The People of the Trench

Dhū Nuwās instructed his soldiers to dig trenches. After they dig trenches, they fill them with wood and ignite them, and anyone who refuses to give up their religion, they force them into the fire. And they would bring loads of people and burn them alive, and these were people who were holding firm to their faith, and they didn't give up.

And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says there was a woman with her child in her arms, an infant, and she was walking towards the fire, but then she hesitated — when, imagine, a mother carrying her infant, so she hesitated for a while. And then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says, "But the infant spoke," and said, "Oh mother, be patient, because you are following the true path." And she jumped in the fire. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says there are three who spoke in a young age; this infant was one of them.

This account was recorded in Sūrat al-Burūj. Sūrat al-Burūj is referring to this account. Sūrat al-Burūj talks about the ones who were burned, aṣḥāb al-ukhdūd, the people of the trench. Now, even though these people were burned alive and they ceased to exist, and the king won, but Allah (swt) said that the Muslims were victorious. Now that's interesting — these people were killed, they didn't establish any khilāfah, the king won. How come Allah (swt) said, "dhālika al-fawzu al-kabīr"? Allah (swt) didn't only call it victory — Allah said that is the great victory. Why? How come these people, lost in terms of worldly standards, nevertheless, they are still called victorious?

Victory in their regard is the fact that they were able to hold firm on their faith until the last moment. They never gave up. That is victory. Entering Jannah is victory. So even though they didn't survive in dunyā, but they were able to hold firm on their religion. So the father of ʿAmmār, Yāsir (may Allah be pleased with him), has won. Sumayyah (may Allah be pleased with her), has won. Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (may Allah be pleased with him), even though he was killed in the battlefield, he has won. They have won in the eternal sense of winning, even though they might have lost in a temporary battle in dunyā. But the eternal battle, they have won it, because they have entered Jannah. Allah (swt) says, "dhālika al-fawzu al-kabīr" — that is the great victory.