Religious views of Muhammad Ali

Last updated

Muhammad Ali was initially raised as a Baptist [1] before his high-profile conversion to Islam. [2] In the early 1960s, he began attending Nation of Islam Meetings. There, he met Malcolm X, who encouraged his involvement and became a highly influential mentor to Ali. Ali, who was named Cassius Clay after his father, first changed his name briefly to Cassius X and then finally to Muhammad Ali in 1964.

Contents

In later years, Ali moved away from the Nation of Islam and its racially separatist ideas to embrace "true Islam." In 2005, he adopted Sufi Islam. He was particularly influenced by Sunni-Sufi beliefs, which he continued to hold until his death in 2016.

Ali and Nation of Islam

Muhammad Ali said that he first heard of the Nation of Islam when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago in 1959, and attended his first Nation of Islam meeting in 1961. He continued to attend meetings, although keeping his involvement hidden from the public. In 1962, Ali met Malcolm X, who soon became his spiritual and political mentor. [3]

Ali first met Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad's chief disciple at the time in Nevada in 1962. Malcolm X is credited with playing a critical role in the evolution of Ali's religious views by steering him towards the Nation of Islam. Ali would subsequently go on to attend the rallies and lectures of Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad. [4] By the time of the first Ali-Liston bout, Nation of Islam members, including Malcolm X, were visible in his entourage. This led to a story in The Miami Herald just before the fight disclosing that Ali had joined the Nation of Islam, which nearly caused the bout to be canceled. The article quoted Cassius Clay Sr. as saying that his son had joined the Black Muslims when he was 18. [5]

After his win in the first Ali-Liston bout, Ali was publicly welcomed into the organization by Elijah Muhammad, and named "Cassius X", which was his "waiting name", and eventually "Muhammad Ali." [6] [7] [8] [lower-alpha 1]

In an interview with George Plimpton, given shortly before his rematch with Liston, [10] Ali expounded on the ontological teachings of Elijah Muhammad and Elijah's instructor Wallace Fard Muhammad. According to these teachings, which Ali said he believed in, there exists a space platform operated by "men who never smile" which orbits the Earth at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour. The platform contains bombs which would be dropped at Armageddon which would begin after a threshold in the earth's collective guilt had been breached. [lower-alpha 2] Ali claimed he had seen the platform on several occasions. A member of Ali's entourage, Cody Jones, who was also present during this interview, corroborated what Ali said and claimed he had seen the platform together with Ali at five A.M. one morning when the two were out jogging. Jones described the platform as "a bright light darting in the sky." According to Plimpton the "bright light darting in the sky", seen by Ali and Jones, was probably either Venus or Jupiter. [11]

On being probed further by Plimpton, Ali explained that according to this belief system the first inhabitants of the Earth were blacks. Among them was an "evil genius", Yakub, the "devil" of this religion. After six hundred years of working in a laboratory, Yakub created the white race. Yakub was eventually ejected from paradise, together with 59,999 of his inventions, [lower-alpha 3] who went on to eventually subjugate the blacks. [13]

In interviews for his 1991 biography Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times , and his 1998 biography King of the World , Ali clarified that he no longer believed in the existence of the space platform or in Yakub anymore. [14] [15] According to Ali, "hearts and souls have no color", and it was wrong of Elijah Muhammad to have talked of "white devils". [14] Ali's biographer David Remnick noted that everything "threatening or obscure" about the Nation of Islam's teachings, including the space platform, Yakub, and racial separatism, had long been forgotten by Ali. [15]

Ali and Sunni Islam

After Elijah Muhammad's death, in 1975, his son Wallace D. Muhammad (later Warith Deen Mohammed) assumed leadership of the organization, following which the fundamental doctrines of the Nation of Islam underwent a change to bring them closer to Sunni Islam. The divinity of Elijah, and that of the Nation of Islam's founder Wallace Fard Muhammad, was denied by Wallace D., and a nonracial view of religion was promulgated in which white people were no longer considered "devils". [15] [16] Eventually, a schism emerged amongst the followers of Elijah, between a faction loyal to Wallace, and another loyal to Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan continued advocating the "racial separatism" of Elijah Muhammad, and reportedly considered Wallace "a soft minded heretic." [15] [16] [lower-alpha 4]

Ali decided to follow the teachings of Wallace Muhammad. [15] In an interview for his 1991 biography Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, Ali commented:

