Masjidullah of Plainfield was established more than 50 years ago, dating back to 1957. James Ali is widely credited with launching the groundwork for the present day masjid, Masjidullah, after having joined the Nation of Islam under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
With Brother Ali’s sincere desire to please Allah and his hard work during the late 50’s Plainfield’s membership grew rapidly and in a short time exceeded 40 members. Initially, Believers would travel to New York for services but eventually began to hold their meetings in Plainfield at a building located on West 3rd and Manson Place. In 1973, the meeting site moved to the present location at 4th Street and Grant Avenue. Additionally, the name was changed from Temple #80 to Mosque #80 and a permanent minister was assigned, Minister Leonard Salahud-din of Newark, New Jersey. Minister Salahud-din admirably served as the resident minister from 1973-1980.
In 1976, Mosque #80 experienced a major shift, changing its name to Masjidullah, replacing the title of minister with the title of imam and transitioned to the teachings of Islam Proper, under the national leadership of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, son of Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
In 1980, Imam Abdul Wali Muhammad was elected as the new resident Imam and remained in this position until 2016, retiring as the longest serving resident Imam in New Jersey, providing over 40 years of dedicated service and commitment.
In 2016, Imam Khalil Abdul-Aziz, was elected as the new resident Imam and is currently serving the Masjidullah community in this capacity.
Thirteen founding members were honored at the 50th year anniversary celebration held March 14, 2020. The honorees were: James and Reather Ali, Yusuf and Patricia Bilal, Yahya Irshad, Dennis James, Earnest and Qadriyyah Shakir, Saleem and Inas Shakir, Jaami and Ummil-Khair Sharif, and Abdul Wali.
Note: Historical references in this short account were based on information retrieved from the book, The History of Masjidullah written by Jaami D. Sharif and from the book, Famous African Americans in Our Community, written by Ummil-Khair Sharif, both are founding members.
