Heroic Stands by Shiekh Abu Nizhar Ash Shaami: The Boy of the Ditch – The Victory of Principles

Our lives are a collection of stands taken. These stands are what will decide our status and value before Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgement. Heroic stands, which changed the course of history, produced events, and greatly influenced all who witnessed them or heard of them. Heroic stands, which we mention while living at a time when most stands, we see are those of humiliation and shame. Heroic stands, we mention them whose heroes are mentioned in the Quran, and the pages of the Seerah and our Ummah's past and recent history are overflowing with them. Heroic stands, which we mention in order to take lessons from. We mention them in order to receive flames of glory, optimism, and expecting good from Allah (swt), and to prove that our Ummah, by the permission of Allah (swt), is capable of bringing back the dignified stands which will fill the world with justice and light after it was filled with injustice and tyranny.

Heroism doesn't have an age or gender. Men and women can compete over it, and the young and old can record heroic stands. Since, heroism makes great people out of everybody. Our hero today is a boy whom our noble Messenger (saw) spoke of his heroics and the Quran designated a Surah for these heroics. How much Allah (swt) and His messengers love heroic stands. A boy employed by a tyrant king in his palace to learn the profession of magic to trick the eyes of people just like media outlets do today. They praise the rulers, distort the calls for change and hide betrayals. Allah (swt) decreed for this boy to meet with a priest on the road. This priest taught the boy about Islam and the corruption of the ruler. The boy embraced the Deen and renounced the tricks of the magicians and even surpassed the priest. This is because that priest was isolated from the people, not involved in making change, sitting in his monastery without calling the people. As for the boy, he made the required heroic stand. He went on to mingle among his people, adopt their interests and call everyone to the Deen of Allah (swt). He didn't say, "I'm too young to carry the Dawah. The adults are afraid of the king and haven't dared to challenge him so how can I?" He didn't say this. He rather overcame his fear and young age until Allah (swt) bestowed upon him tranquillity and produced miraculous phenomena through him. So, he used to heal the blind, the leper and all kinds of diseases. And the people would seek his protection so he would kill predators that attack them.

The boy became well-known and the Dawah spread in the society. In fact, it reached the highest civil servants and the great impact of the boy's Dawah was apparent on the public opinion. So, the people abandoned silence and submission, and life began flowing in them once again. This is how heroic stands are, my brothers; they revive rotted hearts. The news reached the palace. Those involved were summoned. The priest was brought alongside high-ranking civil servants in the palace. "Who is behind this Dawah?" The saws were brought out and the executions began whereby the believers were being sawed in half. This is a tradition that is recurrent with every tyranny: the killing increases thus the Deen spreads even more until the tyrant loses control and his mind. The boy was caught and was sentenced to being thrown off a cliff. The boy made Du'a to His Lord: "O Allah save me from them however You wish." The mountain shook, the soldiers fell and the boy survived. The king lost his mind again: "Throw him into the sea". "O Allah save me from them however You wish." The soldiers drowned and the boy returned to the king and stood before him in defiance.

The king gave up. Here, my brothers, the young hero took the greatest stand of sacrifice. He sought for the whole village to embrace Islam even at the cost of his pure blood. He told the king: "I will show you how to kill me; gather the people, then take an arrow from my quiver (from my weapons not yours), then scream loudly: "in the name of Allah (swt), the Lord of this boy" (thereby declaring the falseness of your lordship, magic and deception which you boasted)" "In the name of Allah, the Lord of this boy and then fire the arrow" in this way, the king caved in to the instructions of the self-sacrificing boy and he gathered the people to witness the greatness of this Deen and see the feebleness of falsehood and exposing of Kufr. The boy died just as the king desired. However, what he did not expect was for the entire village to embrace Islam and disbelieve in him.

The soldiers were summoned, ditches were dug and fires were lit. "Disbelieve in Allah or be burnt to death!" And the surprise was that not a single person from the village disbelieved. Even the babies spoke in the arms of their mothers: "Mother, you are upon the truth so be at ease." This is what the boy taught them: that the Deen is sacrificed for with life. Brothers and sisters, the school of tyranny is one. And Allah (swt) said truthfully: "Did they suggest it to them? Rather, they [themselves] are a transgressing people." The most notable lesson is Surah Al-Buruj is that true victory is the victory of principles since the people of ditch were killed but it was the king who was defeated. As for them, then they had won just as Allah (swt) said about them: "That is the supreme triumph." The boy teaches us that it is Dawah, not safety that makes of you a man. Brothers and sisters, raise your kids upon lofty matters Teach them that our Deen is a Deen of dignity and does not accept the tyranny of rulers nor stays silent about their deception. Just like that boy stood up to the tyrant king, and that was a political action. Teach them to have passion for their Ummah and not to abdicate from her concerns, and that the young Dawah carrier is in the care of Allah (swt) and in His (swt) guarded chamber. O Allah we ask of You victory for this Deen and make us witness the final victory of the pious!

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