Musnad Ahmad 23931

Translation

✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: There was a king among those before you, and he had a sorcerer. When the sorcerer grew old, he said to the king, 'I have become old and my time has come, so entrust to me a boy that I may teach him sorcery.' So he entrusted a boy to him, and he began teaching him sorcery. Between the sorcerer and the king there was a monk. The boy came upon the monk and listened to his words, and his manner and speech impressed him. Whenever he went to the sorcerer, he would beat him and say, 'What kept you?' And whenever he went to his family, they would beat him and say, 'What kept you?' He complained about that to the monk, who said, 'When the sorcerer wants to beat you, say: My family kept me. And when your family wants to beat you, say: The sorcerer kept me.' While this was going on, one day he came upon a monstrous, huge beast that had blocked the people's way so they could not pass. He said, 'Today I shall know whether the monk's affair is dearer to Allah or the sorcerer's.' He took a stone and said, 'O Allah, if the monk's affair is dearer to You and more pleasing than the sorcerer's, then kill this beast so that the people may pass.' He threw it and killed it, and the people went on. He told the monk about that, and the monk said, 'My son, you are better than me. You will be tested, and if you are tested, do not point to me.' The boy used to heal the blind and all diseases and cure them. A courtier of the king had gone blind, and he heard of him, so he brought many gifts and said, 'Heal me and all that is here is yours.' The boy said, 'I do not heal anyone. Only Allah heals. If you believe in Him, I will call upon Allah and He will heal you.' So he believed, and he called upon Allah for him, and He healed him. Then he came to the king and sat near him as he used to sit. The king said, 'O so-and-so, who restored your sight?' He said, 'My Lord.' The king said, 'Me?' He said, 'No, my Lord and your Lord, Allah.' The king said, 'Do you have a lord other than me?' He said, 'Yes.' He did not stop torturing him until he pointed to the boy. So he sent for him and said, 'My son, has your sorcery reached the point that you heal the blind, the leper, and these diseases?' He said, 'I do not heal anyone. None heals except Allah.' The king said, 'Me?' He said, 'No.' He said, 'Do you have a lord other than me?' He said, 'Yes, my Lord and your Lord, Allah.' So he also subjected him to torture and did not stop until he pointed to the monk. The monk was brought and told, 'Abandon your religion,' but he refused. So he placed a saw on the middle of his head until it split in two. He told the blind man, 'Abandon your religion,' but he refused, so he placed a saw on the middle of his head until it split in two and fell to the ground. He told the boy, 'Abandon your religion,' but he refused. So he sent him with a group to such-and-such a mountain and said, 'When you reach its summit, if he abandons his religion, then leave him; otherwise, hurl him down from its top.' They went with him, and when they had taken him up the mountain, he said, 'O Allah, suffice me against them as You will.' The mountain shook with them, and they all tumbled down. The boy came feeling his way until he entered upon the king, who said, 'What happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah sufficed me against them.' Then he sent him with a group in a ship and said, 'When you take him out to sea, if he abandons his religion, then leave him; otherwise, drown him.' They took him out to sea, and the boy said, 'O Allah, suffice me against them as You will.' They all drowned, and the boy came feeling his way until he entered upon the king, who said, 'What happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah sufficed me against them.' Then he said to the king, 'You will not kill me until you do what I command you. If you do what I command you, you will kill me; otherwise, you will not be able to kill me.' He said, 'What is it?' He said, 'Gather the people in an open plain, then crucify me on a trunk. Take an arrow from my quiver and say, "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy." If you do that, you will kill me.' So he did that, placed the arrow in the center of his bow, then shot and said, 'In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.' The arrow struck his temple. The boy put his hand on the place of the arrow and died. The people said, 'We believe in the Lord of the boy.' It was said to the king, 'Do you see what you were wary of? By Allah, it has come upon you. All the people have believed.' So he commanded that ditches be dug at the mouths of the streets, and fires were kindled in them. He said, 'Whoever abandons his religion, leave him; otherwise, thrust him into it.' They would compete in it and push one another. A woman came with her infant whom she was nursing, and it was as if she hesitated to fall into the fire. The infant said, 'O mother, be patient, for you are upon the truth.'

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