Khadijah Farrakhan, first lady of Nation Islam, dies at 90

Khadijah Farrakhan, the longtime wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and a central figure in the movement, died Saturday at age 90. The Nation of Islam said funeral services will be announced.

Khadijah Farrakhan spent decades beside Louis Farrakhan, building a life around faith, family, and a cause that traveled far beyond Chicago. On Saturday, the Nation of Islam announced that the longtime wife of 72 years—known as “Mother Khadijah”—has died at 90.

In a statement from the Shura Executive Council. the organization said. “The Honorable Minister @LouisFarrakhan with deep sadness yet with profound gratitude to Allah informs you that his beloved wife of 72 years. the first lady of the Nation of Islam. Mother Khadijah has returned to Allah (may Allah be pleased).” The statement did not set a date for services. saying funeral services are to be announced.

Her passing came just seven months after devotees marked Khadijah’s 90th birthday, according to the Nation of Islam’s announcement. The couple’s home base was Mosque Maryam on the South Side of Chicago, where they lived.

At Mosque Maryam. she was remembered in the announcement as “a devoted follower” with “a precious soul. a sweet heart.” For many in and around the movement. the language carried the weight of more than ceremony—it reflected the role she played alongside Farrakhan while the organization pursued its message of Black self-reliance.

On social media, R&B artist ZaRio Son Rise wrote on Facebook that she was “a true queen, a righteous woman,” adding that she was “one of the greatest examples of dignity, faith, loyalty, and grace our generation has ever witnessed.”

Khadijah Farrakhan was born Betsy Ross. She married Louis Farrakhan—then named Louis Walcott—in Boston on Sept. 12, 1953. The couple had nine children.

Her family history has also included public grief. Their eldest son, Louis Farrakhan Jr., died in 2018, and son Joshua Farrakhan died in 2023.

The Nation of Islam said Khadijah converted to Islam in 1955, the same year her husband joined the Chicago-based movement after being heavily influenced by Malcolm X, his friend from Boston. Around that time, the couple changed their names.

Louis Farrakhan stepped into the organization’s leadership vacuum shortly after Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. Among his most significant accomplishments was the Million Man March on Washington in 1995. Two years later. Khadijah Farrakhan spoke before a gathering of America’s Black women in Philadelphia dubbed the Million Woman March.

In that speech, she told the crowd, “A nation can rise no higher than its women,” and added, “We focus on women but cannot lose sight that we must rise as a family — men, women and children.”

With her death. the Nation of Islam said it is now preparing to mark the life of a figure long woven into its religious and sociopolitical movement—one whose presence at Mosque Maryam and alongside her husband helped shape decades of momentum. even as the organization waits for the next details of memorial services.

Khadijah Farrakhan Louis Farrakhan Nation of Islam Mosque Maryam Million Woman March Black self-reliance Chicago first lady of the Nation of Islam