[Wallace] learnt from his studies that his father wasn't teaching true Islam, and Wallace taught us the true meaning of the Quran. He showed that color don't matter. He taught that we're responsible for our own lives and it's no good to blame our problems on other people. And that sounded right to me so I followed Wallace, but not everyone in the Nation felt that way. Some of the ministers didn't like what he was teaching. Jeremiah Shabazz didn't like it. Louis Farrakhan didn't like it either. They believed Elijah was a prophet, and they've kept the exact ways Elijah taught them. But I've changed what I believe, and what I believe in now is true Islam. [19]

Ali and Sufism

In his 2004 autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly , Ali revealed that he had developed an interest in Sufism. [20] Around 2005, Ali adopted Sufi Islam, and announced that out of all Islamic spiritual schools of thought, he felt most strongly inclined towards Sufism. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]

According to Ali's daughter, Hana Yasmeen Ali, who co-authored The Soul of a Butterfly with him, Ali was attracted to Sufism after reading the books of Inayat Khan which contain Sufi teachings. [27] [28] According to Ali's biographer and friend Davis Miller:

Sufis believe that to purposely harm any person is to harm all of humanity, to harm each of us and to damage the world. It is the perfect fit for Ali, who had been living in the ways that Sufis do for decades before he'd heard of the religion. Few people have heard about the profound ways Ali's faith has evolved over the years. He has been a world soul for many decades; he has grown from separatist to universalist. [21]

Ali later moved away from Inayat Khan's teachings of Universal Sufism, towards traditional Sunni-Sufi Islam. Muhammad Ali received guidance from Sunni-Sufi Islamic scholars such as Grand Mufti of Syria Almarhum Asy-Syaikh Ahmed Kuftaro, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, and Dr. Timothy J. Gianotti, who was at Ali's bedside during his last days and ensured that his funeral was in accordance with Islamic rites and rituals. [29] [30]

Ali's religious views and boxing

From a boxing perspective, it is speculated that Malcolm X may have contributed to enhancing the probability of Ali winning his first bout with Liston, by instilling into Ali the belief that he was invincible, and that it was destined that he would win. [31] At the weigh-in before the first Ali-Liston fight, Ali had shouted: "It is prophesied that I should win! I cannot be beaten!" [6] According to Dennis and Atyeo:

Malcolm X firmly implanted in Ali's mind the belief that he was invincible which must have been of enormous psychological advantage to a young fighter facing the awesome Sonny Liston. Ali became a fanatic and fanaticism greatly increased his resolve. By the time he learned that he was not invincible, Ali had matured enough to take the lesson in his stride. Conversely, the thought of having to face a dreaded "Black Muslim" must have been at the very least a slightly daunting proposition for many of Ali's opponents, especially the ones he christened "Uncle Toms." [32]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ali's biographer Remnick noted that it was unusual for Elijah to have given a "completed" Islamic name to Ali; most members of the Nation used X as their last name. Elijah Muhammad typically gave "completed" Islamic holy names only to longstanding members of the Nation, who had been with the organization for decades, as a mark of honor. [9]
  2. ↑ In his interview with Plimpton, Ali stated that Wallace Fard had prophesied that the holocaust would arrive in 1970, leveling everything, and leaving only 154,000 black survivors to "get things going again." [11] Ali claimed he did not know if he would be among the survivors. [12]
  3. ↑ Almost all figures in this mythology are exact, notes Plimpton. [11]
  4. ↑ Wallace would go on to change the name of the Nation of Islam to, initially the World Community of al-Islam in the West, and later to the American Muslim Mission. Subsequently, he encouraged all mosques affiliated with his organization to "be independent under the leadership of the Muslim American Society, or the Ministry of W. Deen Mohammed." [16] Farrakhan, who revived the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, under the old Nation of Islam name, later reportedly moved his own splinter organization closer to mainstream Islam, according to a March 2000 article in The Baltimore Sun. [17] According to an article in OnFaith, Farrakhan and Wallace publicly reconciled and made a declaration of unity in the year 2000. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm X</span> American Black rights activist (1925–1965)

Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI) until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community. A posthumous autobiography, on which he collaborated with Alex Haley, was published in 1965.

