Douth Dhu Tholoban

The Boy Between Magic and Monotheism in Najran

Douth Dhu Tholoban

Around 40 years before the Year of the Elephant, the region of Najran in Yemen was ruled by King Dhu Nuwas Al-Himyari—also known as Yusuf ibn Sharhabil, King of Himyar. Like many monarchs throughout history, Dhu Nuwas saw himself as a god. And, as was common for kings who claimed divinity at that time, he kept a personal magician.

As the magician grew old, he advised the king to choose a young boy to train in the magical arts—someone who could serve the king in his place after he passed away or became too feeble to continue. Dhu Nuwas agreed, and the magician began searching for a clever boy to mentor. He tried with several boys from Yemen, but none succeeded.

One day, a man named Al-Thamer brought his son, Abdullah, to the magician, hoping the boy would become a great sorcerer. The magician was highly impressed by Abdullah ibn Al-Thamer’s intelligence. One day, while Abdullah was on his way to study with the magician, he encountered an old man nearly collapsing from fatigue. This elderly man, a monk, was literate—an extremely rare skill in Najran at the time. Moved by compassion, Abdullah helped the monk to his home, where he discovered numerous papers containing teachings of the Christian faith.

He sat and listened as the monk spoke of Christianity and the worship of one true God. Abdullah was deeply moved by the monk’s words. From that day forward, he began visiting the monk regularly to learn from him, while still continuing his studies in magic with the magician. Over time, Abdullah ibn Al-Thamer came to possess two entirely opposing bodies of knowledge: the teachings of the monk and the magic of the sorcerer.

Torn between the two, he often asked himself which path was true— which one pleased God and genuinely benefited people. One day, while walking through the streets of Najran, Abdullah saw people fleeing in panic. Curious, he asked someone what was happening. The reply: a terrifying creature was approaching. Some said it was a massive lion.)

The Test of Truth: The Lion, the Stone, and the Rise of Faith

Douth Dhu Tholoban

At that moment, an idea came to Abdullah: to test the knowledge of both the monk and the magician in the face of the lion. As the beast stood before him, Abdullah picked up a stone and addressed God, saying, “O Lord, if the magician’s knowledge is true and certain, then let this animal die.” He then uttered the incantations he had learned from the magician and threw the stone at the lion—but nothing happened.

The lion began to charge toward him. Abdullah quickly grabbed another stone and said, “O Lord, if the monk’s knowledge is true and certain, then let this animal die.” He threw the stone, and at that very moment, the lion dropped dead. In that instant, Abdullah knew with certainty that the monk’s teachings were the truth, and that the magician’s knowledge was nothing but falsehood and slander against God.

Abdullah’s fame quickly spread throughout Yemen after this miraculous event. He continued to study the Christian faith deeply, becoming well-versed in religious teachings, medicine, and astronomy. Faith entered his heart fully, and he became a devout believer in the one true God. By God's permission, he was granted the ability to perform miraculous healings, including restoring sight to the blind and curing the sick.

One day, a blind servant from King Dhu Nuwas’s palace came to Abdullah and asked him to restore his sight. Abdullah told him that he must first believe in God. When the servant heard Abdullah speak about the worship of God and the teachings of Christ, peace be upon him, he immediately embraced Christianity. Abdullah then prayed to God to restore the man’s sight, and God answered his prayer—the servant's vision was miraculously returned.

The Trials of Faith: Abdullah Faces the Tyranny of Dhu Nuwas

Douth Dhu Tholoban

The servant returned to the palace to resume his duties. While he was serving wine to King Dhu Nuwas, the king suddenly noticed that the servant could see. Astonished, Dhu Nuwas asked, “How did you regain your sight?” The servant, with sincere intent, replied, “It was a boy of faith and knowledge named Abdullah ibn Al-Thamer. After I converted to Christianity and believed in God, he prayed for me—and God restored my sight.”

