When Muhammad Ali was buried on Friday, there was a humble Canadian contribution to the funeral. In keeping with Islamic tradition, the man known as “the Greatest” chose a simple garment made by two Canadian brothers, in which to be buried.
Sallah Hamdani was asked if his family’s textile company, based in St. Catherines, Ontario, would provide the kafan, which is the burial shroud used to wrap the body.
This was eight years ago, as Ali made careful preparations for his eventual funeral. Hamdani says he remembers being nervous. He told the CBC’s Steven D’Souza last Thursday, that he’d been anxious “about providing something worthy of one of the greatest boxers of all time and a heroic figure in the Muslim world”.
“What was beautiful is Muhammad Ali wanted the simple one, he wanted the simple shroud,” Hamdani said outside Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, moments before Ali’s jenazah, the Muslim funeral service.
“It’s not a thousand-dollar suit, it’s not a ten-thousand dollar suit, it’s not anything made of jewels or gold or silver, it’s a simple cloth,” he said.
The kafan is the white cloth used to wrap the body before a traditional Islamic burial. Sallah’s brother Hussein explained that it is highly symbolic.
“The idea is keep it simple, that in the eyes of God, it’s our character that matters not our worldly possessions,” Hussein said.
The Hamdani brothers were among the crowd, estimated to be close to 100,000, in Louisville for the funeral.
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