As hopes recede of finding the body of Fatima, the 18-year-old girl presumed drowned off the Jeddah Corniche last Wednesday, her father Ali Al-Saab has spoken of his reluctance to receive condolences until her death is officially announced. “Following the advice of sheikhs and Ulema who I have spoken to, I won't accept condolences until the authorities formally announce her death,” Al-Saab said Monday. “Some said it was admissible to accept consolation, but official condolences may only begin when it has been certified that she has died.” When Fatima's death is made official, according to Al-Saab, then funeral prayers may be conducted in absentia. The incertitude has left the family in a state of confusion and added to their grief. Al-Saab goes each day to the site where Fatima was last seen, staying until sunset in the hope of finding her alive, or retrieving her body and laying her to rest. “Everyday there is new hope of finding her dead or alive, but the important thing is to find her,” Al-Saab said. “None of us have been able to sleep since her disappearance,” he continued. “She was the bright candle in our lives and like a second mother to her brothers.” “One of her last requests was to perform Umrah pilgrimage on behalf of the late French Muslim and his son who were killed by terrorists near Madaen Saleh. The two had embraced Islam. She heard about the incident when we visited Madaen Saleh and she was extremely moved.” Al-Saab said he was taken aback by the attention his daughter's disappearance had attracted and that difficulties explaining to his children what had happened to their sister only added to the family's grief. “All I ask now is that people support us and pray for my daughter.” Investigators believe Fatima drowned after the Al-Saab family had gone to the Corniche for breakfast and she was seen wading out into the waters before calling for help a few minutes later. Despite the efforts of rescue teams and over 40 divers, her body has still not been recovered. Swimming is prohibited in the waters where Fatima was seen entering the sea.
