By The Final Call
- February 14, 2023
Excitement and anticipation are in the air because Saviours’ Day 2023 is just around the corner. The Nation of Islam convention is known as “The Crowning Event of Black History Month” and is taking place in Chicago from February 24-26. Members of the Nation of Islam, visitors, guests and supporters are eager to participate in a full weekend of activities and hear and see the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. The Minister is set to deliver his keynote message titled, “The War of Armageddon Has Begun.”
Saviours’ Day is a commemoration of the birth anniversary of Master Fard Muhammad, Allah (God) in Person born on February 26, 1877, in the Holy City of Mecca. Master Fard Muhammad traveled 9,000 miles to North America, where He found the downtrodden Black man and woman. He raised and taught the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who convened the first Saviours’ Day convention. The tradition of Saviours’ Day has been carried on through the work of Minister Farrakhan.
This year’s Saviours’ Day convention is the first full in-person convention since February 2020, before the pandemic shut the world down. Informative and critical plenary sessions and other activities will take place at McCormick Place Convention Center and Minister Farrakhan’s keynote address will take place at Wintrust Arena.
The Nation of Islam Executive Council and National Laborers have been working nonstop to make Saviours’ Day 2023 “the best Saviours’ Day ever.” The theme for this year’s convention is taken from the book of Ephesians 6:11 which states in part: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Every presentation that will take place during the convention is to arm the believer with the impenetrable armor of God, that they can make it through the final chapter of the end of the world of Satan, Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, told The Final Call in a previous interview.
The Saviours’ Day weekend kicks off Friday, Feb. 24, with an opening plenary session on “The Reality of God: Point #12.” Point No. 12 of “What The Muslims Believe,” printed in the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s Muslim Program and on the inside back page of every Final Call newspaper, is the cardinal principle of faith for believers in the Nation of Islam.
It reads: “WE BELIEVE that Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July, 1930; the long-awaited ‘Messiah’ of the Christians and the ‘Mahdi’ of the Muslims.
“We believe further and lastly that Allah is God and besides HIM there is no god and He will bring about a universal government of peace wherein we all can live in peace together.”
“Knowing and believing in Allah is the cardinal principle of faith for all Muslims, but when it comes to the believing followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, that belief that Allah came and appeared in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad in fulfillment of the scriptures and prophecies of God’s coming, God’s appearance, is critical,” Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad explained. “The reality of God is at the root of the faith and foundation of the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,” he added.
The Saturday plenary is titled, “The Christ, The Messiah and The Wheel.” The focus is on the two essentials of faith that Minister Farrakhan said the believers must have if they want to make it through the dark hour, explained Student Min. Ishmael Muhammad. Those two articles of faith deal with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad being physically alive and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s ascension going to The Wheel, he continued.
The Wheel or The Mother Plane and smaller Wheels (Baby Planes) are objects in the sky revealed in the Bible’s book of Ezekiel. Master Fard Muhammad taught the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad that these objects are real. These objects have been misidentified by the public and the American government as “Unidentified Flying Objects” (UFOs) or “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP).
Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad said believers can expect their faith to be strengthened.
Additional activitiesand gatheringsduring Saviours’ Day will include Salat-al Jumu’ah (Friday congressional prayer) and a “We are at War” Youth Summit for teenagers and young adults ages 13-35. The youth session will include an interactive panel discussion and culminate in a special address from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Registration for the youth session is available at https://tnp.noi.org/info/form/id/1 and parents and guardians will be allowed to watch the youth event in the overflow room.
“The Minister’s address is going to go a long way in helping not only young adults but older adults as well, as we fight to sustain and preserve ourselves in a world that is unraveling with every moment and every second of the hour that we have entered,” Student Min. Ishmael Muhammad explained.
Day one of the convention (Friday, Feb. 24) will end with several social events and activities, including a talent showcase, a National Speed Chess Tournament, “The Master” National Contest, and a Believer’s Social Extravaganza.
Registration for the chess tournament is available on noi.org. The tournament will occur 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 24. There will be five total rounds, with each game lasting 10 minutes, five minutes per competitor. An official U.S. chess arbiter and an official U.S. chess director will be on scene. Winners will receive cash prizes.
“The Master” is a game based on the Supreme Wisdom of the Nation of Islam. It was developed by Sister Shaheerah Farrakhan and her husband, Brother Musharraf Farrakhan-Muhammad. They are calling for two contestants, one brother and one sister, from each of the Nation’s regions. Those interested in competing can take a timed quiz at noi.org. The highest scorers will be selected to represent their region at Saviours’ Day to have the opportunity to win a grand prize of $2,000.
“We’re going to enjoy each other’s company, for this is the first (full) Saviours’ Day (convention) since Detroit in 2020,” Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad said.
Saturday, Feb. 25, will include private F.O.I. (Fruit of Islam) and M.G.T. (Muslim Girls’ Training) classes, for the registered men and women of the Nation, followed by a private graduation and believer’s meeting. Newly registered believers from the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be graduating.
Mother Khadijah Farrakhan’s Children’s Village is always a popular and exciting part of Saviours’ Day and it will take place this year at Gizmos Fun Factory, 66 Orland Square Drive, Orland Park, Ill 60462. It will occur Saturday, Feb. 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants will enjoy arcade games, zip lining, bumper cars, go-karts, laser tag and rock climbing and the “Mother Khadijah Farrakhan’s Gift Center.”
Bus transportation will be provided to and from the event venue. The bus will depart from the South Hall of McCormick Place. The Children’s Village waiting room for bus transportation is room 105. Buses depart one hour before the registered start time. The bus will depart from the event venue at the end of the time slot. When selecting your tickets please pick a two-hour time slot. For more information and to register your children, visit noi.org.
The Nation of Islam Historical Exhibit will take place Thursday, Feb. 23 – Saturday, Feb. 25 at the former home of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (Sadjah House) at 4847 South Woodlawn Avenue home in Chicago as well as guided tours. However, registration is required. For more information, visit, Sajdah House Sponsorship and Coin Holders Tours on Eventbrite. On Monday, Feb. 27 at 10 a.m., there will be a panel discussion.
Closing out Saturday will be the highly anticipated and always popular drill competition with teams from all over the Nation participating.
Lastly, the culminating event of the Saviours’ Day weekend, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s keynote address, will occur on Sunday, Feb. 26, the birth date of the Saviour, Master Fard Muhammad, at the Wintrust Arena. The title of the Minister’s message is, “The War of Armageddon Has Begun.” The address will be streamed live at noi.org. The program begins at 2 p.m. CST.
“It’s very significant because war is the last major event that is mentioned in the scriptures and in prophecy. When Jesus talked about the signs of the end, he began with the sign of pestilence followed by famine and earthquakes in various places. Then he says these are just the beginning of sorrows. Nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom. Wars and rumors of wars,” Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad explained.
Vending room S-105 at the McCormick Place will hold 50 vending booths offering various products, books and goods by Black and Muslim-owned businesses. Vending will be available Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Food options for believers and guests coming to Chicago include the Salaam Restaurant, The Foodie’s Spot and Let’s Eat to Live. Fine dining at the Salaam Restaurant is almost entirely sold out, except for a few available seats on Monday, Feb. 27. Reservations for the restaurant’s Crescent Cafe are still available throughout the weekend.
The Final Call will be hosting an Open House at the Final Call Administration Building on Monday, February 28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The address is 734 W. 79th Street, right next door to the Salaam. To keep up to date and to stay informed during the Saviours’ Day Weekend, text: sd2023 to 8779291930. HAPPY SAVIOURS’ DAY!—The Final Call