The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African Americans. While describing itself as Islamic, its religious tenets, while phrased in Islamic terminology, differ considerably from mainstream Islamic traditions. Scholars of religion characterize it as a new religious movement. It operates as a centralized and hierarchical organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slave name</span> Name given to an enslaved person

A slave name is the personal name given by others to an enslaved person, or a name inherited from enslaved ancestors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Farrakhan</span> American black nationalist religious leader (born 1933)

Louis Farrakhan is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a black nationalist organization. Farrakhan is notable for his leadership of the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C. and for his rhetoric that has been widely denounced as antisemitic and racist.

<i>Ali</i> (film) 2001 film by Michael Mann

Ali is a 2001 American biographical sports drama film co-written, produced and directed by Michael Mann. The film focuses on ten years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974, featuring his capture of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, and banishment from boxing, his return to fight Joe Frazier in 1971, and, finally, his reclaiming the title from George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974. It also touches on the great social and political upheaval in the United States following the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallace Fard Muhammad</span> Founder of the Nation of Islam

Wallace Fard Muhammad, also known as Wallace D. Fard or Master Fard Muhammad, was the founder of the Nation of Islam. He arrived in Detroit in 1930 with an ambiguous background and several aliases, and proselytized idiosyncratic Islamic teachings to the city's black population. In 1934, he disappeared from public record, and Elijah Muhammad succeeded him as leader of the Nation of Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elijah Muhammad</span> African American religious leader (1897–1975)

Elijah Muhammad was an American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his death in 1975. Muhammad was also the teacher and mentor of Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad Ali, and his son, Warith Deen Mohammed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston</span> Boxing competition

The two fights between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston for boxing's World Heavyweight Championship were among the most controversial fights in the sport's history. Sports Illustrated magazine named their first meeting, the Liston–Clay fight, as the fourth greatest sports moment of the twentieth century.

According to the beliefs of the Nation of Islam (NOI), Yakub was a black scientist who lived 6,600 years ago and began the creation of the white race. He is said to have done this through a form of selective breeding which is referred to as "grafting", while he was living on the island of Patmos. The Nation of Islam's mythology states that Yakub is the biblical Jacob.

<i>Muhammad Speaks</i> Defunct American newspaper

Muhammad Speaks was a Black Muslim newspaper published in the United States. It was one of the most widely read newspapers ever produced by an African American organization. It was the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam from 1960 to 1975, founded by a group of Elijah Muhammad's ministers, including Malcolm X.

The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a black nationalist religious group founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. While it identifies itself as promoting a form of Islam, its beliefs differ considerably from mainstream Islamic traditions. Scholars of religion characterize it as a new religious movement. It operates as a centralized and hierarchical organization. It has been characterized by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League as a black supremacist hate group.

The Tribe of Shabazz was, according to the Nation of Islam, an ancient black nation that migrated into central Africa, led by a leader named Shabazz. The concept is found primarily in the writings of Wallace Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad. According to the Autobiography of Malcolm X, all the races except the white race were descendants of the Tribe of Shabazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masjid Malcolm Shabazz</span> Mosque located in Harlem, New York

Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, formerly known as Mosque No. 7, is a Sunni Muslim mosque in Harlem, New York City. It was formerly a Nation of Islam mosque at which Malcolm X preached, until he left it for Sunni Islam in 1964.

<i>Facing Ali</i> 2009 American film

Facing Ali is a 2009 documentary directed by Pete McCormack about Muhammad Ali as told from the perspectives of ten opponents he faced during his career: George Chuvalo, Sir Henry Cooper, George Foreman, "Smokin'" Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks and Ernie Terrell.

Ali: An American Hero is an American television film which aired on August 31, 2000, on FOX. It chronicles portions of the career of heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, who is portrayed by David Ramsey.

African-American Muslims, also colloquially known as Black Muslims, are an African American religious minority. African American Muslims account for over 20% of American Muslims. They represent one of the larger minority Muslim populations of the United States as there is no ethnic group that makes up the majority of American Muslims. They are represented in Sunni and Shia denominations as well as smaller sects, such as the Nation of Islam. The history of African-American Muslims is related to African-American history in general, and goes back to the Revolutionary and Antebellum eras.

<i>I Am the Greatest</i> (Cassius Clay album) 1963 studio album by Cassius Clay

I Am the Greatest is a comedy album by boxer Cassius Clay, released in August 1963 – six months before he won the world heavyweight championship, publicly announced his conversion to Islam, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. It was released by CBS Columbia. The album helped establish Ali's reputation as an eloquently poetic "trash talker". The album has also been identified as an early example of rap music and a precursor to hip hop music.

