Captain Roscoe Muhammad

A Good Carpenter!

By Brother Minister Levi Karim

When I first became a registered Muslim in the Nation of Islam. Captain Roscoe Muhammad was out of the Temple for  a Medical reason. I had come through my Orientation Class and had never seen my Captain. I had heard that the Messenger had ordered him to stay away from the Temple until the Messenger told him to come back so that he (Captain Muhammad) could rest up and heal himself.

I never knew the Captain but my Orientation instructor, Brother Thomas DX (who later became Brother Shaka Shabazz) used to tell us good things about our Captain, and how strong he was. And I wanted to see my Captain. First Office Lt. Fleming was in charge then.

I remember when I first met Captain Roscoe Muhammad. The first day I ever met Captain Muhammad I was with Brother Thomas O and we were on our way to the Temple  for a Wednesday night meeting. I'll never forget it. It's plain as day.

We were on our way to the meeting and I was fresh out of Orientation Class. It was in the summertime. I'll never forget it. Brother Thomas O said, "There goes Brother Captain Muhammad!" I said, "That's The Captain?!" He said, Yeah, that's the Captain. So we walked up to him. He was standing right on the corner of Lawrence and Linwood, across the street from the Temple. I said, "As-Salaam-Alaikum Brother Captain" He returned the greetings, "Wa-Alaikum-Salaam". I introduced myself . He had never saw me either. But he knew  Brother Thomas O.

We stood there talking on the corner that night. We talked about the Brotherhood. Talking about how good the brotherhood is.  And how none of us can do without the Brotherhood. But I'll never forget this thing he said "You know" he said, "It's an honor to go through them doors over there." (pointing to the Temple) And I saw the hurt in him. I saw what he missed. I really saw what he missed. And how he yearned to get back. I saw that. And I watched him.  

He wouldn't go across the street. He wouldn't even go on that side of Lawrence where the Temple was. He stayed on the other side. So he gave us the greeting and told us we better get on over to the Temple. I looked at him and I saw how he missed it. I know he missed it! Then he turned and went on back to his house on down the street. And for a minute, I don't know if he knows it today. But I turned back and looked at him and I said, "There goes my Captain". I looked at him and I felt kind of bad. Because I felt, by what he had said, that he really missed it. He had to miss it.

A few months later, Brother Captain got news from the Messenger that he could come on back to the Temple. The day he returned!....That's my most memorable day of Brother Captain Muhammad.

All the Believers were there. And he was smiling. On his face, I saw eagerness. I saw jubilance. I saw readiness to take charge of his post.  He came through the entrance... Philbert Omar was the minister at that time. Brother Min. Philbert Omar called him in. And he came in!!!!! And he don't know today that I loved to see him when came in.

He walked down that isle Military style. He didn't drag! He was in cadence- STEPPING- You know. Like a soldier when you mark time?!.When he got in front of our National  (The sun, moon and star - The Flag of Islam) and his feet came together, "Pop! Pop! He saluted "Bam".

He walked up to the Minister, and he saluted "Whop!" He stomped his foot and made an about face, facing the audience and greeted everyone, "As Salaam Alaikum" He thanked Allah (Master Fard Muhammad) for blessing him to get back.  He thanked Allah for Messenger Elijah Muhammad. He told everyone how happy he was to be back and how happy he was to see everyone. He turned around and hit is heels together again "Bop!"

I looked at him and thought to myself, That's The Captain. "THAT'S CAPTAIN MUHAMMAD!" When I looked at him I saw strength. I was proud to be working with him. Because I knew Allah was going to bless me to learn something from this man.

I had never seen anyone like him. He wasn't phony. He wasn't a show-off. He was sincere. A Believer!  I could tell he believed in Allah, Who came in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad and The Messenger. I didn't have no doubt in my mind.

Never did I have a doubt in my mind that he was a Believer. He was sincere in what he was doing. He didn't play! He would get us together. He would encourage us to do what we were supposed to do. He always taught us to treat all the Believers right. "Because", he said, "If you don't treat them right I'll dismiss you!" I saw strength and sincerity.

