Muhammad Ali’s Final Farewell: Who Were There?

Thousands attended the interfaith service held at a local sports arena.

The service embraced many religious faiths including an opening reading from the Quran by scholar and the family’s religious adviser Iman Shakir.

Clinton spent a large portion of his eulogy praising the legendary athlete’s devotion to his Muslim faith and how Ali relied on his faith to get through the challenges he faced later in life.

People gathered Thursday evening to honor Muhammad Ali, a citizen of the world, who was at home in every city of the world, especially in Atlanta. “I heard the word Louisville, Kentucky, and I know, I know that word because I was born and raised there”.

She said that the family has been humbled by the outpouring of support and heartfelt expressions of love. “I saw greatness in Ali’s ability to look beyond the horizon and our differences to find common ground”.

“The way to honor Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today”, Lerner said.

Crystal likened him to “a tremendous bolt lightning, created by Mother Nature out of thin air”.

It made a stop on I-64 outside of the Muhammad Ali Center for a little more than a minute.

Rumors that Donald Trump would attend were quashed Friday morning when Gunnell said Trump called Ali’s wife, Lonnie, to inform her that he was unable to make it.

“I think he decided before he could have possibly worked it all out and before fate and time could work their will on him, he decided he would never be disempowered, he decided not his grace nor his place nor the expectations of others would strip from him the power to write his own story”, he continued. Ali died on June 3 from complications related to Parkinson’s.

When the hearse carrying Ali’s body drove through his childhood home, scores of people lining the streets began chanting his name and saying things like, “The greatest who ever lived”, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, and “Kumbaya”.

In 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War.

Survived by nine children, Muhammad Ali’s legacy goes beyond that of an ordinary man; it is a tale of an ordinary person who grew up to lead an extraordinary life.

“I said, ‘Champ, you just walked into a crowd of people”. Hatch said Ali’s struggle with the disease demonstrated that “we are all dependent on God’s grace”. So I ask you to remember that. “We need the strength, the hope, the compassion and the conviction that he always brought but this time our champion is down and he won’t get up”.

Rabbis Michael Lerner and Joe Rapport gave addresses and Venerable Utsumi and Sister Denise performed a Buddhist chant.

Lyons described Ali as “a free and independent spirit”.

Ali was himself an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian cause. Type “Allahu Akbar”, which is Arabic for “God is greatest”, into YouTube and you’ll understand why this was a significant moment. As a result, thousands of free tickets to Friday’s memorial were made available and were snatched up within an hour.

President Barack Obama did not make it to the service as it coincided with the graduation of her eldest daughter, Malia.

The former president spoke of how hard Ali fought the Parkinson’s disease that plagued him for decades before his death last week at age 74.