Late Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari’s funeral service was held in Sri Lanka on Wednesday afternoon.

Following funeral prayer proceedings, the former Islamic Minister was laid to rest at the Muslim cemetery in Jawatta, Colombo after Luhr (or afternoon) prayers.

A number of Maldivians residing in Lanka attended the service, including prominent figures such as former President Mohamed Nasheed.

While an absentee prayer is to be held at the Islamic Centre in the capital Malé on Wednesday night, an absentee prayer was held in Mecca in the afternoon as well.

Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari- Maldives’ first Minister of Islamic Affairs and first head of The Institute of Holy Quran- was in Sri Lanka when his health suddenly deteriorated and was found unconscious on the floor of his room. Doctors had said that he had suffered complications due to a stroke and was placed in a medically induced coma. He was breathing with the help of a ventilator in his last few days before passing away on Tuesday at the age of 55.

Dr. Bari had been the Islamic Minister during former President Nasheed’s three-year administration, and had remained an active member of the opposition movement until his last days. He was also a lecturer at the Maldives National University.

The first Maldivian to earn a doctorate in Tafsir and Ulum al-Quran, Dr. Bari studied at the Islamic University of Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Following news of the former minister’s demise, President Abdulla sent a condolence message to his family, noting that he was ‘saddened’ to hear the news.