Captain Roscoe Muhammad would give you the shirt off his back. That's the kind of person he was. People didn't see that side of him, because he was The Captain, and he had to display this all the time. But he was humble. He was teaching us all the time how to be Soldiers and Believers -- Strong Believers. And to be good Followers of the Messenger.

He encouraged us to say our prayers. He was Messenger Elijah Muhammad's nephew, but you know how you see some people boast that they are a member of The Messenger's family, "That's my uncle". He didn't say that. We knew that. He didn't have to say that! He would say, "That's the Messenger of Allah!" He'd say "That's the Honorable Elijah Muhammad." He didn't say "My uncle". When Captain Muhammad referred to the Messenger he would say, "The Honorable Elijah Muhammad - The Messenger."

He wasn't flashy. He was serious! Dead serious! He told us we had to take care of the sisters. He said, "We have to look after the sisters."

I remember there was one sister in particular we helped. The sister was in financial trouble. She had just separated from her husband and she had four children. He came in and told us about the problem and she needed some help and said, "And we are going to help her". And we did just that. We helped her. She knew how to make the bean pie. So instead of ordering baked goods, we let her make them and we sold them for her, until she got on her feet. I saw something in him on that. That's the kind of man he was. He always looked out for the sisters.

He was a good-hearted man, but don't mess up because he was a law man. But he was the kind of man that whatever Captain Muhammad instructed me to do, I didn't mind doing it, because I knew it was for the good of the Nation-The Believers.  

He didn't tell us nothing wrong. I had all the confidence in him. If he told me something. I'd hear and obey, because I know it was for the good of the Believers, not just for him. But for the Nation. Because this is what he did. He taught us to do what the Messenger taught.

He worked for Chrysler. He wouldn't take no pay from the Temple. He didn't take nothing. He sold papers too. I'd see him take a bundle just like everybody else. He'd tell me all the time, how he'd take a hundred papers to his job and just give them away. He didn't take no money. He went on to work. And he encouraged us to work.

I remember brothers had started quitting their jobs without having any money saved up, with the misunderstanding that "Doing for self" meant they couldn't work for the devil anymore. He told them to keep their jobs until they made enough money be able to go for self. He worked! But people don't realize that. He wasn't on the payroll at the Temple. He had a job and he worked.

He taught me the importance of unity and the brotherhood. He always told all the Lieutenants "Y'all work together!" "Y'all love each other!" "Treat each other right." "If you see one of your brothers down and he needs some help, Help him. Don't hesitate-help him!" He said, "And always keep Allah and The Messenger out front!" He told us that. I knew that if I listened and obeyed this man. Allah would bless me to be successful. He stressed in his teaching to us to obey all those in authority.

Captain Muhammad stressed the thing about getting "palsy-walsy" with those in authority. We had a job to do. And he didn't allow slack talk. From him, I learned the qualities of being a good Strong Believer.

If you started playing too much, he would check you quick, if you knew better. I saw him correct a brother like that once. The Brother was a squad leader at that time. And Brother Captain Roscoe Muhammad was standing outside in front of the Muhammad Speaks newspaper station talking to First Officer Lt. Flemming.

The Brother  (squad leader) had given the Captain a tape to listen to, and instead of being civilized and just asking The Captain if he enjoyed the tape, he walked up to the Captain in a real laxidazy way, sort of leaned over and said, "Brother Captain, you hear that tape, man? That tape was bad wasn't it, that tape was bad"..and held out his hand as though he thought the Captain was going to "give him a play" (slap his hand). But instead Captain Roscoe Muhammad very firmly said, "Brother, this ain't no game." I saw exactly what he meant. The Brother had gotten palsy-walsy , too lax, too familiar. Brother Captain was teaching us as the Messenger taught that too much joking is not good. You just didn't do that with Captain Muhammad. Because I don't care what it is, Captain Muhammad believed in what he was doing. And he put it in us that "This is serious". This ain't no "Ha, Ha, Ha, Rah ,Ho, Ho, Ha!" There's a time for that. But most of the time, we didn't have time for that. We didn't have time for all of that  "Who, ha, ha, rah!" You know. Sittin' up "lolly-poppin", "shooting-the-breeze". We didn't have time for that.