Furious and suspicious, Dhu Nuwas ordered his guards, “Bring me this boy!” When Abdullah arrived, the king immediately recognized him and said, “You’ve become a powerful magician, boy.” But Abdullah calmly responded, “This is not magic. The one who restored the man’s sight is God Almighty.” Dhu Nuwas scoffed arrogantly and said, “But I didn’t do anything!”

Abdullah replied in a composed voice, in front of all present in the palace: “Of course you didn’t—and never will—because you are not God. You are only a human being, like the rest of us, and you cannot do anything beyond your power.”

Enraged, Dhu Nuwas shouted, “You’re too young to have learned all this on your own. I will torture you until you tell me who taught you this blasphemy.” Unable to bear the torture, Abdullah finally confessed that it was the monk who had taught him—that the monk’s words were true—and that Dhu Nuwas was not God.

The king then ordered that both the monk and the servant be brought before him. He commanded them to renounce their faith and acknowledge Dhu Nuwas as their only god. Both refused. Dhu Nuwas ordered their torture. The monk eventually died from the brutal treatment, and one of the guards killed the servant.

By this time, Abdullah had gained the admiration of many people, and many in Yemen began embracing Christianity. Alarmed, Dhu Nuwas gave orders for Abdullah to be taken to the highest mountain peak. There, he was given a choice: renounce his belief in the one true God or be thrown from the mountaintop. Abdullah prayed to God for deliverance. Suddenly, the mountain trembled violently, causing all the soldiers to fall to their deaths—Abdullah alone was spared and returned safely.

When Dhu Nuwas saw him again, he asked, “Where are my soldiers?” Abdullah replied, “God saved me from their evil, and they all perished.” Blazing with fury, the king ordered a second attempt: “Take him out to sea and drown him. Do not return unless you are sure he is dead.”

The soldiers obeyed. As the boat reached the open sea, Abdullah prayed once more for God to save him from the injustice of the tyrant king and his men. God answered his prayer again. The boat shook violently, and all the soldiers drowned—only Abdullah survived.

He returned once more to Dhu Nuwas. The king, upon seeing Abdullah alive again, was nearly consumed by rage. Abdullah stood before him and said, “O King, your soldiers have drowned. God Almighty saved me again. You will not be able to kill me.”

The Martyrdom of Abdullah ibn Al-Thamer and the Awakening of a Nation

Douth Dhu Tholoban

The people had already begun to grow angry with Dhu Nuwas. They were deeply disturbed that he was torturing a young boy and seeking to kill him—acts that clearly contradicted the attributes of God Almighty. Killing and cruelty, they thought, could not come from a true deity.
In response to growing unrest, Dhu Nuwas ordered his soldiers to gather all the people of Najran—and even the surrounding regions of Yemen. He had Abdullah tied to a tree and, in front of the masses, demanded that the boy declare Dhu Nuwas as the only god of the worlds. Abdullah refused. He looked the king in the eye and said, “You are merely a human being, just like all these people. You are not God, and you cannot kill me unless God wills it.”

Furious, Dhu Nuwas seized his spear and hurled it at Abdullah—but it missed. The crowd was stunned. He then took up his bow and fired an arrow, but it veered away, again missing its mark. The onlookers were astonished, and their hearts began to waver even more. Whispers of doubt turned into murmurs of dissent. Every soldier attempted to kill Abdullah ibn Al-Thamer, but none succeeded.
Then, Allah inspired the boy with a way to turn the people's hearts to the true faith and free them from the delusion of their tyrannical king. Abdullah turned to Dhu Nuwas and said, “If you truly want to kill me, take your bow, and say out loud, ‘In the name of the God of Abdullah’, then aim your arrow at my heart.”

Dhu Nuwas, eager to end the defiance, agreed. He shouted, “In the name of the God of Abdullah!”, and released the arrow. This time, the arrow struck Abdullah’s heart, and the boy fell dead. Dhu Nuwas laughed, believing he had achieved victory. But suddenly, a powerful cry rose from the people—unified, unwavering: “We believe in the Lord of the boy!” “We believe in the Lord of Abdullah!”

