Putrajaya: Former National Mosque Grand Imam Tan Sri Syaikh Ismail Muhammad passed away early this morning. He was 81.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, a post on the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque's official Facebook page announced that Syaikh Ismail's remains were brought to the mosque in Shah Alam for bathing and shrouding after the Subuh prayer. The funeral prayer was held at 9 am.

The post further stated, 'The remains were then taken to the USJ 22 Muslim Cemetery.'

The late Syaikh Ismail, honored as the National Tokoh Maal Hijrah 1443H/2021, also held roles as a member of the Selangor Quran Literacy Committee and as a lecturer of Advanced Talaqi at the Selangor Quran Literacy Academy.

Born in Dungun, Terengganu, Syaikh Ismail was among the first Malaysian students at Al-Azhar University in Egypt. His career included a five-year tenure as the Imam of the Putrajaya Mosque before his appointment as the Grand Imam of the National Mosque, a position he held from 2007 to 2019.