a family who devoted themselves to giving their community a deep sense of self-respect, rooted in a commitment to self-improvement and self-empowerment—against tremendous odds and in the midst of horrible discrimination and prejudice. To take charge and be themselves was an awesome lesson in grass root participation—a vision of immense humanity and community.
She continues:
I can remember being invited for the first time to the home of Elijah Muhammad and his wife Sister Clara Muhammad. Zia and I were always welcomed with open arms. Not only were we invited to be at table with the family, but Elijah Muhammad treated us like family. Not unlike my own dear father, he entertained any and all questions from a young Pakistani woman doctor whose curiosity never allowed her to remain silent. As for Sister Clara, she was nothing short of a mother to me. Whatever she did, she always understood herself to be setting an example for others—from the way she meticulously arranged the contents of her purse and attended to the minutest details of keeping a clean home ‘where the angels would feel welcome,’ to the loving way in which she prepared meals for her family and guests. As dignified a woman as she was, however, she was never stiff or aloof. My fondest memories are her teaching me how to make her famous navy bean soup—something I make to this day for her grandchildren who are like children to me.
Sister Clara Muhammad’s Bean Soup
2 pound bag small navy beans
1 pound bag lentils
1 large onion—chopped
1 sweet green pepper—chopped
1 bunch celery—chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
salt to taste
Soak beans and lentils well covered with water over night. Rinse and cover with fresh water together with all other ingredients. Boil and then simmer till beans are tender. Serve whole or pureed in a food processor to a course or smooth grind. The prepared soup can be saved frozen in plastic containers. To serve add boiling water to achieve desired consistency.
Shakeela Hassan’s recipe remarks:
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