By the heaven which has citadels for the guards! According to many reports Buruj (singular Burj) alludes to the citadels or fortresses of the angels^-AS that guard the heaven. Astronomers have hypothetically divided the heaven into twelve parts, naming each as Burj. They assert that stars exist within the Burj and the planets also travel through them. They have named these constellations after the shape they take, for instance, Aries, Taurus, Gemini etc. However, all this is utterly absurd in the light of Islam.

 

By the promised Day of Judgement and by every individual who testifies to the Truth, and by each Truth which is testified, all these affairs, that is, the heaven, the Day of Judgement, every truthful witness and every Truth bears witness to the destruction of those who had burnt the believers alive in trenches. They had remorselessly ignited the fuel stacked therein and had pushed the believers in it, group after group, watching them as they burnt.

 

Episode of People of the Trench

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 Reports reveal many incidents of the persecution of Muslims. But this particular incident refers to the one suffered by the believers at the hands of the King of Yemen, Yusuf Zunwas bin Sharjeel. When his official sooth-sayer grew old, he was provided a young intelligent lad as student to transfer his skills to him. This boy, however, met a Wali, became a Muslim and learnt Allah^-SWT's Zikr from him. He would go to the old sooth-sayer but stealthily take some time out to visit the Wali. Allaah^-SWT blessed him with Karamah to heal the ailing. Eventually the news reached the King, and he ordered the execution of the Wali. However, all his plans to kill the boy failed. One day the boy himself told the King how to kill him. He counselled the King to assemble all his subjects, tie him down and take an arrow from the boy's personal quiver and shoot at his temple, after reciting Bismillah (in the Name of Allaah^-SWT ) on it.

 

Propagation

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 The King did as told and the boy fell martyr. But the masses witnessing the whole episode accepted the true faith and declared: 'We believe in the Rabb^-SWT of this boy", who succeeded in propagating the true faith publicly. The King was infuriated and ordered that a trench be dug at the mouth of every alley, filled up with fuel and ignited. And that only those who renounce Islam be spared, and the rest be pushed into the flames. But nobody chose apostasy over martyrdom. It is reported that before they fell into the inferno, their Arwah were taken away by Allah^-SWT to spare them the consequent pain. But the inferno got out of control and reduced everyone to ashes. The King fled to take refuge in the river, but perished and was ushered into the Hell.

 

The State of a Martyr in the Grave

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 The boy mentioned in this incident was Abdullah bin Tamir. It is reported by Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Abu Bakr Siddiq^–RAU that during Hadhrat Umar^-RAU’s caliphate, in an excavation, the body of the said boy was discovered sitting up with his hand on his temple. When his hand was pulled away, blood oozed out of the wound. And when it was released, it went back on his temple. He was wearing a ring whereon was inscribed Rabbi Allah^-SWT (Allah^-SWT is my Rabb^-SWT). The Governor of Yemen wrote to Hadhrat 'Umar^–RAU about the whole affair, who^-RAU advised him to re-bury the boy as he was.

 

The Muslims burnt alive had committed no crime. They had only believed in the Rabb^-SWT , the Absolute and Worthy of all Praise, Who^-SWT enjoys Sovereignty over the universe and is thoroughly Aware of everything. All those who perpetrate violence against the believing men and women will be condemned to Hell to suffer a doom of burning, unless they repent.

 

The Divine Mercy

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 Hadhrat Hassan Basri^–RUA asserts that Allah^-SWT's Mercy is unlimited, for He^-SWT does not close down the door of repentance even unto the persecutors of His^-SWT Aulia' and the evil doers. Instead He^-SWT invites them to repentance.

 

Sure Win

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 Certainly, the Jannah wherein rivers flow awaits the believers. To win it is indeed a grand achievement. In other words, a believer is successful both as a victor as well as a martyr, as the latter ushers him to his final destination. Surely Allah^-SWT's Grip is very firm. He^-SWT gives existence and enforces extinction. It is He^-SWT Who^-SWT created for the very first time and will do it once again. He^-SWT is extremely Forgiving and Loving, is the Monarch of the magnificent 'Arsh and does whatever pleases Him^-SWT .

 

O' reader! Have you not heard of the legions of the Pharaoh and the Thamud, how they were seized-by Allah^-SWT's Grip on denial? Similarly all those who deny are not at all beyond His^-SWT Grip. And the Quran they deny is indeed Glorious. It is also inscribed on the Guarded Tablet, precluding the possibility of any alteration whatsoever.