‘Muhammad Ali’ On PBS Shows Impacts Of Boxer’s Muslim Faith

Muhammad Ali. Photo via REX/Shutterstock.

(REVIEW) Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. — better known by his Muslim name, Muhammad Ali — is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest athletes and the best heavyweight boxer of all time. When his career had barely begun, he claimed for himself a title that would later become his nickname: The Greatest. A cocky, charming Black man in a time when Black men weren’t supposed to be publicly confident, Ali quickly became a controversial figure. 

Beyond his riveting sports career, Ali was one of the most prominent figures associated with the Nation of Islam, which would prove to be a driving influence in both his political and spiritual life. The four-part series exploring Ali’s life is made by documentary filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon — the trio who produced “The Central Park Five” in 2013 and “Jackie Robinson” in 2016. The first episode released Sept. 19. 

A beautifully-constructed documentary, the eight-hour feature explores the ins and outs of Ali’s life in a way that manages to interest viewers for its entire runtime. Leaving out no details — from Ali’s sports career and his training method to his complicated relationship with Islam and marital troubles and everything in between — “Muhammad Ali” is the perfect venture for those who don’t know anything about the famous boxer or want to know more. 

Part of what keeps the documentary interesting is the way it weaves back and forth between boxing history and thrilling matches — complete with archival footage — and more intimate details. It shows that Islam wasn’t removed from any part of Ali’s life, whether that be his career, his political presence or his personal religious practice. 

Ali won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics as an 18-year-old, only six years after he’d started taking boxing lessons in his hometown of Louisville. Soon after, he made his professional debut and was undefeated for years. 

When Ali, still known as Cassius Clay at the time, met Nation of Islam minister and activist Malcolm X in 1962, both men were immediately drawn to each other’s charisma and bold presence. Their friendship sparked quickly, and they soon became very close, with Malcolm X as Ali’s mentor and Ali as Malcolm X’s confidant. 

The Nation of Islam, founded in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad, is a sect of Islam for Black Muslims that teaches separatism and Black nationalism. Nation of Islam members practice Islam with significant theological differences from mainstream Islam. During the time of Muhammad Ali and Malcom X, influential leader Elijah Muhammad taught that Black American Muslims should remain separate from White Americans and that Allah was Black. He preached about the “Mother Ship,” a spaceship that Allah orbits the Earth in, and said that Allah would soon return to wipe out the White race and create a utopia. 

Muhammad himself was a controversial figure, a self-appointed prophet of Allah. He later used his power to excommunicate figurehead Malcolm X, who had criticized Muhammad for extramarital affairs and siphoning funds from the Nation of Islam and was ousted after a remark about JFK’s assassination. Malcolm X was then called a traitor by many — including Ali — and received death threats from members until his assassination in 1965.

Muhammad also neglected to acknowledge Ali’s attachment to the Nation of Islam, saying sports were discouraged by Allah — until Ali became a successful boxer. Then Muhammad brought Ali in as a close confidant and offered him his new name, Muhammad Ali, which the boxer adopted in 1964. That naming also came at a crucial point in Malcolm’s ties to the brotherhood, encouraging Ali’s allegiance toward Muhammad and away from his friend Malcolm X. 

‘Blood Brothers’

Stories of Malcolm X and Ali’s friendship are interspersed throughout the PBS documentary, but the Netflix documentary “Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali” takes a focused look at their relationship and the politics surrounding it. It’s a good follow-up to the PBS documentary and a resource for those familiar with the general biographies of Malcolm X and Ali. 

The film spans the time from their first meeting to Malcolm X’s death and focuses on the falling out they had after Malcolm X was ousted from the Nation of Islam. It offers an in-depth look at the teachings of Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, as well as Malcolm X’s philosophies in contrast to the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Era.

“Blood Brothers” also offers compelling reasons to explain why Black men were so drawn to the Nation of Islam. 

The strict routines and restrictions of Islam allowed these men to organize and discipline their lives — and they felt stronger because of that. Right alongside were Muhammad’s teachings that Black was sacred, that Black men should be confident and that Black men were entirely capable of taking care of themselves. It offered much-needed confidence during the difficult fight against White nationalism in the 1950s and ‘60s. 

“The Nation of Islam gave us confidence,” said Ali’s brother, Rahman.

As Muhammad Ali’s alliance to the Nation of Islam grew, the American public began to resent him for it. Promoters threatened to cancel events. Fans called Ali un-American. Reporters often refused to call him anything other than Cassius Clay. 

Before the end of their lives, both Malcolm X and Ali converted to Sunni Islam. Neither documentary elaborates very much on the stark differences between the Nation of Islam and Sunni Islam, treating them as one and the same. But it’s important for viewers to recognize that the Nation of Islam — particularly during the era Malcolm X and Ali were leaders of the movement — was just as political as it was religious, if not more so. The Nation of Islam provided a spiritual outlet for frustrations during the Civil Rights Era that encouraged protest and confidence. 

These end-of-life conversions showed a higher dedication to Allah and Islam than political protest for Black Americans.

The largest platform for Ali’s faith came as he was drafted for the Vietnam War — and refused to go. He was stripped of his heavyweight title and denied a boxing license in every state from 1967 to 1970. As his case traveled through the courts, Ali became a more vocal opponent of the war. He argued that his Muslim faith prevented him from participating in any war Allah had not sanctioned. His case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Ali avoided jail on a legal technicality. 

An American Icon

Ali fought both mentally and physically to continue his boxing career long past his prime, spurred on by a refusal to acknowledge his deteriorating health and a need to keep from going totally broke. 

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984, a challenge that would affect the rest of his life. His speech had noticeably slurred, his speed diminished and his health deteriorated years before the diagnosis.

Ali appeared at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to light the torch. That was a defining moment in his life and the way many Americans remember him. Hands shaking, movements slow and unsteady, the appearance served as a final act in humanizing the cocky American hero. Writers and journalists said it reflected both how Ali had changed and how the American public, which had once jeered and hated Ali, had changed. 

With his fourth wife, Lonnie, Ali continued his humanitarian work in a more official way. He traveled to other countries, offered aid and worked to educate people about Islam, passing out autographed booklets that corrected misconceptions about the faith. 

Ali’s faith, too, grew deeply after his boxing career was over. No longer tied exclusively to the Nation of Islam, he became a more devout Sunni Muslim. He spoke with regret about his past womanizing and adultery and remained faithful to Lonnie until his death. On a 1988 trip to Mecca, he acknowledged that he hadn’t taken the holy site — or the faith — as seriously in the past. He died at age 74 in 2016.

There’s something beautiful about the change Ali was forced to endure. Once known as a divisive, sometimes cruel figure, Ali spent the remainder of his life as a generous and pious man. Best of all, he kept the charm and true kindness that had made him beloved by so many. 

Ali was, and still is, an American icon — after all, he was the greatest. 

Watch the documentary through PBS here.

Jillian Cheney is a contributing culture writer for Religion Unplugged who loves consuming good culture and writing about it. She also writes on American Protestantism and evangelical Christianity and was Religion Unplugged’s 2020-21 Poynter-Koch fellow. You can find her on Twitter @_jilliancheney.