Malcolm in the Desert: A Spiritual Awakening with Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz - Michael Bernard Beckwith - May 20, 2026

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/L-nxdjoejTE?si=wM_1jgskd3huoRiB

Today, Michael welcomes Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz. Ilyasah is an award-winning author, educator, and social impact leader dedicated to advancing the legacy of her parents, Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, through literature, public scholarship, and community leadership. She serves as Chairperson of the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Worcester State University. Ilyasah is the author of several acclaimed books, including Growing Up X and X: A Novel, and her latest release, Malcolm in the Desert: Wisdom from the Spiritual Transformation of Malcolm X, which explores her father’s spiritual evolution, pilgrimage to Mecca, and enduring message of compassion, consciousness, and liberation. Conversation Highlights Include: -Why this moment in history called for a deeper exploration of Malcolm X’s spiritual transformation, compassion, and evolving understanding of humanity. -A powerful reframe of Malcolm X not only as a revolutionary leader, but as a deeply spiritual seeker whose activism was rooted in love and moral courage. -How Malcolm’s pilgrimage to Mecca expanded an already compassionate heart and transformed the way humanity, race, and liberation were understood. -An inspiring reflection on Dr. Betty Shabazz and the strength, resilience, and devotion it took to raise six daughters after an unimaginable personal loss. -A conversation about pilgrimage not simply as travel, but as an inner journey of slowing down, asking deeper questions, and remembering who we truly are. -How sacred disruption often arrives through grief, uncertainty, divorce, loss, or major life transitions that force us to grow beyond the familiar. -A moving exploration of grief as a messenger that strips away the illusion of control and invites surrender, healing, and transformation. -An honest conversation about surrender as a practice of deep listening that helps people stop resisting reality and begin evolving through it. Next, Michael closes the episode with a guided meditation on self-examination, awakening from unconscious living, reconnecting with your True nature, and living with spiritual intention. Please note: This episode was recorded prior to Ilyasah’s book’s release; the launch event mentioned has since taken place, coinciding with a special celebration honoring her father’s legacy. 🪷 Connect with Ilyasah here - https://www.ilyasahshabazz.com/ and across social media. Malcolm in the Desert is available everywhere books are sold.

Amazon:Malcolm in the Desert: Wisdom from the Spiritual Transformation of Malcolm X - Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz 

https://www.amazon.com/Malcolm-Desert-Wisdom-Spiritual-Transformation-ebook/dp/B0FPC8RM87?ref_=ast_author_mpb

When Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, he did more than cross geographic borders–he transformed his vision of faith, justice, and freedom. In Malcolm in the Desert, Ilyasah Shabazz invites us to walk beside him on that journey of spiritual transformation, reframing pilgrimage as a modern practice. In retracing his steps, she helps us see how the work of changing the world so often begins within.

A daughter’s offering to her father’s legacy, Malcolm in the Desert reveals the human heart of a legend. Shabazz extracts keen lessons about the value of slowing down, listening deeply, and remembering who we truly are. She calls us to respond to crisis with courage, to meet grief with love, to rediscover faith as a creative force for change, and to dream in more revolutionary colors. These pages paint a new picture of Malcolm X through compassionate prose and galvanizing historical insight that shine alongside Jungian, Buddhist, and Islamic principles and wisdom from leading poets and scholars. Shabazz ties it all together with simple practices to help us answer three central questions: Who are you? What do you care about? What is yours to do?

Reviews:
"Bolstered by valuable insights into her father’s philosophy, Shabazz’s account offers a refreshing counterpoint to more self-focused spiritual transformation narratives. The result is a unique reconsideration of the legacy of a key figure in Black liberation."―Publishers Weekly

"A personal perspective on a momentous figure brims with brightness and fellow feeling."―Kirkus

“A classic in the making. Required reading for anyone who thinks they know the full story of Malcolm X.” ―Spike Lee

“At a time when possible itineraries toward justice and freedom are becoming increasingly nebulous, Ilyasah Shabazz’s Malcolm in the Dessert generates enlightenment and hope. She and her father lead us on an edifying journey that urges us to discover one another as beloved comrades in the struggle for habitable futures.”―Angela Y. Davis

"Through beautifully interwoven stories of how Malcolm X and Ilyasah each moved toward self-discovery and a deeper understanding of purpose, we are reminded that even in moments of adversity and struggle, clarity and peace can emerge. This inspiring book reveals that transformation is possible for all of us. When we make the effort to look inward, our true spirit can guide us to know what we should value most."―Maryum "May May" Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali

“For more than 6 decades, Malcolm X has stood as our most shining example of political courage, moral consistency, and spiritual maturity. This powerful new book, Malcolm in the Desert helps us understand the source of Malcolm’s extraordinary humanity. With her trademark writerly elegance and intellectual brilliance, Ilyasah Shabazz helps us to trace Malcolm’s mighty steps, while inspiring each of us to embark on our own journey of personal transformation. Read this beautiful book and prepare for a pilgrimage of the body, mind, and soul.” ―Marc Lamont Hill

“Elegant and brilliantly insightful. Ilyasah Shabazz’s Malcom inn The Desert: Wisdom from the Spiritual Transformation of Malcolm X is an engaging and fascinating account of how her father’s final year offers important and inspirational spiritual lessons for the present. A must read.”―Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, author of The Sword and the Shield

“Malcolm in the Desert is a rare and thoughtful engagement with the spiritual life of Malcolm X, grounded firmly in Islamic tradition and practice. Ilyasah Shabazz presents faith as a lived discipline of prayer, moral responsibility, and self-examination, rather than as abstract belief. The book treats pilgrimage as a process of ethical transformation and offers an informed, respectful portrayal of how Islam shaped Malcolm’s final evolution. A truly valuable and moving contribution.”―Shaykh Sharif H. Banna, Chairman of the Islamic Institute for Development and Research and author of Journey Through the Quran

“Reflective yet challenging, the journey that Ilyasah Shabazz ushers the reader through in Malcolm in the Desert is tantamount to that of beloved texts like The Alchemist with a practical twist. By the last page, you will be changed.”―Michael Bernard Beckwith, Founder & CEO, Agape International Spiritual Center and author, of Spiritual Liberation

About Author:
Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz is an NAACP Image Award–winning author of six acclaimed books and a National Book Award finalist. As board chair of the Shabazz Center, she carries forward the revolutionary and humanitarian legacy of her parents, Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz.

Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz's Website:

https://www.ilyasahshabazz.com/

YouTube Video: Malcom X's spiritual awakening: New book details his religious evolution -MS NOW- May21,2026

https://youtu.be/Gt5GiJKJuQA?si=7Xux5a16bHmPbu7O

Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, joins Morning Joe to discuss her new book, “Malcolm in the Desert: Wisdom from the Spiritual Transformation of Malcolm X,” which explores the spiritual evolution of the late civil rights activist.