The story of Prophet Nuh

 Prophet Idris, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, had passed away, leaving the people stranded and without guidance. The people then decided to follow the companions of the Prophet Idris, as there was no other Prophet yet. These companions were righteous men, and the people loved them for their piousness and wisdom. When faced with problems, they would consult these men. But they are still human, and eventually, the pious men died. This once again left the people without any guidance, and these people were afraid that they would be astray from the correct path.

Shaytaan was happy to see the people without a leader. He disguised himself as a man, and told the people, “If we make statues of these righteous men, it will be more pleasing to us in our worship and will remind us of them.” The unsuspecting people agreed to this request, believing that erecting idols of their pious predecessors would help them to remember Allah better and potentially encourage themselves to do good. Oh, how mistaken they were!

Shaytaan was even more happy, as his evil plot had succeeded. He was extremely patient, for he knew that getting someone to worship another being other than Allah was a slow and difficult process. When that generation had died out, and the new generation of people had forgotten the intentions behind why the statues had been built, Shaytaan then whispered to the people, saying, “Your forefathers used to worship these idols. These statues brought them goodness.” The people were convinced enough, and they began to worship the idols, which were named Waaz, Suwah, Yaghooth, Ya'uq and Nasr.

After several centuries had passed, Allah sent down Prophet Nuh, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, to guide the people away from idolatry. Allah blessed his great servant with a very eloquent speech and immense patience, so that he would be able to carry out his assigned task with success. Prophet Nuh preached to his people about the many universal wonders; he told them about the nights and the days, the stars, the sun and the moon, the plants and animals, and the heavens and what was on Earth. He explained to them that humankind was created by Allah to glorify and worship Him. He then told them about the oneness of Allah; that the wonders of this world were only proof of the existence of one true God, and that is none other than Allah, may He be Exalted. Prophet Nuh then explained to them that Shaytaan had misled them into worshipping statues, and warned them of a terrible punishment from Allah if they continued their polytheistic ways.

The people listened to him with great confusion, shock, and patience. Several amongst them , mostly the poor and needy, began to find hope and solace in the words of Prophet Nuh, and gradually entered into the fold of Islam, while the rich and snobbish people watched on with rage. They said to Prophet Nuh, “We see you as a man whom is no different to us.” The Prophet then explained to them that he was certainly a human being, and Allah had specifically chosen a human messenger as this world was predominantly occupied by humans after all. And if this world was occupied by angels, Allah would have surely sent an angelic messenger to convey His message.

One day, the affluent men of the people approached Prophet Nuh and said to him: “Listen Nuh, if you want us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They are poor and needy, but we are elite and rich; no faith can include us both.” Prophet Nuh was well-aware of the ignorance of these rich men. He knew that he had to remain calm in order to explain to them that materialistic possessions were worthless in the sight of Allah and it was what is within one’s heart that really mattered to Him. Prophet Nuh replied to them: “O my people! I ask for no wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going to drive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I see that you are ignorant people. O my people! Who will help me against Allah, if I drove them away? Will you not then give a thought? And I do not say to you that with me are the Treasures of Allah nor that I know the unseen, nor do I say that I am an angel, and I do not say of those whom your eyes look down upon that Allah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows what is in their inner selves. In that case, I should, indeed be one of the wrongdoers.”

The polytheists were extremely mad. They had tolerated the incessant preaching of Prophet Nuh for far too long. They angrily challenged Nuh, saying, “O Nuh! You have disputed with us and have prolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful.” The Prophet replied, “Only Allah will bring the punishment on you, if He wills, and then you will not be able to escape. And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you counsel, if Allah's Will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! And to Him you shall return.”

For a hundred and fifty years, Prophet Nuh, peace be upon Him, preached to his people and any generation which came after them. But these people were stubborn, and each child that had reached an age of understanding was clearly warned against the teachings of Prophet Nuh. Whenever the Prophet approached them, they ran away from him. Before long, Prophet Nuh realized that the number of disbelievers was rapidly growing, whilst the number of believers was still the same as centuries before. He was very upset for his people, and he feared a terrible predicament for them. After a while, he was left with no choice. So Prophet Nuh prayed to Allah, “My Lord! They have disobeyed me, and followed one whose wealth and children give them no increase but only loss. They have plotted a mighty plot. They have said, ‘you shall not leave your gods, nor shall you leave Waaz, Suwah, Yaghooth, Ya'uq and Nasr’. Indeed they have led many of them astray. O Allah! Grant no increase to the disbelievers.”

Allah revealed to Prophet Nuh that no other man from the people would enter Islam thereafter. Sad and frustrated, Prophet Nuh replied to Allah: “My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth. If you leave them, they will mislead Your slaves and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers.” Prophet Nuh’s prayer was accepted by his Lord. He instructed to Prophet Nuh, “Construct the ark under Our Eyes and with Our Inspiration and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong.”

Outside the city limits, away from the sea, Prophet Nuh began to build the ark through day and night, with the support and guidance of the Allah's great Angels. The construction of the ark continued, but it was met wit constant mockery from the people. They jeered at Prophet Nuh, saying, “O Nuh! Does being a carpenter appeal to you more than being a Prophet? Why are you building an ark so far from the sea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going to carry it for you?” Prophet Nuh answered them, “You will come to know, who, will be put to shame and suffering.”

Allah then instructed to Prophet Nuh that when the oven at his home begins to gush forth water, collect the believers and board the ark for it was the first sign of the beginning of the floods that would destroy the disbelievers. Not long after, the terrible day dawned as water began gushing forth from the oven at Prophet Nuh's house. Nuh knew it was time to board the ark. Along with the believers and three of his sons, Prophet Nuh also took with him pairs of animals, birds and insects. The people who witnessed Nuh's peculiar behaviour laughed at him again saying, “Nuh must have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?”

Soon after, heavy rains emerged, descending from the angry skies, and water began to rise through every crack on the ground. The water levels gradually began to rise, and soon, the oceans engulfed the land. The once dry land was now completely submerged in water for the first time. Prophet Nuh witnessed the terrible calamity that had befallen his people. He knew the disbelievers had no escape from the wrath of Allah. Amongst the disbelievers was Prophet Nuh's wife and one of his sons who refused to board the ark. Nuh desperately called out to his son: “O my son! Embark with us and be not among the disbelievers.” The ignorant son of Nuh replied, “I will get to the mountain, for it will save me from the water.” Nuh answered, “This day there is no saviour from the Decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy.” The disobedient young man went and climbed up the tallest mountain, but it was engulfed by angry waves, and he was never to be seen again.

When all of the disbelievers had ultimately been destroyed, Allah ordered the skies and the earth, “O Earth! Swallow up your water, and O sky! Withhold your rain.” The skies then cleared, and out rose the sun, which shone brightly on the land. Meanwhile, the ark landed on Mount Judi in a calm manner. Allah then instructed His Prophet: “O Nuh! Come down (from the ship) with peace from Us and blessings on you and on the people who are with you.” As instructed, Prophet Nuh along with the believers got off the ark, releasing the rescued animals, birds and insects across the green land.

Prophet Nuh then placed his forehead on the ground to prostrate to his Lord. Prophet Nuh then thanked Allah immensely for His mercy and blessings. The believers were grateful to Allah for safeguarding them from the terrible ordeal and observed a day of fasting as an act of gratitude to Allah. As for the sons of Prophet Nuh, three out of four remained, they were Shaam, Haam, and Yafith. These three were the only people out of Nuh's family who were believers. After Prophet Nuh had passed away at the age of at least a thousand, the sons spread Islam and they also became the ancestors of a new generation of humans. We humans, you and me, are essentially the descendants of these three, great, righteous men, whom themselves are descended from Prophet Nuh, peace be upon Him.

Source:

Qassas al-Anbiya by Imam Ibn Kathir, chapter on Prophet Nuh alayhis salaam

Qur'an verses featuring the Prophet Nuh alayhis salaam

The story of Saba' and the Flood of 'Arim

 Saba' was a kingdom located in South Arabia. They were a predecessor to the Himyarites. The Sabaeans were known for being a very wealthy and prosperous kingdom, with their capital at the edge of the Arabian desert in Ma'arib. The city of Ma'arib was located between two large mountains. Rainwater used to come from the two mountains, which often caused floods in the city. One of the rulers of Saba' built a strong and fortified dam between these two mountains. The dam would remain unaffected by the flow of water and it stopped the serial surges of flooded water that entered from the two mountains. This created a place where fresh and pure, uncontaminated water was stored. Inside the dam, there were levels. The storage of water could be released systematically for the Sabaeans to irrigate their farms and gardens. Underneath the dam, a huge big tank was built. The tank supplied water to various parts of Saba' and surrounding agricultural territories. The mountains eventually became beautiful and prosperous gardens, with many species of plants growing there. A lot of fruits grew there, and the supply of fruit seemed endless.

This was some of what Allah had blessed them with; there are a lot more in fact. However, the people of Saba' became very ungrateful over time. They began to forget that Allah had blessed them with all this prosperity. In fact, some of them became idolators. The people had went astray. So, Allah sent down a Prophet to teach them the right things. More Prophets were sent down, until there were a total of thirteen Prophets advising these people, teaching them, and warning them of Allah's punishments. However, the Sabaeans rejected what the Prophets had said, and they accused them of lying. Very few people believed in the message that was sent to them.

Allah sent down His divine wrath on the Sabaeans after they had disbelieved for a long time. Several mice, or rodents, were sent down into the damn. These rodents would weaken the structure of the dam. One day, some of the people saw the rodents when entering the dam, so they reported it to their ruler. A large force of cats was sent to combat the rodents. But then, Allah sent down even more rodents into the well, which killed and injured the cats. Some people knew that if the dam was destroyed by the animals, the city would be flooded. So they migrated to a far town. It was said that ‘the people had a book which decreed that their city would be destroyed by a flood, when rodents entered the dam due to their disbelief.’ Either way, the fate of the city had already been decided by Allah. 

Eventually, the rats weakened the structure of the dam by chewing through the wood. The walls gave way, and the water blasted out. The entire city was flooded, and many people perished in it. The whole city of Saba' was completely destroyed! The farms, gardens, architectural masterpieces (et cetera) that they once had on their island were all gone. Indeed, they were one of the most ungrateful people, and Allah had punished them with the flood. Now everything they had once earned had gone to waste. 

The few survivors of the flood migrated to a part of Arabia which later would be known as Madinah. They became the ancestors of the people of Madinah. Some of them left for Syria as well. The remaining part of Saba' became a jungle, where tamarisks grew. As for the mountains, Allah replaced their two prosperous gardens on top of them with two gardens having fruits of bitter and evil taste. These fruits grew on stumpy trees with sharp thorns, and none of the fruits from such trees were worth consuming. It is said, by most mufassireen, that these trees were the Arak trees, also known as Salvadora Persica in modern scientific language. Allah knows best.