Cassius Clay and Archie Moore fought a boxing match on November 15, 1962, in Los Angeles. The fight is notable for being Clay's first professional fight in the modern heavyweight division, and featured two iconic fighters at different ends of their careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassius Clay vs. Donnie Fleeman</span> Boxing competition

Cassius Clay fought an eight-round boxing match with Texan Donnie Fleeman in Miami on February 21, 1961. Prior to this fight, Fleeman had a record of 51 fights with 45 wins including 20 knockouts. Clay won the bout through a technical knockout after the referee stopped the fight in the seventh round. This was the first time Clay had gone over six rounds in a boxing match. It was also the first time Fleeman had ever been knocked down in a boxing match. Fleeman retired from boxing after this fight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Malcolm X</span> 1965 murder in New York City, US

Malcolm X, an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement, was shot multiple times and died from his wounds in Manhattan, New York City on February 21, 1965, at age 39. While preparing to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, Malcolm X was shot multiple times and killed. Three members of the Nation of Islam—Muhammad Abdul Aziz, Khalil Islam, and Thomas Hagan—were charged, tried, and convicted of the murder and given indeterminate life sentences, but in November 2021, Aziz and Islam were exonerated.

References

  1. ↑ Hauser, Thomas (2004). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. London: Robson Books. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-86105-738-9. OCLC   56645513.
  2. ↑ Mitchell, Kevin (4 June 2016). "From the Vietnam war to Islam – the key chapters in Ali's life". The Observer.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, Kevin (June 4, 2016). "From the Vietnam war to Islam – the key chapters in Ali's life". The Guardian . Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ Dennis, Felix; Atyeo, Don (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. Miramax Books. pp. 118–122.
  5. ↑ "Muslim Charge Clams Up Clay". The Pittsburgh Press. February 7, 1964.
  6. 1 2 Dennis, Felix; Atyeo, Don (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. Miramax Books. p. 120.
  7. ↑ Remnick, David (1998). King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero . Random House. pp.  208–9. ISBN   9780375500657.
  8. ↑ Hauser, Thomas (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times . Simon & Schuster. pp.  100. ISBN   9780671688929.
  9. ↑ Remnick, David (1998). King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero . Random House. p.  213. ISBN   9780375500657.
  10. ↑ Plimpton, George (1977). Shadow Box. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 110.
  11. 1 2 3 Plimpton, George (1977). Shadow Box. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 115.
  12. ↑ Plimpton, George (1977). Shadow Box. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 116.
  13. ↑ Plimpton, George (1977). Shadow Box. G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 116–7.
  14. 1 2 Hauser, Thomas (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times . Simon & Schuster. pp.  97. ISBN   9780671688929.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Remnick, David (1998). King of The World . Random House. p.  303. ISBN   9780375500657.
  16. 1 2 3 "W. Deen Mohammed, 74, Top U.S. Imam, Dies". The New York Times. September 9, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Farrakhan offers olive branch to unite Islam". The Baltimore Sun. March 6, 2000. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  18. ↑ "W.D. Mohammed: A Witness for True Islam". OnFaith . March 6, 2000. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ↑ Hauser, Thomas (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times . Simon & Schuster. pp.  294. ISBN   9780671688929.
  20. ↑ Ali, Muhammad; Ali, Hana Yasmeen (November 16, 2004). The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   0-7432-6286-7 . Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  21. 1 2 "Muhammad Ali: Five things you never knew about the boxing legend". CNN. April 28, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Champ and Mr. X". National Review. February 29, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Muhammad Ali: America's First Muslim Hero". Daily Beast. June 4, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Family, faith and magic tricks: My 40-year my mum called me bombaclart Ali". The Telegraph. March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Muhammad Ali: Why the boxing legend converted to Islam and refused to serve in the Vietnam War". International Business Times. June 4, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Muhammad Ali's Conversion to Islam Changed the World". Vice . June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Muhammad Ali: Unapologetically Black, Unapologetically Muslim". On Being . June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Muhammad Ali's New Spiritual Quest". Beliefnet . Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Timothy Gianotti – The Imam whose on Muhammad Ali's last days and funeral". On Being . June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Prof. Gianotti plans Muhammad Ali's funeral and memorial service". On Being . June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  31. ↑ Dennis, Felix; Atyeo, Don (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. Miramax Books. p. 120;124.
  32. ↑ Dennis, Felix; Atyeo, Don (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. Miramax Books. p. 124.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.