Honestly, if you look at the grainy footage of Cassius Clay standing over Sonny Liston in 1964, you aren't just seeing a boxing match. You're seeing the birth of a global friction point that hasn't really settled even now, decades later. The morning after that fight, the world found out that the fastest heavyweight in history wasn't just a loudmouth from Louisville. He was a member of the Nation of Islam.
People lost their minds.
It’s easy to look back now and see Ali as this universal figure of peace—the guy lighting the Olympic torch with trembling hands. But Muhammad Ali and Islam wasn't a "safe" pairing in the sixties. It was viewed as a threat to the American way of life. Most folks don't realize that his faith wasn't a static thing he picked up once. It was a messy, evolving, and deeply personal journey that took him from a radical black separatist group to a global ambassador for Sufi peace.
The Malcolm X Connection and the Name Change
He wasn't always Muhammad Ali. He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., a name he eventually called his "slave name." Around 1962, he started sneaking into Nation of Islam (NOI) meetings. He was young, curious, and tired of being a "good boy" in a segregated Kentucky.
Malcolm X became his mentor. Kinda his big brother, really.
Malcolm saw the potential in Ali to be the face of a movement, and Ali saw in Malcolm a version of black manhood that didn't bow down to anybody. When Ali won the title in '64, he didn't just announce he was a Muslim; he announced he was "Cassius X." A few weeks later, the leader of the NOI, Elijah Muhammad, gave him the name we all know today.
But here is the part that’s actually pretty sad: Ali turned his back on Malcolm. When Malcolm X split from the Nation of Islam due to disagreements with Elijah Muhammad’s behavior, Ali stayed loyal to the organization. He literally ignored Malcolm at a hotel in Ghana. Later in life, Ali said that turning his back on Malcolm was one of the biggest mistakes he ever made. It’s a reminder that even the "Greatest" had moments where he chose the group over the friend.
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Why the draft refusal was a religious act
In 1967, the US government came calling. They wanted Ali in Vietnam.
"I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong," he famously said.
Most people think he was just a war protester. He wasn't. He was a conscientious objector based specifically on the teachings of the Nation of Islam. At the time, the NOI taught that Black people shouldn't fight the "white man's" wars.
He was arrested. They took his title. They took his license. He didn't fight for three and a half years during his absolute physical prime.
Think about that.
Most athletes today won't even tweet something controversial for fear of losing a Nike deal. Ali gave up millions of dollars and his livelihood because his version of Muhammad Ali and Islam required him to say "no." He once said that if he thought the war was going to bring freedom to his people in America, they wouldn't have to draft him—he’d join the next day. But he didn't see it that way. He saw the hypocrisy of fighting for rights abroad that he didn't have at home in Louisville.
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The Shift to Sunni Islam
Elijah Muhammad died in 1975. This was a massive turning point.
Elijah’s son, Wallace D. Muhammad, took over the Nation of Islam and started moving the whole group toward mainstream Sunni Islam. He ditched the radical "white people are devils" rhetoric and started teaching the Five Pillars of Islam.
Ali followed him.
This is the version of Ali’s faith that most people find "palatable" today. He started studying the Qur'an. He realized that Islam was a global, multiracial religion. He wasn't just a Black Muslim anymore; he was a Muslim who happened to be Black. By the time he was fighting the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire, he was praying five times a day. He told reporters that everything he was doing was for the sake of Allah.
In his later years, especially after his Parkinson's diagnosis, he moved toward Sufism. This is a more mystical, inward-focused branch of Islam that emphasizes universal love and the "oneness" of humanity. If you look at his later quotes, they’re almost all about service. He famously said, "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth."
Common Misconceptions About His Faith
- "He was always a peaceful Muslim." Not exactly. In the 60s, his rhetoric was pretty harsh. He was part of a group that was classified as a hate group by many. He grew into the peace we remember later.
- "He did it for the publicity." No way. You don't go to court and face five years in prison for a PR stunt. He was genuinely terrified of the consequences, but his faith was stronger than his fear.
- "He hated Christians." Actually, his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, remained a devout Christian her entire life. Ali respected her faith deeply and often talked about how his parents' goodness was a reflection of their own belief in God.
Impact on the Global Muslim Community
You can't overstate how much Ali meant to Muslims outside of America. In places like Indonesia, Pakistan, and Egypt, he was a hero. He was proof that you could be the most famous, most "Western" celebrity in the world and still be a proud, practicing Muslim.
When he went to Iraq in 1990 to negotiate the release of 15 American hostages, he did it as a Muslim brother. Saddam Hussein actually listened to him because of that shared religious identity.
He basically became a one-man diplomatic corps.
Even after the 9/11 attacks, Ali was one of the first people to stand up and say that "true Muslims" don't kill innocent people. He was protective of the name of his religion. He hated that it was being dragged through the mud by extremists.
Actionable Takeaways from Ali’s Spiritual Journey
If you’re looking to understand the legacy of Muhammad Ali and Islam, it’s not just a history lesson. It’s a blueprint for conviction.
- Audit your values. Ali was willing to lose everything for what he believed. Most of us aren't. Ask yourself what your "non-negotiables" are.
- Allow yourself to evolve. Ali wasn't the same man at 70 that he was at 22. He changed his views, admitted his mistakes (like with Malcolm X), and grew more inclusive.
- Focus on service. Toward the end, Ali wasn't talking about his knockouts. He was talking about how many people he could help.
The story of Ali and his faith is really a story about identity. It's about a man who refused to let the world define him. He chose his own name, his own god, and his own path, and in doing so, he forced the world to expand its definition of what an American hero looks like.
To truly understand Ali, you have to look past the boxing gloves. You have to look at the prayer rug. He didn't just fight men in the ring; he fought for the right to be himself in a world that wanted him to be someone else. That struggle is why his story still resonates today.
Explore more about Ali's history by visiting the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville or reading his autobiography, "The Soul of a Butterfly." To apply his principles of conviction to your own life, start by identifying one area where you are currently compromising your values for the sake of "fitting in" and take a single step toward authentic action.
Research the history of the 1971 Supreme Court case Clay v. United States to see the legal framework that eventually protected his right to religious freedom.