Abu al-Walid was a Muslim Imam. With 3 young acolytes Suleiman, Hassan and Ali, he was on a hajj from the Tangiers System to his home in New Mecca on Helion Prime. Imam and his acolytes, unfortunately, took the ill-fated transport ship Hunter Gratzner. After the crash of the Hunter Gratzner, he and his acolytes remained faithful to their religion, but when the planet was locked in a total eclipse, the Bioraptors of the planet began to kill his acolytes one by one, testing his religious faith. Richard B. Riddick had no small part in this test, and he toyed with Imam during his crisis of faith, but the Imam soon became one of the few people who could be called something of a friend to Riddick.