Muhammad Ali was remembered at a packed Muslim prayer service Thursday as a transcendent treasure who fought past all racial, religious and national boundaries.  More than 16,000 mourners of all faiths packed Freedom Hall in Ali’s native Louisville as the casket bearing the remains of The Greatest arrived to start a two-day public sendoff.  “He was a gift to his people, his religion, his country, and ultimately, to the world,” said Prof. Sherman Jackson of the University of Southern California, a leading scholar of Islam.  Mob lawyer published rare Muhammad Ali magazine  “It is beyond the capacity of any of us to know if God will ever grace us again with anything close to the majesty of Muhammad Ali.”  The first of the ticketholding mourners started arriving soon after the doors opened at 9 a.m., roughly three hours before the service began.  Some came in traditional Muslim garb, others in more secular outfits — T-shirts and jeans — to remember the “People’s Champ.”  “What was moving to me was that they brought all the religions together,” said an emotional Shemika Jordan, 39. “Nobody was left out. It was very moving.”  Life with Muhammad Ali, from inside his entourage  Hawaa Akbar, 64, carried a large picture of Ali wearing a crown. He and the photo traveled the 420 miles from Atlanta together.  “His character was bigger than his boxing accomplishments, and that’s saying a lot,” said Akbar. “He was truly loved by everyone.”  The Louisville prayers were led by Imam Zaid Shakir, a Muslim scholar who noted that Ali’s interfaith farewell was planned by the beloved heavyweight champ long before his death.  “This is what Muhammad Ali wanted, that people of different faiths would be here,” said Shakir. “We welcome the Muslims, we welcome the members of other faith communities, we welcome the law enforcement community.  Sick scalpers sell Muhammad Ali funeral tickets on Craigslist  “We welcome our sisters, our elders, our youngsters. All were beloved to Muhammad Ali.”  Ali’s wife of 30 years, Lonnie, daughter Laila and his former wife Khalilah Camacho-Ali were in attendance, along with boxing promoter Don King, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.  Many in the crowd held up smartphones, shooting video while the Muslims in attendance offered prayers in Arabic for Ali.  Ali died Friday night at 74. Within 24 hours of his death, his body was washed, anointed and wrapped in three pieces of cloth, as dictated by his Muslim faith.  ESPN to air Ali’s memorial service, Euro opener pushed to ESPN2  A funeral service attended by former President Bill Clinton, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jordanian King Abdullah and other dignitaries, followed by Ali’s burial in his Kentucky hometown, is set for Friday.  With Edgar Sandoval in Louisville, Ky.
His hometown’s two-day farewell to Muhammad Ali started Thursday as mourners from around the globe gathered for a Muslim prayer service.