The man was arrested in July after a heated exchange on Facebook, where he wrote a comment that was perceived as an insult to the Prophet Muhammad, according to the BBC.
A Saudi court initially sentenced him to five years in prison and a multimillion-rupee fine. After an appeal, the case was transferred to the country's Sharia court, which instead sentenced him to death.
"I beg for mercy for the wrongs my son has committed. Please forgive him and let him come home," the man's mother told the BBC.
The case has sent shockwaves through Sri Lanka. Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans live and work in Saudi Arabia, and the money they send home is central to the island nation's economy.