The Fire of Faith: The Massacre of Najran and the Miracle of the Infant

Douth Dhu Tholoban

Fury overwhelmed Dhu Nuwas when he saw that all the people had believed in God. Enraged, he shouted to his soldiers, “Arrest them and bring them all to me!”

Dhu Nuwas had all the witnesses bound in iron chains. Historical sources mention that they numbered around twenty thousand—men, women, children, and young boys and girls. He then ordered his soldiers to dig a massive trench in Najran and commanded them to ignite a great fire within it.

A Jew by faith, Dhu Nuwas stood before the people and proclaimed: “You have three choices—believe in me, convert to Judaism, or be cast into the fire.”

The people of Najran firmly refused to abandon Christianity. With no mercy, Dhu Nuwas ordered his soldiers to throw them all into the blazing trench. One by one, the people were cast into the flames.

Eventually, a woman approached with her three children. The soldiers threw the first two into the fire. In her arms, she held her infant son. A soldier said to her, “Turn back from your faith—save yourself and your baby!” The woman wavered for a moment, shaken by the agony of her loss and the helplessness of her infant.

Then, a miracle occurred, Her infant son—just a baby—spoke from the cradle and affirmed her faith, strengthening her resolve. Astonished, the soldier stared into the woman's eyes. She firmly declared, “No, by God, I will never turn away from the truth after I have found its path.” Hearing this, another soldier seized her and threw her into the flames.

This infant was one of four miraculous children who spoke from the cradle, according to Islamic tradition:

1. Jesus (Isa), peace be upon him
2. The child in the story of the monk and the boy (Greg)
3. The son of Pharaoh’s daughter’s maid
4. The infant from the trench of Najran

The massacre continued. The soldiers threw the faithful into the fire, burning nearly all the Christians of Najran—except for one survivor: Douth Dhu Tholoban.

Vengeance for Najran: Douth Dhu Tholoban and the Fall of Dhu Nuwas

Douth Dhu Tholoban

Douth Dhu Tholoban managed to escape the massacre, but the horrifying images of his family and neighbors burning in the trench never left his mind. After gathering his composure, he resolved to seek justice and decided to travel to the Roman Empire.

Upon reaching the Roman emperor, Douth Dhu Tholoban told him everything that had happened in Najran. The Roman king, a Christian himself, was enraged by the atrocities. After a moment of thought, he said to Douth Dhu Tholoban, “Yemen is far from us, but I will send help.” He handed him a letter addressed to Najashi, the Christian king of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia), and said, “Rise and help our Christian brothers in Yemen.”

Douth Dhu Tholoban journeyed to Abyssinia and presented the letter to Najashi, along with a detailed account of the massacre in Najran. Upon hearing the news, Najashi was filled with righteous anger. He immediately dispatched an army of seventy thousand soldiers under the command of Aryat to wage war against Dhu Nuwas.

When Aryat and his army reached the Himyarite kingdom in Yemen, they began systematically defeating Dhu Nuwas’s forces in retribution for the massacre of the Christians in Najran. They destroyed castles and crushed the resistance. Seeing that his army had been annihilated and that he stood alone, Dhu Nuwas was consumed by fear. For a self-proclaimed king and god, to be killed by a man from Abyssinia was, in his eyes, the ultimate humiliation.

Refusing to be captured or slain, Dhu Nuwas mounted his horse, galloped to the shore, and plunged into the sea—where he met his end by drowning.

With Dhu Nuwas dead and his regime dismantled, Aryat and his army successfully seized control of Yemen. Among Aryat’s ranks was a brave and formidable warrior named Abraha, later known as Abraha Al-Ashram—a figure who would play a critical role in the years to come, including the events leading to the Year of the Elephant.

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