Imam Ahmad recorded from Suhayb that the Messenger of Allah said:
Among the people who came before you, there wasa king who had a sorcerer, and when that sorcerer became old,
he said to theking, "I have become old and my time is nearlyover, so please send me a boy whom I can teach magic.''
So, he sent him aboy and the sorcerer taught him magic. Whenever the boy went to the sorcerer, hesat with a monk who was on the way and listened to his speech and admired them.So, when he went to the sorcerer, he passed by the monk and sat there with him;and on visiting the sorcerer the latter would thrash him. So, the boy complainedabout this to the monk.
The monk said to him, "Wheneveryou are afraid of the sorcerer, say to him: `My people kept me busy.' Andwhenever you are afraid of your people, say to them: `The sorcerer kept mebusy.'''
So the boy carried on like that (for some time). Then a hugeterrible creature appeared on the road and the people were unable to pass by.
The boy said, "Today I shall know whether thesorcerer is better or the monk is better.'' So, he took a stone and said,"O Allah! If the deeds and actions of the monk are liked by You better thanthose of the sorcerer, then kill this creature so that the people can cross (theroad).''
Then he struck it with a stone killing it and the people passedby on the road.
The boy came to the monk and informed him aboutit.
The monk said to him, "O my son! Today youare better than I, and you have achieved what I see! You will be put to trial.And in case you are put to trial, do not inform (them) about me.''
The boyused to treat the people suffering from congenital blindness, leprosy, and otherdiseases. There was a courtier of the king who had become blind and he heardabout the boy.
He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said, "Allthese gifts are for you on the condition that you cure me.''
The boysaid, "I do not cure anybody; it is only Allahwho cures people. So, if you believe in Allah and supplicate to Him, He willcure you.''
So, he believed in and supplicated to Allah, and Allah curedhim. Later, the courtier came to the king and sat atthe place where he used to sit before.
The king said, "Whogave you back your sight''
The courtier replied, "MyLord.''
The king then said, "I did''
Thecourtier said, "No, my Lord and your Lord -Allah''
The king said, "Do you haveanother Lord beside me''
The courtier said, "Yes,your Lord and my Lord is Allah.''
The king tortured him and did not stopuntil he told him about the boy. So, the boy was brought to the king and he saidto him, "O boy! Has your magic reached to theextent that you cure congenital blindness, leprosy and other diseases''
Hesaid, " I do not cure anyone. Only Allah cancure.''
The king said, "Me''
Theboy replied, "No.''
The king asked, "Doyou have another Lord besides me''
The boy answered, "My Lord and your Lord is Allah.''
So, he tortured him also until he toldabout the monk. Then the monk was brought to him and the king said to him,
"Abandonyour religion.''
The monk refused and so the king ordered a saw to bebrought which was placed in the middle of his head and he fell, sawn in two.Then it was said to the man who used to be blind,
"Abandonyour religion.''
He refused to do so, and so a saw was brought and placedin the middle of his head and he fell, sawn in two.
Then the boy was brought andit was said to him,
"Abandon your religion.'' Herefused and so the king sent him to the top of such and such mountain with somepeople.
He told the people, "Ascend up themountain with him till you reach its peak, then see if he abandons his religion;otherwise throw him from the top.''
They took him and when they ascendedto the top, he said, " O Allah! Save me fromthem by any means that You wish.'' So, the mountain shook and they allfell down and the boy came back walking to the king.
The king said, "What did your companions (the people I sent with you) do''
The boy said, "Allahsaved me from them.''
So, the king ordered some people to take the boy ona boat to the middle of the sea, saying, "If herenounces his religion (well and good), but if he refuses, drown him.'' So,they took him out to sea"
and he said, "O Allah!Save me from them by any means that you wish.'' So they were all drownedin the sea. Then the boy returned to the king.
The kingsaid, "What did your companions do''
Theboy replied, "Allah, saved me from them.'' Thenhe said to the king, "You will not be able tokill me until you do as I order you. And if you do as I order you, you will beable to kill me.''
The king asked, "Andwhat is that''
The boy said, "Gather thepeople in one elevated place and tie me to the trunk of a tree; then take anarrow from my quiver and say: `In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.' Ifyou do this, you will be able to kill me.''
So he did this, and placingan arrow in the bow, he shot it, saying, "In theName of Allah, the Lord of the boy.'' The arrow hit the boy in thetemple, and the boy placed his hand over the arrow wound and died.
The peopleproclaimed, "We believe in the Lord of theboy!'’
Then it was said to the king, "Doyou see what has happened That which you feared has taken place. By Allah, allthe people have believed (in the Lord of the boy).''So he ordered thatditches be dug at the entrances to the roads and it was done, and fires werekindled in them.
Then the king said, "Whoeverabandons his religion, let him go, and whoever does not, throw him into thefire.''
They were struggling and scuffling in the fire, until a woman andher baby whom she was breast feeding came and it was as if she was beingsomewhat hesitant of falling into the fire, so her baby said to her,"Bepatient mother! For verily, you are following the truth!'')
Muslim also recorded this Hadith at the end ofthe Sahih. Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar related this story in his book of Sirahin another way that has some differences from that which has just been related.Then, after Ibn Ishaq explained that the people of Najran began following thereligion of the boy after his murder, which was the religion of Christianity, hesaid, "Then (the king) Dhu Nuwas came to them with his army and called themto Judaism.
He gave them a choice to either accept Judaism or be killed, so theychose death. Thus, he had a ditch dug and burned (some of them) in the fire (inthe ditch), while others he killed with the sword. He made an example of them(by slaughtering them) until he had killed almost twenty thousand of them. Itwas about Dhu Nuwas and his army that Allah revealed to His Messenger :
(Cursed were the people of the ditch of fire fed with fuel when they sat by it and they witnessed what they were doing against the believers and they had no fault except that they believed in Allah the Almighty, worthy of all praise! To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! and Allah is witness over everything) (85:4-9)
This is what Muhammad bin Ishaq said in his bookof Sirah -- that the one who killed the People of the Ditch was Dhu Nuwas, andhis name was Zur`ah. In the time of his kingdom he was called Yusuf. He was theson of Tuban As`ad Abi Karib, who was the Tubba` who invaded Al-Madinah and putthe covering over the Ka`bah. He kept two rabbis with him from the Jews of Al-Madinah.
After this some of the people of Yemen accepted Judaism at the hands of thesetwo rabbis, as Ibn Ishaq mentions at length. So Dhu Nuwas killed twenty thousandpeople in one morning in the Ditch. Only one man among them escaped. He wasknown as Daws Dhu Tha`laban. He escaped on a horse and they set out after him,but they were unable to catch him.
He went to Caesar, the emperor of Ash-Sham.So, Caesar wrote to An-Najashi, the King of Abyssinia. So, he sent with him anarmy of Abyssinian Christians, who were lead by Aryat and Abrahah. They rescuedYemen from the hands of the Jews. Dhu Nuwas tried to flee but eventually fellinto the sea and drowned. After this, the kingdom of Abyssinia remained underChristian power for seventy years.
Then the power was divested from theChristians by Sayf bin Dhi Yazin Al-Himyari when Kisra, the king of Persia sentan army there (to Yemen). He (the king) sent with him (Sayf Al-Himyari) thosepeople who were in the prisons, and they were close to seven hundred in number.So, he (Sayf Al-Himyari) conquered Yemen with them and returned the kingdom backto the people of Himyar (Yemenis).
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