Clarence 13X born Clarence Smith (February 22, 1928–1969) in Danville, Virginia is considered the founder of the Five Percent Nation of the Gods and the Earths, and is referred to by members of that group as "Allah".

After serving in the Korean War, Clarence joined the Nation of Islam after learning that his wife had converted to the group. He became a member at Temple Number 7 in Harlem, New York where Malcolm X was a minister. Clarence would be well known there for his martial-arts skills, and speaking ability leading him to become a member of the Fruit of Islam and a student minister. However, he would begin to question the NOI teaching of Wallace Fard Muhammad being Allah. This on account of the NOI teaching that the black man was divine, but being contradicted by Clarence's belief that Fard was not a black man.

This led to his being reprimanded by the Nation of Islam, and Clarence 13X left the organization, changing his name to Allah in 1963. This led to him beginning to preach his own version of NOI teachings in the streets of Harlem, and later other cities, attracting supporters among the youths attracted by his speaking style. Smith used the Nation of Islam's teachings to teach that any black man could become God through living a life of righteousness, and that people of other races could similarily become "civilized people".

In order to spread his message, he devised systems reminiscent of mystical traditions, which he called the Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet. In this system, Islam is less a religion than a science that can "break down" ordinary words through linguistic gymnastics.

Clarence 13X was assassinated in Harlem in 1969. Following the murder, which remains unsolved to this day, any vestige of hierarchy among Five Percenters entirely disappeared, but the his teachings were maintained by his early students, and disemminated.

Five Percenters hold that the spirit of Clarence 13X, or the spirit of Allah as they term it, will live on as long as their message is being spread.