mohammed introduced many reforms and began an information campaign about sunni islam much as el hajj malik el-shabazz had years earlier. he stated that fard was not divine and that his father was not a prophet. all of the over 400 temples were converted into traditional islamic mosques, and he introduced the five pillars of islam to his followers. he rejected literal interpretations of his father's theology and black-separatist views and on the basis of his intensive independent study of islamic law, history, and theology, he accepted whites as fellow worshipers. however, he also encouraged african americans to separate themselves from their pasts, in 1976 calling upon them to change their surnames which were often given to their ancestors by slave masters. he forged closer ties with mainstream muslim communities, including hispanic and latino american muslims. by 1978 he had succeeded in leading the majority of the original noi to sunni islam which still stands as the largest mass conversion to islam in the united states. in many urban areas of the united states today many black muslims in the sunni tradition are known and recognized by the hijabs on women and kufi caps and long beards for men. these beards are grown as an adherence to the sunnah of the prophet muhammad for men to let their beards grow. commonly called sunnah beards, and sunni beards, among muslims and more recently known as philly beards have also gained popularity among non muslim men emulating muslim style.