Habib did not run. He looked toward the three messengers, who nodded with tears in their eyes. As the first stones struck his shoulders, he whispered, “O my people… if only you knew… how my Lord has forgiven me…”
He limped into the main square, his sandals scraping the cobblestones. The crowd parted for a moment, then laughed. “Look! The crooked one comes to preach to us .” surah yasin 1-20
In that moment, the people of Antakya saw a sliver of the truth: Habib, their despised neighbor, walking in gardens beneath which rivers flow. They saw his limp gone. They saw his face radiant. Habib did not run
“Stomp him!” someone shouted.
A young fisherman scoffed. “If your God is so powerful, let Him fill my nets.” The crowd parted for a moment, then laughed
Habib raised a trembling hand. “O my people! Follow the messengers. Follow those who ask no wage and are rightly guided. Why should I not worship the One who brought me into being? To Him is your return.”