Did Grand Mufti Help Defer Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya’s Execution? Who Is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad?

Last Updated:July 16, 2025, 12:46 IST

Nimisha Priya's execution: 'Grand Mufti' Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar or Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad said he spoke to Yemen's scholars after which the news of deferment came in

Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar or Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad; Nimisha Priya (right). (ANI/File)

One name has figured prominently amid the news of deferment of execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya – Muslim cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar or Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, 94, who is revered as the ‘Grand Mufti of India’.

The execution of Nimisha Priya in Yemen has been deferred from Wednesday, government sources said on Tuesday. However, the fresh date for her execution was not immediately known.

Priya, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen and her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in July 2017. In 2020, a Yemeni court handed her the death sentence and the country’s Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023. The government of India has made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for Priya’s family to reach a “mutually agreeable" solution with the other party, they said.

EXPLAINED: Nimisha Priya’s Execution Deferred: Not Blood Money, This Is How Kerala Nurse Got Temporary Reprieve

The 38-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

Grand Mufti’s talks with Yemen scholars

Ahmad said he spoke to scholars in Yemen to urge them for the release of Priya, after which the news of deferment came in. “In Islam, instead of killing, there is also a practice of giving Diyaat (compensation). I requested them to accept Diyaat as the party is ready here for it. There are talks going on about whether my request has to be accepted. The date of execution was tomorrow, but it has now been postponed for some days," the Grand Mufti told ANI on Tuesday.

The Grand Mufti said that he is not considering the religion of Priya, but rather her humanity as he requested for her release. “We have demanded this as human beings. If such a demand is accepted, then it will be very easy for Muslims in India. Muslims and Hindus all live on the same platform here," he said.

According to reports, Ahmad is said to have initiated a new mediation effort through his long-time friend and Yemeni Sufi Islamic scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz.

Congress leader KC Venugopal said, “We all had requested the Central government to intervene in the matter, but we got the information that Grand Mufti Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad Kanthapuram has intervened. Whosoever is involved in saving the human life of the woman of Kerala is welcome."

Shashi Tharoor, the Congress MP from Kerala’s Thiruvanananthapuram, hailed the role played by the Mufti. “Kerala is praying unitedly for his efforts to be successful. Honourable Kanthapuram Ustad has shown us that humanity is the most important in today’s era where there are attempts to divide humans and cultivate hatred and hatred in the name of religion and community," he wrote in a post on Facebook.

What is diyah or blood money the Grand Mufti spoke about?

Under Sharia law, which is followed in Yemen, a murder conviction doesn’t always result in a mandatory execution. Instead, the law allows for a provision known as Diyah, or blood money. It enables the victim’s heirs to pardon the murderer if they choose to accept monetary compensation. The amount is negotiable and varies depending on the nature of the crime, local customs, and the family’s stance. In Nimisha’s case, a staggering offer of $1 million (approximately Rs 8.5 crore) has reportedly been made to Mahdi’s family by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council. So far, there has been no official response, but talks are on.

The government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it was doing whatever was “utmost possible" to save the Indian nurse from execution. “There is a point up to which the Government of India can go and we have reached that point," attorney general R Venkataramani informed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.

Who is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad or Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar?

Musliyar is based in Kerala, the home state of Priya. He is a revered figure among Sunni Muslims, not just India but across South Asia.

Does India have Grand Mufti? How does one get the title?

In Islam, a Mufti is a Muslim scholar who is qualified to issue legal opinions (fatwas) on matters of Islamic law (Sharia). They act as interpreters of Islamic law, providing guidance on religious and personal matters. The term ‘Grand Mufti’ often refers to the highest-ranking mufti in a region or country, like the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. There is no official Grand Mufti in India.

Abubakr, the general secretary of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, was, however, conferred with the ‘Grand Mufti of India’ title in February 2019 at the Gareeb Nawaz Peace Conference held at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi, organised by the All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam.

Ahmad had welcome Babri Masjid verdict

Ahmad is the chairman of the Markaz Knowledge City project, a private integrated township in his hometown, Kozhikode.

While he had sought amendment of the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC), stating it would uproot Muslims, his stand on women protesting the CAA drew flak. He had said that “no women shall shout slogans or raise clenched fists and take to the streets as men do, adding that women may stay back unless the situation demand them to extend their support".

He had also appealed to the Muslim community to welcome the 2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi issue.

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ...Read More

At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ...

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