named Surah al-Burūj.

At the beginning of this blessed Surah, an instructive, thought-provoking, and faith-inspiring incident is mentioned. Allah Almighty states:

قُتِلَ اَصْحٰبُ الْاُخْدُوْدِۙ(۴) النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُوْدِۙ(۵) اِذْ هُمْ عَلَیْهَا قُعُوْدٌۙ(۶) وَّ هُمْ عَلٰى مَا یَفْعَلُوْنَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ شُهُوْدٌؕ(۷) وَ مَا نَقَمُوْا مِنْهُمْ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ یُّؤْمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَزِیْزِ الْحَمِیْدِۙ(۸)

Woe to the people of the ditch. of the blazing fire. When they were sitting around it. And they themselves are witnesses to what they were doing to the believers. And they were only averse to this that they (Muslims) embraced faith in Allah, the Most-Exalted, the Most-Praiseworthy,^[1]

The Incident of the People of the Ditch

These verses mention “the people of the ditch”. Who were they? What is their story? Its details are found in the famous Hadith collection Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. The Hadith is lengthy; its summary is as follows:

In earlier nations, there was a king who claimed divinity. People regarded him as their god and worshipped him. When guidance was decreed for that nation, Allah Almighty guided a young man from among them. He was blessed with the company of a righteous believer, and through the blessings of his company, the young man recited the testimony of faith and became a follower of the true religion.

Allah Almighty granted this youth an elevated rank, honoured him with spiritual sainthood, and caused marvels to manifest at his hands. By the blessings of his supplications, the blind regained their vision, and those afflicted with leprosy were cured. Soon, his fame reached the king. The king’s false claim to divinity was now in danger—if the blind continued to be cured by the supplications of this friend of Allah, who would believe the king’s claim to divinity?