When Brother Captain Muhammad decided to make me Lieutenant, he checked my attendance, how much charity I gave, how many Lost/Founds I would bring to the Temple. And I guess he saw something in me that I was a believer. That's how you judge a man, according to his work. But he held it up for a while after he talked to me.

The F.O.I. secretary told me Captain Muhammad wanted to talk me. He didn't want to make me Lieutenant until he found out how many Muhammad Speaks Newspapers I was selling. He was going to make me Lieutenant until he found out how many papers I was selling.

He asked me, "Brother Squad Leader, you want to be Lieutenant?", I said, "Yes sir!" He said, "Okay, Alright then..." Then he paused and said, "Wait a minute..." He said, "How many papers are you selling?" I said, "Two hundred fifty (250)". He said, "Oh no, no. no!" He said, "You've got to sell three hundred (300) papers to be a Lieutenant". He said, "How you going to tell somebody what do to and you ain't even selling the Nation's quota." "If you want to be Lieutenant, how are you going to explain about the National quota and you're not getting it yourself?" A Lieutenant has got to do. He said, "Do you know what 'Lt.' means?" I just looked at him. He said, "It means work, more work, and more work. That's what it means!" He said, "You've got to let them see you do. And then you can instruct them on what to do." I said, "Okay, Brother Captain. Three hundred (300)?" I said, "Yes sir, Brother Captain!" I thought about it and I said, "Well I sell two hundred fifty  (250)on the street, but I have fifty (50) on the mailing list. He said, "Naw, naw I ain't talking about no mailing list. You've got to carry three hundred (300)!"

So I went and increased my papers at once. Because I wanted to be Lieutenant. Not to stick my chest out. But I wanted to help push the Program. That's what it was about! He held it up, but that following week, he made me Lieutenant. I would have been Lieutenant a week prior. But he held it up to see what I was going to do. If I hadn't increased them papers, I wouldn't have been Lieutenant. Because he wasn't going to have me standing up there and not Pushing the Program. Muhammad Speaks was the Nation's Number One Program.

That's the way Captain Muhammad was. He's not going to have you standing up there, shucking and you not working. How are you going to explain to somebody else what to do and you're not doing it yourself. That's what Captain Muhammad did and that's what he implemented.

Brother Captain didn't abuse no brother about selling no papers. The only reason a brother didn't sell papers is because he was lazy. He didn't allow no Lieutenant to mistreat another brother. I saw him dismiss a Lieutenant for talking to a brother wrong. The Lieutenant talked to a brother, not like a brother while the Brother was standing right beside the Captain. Shortly thereafter The First Officer told the Lieutenant that on orders from Brother Captain he was dismissed from his post as Lieutenant for disrespecting that brother.

Captain Muhammad had already told us and warned us. He said, "Those are the Messenger's Followers" and he said, "You treat them right, because if you don't treat them right, I'm going to dismiss you." And he did EXACTLY that!

So  when you hear people talk about how they "Didn't like the way Brother Captain Roscoe Muhammad ran things" You know they were for wrong! They weren't for right. They were for wrong.  There's a lot of them that talk about him, and the average one that you see that talks about him, they didn't come out, they didn't give any charity, never brought Lost/Founds in, they didn't sell no papers, and they were always into something (wrong).

But the Brother or Sister that knows Captain Muhammad will tell you about him. He was a man that would give you the shirt off his back. I'm telling you what I know. Never has he treated me wrong. He has always encouraged me to the point that I wanted to do better. When you are around Captain Muhammad, you want to do better. This is the spirit that he put you in.

