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An offer he couldn't refuse

1/10/2002

A MULTI millionaire Muslim has offered a Manchester teenager £250,000 for his mobile number which contains the Islamic 'holy number' sequence 786.

Last month's Asian News exclusive on Sulayman Ahmed's decision to buy the number 0786 786 786 7 for £5,000 was eagerly seized on by the tabloid press and television. As a result of the publicity he has had the £250,000 offer from a rich mystery man and hopes to seal the deal when he meets the secret buyer in London's posh Harrods store.

Since he went public through Asian News Sulayman has been inundated with phone calls biding between £10,000 to £40,000 for the number. Sulayman stayed firm to his vow not to sell - until he got 'the offer he could not refuse'.

He said: "I know that I said that I would not sell the number but didn't dream I would get such a high offer. £250,000 is a fortune to me. I could set up my own business, help my parents out and give some money to the poor.

"I'm still thinking about what to do but I will meet with the man soon and talk it over. Unfortunately I can't say who he is until I've decided whether I want to sell the number. If I do agree to the sale, I'm going to wait till I get the cheque before telling people who has bought the number from me."

The sequence 786 is important for many Muslims as they believe it stands for "Bismillahir rahmanir rahiem" which means "In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful".

Sulayman's number has also made him popular with the girls.

"I've had quite a few Asian girls ringing and asking to meet me and, surprisingly, I've had loads of calls from white, non-Muslim girls who wanted to date me. But I have turned them all down because I am not interested in dating at the moment."

Sulayman has also been stopped by elderly Asians whilst shopping at the Trafford centre praising him for keeping such a number.