Saba' would eventually be conquered the Himyarites. The Himyarites in later years would be known for having a believing king, Tubba' Abu Karib Asad, and a disbelieving king, Yusuf Dhu-Nuwas. It is said that the Flood of 'Arim occurred in a period of Fatrah after Prophet Isa, peace be upon Him, had ascended to Heaven alive, and that the thirteen Prophets sent to Saba' were from a period prior to the Fatrah. Again, Allah knows best.

Source:

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, his tafsir on Surah Saba' verses 16 to 19 (the entire story)

Ruh al-Ma'ani by Imam Mahmud al-Alusi (about the story)

Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide (about the Salvadora Persica plant)

The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: The Age of Persia. Vol. 5. Oxford University Press, pages 299 to 375 (more information about the ancient kingdom of Saba' and its origin)

The story of the Ashab al-Ukhdud

 Yusuf As'aar Yath'aar Dhu-Nuwas, was the one-hundred-and-fifth Himyarite ruler of Yemen. He was the son of Tubba' Asad, who is not to be confused with the Muslim ruler Tubba' Abu Karib Asad. This Tubba' brought several Jews with him from Madinah who influenced the local population greatly. Hence, Yusuf Dhu-Nuwas was not a Muslim, but much rather, he was a convert Jew. Dhu-Nuwas came to power after he stabbed the previous Himyarite ruler, Dhu-Shanatir, a known serial killer and sexual predator, to death. 

Dhu-Nuwas' advisor, a magician, told him that he should be given an intelligent boy, so that he could train him in the skill of foretelling and sihr. So, a boy named Abdullah ibn Ta'meer was brought to the private class of the advisor. Whenever Abdullah went to his teacher, he had to pass by an old Christian monk. This monk was a true believer in Allah and the uncorrupted teachings of Prophet Isa, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon Him. Abdullah sat with the monk and was very much impressed by his teachings. As a result, he would often go to the monk's house to learn from him for very long hours, before he proceeded to his teacher, the advisor's, house. The advisor was always angry because of Abdullah being late, so he would hit him with a stick. However, Allah had blessed Abdullah with such a strong faith, that he was prepared to bear any pain and persecution for the sake of Allah!

Allah had blessed Abdullah with many more miracles. He could do Karamat (miraculous things) with Allah's permission. Once a large beast blocked a road and prevented people from passing. They were perturbed. The boy, who saw this, picked a stone and prayed, “Oh Allah! If the religion of the monk is true, then kill this beast with this stone so that the people may pass. And if the soothsayer or magician is true, then the beast must not die with my stone.” So praying, he aimed the stone at the lion, threw it, and the lion bled and died instantly. News spread among the people that Abdullah possessed wonderful knowledge. A blind man heard about it, and came up to him. He asked him to restore his sight. Abdullah conceded on the condition that the blind man embraced Islam. He agreed, and so the young boy prayed and Allah restored his sight. The blind man then became a Muslim.

King Yusuf Dhu-Nuwas came to know about these incidents, and he ordered for Abdullah, the monk, and the blind man to be arrested. They were brought before the king. He ordered that the blind man and the monk be executed. He also ordered that Abdullah be taken to the summit of a mountain and be thrown from there. But those who had taken him up there stumbled, fell, and died. Then the king told his servants to have him drowned in the sea. Abdullah escaped safely, while the people who took him to the sea were drowned. 

Abdullah then himself told the king how to kill him. He told him to take an arrow from his quiver and place it in his bow, and recite “La ilaha illa Allah” before shooting him. The king did so, and Abdullah died from the shot. Even though Abdullah had died, all of the King's people had seen what had happened, and news of it spread like wildfire. Everyone in his nation then declared, “We are believers in Allah!” Dhu-Nuwas was greatly enraged and, after consultation with his advisor and ministers, ordered for deep trenches to be dug and filled with fire. An announcement was then made that the people must renounce their faith in Allah. If they refuse, they would be thrown into the ditches. Eventually, a woman carrying her baby was brought to a trench, but she hesitated. Allah granted speech to her child who said: “Oh mother, be steadfast, because you are certainly on the truth.” So she threw herself in the ditch of the fire along with her baby, to be with the martyrs in paradise.

Many people were burned to death afterwards. Allah's divine wrath then descended upon the Ashab al-Ukhdud. The people in the trenches had their souls taken even before the fire could touch them. After that, the fire flared up so high that it spread out wildly through the city and burned all those who were watching the fun of burning the Muslims. The Himyarite ministers and the King's advisor were destroyed. 

A man named Daws Dhu-Tha'laban, who was one of the believers, survived. Dhu-Tha'laban escaped on horse, and he went to the court of the Byzantine Roman emperor, Justinian, and begged him for help against the persecutions. Justinian pondered the matter for a moment, and then wrote a letter to the Aksumite king of Abyssinia, requesting a massive force of Christian soldiers to invade Yemen. The Aksumite king agreed to his request, and two generals, Abraha and Aryaat, were sent along with a large Christian force to Yemen.

When the Aksumites arrived at Yemen, they found out that Najran was almost entirely depopulated. They began searching every house for the king, Yusuf Dhu-Nuwas, hoping to arrest and kill him. The king, whose ministers and soldiers had perished, was in a state of extreme fear. He snuck out of the city on his horse. He then fell into the sea after his horse became tired, and he drowned. Some say it was suicide but Allah knows best. 

Source:

Sahih Muslim, 3005

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah al-Buruj (the entire story)

Al-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Ishaq (about the events after the burnings)

The story of Ash-Shiddatu Al-Mustansiriyyah

 In the years 1064 to 1074, there was a very long period of famine in Egypt, known as Ash-Shiddatu Al-Mustansiriyyah. This happened during the reign of the Fatimids, a dynasty that was ruled by the Rafidhi Batini Ismaili sect of Shi'ism. This famine lasted for seven to ten years. The source of origin for this famine was partly due to the Nile River failing to flood, as well as a political crisis between rival slave-warrior factions. This famine caused at least 40,000 deaths due to starvation.

When the Nile River failed to flood, this resulted in little to no crops growing, because the crops did not have enough water for the irrigation. Hence, the agricultural output had gone down. Not enough food could be produced to feed the population of Fatimid Egypt. At least, they still had wheat and bread, but now at slightly more expensive prices. Inflation occured in this time.

Then two years later, in the year 1066, the Turkic Mamluk slave-warriors had a dispute against the Sudanese slave-warriors, as they both wanted to take control of and manipulate the weak ruler, Fatimid ruler Al-Mustansir. This dispute soon evolved into a full-scale civil war. The Turks were led by a Hamdanid prince, Nasir al-Dawla, while the Sudanese were led by the mother of Al-Mustansir himself, Umm Rasad. A siege of Cairo then happened, and this led to even more famine and food shortages. More armed conflicts spread throughout Egypt and this damaged most of the plantations that were left in the country.

Nasir al-Dawla became victorious in his fight against the Sudanese, and he expelled them from Egypt. His Turks then plundered the royal palace and stole all of the gold there, while Nasir al-Dawla himself became the de facto ruler of Egypt, the Fatimid ruler Al-Mustansir being nothing but a mere puppet under him. Al-Mustansir followed whatever Nasir al-Dawla told him to do. Nasir al-Dawla himself was not a very good ruler, and was often described as tyrannical.

Several tribes of the Berbers assisted in aggravating the distress; they intentionally destroyed the canals and embankments around the Nile River. All of Al-Mustansir's captive animals died of hunger, except for three horses, and it is said that eventually he himself was the only one who actually possessed a horse, and that when he rode out, his companions followed on foot as they did not have horses or mules. It is also said that the escort of the ruler once fainted from hunger as it accompanied him on a journey. 

During these times, the prices of food slowly rose up, until they became too high, the average person could not purchase them. The treasury was also completely out of funds; the Turks had stolen whatever was in it. The famine resulted in the cities of Al-Qata'i and Al-Askar being entirely depopulated, while the majority of Fustat's population was annihilated due to the famine. No external support from the Seljuks or other contemporary ruling dynasties was present, either.

But perhaps the worst of these events is the spread of cannibalism. Whenever a criminal was executed, his body would be cut up and cooked before being eaten. The number of executed criminals eventually reached zero, and the people began eating other animals like cats and dogs. Dogs, especially, were sold at five silver dirhams. But eventually the dogs would decrease in number as well, until it was zero. The populations then resorted to cannibalism. The hunters would attach hooks to the bottom of rooftops that were hidden by plain view. Once these hooks attached onto a person passing by, the hunters pulled up the hooks and killed the victim, before cutting them up and cooking the body parts for eating. Cannibalism became a normal practice in Egypt, and this was a possible factor of the decreasing populations in several towns as well.

Al-Mustansir secretly requested help from the Armenian governor of Palestine, Badr al-Jamali. In the year 1073, Nasir al-Dawla was murdered along with his family. But this did not end the horrifying conditions of Egypt. Only a year later did Al-Mustansir fully regain power. By the end of 1073, Badr al-Jamali and his troops had reached the port of Damietta, and were making their way into Egypt. The Turks, who did not suspect anything about Al-Jamali and his troops, allowed him access to Egypt.

By 1074, Badr al-Jamali had already assassinated and killed all of the Turkic leaders. Al-Mustansir gave Badr al-Jamali the position of Vizier, and he was also given extra authoritative permissions. Al-Jamali managed to restore the country to the state it had been before 1064. He helped repair the economy, and even invited his Armenians into Egypt. Many cities were repopulated as Badr al-Jamali encouraged migration into Egypt. The country had been successfully restored.

Source:

Natural Disasters by Lee Allyn Davis, pages 120-121 (about the drying up of the Nile)

Ighathat al-Ummah bi-Kashf al-Ghummah by Al-Maqrizi (about the events that happened during the famine)

Al-Mawa'iz wa-al-Itibaar bi-Dhikr al-Khitat wa-al-Athaar by Al-Maqrizi (about the events that happened during the famine)

Army, Regime, and Society in Fatimid Egypt, 358–487/968–1094; International Journal of Middle East Studies by Yaacov Lev (about the end of Nasir al-Dawla's rule)

The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines by Farhad Daftary (about Badr al-Jamali and his rise to power as the new Vizier of the Fatimids)

The story of Cyrus of Alexandria

 Cyrus of Alexandria, also known as Muqawqis, was the Coptic governor of Alexandria, Egypt, who worked for the Byzantines under their head ruler in Rome, Heraclius. Cyrus was formerly a Christian cleric and a Bishop as well, but later he was promoted to the role of Patriarch of Alexandria. During his rule, Cyrus managed to unite the Myaphisite and Chalcedonian sects of Christianity under a single sect known as Monothelithism. For at least ten years, Cyrus harshly persecuted the Egyptians in his territory as the majority of the Egyptian people did not recognize him as their patriarch.

