Saudi man finds $27,000 in parking lot, goes on search to find owner

Saudi national Mosaed Al Maliki let go of all greed and selfishness by returning 105,000 riyals ($27,997) to a person who had lost them in a Mecca parking lot.

The man went viral after posting a video on social media earlier this week, asking people to help him find out who the cash belongs to. Hours later, the rightful owner of the money contacted Al Maliki and proved the sum belonged to him.

Speaking to Sabq news site, Al Maliki shared details of the incident, saying:

"I found the money in a parking lot located outside a mall on Sunday. I kept the cash with me but notified the shopping center's security personnel and gave them my phone number."

"Hours later, I got a call from an elderly man who said the money was his. He gave me details of the sum and told me he dropped the cash as he was parking his car. We then met and I was able to hand the money back," he added. 

Many Saudis are hailing Al Maliki on social media, deeming his act noble given that he could've "easily kept the lost money."

However, others think the man doesn't really deserve all the praise since what he did is something expected of any righteous, law-abiding citizen. 

Here's how people weighed in on the viral incident:

"I am puzzled by all the praise people get for staying away from sin. It's his obligation to give this money back, it isn't a charitable gesture." 

"Situations like this test a human being. It's not easy when it's such a huge amount of money. But this man turned out to be God-fearing. I truly hope that he is rewarded because he deserves it." 

"In my entire life, I only found one lost riyal. And the day after I did, I lost a hundred."