Video: Saudi pardons son's killer without blood money
Forgiving dad says gesture seeks God's reward
Cairo: A Saudi man has pardoned the killer of his son without getting blood money in return, according to a video on social media.
The forgiving father, identified as Mohammed bin Shagah, announced his gesture at a gathering in the Besha governorate in Asir in south-western Saudi Arabia.
He told the crowd, who included tribal notables, that the pardon gesture was made seeking Allah's contentment.
"I swear to Allah not to take a single riyal (in blood money)," he said amid praise from the crowd.
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It was not clear when the murder took place or its motive.
Forgiveness and pardon is a major recommended virtue in Islam. In the Holy Quran, God urges Muslims to show forgiveness and graciousness towards others, including non-Muslims. In the same vein, the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) underlined forgiveness, pointing out that the act elevates the forgiver’s status and reward.
In recent months, videos circulated on social media purportedly showing people in Saudi Arabia forgiving convicted murderers of their family members.
One forgiver was Mutair Al Atawy, who went public with the gesture just prior to the execution of the convict at a designated site in Tabuk in northern Saudi Arabia, after a final death ruling had been issued against the killer in retribution.
Al Atawy had earlier rebuffed repeated offers for pardon. “The killer’s family had offered me large sums of money and left no stone unturned in order to make me pardon him, but I kept refusing,” he told Saudi news portal Akhbar24.
“At the execution site and prior to the enforcement of the [death] ruling, God bestowed on me placidity and sympathy. So, I decided to pardon (him) for God’s sake,” he explained. The murder happened during a brawl between the convict and Al Atawy’s son.