In the month of Muharram, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote letters to various rulers and governors to convert to Islam, one of this being Cyrus. The letter was transported by the Sahabi, Hatib ibn Abi Baltah, to the palace of Cyrus. This letter, read: “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim!

From Muhammad, the slave and Messenger of God to Muqawqis (what the Arabs called Cyrus), the leader of Copts!

Peace be upon those who follow the right path! After this prayer, I invite you to Islam. Embrace Islam so that you will attain salvation. Embrace Islam so that God will reward you twice. If you refuse my invitation, may you be responsible for the sins of Copts!

Say: ‘O people of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than God.’ If then they turn back, say: ye! ‘Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to God's will).”

Cyrus read the letter, and he was pleased for some reason. He then folded up the letter and placed it in a special box made of ivory. “May it be good for all!” he exclaimed after he read the letter. He made sure that no one except his trusted translator had seen him read the letter.

Later that night, Hatib was getting ready to leave for Madinah. Then, an envoy of Cyrus summoned him and brought him to Cyrus himself. Cyrus looked Hatib in the eyes, saying, “I knew that a prophet would come but I thought he was going to appear in Damascus. For most of the previous prophets appeared in Damascus. In fact, I also saw in the books that the last prophet would emerge in Arabia, the land of hardness, scarcity and poverty. This time is just the time of the prophet whose characteristics are written in the book of God.” Cyrus then, in a sad tone, said, “However, Copts will not obey me if I become a Muslim. I cannot leave my sovereignty. This prophet will be sovereign in many countries; after him, his Companions will come and settle in our land; then, they will defeat those people over there.” Cyrus had accepted the fact that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was a true Prophet, but he did not become a Muslim out of fear that he would lose his authority in Alexandria.

Cyrus of Alexandria, however, decided to give Prophet Muhammad ﷺ some gifts as a token of apology that he could not become a Muslim. He wrote a reply to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, saying,

“From Muqawqis, the leader of Copts to Muhammad b. Abdullah!

Peace be upon you!

After greeting, I want to say this;

I received your letter and read it. I understood what you mentioned in your letter and what you invited me to do. I knew that a prophet would come but I thought he was going to appear in Damascus!

I entertained your envoy. I sent you two female slaves respected by Copts and clothes; I also sent a mule for you to ride.

Peace be upon you!”

Cyrus then gave Hatib the letter, and he also sent some cavalry to deliver the presents to the Prophet ﷺ, the gifts were; a white mule, a thousand kilograms of gold, a crystal glass, a set of twenty Egyptian-made clothes, a jar of honey, several perfumes and two slave girls. 

When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ read the letter sent by Hatib from Cyrus, he said, “Miserable man! He loved his sovereignty so much, but this sovereignty he loved will not remain forever!” The slave girls were named Maria and Shirin, both became Muslims later on under the guidance of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Maria married the Prophet ﷺ while Shirin married one of his companions. As for the white mule, it was named “Duldul”.

Years later, Cyrus reluctantly participated in battles against the Muslims. But he did not fight in the battles, he was rather just the person whom tried making peace with the Muslims. This made his superiors angry with him, and he was harshly scolded by them. Cyrus eventually surrendered the city of Alexandria to the Muslims in the eighth year of Hijrah, and died one year later.

In later years after his death, the Christians of Constantinople condemned Cyrus and labelled him as a heretic disbeliever in their religion. As for the letter, it was discovered in an old Christian monastery, where it was retrieved by Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid and placed in the Topkapi Palace museum.

Source:

Historical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Morris Bierbrier (about Cyrus of Alexandria)

The Arab Conquest of Egypt and the Last Thirty Years under Roman Dominion by Albert J. Butler (about Cyrus' rule)

Al-Tabari's Tarikh (about the letter)

Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Sa'd, volume 1, pages 260-261 and 485 (about the Muslim encounter with Cyrus)

Enchiridion symbolorum et definitionum by Denzinger (about the excommunication of Cyrus by the later Christians)

The story of the origins of Zoroastrianism

  The religion of Zoroastrianism is still active as a minority in many countries and places, like the parts of Lalish near Kurdistan. This religion was founded by an apostate man who betrayed one of the Prophets of Allah. Contrary to popular speculation, Zoroaster was not a Prophet of Islam, much rather, he was a former disciple of Prophet Aramaya, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him.

The people of Bani Israil were severely weakened by the attacks from King Bukhtanasar. After Bukhtanasar had passed away peacefully in his sleep, they regained control of Al-Quds and began rebuilding their city. However, many years later, the Romans arrived, and these Romans had converted to Christianity. The Romans hated them, and then persecuted them. The Israilites were forced to move themselves to a separate continent, Balkh, which is now located in modern-day Afghanistan. There, the Israilites then assimilated with the Balkhi population, and the ruler of the Balkhis was the King named Kay Lohrasp, the successor of Kay Khosrow. Kay Lohrasp was loved by his people. He was known to be a just king, and a diplomatic ruler with polite manners. No one rebelled against him, as his rule was very satisfactory. But eventually, as Kay Lohrasp grew older, he became ill and too weak to rule. So he assigned his son, Vishtaspa, as the new ruler to lead the people.

Zoroaster was from this new generation of Balkhi Israilites. He was of both Israilite and Balkhi descent, as the Israilites married with the local Balkhi population. He was also a good friend of Prophet Aramaya, peace and blessings be upon him. Zoroaster was one of Prophet Aramaya's closest companions, and he was very loyal to him. But Zoroaster involved himself in criminal activities behind the back of Prophet Aramaya. Zoroaster often acted very friendly and innocently in front of his friend, to conceal his dark side which is friend never knew of; that is, his evil actions which he performed in secret.

One day, Zoroaster obtained money from his employer via illegal methods. His employer was so angry, and the employer contacted Prophet Aramaya and complained to him about Zoroaster. Prophet Aramaya confronted Zoroaster, who kept denying his actions and was not willing to admit and claim responsibility. Hence, Prophet Aramaya then cursed Zoroaster. This curse resulted in Zoroaster suffering from a disease which affected parts of his skin, said to have been leprosy. Over time, Zoroaster grew bitter, and he even started writing the groundwork for his own interpretation of God, which paved the way for the creation of his own religion.

Once his new religion was complete, Zoroaster travelled to the center of Balkh to meet King Vishtaspa. He told Vishtaspa about the new religion he founded, and encouraged Vishtaspa to join it. Vishtaspa was willing to convert to it, and both of them became the greatest of friends. He ordered everyone in his kingdom to convert to the religion of Zoroastrianism. But the people, who were believers in Allah, refused to do so. Vishtaspa carried out mass killings of his people, and forced them to accept Zoroastrianism. Soon, Balkh was a completely Zoroastrian land, filled with fire temples.

After Vishtaspa died, his son Beshotan (also a Zoroastrian) ruled over the kingdom. Then, Beshotan died, and then his brother, Esfandiyar, became the ruler. Esfandiyar was known for being influential in spreading the religion of Zoroastrianism, and he was one of Zoroaster's earliest companions. Zoroaster even said some blessings towards him, and gave him a special, customized and personalized set of chainmail armor. Finally, Kay Bahman took the throne after they all died.

Many, many years later, these kings became known in the Persian history as great kings. The Sassanians, a Zoroastrian empire, honoured them greatly and some of their rulers even claimed descent from these kings. The last Zoroastrian ruler was Yazdegerd the Third, who fled from Persia and stayed in a farmhouse after the Companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ conquered the land of Persia and eradicated Zoroastrianism from it. He was killed by the farmhouse owner and looted. Persia then became a land where Islam became widespread.

The religion of Zoroastrianism still exists today, mostly in India and Kurdistan, but it is not the original one that was spread through Zoroaster's teachings. It is just a religion formed from the interpretation of whatever texts that were attributed to Zoroaster were found. Many Zoroastrians have left their religion to join another, mostly they have reverted to Islam. The pagan practices of Zoroastrianism are present in the religion of the Rafidhah, and Zoroastrian figures like Piruz Nahavandi are deified in this religion.

Source:

Qassas al-Anbiya by Ibn Kathir, at the portion on Prophet Aramaya/Jeremiah

Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Imam Ibn Kathir 

The story of the People of Tubba'

  The People of Tubba' are mentioned twice in the Qur'an, in Surah Ad-Dukhan and Surah Qaf. They are known in history as the Himyarites. They lived in ancient Yemen and Arabia. The Tubba' mentioned in here is not a single person, rather, Tubba' was what the Himyarites called their rulers. It means “the one who follows the sun like a shadow.” The Tubba' being mentioned here is the Tubba' al-Awsat, or the Middle Tubba', whose real name was Abu Karib Asad al-Kamil. He was the longest reigning Tubba' out of all the rulers of Saba and Himyar, ruling for at least fifty to sixty years.

Tubba' Abu Karib's hobby was conquest. He conquered many nations, even reaching Samarkand, which is now located in modern-day Uzbekistan. But there was one incident where he had intended to conquer Madinah. At first, there was not much resistance, the people of Madinah welcomed him. But later, a conflict arose when one of the people attacked a companion of the Tubba' (some say it was his son). This angered the Tubba' and he laid siege to the city, and even cut down the city's palm trees which the residents earned their income from. The residents of Madinah were scared, and so they adopted a strange attitude; they would defend themselves in the day and would entertain his requests in the night. This went on for a few days, and eventually Tubba' Abu Karib felt so embarrassed, so he decided to leave Madinah alone. But as he was about to leave, two Jewish elders from Banu Qurayza confronted him. They warned him to stop his attacks, and they told him that Madinah would be the final place of migration of an upcoming Prophet of Allah.

The Tubba' was interested, and the two Jews told him more about their religion. Surprisingly, the Jews were firm believers in Allah. They encouraged the Tubba' to reject paganism and embrace the original religion of monotheism, the religion of Prophet Musa, peace and blessings be upon Him. The Tubba' was convinced enough, and he converted to the religion. He began to reject the polytheistic ways of the pagan Himyarite religion. Tubba' Abu Karib Asad also visited Makkah, where he gave the Ka'bah its first covering, a fine Yemeni cloth which had a striped pattern on it. He also forbade people from approaching the Ka'bah with sacrifices and animal blood.

His army also converted to Islam, and the Tubba' brought the two Jews with him back to Yemen. There, they worked together on spreading Islam. Not everyone in Himyar converted to Islam, however. There were a certain minority who believed in the religion. The Tubba' was met with resistance from most of his people, and eventually, a large crowd of people took him to trial in front of a large fire. This fire was known to burn those who lied, and ignore those who were telling the truth. The people then brought their idols, and asked the Tubba' to testify he was right. 

