Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, wife of Minister Louis Farrakhan, dies at age 90
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The Farrakhans were married for 72 years, and after Louis Farrakhan organized and spoke at the 1995 Million Man March, she took the stage at the 1997 Million Woman March in Philadelphia.
Khadijah Farrakhan, the wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, has passed away.
Her passing was announced Saturday with a message on social media from the Nation of Islam.
“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan 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,” the statement reads. “We thank Allah for the precious life of a loving wife, mother, a faithful devoted follower of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Mother Khadijah will forever be cherished and remembered. May Allah give His unequaled comfort to the family as we mourn this tremendous loss and lift the family in our prayers and thoughts.”
Born in 1935, Khadijah would wed the Minister in 1953 and later convert to Islam in 1955. As Farrakhan rose to become the leader of the Nation of Islam, Khadijah was by his side, serving as a stabilizing force for their family. The couple would raise nine children.
At the 1997 Million Woman March in Philadelphia, Khadijah took the stage just as her husband did when he organized the 1995 Million Man March in Washington D.C.
“A nation can rise no higher than its women,” Khadijah said. “We focus on women but cannot lose sight that we must rise as a family — men, women and children.”
Heartbreak has befallen the Farrakhans on several occasions in recent years. The couple’s eldest son, Louis Farrakhan Jr., died in 2018 from a heart condition at the age of 60. Another son, Joshua Farrakhan, died in 2023 at the age of 64.
Funeral arrangements for Khadijah have yet to be announced.