More than 14,000 people joined the family of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali to attend in the traditional Muslim prayer service at Kentucky’s Freedom Hall and celebrate the sporting legend’s extraordinary life.

The traditional Muslim Jenazah service lasted about an hour and marked the start of two days of ceremonies honoring the sports star who died at the age of 74 following a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Imam Zaid Shakir, a prominent US Muslim scholar, led the Jenazah prayer service and told the crowd: “We welcome all of you here today. We welcome the Muslims, we welcome the members of other faith communities, we welcome the law enforcement community.

“We welcome our sisters, our elders, our youngsters. All were beloved to Muhammad Ali.”

Sherman Jackson, a member of the Muslim American community, offered condolences to Muhammad Ali’s family at the prayer service for the boxing great, saying his death has taken something away “from the sweetness of life itself”, Daily Mail reports.

Jackson said Ali belonged to everyone but was ‘an unapologetic fighter in the cause of black people in America — and not just the classes among black folks, but even more especially the masses.’

“Ali was the people’s champion, and champion he did the cause of his people,” Jackson said.