adapted from a speech given by Imam Rahman Khan of Masjid Ash Shaheed
“Allah is the Arabic term for God. Stand up for God, fight for God, work for God and do the right thing, and go the right way, things will end up in your corner.” –Muhammad Ali
Allah has brought home our brother, our champion Muhammad Ali. May Allah be pleased with him, forgive his sins and grant him the highest station of paradise.
Allah chose to bring him home at a time when Muslims were in dire need of positive attention. For well over a week, Muhammad Ali was on every TV station, every media outlet. You couldn’t turn around without seeing a remembrance of Muhammad Ali. His Janazah was flooded with over 15,000 people who came from all over the world to pay respect to Muhammad Ali. The world paused and reflected on the man, the athlete, the legend, and the humanitarian that we had lost.
So it was no surprise that millions of people all over the world were tuned in to see Muhammad Ali’s janazah. Millions of people got that impact of being reminded that he was unapologetically Muslim.
Imam Dr. Sherman Jackson said, “As a cultural icon, Ali made being Muslim cool. Ali made being Muslim dignified. Ali made being Muslim relevant. And all of this he did in a way that no one could challenge his belongingness to or in this country. Ali put the question of whether a person can be a Muslim and an American to rest. Indeed, he KO’d that question. With his passing, let us hope that that question will now be interred with his precious remains.”
Dr. Jackson also said, “As for his religion, there can be no doubt that at the very center of Ali’s being was Islam. Islam was both a source of his strength and the sustainer of his sense of mission. About this there simply can be no doubt. But beyond what Islam did for him, Ali did something for Islam, especially in America. Ali did more to normalize Islam in America than perhaps any other Muslim in this history of this country. Of course, Ali was not a theologian, a shaykh or an Imām. And because of this, some might think that I am overstating my case here.” No one who knew Muhammad Ali would think this an over-statement.
He was called the People’s Champ and he was well known to be a giver. My own memories of Muhammad Ali are when he was in our home growing up. My father and Muhammad Ali were business partners and we got the chance to see him as children. I know first hand that Muhammad Ali’s graciousness to everyone was unparalleled. He spoke to everyone equally; the guy on the street, the guy working in the hotel, the guy who owned the hotel. Everyone. He was never one to say an unkind word to anyone… well, except maybe Joe Frasier. Everyone else though, he was very nice to.
He was a gentle man that we should know and respect. We should teach our young people about the sacrifices that he made for all of us and how he eventually came out on top. He did not just make sacrifices for us as Americans or for us as Black people; he made sacrifices for us as Muslims and that is something that we should all pay a sincere respect to. This is why we joined many other mosques in performing a Janaza al ghaib in his honor.
When he was named Athlete of the century that made a huge impact. Now he got this honor, not because he could box around the ring as Cassius Clay or the Louisville Lip! It was to give him the honor for his great service to humanity.
He made the name “Muhammad” prominent. he made people SAY the name in the 1960s when it was not popular, when being Black was hard and being Muslim was hard. He gave up everything for his principles, including giving up up boxing to protest the unjust war. We have to give tremendous respect for him as a humanitarian.
So many people spend too much time focusing on his boxing career. He made a reputation for himself by telling you what round he’d knock you out in. He beat Sonny Liston, Joe Frasier, George Foreman, etc. All of whom the officials said that he’d never beat. When Muhammad Ali had been out of the ring for many years after protesting Vietnam he got in the ring with George Foreman. George Foreman was the most powerful heavyweight fighter that the sport had seen and he was the favorite going into the match. I believe that Allah (SWT) wanted Muhammad Ali to win. Why do I say this? Because I think Allah knew that his voice as a world champion would be a powerful position for him to speak the truth of Islam and have a major humanitarian impact and do the work outside the ring that Muhammad Ali has done since then.
He was a giving human being, he was one who helped people when they were down, and would lift the highest people up. He was in the ear of people who made decisions. Global leaders! He would greet people with “as-salaam alaikum, peace be unto you.” Even though he was soft spoken, he would remind people with statements like, “well, you know us Muslims don’t believe in that,” giving this sort of gentle dawah constantly. He was always open about being Muslim and he spoke out against injustice as often as he spoke positively about Islam. Muhammad Ali was conscious of his position and his ability to use that position to help everyone.
Even when his health took his voice and he could not speak; Muhammad Ali continued to help people all around the world. He contributed money, established charity and through his work, Muhammad Ali helped people to see Muhammad (SAWS) through this generosity.
We have this same opportunity to be humanitarians.
We have this chance to be like our brother, to give like our brother in both public and private life. To be generous. We have the opportunity to remember our brother’s example of living the way Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) showed us. Generosity at all times and in all ways.