When did Muhammad Ali become Muslim?

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Muhammad Ali, three-time world heavyweight champion, is an iconic American boxer. Ali, born in 1942 as Cassius Clay, became Muslim soon after his stunning defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964.

Liston Fight

On February 25, 1964, underdog Clay defeated Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship in one of the most "stunning upsets in sports history," according to Britannica Online Encyclopedia.

Conversion to Islam

Shortly afterward, Clay proclaimed his conversion to the Nation of Islam, shocking the conservative boxing community. Britannica reports that on March 6, 1964, Clay adopted the name Muhammad Ali, given by spiritual mentor Elijah Muhammad, who believed that "white people are 'devils' and there is no Heaven or hell."

Conscientious Objector

Ali was drafted during the Vietnam War in 1967. He refused to do military service on the basis of his religious beliefs, but he was denied conscientious-objector status. He was stripped of his heavyweight titles (for three years) and sentenced to five years in prison (he remained free on bail). The conviction was overturned four years later by the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Nova Online.

Orthodox Islam

Ali became a serious student of the Quran in the mid-1970s and adopted orthodox Islamic beliefs, reports Britannica.

Sufi Islam

Ali has a profound interest in Sufi Islam, and he is "more spiritual now than he is religious," his daughter Hana Ali says in an article on Beliefnet.

Source:

Ali, Muhammad. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 5, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition: http://www.library.eb.com/eb/article-9005713.

Nova Online: Mohammed Ali

Belief Net: Muhammad Ali's New Spiritual Quest

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