almuhtada.org – Allah SWT sent His prophet to an evil king who worshipped idols named Dardiyanah. One of the popular stories of the prophet is when he was killed 70 times but still alive.
The prophet who was killed 70 times but is still alive is Prophet Jirjis AS. He is not included in the list of 25 prophets and messengers that Muslims must believe in. However, some narrations talk about his story.
It is told in the book Named in the Qur’an Kept by the Earth by TGH. Then Ibrahim, Prophet Jirjis AS was sent by Allah SWT to the inhabitants of a kingdom in Ba’labakka. The kingdom was ruled by a king named Dardiyanah.
Dardiyanah was a worshipper of an idol called Ba’l. The idol is said to be made of gold and is about 10m high. This idol has four faces, each facing each of the winds.
When Prophet Jirjis AS was sent, of course he was refusing to bow down to the idol. He firmly said, “O king why do you worship a dead object that can neither see nor hear?”
The king proudly replied, “Since I worshiped this idol, I was able to become a king. I have become wealthy and have received countless favors. But you worship a God who is never seen, what do you get from your God in return?”
“The riches and pleasures of this world will disappear. Allah will give me the blessings of the hereafter which will last forever in heaven,” said Prophet Jirjis AS.
Until finally there was an argument between Dardiyanah and Prophet Jirjis AS. Because his enemy was the messenger of Allah SWT, Dardiyanah lost the debate. He then used his power to torture the Prophet Jirjis AS with 70 kinds of painful tortures – there are also reports that mention 100 tortures.
Every time he received one torture until he died, Allah SWT revived the Prophet Jirjis AS. Then, Prophet Jirjis AS came again to Dardiyanah with the same call to worship Allah SWT.
The story of Prophet Jirjis AS is not discussed much among scholars of tafsir such as Ibn Kathir. The scholars of tafsir and history mention many names of prophets by quoting from the Children of Israel or holding on to a number of opinions. In the book of Fathu al-Bari, as quoted by Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar in Al-Madkhal ila Dirasal Al-Akidah Al-Islamiyyah, it is said that Jirjis was a prophet after Prophet Isa AS.
However, Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar rejected this opinion. He is based on a saheeh hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim which states that between Prophet Isa bin Maryam and the Prophet Muhammad there was no prophet. [Fahdina Dean]
Editor: Syukron Ma’mun
