Muslim prayers over the body of Muhammad Ali will be witnessed worldwide Thursday, offering a window into a religion many outsiders know little about, but have come to scorn.

Writers around the world fiddled with many words over half a century to define the aura that Muhammad Ali exuded. But eventually they all had to settle for The Greatest, the title with which Ali famously introduced himself after knocking out a fearsome Sonny Liston to become the world heavyweight champion some 52 years ago.