A pair of fish which appear to bear the words Allah and Mohammed were hailed as a "message from God."

The Oscar fish were spotted in a pet shop in Speke, Liverpool, by 23-year-old Ali Al-Waqedi.

He noticed that the markings on one fish appeared to spell Allah, the Islamic term for God, in Arabic.

He then saw that another fish in the same tank appeared to bear the word Mohammed, the name of the last Islamic prophet, also in Arabic.

Mr Al-Waqedi said: "We only went into the shop because my kids wanted to have a look at the animals. We weren't planning to buy anything.

"We started to have a look at the Oscar fish because they had such an unusual colour.

"Then I saw that one of them had the word Allah. It was so clear, and it made me very happy.

"Then we saw that another one had the word Mohammed, and that was even better. To see the Allah fish was exciting, but to have the Allah and Mohammed fish in the same tank was unbelievable.

"I believe it is a message from Allah to me, a reminder, and it makes my faith even stronger."

Mr Al-Waqedi bought the fish and leant them to a friend, as it is not advisable to place Oscar fish in a brand new tank.

He added: "My friend's house is closer to the mosque than mine, so people hear about the fish at the mosque and go to see them at his house.

"I would say at least one hundred people have been there since I bought the fish last week."

Sheikh Sadek Kassem, imam of Liverpool's Al-Rahma mosque, said: "This is a proof and a sign not just to Muslims, but for everyone."

He quoted a passage from the Koran which suggested Allah will send signs. It reads: "Soon we will show them our signs in the regions, and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the truth."

Last month, a pet shop near Bury, Greater Manchester, discovered an Oscar fish which appeared to have the word Allah on one side and Mohammed on the other.

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