ABHA: Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hawashi, the imam and khateeb of Noorain Jamie Mosque in Khamis Mushayt, changed his mind to leave the city following a fire in the mosque that killed two of his children as a result of pressure from his students and tribal elders to reconsider the plan.
More than 3,000 people, including prominent personalities and tribal elders, gathered in and around the mosque on Friday afternoon after Al-Hawashi announced during his Juma sermon that he was moving to Madinah to spend the rest of his life in the holy city.
Residents of the town, including a large number of his students, received the news with shock. Soon after the prayer, people gathered around the imam and requested him to change his mind, but the imam would not relent.
Prominent figures led by Saad Al-Hajari then secretly asked people to gather in front of the mosque after Asr prayer. They waited till Maghreb. When Al-Hawashi came to lead the prayer, an 80-year-old man sitting on his legs implored the imam to change his mind. Hearing the man’s pleas, women and children started crying. One person fell unconscious. In the midst of the emotional scene, Al-Hawashi promised the crowd that he would not leave them.
Al-Hawashi’s son Anas and daughter Tasneem died in a fire that gutted part of the mosque complex, including the imam’s quarters, last Tuesday. The imam suspected arson and police have launched an investigation.
Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled described the imam as a noble man and no one is likely to have enmity toward him. “The investigation is continuing and its findings will be made public soon,” he told reporters.
