In this regard, Sayyiduna Suhayb has narrated that there was a king in a previous Umrnah who used to make false claim of being god. A magician was very influential in his court and was very close to him as well. One day, the magician said to the king, ‘I have reached the old age. Therefore, send a boy to me so that I may transfer the art of magic to him.’
Therefore, in response to the suggestion of the magician, the king sent a clever boy to him. The boy started visiting the magician every day. On the way, lived an honest priest. One day, the boy sat in the company of the priest and was greatly inspired by the priest’s speech. As such, whilst visiting the magician, the boy also started sitting in the company of the priest everyday. One day, the boy saw a large and monstrous animal that was blocking the path of the people. Upon seeing this, the boy said to himself that it will be revealed today that who is greater, the magician or the priest. Therefore, the boy picked up a stone and prayed to Allah by saying that, ‘O Allah ! If this religion is more beloved and accepted in Your court than the magician, then let this animal get killed with this stone!’ After supplicating in this manner, the boy killed the animal with that stone. As such, a huge and monstrous animal was killed by a small stone and the path became open for people. The boy revealed this whole incident to the priest and in response, the priest replied, ‘O boy, you have been elevated and exalted in the holy court of Allah . So very soon, you will now be trialled and tested. For this reason, do not tell anyone about me and observe patience at the time of hardship. After this incident, this boy was blessed with such marvels that by virtue of his supplications, lepers and those born blind were cured.
Slowly and gradually, the popularity of the boy became widespread, even to the court of the king. However, a very close courtier of the king, who had become blind, came to this boy with lots of presents, and requested the boy to pray for the restoration of his eyesight. The boy said to him, ‘If you embrace the true faith in Allah 1 then I will supplicate for you.’ As such, he embraced faith, and the boy made supplication for him. Instantly, his eyesight was restored. After this, when the courtier returned to the court of the king, he was asked by the king as to how his eyesight restored. The courtier said, ‘My Rab blessed me with the eyesight.’ Upon hearing this, the king furiously said, ‘Do you have any other Rab except me?’ He replied, ‘Yes. Allah is mine and your Lord.’ The king began to torture him in different ways to find out who had told him all this. He told the name of that boy. Then the king proceeded to imprison the boy and tortured him to such an extent that the boy revealed the name of the priest. The king arrested the priest and asked him to leave his faith, but the priest categorically said, ‘I will follow this faith until my last breath.’ On hearing this, the king was enraged to such an extent that he severed the head of the priest by running a saw through it. Later on, he also drove the saw through the head of his beloved courtier. Afterwards, he handed over the boy to his soldiers and ordered them to carry this boy onto the top of a mountain and hurl him down from there. After climbing the mountain, the boy supplicated and consequently, an earthquake took place. The tremors of the earthquake killed all the soldiers, but the boy remained safe.
Once again, he stood against the king. Again stirred with anger and rage, the king ordered that the boy to be carried in a boat and taken to the ocean. When reaching the deep seas, the order was to throw the boy into the ocean.
Following the command of the king, the sentries of the king took him to the sea. However, once again the boy supplicated and the boat capsized and all of the sentries drowned, but the boy remained safe and sound and stood once again in front of the king. The king was stunned to see him. The boy said to the king, ‘If you want to martyr me, then there is only one way. This is through hanging me by placing a noose around my neck. Then fire an
arrow on me by reciting .’ Therefore, following that method, the king martyred the boy with an arrow.
After witnessing all this, a congregation of thousands of people started proclaiming that we believe in Rab of this boy. The king turned hysterical due to anger, ordered for a
trench to be dug and ignited a fire ”
within it. When the flames of the
blazing fire rose extensively, then he started throwing the believers into this fire. Thus, seventy-seven believers were burnt in this fire.
In the end, one woman among the believers arrived holding her child in her hands. When the king intended to put her in the fire, she became a bit worried. Then her infant child said, ‘O my mother! Be patient, you are on the right path.’ After hearing the child’s voice, her faith became strengthened, and she became satisfied. Then the tyrant king threw the woman, who believed in Allah , into the fire, along with her child.
The king and his accomplices were sitting on chairs by the edge of the trench and were watching the believers as they burnt in the trench and were laughing and celebrating on their success. All of a sudden, the wrath of Allah struck the tyrants. How it happened was that the flames of the fire within the trench rose to such an extent that it blanketed the king and his accomplices. All of them burnt instantly and became a pile of ashes. Allah saved rest of the believers from the tyranny of the king.
