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The closest thing to any man or woman’s heart is their children. From when they are little babies to when they have their own babies, parents still take care of their children in whichever manner they can.
The worst thing an old parent can suffer is the loss of their young child. This is exactly what happened in one particular case. A young pizza delivery boy was murdered in cold blood because his killers wanted to loot him of the money he had earned.
One Alexander Relford was sentenced to 31 years in prison following the murder of Sallahuddin Jitmoud, the pizza delivery driver. An emotional day at the court was observed when Sallahuddin’s father, Abdul Munim Jitmoud decided to forgive his son’s killer, which was Relford.
“Forgiveness is the greatest gift in Islam,” said Abdul Munim Jitmoud, at the court proceedings which went up to 3 hours. The 24-year-old Relford was charged with murder and was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, however, Sallahuddin’s father had some very emotional words to say before the decision was finalized.
Abdul-Munim, who spent his life teaching Islam in schools, was about to set an example for the world that just cannot be matched. “I’m angry at the devil,” he said. “I blame the devil, who misguided you to do such a horrible crime.”
Then came the moment of truth for Relford. It was when Abdul-Munim said the following sentence, making every single person in the court gasp and clench, with tears rolling down their cheeks, which included the judge. Munim said, “I forgive you on behalf of Salahuddin and his mother.”(Salahuddin’s mother, Jamilah Linda Kay Kolocotronis Jitmoud, died in 2013 before Salahuddin was killed.)
After having his life saved miraculously, Relford gave out a statement that might have comforted Sallahuddin’s father. “I’m sorry about what happened that day. I do applaud you because it takes a powerful man to know that someone has hurt them and to get up there and say what you just said. I can’t imagine the hurt, the pain. There’s nothing I can do … I thank you for your forgiveness.”
In the end, the judge had to call a recess to end the teary-saga that followed the courtroom proceedings. Sallahuddin’s killer and his father both hugged the pain away. The event just shows how powerful and humbling the teachings of Islam are, if followed correctly.
