Mercy Triumphed Over Justice

Balal's Execution [photo grab from AFP news]

In a predominantly Muslim place like Iran, execution by hanging was an option for justice. But a mother’s heart proved that mercy is a way to justice for a son who died from the hand of a man whom the sharia law of retribution found guilty for the crime. 

What Balal thought was his last gasp of breath was miraculously deferred.  He instead felt a big slap in his face coming from the merciful hand of his victim’s mother.  The victim’s family did not approve on the timing of the date.  It was the day before the Persian New Year Nowruz. Three days prior to the execution day, Hosseinzadeh Sr., the victim’s father told that his wife had a dream of their elder son Abdollah telling he was in a good place and told her not to retaliate. The dream made his wife to further think until the day of execution. The moment of grace and divine intervention.  Six years ago, Abdollah was 18 years old then and was strolling with friends in a bazaar when the then 20 year old Balal shoved him. The startled Abdollah kicked him but Balal instead took an ordinary knife out from his socks which he struck to Abdollah causing his death.  Though Balal escaped from the scene of the crime, he was later arrested by the police and took the court six years to hand down the verdict of death to penalize Balal for his wrongdoing.  Hosseinzadeh Sr however found out that Balal was an inexperienced killer and could not even handle a knife. “He was naïve,” Hosseinzadeh Sr said.

God has many ways and faces to perform His graces and mercy.  It is through this kinds of ‘divine intervention’ that he perform extraordinary miracles to people of different creed, belief and religion.  In some part of the world, not necessarily in the Islamic region, the period of Lent was being observed.  And if this is one way God, Allah or whatever name we call Him to remember His merciful heart, there must be really some divine intervention why He has chosen this moment to let MERCY TRIUMPHED OVER JUSTICE.