A prominent Islamic cleric in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, has condoled with the government and people of Iran over the passing of its president Ebrahim Raeisi and other top officials in a plane crash on Sunday.
The helicopter carrying Raeisi and his entourage, which included Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, crashed in a mountainous area as it was on its way to Tabriz, the capital of the northwestern Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.
Sheikh Zakzaky offered his condolences in a message addressed to the Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday.
The message posted by the Office of Sheikh Zakzaky on its official social media handles described Mr Raeisi as an “iconic leader.”
The statement said, “With deep sorrow and grief, we mourn the untimely departure of an iconic leader, Sayyed Ebrahim Raesi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Words can not express how shocked we are at this material time.
“The leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) expresses his deep hearted condolences to the Supreme Leader, Sayyed Qa’id (H), their honorable family, the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular, and the entire Muslim ummah for this untimely lose.
“May Allah in His infinite mercy grant him and those who were with him in the same helicopter the highest positions in Firdausil A’ala.”
