54 I" the FooI/ltPS Df fix Prophtf" Won't you invoke God for us, that He may help us?" The Pro phet firm-
ly answered: "Among the believers who came before you, many were
thrown into ditches dug for them and were sawed in twO fro m head to
foot, and this did not rurn (hem away from their religion; their flesh was
torn apart from their bones and sinews with iron combs, and this did not
rurn them away from their r eligion. By God, trus cause will certainly pre-
vail, so it will be possible for a lone traveler to go from Sanaa to
Had ramout lregions in YemenJ without fearing anything but God, or the
wolf for his sheep. But you are too impatient!,,6
They therefore had to be patient, endure, persevere, and nc\'cr despair
of God and of His will. T he Prophet was tcaching his Companions the
difficult association of trust in God with pain. T he experience of physi-
cal and moral suffering made it possible to reach the state of faith where
one accepts adversity, where o ne can doubt oneself without doubting
God. In this respect, young Ammar's Story is cdif}~ng: he had seen his
mother, then his father, being executed because they refused to deny God.
Then Ammar himself was tortured in the cruelest manner. One day while
he was being tortunxl, unable to bear any more, he denied God and
praised the gods o f the Quraysh. His tormentors let him go, satisfied that
they had achieved what they wanted. Ammar was alive, but he was
besieged and under mined br a fee!.ing o f guilt he could not get rid of, as
he was convinced that his denial could not be atoned for. He went to the
Prophet in tears and confessed to him the cause of his misery and his
doubts as to his own value and fate. The Prophet asked him abOut his
innermost beliefs, and Ammar confirmed to him that they were
unchanged, flrm, and solid, and th at he harbored no doubt as to his faith
in G o d and his love. 1I'luhammad calmed and reassured the young man, fo r
he had done what he could and need not be angry with himself. Revelation
even mentioned "one who, after accepting faith in God, utters unbelief ...
under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith." 7 H e advised Ammar
that if he ever again underwent th e same unbearable torture, in order to
save his life he should say with his lips what his tOrturers ,vanted to hear,
keeping his faith and his prayers to God firmly in his heart.
Thus th e Prophet recognized and accepted both attitudes: that of
th ose who never denied their faith and who went so far as to die for it,
and r.hat of those who, under unbearable torture, escaped death by ver-
bally denying their belief while it remained unshakeable in their mind and