What people don't realize about Captain Muhammad is that he is a Believer. He was then and he still is. He was a LAW MAN! He was a RESTRICTIVE LAW MAN! He would bend, but he enforced that law, because he believed in right.

He didn't like punishing a brother. He didn't delight in that, but he did that because he wanted a clean society. He wanted it to be clean, someplace where Believers could go and don't fear being abused. He wanted a peaceful atmosphere. "Get rid of the trouble-maker." He said, like the Messenger taught, "Cast out the rotten apple quick before he spoil the whole barrel". And that's what he did. He got rid of him. He cast him out quick. He was supposed to. That's what he taught us to do.

That's one thing that I must say I learned from him-That the Restrictive Law is Our Success! He always taught us, "Never put yourself in that position". He said, "Never say what you won't do." He said, "Stay out of that position-any position that's wrong."

Captain Muhammad said, "Don't put yourself and don't let nobody else put you in a bad position" That's what he told us. He said, "Be fair and keep Allah and the Messenger out front". He always said that.

A lot of people don't know Captain Muhammad. A lot of people think Captain Muhammad was a bad guy. Captain Muhammad had a job to do. He had a lot on his shoulders. He had the whole Temple (No.1-Michigan) on his shoulders-THE LAW!

And I learned that when he executed the law we got rid of them. We started making PROGRESS. That's how you do it. If you ain't got a clean house, CLEAN IT, but make sure you are right. So when you are right, you can execute it. That's how it's supposed to be done. That's what Captain Muhammad taught all of his Lieutenants. "You can't do it, when you ain't right. But when you're right, you can execute it!"

I'm not saying he's a saint. But what I'm saying is about the way he treated me and the way I saw him treat other people. He treated us all the same. He treated all the Lieutenants the same. He would have busted me (dismissed me) just like he would bust anybody else. And I knew this. I respected that. And I still loved him. You see, because that was my Captain. And he was strong. And I admired that strength. I said,  "I want to be just like that. Strength. I want to be a strong follower of the Messenger, just like Captain Muhammad. A Believer".

He put that wanting-to-do-it-right, wanting-to-be-a-good-follower-of-the-Messenger, wanting-to-be-a-good-example in me. To do like he did, because he was a believer. I wanted to be like him in that way, A Believer in Allah and the Messenger, with the strength that he had in doing what is right.

I didn't idolize him, but I saw in him a good example of a Good Follower of Messenger Elijah Muhammad and I loved him for that, cause he was my Brother. I loved him because he always showed great love for Allah (Master Fard Muhammad) and His Messenger (The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad) and respect. And he always treated me right.

He got on me and checked me, quite a few times. But when he got on me it was for good reason. One time he got on me about not saluting like I should. Sometimes I would forget to salute. It wasn't a thing about him being a "Big I", it was one of our GENERAL ORDERS. Now some rebellious brother, might have taken that correction and used it negatively against the Captain. But if you can't follow a simple thing like General Orders, then how can you expect to help build a nation of righteousness. Brother Captain told me, the next time I didn't salute, he was going to dismiss me. I started saluting. Why should the Captain have to keep telling a Lieutenant to salute when that is one of the first things we learn in Orientation Class? Not following such standard instructions showed either un-concern or out-right rebellion. So the Captain said, "Keep forgetting then, and I'll set you down". I didn't forget no more. That made me better. How is the Lieutenant not going to salute and all the other brothers are saluting? I understand very well the reason for the Captains words. That wasn't nothing bad.

I never got angry at Captain Muhammad. Never. He never did anything for me to get mad about. He was strictly a Law man. So how are going to get mad at the Law man. He ain't going to do nothing to you wrong. Those that got mad, got mad because they didn't like to do right.  They thought they could do what they wanted to do. That's why they didn't like him. He didn't let them do what they wanted to do. That went for the (Messenger's) family and everybody else.

