Manama: Bahrain's leading Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Ahmad Qassim, has paid tribute to the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, describing him as 'a man of the Hereafter' and one of the greatest religious and political leaders of the Islamic world.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, in a statement issued as funeral and farewell ceremonies for the martyred Leader began, Sheikh Qassim praised Ayatollah Khamenei's scholarly, religious, political, and revolutionary stature. He noted that millions of people from the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries were bidding farewell to 'a jurist, a great revolutionary, an aware statesman, a wise leader, and a righteous servant.'

Qassim remarked that only under the leadership of 'men of the Hereafter' could the world move toward 'guidance, security, justice, human brotherhood, and true prosperity,' enabling humanity to achieve its lofty goals. He emphasized that the path of the Islamic Republic of Iran would continue under the leadership of the new Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

On Saturday and Sunday, vast crowds of Iranians assembled for the start of the public funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Khamenei, who was assassinated at the start of the unprovoked US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.