Two men dug tunnel to steal the body of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
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Nur ad-Din Zengi (February 1118 – May 15, 1174) was a member of the Turkic Zengid dynasty that ruled over the Seljuk Empire’s Syrian region. From 1146 to 1174, he ruled.
In the year 557H, an attempt was made to steal the Prophet’s body (1164CE). They were two Christian males who pretended to be Moroccans and claimed to be from Andalusia. The two rented a house near the Sacred Chamber, where the Prophet (PBUH ) was buried, and started digging a tunnel from within to the Sacred Chamber. They were discovered throughout the day in Prophet’s Mosque and visiting al-Baqi’ graveyard.
In a dream, Sultan Nuruddin Mahmud ibn Zanki saw the Prophet (pbuh) pointing to two blond-haired men and saying, “Mahmud, preserve me from them.” In a fright, the Sultan awoke, said his prayers, and went back to sleep. The dream, however, was repeated three times. He immediately summoned Jamaluddin Al-Mawsili, his minister, and told him to prepare for a trip to Madina.
The Sultan and his minister travelled to Madina in a big caravan with a thousand camels, according to historian Majduddin Al-Matari. It took them 16 days to travel from Syria to Madina. The Sultan walked straight to the Prophet’s Mosque, prayed, and then sat, unsure of what to do next. When the Sultan said that he would identify the two individuals if he saw them, the minister summoned the citizens and urged them to present themselves so that the Sultan may bestow alms on them.
The Sultan was unable to identify the two guys among all others who came to receive charity. When he learned that two Moroccan men were the only ones who hadn’t arrived to collect alms, he ordered them to be brought forth, and he immediately recognised them.
Leaving them there, the Sultan went to the two men’s home but found nothing to accuse them with until he discovered significant sums of money. He came across a piece of wood while continuing his hunt. Lifting it, he discovered the start of a tunnel going to the Sacred Chamber. The two men acknowledged to doing the crime. Sultan Nuruddin ordered the building of a ditch around the Sacred Chamber and the casting of lead inside the canal to protect the walls from future attempts.
