"THE BOY AND THE KING & PEOPLE OF THE TRENCH (ASHAB-UL-UKHDUD)”

Suhayb ibn Sinan, reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told:

“There lived a king (Yusuf Dhu Nuwas ) before you (in Yemen and he lived about 70 years before the birth of Messenger of Allah PBUH) and he had a magician. 
As the magician grew old, he said to the king:
"I have become old and my time is nearly over, so send me a boy whom I can teach magic.''

So, he sent him a boy (Abdullah Ibn Tamir) and the magician taught him a magic. On his way (to the magician) the young man found a monk sitting there and listened to his talk and was impressed by it. It became his habit that on his way to the magician he met the monk set there so he was late in coming to the magician who beat him because of the delay.

The young boy made a complaint about it to the monk so the monk said,
“When you feel afraid of the magician, say, ‘My people kept me busy.’
And when you feel afraid of your family say to them: “The magician kept me busy.”

It once happened that there came a huge beast (of prey) and it blocked the way of the people. The young boy said,
“I shall find out today whether the magician or the monk is correct (in believe).”
He picked up a stone and said,
“O Allah, if the teaching of the monk are dearer to You than the teaching of the magician, bring death to this animal so that the people will be able to move about freely.”
He threw that stone towards it and killed it and the people began to move about (on the path freely).

The young man then came to that monk and informed him. The monk said,
“My son, today you are superior to me. Your affairs have reached a stage where I find that you will soon be put to the test, and in that case don't reveal my identity.”

The young man began to treat the blind and those suffering from leprosy and began to cure people of (all kinds) of illness. There was a courtier of the king who had become blind and he heard about the boy. He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said,
“If you cure me, all these things collected together here will be yours.”
He said, ”I myself do not cure anyone; it is Allah Who cures. If you affirm faith in Allah, I shall also supplicate Allah to cure you.”

He affirmed his faith in Allah and Allah cured him. He came to the king and sat by his side as he used to sit before. The king said to him, “Who restored your eyesight?” He said, “My Lord.” The king then asked, "I did?'' The courtier said, "No, my Lord and your Lord - Allah''

The king said, "Do you have another Lord beside me'' He said, "Yes, your Lord and my Lord is Allah.'' Whereupon the king took hold of him and tortured him until he revealed the identity of boy.

The young man was thus summoned and the king said to him, “O boy, it has been conveyed to me that you have become so talented in your magic that you cure the blind and those suffering from leprosy and you do such-and-such things.”
Thereupon he said, “I do not cure anyone; it is Allah Who cures.”

The king took hold of him and began to torture him. So he revealed the identity of the monk. The monk was thus summoned and it was said to him, “Turn back from your religion.” He, however, refused to do so.
King (ordered) a saw to be brought and it was placed in the middle of his head and it fell apart. Then the courtier of the king was brought and it was said to him, “Turn back from your religion but he refused to do so.” Then the same was done with him as well.”

Then the young boy was brought and it was said to him, “Turn back from your religion.” He refused to do so and he was handed over to a group of his courtier. He said to them, “Take him to such and such mountain; make him climb that mountain and when you reach its top (ask him to give up his faith) but if he refuses to do so, throw him down the mountain.”

So they took him and made him climb the mountain. The boy prayed,
“O Allah, save me from them (in any way) You will.” The mountain began to quake and they all fell down, the boy came walking back to the king. The king said to him, “What has happened to your companions?” He said, “Allah has saved me from them.”

He again handed him to some of his courtiers and said, “Take him and carry him away in a small boat and when you reach the middle of the ocean ask him to give up his religion, but if he does not give up his religion throw him (into the water).' So they took him and the boy prayed,
“O Allah, save me from them and what they want to do.” It was not long before the boat overturned and they were drowned but he came walking back to the king.

The king said to him, '”What has happened to your companions?” He said, “Allah has saved me from them.” He also said to the king, “You cannot kill me until I tell you how to do.”

He asked, “What is that?” The boy said, “You should gather people on a plain and hang me by the trunk (of a tree). Then take an arrow from the quiver and say, “In the name of Allah, the Lord of the worlds;” then shoot an arrow. If you do that, you would be able to kill me.'

So he did this and placing an arrow in the bow, he shot it, saying, (bismillahi Rabbi) “In the name of Allah, the Lord of the young boy;” The arrow hit the boy in the temple, and the boy placed his hand over the arrow wound and died.

The people proclaimed, “We affirm our faith in the Lord of this young man”

The courtiers came to the king and it was said to him, “Do you see what has happened that which you feared has taken place. That their faith is in the Lord”

So he ordered that ditches to be dug at the entrances to the roads and it was done, and fires were kindled in them. Then the king said,
"Whoever abandons his religion, let him go, and whoever does not, throw him into the fire.''

(The people courted death but did not refused their faith from Allah) untill a woman came with her baby whom she was breast feeding, she felt hesitant about jumping into the fire, the baby spoke to her, "Be patient mother! For verily, you are following the truth!''
[Muslim and Imam Ahmad recorded it]

According to some reports, about more than twelve thousand people were burned into ashes. After that the fire flared up so high that it spread out wildly through the city and burned all those who were watching the fun of burning the Muslims. Only Yusuf Dhu Nuwas (the king) managed to run away, and threw himself into the sea in order to save himself from the rage of the fire, but he got drowned and died. [Tafsir Mazhari]

It was about Dhu Nowas and his army that Allah revealed to His Messenger (PBUH) In Surah no. 85 Al-Buruj, the reference is made to this incident.

THE HOLY QURAN:
“Cursed were the People of the Trench, the (people of the) fire that was rich with fuel, when they were sitting by it, and were watching what they were doing with the believers. And they had blamed them for nothing but that they believed in Allah, the All-Mighty, the Worthy of All Praise, the One to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is witness over every thing. Surely, those who persecuted the believing men and the believing women, then did not repent, for them there is the torment of Jahannam (Hell), and for them there is the torment of burning.” [85: 4-10]

In a narration of Muhammad Ibn Ishaq, it is reported that the place where the boy Abdulluh Ibn Tamir was buried had to be dug up for some important reason during the time of Sayyidna Umar (RA). It was found that the body of 'Abdulluh Ibn Tamir was unharmed, and he was sitting up. His hand was placed on his hip joint, where the arrow struck him. Someone people moved his hand out from that place, and his wound started bleeding. When the hand was placed back in its position, the bleeding stopped.

There was a ring in his finger which had the inscription: (Allahu Rabbi) "Allah is my Lord." The governor of Yemen informed Sayyidna Umar (RA) about this, and he wrote back in reply: "cover the body back as it was with his finger-ring." [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

By Inspiring Stories
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