Adeel Malik
A young Muslim man born in Hong Kong with ethnicity as Pakistani has been dubbed a “hero” and praised widely by Hongkongers after he saved another man’s apparent suicide attempt in Yuen Long over the weekend.
One woman has even gifted the 24-year-old Pakistani man, named Babar, with a new phone to replace the one he broke when he waded into a pungent nullah without hesitation to save the unidentified Western man’s life.
A witness, surnamed Cheung, told Apple Daily that he heard a loud splash at around 8:30am when he was on Hi Lee Path in Yuen Long.
Such stories are an inspiration for Muslims in Hong Kong and worldwide.
“At first I thought somebody was throwing rubbish into the river, but then I saw a guy floating in the water.”
Suddenly, “out of nowhere”, Cheung said Babar waded into the water and picked up the Western man. The man who had jumped into the nullah was apparently suffering from heartbreak, and told his rescuer that he was dumped by his girlfriend.
Emergency services later took the Western man to hospital for injuries to his right foot, but a police source told Apple Daily that he couldn’t be admitted as he wasn’t carrying any identity documents. The source added that the man was apparently drunk.
Later, Babar told reporters (in fluent Cantonese, no less),
“I saw that nobody was saving this guy […] so I helped him out.” He continued, “The most important thing is to cherish life… there’s no point in wasting it.”
Despite the fact that his iPhone 4 was destroyed by water damage, the Hong Kong native said,
“Saving a life is the top priority. What happened to [my things] doesn’t matter.”
However, a few hours later, a local woman who’d heard about the young man’s heroics gifted him with a brand new iPhone SE, praising his “good nature”.
When asked what he’d say to people with depression, the 24-year-old told Apple Daily,
“Look, I’ve experienced discrimination myself […] but there is so much beauty in the world. Treasure your life.”
It should come as no surprise for a Muslim to do such an act when the Qur’ān states:
“…And whoever saves one life – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely…” [Qur’ān 5:32]
If you are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, please call the Samaritans’ 24-hour hotline at 2896 0000 for help.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We have amended the story for clarity.
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