Allah, may He be Exalted, sent down his divine wrath on the Himyarites who disbelieved. After the Tubba' had testified, the fire grew so large, it swept through the crowd of disbelievers and burned them and their idols. They all screamed and tried to escape. But eventually, all the polytheists perished in the fire, alongside their idols. The only ones saved from the fire were the Tubba', his two new Jewish companions, and those Himyarites who believed.

It is mentioned in the Qur'an; “The Companions of the Wood, and the People of Tubba', each one of them rejected the messengers, and My warning was duly fulfilled in them.” Many, many years later, the Messenger or Allah ﷺ told his people not to revile Tubba' as Tubba' had embraced Islam. But Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not know whether the Tubba' had been a Prophet or not.

Source:

Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Imam Ibn Kathir, volume 3, page 122

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah Ad-Dukhan 

The story of Mahmud Ghaznavi and the Ash'aris and Karamis

 Sultan Mahmud ibn Sabkatkin, also known as Mahmud Ghaznavi, was the third ruler in the Ghaznavid Dynasty that was started by his father, Sabkatkin. Mahmud was a religious man, who often consulted the scholars for religious advice. He was a close associate of truthful scholars like Imam Abu Bakr al-Qaffal al-Saghir, hence he abhorred innovations like the Ilm al-Kalam, and was fully Athari in his aqidah. During his reign, two groups of innovators were prominent: the Ash'airah and the Karamiyyah. Both groups were rivals of each other and were the opposite of each other; Ash'airah were philosophers who interpreted Allah using Greek philosophy, while the Karamiyyah were anthropomorphists who likened Allah to His creations. The beliefs of the latter were often confused with the Athari aqidah.

One day, the Ash'ari scholar, Ibn Fawrak, entered the palace of Mahmud Ghaznavi, with the intention of debating him. The Sultan accepted the debate. Ibn Fawrak went first, saying, “It is not allowed for you to describe Allah as being above, because saying that would mean that Allah could also be below.” The Sultan laughed, and said, “It is not me who says that Allah is above. But Allah Himself has said that He is above.” This reply left Ibn Fawrak in state of shock and he fell silent. He was dumbfounded. He could not reply to whatever the Sultan had just said! So, he left the court of the Sultan and made his journey back to Persia, which was hometown.

But on his way there, a group of Karamiyyah who were intending to assassinate the Sultan noticed him. Ibn Fawrak was cornered by these anthropomorphists and beaten to death. His gall bladder was completely smashed in, and he died from his injuries. He was buried in Nishapur. The Karamiyyah, once done, travelled to the palace of Sultan Mahmud to assassinate him. Fortunately, the guards of Sultan Mahmud saw the Karamis, and arrested them immediately. They were thrown into prison.

Source:

Mughith al-Khalq by Al-Juwayni, page 57-59 (about the aqidah of Mahmud Ghaznavi)

Siyar A'lam al-Nubala by Imam al-Dhahabi, volume 17, page 487 (about Mahmud Ghaznavi and Ibn Fawrak's debate)

Muslim Philosophy's article about Ibn Fawrak (how Ibn Fawrak died)

The story of Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar and the Ibn Arabi fanboy

 Ibn Arabi was one of the most deviant, evil, misguided, blasphemous “scholars” of the thirteenth century. His most infamous book is the Fusus al-Hikam, which is a book about the art of mysticism and includes some of his Jahmi tafsir on the verses of the Holy Qur'an. In the book, he claims that “Allah worships him, and he worships Allah”. There is a lot more blasphemy in the book mixed with sayings of wisdom. Yet, some people even call him Shaykh al-Akbar! There are people, who still defend him, and claim that “a person cannot understand what he is writing, duh.” 

This was the case of Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's encounter with a fanatic obsessed with the works of Ibn Arabi. Ibn Hajar had many debates with the followers of Ibn Arabi. Even though he was an Ash'ari, he had common sense that Ibn Arabi was in fact a disbeliever. One day, Ibn Hajar had a debate with some fanatic man. The man was angry that Ibn Hajar insulted his so-called Shaykh al-Akbar. So, the man threatened to report him to the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt (Sayf ad-Din Jaqmaq) for a different matter that was entirely unrelated to their debate. So, Ibn Hajar said, “The Sultan of Egypt has nothing to do with this matter!” Then he offered to do Mubahalah instead.

It is very rare, when people make Mubahalah and the lying one goes unpunished. The man agreed to Ibn Hajar's request. So the man said on request of Ibn Hajar, “O Allah, if Ibn Arabi is misguided, then curse me with Your curses!” Both men parted, and walked in their different ways. They would not see each other, until one fateful night later.

A day later, they encountered each other at a park in Cairo, on a moonlit night. The fanatic man then exclaimed, “Something soft touched my leg, look!” Ibn Hajar looked, but he did not see or observe anything of particular interest. The man did the same thing, but again, he did not see anything. Then the fanatic man checked his eyes, and realized that he had gone blind! Allah had afflicted this man with blindness, and it was indeed true that Ibn Arabi was a misguided one.

Source:

Aqeedah Ibn 'Arabi wa Hayathu by Qadi (Taqi al-Deen) Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Fasi al-Maliki, page 75-76

The story of a foiled attempt to steal the bodies of the Sahabah

 Shams ad-Din Sawab Lamti was the chief supervisor of the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. He had a close friend who worked as a servant for the Abbasid governor of Madinah. Sawab usually recieved insider information about the Abbasids from this close friend of his. One day, his friend told him, “Something big is about to take place in Madinah. A group of people have come from Halab. They have bribed the governor of Madinah, and have demanded from him the bodies of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and Umar. The governor has approved of their plan.”

Sawab could not believe what he was told. He was very worried. Later on, in the afternoon, an envoy from the governor of Madinah arrived at Sawab's house. The envoy greeted him, told him the intention of the visit, and then took him to the governor's residence, located outside of the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ. The governor said to Sawab, “Some people will knock at the door of the Prophet's Mosque at night. Open the door for them, and let them do what they want to do. Don't interfere in anyway.” After the meeting, Sawab came back and was crying bitterly. After the Isha' prayer, the doors of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi were closed as usual. In the middle of the night, a loud knock was heard from the western entrance door of the mosque (this place is now known as Bab al-Salaam, the gate of Tranquility). Sawab, who had stayed up all night in the mosque, opened the door. He was very scared when he saw what was outside.

A large group of men were outside the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ and they demanded Sawab to move out of the way, so that they could dig up the bodies of Abu Bakr and Umar. These men were armed with stone tools and shovels, the kind used to demolish buildings. They were also carrying torches. The men advanced towards the Rawdah, and prepared their equipment. However, Allah would not allow the graves of the companions of His Messenger ﷺ to be disturbed. Just as the men were about to walk towards the Rawdah, the floor cracked open. The men fell into the large hole in the ground with all their tools. The hole in the ground then sealed itself again, and only a small gash line was visible on the floor.

The governor of Madinah was waiting for these men to finish their job. But after a while, he did not hear from them. The next morning, the governor entered the mosque and called Sawab, who had witnessed the whole thing happening in front of his eyes. He said, “Sawab, did some people not come to you?” Sawab replied, “Yes, indeed. They were, however, buried in the earth.” The governor was in disbelief at what he had just said, so Sawab pointed at the small gash line on the floor of the holy mosque. The governor, bewildered, said, “Leave the matter as it is. Do not mention this to anyone, or else I shall cut your head off.” Eventually, the governor died, so Sawab told the story to his friends, one of them the famous scholar Imam al-Tabari who recorded the whole story down.

Who were the people who intended to steal the bodies of the blessed companions? It seems likely that they were the Rafidhah, who had risen to prominence during the era of the Abbasids. It is likely that the perpetrators were a group of Ismailis, a sect of the Rafidhah. The Ismailis were known for having raided Makkah and breaking the Hajr Aswad, before murdering pilgrims and dumping their bodies into the Zamzam well.

Source:

Al-Tabari's Tarikh 

The story of Prophet Yunus

 Yunus ibn Matta, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, was one of Allah's Prophets. He was sent to guide the people of Ninawa, a city now located in modern-day Northern Iraq, to the straight path. The people of Ninawa had long forgotten the message of Allah and their city became a city full of polytheism and sin. Prophet Yunus was in fact born and raised as an ordinary man amongst the fellow citizens of Ninawa.

Prophet Yunus went on his mission to fulfill the wish of Allah. So, he invited his people to turn to Allah and shun the worship of the rock-cut statues and wooden idols. But the people of Ninawa rejected the words of Prophet Yunus. He was not deterred by their actions, and he continued to call them to worship Allah only. He reminded them of the terrible wrath of Allah that befell those people who came before them, such as the tribes of 'Ad and Thamud, whom had also rejected their Prophets. The residents of Ninawa, being the ignorants they were, stubbornly said, “We and our predecessors have worshipped these gods for many years, and no harm has come to us.”

Prophet Yunus wanted to help them and was persistent in his job. He did not even give up on his people; despite their stubbornness and harsh words, he continued to warn them of Allah's punishments. But the people did not listen. They said, “Let it happen,” and told him that they did not fear whatever threats the Prophet said. They laughed at his preaching and thought that he was mentally insane.

The Prophet was very disheartened after a while. He then gave up on helping his people. Without the permission of Allah, he decided to leave the city of Ninawa in hopes of finding a city or village that would accept him and enter the fold of Islam. He boarded a small passenger ship with the intention of travelling as far away from his people as possible.  Meanwhile, the calm skies over the region turned red with anger, preparing to unleash the wrath of Allah. The residents of Ninawa gathered above at the mountain tops watching the combat of the skies above them, with hearts filled with fear and terror.

Prophet Yunus was at a certain distance from Ninawa. The ship travelled slowly, through the calm waters during the day. But then, the night eventually closed in. A large, angry storm raged on, rocking the ship wildly. The crew and passengers began to fear for their lives as water gradually began flooding into the deck, slowly sinking the ship. The ship's captain ordered the men to throw out the luggages and all other excess load overboard to lighten the ship’s load. As instructed, the crew threw out the ship’s excess load; but, the ship continued to sink as it was still not light enough. The crew was forced to sacrifice the life of one man for everyone's safety. As it was a common practice among men during those times, the captain decided to draw lots to choose the passenger to be sacrificed.  

The lots were cast and the name of Prophet Yunus was selected. The crew knew that Yunus was a righteous, honest and a blessed man, so they refused to throw him out. They then agreed to draw lots again. But every time they did it, the name of the Prophet kept appearing. Prophet Yunus knew that this was the verdict of Allah, for he had left his people without the consent of Allah. So Yunus jumped out of the ship into the dark, angry waves in the middle of ocean.

