Farman Ali Khan - A man who saved humanity

Farman Ali Khan — A man who saved humanity Salem Bin Ahmad Sahab | Al-Madinah Sunday 27 December 2009 (10 Muharram 1431)

“The brave is the one who creates hope out of despair because despair has the taste of death while bravery bears the meaning of life,” said the famous Egyptian poet and thinker Ali Al-Jarim. I remembered this while reading about the rare courage exhibited by Farman Ali Khan who lost his life after saving 14 people in the flash floods that hit Jeddah last month. I also thought of Verse 35 of Surah Al-Maidah: “If anyone saves a life, it is as if he has saved the life of all people.” I congratulate this martyr who saved all people 14 times. Just think of this divine simile, which includes both quantity and quality. This verse stresses the value of human life. The saving of a single life is, in divine reward, equal to saving six billion lives. What great reward awaits Khan in the hereafter? We hope Allah will reward him well. The society, on its part, must bear its responsibility toward him. It must take good care of his widow and three daughters. This is the least we can do for a man who sacrificed his life to save a number of Saudi citizens. I propose the setting up of a special fund to collect donations for Khan’s family under the supervision of a reliable welfare organization — such as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth or the International Islamic Relief Organization — away from government red tape. Male and female philanthropists should rush to donate to this fund. The families of those saved by Khan should also donate. We cannot just draw the curtain and close the chapter on the heroic deeds of this young man. We have to thank him or it may be that we would be considered ungrateful. Our thanks should be translated into support for his widow and three daughters. http://arabnews.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Khan’s daughters should be given Saudi nationality Turki Al-Dakheel | Al-Watan IN this era of the Internet, electoral balloting is not everything. It is now possible to push issues via the virtual world. Facebook, for instance, and other respectable sites are now able to revive buried issues and to stand with or against any issue, according to the particular circumstances surrounding it. Saudis are now speaking with one voice in support of Farman Ali Khan, the Pakistani man who did what other citizens should have done. He was not just an expatriate, but a man who exhibited the values of what it means to be a citizen of this country. Hundreds of Saudi citizens have over the Internet exerted pressure on the government to give the children of this hero the Saudi nationality in honor for his priceless effort. We have over the past few years spoken much about foreign manpower — the threat it poses to society and its suspicious role. On the contrary we have here model expatriates who have done such heroic acts that many citizens would not dare to do. Khan saved 14 people, mostly Saudis, from certain death during the recent floods. He could have run off and stayed alive to see his family. Instead he opted to continue his heroic acts until he himself died. I add my voice to all those on Facebook who have called for giving his three daughters Saudi nationality. Anyone with this much love for Saudis must be a real citizen at heart despite the Passport Department classifying him as an expatriate. I also call for giving his family a monthly salary and taking full care of them. If we ignore the family of this brave Pakistani man, we would be ignoring the feelings of humanity that manifested from his actions. He did the work of the Civil Defense although he was not one of them. I hope the Passport Department initiates an annual prize for exceptional expatriates who show heroism in defending the Kingdom and its citizens. I hope that the first of these prizes is awarded posthumously to Khan and his family. I also urge all concerned organizations to give all possible assistance to his wife and three daughters. The least that we can do for his family is to give them Saudi nationality and to assist them financially in order to carry on with their lives. It is only through such actions that we can truly reward a man who lost his life trying to save us. - More on this on www.turkid.net http://arabnews.com