Surah Al-Burooj (85) — Ayah 9

1. The Incident of the People of the Ditch: In a past era, there was a king who had a magician and a soothsayer. When the soothsayer became old, he said to the king, "Give me an intelligent boy, so that I may teach him this knowledge." So the king found a wise boy and entrusted him to him. On the boy's way, there was also the house of a monk. The boy would sit with him while coming and going and would listen to his words, which he liked. In this way, the sequence continued. Once, the boy was going when a very large animal (such as a lion or a snake) had blocked the way of the people. The boy thought, "Today I will find out whether the magician is right or the monk?" He picked up a stone and said, "O Allah, if the matter of the monk is better and more beloved to You than the matter of the magician, then kill this animal so that the people's passage may continue." Saying this, he threw the stone and the animal died. The boy went and told this incident to the monk. The monk said, "Son! Now you have reached excellence and your trial is about to begin. But during this period of trial, do not reveal my name." This boy would also cure those born blind, lepers, and other diseases, but on the condition of faith in Allah. On this same condition, he prayed to Allah and cured the eyes of a blind courtier of the king. This boy would say, "If you bring faith, I will pray to Allah, He will grant healing." So, by his prayer, Allah would grant healing. This news reached the king, and he became very worried. He had some of the believers killed. Regarding this boy, he ordered some men to take him to the top of a mountain and throw him down. He prayed to Allah, the mountain shook, and they all died, and Allah saved him. The king then handed him over to other men and said, "Take him in a boat to the middle of the sea and throw him there." There too, by his prayer, the boat overturned, and they all drowned, and he was saved. The boy said to the king, "If you want to kill me, the way is this: gather the people in an open field and, saying بِسْمِ اللہ رَبِّ الْغُلام, shoot me with an arrow." The king did so, by which the boy died, but all the people cried out, "We believe in the Lord of this boy." The king became even more distressed. So he had ditches dug and fires lit in them and ordered that whoever does not renounce faith should be thrown into the fire. In this way, the believers kept coming and were consigned to the fire, until a woman came with a child. She hesitated a little, so the child spoke, "Mother, be patient, you are on the truth." (Sahih Muslim) Imam Ibn Kathir has narrated some other incidents which are different from this and has said, "It is possible that such incidents occurred in various places." (For details, see Tafsir Ibn Kathir)