Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, has died at the age of 90, per TMZ.
On Saturday (June 27), the Nation of Islam (NOI) formerly announced Mother Khadijah’s passing.
“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.”
No cause of death was disclosed, and funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Louis and Khadijah Farrakhan were married in 1953 and converted to Islam two years later after Louis was introduced to the teachings of the Nation of Islam by fellow musician Rodney Smith.
Over the course of their 72-year marriage, the couple welcomed nine children together including, Louis Farrakhan Jr., who preceded his mother in death in 2018; Mustapha; Joshua Nasir; Abnar; Donna; Hanan; Maria; Fatimah; and Khallada.
While balancing motherhood, Khadijah rose to the ranks within the organization, becoming known as the “First Lady of the Nation of Islam.”
After witnessing her husband speak at the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C., Khadijah spoke at the 1997 Million Woman March in Philadelphia.
“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.”
Last year, the couple was celebrated at The Salaam Restaurant in Chicago which honored 92nd birthday of Minister Farrakhan and “the unwavering strength and grace of his wife, Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, on the occasion of Mother’s Day.”
The activist was 90 years old.