Muhammad Ali 2x Signed ALS: "Service to others is the rent I pay for my room in the hereafter"

A 1p autograph letter twice signed by world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), the first time on the second line within the text as part of the "Muhammad Ali Fan Club"; and the second time as "Muhammad Ali" at the conclusion. December 17, 1988. N.p. Inscribed in blue ink on a laid watermarked leaf of personalized stationery with "Muhammad Ali Farms / P.O. Box 187 / Berrien Springs, MI 49103" along the letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, else near fine. 8.5" x 11." Pre-approved by PSA for authentication.

Ali wrote in full:

"Hello Mike,

Soon I will start the Muhammad Ali Fan Club, I want you to be one of my club members, I will contact you when I am ready

Love always
Muhammad Ali

P.S. Service to others is the rent I pay for my room in the hereafter

12-17-88."

While Ali is best remembered for his championship boxing career, he was also a man of varied interests, among them art, music, writing, acting, philanthropy, and Islam. Ali converted to Sunni Islam under the guidance of spiritual mentor Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam between 1934-1975, in the early 1960s. Ali's celebrity in the ring made him one of America's most well-known Muslims, and while initially the Nation of Islam disapproved of this association, they soon relented. Ali practiced Islam during and after his boxing career. He made two pilgrimages to Mecca in 1972 and 1988 and devoted much of his later life to charitable pursuits. He converted to Sufi Islam around 2005.

His quotation here, "Service to others is the rent I pay for my room in the hereafter" appears in modified form as: "Service to others is the rent we pay for our room in Heaven" in his autobiography, Muhammad Ali and Hana Yasmeen Ali, "The Soul of A Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey" (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.)

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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