Meanwhile, the people of Ninawa fell on their knees; with their hands stretched out, they began to beg for the forgiveness and mercy of Allah. They remembered the warnings of Prophet Yunus, and were very scared that they would be punished in the same way as the people of 'Ad and Thamud. Now, they were about to face the wrath of Allah. So they prayed. Moved by this display of sincere repentance, Allah lifted His punishments, forgave his subjects and showered his blessings upon them. As the skies cleared, the people prayed for the safe return of Prophet Yunus, so that he could guide them through the path of Allah.

As Allah had commanded, the largest whale in the ocean swallowed Yunus just as he hit the water. Yunus, who was unconscious, awoke to find himself enveloped by sheer darkness. He believed he was in his grave; but as he regained his senses, he realised that he was not in his grave, but was in fact in the stomach of a whale. Deep in the body of the whale, Prophet Yunus prostrated to Allah and said, “Oh Allah, I am prostrating to you in a place where no one has prostrated to you before, in the stomach of a fish.” He then called out to Allah, repeating, “None has the right to be worshipped but You. Glorified be You. Truly, I have been among the wrongdoers.” The species of marine life heard the invocations of Prophet Yunus. They all gathered around the whale to join along in the celebration of the praises of Allah.

Allah then commanded the whale to spit out the Prophet on a shore. The whale obeyed Allah's command and quickly swam to the nearest shore, ejecting Prophet Yunus afterwards. Allah forgave the Prophet and informed him that if it were not for his sincere invocations, he would continue to be in the stomach of the whale till Yawm al-Qiyamah. Once this was all done, Prophet Yunus got up to his feet and set on a journey back to his hometown. The weather had become all normal and was sunny again.

Upon his arrival in Ninawa, Yunus was stunned at what he was seeing. The entire population of Nineveh had accepted Islam, and were eagerly awaiting his arrival. Together with his people, Prophet Yunus prostrated to Allah and thanked Him for all of His blessings. In the end, Yunus was the only Prophet of Allah, whose entire community had accepted Islam.

Allah says in the Qur'an: “Was there any town community that believed after seeing the punishment, and its Faith at that moment, saved it from the punishment? (the answer is none) except the people of Yunus; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the present world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while.” [Surah Yunus 10:98]

Source:

Qassas al-Anbiya by Imam Ibn Kathir, chapter on Prophet Yunus alayhis salaam

The story of Prophet Yush'a

 Yush'a ibn Nun, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon Him, was one of the Prophets that Allah had sent to guide the Israilites. He was of Israilite descent as well, and his full name is recorded as Yush'a ibn Nun ibn Afra'eem ibn Yusuf, hence he is the great-grandson of Prophet Yusuf, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him. Yush'a was originally the servant of Prophet Musa, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, but when the latter passed away, Yush'a was appointed the leader of the Israilites. It is known that he led his people to victory against the Kuffar.

The Israilites who came out of Egypt were raised and brought up as slaves and servants by the tyrant Fir'aun. This meant that they were weak, and hence, they were not fit to have victory. So, Allah made them stay in the outskirts of the wild for forty years, until all of that generation had passed away. They were then replaced by a new generation of Israilites; which were raised in freedom, and taught the guidance of the Tawrah by Prophet Musa and his brother, Prophet Harun, peace be upon Them. It was this generation of Israilites, that was given the victory.

When they were children, the new generation of Israilites were trained well. Hence, after forty years, they were very strong and energetic. Prophet Yush'a led them to conquer the city of Bait al-Maqdis, now known as Al-Quds of Palestine. The inhabitants of Bait al-Maqdis were known as the Jababirah. These people possessed super strength, and their bodies were muscular and large in size. They were a feared tribe of people. So, Prophet Yush'a and his followers set up their camp on the outskirts of the city. He told his people, “One who has married a woman and wants to consummate to his marriage but has not yet done so, another who has built a house but has not yet erected its roof, and another who has bought goats and pregnant she-camels and is waiting for their offspring will not accompany me.” Yush'a did not want any person to come with him whose heart may be focused on anything else. This is a Prophet who is not looking for numbers, but rather for the sincerity of people.

After the Asr prayer, Prophet Yush'a and his people marched on until they reached a village near Bait al-Maqdis. He said to the sun, “You are receiving orders, and I am receiving orders from Allah.” Then he turned and said, “Oh Allah, stop the sun!” The sun was stopped for him. As the sun had stopped, the sky was still bright, so the Jababirah did not regroup, as they usually did during the night. Prophet Yush'a and his people fought the Jababirah and killed them with success. They conquered the city of Bait al-Maqdis, and set up their settlements there.

It is said that Prophet Yush'a ruled the Israilite settlements for twenty-eight years. He passed away at the age of hundred, and was buried in what is now modern-day Jordan. His grave is still visible, but unfortunately, it has been made a place of worship by the ignorants who revered the graves of their Prophets.

There is a Hadith narrated from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says, “The sun has never stopped for any man besides Yush'a, when he wanted to conquer Bait al-Maqdis.” This story teaches us that it is not enough for us to simply wait for the arrival of the Mahdi, but rather, we need to ensure we are a generation capable of attaining victory, and to be led to that victory by an excellent, pious, Muslim leader.

Source:

Sahih of Imam Muslim, book 19, Hadith number 4327

Qassas al-Anbiya by Imam Ibn Kathir, on the chapter on Prophet Yush'a

Al-Tabari's Tarikh (to recheck the story)

Musnad Ahmad (for the Hadith at the end)

The story of Imam al-Qa'nabi

 Abdullah ibn Maslamah ibn Qa'nab al-Qa'nabi, also known as Imam al-Qa'nabi, was an early Muhaddith who was one of the Tabi' al-Tabi'een. He was the teacher of several great scholars, such as Imam al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Dawood and Imam Abu Zu'rah ar-Razi. His status is rather, Thiqah Hujjah, and Imam al-Bukhari narrated at least a hundred narrations from him in Sahih al-Bukhari. But, did you know, Imam al-Qa'nabi used to be a gangster and a drunkard, before he became one of the greatest early Muslim scholars?

Before his repentance, Imam al-Qa'nabi, or Abdullah, as we will refer to him in the story of his life, was a big drunkard. People feared him, because he was very aggressive. He would drink wine with his best buddies at his home. He was very rude, and had an extremely bad temper as well. Hence, he was not well-liked by his village, and some people despised him. 

One day, there was an occasion where Abdullah was with his friends drinking wine. Suddenly, in front of him, he saw a large rush of people. The people were gathering around someone, and this person was seated on a donkey. Abdullah was curious, and he wanted to know who this person was. So he went with a bottle of alcohol in his hand and asked the people around, “Who is this?” The people replied, “This is a very famous Imam.” So, Abdullah asked, “What is the name of this Imam?” And they told him the name of this Imam was Shu'bah bin al-Hajjaj.” And they also told him that Shu'bah was a Muhaddith, a person who narrates, memorizes, teaches & acts upon the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ. 

Abdullah walked up to Shu'bah, and challenged him, “So you call yourself a Muhaddith, and if you are one, then narrate to me one Hadith.” Shu'bah noticed that Abdullah was holding a bottle of wine in his hand. So he told Abdullah, “And if you do not feel ashamed, then do whatever you like.” (This Hadith is found in Sahih al-Bukhari, 6120.) When Abdullah heard this Hadith, he dropped the wine bottle and said, “Did the Prophet ﷺ  say that if you have no shame, do whatever you want?” He then started asking himself, “Am I a shameless person?” This Hadith was unforgettable for Abdullah. He went home and stayed there, some days in his room, crying, thinking, “What have I done with my life until now? I kept on drinking alcohol, disobeying Allah.”

He came out of his room and told his mother, “I am leaving this country. I asked the scholars, the ulema that I want to acquire the knowledge of Islam. I want to be like Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj. He is a Muhaddith, why am I not a Muhaddith? If Shu'bah can be a Muhaddith, that means I can also be one!” He asked the scholars how to be one, and they said, “Go to the Madrasah. Imam Malik is one of the greatest Imams of this time. If you become his student, then you can become a Muhaddith, Insha'Allah!”

Abdullah travelled from Basrah in Iraq, to Arabia. He made his way to Madinah, and he went to Imam Malik. He studied under the great Imam, and memorized a lot of the Hadith. After years of education, he became one of the greatest scholars of his time. He eventually taught his own students, whom we already know were Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood.

Imam al-Qa'nabi died in the years between 220 and 221 of the Hijrah. His burial place is disputed, some said it was in Makkah, some said it was in Basrah. He is regarded as one of the most reliable transmitter of the Muwatta' of Imam Malik. May Allah have mercy on him.

Source:

Kitab at-Tawwabin by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali, page 133 (the story of his repentance)

Tahzib at-Tanzib by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, volume 6, page 32 (about the legacy and death of Imam al-Qa'nabi)

The story of Jarjis and Dacianus

 Jarjis was a holy man, and one of the Awliya of Allah. Some have said he was a Prophet, but according to a narration from Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet ﷺ said that there was no messenger of Allah between Him and Prophet Isa, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him. Jarjis was one of the early followers of the latter mentioned above. He lived in Palestine, but also travelled and stayed in Dimashq.

The region that Jarjis lived in was under the control of the Roman Empire, who were still pagan at the time. They had a cruel, polytheistic and tyrannical ruler named Diocletian. Jarjis had a job as a trader and merchant, hence, he was often busy with trade by travelling cities, and he used to give all of his earnings to the needy. He also tried to prevent the administrators from persecuting people by warning them.

Jarjis travelled to Mawsil with the purpose of calling the ruler, Dacianus, to Islam. He brought along some valuable presents with him. Dacianus, despite being a ruler of Mawsil and surrounding territories, was in fact a mere prefect, or governor, working for Diocletian. Here, Dacianus was forcing the people to adore the idol named Pluto, which represented a so-called “ruler of the underworld”. He threw people who did not submit to his demand into the fire which surrounded the idol. Just then, Jarjis arrived. When he saw the situation that was happening, he told Dacianus to give up anger and fury, and to discontinue the persecutions. He said to the Roman prefect, “You and those whom you persecute for not worshipping your idol are only creations of Allah, and slaves of Allah. Hence, worship is done only for Allah, and Allah is the only one who gives sustenance.” Jarjis wanted the Roman prefect to abandon forcing people to worship the idols and to believe in Allah only.

Dacianus did not like what he was being told. Dacianus instead said, “Worship Plato, or else you shall face a terrible death.” When Jarjis rejected this call, he was immediately arrested. Dacianus tied him to a tree and combed his body with iron combs. As he was combed with these sharp iron combs, his body was torn, with large gashes visible. The angered Dacianus poured vinegar and salt on the bloody wounds of Jarjis, who did not die, even though his flesh started tearing and dropping off. They pressed a piece of hot metal on his head as well. But Allah reverted him to his uninjured state once the torture was over. The Romans were shocked after seeing this, and began to figure out ways to eliminate Jarjis.

