2. He Is A Sufi
“Ali announced that he is a Sufi around 2005, saying that of all of the sects of Islam, he feels the closest connection to Sufism,” says Miller, whose book “Approaching Ali” was released in late 2015. “Sufism is arguably the most peaceful sect of any major or minor religion. Sufis believe that to purposely harm any person is to harm all of humanity, to harm each of us and to damage the world.
“It is the perfect fit for Ali, who had been living in the ways that Sufis do for decades before he’d heard of the religion. “Few people have heard about the profound ways Ali’s faith has evolved over the years. He has been a world soul for many decades; he has grown from separatist to universalist.”
3. He Fought While Injured
“Ali had only six weeks to prepare for this contest,” Miller says. “In training, his boyhood friend and former heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis badly fractured one of Ali’s ribs.
“Even with this injury, Ali did not reschedule the fight, being entirely uncertain that if he did, he would ever get the chance to fight again.”
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