Episode 05: “Stand Up, Let the World Know!”
Episode Description:
In 1975, the Nation of Islam began to go through a dramatic shift called the Second Resurrection. It marked a transition to traditional Islam and a different style of leadership. Learn about some of the core changes to Muhammad Ali’s religious beliefs during this pivotal period and how he helped ensure the future of the community after the death of the Nation of Islam leader known as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
People:
Imam Dr. Nasir Ahmad, an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and imam of the historic Masjid Al-Ansar in Miami, Florida.
Hana Ali, the third youngest child of Muhammad Ali and author of three books about him, the latest being At Home with Muhammad Ali: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Forgiveness.
Lonnie Ali, wife of Muhammad Ali for 30 years and co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Center.
Maryum Ali, Muhammad Ali’s oldest daughter and first-born child, author and speaker.
Muhammad Ali (archival audio), the Champ.
Jonathan Eig, journalist, author, and biographer, most recent biography is Ali: A Life.
Fred Graham (archival audio), journalist, lawyer, broadcaster and anchor.
Reverend Jesse Jackson (archival audio), political activist, Baptist minister, and politician.
Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (archival audio), author, religious leader, and son and successor of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who transitioned the Nation of Islam in 1975 to traditional Islam.
Sister Clara Muhammad (referenced, not named), wife of Elijah Muhammad and mother of Imam W.D. Mohammed.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad (referenced), leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 - 1975.
W.D. Fard Muhammad (referenced), founder of the Nation of Islam.
Imam Mansoor Sabree, Deputy Director for IMAN in Atlanta, Georgia, and former imam of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam.
Imam Zaid Shakir, Islamic scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna College.
Imam Dr. Talib M. Shareef, retired Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force and and imam of Masjid Muhammad in Washington, D.C.
Malcolm X (archival audio), former Nation of Islam minister, human rights activist, once close friend and mentor to Ali.
Places:
The International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicago where the Nation of Islam’s annual Saviour’s Day was held that year and Ali gave his February 26, 1975, speech in support of Imam W.D. Mohammed (then Minister Wallace) becoming the new leader of the Nation of Islam.
Nation of Islam Temple No. 2, Mosque Honorable Elijah Muhammad (now Mosque Maryam), that Muhammad Ali had years earlier helped secure millions of dollars in funding to acquire and where Imam Warith Deen Mohammed held up the Qur’an — just hours after his father passed away in February 1975 — and said, “We say we are Muslims. What my father taught that is in this book, we will keep. What is not in this book we have to give up.”
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul where Muhammad Ali prayed in 1976 and at a press conference outside announced,“Mark my words and play what I say right now fully. At the urging of my leader, Wallace Muhammad, I declare that I am quitting fighting as of now and from now on I will join the struggle for the Islamic cause.”
Masjid Muhammad in Washington, D.C., where Imam Dr. Talib M. Shareef met Muhammad Ali in the early 1980s and marched with him in that year’s New World Patriotism Day Parade in the capital city.
Selected Events:
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad passes away on the morning of Februay 25, 1975, and the earliest stages of the transition of the Nation of Islam to traditional Islam begin that very same day under the leadership of his son Wallace, later to be known as Imam Warith Deen Mohammed.
Muhammad Ali addresses an audience of over 25,000 at Saviour’s Day on February 26, 1975; pledges allegiance to Minister Wallace as the new leader of the Nation of Islam; and urges those in attendance and listening around the country to do the same, proclaiming, “I’m sure that everyone here today who feels the same will be happy to stand up right now and let the world know that you behind this man!”
Muhammad Ali donates $100,000 on December 2, 1975, to the at-risk-of-being shutdown Hillside Aged Program Center, an institution serving 54 disabled seniors citizens, most them Jewish. He delivers his gift in person, eyes filled with tears. Of his donation, he says, “Service to others is the rent I pay for my room here on earth.” Days later, in a letter to the editor of the New York Times, titled “Gift From “The Greatest,’” Charlotte Wahle writes, “Ali demonstrates that minorities should help each other, that we need each other. Ali is a true philanthropist.”
During a March 26, 1976, Face the Nation interview on CBS, Muhammad Ali tells interviewers George Herman, Peter Bonaventre, and Fred Graham why the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s teachings were once “good for the time” and why Imam W.D. Mohammed’s teachings are now good for the time.
In an October 1, 1980, ABC News Interview with Ted Koppel, Muhammad Ali talks about the role of Imam W.D. Mohammed in his desired next steps of becoming a Muslim “evangelist” after boxing.
In a 1978 Sportsnight interview, Muhammad Ali tells British BBC sports commentator Harry Carpenter it would make him happy to become a successful Muslim evangelist bringing thousands upon thousands of people to God.
Artifacts:
Malcolm X talks about the Islamic testimony of faith during an interview at Dartmouth College in 1965.
In its August 1975 issue, Jet magazine covers Imam W.D. Mohammed’s changes to the Nation of Islam.
In 1979, Imam W.D. Mohammed discusses the purpose of New World Patriotism Day.
Muhammad Ali marches along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue next to Mayor Jane Byrne in a New World Patriotism Day Parade held on July 4, 1980.
The City of Miami produces a 2006 report on the possible designation of Masjid Al-Ansar as a historic landmark, a mosque which was the site of a famous scene filmed from the movie Ali; which remained one of the spiritual homes of Muhammad Ali since his earliest days as a Muslim; and which he contributed to the financial preservation of, including its Islamic school for children.