The Roman soldiers threw Jarjis into a cauldron and lit a fire under it. They shut the cauldron, but when they opened it after a few days, they were shocked because he was still alive and it seemed as if nothing happened to him. Dacianus feared he would lose all authority over his territory, so he ordered Jarjis to be imprisoned in a dungeon. In the dungeon, the hands and feet of Jarjis were nailed to wooden boards, so that he would not be able to meet people and call them to the guidance. A big marble stone was placed on him, so that he could not move if he managed to break free from the nails. However, Allah Almighty saved him by sending an Angel, and ordered him to continue his duty by being patient despite the persecutions and torture he faced.

When the Romans saw him again, they captured him. They tied him tightly within a tree they had split into two and then they ripped pieces of flesh from his body and threw them to lions. But Jarjis appeared before Dacianus and his men again. Dacianus, who could not get rid of the weakness he and the Romans suffered, said, “This man is such a talented magician, he can make himself appear in the state which looks like as if he had died.” Because they thought that he was a magician, they decided to test him with a talented magician. There were already many magicians in their country, so they sent him to the head magician.

The Romans ordered Jarjis to drink a glass of water, which the head magician had made magic on and recited something to make the water deadly. But Jarjis drank the water brought to him without any fear, by saying “La ilaha illa Allah”. The master magician was shocked, and instantly, he became a believer. He said, “This can be done only by Allah. Otherwise, he should have died.” Dacianus was fuming. He asked the magician, “How fast were you deceived by him?” The head magician said, “No, I am not deceived, for I have seen the truth in front of me. Allah is the Lord of Worlds, and He has power over everything. There is no God but Allah!”

Dacianus cut the tongue off the head magician so that he could not spread his beliefs. But some of the servants in the court who had witnessed the event became believers and they spread the religion of Prophet Isa to the people living in the territory of Dacianus. Dacianus and his Roman soldiers killed the believers, before they finally killed Prophet Jarjis successfully. But the death of Allah's Awliya and those who believed in Him would be avenged. Allah unleashed a great fire on the nation of Dacianus which killed him, his Romans, and some of the disbelieving townfolk who assisted the Romans in persecuting the believers. They were all burned alive. 

Source:

Al-Tabari's Tarikh, volume 2, page 186

Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir

The story of the Aksumite attack on Makkah

 After the last Himyarite ruler, Yusuf Dhu-Nuwas, was destroyed by Allah in the Red Sea, the Aksumites sent a force of Christian warriors to occupy Yemen, under command of the Roman emperor Justinian. The ruler of Aksum sent his generals Abraha and Arbat to rule Yemen. But tensions broke out, and Abraha eventually killed Arbat over a disagreement. Abraha was appointed the commander of the Aksumite army in Yemen, as well as the governor of that region. With Yemen all to himself now, Abraha built a majestic cathedral in the town of Sana'a.

The purpose of the cathedral was to attract pilgrims away from the Ka'bah and into Yemen instead, so that pilgrimage would be done to the cathedral instead of the Ka'bah. Abraha had noticed how the Yemeni Arabs left Yemen to go on the Hajj, and he did not like this. He made the cathedral as majestic as he could, with gold and silver as well as previous gemstones lining the exterior. He made sure that his cathedral looked very appealing to divert the attention of the Arabs away from the Ka'bah towards his cathedral.

Abraha promoted his cathedral widely. But the tribes of Andan, Qahtan and Quraysh did not like this, especially the Banu Kinanah sect of the latter. A man from the Banu Kinanah entered the cathedral at night and urinated in it, before defiling its walls with excrement and piss. The next day, Abraha came to know that an Arab had vandalized his cathedral with filth. So he swore that he was going to destroy the Ka'bah. Abraha and his army immediately headed to Makkah on elephants, led by his personal elephant, Mahmud, which was the largest of them all. This elephant was rented from the Negus, the king of Aksum, and Abraha had special permissions to use it. He intended to use the elephant to tear down the walls of the Ka'bah, God forbid!

When Abraha and the army reached Makkah, he fought a small resistance force led by a Yemeni Arab, Dhu-Nafr. Abraha then captured the camels that belonged to the Arabs. The leader of the Quraysh and the custodian of the Ka'bah, Abdul-Muttalib, approached Abraha to ask him to return the camels. When Abraha saw Abdul-Muttalib walking towards him, he welcomed him with honour and asked him the reason for his visit. He replied, “Return to me the camels.” Abraha retorted, “I am surprised that I have come here to destroy the Ka'bah which is very holy to you and your ancestors, yet you do not discuss anything about that, and instead, you are asking me for your camels!” Abdul-Muttalib replied, “I am the owner of my camels, therefore I am asking for them, and the owner of the Holy Ka'bah will defend it. I have nothing to worry about that.”

Abraha returned the camels to Abdul-Muttalib, and then Abdul-Muttalib addressed the Arabs present, saying, “Go and hide in the caves located within the mountains and its valleys.” They obeyed him on his advice after which he held onto the gate of the Holy Ka'bah and made Du'a that Allah will protect it. After making the Du'a, he also climbed the mountain with his people. Abraha and the elephants advanced towards the center of Makkah, where the Ka'bah stood.

However, the elephants suddenly stopped moving. They would only stand up and move if they were directed to somewhere else other than the Ka'bah. This angered Abraha, who went to the Ka'bah and decided that he would demolish it by hand. Allah, may He be Exalted, would not allow this to happen. So, Allah sent a flock of birds from the ocean and they all came with stones; two in their claws, and one in the beak. The flock of birds began to throw the stones on Abraha's army so fiercely that his army was forced to step back and run away. The stones were small, but they were in fact the stones of Allah's torment. The stones pierced through their bodies and then fell on the ground. Some of Abraha's army managed to escape, but they died in excruciating conditions on their way back to Yemen.

Abraha himself managed to escape, but as he made his way back to Yemen, his bones started to crack, resulting in limbs falling off. By the time he was in Yemen, he was just a mere stump of a body with only a head. Finally, his ribcage shattered, and the bones crushed his heart. He screamed, and died after that. What a brutal death of an enemy of Allah.

At least fifty days after this incident, the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ, was born. Masha'Allah. It was reported from Aishah (peace be upon her) that two of the Aksumites involved in the attack against the Ka'bah were still in Makkah, but they had become blind and severely handicapped. They were also peasants who went around begging. In this way, the traces of this event were seen even after the birth of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.

Source:

Ma'arif ul-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi'i, tafsir on Surah al-Fil

As-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah by Abu Hatim As-Subti, page 34 to 39

The story of the Uzayr's sleep

 Bukhtanasar, the tyrannical pagan ruler, had destroyed the city of Al-Quds and several of its adjoining villages. When a man named Uzayr saw his village, he was really sad. The village was in ruins, and no one was in sight. Uzayr said, in despair, “Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after its death?” So, Allah took away the soul of Uzayr for a hundred years, and after that period of time, gave him life again.

Seventy years after the death of Uzayr, the city of Al-Quds and all the villages within it were rebuilt. This was because Bukhtanasar had passed away peacefully in his sleep. The Israilites moved back to Al-Quds and made it their capital. Thirty years after the rebuilding and repopulation of the city, Allah resurrected Uzayr. Allah resurrected his eyes firstly, so that he could witness what Allah was doing to him, and how Allah brings life back to his body. When he was fully resurrected, Allah sent down an Angel, who asked him, “How long did you remain dead?” Uzayr replied, “Perhaps, I remained dead for a day, or maybe part of a day.” Allah then told Uzayr, “Nay, you have remained dead for a hundred years, look at your food and your drink, they show no change.” Uzayr looked at the food he had brought with him, such as figs and grapes. They were not rotten or spoilt!

Allah then returned Uzayr's donkey to life. Uzayr observed, as Allah sent a wind that collected the bones of his donkey, which were scattered all around him to his right and left, from all over the area. Allah then brought every bone to its place, until they formed a full skeleton of a donkey. Allah then covered these bones with organs, flesh, nerves, veins and skin. Allah sent an angel who blew life in the nostrils of the donkey, and the donkey started to bray by Allah’s leave. All this occurred while Uzayr was watching. 

Uzayr was amazed, and he said, “I know now, that Allah is able to do all things!” He then rode on his donkey and entered his native place, but the people did not recognize him, nor did his household, except the maid, now an old woman. He asked her: “Is this the house of Uzayr?” She said: “Yes, but the people have long forgotten him.” He said: “I am Uzayr, Allah had taken my life for a hundred years and has now returned it to me.” She said, “Uzayr used to be answered when he prayed to Allah. Pray to cure me of blindness if you are truly Uzayr.” He prayed for her and massaged her eyes and took her by the hand. “Stand up by the power of Allah,” he said. The crippled woman stood up and walked; she opened her eyes and saw; her blindness was gone. She said: “I bear witness that you are indeed Ezra.”

Uzayr then met with the new generation of Israilites. At first, they did not believe him, until the maid affirmed that it was him. They said: “None amongst us memorized the Tawrah since Bukhtanasar burned it, except Uzayr; and there was only one copy of the Tawrah, which was hidden by Sarukha. He buried it in the days of Bukhtanasar, in a place none but Uzayr knows.” Uzayr led the people to the hidden place and took out that copy of the Tawrah. The book itself was very ruined.

Fortunately, Uzayr had memorized the whole Tawrah, so he copied it down on a new scripture. But after Uzayr had finally died, the Jews said that Uzayr is the son of Allah, because of his ability to memorize the whole Tawrah and copy it down. And Allah says in verse 259 of Surah al-Baqarah, “We have made of you a sign for the people.”

Source:

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Surah al-Baqarah verse 259

Qassas al-Anbiya by Imam Ibn Kathir

Note: This story is extremely similar to the story of Prophet Aramaya, which can be found here. There are a few differences though, like the history of Al-Quds after it was rebuilt. The ending of the stories are entirely different as well.

The story of the poor Sahabi and the Sassanian general

 It was the fourteenth year of the Hijrah, and the major ruling superpower was the Sassanian Empire. The Muslims decided to invite some of the Sassanians to Islam, one of these polytheists was Rustam Farrokhzad. Rustam was the strongest military general of the the Empire, and he was also popular politically as he was a member of the House of the Ispahbudhan ruling family. Rustum led several conquests against the Byzantines, whom they were at war with. He served Khosrow II at first, but after Khosrow died due to Allah's punishments, he served Kavad II,until he eventually, and finally, served Yazdegerd III.

