Gardens of the Righteous — Page 13
RIYADH AS-SALIHIN 13 man to be seized and he was tortured till he told about the young man who was summoned and the King said to him: Son, have you become so skilled in magic that you can heal the blind and the leprous and all manner of afflicted ones? He said: I do not heal anyone. It is God Who heals. Then he was seized and tortured till he disclosed the whereabouts of the monk who was summoned and directed: Retract thy faith. He refused. The King sent for a saw which was placed in the middle of the monk's head and he was sawn down in two. Then the. King's courtier was sent for and was directed to abjure his faith. He too refused and was sawn down. Then the young man was brought and was told to retract his faith and refused. The King handed him over to a party of his men and told them: Take him to such and such a mountain and when you get to the top, if he still refuses to abjure his faith, drop him down from the top. They took him to the mountain and ascended to the top of it with him. There he supplicated:. Lord, deliver me from them whatever way Thou wouldst. The mountain was shaken and they fell down. The young man walked back to the King who asked:. What have thy companions done? He answered: God has delivered me from them. He was then handed over to another party and they were told to take him in a caique to deep water and in case of persistence in refusing to abjure his faith to drop him into the ocean. They took him along and he supplicated: Lord, deliver me from them whichever way Thou wouldst. The boat sank with them and they were drowned and the young man walked back to the King who asked him: What have thy companions done? he answered: God has delivered me from them; and added: You will not be able to kill me unless you do what I tell you. The King inquired: What is that? The young man made answer: Assemble the people in an open space and hang me from the trunk of a palm-tree. Then take an arrow from my quiver and placing it in the middle of a bow say: In the name of Allah, the Lord of this young man; and shoot the arrow at me. If you do thus you will kill me. The King proceeded accordingly. The people were assembled in an open space, the young man was hanged from the trunk of a palm-tree, the King took an arrow from his quiver and placing it in the middle of a bow said: In the name of Allah, the Lord of this young man; and shot it. . The arrow struck the young man in the temple who raised his hand to his temple and died. . The people said: We believe in the Lord of this young man. The King was told: You see, that has happened which you had feared; the people have believed. The King ordered trenches to be dug along the roads; they were dug and fire was lighted in them. Then the command went forth that whoever should refuse to abjure his faith would be thrown in the trenches, or would be told to jump in. This went on. A woman came accompanied by a boy and shrank from being thrown in, whereupon the boy said to her: Be steadfast, mother, you are in the right (Muslim). 31. Anas relates that the Holy Prophet passed by a woman who was crying over a grave. He said to her: Be mindful of thy duty to Allah and be steadfast. . She retorted: Leave me alone; you have not been afflicted as I have been. She