Dexter Linwood in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Temple No. 1
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Masjid Wali Muhammad
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
1. Temple No. 1 side of the marker
Temple No. 1. The Workmans Circle, a Jewish Labor Fraternity, erected this building in 1940. Temple No. 1 of the Nation of Islam purchased it in the 1950s. By then, the Nation of Islam, led by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, had established temples in major cities throughout the United States. During the Civil Rights era, the Nation of Islam focused on Black nationalism and self-empowerment. This building served as the temple, a community center, a school, and Detroit headquarters. Malcolm X Shabazz was one of the ministers here before he left the Nation of Islam in 1964.
Masjid Wali Muhammad. After the death of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad in 1975, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed reorganized the Nation of Islam to become a Sunni Islamic Community. The congregation of Temple No. 1 followed his embrace of Universal Islam. The previously exclusively black congregation was opened to all believers. In 1976 Temple No. 1 was rededicated as a masjid (mosque) and renamed World Community of al-Islam in the West. In 2013, Detroit designated Masjid Wali Muhammad as a local historic district.
Erected 2018 by Michigan Historical Commission
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1940.
Location. 42° 22.906′ N, 83° 6.869′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in Dexter Linwood. It is at the intersection of Linwood Street and Burlingame Street, on the right when traveling south on Linwood Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11529 Linwood St, Detroit MI 48206, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Detroit July 1967
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
2. Masjid Wali Muhammad side of the marker
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
3. Temple No. 1 / Masjid Wali Muhammad Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 8,325 times since then and 633 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 10, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
