Stories From The Quran

The story of the boy and the King (Part 1)

The story was narrated by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) to his Companions (May Allah be pleased with them) and its mention is in Surah Al Burooj (Surah No. 85).           

There was a King and he had a sorcerer. When the sorcerer became old, he said to the King “I have now become an old man, get me a boy so that I may teach him sorcery”. So the King sent him a boy.

Whenever the boy proceeded to meet the sorcerer to learn, he passed by a monk and used to sit with him for sometime to listen to his talks. These speeches of the monk inspired the boy a lot.

The old sorcerer used to get annoyed with the boy arriving late daily and would beat him. This went on for sometime

One day as he was on the way to the sorcerer,, he saw a huge creature (animal) on the road and people were unable to pass by because of this. The boy thought, today I can know whether the sorcerer is better or the monk so he took a stone and said “ O Allah if the deeds and actions of the monk are liked by you than those of the sorcerer then kill this creature so that people can pass by” and he threw the stone at the creature. The creature was killed and the people could pass.

The boy related the incident to the monk. The monk told the boy “O my son! Today you are better that I, but Allah will test you and in case you are put on a trial do not inform the King or his people about me”

The boy had a special gift from Allah, he could treat people with conditions like leprosy, leucoderma and other diseases. One day the King’s courtier came to him and brought him some gifts and told him to cure him. So the boy replied “It’s not I but Allah who cures the disease, so if you believe in Allah invoke Him” The courtier believes in Allah and is cured.

The King was surprised to see his courtier cured of his ailment and asked him who his physcian was. The courtier replied “My Lord (Allah)”. 

The King asked “Have you got another Lord than I?” The courtier said “My Lord and your Lord Is Allah!”

The King got hold of him and kept on tormenting him till he informed him about the boy. The King asked his guards to bring the boy. The King said to the boy “ O boy! Has your knowledge of (sorcery) reached the extent that you can cure such big diseases?”.

The boy replied “I do not cure anybody. It is only Allah (Alone) who does cure”.The king got hold of him and kept tormenting him till the boy informed him about the monk.

The monk was brought, and it was said to him “Give up your religion (turn apostate)”. The monk refused to turn apostate. The King ordered a saw to be brought, it was put in the middle of the monk’s scap and was sawn, till he fell cut into two pieces.

Then the courtier was brought and was given the same threat, he refused and he too was murdered. The boy was brought and was given the same threat, the boy too refused, so the King ordered his guards to take the boy to a highest mountain and ask him to turn apostate, if he refused to throw him down from the mountain.

Continued in Part 2…