How Islam’s Law Of Mercy Gave Time A Kerala Nurse On Death Row In Yemen; Meet The Mufti Who Made It Happen | World News
New Delhi: What would be the darkest day for a nurse from Kerala, a ray of unexpected hope came thousands of miles away. Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen for the murder of the Loca business partner, was stopped just a few hours before the execution of the execution. In the center of this dramatic turn, there was a quiet but strong intervention by Sheikh Kanthapuram Ap Aboobacker Musliyar, the great mufti of India.
Nimisha, born in Kollantoda in Palakkad region of Kerala, went to Yemen in 2011. He worked as a nurse in the capital Sanaa. Like others from India’s nursing diaspora, he hoped for a better life for his family. However, his journey soon turned into something much more tragic.
In 2014, he returned to India due to his husband and daughter worsening civil war and financial struggles. He left behind, hoping to continue to send the money back home. He established a partnership with a Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi to open a clinic required by local law for foreign medical experts.
However, this partnership soon became a prison. Mahdi’s documents claimed that he had misrepresented him. He then captured his passport and reportedly exposed him to violence and drugs. In desperation, Nimisha tried to get his documents by calming Mahdi in 2017. But the dosage became fatal. In panic, he and a female colleague shredded her body and hid the residues in a water tank.
He was arrested soon. In 2020, a Yemeni court sentenced him to death. The country’s High Judicial Council approved the decision in November 2023 and the execution was planned on July 16, 2025.
Enter Grand Mufti
While Nimisha’s family was dealing with legal assistance, diplomatic intervention hit a wall. There is no official diplomatic bond with the Houthi controlled area of Yemen, where India is imprisoned. The Indian government accepted until the Court of Cassation and stated that there was no “much”.
However, far from legal corridors, an old statesman of Islamic case -law quietly entered quietly. Sheikh Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker, also known as the great mufti of India, began to reach Yemen.
Belief and compassion to the borders
Sheikh Kanthapuram contacted the Islamic scholars in Yemen directly. He begged humanity. He called them to explore a path with Islamic principles instead of death.
Grand Mufti, “In Islam, instead of killing dia (compensation) application.
He didn’t personally know the victim’s family. Still, he handed himself to the oceans.
“Islam has another law. If the killer is sentenced to death, the victim’s family has the right to forgive.
Academics answer, execution has been postponed
The academicians reached by Sheikh Kanthapuram responded with urgently. They met. They talked. And they acted.
“After asking them to intervene and take action, the academicians came together, argued and said that they would do what they could do. They officially informed us and sent a document that the execution date was postponed, which will help to make ongoing discussions easier.”
He didn’t stop there. “I also informed the central government about discussions and process. I sent a letter to the Prime Ministry,” he added.
The document in Arabic was shared by him on Instagram. He said that the planned death penalty on July 16 was postponed until the Yemeni Chief Public Prosecutor’s directive was “up to advanced notification”.
What’s in front of us
Stopping in execution is not an end. This is a breath room moment. Nimisha’s family is now hoping to reach a settlement through the concept of Diya, known for Yemen’s Sharia law. Reports show that the family is ready to offer RS 8.6 Crore to the victim’s relatives.
Authorities in India contacted the prosecutor and prison officials in Yemen throughout the ordeal. But it was the voice of a religious leader who broke from the diplomatic dead end.
Who is Sheikh Kanthapuram?
Sheikh Kanthapuram Ap Aboobacker Musliyar, a rising figure in the Islamic scholarship of South India. He was born in Kerala, the president of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama. The moral authority extends far beyond the lower continent. Theological purity is known for balanced with deep empathy for human suffering in the real world.
Nimisha’s role in the case is an example. He did not use political force. He did not make high demand. Nevertheless, its attractiveness, which is based on faith and compassion, created a pause in the inevitable thing.
A saved life for now
For Nimisha’s mother and daughter in Kerala, this moment is nothing more than a miracle. They know the fight is not over. But for now, the gallows have been pushed back.
And he was a scholar who gave them this chance.
