Much of this can be found in The Autobiography Of Malcom X, as told to Alex Haley. However there have been allegations that this book has fabrications and is not historically accurate, or even exactly an "auto"-biography.

In the main part of his career, Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam, and a follower of Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad was also the mentor of Muhammad Ali and Louis Farrakhan. The Nation of Islam was originally founded by Wallace Fard in the 1930's. Although the group grew quickly, there were early controversies, including apparently acts of human sacrifice committed by members. Human sacrifice, of course, is not condoned by Islam. Fard disappeared in 1934 without a trace (some speculate he was assassinated), and Elijah Muhammad (formerly Elijah Poole) assumed the leadership.

The group had many earmarks of what today would be known as a 'cult'. That is, a fanatical group who is controlled by a leader who claims to have supernatural powers. Elijah Muhammad claimed that Wallace Fard was Allah Himself. This of course would be considered blasphemy by mainstream Islamic groups. Elijah Muhammad taught that the White 'race' are devils, and that persons of African descent should separate from whites. The Nation of Islam was an explicitly racist group and the separation of races was a main aspect of their teachings. This is not a mainstream tenant of Islam - a fact that Malcolm X said that he discovered during his Haj to Mecca where he saw persons of all races worshiping together. Malcolm X also stated that he observed that Elijah Muhammad was having extramarital affairs with young women in the group (and having children out of wedlock by them) - which violated Elijah Muhammad's own teachings and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

Malcolm X publicly left the Nation of Islam in 1964. He worked with Halley on the 'autobiography' as a way to explain his own beliefs and why he left the Nation of Islam. He was publicly assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam within a year of his leaving that group.