with your god Baal on your behalf, for he is angry with you; had he not been angry with you, he would have answered you.” Ahab said, “Why is he angry with me when I obey him?” They replied, “Because you did not kill Elijah, and you neglected to pursue him until he escaped safely, even though he disbelieves in your god.”
Ahab said, “How could I kill Elijah when my son’s illness has kept me occupied from seeking him? Elijah cannot be found, nor is any place of his whereabouts known that one might go there. If my son recovers, I will devote myself to seeking him until I find and kill him, thereby pleasing my god.”
He then sent his four hundred prophets to the gods in Greater Syria, asking them to intercede with the king’s idol so that it might heal his son. When they reached the vicinity of the mountain in which Elijah was hiding, Allah, Most High, revealed to Elijah—peace be upon him—that he should come down from the mountain, confront them, and speak to them. He said to him, “Do not fear, for I shall ward off their evil from you and cast terror into their hearts.”
Elijah came down from the mountain, and when he encountered them, he stopped them. Once they had halted, he said to them, “Allah, Most High, has sent me to you and to those behind you. So hear, O people, the message of your Lord, that you may convey it to your master. Return to him and tell him: Allah, Most High, says to you: ‘Do you not know, O Ahab, that I am Allah? There is no god but Me—the God of the Children of Israel, who created them, provided for them, gave them life, and caused them to die. It was your ignorance and lack of knowledge that led you to associate others with Me and to seek healing for your son from other than Me—beings that possess nothing even for themselves except what I will. I have sworn by My Name that I shall surely afflict you through your son and cause him to die forthwith, so that you may know that none besides Me has any power over him.’” ⦗97/b⦘
After he had said this to them, they returned, filled with terror of him. When they reached the king, they informed him that Elijah had come down upon them. They described him as a thin, tall man, emaciated, with dishevelled hair and peeling skin, wearing a hair-shirt and a cloak fastened across his chest with pins. “He stopped us, and when he stood with us, awe and terror were cast into our hearts. Our tongues were silenced; despite our great number, we were unable to speak to him or answer him until we returned to you.” They then related to him Elijah’s words.
Ahab said, “We cannot enjoy life while Elijah remains alive; he can only be dealt with through plotting and deception.” So he appointed fifty men from among his people—men of strength and courage—gave them his charge, and ordered them to devise a stratagem against Elijah and assassinate him. They were to make him believe that they, along with those behind them, had believed in him [so that he would come out to them] (1) and be deceived by them, allowing them to seize him and bring him to their king.
They set out until they climbed that mountain in which Elijah was hiding. Then they spread out across it, calling for him at the top of their voices: “O Prophet of Allah, come out to us and graciously present yourself to us. We have believed in you and affirmed you, as have our king Ahab and all our people. You are safe from all harm. All the Children of Israel send you greetings and say: ‘Your message has reached us, and we have understood what you said. [We have believed in you and answered the call to which you summoned us. So come to us, reside among us, and judge between us] (2), for we shall comply with what you command us and refrain from what you forbid us. In view of our faith and obedience, you have no excuse to stay away from us. So return to us.’”
All of this was merely scheming and deception on their part.