Stories From The Quran

The People of the Ditch (Part 2)

The boy was taken up the mountain. When he was about to be thrown down the cliff he said “O Allah save me from these people by anything you wish” The mountain suddenly shook and all the soldiers of the King fell down. The boy walked back to the King and told him that his Lord (Allah) saved him and killed the soldiers.

The furious King then asks his other soldiers to take the boy in a big boat in the middle of the sea and drown him. The boy repeated the same dua in the middle of the sea, the boat capsized with all soldiers and the boy was saved.

The boy came back walking to the frustrated King and told him “You cannot kill me till you do what I command” The King said “What is that command of yours?” 

The boy said “Gather all your people in one place, fasten me to a tree, then take an arrow from my quiver and fix it in a bow, and say ‘in the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy’ and shoot me. If you do that you will be able to kill me”

So the King gathered all his people in an upland place, fastened the boy to a tree, took an arrow from his quiver, fixed it in a bow and said “In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy” and shot an arrow. The arrow hit the temporal region of the skull of the boy and the boy died.

All the people who were witness to the scene proclaimed loudly “We believe in the Lord (Allah) of the boy!” They kept repeating over and over again. The King realized the situation and was

furious, so he ordered big ‘Ditches’ to be made, fire was kindled in the ditches and the King ordered his guards to throw all people who refused to turn apostate (from his religion) into the ditches. 

The order was carried out and a huge number of people were thrown in the ditches of fire (hence were termed as People of the Ditch). 

It is reported by the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) who was narrating this story that a woman with her baby were among the people who were about to be thrown, the woman hesitated and retreated back when the baby spoke “ O Mother,, be patient you are on the truth”. So she threw herself into the ditch along with the baby. All of them died as martyrs of monotheism.

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Vol 4, Hadith No. 7148