The Sahabi, Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, had to find an emissary to be sent to the palace of Rustam to give him Da'wah and discuss political issues. He chose Rabi' ibn Amir. Rabi' was thirty years old at the time. He was not very wealthy, and his clothes were all ragged, patched and torn. Sa'ad then said to Rabi', “Go, and do not change your actual appearance, because we are a nation whom Allah, may He be Exalted, has given respect because of Islam. If we leave the path of Islam and choose to attain respect and status through any other means, then certainly Allah will allow us to be disgraced.” Rabi' nodded, and then he hopped onto his small horse, carrying some light weapons, such as a sword, a wooden shield, and a small javelin with him. He set off quickly to the camp of Rustam, located at ancient Mesopotamia.

Rustam Farrokhzad was excited to hear that an emissary of the Muslims was going to visit him. He made sure to decorate his tent within the Sassanian military camp. Rustam decorated his tent with various pieces of shiny gold and silver, as well as silk material that was placed around his tent. He fixed expensive and priceless pieces of jewellery inside his tent, which would display the might of the Sassanians and their high positions in society. The intention of his actions were to place the Muslim emissary into a state of awe and shock so that he could say nothing.

Rabi' ibn Amir arrived at the camp of Rustam, and entered the central tent with his horse after the Sassanian guards allowed him to do so. As he entered, his horse's hooves began to destroy underfoot the expensive silk material which was hanging inside the tent. The Sassanian guards then ordered Rabi' to give them his weapons. However, he bravely retorted to them, saying, “I did not come here by myself! I was invited here by the Persians.” He then mentioned that, if they insist on him giving them his weapons, then he would leave.

When Rustam saw what had happened, he asked the guards to allow him to enter with his weapons. As the Sahabi came forward, the sharp edges of the spear and shield ripped through the silk material which was embedded on both sides of the corridor. His intention was to prove to Rustam and the Sassanians that in the eyes of the Muslims, this world was not of any important value or standing. He wanted to prove to the Persians that the world was so despicable that Allah had given it for a few moments to those who were his enemies, which meant the Sassanians.

Rabi' said to Rustam, “Say whatever you have to say.” Rustam then talked to his translator, who told Rabi' in a firm voice, “What has happened to the Arabs? I swear in the name of my Lord that there has never been a more disgraceful and despicable nation than the Arabs. The Romans have their own culture. The Persians have their own culture. The Greeks have their own culture. The people in Hindustan have their own culture. But you, the Arabs, are the most stubborn and are always fighting. You are a nation that race your camels and goats in the desert. With what intention have you people appeared on the borders of Persia?”

Fearlessly, Rabi' said, “Yes, we admit that we were once just like you have described. In fact, some of us had even gone beyond what you said. We used to be ignorant people who worshipped idols. We used to argue simply about where our goats would drink. We used to murder a family member over a simple argument. We had no laws or rules, neither did we have any culture or manners back then.” Then, Rabi' looked straight at Rustam, saying, “However, Allah Almighty has sent us to you, so that we can remove a person from the worship of another person and turn him towards worshipping Allah Almighty. Our intention is to remove people from the confines of this small world, remove them from their troubles and sorrows, turn them towards the Hereafter, remove them from various corrupt beliefs, and finally, turning them towards the just religion of Islam.”

When Rustam heard these words, he flew into a rage. (No, he is not a Redditor who spends his days in mom's basement.) He then screamed at the blessed Sahabi, saying, “I swear by my lord, you will not leave this place until and unless you do not carry some sand of my country on your head!” A basket full of sand from Persia was then placed on the head of Rabi' and everyone among the Sassanians began to laugh at what they were witnessing.

Rabi' quickly left the camp and rode on his horse back to the Muslims. Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas saw the basket of sand on his head, and said, “Congratulations to you on a great victory, these Persians have handed their land to you even before the battle itself.” When the other Muslims heard this, they shouted out the Takbir, “Allahu Akbar!” and all of them affirmed that the sand was indeed a sign of an upcoming victory.

A week later, the Muslims went to battle against the Sassanians at Al-Qadisiyyah. The Sassanian forces appeared to outnumber those of the Muslims. Rustam Farrokhzad was at the front of the polytheist warriors. The battle commenced, and at first the Sassanians appeared to be winning. However, Allah assisted the Muslims, and the Muslims were able to crush the Sassanian forces. Rustam was killed in this battle, and the fearful polytheists ran off, retreating. The Muslims won, and Mesopotamia was theirs to rule now. The defeat of the Sassanians further weakened their empire, which would, eventually, be entirely destroyed by the Muslims in the thirtieth year of Hijrah.

Source:

Encyclopaedia Iranica's entry on ‘Rustam ibn Farrok-Hormozd’ (about Rustam Farrokhzad)

Hayatus Sahabah/The Lives of The Sahabah by Yusuf Kandhlawi, volume 1, page 239-240 (about the whole event)

Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire by Touraj Daryaee (about the battle of Al-Qadisiyyah)

Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Imam Ibn Kathir 

Al-Tabari's Tarikh 

The story of Jabala the Apostate

 Jabala ibn al-Ayham, or Gabala, was a Byzantine patrician and the last phylarch of the Ghassanids, a tribe of Arab Christians who ruled Syria. He reverted to Islam, and accompanied Umar ibn al-Khattab on his travels. He was also a special guest at Umar's house in Madinah.

One day, Jabala went on the Hajj pilgrimage. As Jabala was performing Tawaf around the Ka'bah, his pilgrim scarf was accidentally stepped on by a poor Arab man who was from the Banu Fazara. Jabala was angry, and without letting the man explain himself, he punched the man in the face. The Arab's nose was broken, and it hurt very badly. The Arab lodged a complaint with Umar, who then sent for Jabala and asked him whether the charge levied against him by the Arab was true. Jabala said, “This rascal trod on my reverence for the Kaaba, but for the prohibition to shed blood within the sacred premises, I would have slain the man on the spot, instead of merely thrashing him.” Umar then asked the Fazari man to explain himself, who said on oath that due to extraordinary rush, he stepped on the scarf of Jabala accidentally. Turning to Jabala, Umar then said, “Do you agree that what happened was accidental, or did this man deliberately offend you.”

Jabala said, “I am not concerned with that. It might have been accidental, but the fact remains that he trod on my scarf, thereby uncovering me. It must be taken in consideration that I am a prince, while he is a mere peasant.” Umar chided him, saying, “In Islam, there is no distinction between a prince and a peasant. You cannot take the law in your own hands merely on the ground that you are a prince, and he is a peasant.”

Jabala was angry, and he said, “I had thought that Islam would add to my dignity and prestige, and here Islam is becoming an instrument for my humiliation.” So, Umar said, “The law must have its own course, and I am obliged to do justice. There are two alternatives; either patch up with the man and satisfy him, or be prepared to face my verdict.” When Jabala saw that Umar was serious in invoking the penal provisions of Shari'ah law, he said, “Give me one day to ponder over the matter.”

Umar deferred his judgement for one day. At night, Jabala secretly left for Syria. From there, he proceeded to travel to Constantinople, where he entered the court of the Byzantine Roman emperor Heraclius. At the court of Heraclius, he said, “I denounce Islam because it does not discriminate between a peasant and a commoner.” The following day, Umar was told that Jabala had slipped away. So, he allowed the poor Fazari Arab an adequate compensation from the Bayt al-Mal.

Jabala participated in battles against Muslims. Before the Battle of Yarmuk, Jabala attempted to negotiate terms with the Muslims. He warned the Muslims against fighting the Byzantines, and even invited them to keep all their war booty on the condition that they withdraw to Arabia. Ubada ibn al-Samit, one of the Sahabah, told him, “Our fighters and heroes see death as gain and life as burdensome.” Ubada informed Jabala that his tribe must either embrace Islam, pay Jizyah tax, or else face battle. Jabala was infuriated. He declined to revert, and declared he would fight for Rome.

The Byzantines, which included Jabala, lost the battle of Yarmuk. A few years later, in year 53 of the Hijrah, during the caliphate of Muawiyah, he was seen enjoying life and was extremely wealthy. But he died in the same year as well, possibly due to natural causes. He died as an apostate and a disbeliever.

Source:

Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Imam Ibn Kathir, volume 8 and 12 (about Jabala)

The Islamic Conquest of Syria: Futuhusham the inspiring History of the Sahabah's Conquest of Syria by Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi (about Jabala and the Battle of Yarmuk)

Encyclopaedia of Islam, the entry on Jabala ibn al-Ayham (additional information about Jabala, and his identification with Gabala the patrician)

The story of the Ashab ar-Rass

 The Ashab ar-Rass, also known as the Companions (or Dwellers) of the Well, were a tribe who descended from the infamous Thamud tribe. The members of the tribe obeyed and respected their king, Turqud ibn Jabur, who was a just ruler and a very good-hearted man. They loved him a lot. But one day, the king fell ill, and eventually he died due to his sickness. The whole village of the tribe was very sad, and they mourned his death.

After a few days, Shaytaan came to the people in the form of the deceased king. This evil twin said, “I was not dead, but I kept absent from you to observe what you would do after me.” The people were very happy. Then, the evil twin commanded them to set up a barrier between him and them, and he even told the people that he was immortal. The people believed him and obeyed his commands. Some of the people began to worship this evil twin of the ruler, while others worshipped a tall pine tree which one of the sons of Prophet Nuh (alayhis salaam) planted. So Allah sent to the people a Prophet who informed them that the one speaking to them from behind the barrier was actually Shaytaan in the disguise of the deceased ruler. He forbade them from worshipping him and ordered them to worship Allah alone.

The people did not accept what the Prophet was telling them. They were rather angry at him. So, they killed him, and threw his body into their village well. The death of Allah's Prophet would not be merely ignored, and Allah punished the people of this village severely. The water supply of the village began drying up, and soon, the crops all wilted. Eventually, there was no more water left, everyone was dehydrated and thirsty. The village started deteriorating slowly, to such an extent that after sometime, they were destroyed completely, with no one remaining alive.

According to Israilite narrations that were authenticated by scholars, the name of the Prophet whom they killed was Hanzalah, son of Safwan. Allah knows best as to who this Prophet really was.

Source:

Tafsir al-Tabari, volume 25 page 97

Qassas al-Anbiya by Imam Ibn Kathir 

The story of the Ashab al-Kahf

 The Roman emperor, Trajan Decius, hated the religion of Prophet Isa, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him. He ordered everyone in his land to worship idols and statues. But a young man refused to do so, as he was one of the original followers of Prophet Isa, who believed in Allah. This man was able to form a group of people who all shared the same belief: the belief that there is no God, but Allah.

Decius found out about this group of people, and he sent his soldiers to hunt them down to be arrested, and then executed. The group of men managed to escape from their homeland, where they were also joined by a farmer on their journey to safety. The farmer kept a hunting dog which would help to protect the group of believers. Eventually, the believers found a cave in a remote area, and they hid inside it. The farmer's dog stood guard at the entrance.

