Once, there were three brothers among the Muslim army that was fighting against the Romans. They formed part of the cavalry and were renowned for their bravery and courage. They would (generally) not mix with the rest of the army, and would travel and also camp alone. Whenever the Muslims encountered the enemy, they would not fight if the Muslim army proved sufficient (i.e. they would only join in the fight when their assistance was required and the others could not manage.)
On one occasion a large Roman army attacked the Muslims. Many of the Muslims were killed and others captured. So, the brothers said to each other, “You can see what has happened to the Muslims. Hence, it is now incumbent upon us to sacrifice ourselves and fight (till the end)!” The three brothers thus advanced, saying to the remaining Muslims, “Position yourselves behind us and allow us to fight (on the front line), we will suffice you insha-Allah. They fought (most valiantly) and managed to defeat the Roman army.
On suffering this defeat, the Roman king said, “Whoever brings me even one of these people, I will elevate him and appoint him as a general!” The Romans thus gave their all to capture them, and finally managed to do so. None of the three brothers had sustained even a single wound. The Roman king exclaimed, “There is no booty of war nor any victory greater than capturing these three brothers!” He thereafter took the brothers with him to Constantinople.
The king thereafter presented Christianity to them saying, “I will grant you kingdom, and your wives will be my (own) daughters.” They rejected his offer and cried out (reminiscing over Rasulullah [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam]): “O Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)!” The king asked: ‘What are they saying?’ The people replied: “They are reminiscing over their Nabi.” The king then said to them: “If you do not accede to my request, I will boil three pots of oil, and once they reach boiling point, I will throw each of you therein.”
The three brothers again refused, so the king ordered for three pots to be set up. Oil was then poured into them. He then ordered that the pots be heated for three days. Each day the three brothers were shown the pots. They would thereafter be invited to embrace Christianity, and the king would again reiterate that he would marry off his daughters to them and grant them (a portion of his) kingdom. Day after day they refused to accept the offer of the king and remained steadfast on Islam.
After the three days had passed, the king called the eldest brother and invited him yet again to embrace his religion (of Christianity), but he once again refused. The king addressed him thus, “I am going to throw you into this pot!” Upon his refusal, the king threw him into one of the pots. Within seconds of falling into the pot, his bones floated to the surface. The same punishment was meted out to the second brother.
When the king saw their patience upon being executed, and their devotion to their religion, he began to regret what he had done and said, “I have meted out this (punishment) to such people who never before have I seen anyone braver than them.” He then ordered that the youngest brother be brought forward, and tried every possible tactic to tempt him into giving up his Deen. The youngest brother however also refused.
One of the well-built subjects of the king then approached the king saying, “O king, what will you give me if I manage to sway him (away from his Deen)?” He replied, “I will appoint you as a general of the army.” The man accepted, and then the king asked, “How will you sway him?”. He replied, “Your highness knows that the Arabs are fanatic over women. The entire Roman Empire is aware of this fact that there is not a single woman more beautiful than my daughter, so and so. Therefore, hand him over to me. I will leave him with her and she will seduce him.”
The king thus allocated a period of forty days towards their plot, and handed over the youngest brother to this subject. He in turn made him over to his daughter, informing her of his agreement with the king and the time period set aside for the mission. His daughter replied, “Leave him to me, I will handle this matter for you.”
The young man thus remained with her (by force); spending his days fasting and his nights standing in salaah. At no time did he become lax in his worship. When the allocated time had neared its termination, the king asked his subject, “What is going on with the man?” The man returned to his daughter and asked her what she had accomplished. The daughter replied, “I haven’t made any progress! This is a man who has lost his brothers in this town; I suspect that his abstinence (from me) is due to (the thoughts) of his brothers (which continue to haunt him) whenever he sees their traces. Nevertheless, ask the king to increase the allocated time and arrange for us to be transported to another town, away from this town wherein his two brothers were killed.”
The well-built subject of the king thus placed the request before the king, who then extended the allocated time by a few days, and permitted him to move the pair elsewhere. He therefore took them to another town (and left them there). The man remained there for days on end, fasting during the day and standing (in worship) during the night (not at all interested in the girl). When just a few days remained, the girl spoke out one night, “O so and so! I see you glorifying a Majestic Rabb. I have decided to enter into your religion with you, and I have left the religion of my forefathers.” The man initially was not convinced regarding her proclamation, until she repeated it a number of times. He then asked, “How can we escape from the situation we find ourselves in?”
She said to him, “I will devise a strategy for you.” She then brought him some animals (for riding) and said, “Come with me, let us escape to your country.” The two of them thus rode forth, travelling at night and hiding during the day. They were being pursued (by the Romans), and were thus concealing themselves. Whilst they were travelling one night, they were (alarmed at) hearing the sound of hooves. The girl said to him, “O so and so, pray to your Rabb whom you have testified to and have believed in – that he saves us from our enemy!”
Suddenly, he found his two brothers in front of him, along with some angels (sent from the side of Allah Ta‘ala). He greeted them and asked them how they had fared. They replied, “It was just that single dip (into the boiling oil) which you saw, and the next moment we strolled into Jannatul Firdaus! Allah has sent us to you to witness your marriage to this girl. Thus, the nikaah was performed (after the shar‘ee requirements were met), and they (the unexpected visitors) returned. The couple proceeded to Shaam where they took up residence. They became famous for their story, and were well-known in Shaam during the former days (of Islam). Verses of poetry would often be recited about the couple. One such poem contained the following couplet:
“The truthful will be granted, by virtue of (their) truthfulness, salvation in life and in death.”
(Al-Muntazam vol. 8 pg. 329)
Lessons:
1. The enemies of Islam are hell-bent on snatching away the imaan of the believers, and will adopt every possible means to achieve their goal. Their schemes often revolve around two aspects; wealth and women. The one who restrains himself and fears Allah Ta‘ala despite the onslaught of these tests which come his way, will be blessed with divine help every step of the way. When the youngest brother placed the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala above everything else, Allah Ta‘ala made a way out for him from captivity.
2. When a Muslim will remain steadfast on his Deen in all conditions, it will have a profound impact on the disbelievers, and often cause them to accept Islam. On the other hand, adopting the ways of the disbelievers and getting involved in similar evils as them, will cause one to be disgraced in the eye of Allah Ta‘ala as well as the disbelievers. The young man held fast to his Deen, which resulted in the girl accepting Islam. On the other hand, if he had succumbed to their plot, the girl would not have embraced Islam, and he may have even lost his Deen, which is undoubtedly the greatest loss.
3. It is the experience of our pious predecessors that when a person will sacrifice something for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala, then Allah Ta‘ala will grant him that very thing in a respectable, halaal manner. The young man did not fall pray to the seduction of the most beautiful girl in the Roman Empire. Allah Ta‘ala thereafter arranged for him to marry this very girl.
