Mombasa - A tuna fish, caught in the Indian Ocean this week, has Kenyan Muslims flocking to Mombasa by the hundreds to see a Koranic verse apparently embedded in its scales.Dubbed the "wonder fish" by locals, the 2.5kg tuna has attracted so much attention it has been placed in the custody of the national fisheries department for safekeeping.
The otherwise ordinary fish caught the attention of fishmonger Omar Mohammed Awadh, who pulled it out of a catch when he noticed what seemed to be Arabic writing among the scales near its tail.
Arabic scholars examined the fish and determined the writing was a Koranic verse meaning "God is the greatest of all providers", said Hassan Mohamed Hassan, an education officer with the National Museums of Kenya in Mombasa.
The secretary-general of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, Sheikh Mombasa Dor, said: "This has been confirmed as a verse from the Holy Koran.
"We believe that God brings these kinds of messages in many forms from time to time and that we should not only read the holy book, but practice what it says."
Mombasa district commissioner Mohamed Maalim agreed: "It is so clearly spelt. That is why we believe that Allah is sending a message to mankind."
Hundreds of Muslims - and those slightly curious - flocked to Awadh's Takaungu fresh fish shop to see the tuna on Friday.
Kenyan officials said the attention had prompted concerns for the fish's safety, and it has been removal to a refrigerated locker at the fisheries department.
In March, Muslims flocked to see a pair of fish, found in a pet shop in the British city of Liverpool, which appeared to bear the words "Allah" and "Mohammed" on their scales.