He was the same way to the Family. And some of the Family don't like him for that. I know that for a fact. I have heard some of them say, "I don't like the way Roscoe did things". He didn't do things with them no different than he did with me! Why didn't you like the way he ran things? Cause he didn't run it like you wanted him to run it? Because he didn't see you as more important than the rest of the Believers because you are in the Messenger's family? Brother Captain is a member of the Messenger's family too. It didn't make Captain Muhammad no difference if you were a family member or not. He was fair. And he treated all the believers the same.

I remember one of the family members came in Temple one day and talking about what he wasn't going to do, and being insubordinate to one of the Lieutenants. Brother Captain said, "Yes, you're going to do it, Brother..." And he got real indignant with the Captain. I was looking right at him. Brother Captain told him, "What you do is you get out of here and come back when you are going to do what you are supposed to do." Captain Muhammad said, "Let him out Brother". The Brothers walked him to the door and let him on out. He came back about a week later. But when he came back he was acting right, and started treating people with respect. That let me know, right then, it don't make no difference who you are, when it comes down to doing what you are supposed to do in the Temple, Captain Muhammad is going to enforce the Law. And that 's what he was. And that's what he did. And that's what I loved about him.

He didn't show no favoritism. I love that about him. He was fair. Always been fair. I've never had a beef with Captain Muhammad, because he's always been fair. He treated the Believers right. He did that. I know he did it. I saw it.

I still call him Brother Captain. He will always be The Captain. He is the Captain. He's the best Captain  that I know of in the Nation. The Best! Ask anybody, they'll tell you who the best one was. Captain Roscoe Muhammad!

He wasn't boastful. He wasn't a boastful man. But a lot of them were jealous of him. And then they get jealous of you because you're working with him. It helped me. It helps me today to undergo some of the trials and the different things that come up. The training.  It helps me today.

I  want to say this, to let the people know that we have a man, Brother Captain Roscoe Muhammad, a Believer. And a lot of people today have got the wrong understanding and talk negatively about him. They don't even know him. I go talk to him today. I call him. I tell him how much I love him, how much I appreciate him and how much of an important part he played in my life, as a Believer.

He played a big part in my life, because a lot of things I learned from Brother Captain Roscoe Muhammad. There are a lot of things that I probably couldn't have endured, without the help of Almighty God Allah. I thank Allah, Master Fard Muhammad, for blessing me to be able to work with this man. I have learned a lot from this man. He trained me well. And everybody who listened to him. I was one of the ones that listened to him.

The Messenger said, "We all have orders, I got orders". We all have to take orders. Every time I talk to Brother Captain he tells me something I need to know.  Just not long ago, I talked to him and told him how much Progress that we were making. I said, "Brother Captain, we are really making Progress!" He saw the excitement I had because of the new Believers that were coming in. He heard the excitement in my voice. He didn't want to knock me down or kill my spirit, or make me feel bad, so he told me like this...He said, "Brother Minister, they are like birds, Brother. I want you to remember now, I'm just letting you know, that's real good, but I'm telling you now, they're like birds, they'll fly right out the window". I knew he was trying to tell me something. And what he was trying to tell me was, "Don't get so happy now..." So when they flew out the window. AND THEY FLEW TOO! It wasn't a week or two after I had spoken with the Captain that they did just what he said -They left right out of the Temple. They flew out the window-some of them. But when they flew out the window, it wasn't so bad, because the Captain had just told me they would and so all I could think of was, "The Captain said they would fly out". So  it didn't hurt that bad. I was ready for it.

I still haven't called him back to tell him he was right, and that they had flown out the window. He was right. That's why I go to him. He's usually on point. If something's happening I go to him, "Brother Captain, I've got to talk to you". Brother Captain Muhammad told me, "Brother Levi, you can talk to me anytime you want to talk to me." He said, "I'll tell you anything you want to know that I know. Come by my house anytime." He always encourages me. He's a good man and I love him.

Click Here to Read a Response from another who served as Lt. under Captain Roscoe Muhammad

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