Thousands gather for funeral of Imam W. Deen Mohammed

A Muslim funeral service with Janazah prayers began at 1:45 p.m. in the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park. Burial followed at Mt. Glenwood Cemetery in Chicago's south suburbs.

Mohammed, 74, the son of the late Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, boldly broke from black nationalist teachings and converted thousands of African-Americans to mainstream Islam.

He was pronounced dead Tuesday of heart disease and complications from diabetes.

Because of the amount of mourners who arrived at the service Thursday afternoon, the prayer service was moved to the lawn of the Islamic Foundation, where thousands had gathered to pray. The parking lot filled quickly, and people had to park long distances and walk to the gathering.

As many as 8,000 mourners arrived to the service, organizers said. Among them were many national Muslim leaders who flew in from all over the U.S.

Siraj Wahhaj, imam of the Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, said he was a minister in the Nation of Islam under Mohammed's father and came to mainstream Islam with Mohammed. He described Mohammed as his mentor.

"I could not, not be here," Wahhaj said. "I'm compelled by his legacy to be here today .ƒ|.ƒ|. He personally brought me to where I am today."

Samia Van Hattum, 30, from New Mexico, said she counted license plates from at least 18 states in the parking lot of the mosque, a sign of the national reach Mohammed held in the Islamic community. "It just makes me happy, no overjoyed, to see everyone come together," Van Hattum said.

Another attendee, Kishla Porter-Lang, 34, said she drove all night from Maryland with her husband, Tariq Lang, 44, to attend the service. Tariq Lang said he was 11 years old when his family moved into traditional Islam and away from Nation of Islam teachings.

"There's no one here in America who has done the things this man has done for Islam, bringing thousands with him into mainstream Islam, " Tariq Lang said.

Altogether, there were about 100,000 people who came into mainstream Islam with Mohammed, Tariq Lang said.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the day has become a day "for [Muslims] to feel bad," Lang said. As he looked out at the congregation praying on the lawn outside the mosque, he said, "Now this is a day for us to be proud."

"People are here today and are not hiding . . . [we're] not even thinking what others are thinking," he said.

Muslims worldwide learned of Mohammed's death as they marked the ninth day of the holy month of Ramadan.

In 1975, Mohammed succeeded his father as head of the Nation of Islam, a religious movement that blends black nationalism with the Islamic faith. He immediately made reforms to move its followers to more orthodox Islam, prompting a mix of praise, dissent and threats against his life.

As leader, he transformed the organization, taught members about the Quran, and how to prostrate themselves in prayer on the floor like Muslims all over the world. He ended racial exclusion and even said whites could join.

Rev. Stanley L. Davis Jr., co-executive director of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, said outside the service that he worked with Mohammed through the interfaith organization.

"I'm here because I believe the imam brought to his community the Islam that is practiced that includes a message of peace and tolerance," Davis said.

Mohammed's religious reformation pushed Minister Louis Farrakhan to split from Mohammed's community in 1977 and revive the Nation of Islam under its original teachings of black superiority.

Muslim scholars said Mohammed's life and legacy would become a significant chapter of American Muslim history.