When Elijah heard what they were saying, their words took hold of his heart, and he hoped that they had truly come to faith. He feared Allah lest he fail to appear before them. Allah then inspired him to wait and supplicate, so he said, “O Allah, if they are truthful in what they say, then permit me to go out to them; but if they are lying, then spare me from them and strike them with a fire that will consume them.” He had scarcely finished speaking when fire was showered upon them from above, and they were all burned to death.
It is related that news of this reached Ahab, yet he did not desist from his evil designs. Instead, he again plotted against Elijah and sent another group equal in number to the first, but stronger and more skilled in cunning and planning. They approached—that is, they climbed the scattered summits of those mountains—and began calling out: “O Prophet of Allah, we seek Allah’s protection, and yours, from Allah’s wrath and His chastisements. We are not like those who came to you before us. They were a group who feigned faith and went to you to plot against you, without our approval. Had we known of them, we would have killed them and spared you their harm. Now your Lord has dealt with them for you, destroyed them, and avenged us and you against them.”
When Elijah heard what they said, he invoked Allah with the same supplication as before, and He rained fire upon them. They were all burned to the last man. Throughout all this, the king’s son remained in severe affliction because of his illness. When the king heard that his men had perished a second time, his anger only grew. He wished to go out himself in pursuit of Elijah, but his son’s illness prevented him from doing so.
He therefore sent to Elijah the believing scribe of his wife, hoping that Elijah would be reassured by him and come down with him. The king assured the scribe that he intended no harm toward Elijah; he disclosed this to him only because he had learned of his faith. Although the king knew of the scribe’s faith, he overlooked it because of the man’s competence, trustworthiness, and sound judgment.
When he sent him to Elijah, he dispatched a group of his men with him, instructing the group—but not the scribe—to bind Elijah securely and bring him back if he refused to accompany them. But if he came with the scribe, trusting him, they were not to alarm him. Then, in the scribe’s presence, he feigned repentance and said to him, “It is time for me to repent. Calamities have befallen us: the burning of our men and the affliction that has struck my son. I have come to know that this was through Elijah’s supplication, and I fear that he may supplicate against all who remain of us, and that we will perish through his prayer. Go to him and tell him that we have repented and turned back, and that our repentance cannot be set right, nor can we seek the pleasure of our Lord and cast off our idols, unless Elijah is among us, commanding us and forbidding us, and informing us of what pleases our Lord.”
He ordered his people to forsake the idols, and said to the scribe, “Tell Elijah that we have renounced the gods we used to worship, and that we have deferred the matter of them until Elijah comes down, so that he himself may burn and destroy them.” Yet this was merely another plot on the king’s part.
The scribe and the group then set out until they climbed the mountain where Elijah was. The scribe called out to him, and Elijah recognized his voice. His heart longed for him, for he had been eager to meet him. Allah, Most High, then revealed to him: “Go out to your righteous brother, meet him, and renew your bond with him.” So Elijah came out to him, greeted him, and clasped his hand. He asked, “What is the news?”
The believer replied, “This tyrannical despot and his people have sent me to you.” He then related to him what they had said and added, “I fear that, if I return to him without you, he will kill me. So command me to do whatever you wish. If you wish, I will devote myself to you, remain with you, and leave him. If you wish, I will strive against him alongside you. Or, if you wish, send me back to him with whatever message you desire, and I shall convey it. And if you wish, pray to your Lord to grant us, in this matter—”