LOUISVILLE, Ky.
At the Muhammad Ali Center, the most famous American convert to Islam isn’t bashful about his religious beliefs.
His testimony is displayed on the television screens and imprinted on the museum walls.
“Everything I do now, I do to please Allah,” he said. “I conquered the world and it didn’t bring me true happiness. The only true satisfaction comes from honoring and worshiping God.”
To understand The Greatest, it’s “absolutely” crucial to understand his spirituality, his wife, Lonnie Ali, said in an interview.
“He was raised as a Baptist here in Louisville. Went to church here. His mother took him to Sunday School and to church, and from there he went on to become a Muslim, but all along the man has always been a spiritual man,” Lonnie Ali said.
One exhibit includes a picture of Centennial Olivet Baptist Church, where Ali was baptized when he was 12 years old. Another features Ali with Malcolm X and Nation of Islam prophet Elijah Muhammad.
There’s Ali and Mother Teresa, together in Calcutta. Later, it’s the champion and the Dalai Lama, enjoying each other’s company.
Aloof isn’t a word often associated with the champ.
“Muhammad believes his celebrity is a gift from God and sharing that with others is an act of kindness. He strongly believes he should share it with others,” Lonnie Ali said.
The center has a spirituality room, where visitors can recline on eight sleek, black leather chairs while they listen to the champ’s spiritual philosophy.
Ali, once a fiery Nation of Islam member, is now a voice for interfaith cooperation.
“I’ve seen the whole world. I’ve learned something from people everywhere. There’s truth in Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, all religions. And in just plain talking,” he says. “The only religion that matters is the real religion: love.”
As he battles Parkinson’s disease, Ali accepts it stoically.”God gave me this impairment to remind me that I’m not the greatest. He is.”
The champion is focused on eternal things.”I want to do all I can so that when I die, I can go to the right place,” he says. “And when we die, life don’t end. Life’s just starting. I want to do all I can to prepare myself for the hereafter.”