Muhammad, Imam Warithuddin – Prayer and Al-Islam

Description

Muhammad, Imam Warithuddin ‘Prayer and Al-Islam’ 1982. 297-pages. INSCRIBED “To Tommy from Muhammad Ali …9-19-97” VG in gold-colored covers.

Prayer and Al-Islam is a prominent 1982 Islamic prayer and theological book written by Imam Warith Deen Muhammad (born Wallace D. Muhammad). Despite being misidentified as a “bible,” it is actually a vital text of mainstream American Islam. It was published by the Muhammad Islamic Foundation in Chicago, an organization heavily funded and established by boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who ran the foundation directly out of his Chicago residence.

Book Description:
• Historical Context: The author was the son of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad. Following his father’s death, Imam Warith Deen Muhammad famously guided the vast majority of the Nation of Islam’s followers away from black separatist ideology and into orthodox Sunni Islam. Muhammad Ali, who converted to Islam in the 1960s, was a passionate supporter of this transition and financed the publication and distribution of this book. Ali is even explicitly mentioned on page 56 of the text, comparing his athletic dedication to spiritual faith.
• Physical Binding: The book was published as an octavo hardcover bound in distinctive gold-colored boards featuring green lettering and was issued without a dust jacket.
• The Inscription: Muhammad Ali was deeply involved in promoting the book and kept stacks of them to hand out to fans, friends, and visitors. He frequently signed and personalized them with idiosyncratic quotes, hearts, smiling faces, and dates. A copy inscribed “To Tommy from Muhammad Ali …9-19-97” represents an authentic, late-1990s signature from the “The Greatest” during his retirement years.