(I’afseer As-Saawi, vol. 6, pp. 2339-2340; part 30, Surah Al-Burooj, Ayahs 4-7)
Allah has described this incident in the Holy Quran in these words:
May the People of the trench (of fire) be cursed (who tortured the believers). Those who lit that blazing fire (in the trenches). When they were sitting at its verges. And they themselves are witnesses to what they were doing to the Muslims.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Surah Al-Burooj, Ayah 4-7)
Therefore, in response to the suggestion of the magician, the king sent a clever boy to him. The boy started visiting the magician every day. On the way, lived an honest priest. One day, the boy sat in the company of the priest and was greatly inspired by the priest’s speech. As such, whilst visiting the magician, the boy also started sitting in the company of the priest everyday. One day, the boy saw a large and monstrous animal that was blocking the path of the people. Upon seeing this, the boy said to himself that it will be revealed today that who is greater, the magician or the priest. Therefore, the boy picked up a stone and prayed to Allah by saying that, ‘O Allah ! If this religion is more beloved and accepted in Your court than the magician, then let this animal get killed with this stone!’ After supplicating in this manner, the boy killed the animal with that stone. As such, a huge and monstrous animal was killed by a small stone and the path became open for people. The boy revealed this whole incident to the priest and in response, the priest replied, ‘O boy, you have been elevated and exalted in the holy court of Allah . So very soon, you will now be trialled and tested. For this reason, do not tell anyone about me and observe patience at the time of hardship. After this incident, this boy was blessed with such marvels that by virtue of his supplications, lepers and those born blind were cured.
Slowly and gradually, the popularity of the boy became widespread, even to the court of the king. However, a very close courtier of the king, who had become blind, came to this boy with lots of presents, and requested the boy to pray for the restoration of his eyesight. The boy said to him, ‘If you embrace the true faith in Allah 1 then I will supplicate for you.’ As such, he embraced faith, and the boy made supplication for him. Instantly, his eyesight was restored. After this, when the courtier returned to the court of the king, he was asked by the king as to how his eyesight restored. The courtier said, ‘My Rab blessed me with the eyesight.’ Upon hearing this, the king furiously said, ‘Do you have any other Rab except me?’ He replied, ‘Yes. Allah is mine and your Lord.’ The king began to torture him in different ways to find out who had told him all this. He told the name of that boy. Then the king proceeded to imprison the boy and tortured him to such an extent that the boy revealed the name of the priest. The king arrested the priest and asked him to leave his faith, but the priest categorically said, ‘I will follow this faith until my last breath.’ On hearing this, the king was enraged to such an extent that he severed the head of the priest by running a saw through it. Later on, he also drove the saw through the head of his beloved courtier. Afterwards, he handed over the boy to his soldiers and ordered them to carry this boy onto the top of a mountain and hurl him down from there. After climbing the mountain, the boy supplicated and consequently, an earthquake took place. The tremors of the earthquake killed all the soldiers, but the boy remained safe.
Once again, he stood against the king. Again stirred with anger and rage, the king ordered that the boy to be carried in a boat and taken to the ocean. When reaching the deep seas, the order was to throw the boy into the ocean.
Following the command of the king, the sentries of the king took him to the sea. However, once again the boy supplicated and the boat capsized and all of the sentries drowned, but the boy remained safe and sound and stood once again in front of the king. The king was stunned to see him. The boy said to the king, ‘If you want to martyr me, then there is only one way. This is through hanging me by placing a noose around my neck. Then fire an
arrow on me by reciting .’ Therefore, following that method, the king martyred the boy with an arrow.
After witnessing all this, a congregation of thousands of people started proclaiming that we believe in Rab of this boy. The king turned hysterical due to anger, ordered for a
trench to be dug and ignited a fire ”
within it. When the flames of the
blazing fire rose extensively, then he started throwing the believers into this fire. Thus, seventy-seven believers were burnt in this fire.
In the end, one woman among the believers arrived holding her child in her hands. When the king intended to put her in the fire, she became a bit worried. Then her infant child said, ‘O my mother! Be patient, you are on the right path.’ After hearing the child’s voice, her faith became strengthened, and she became satisfied. Then the tyrant king threw the woman, who believed in Allah , into the fire, along with her child.
The king and his accomplices were sitting on chairs by the edge of the trench and were watching the believers as they burnt in the trench and were laughing and celebrating on their success. All of a sudden, the wrath of Allah struck the tyrants. How it happened was that the flames of the fire within the trench rose to such an extent that it blanketed the king and his accomplices. All of them burnt instantly and became a pile of ashes. Allah saved rest of the believers from the tyranny of the king.
(I’afseer As-Saawi, vol. 6, pp. 2339-2340; part 30, Surah Al-Burooj, Ayahs 4-7)
Allah has described this incident in the Holy Quran in these words:
May the People of the trench (of fire) be cursed (who tortured the believers). Those who lit that blazing fire (in the trenches). When they were sitting at its verges. And they themselves are witnesses to what they were doing to the Muslims.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Surah Al-Burooj, Ayah 4-7)
Moral:
1. Through this event, we learn the lesson that there happen trials and tests from Allah . The success for the believers lies in observing contentment and patience at the time of those tests and trials.
2. We have also learnt that the sign of the true faith is that a believer never panics or goes into dilemma due to any difficulty or hardship faced in the path of Allah . However, whether the believer is under a garland of flowers or under a sword, drowning in water or burning in flames, in every situation, the believer remains as steadfast as a mountain on his true faith. These people see the blissful ends of their lives as believers. This is such a grand blessing that the one, who acquires it, actually acquires the excellence of a lucky destiny. As a reward, he attains such closeness in the court of Allah and Rasoolullah that the angels of the Heavens invoke praise of their high ranks.
