Core look at this!

7:00pm Thursday 13th July 2006

AN APPLE has become the core attraction after the word Allah' was discovered when it was cut in half.

The Arabic inscription, which translates to the word God in English, was found by Tahmina Murtaza, of Oswald Street, Blackburn.

It is a message from God. It's a miracle and makes my faith stronger

Kiran Hussain

Tahmina decided to have an apple after she had finished praying at noon.

When she began to cut a slice of the red golden apple from America, it seemed to have gone off.

The piece she had cut was black.

To salvage some of it, Tahmina cut the apple in half and to her surprise and initial shock the name of god, Allah,' was in front of her.

The apple, bought from a local greengrocer's in Hope Street, has had a great deal of attention from Muslims in the community, and has been taken to the local mosque for all to see.

Samina Hussain, Tahmina's sister, said: "My sister couldn't believe it. My mum came and had a look at it to confirm what Tahmina had seen."

Kiran Hussain, sister-in-law of Tahmina, who converted to Islam from Sikhism, said: "It is good luck.

"It is a message from God. It's a miracle and makes my faith stronger.

"It really opens up your eyes to your beliefs. I hope the message gets across to everyone in the community."

The apple is being preserved in clear vinegar for as long as possible.

After the advice of a local maulvi, religious teacher, the apple will be buried at Tahmina's father's grave.

Kiran said: "The family came up with the idea together.

"It is quite fitting really. He had love apples and fruit before he died."