In Surah al-Buruj the Quran tells of a people whose believers were thrown into a ditch of fire — for no crime but believing in Allah, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.
قُتِلَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡأُخۡدُودِ ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡوَقُودِ إِذۡ هُمۡ عَلَيۡهَا قُعُودٞ وَهُمۡ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفۡعَلُونَ بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ شُهُودٞ وَمَا نَقَمُواْ مِنۡهُمۡ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤۡمِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡحَمِيدِ
“Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench [Containing] the fire full of fuel, When they were sitting near it. And they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses. And they resented them not except because they believed in Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy,”
Surah Al-Buruj 85:4–8
Translation: Saheeh International (QuranEnc)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ described the story behind it:
❝ HadithA king had an old sorcerer, who said: give me a boy to teach sorcery. On his way the boy would sit with a monk and learned faith from him. One day, finding a huge beast blocking the road, he picked up a stone and prayed: O Allah, if the monk's way is dearer to You, kill this beast — and it died. By Allah's permission he healed the blind, always saying: I heal no one; Allah heals. The king tried many times to kill him — throwing him from a mountain, drowning him at sea — and each time he prayed and came back safe. At last the boy said: gather the people in one plain, take an arrow from my quiver and say 'In the name of Allah, the Lord of this boy', then shoot. The king did so and the boy was martyred — and the people cried as one: we believe in the Lord of the boy! In fury the king dug ditches, lit fires, and threw in those who would not give up their faith.Sahih Muslim 3005 · Sahih
The king wanted to silence one voice; Allah turned it into the voice of a whole people. Surah al-Buruj reminds us that for those who believe and do good there are gardens — that is the great success.