Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, the longtime First Lady of the Nation of Islam and wife of Minister Louis Farrakhan, died Saturday at the age of 90.
In a June 27 statement, the Nation of Islam said that "Mother Khadijah has returned to Allah" and noted that funeral (janazah) service details will be announced when available, according to NOI.org. The Shura Executive Council thanked God for her life and asked members to lift the Farrakhan family in prayer.
Khadijah Farrakhan, born Betsy Ross in 1935, married Louis Farrakhan in 1953 and converted to Islam in 1955. She and her husband led the Nation of Islam from Mosque Maryam and made their home in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood. The couple raised nine children; their eldest son, Louis Farrakhan Jr., died in 2018 and another son, Joshua, died in 2023, according to the Chicago Crusader.
Public Moments And Quiet Leadership
Though rarely the public face of the movement, Mother Khadijah stepped into key national moments. At the 1997 Million Woman March, she told the crowd, "A nation can rise no higher than its women," as contemporary coverage recorded. Reporting from the event highlighted her remarks and the scale of the march, underscoring her reputation as a steadying presence for the Farrakhan family and the Nation's women's ministries, according to the Los Angeles Times.
What’s Next For The Family And Mosque Maryam
The Nation of Islam said it will share funeral details through official channels once plans are set and again asked members to keep the family in their prayers, per the group’s statement. Mosque Maryam, the organization’s national center, will serve as the hub for official updates, and the NOI urged believers to watch for information through its offices and social media, according to NOI.org.
Local coverage has framed her passing as the close of a long partnership at the heart of the Nation’s Chicago base, and the Chicago Crusader noted that believers across the city were lifting the family in prayer while awaiting formal arrangements. We will update this report as funeral plans and tributes are announced.
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