Allah sent these men and the hunting dog into a very long slumber which lasted for about three hundred years. After many years had passed, they woke up, and they felt as if they had slept for just a few hours. They greeted each other with Salaam, and did their Salah in the cave. They waited inside the cave, fearing that Decius was around. But after some time passed, they felt hungry, so one man volunteered to leave the cave to buy some food for them. When he left the cave, he realized that the whole place was completely new. The people, town, and everything in the surroundings looked different. Signs of true monotheism were everywhere, instead of idols.

The man went to a shop to buy some food. When he gave a coin to purchase food, the shopkeeper was bewildered to see such an ancient form of currency. He took that man to the emperor. The new emperor, Theodosius II, was a very benevolent and pious man who believed in Allah. At the palace, the man questioned the new emperor about Decius. Theodosius II replied in utter confusion, saying, “Yes, there was a man named Decius. He used to rule here, and he was very evil. But that was like a hundred years ago!” The man told him the story of his group and how he and his group of believers fled from Decius which felt like it was only yesterday.

Upon hearing the story, the emperor greeted the man wholeheartedly. Then, he asked him to lead him to the rest of the men. In the meantime, the Ashab al-Kahf were worried about the safety of their companion. They feared that Decius had captured and executed him. But to their utmost surprise, he returned with the emperor, a new and monotheistic one. The new emperor sought blessings from these men who stood staunch by their faith and received divine help from Allah. Everywhere in Europe, the story of the Ashab al-Kahf spread like fire; about the people, who had disappeared more than a hundred years ago, seemed to have surfaced out of nowhere.

The Ashab al-Kahf eventually passed away, and were buried in their cave. Theodosius II passed away a few years later due to an accident while he was riding his horse. He was buried next to another monotheistic emperor, Constantine I, in a land located in what is now modern-day Istanbul.

Source:

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Surah al-Kahf

Ma'arif ul-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi, Tafsir on Surah al-Kahf 

Al-Bahr al-Madid by Ahmad ibn Ajibah, Tafsir on Surah al-Kahf 

Stories of the Qur'an by Imam Ibn Kathir

Historia Tripartita by Theodorus Anagnostes Lector (about Theodosius II)

Eusebiu tu Alexandreōs, Eusebiu Emisēnu, ta Heuriskomena panta (about the death of Theodosius)

The story of Prophet Aramaya

 Prophet Aramaya ibn Halqiyah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, was one of the many Prophets sent down to guide the Israilites. Sins and immorality had become prevalent amongst them. The Israilites had also killed many Prophets sent down to guide them, like Zakariya, Yahya and Shu'ayb ibn Mazham, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon Them. Prophet Aramaya was sent to admonish the Israilites and guide them to the straight path.

But when Prophet Aramaya conveyed to the Israilites the message of Allah, the Israilites did not believe him. Instead, they accused him of lying. “You are lying and fabricating a grave lie against Allah, claiming that there will come a time when Allah’s land and His places of worship will be devoid of His books and devoid of anyone to worship Him and affirm His Oneness. So who would worship Him when there is no worshipper, place of worship or book in the land? You have fabricated a grave lie against Allah and you must have gone insane!” they said in anger and disbelief. Prophet Aramaya was then imprisoned in a tight cell.

But the imprisonment of Allah's Prophet would not be merely ignored. Allah sent the tyrant ruler Bukhtanasar to Al-Quds. He arrived from Babil with his troops and invaded the territory of the Israilites. He was a harsh and stern man. Bukhtanasar's siege of Al-Quds went on for a very long time. Eventually, the Israilites' leader, Zadaqiyah, had to agree to Bukhtanasar's terms and surrender his kingdom to him. He then allowed Bukhtanasar to rule over the Israilites. Bukhtanasar subjected the Israilites to the rule of ignorance, and he killed a third of the population and another third was taken captive. He left behind the elderly, weak and the handicapped, whom he trampled with horses. He destroyed the main worship place of the Israilites and burned the Tawrah. Bukhtanasar captured the young boys (sus) and sold them off as slaves, while he paraded the young women bareheaded in the marketplace. Al-Quds suffered a lot under his rule.

After he did what he did, a voice said to him, “The Israilites have a man who warned them of what has befallen them, and he described you to them and told them what you would do to them, that you would kill the men of fighting age, take their children captive, destroy their places of worship and burn their synagogues. But they disbelieved him and made accusations against him, so they beat him, tied him up and imprisoned him.” Bukhtanasar felt surprised after hearing this, and so he ordered that the cell of the man be opened. And the man was none other than Prophet Aramaya.

Bukhtanasar asked Prophet Aramaya about what he had said, and the Prophet confirmed it. Bukhtanasar then asked if the Israilites had disbelieved him, beaten him and imprisoned him, and Prophet Aramaya confirmed what he had said. Bukhtanasar felt a little sympathy for the Prophet, so he said, “What a bad people they are who disbelieved in their Prophet and rejected the message of Allah! Will you join me, and I will honour you and take care of you, and if you want to stay in your own land, I will grant you protection?”

Prophet Aramaya replied to him, saying, “I have been under the protection of Allah all my life, and have never been without it for a moment. If the Israilites had not chosen to disregard Allah’s protection, they would never have feared you or anyone else, and you would never have gained any power over them.” Hearing this, Bukhtanasar decided to leave Prophet Aramaya alone.

Prophet Aramaya returned to his homeland of Al-Quds. When he returned, he saw it was all destroyed and ravaged! He was tired, so he fell asleep. When he woke up, he found that the city of Al-Quds had been rebuilt. The new ruler of it was Vishtaspa, and Bukhtanasar had died peacefully. It was revealed that Prophet Aramaya had slept for a hundred years! And so, He said, “I know, now, that Allah is able to do all things.”

It is said in the Holy Qur'an, “Allah grants wisdom to those whom He wills; and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted much good. Yet none except people of understanding take heed.” [Surah al-Baqarah, verse 269] 

Source:

Al-Tabari's Tarikh, volume 1, pages 538-539

Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, volume 2, pages 361-372

Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir, volume 8, pages 29-41

The story of the Evil Mosque

 Abu Amir ar-Rahib was a monk who despised the Prophet ﷺ and even fought against him during the Battle of Badr. When the Muslims won the battle, Abu Amir's hatred for Islam increased. So he ran off from Madinah and stayed in Makkah, where he allied with the pagan Quraysh tribes. He assisted them in the Battle of Uhud as well, and during this battle, he dug a hole in the battlefield, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ fell into and injured himself. He was truly a very evil man.

When Abu Amir was in Rome to ask support from Heraclius against the Muslims, he wrote letters to his followers, who were still in Madinah. In the letters, he wished them well and ordered them to build a building which could serve as an outpost and military base for him, as he promised to send an army of Romans to defeat the Muslims. These followers built a mosque in the village of 'Quba, one of the villages located in the territory of Madinah. The mosque was completed before the Prophet ﷺ returned from Tabuk, and it was created to cause dissent amongst the local Muslim population. When the mosque was completed, the hypocrites met the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and told Him about the new mosque. They claimed that the mosque was built for the weak and ill people on rainy nights. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied to them, saying, “We are on a journey, but when we return, Insha'allah.” 

After a few weeks, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ returned to Madinah after the Tabuk expedition. When He was a few days away from Madinah, Allah sent down the angel, Jibreel, to inform Him of the news about the new mosque and the disbelief and divisions occuring between the Muslims. Jibreel also told Him about the original purpose of the mosque, which was intended to cause divisions amongst Muslims. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Ammar ibn Yasir and another one of His companions to destroy the mosque, before he reached Madinah. 

The companions set fire to the mosque, and all of the people inside ran out of it. The mosque was destroyed completely. Not a trace of it remained. This mosque was later known as Masjid al-Dirar, which translates to “The Mosque of Dissent”. The 'Quba Mosque was expanded in the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, and the whole structure now covers the location of Masjid al-Dirar.

Source:

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Surah at-Tawbah verses 107 and 108

Ar-Raheeq Al-Maktoom by Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

The Last Years of the Prophet by Al-Tabari

Za'ad al-Ma'ad by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, abridged version

The story of Imam al-Awza'i and the Abbasid Caliph

 The Banu Umayyah, the ruling family of the Umayyad Dynasty, were successfully expelled from Iraq and Syria by the forces of the Banu Abbas after a series of massacres and rebellions. The remaining members of Banu Umayyah fled to the Iberian Peninsula where they established Muslim rule there, under a new Emirate of Cordoba. The first Abbasids were known to have been tyrannical and oppressive rulers, and people felt they were worse than the Umayyads.

One day, the Abbasid governor of Syria, Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Ali al-Abbasi, summoned Imam al-Awza'i for a meeting. But the latter was missing for three days. After three days had passed, Imam al-Awza'i appeared in the palace of the governor. The governor certainly wasn't happy, but Imam al-Awza'i was very patient.

“Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,” the Imam greeted the governor. But the governor did not reply to his Salam, and instead said, “O, Awza'i, what’s your view regarding what we have done to the people and this land in removing the oppression of the Banu Umayyah? Was it considered an act of Jihad?” He struck his staff on the ground, making a startling noise.

Imam al-Awza'i replied, “O Amir! I heard Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Ansari report from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi, who reported from 'Alqama ibn Waqqas, who in turn reported from Umar ibn al-Khattab who said; I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Actions are based on intentions and every person will get what he intended.” His reply caught the attention of the palace guards, who brandished their swords, asking him, “If so, what do you say regarding the blood of the Banu Umayyah being spilled?” The Imam quoted the words of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, telling them, “A Muslim may not spill the blood of another except in three cases; a life for a life, an adulterer and someone who leaves his religion by separating from the community.”

The governor was not satisfied by his response, so he said, “Tell me about the caliphate, is it not our inheritance as stipulated by the Prophet ﷺ?” Imam al-Awza'i told him had that been the case, Imam Ali would not have let anyone come before himself. The governor banged his staff fiercely on the ground, and asked, “But what do you say about the treasure of the Banu Umayyah?”

Imam al-Awza'i said, “If it were lawful for them, it is not lawful for you, and if it were unlawful for them, then it is even more unlawful for you!” Then the governor banged his staff on the ground until it almost broke (baldis basics couldn't compare to this). He said, “Shall we give you a position of authority in our courts?” The Imam politely declined, saying, “Your predecessors were not fond of offering me such a position. I wish to complete the excellence that was begun by them, for me.”

“Then leave.” the governor said in a firm and authoritative tone. Imam al-Awza'i left the palace, escorted by the governor's envoy. The envoy gave the Imam a large sum of money, which was from the governor himself. Out of fear, Imam al-Awza'i accepted it, so he donated it to the poor and needy as sadaqah.

Source:

Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, volume 10, pages 124-126

Mashahir Al-Ulama Al-Amsar by Ibn Hibban, pages 285-286