Muhammad became Mystical in his later years

Did you know that Ali switched over to Sufism, the Mystical Sect of Muslim?

Rev. Ed of Unity Charleston's

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

The more I hear about Muhammed Ali the more I like him. I am not a fan, at all, of boxing. However I liked Ali's activism. And most of what he said. Here's one statement. He was being interviewed by Howard Cosell. And as Ali was speaking, Cosell says, "OK, you're being truculent". And Ali says, "I don't know what that is, but whatever that is, I'm it!"

I did not know, til one of our congregants told me on Sunday, that Ali ended up being a Sufi. We all know he was a Muslim, but in his final years he drifted more toward Sufism, which is the mystical sect of Islam. I have always loved Sufism. They are the rough equivalent to St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila in Christianity. All Sufi's care about is loving God and loving one another. They are known for their Whirling Dervishes.

One might say that Unity is the mystical form of Christianity since we are so big on our at-one-ment with God and each other. This is one of the reasons I was drawn to Unity in the first place.