Intermediate
Nations
Surah: Al-Buruj (4)
People of the Trench — Tribulation for Faith and Steadfastness Until Martyrdom
Quranic context: Al-Buruj, verses 1-10
Context: Allah says: "Cursed were the People of the Trench — the fire with fuel — when they sat around it, and they were witnesses to what they did to the believers." A tyrannical king dug trenches, set them ablaze, and threw believers in them because they believed in Allah.
The threat that power cannot answer:
The believers did nothing except believe: "They resented them only because they believed in Allah, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy." Yet they were cast into fire.
The greatness of steadfastness:
In a sound hadith (Muslim): the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the story of the young man who was the cause of the people's faith — when they saw his faith and steadfastness before the king, they themselves believed and threw themselves into the trench with the believers.
Lesson: Injustice that cannot be repelled in this world has a divine answer in the Hereafter — no oppressor can deprive a believer of Allah's mercy.
Context: Allah says: "Cursed were the People of the Trench — the fire with fuel — when they sat around it, and they were witnesses to what they did to the believers." A tyrannical king dug trenches, set them ablaze, and threw believers in them because they believed in Allah.
The threat that power cannot answer:
The believers did nothing except believe: "They resented them only because they believed in Allah, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy." Yet they were cast into fire.
The greatness of steadfastness:
In a sound hadith (Muslim): the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the story of the young man who was the cause of the people's faith — when they saw his faith and steadfastness before the king, they themselves believed and threw themselves into the trench with the believers.
Lesson: Injustice that cannot be repelled in this world has a divine answer in the Hereafter — no oppressor can deprive a believer of Allah's mercy.
Source: Ibn Kathir Tafsir (8/370); Sahih Muslim (hadith of the young man); Al-Sadi
Test Yourself
What was the only reason the Quran mentions for the believers being thrown into the trench?
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